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Mobile Minutes: Apple's kill-switch security; iBook to overtake Kindle; Vodafone invests in India; Sony markets to Japan

Starting next summer, a new law will require every smartphone sold in California to include a so-called kill switch, which renders the device unusable if it is reported lost or stolen. The iPhone already supports that feature, and the company recently released a tool to check whether an Apple device has the kill switch turned on.

Amazon?s Kindle book-reading technology has enjoyed some years of pre-eminence. But a study released today shows Apple?s rival iBook platform gaining ground.

Vodafone Group Plc. is spending $1 billion to upgrade its network and retail stores in India as it counts on surging data use to drive growth in a market where the average customer spends about $3 a month.

Intent on showing there is life after Sony 6758.TO -1.24%, the new owner of the Vaio personal computer brand has unveiled a prototype for a domestic niche market that takes a lesson from a longtime Sony rival?Panasonic.