This Week in Global Mobile | October 8, 2010

At times it's difficult to keep pace with the latest global mobile developments. I hope this selection of news stories from the past week will help you navigate the growing global network of connectivity:

  • Yesterday Secretary Clinton announced the mWomen initiative, which plans to provide 150 million women world-wide with mobile phones to improve access to education, information, and economic independence in the developing world.
  • Nokia is developing an amazing new mobile app for users with disabilities which measures their brainwaves to determine when to scroll through and call their contacts.
  • Reporting from Mexico, Sam reflects on the Mexican Senate’s opposition to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement and its implications on privacy on the Web.
  • The World Bank launched its Apps for Development initiative, asking the public to submit applications that “move us a step closer towards solving some of the world’s most pressing problems.”
  • This week, the U.S. State Department announced the winners of the Apps4Africa contest. Among the winners: iCow, a voice-based mobile app which allows farmers to manage their livestock’s breeding cycle.
  • CTIA released statistics indicating that Americans relayed an astounding 1.8 trillion texts in June 2010, while total mobile device adoption increased 5% YOY to 292.8 million.
  • A new handheld breath monitoring device studied by Stony Brook university could help users monitor blood sugar levels and detect diseases such as lung cancer.
  • As Tanzania’s October 30th general election approaches, Global Voices takes a close look at the critical role social media and online video are playing in the campaigns.
  • More than 3.1 million New York public, private, and charter students will soon have free access to Google’s Apps for Education, thanks to a partnership announced this week with the New York Institute of Technology.
  • Today President Obama will sign a bill which will make the Internet and smartphones more accessible to people with disabilities.
  • Global Internet traffic grew an astonishing 62% over the past year, according to research firm Teleography.
  • 92% of Americans have an online presence or profile by the time they reach two years of age.
  • A report released Wednesday by Pyramid Research predicted African mobile money transfers would exceed $200bn by 2015 -- nearly the entire GPD of South Africa.