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News

• BlackBerry turns to 7 OS with social networking features for new 9720 smartphone

  BlackBerry has launched the 9720 smartphone running the 7 OS in a bid to stay relevant in the growing low end of the smartphone market.

• Facebook buys speech translation software company

  Facebook is acquiring a company that specializes in speech interpretation and translation software. The move, disclosed Monday, could help Facebook better connect its users across the globe.

• BlackBerry starts looking for buyer or partner as new OS struggles

  Blackberry's board of directors has formed a committee to explore strategic alternatives for the future of the company that could include joint ventures or a sale of the company, as it struggles to turn its new BlackBerry 10 operating system into a success.

• ZTE's Firefox OS smartphone soon available on eBay in US, UK

  Sales of the ZTE Open Firefox OS phone will start soon via eBay's stores in the U.S. and U.K.

• Samsung buys German OLED specialist

  Samsung has bought German organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology developer Novaled, in a bet on the next-generation technology for digital displays.

• Salesforce.com to impose massive fee hike for app store security review

  Salesforce.com is raising the cost of an initial security review for paid applications in its AppExchange store from US$300 to $2,700, saying the hike will allow it to deliver the reviews much faster.

• Instagram gets more features including video import

  Instagram is adding several features to its mobile apps including the ability to import and post previously recorded videos.

• Nokia buys out, renames Nokia Siemens Networks

  Nokia finished its buyout of Nokia Siemens Networks on Wednesday and renamed the company Nokia Solutions and Networks, or NSN.

• Developers can now sell Web apps in Amazon's Appstore

  Developers can now submit Web apps and offer them alongside native Android-based programs on Amazon's Appstore.

• Microsoft eases development for Windows Phone apps

  Hoping to generate more apps for its mobile platform, Microsoft has launched an online tool that could allow even non-developers to create new programs for Windows Phone 8.

• LinkedIn app now available on Nokia's Asha touchphones

  A tailored LinkedIn application is now available for the Nokia Asha 501 as well as a number of other Asha devices, as Nokia works to expand the social capabilities of the phone range.

• CIOs say mobilising enterprise apps is not that easy

  Employees want their go-to business apps available on their mobile devices. IT wants to deliver enterprise apps to help mobile workers become more productive. So what's keeping CIOs from bringing those critical apps to iPhones and Android phones?

• Mobile Apps require a CIO mind shift

  It's time to get started on smartphone apps that will make employees more productive and customers more loyal, say Forrester Research analysts Josh Bernoff and Ted Schadler.

• Are businesses rushing to BYOD too quickly?

  A survey of IT executives and IT pros paints a disturbing picture of BYOD. That picture includes a lack of confidence in compliance with federally mandated regulations, a fear that sensitive data is at risk and uncertainty about the overall effectiveness of BYOD.

• App developers need to pay attention to usability

  The CIO of the future will need to develop a robust, professional organisation devoted to the user experience, according to an expert on usability.