Nokia says it is “exploring options for a structured exit from the Mobile Financial Services business”, which includes the Nokia Money service in India.

Nokia Money was announced in 2009 following Nokia’s investment in mobile phone payment service Obopay.

Mark Bridge writes:

It’s all gone a bit quiet. Is it the calm after the Mobile World Congress storm... or is it the knowledge that an Apple announcement will push anything else out of the headlines, even before the product itself has been revealed?

Either way, the last seven days have had significantly fewer news stories than the beginning of the month. But that’s not to say they’ve been completely news-free.

Mark Bridge writes:

Mobile security always seems to be on the agenda – but one of the companies demonstrating its services at Mobile World Congress 2012 had a particularly stark warning.

Cryptography Research was demonstrating what’s called differential power analysis or side-channel analysis, which can be used to reveal encrypted information from a smartphone or tablet without ever needing to get hold of the device.

Microsoft has announced the planned closure of its application store for Windows Mobile 6 devices.

The Windows Mobile 6.x Marketplace service will no longer be available for application purchases or downloads from 9th May 2012, although any software that’s already been downloaded will keep working.

As smartphone usage increases worldwide, it’s no surprise to discover that accessories for smartphones are seeing a similar sales increase.

ABI Research has calculated that aftermarket mobile accessory sales will generate $36 billion this year, with smartphones driving $20 billion of this figure.