• Google says its Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread update will roll out to the Nexus S and Nexus One over the next few weeks. Google also made the full software development kit for Android 3.0 Honeycomb available to developers.
• MetroPCS has hired Snoop Dogg to market the Samsung Galaxy Indulge. Customers can enter a contest at MetroPCS retail stores through the end of March for a free trip to a Snoop Dogg concert this summer including airfare and incidentals, front-row tickets and backstage passes, as well as two Samsung Galaxy Indulge smartphones with MetroPCS LTE service. Snoop Dogg will also star in a series of videos posted to MetroPCS' YouTube page.
• Verizon Wireless says it's using Tektronix Communications' Iris technology to monitor its new LTE services. Iris provides real-time and historical information for troubleshooting and performance monitoring. Verizon Wireless will use the Iris LTE solution to increase visibility into IP service uptake, usage and quality, and the network's ability to deliver these IP services.
• China Mobile has placed an order with NIVS IntelliMedia Technology Group for its NIVS N61 model, a phone designed for young children. The device has security features that allow parents to track their children's location through its built in GPS. It works on the GSM 900 and DCS 1800 bands, has advanced and customizable family settings, and it has a kid-centric number pad with only six digits.
• The Wi-Fi Alliance and Continua Health Alliance are partnering on using Wi-Fi networking technology in connected health applications. The groups will review specifications and guidelines to facilitate interoperability of personal health and fitness applications.
• SkyCross has appointed communications consultant Bami Bastani to its board of directors. SkyCross selected Bastani for his expertise in international customers and markets. Bastani is also a director of Nitronex, CorMedix and VSSB Medical Nanotechnology and serves on the advisory boards of Petra Solar and SiTune.