Mobile cell phone news

T-Mobile may launch its HTC HD2 smartphone on March 24th for $199 with a 2-year contract. Rumor has it that the Windows Mobile 6.5 device will not be upgraded to Windows Phone 7 Series. Read the full story here.

A company called SmartPhone Technologies LLC filed a complaint with the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas against Apple, AT&T, LG, Motorola, Research in Motion (RIM), Samsung, and Sanyo. The company claims all have violated at least one of its its patents related Bluetooth connectivity and/or email synchronization. SmartPhone Technologies is seeking costs, damages, and expenses from all of the firms. Read the full story here.

comScore released its January 2010 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Share report today. Motorola maintained its top spot in the overall mobile phone market, and Research in Motion (RIM) held its top spot in smart phones. Google's Android operating system saw the greatest growth. Read the full story here.

Verizon Wireless may be using the WiFi-only Apple iPad as a means for selling 3G data plans, according to documents leaked to Engadget. In one promotional image, that may have been provided to employees, Verizon Wireless says "The iPad is an opportunity for VZW!" suggesting that it can sell 3G enabled MiFi devices to owners of the WiFi-only version of the iPad. The document also calls AT&T's network "overloaded with limited coverage." Read the full story here.

Today Google announced that it is launching advertisements on mobile YouTube sites (m.youtube.com) in the United States and in Japan. The ads will be served on the home, search, and browse pages. Google said initial tests showed strong click-through and brand awareness results. Read the full story here.

Google today announced that Google Maps now includes bike-friendly routing. That means you can get directions from one place to another with routing along bike trails, bike-friendly roads, or bike lanes, where possible. The feature only exists on the desktop for now, but Google says a mobile version is planned Read the full story here.

IBM said today that it is partnering with the National Institute of Design of India and the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo to research ways of making phones more accessible to the illiterate and elderly. Read the full story here.

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According to a new study by Strategy Analytics, Apple iPhone owners are so satisfied with their phones, that they're most likely to buy their next device from Apple as well. The report titled "iPhone Owners Most Satisfied and Likely to Repeat Purchase," also found that QWERTY keyboard owners, whether virtual or hardware, were more satisfied with their phones than 12-key phone owners. Read the full story here.

At a press conference in Taipei, microprocessor manufacturer ARM said that it expects there will be over 50 devices available by the end of 2010 with a similar form factor as Apple's iPad. Read the full story here.