If you pay any attention to commercials, you likely know that Cingular [1] doesn't exist anymore. That's no protection against being sued, though, and a federal judge has said that a customer class-action suit against the carrier can continue. At issue is the way Cingular dealt with AT&T Wireless customers when Cingular took over AT&T Wireless--shortly before AT&T [2] took over BellSouth, which meant that it was, in turn, taking over Cingular. The hands-on takeaway: Pay close attention to the conflict resolution clauses in your contract, especially if your carrier is swallowed by another.

For more on the Cingular suit:
- read the legal analysis [3] at eWeek