NEWS

Smartphones let you check flight status, order room service and catch up on the news.

Sharon Bloom regularly receives text-messaged photos of clothes and products her daughters want her to look for while she's shopping. When she sees an item she likes, she pulls out her Internet-enabled LG Dare phone and sends her two girls pictures. Her phone has helped her find coupons, store locations and restaurants.

Is it the dawn of the mobile e-commerce store? It's tough to say, since various apps and portals have let customers buy directly from their phones for a while now.