Anjana Pasricha from voanews.com writes:

India’s millions of mobile phone subscribers have won relief from a growing nuisance on the subcontinent - unsolicited text messages. The crackdown by regulators targets the world’s fastest-growing mobile phone market.

From remote villages to crowded metros, the number of mobile phones in India has grown exponentially to more than 850 million in just over a decade.

Samsung is the latest company to sign a patent licensing deal with Microsoft. In this case it’s a broad agreement to cross-license the patent portfolios of both companies, with Microsoft receiving royalties for Samsung’s mobile phones and tablets running the Android mobile platform.

The companies have also agreed to cooperate in the development and marketing of Windows Phone.

Premium rate telephone service regulator PhonepayPlus has started a ten-week public consultation on app-based mobile payments.

The regulator introduced a new Code of Practice on 1st September. It’s now planning to add a guidance document on ‘Applications-based payments’.

Doro, which produces mobile phones aimed at older customers, has won a preliminary injunction that blocks sales of the Emporia Telme phone in Europe.

A court in Germany has ruled that Emporia’s phone infringes on the registered design of Doro devices.

The Apple iPhone 4 can claim to be the world’s thinnest smartphone. That’s the opinion of the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority, which was asked to adjudicate after a complaint about an online ad for Apple.

The complaint pointed out that the Samsung Galaxy S II was just 8.71mm at its thinnest point, while the iPhone 4 - which claimed to be “the world’s thinnest smartphone” - was 9.3mm.