In the past few months, the topics of security and privacy have gripped the mobile industry. The humble SMS text message has been subjected to particular attention, both on its own and in association with smartphone apps.

John Murtagh, CTO at text message specialist Anam Technologies, explains more about the risks involved with SMS, the challenges for mobile network operators and the solutions that can protect consumers.

LG Electronics has announced the LG G Pro 2 smartphone today.

It’s a successor to the LG G Pro, which was revealed in February last year. South Korea is currently the only market confirmed for the LG G Pro 2, although wider availability is expected to be announced during or after Mobile World Congress.

Juniper Research has forecast that $62 billion will be wagered on casino-type gambling and poker games via mobile handsets and tablets in 2018, more than six times the $10 billion wagered worldwide last year.

Much of this increase will be driven by the legalisation of online gambling services in parts of the USA, with more US-based services expected to launch during the next five years.

Spanish smartphone manufacturer Geeksphone, which recently announced plans to produce a security-focussed smartphone, says it’ll start selling a dual-boot device next week.

The Geeksphone Revolution will go on sale from 20th February and is capable of running either Google’s Android OS or the Boot2Gecko Mozilla operating system.

WiFi platform provider Devicescape says Virgin Media has signed a contract for the supply of its WiFi service platform, which will make it easier for customers to connect to WiFi hotspots outside the house.

Devicescape currently manages a ‘curated virtual network’ of 20 million hotspots worldwide. It expects to have 1.1 million of these hotspot locations in the UK by 2017.