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Mobile Minutes: Microsoft plans wearable; Note 4 is future; Google mobile ads flounder; Twitter markets to developers

Microsoft is gearing up to launch a wearable device within the next few weeks, Forbes has learned. The gadget is a smart watch that will passively track a wearer?s heart rate and work across different mobile platforms. It will also boast a battery life of more than two days of regular use, sources close to the project say.

In 2011 Samsung unveiled a smartphone so big it looked as if it must have been a joke, a mistake or a turn toward conceptual art.

Google still hasn't quite figured out the mobile ad business. Shares slipped 2% in after-hours trading Thursday after the search giant reported third-quarter sales that came up short of expectations, as well as another decline in the average amount paid by advertisers when a user clicks on an ad.

Two years ago, Twitter irked developers with stricter rules around applications that plug into the social-media service. As a peace offering, Twitter on Wednesday is expected to announce a suite of tools that aim to make it easier for programmers to build apps, according to people familiar with the matter.