Microsoft sues Motorola for patent infringement
Software maker Microsoft Corp. is claiming that Android-based smartphones made by Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. used technology derived from its inventions.

Microsoft is accusing Motorola of infringing seven of its patents.

Additionally, the company requested a halt to imports of certain Motorola phones.

Recently, Google announced that it is acquiring Motorola. The company entered into a definitive agreement last week to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. Motorola, which is a dedicated Android partner, will be run as a separate business with Google insisting the deal will boost the Android ecosystem and drive innovation.

US law firms target Apple over ebooks
Several United States law firms have filed suits against Apple and major U.S. publishers that allege a ?horizontal conspiracy? to fix and increase the price of ebooks.

According to reports, one firm in particular has moved to bring the lawsuits to be heard in front of a judge in either California ? where two of the suits have been registered ? or Manhattan, where three have been filed.

The suits name Apple, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster, over the alleged increase of ebook prices.

Facebook abandons mobile check-in service
Facebook has abandoned its Facebook Places service in favor of new privacy and location sharing features, which the company is set to launch later this week.

The company is removing Places from future versions of its mobile apps.

Users can share their current locations with friends by adding their location or tagging a specific place in a post.

Unlike other popular mobile location-based apps such as foursquare and Gowalla, Facebook just has not captured users in the same way the others have.

86pc of retailers to increase mobile ad spend in the next year: study
Eighty-six percent of retailers are increasing mobile ad spending in the coming year, according to a new study by The Relevancy Group.

The survey also found that of the 55 percent of retailers surveyed, they were dissatisfied with or did not participate in click-based mobile advertising models.

According to The Relevancy Group, 54 percent of advertisers wanted to use mobile advertising to acquire email subscribers and 53 percent of marketers said that building social communities was a priority.