WRAL Tech Wire

 Apple CEO 'extremely sorry' for Maps application

Tim Cook: "At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better."

Closeup of iPhone 5

 Touch screen choice is factor in iPhone 5 shortage

Apple used the technology in the first major iPhone overhaul since 2010 to make the device more svelte, an attribute that helped lure a record 5 million buyers in three days. Yet producing in-cell screens is also more painstaking than earlier screen types, contributing to bottlenecks.

iPhone 5's sharper 4-inch screen

 Verizon Wireless won't lock new iPhones to own network

It's the first time Verizon, the country's largest cellphone company, has sold a phone that works on competing U.S. networks with no complicated hacking, or "unlocking," procedures.

The new iPhone 5 in white and black

 iPhone sells out at 5M, but analysts expected more

Apple sells 1 million more iPhone 5s in the first thee days than it did iPhone 4s. But supply constraints held down sales considerably below what analysts had expected.

Closeup of iPhone 5

 New Verizon Wireless iPhones also work on AT&T network

As many stores sell out of iPhone 5s, The Associated Press found that the Verizon iPhone 5 accepts an AT&T "SIM card" -- a little chip that identifies a phone to a wireless network. The phone can then be active on AT&T's network.

Closeup of iPhone 5

 RTP, not other N.C. metros, must wait for Sprint 4G service

Sprint's deployment plans for new 4G LTE wireless service doesn't yet include the Triangle, but other North Carolina cities are on the early rollout list.

 Sprint to report 2Q results amid stock rally

Sprint is set to report its quarterly results before the opening bell on Thursday amid a challenging shutdown of its Nextel network.

 Sprint launches 4G network; stock gets a boost

Shares in the third-largest U.S. wireless carrier rose to the highest level since September after Credit Suisse AG boosted its price target for the stock, citing its network upgrade and cost management.

 Sprint, other telecoms target Android with Firefox/Mozilla phones

"Firefox OS will deliver a higher performance than current low cost smartphones can achieve," says Matthew Key, chief executive officer of Spain-based Telefonica's digital unit.

 Move over, iPhone? Carriers to sell Samsung's new Galaxy

The Galaxy S III, which is the top rival to Apple's iPhone, features a 4.8-inch screen, a display area that's nearly twice large as the iPhone's. Yet the phone is slightly thinner and lighter than Apple's device.

Samsung's newest Galaxy phone

 Customers say service improving at top 3 wireless providers

The American Customer Satisfaction Index puts Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless within two points of each other on a 100-point scale of customer satisfaction. That's the smallest spread since the survey started looking at all four companies in 2005.

 Google dumps shares in wireless data firm Clearwire

The search engine giant is selling its stake in the company backed by Sprint for $47 million - a loss of 94 percent.

 Customers fleeing, T-Mobile moves to embrace iPhones

The nation's fourth largest wireless carrier says it will revamp its network to support Apple's phones. T-Mobile lost more than 500,000 customers in the fourth quarter.

 Telecom news: iPhone boosts Sprint; Nokia cutting jobs

Sprint's losses soar even as number of subscribers grows. Meanwhile, Nokia says it will cut 4,000 more jobs and quit manufacturing phones in Europe.

 Will iPhone sales help Sprint end subscriber losing streak?

For the fourth quarter of 2011, analysts expect Sprint to break the trends of subscriber losses, thanks to the iPhone, which the company started selling in October.

 Court OKs immunity for telecoms in wiretap case

A federal appeals court says a law giving telecommunications companies legal immunity for helping the government with its email and telephone eavesdropping program is constitutional.

 Verizon Wireless bans Google payment software from new Samsung phone

Verizon is part of a consortium of carriers that are planning its own payment application, and the company says its waiting to provide a wallet application until it can provide "the best security and user experience."

 Is your cellphone spying on you? Tracking software triggers suits

Software on 150 million phones watches what owners of Sprint Nextel Corp. and AT&T Inc. smartphones do with them, including what people type and the numbers they dial. But it doesn't seem to transmit every keystroke to the company. Instead, it kicks into action when there's a problem, like a call that doesn't go through, and it lets the phone company know.

Carrier IQ web page touts how many phones include its software

 Is your cellphone spying on you? Tracking software triggers suits

Software on 150 million phones watches what owners of Sprint Nextel Corp. and AT&T Inc. smartphones do with them, including what people type and the numbers they dial. But it doesn't seem to transmit every keystroke to the company. Instead, it kicks into action when there's a problem, like a call that doesn't go through, and it lets the phone company know.

 Sprint throws financial lifeline to subsidiary Clearwire

The companies said Clearwire will get as much as $1.6 billion over the next four years, helping address its cash needs as it shifts to higher-speed wireless technology.