There's good news for Telefonica as it's chosen to support the UK's smart meter rollout - but bad news for fans of the Microsoft Tag barcode, which is being discontinued in a couple of years' time.

We're also talking about drivers who use mobile phones illegally, Amazon's new service for mobile developers, the forthcoming Kazam smartphone, mobile advertising, satellite broadband, wearable security accessories and a word that's completely unacceptable to Motorola.

Motorola’s recently-announced Moto X smartphone has an innovative new NFC-powered accessory.

The Motorola Skip is a small clip that provides the security of a PIN without the user needing to remember a code. It can automatically unlock the phone when the two devices are touched together.

The Mobile Data Association, which is the longest-established mobile trade association in the UK, says the process of reporting online abuse to the relevant authorities is in danger of becoming fundamentally unmanageable.

It’s warning that the increasing number of systems and mechanisms for reporting abuse, bullying and other criminal activity could result in an environment that is inadequate and fragmented.

The City of London Corporation has asked Renew London to remove some of its information pods from the Square Mile.

A dozen of the pods, which had advertising screens and also acted as recycling bins, were able to monitor footfall by tracking the unique MAC address of WiFi-connected phones and tablets when people passed.

Encrypted communications provider Silent Circle says it’s discontinued its Silent Mail email encryption service to avoid the risk of compromising its customers if governments demanded to see user information.

The company points out that it’s not received any government subpoenas, warrants or security letters at the moment.