BlackBerry Adds Voice Calls and Channels for Andoid/iPhone BBM Users:

BlackBerry has announced that it is offering an upgraded version of its BBM app for all three smartphone platforms BlackBerry iOS and Android

Android and iPhone customers will now be able to make free voice calls to BBM contacts over a Wi-Fi or data connection with BBM Voice, as well as access BBM Channels.

In addition, BBM customers on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones will have more to chat about with fast one-click sharing of photos, documents, voice notes and more.

BBM users will also be able to share their live location for a specified amount of time with other BBM contacts by using location sharing, powered by Glympse, and will have 100 new emoticons available to help them say what's on their mind.

LTE Network Upgrade Completed for The Bahamas:

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company BTC says that it has completed the full commercial launch of the country s only LTE network

LTE services will be available in The Bahamas' four most populated islands this month and then rolled out to the rest of the country. The network upgrade has been undertaken by Huawei.

Geoff Houston, Chief Executive of BTC, said: "The launch of 4G LTE services positions us on a par with the gold standard for mobile data used in the United States. We have invested to meet our commitment to deliver a world class mobile data and voice experience to our customers."

BTC is the exclusive mobile operator in the country which has a population of 319,000 people. The company has has been granted a 15 year licence to provide LTE mobile data services on the 700 megahertz radio frequency.

Nokia Warns 30,000 Jobs at Risk at Indian Factory:

Nokia has appealed to India s Supreme Court for relief after a lower court imposed new conditions on its plans to sell its Indian handset factory to Microsoft

The Delhi High Court had previously said that Nokia could include the Chennai factory to Microsoft as part of the handset division sale, but late last week added new conditions to the sale.

The conditions have been applied as the factory assets had been frozen as part of a tax dispute that Nokia is engaged in with the government. Nokia made a deposit of Rs 2,250 crore against the tax demand to secure the release of the factory.

The transfer of the factory to Microsoft can now be blocked again if the tax authorities raise their tax demand against Nokia.

A Nokia global spokesperson said changes imposed by the court would be detrimental to India's reputation as a stable investment destination.

LG Hints at Smaller Version of its G2 Smartphone:

LG Electronics has dropped a less than subtle hint that it is about to launch another smartphone a mini version of its G2 handset

A photo montage was uploaded to the company's own Facebook account -- so at least we know it's legit for once -- showing off a smaller version of a smartphone sitting next to the G2 model.

The company simply added that potential customers should wait until a further announcement on the 24th February.

The downside of making an announcement then is that it is the middle of a huge trade conference, and there is every chance that the story will be buried under the flood of other announcements on the same day.

Whether the image choice of a cupcake, shoe and starfish is significant remains to be seen.

Google to Block Android App Upgrades That Use AdMob Services:

Google has announced that its own mobile app store Google Play will stop accepting apps that rely on its legacy AdMob platform to serve in app adverts

From the start of August, as the AdMob SDK doesn't support Google Play's Advertising ID code, it will become non-compliant with Google Play's own terms and conditions.

As AdMob is a Google subsidiary, it would be easy for Google to make the necessary changes, but it has been trying to discourage mobile developers from using the legacy AdMob code for some time. The latest change will force app developers to switch to Google's newer ad service services.

Ad serving through the legacy code will carry on after the cut-off date, it's just that app upgrades through Google Play will no longer be possible.

The company said that the deprecation allows "us to focus our development efforts on Google Play services and offer additional exciting features going forward."

Ericsson and Ciena Sign Agreement for Development of IP-optical Convergence:

Ericsson has signed an agreement with Ciena to develop joint transport solutions for IP optical convergence and service provider software defined networking SDN

As part of this agreement, Ericsson will resell Ciena's Converged Packet Optical portfolio, including the 6500 Packet-Optical Platform and 5400 family.

"This strategic global agreement brings together two companies uniquely positioned to drive the adoption of more open, programmable networks. The integration of our industry-leading packet-optical technologies into Ericsson's portfolio, combined with our global distribution agreement, allows us to address a wider market with a combined offering," said Gary Smith, President and CEO, Ciena. "As our industry moves toward a more open networking environment, collaboration within an ecosystem of specialists will be critical for innovation. Our SDN-focused joint development activities will enable us to deliver on network transformation strategies that dynamically support changing demands for network-level applications and services."

The agreement is effective immediately, and go-to-market activities and solution integration efforts are underway.

Apple Pushing for Larger Screen Sizes in iPhone 6 Models:

There is more evidence that Apple is working on two new iPhone handsets with larger screens than their current models

There has long been expectation that Apple would launch two different sized models, but most had expected the smaller of the two to be comparable to the current handset size.

A new report from the South China Morning Post suggests that both new models would be larger than the current crop of Apple smartphones.

Citing sources who have seen the prototypes, the SCMP reported that the two models will come in either  4.7-inch or 5.5-inch screen sizes, which would bring them closer to the more popular screen sizes from other handset manufacturers.

They would also come with a higher screen resolution, matching that offered by Samsung's soon to be replaced S4 smartphone.