ABI Research has calculated that more than 39 million tablets were shipped worldwide during the first quarter of 2013.

It’s the second-highest figure ever recorded by the company, only beaten by the final quarter of 2012.

Andrea Gerber of baimos technologies writes:

Mobile devices are becoming ever more prevalent in our daily lives and so it comes as no surprise that they are now being utilized in security-relevant scenarios such as car-sharing and shared parking. Mobility solutions such as these increasingly rely on smartphone applications, hence technologies arise that allow the smartphone to morph into a digital key.

Consumers in Spain will be able to buy Firefox OS smartphones from tomorrow. Telefónica is going to sell the ZTE Open at its Movistar stores for €69 incl. VAT (£59) on pre-pay and ‘pay monthly’ tariffs.

This is expected to be followed by Deutsche Telekom selling the Alcatel One Touch Fire handset in Poland.

From September, the Mobile Broadband Group will start using the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) to help UK mobile networks restrict access to commercial content that is unsuitable for customers under the age of 18.

This comes after 8 years of working with the Independent Mobile Classification Board, which currently provides the framework for mobile commercial content.

Three UK has launched a ‘back to basics’ Pay As You Go offer with three straightforward rates: 3p per minute for calls, 2p each for SMS text messages and 1p per MB for mobile data.

The company points out that it’s not forcing customers to pick different options or choose between a preference for texts, calls or data. There’s also no 30-day expiry of credit.