Sony Ericsson has launched a 'micro display' accessory called LiveView for its Android smartphones. The 1.3-inch OLED colour display connects via Bluetooth and mirrors certain activities of a compatible mobile phone, such as displaying text messages, calendar updates, showing incoming calls, controlling the music player and offering social networking updates. It means that consumers can use a phone without taking it out of their pocket or handbag.

Mark Bridge writes:

RIM and Sony Ericsson each reveal a new product within 24 hours. One has a 7-inch screen and a big announcement at the company's developer conference. The other, with a 1.3-inch micro-display, has a lower-key launch. Yet it's the similarities that have attracted my attention.

Sony Ericsson currently has no plans to develop any new Symbian products, according to a report on BusinessWeek.com. The company’s Chief Creation Officer Rikko Sakaguchi is also quoted as saying the manufacturer has "made a significant shift to support Android", adding that their use of Android isn’t exclusive but "will certainly continue to be an important platform for us".

The EU says it's invested 10 million Euro in the three-year webinos project, which aims to deliver a platform for web applications across mobile, PC, home media (TV) and in-car devices.

The mobile phone market in Western Europe grew just 1.5% year-on-year to 43.3 million units in the second quarter of 2010, with smartphone growth offsetting a fall in the sale of traditional handsets. International Data Corporation's Mobile Phone Tracker says smartphone shipments were up 60% on Q2 2009 to 14.6 million units, while traditional phone sales fell 14% to 28.7 million units. That means 34% of all devices shipped were smartphones, up from 28% in the previous quarter.