There are more mobile subscriptions than the entir population of the planet ... estimated to be around 8 billion!

"There will be more mobile subscriptions than people in the world by the end of next year, according to a UN agency report. The International Telecoms Union predicts that subscriptions will pass seven billion early in 2014.

There are currently 6.8 billion mobile subscriptions and 7.1 billion people. The ITU World in 2013 report also found that more than a third of the global population are online.

The Commonwealth of Independent States, the alliance of countries formerly in the Soviet Union, has the highest mobile penetration with 1.7 subscriptions for every person. Africa has the least, with 63 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.

"Every day we are moving closer to having almost as many mobile cellular subscriptions as people on earth," said Brahima Sanou, director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau."

Source: BBC

Gutted ... and possibly very damaging, as HTC are already struggling in this fiercely fought smartphone market.

"Nokia has won a court injunction banning HTC from using microphone components in its flagship HTC One smartphones.It will create more headaches for the Taiwan-based firm, which has struggled with component shortages. Nokia said it had taken apart the HTC One and found the high-amplitude audio-capture technology was the same as its own.

HTC said it would be looking for alternatives "immediately". The ruling made by the Amsterdam District Court is effective until March 2014 and will prevent STMicro, which sells the parts, from offering them to HTC for sale. The court found the parts had been invented by Nokia and manufactured exclusively for the Finnish company's phones.

Nokia said: "HTC has no licence or authorisation from Nokia to use these microphones or the Nokia technologies from which they have been developed."

Source: BBC

Ahh ... so this what corporate businesses do. Acquire a company and its assests, notably their patents and then sue whoever you think is using your technology (or similar).

"Google has failed in its latest attempt to convince a US trade agency that Apple has infringed its intellectual property. The case centred on a claim the iPhone maker should have licensed a feature that lets its handsets ignore touches when held close to users' heads.

Google had acquired the contested patent as part of its $12.5bn (£8.2bn) takeover of Motorola Mobility. Apple could have faced an import ban on its mobiles had it lost.

Although Apple is based in the US, it outsources production of its mobiles to factories in China and Brazil making them vulnerable to such a challenge."

Source: BBC

Press Release: Big-screen mobile entertainment for everyone – Huawei's feature-packed Ascend G510 smartphone debut

Press Release: New GALAXY Mega offers the latest smartphone features with an extensive viewing experience.

SEOUL, Korea, April 11, 2013 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the Samsung GALAXY Mega, a device that combines the portability and convenience of a smartphone with the power, multitasking capabilities and extensive viewing experience of a tablet.

The newest addition to the GALAXY family balances an optimal viewing experience on a 6.3-inch HD screen, yet is ultra-thin and portable enough to put into a pocket or hold in one hand. The GALAXY Mega offers a mix of popular smartphone and tablet features such as an effortless user experience, a split screen, multitasking between video and other apps and more.

Apple REALLY don't like Samsung ... their next-gen A7 CPU will be made by TSMC instead of Samsung.

"The fact that Apple relies upon Samsung, its arch-rival, for a healthy amount of its components, is one of the biggest paradoxes in the tech industry. Still, if The Korea Times is to be believed, the unhappy marriage between the two could rapidly be heading towards a divorce. While Apple has previously splashed out several billion per year on Samsung components, the newspaper is suggesting that Cupertino will turn to TSMC to produce its next generation of mobile CPUs -- a rumor that's been making the rounds recently.

It's source, and executive at one of Samsung's partners, claims the manufacturer has been cut out of development of the A7 CPU, adding a little bit more credence to those claims. What's more, the same source reports that TSMC is gearing up its 20-nanometer production line to crank out the hardware ready for 2014."

Source: Engadget

That's a bold claim and impressive figure ... but seriously they could do it. Apple is losing it ... and I hope they do!

"Samsung Electronics is aiming to reach 500 million in handset shipments throughout 2013, according to industry supply chain sources. The sources said that at present China-based panel maker BOE is shipping approximately 10 million panels a month to Samsung for its entry-level and midrange handsets.

Samsung also has panel supply for use in entry-level and midrange handsets from Tianma MIcro-electronics, Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT), AU Optronics (AUO), as well as high-end panel technology from Sharp and Japan Display in addition to supply from Samsung Display, added the sources."

Source: Digitimes

But would you buy a BB tablet though?

"Looking at the image above there isn't much one can really draw from it other then to say there are some possible code names in there along with some possible timelines at best. The Z10 and the Q10 are already lined up, so those can be pretty much ignored. The B10 L is an interesting image that looks like a landscape device or possibly even a tablet. Don't forget, we've heard rumors that Sprint may get a touchscreen other than the Z10 which they passed by on.

The U10 looks a bit more like a 'phablet' then an average sized device. In the past we've heard rumors about a device codenamed "aristo", which was said to feature a 4.65" display. We heard since then that the 4.65" was off the table in favor of something bigger, so maybe something with a phablet territory 5" or bigger display is in the cards.

And then we have the R10. The R10 could be assumed to be a Curve-like device, possibly on the mid-range price spectrum as we've already heard plenty about the 'R-Series' devices in the past and CEO Thorsten Heins mentioned that we will see a BB10 hit mid-range this fiscal year."

Source: Crackberry