• HTC says it will brand its own version of Google's Nexus One, in the form of the HTC Desire. The handset runs on a combination of both Google Android and the HTC Sense UI, which allows users to customize multiple home screens with web feeds and other content.
• Market research company NPD Group says nearly one-third of all handsets in the U.S. are smartphones, up from 23 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. The company also found that nearly two-thirds of smartphones were purchased for $150 or less in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to less than half purchased at that price during the same period in 2008.
• Executive Women in Wireless, a professional group for senior-level women in the wireless industry, will present Kelly Owens St. Julian as a featured speaker at the group's upcoming networking breakfast. Owens St. Julian, as chief service officer of Boost Mobile, played an important role in the carrier's turnaround. The event will be held on March 24 in conjunction with the CTIA Wireless 2010 conference in Las Vegas.
• Chinese wireless interactive entertainment services company Linktone lost $1.9 million in the fourth quarter on falling sales, which came in at $15.4 million compared to $19.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. The results included a $2.5 million write down on the company's casual games business. For the full year 2009 the company made $0.1 million compared with a loss of $16.5 million in 2008.
• Sweden-based handset maker Doro has designed a new phone for the elderly, the Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm. The flip phone features a large color display, lighted keys, amplified sound emergency button, FM radio and Bluetooth. The new Doro mobile phone will be available May 1, exclusively through Consumer Cellular, the official wireless carrier of AARP.
• CSMG, a division of professional communications services company TMNG Global, says the mHealth market presents "significant growth opportunities" but is highly fragmented. The company estimates the mHealth market will be worth $4.6 billion by 2014 but will be split across many solutions and device types. The company emphasized that health care reform is needed to reach the full potential for integrating mHealth into the U.S. health care delivery system.