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News

• Facebook, app return policy to come to Windows Mobile

  Users of the forthcoming Windows Marketplace for Mobile will be able to return applications within 24 hours, and they'll finally get an official Facebook app.

• Virgin plans touch-screen phone

  Virgin Mobile USA plans to introduce touch-screen handsets as part of a move into "smarter" phones, the carrier's CEO said Tuesday.

• Mobile handset market to decline 8% this year says IDC

  After years of growth, the global market for mobile handsets will contract by about 8 percent this year although smartphones will remain a growth area, according to a new forecast from IDC.

• Universal phone chargers to finally become a reality

  An initiative backed by both mobile phone manufacturers and operators will result in a universal charger based on the Micro-USB interface for new mobile phones.

• Smartphones key as phone vendors regroup

  The fourth quarter wasn't a good one for the mobile phone manufacturers, and now they are looking to smartphones to save the day.

• LG debuts wrist-watch phone

  LG Electronics announced Wednesday a high-speed wireless wrist-watch phone with video chat and text messaging capabilities at the Consumer Electronics Show.

• Security vendors ready fix for 'Curse of Silence' SMS attack

  A single malformed text message can prevent some Nokia smartphones from receiving further messages via SMS (Short Message Service) -- and the offending message can be sent from almost any Nokia phone, even non-smartphone models, a German security researcher demonstrated Tuesday.

• IDC expects drop in mobile-phone shipments in '09

  Mobile phone shipments will decline by more than 2% in 2009 when compared with this year, the largest decline since 2001, according to a forecast from IDC released Thursday.

• Study: Mobile phones to be primary Internet device by 2020

  By 2020, mobile phones will be the primary Internet devices for most people in the world, according to a panel of experts, who also predict that Web technologies will probably not lead to increased social tolerance.

• Estonia to use mobile phones to simpify e-voting

  A decision in the Estonian parliament has opened the door for mobile phones to be used for authenticating voters in its 2011 election.

• North Korea launches 3G cellular service

  North Korea has taken a massive leap forward in telecommunications and launched a 3G cellular network but details about the service, how much it costs and who is eligible to use it remain a mystery.

• Zune phone makes sense, but politics could prevent it

  They're back: rumours of an impending Zune phone announcement from Microsoft, this time probably at CES.

• Vodafone introduces PayPal mobile recharge

  Vodafone Australia today announced that prepaid customers can recharge their credit using PayPal.

• Australian first: Kogan unveils Android-based mobile

  Melbourne company Kogan today announced Australia's first mobile phone to ship with Google's Android operating system. The phone is just the second in the world to have the Android OS preinstalled, after T-Mobile launched the G1 in the US in September.

• Gartner: Economy hits mobile phone sales

  Economic woes slashed mobile phone sales growth in the third quarter of this year as consumers waited longer to replace their handsets, and the market is likely to contract next year, according to Gartner.