Mark Bridge writes:

Persuading mobile phone users not to hold their phone when they’re driving should be a simple task. It’s dangerous, it’s against the law and the penalties include a fine plus points on your licence.

But even then, there’s often an excuse about convenience and usability. Some people don’t like wearing headsets, some don’t like wires and some simply forget to charge the batteries.

That’s why a new hands-free Bluetooth loudspeaker from French company BeeWi caught my eye.

Telefónica Europe, which bought mobile VoIP company JAJAH in December, has started rolling-out JAJAH-powered IP-based phone services across its O2 businesses in Europe.

The first is international calling service O2 Global Friends, which lets customers in Germany make international calls by dialling a dedicated local number. The call is then routed over the internet without the need for any software downloads or new hardware.

Vodafone, which bought navigation service Wayfinder in early 2009 and closed it down just over a year later, is now giving away the software. Wayfinder's location and navigation software can now be found on github.com and via Vodafone’s open source portal at www.betavine.net.

A report from ABI Research expects that Linux-based operating systems – including Google’s Android and forthcoming Chrome OS - will comprise 62% of operating systems shipped in all non-smartphone mobile devices by 2015. Other Linux-based systems include MeeGo and the Palm webOS.

Mobile telecom author and commentator Tomi Ahonen has published a lengthy blog post covering smartphone segmentation: which people use smartphones - and why they use them.

In it, he anticipates around 35% growth in smartphone shipments this year (excluding Japan), with most growth coming from lower-priced handsets. Headline figures include...