Barack Obama will be able to send text messages to any mobile phone in the United States, thanks to plans unveiled yesterday. The Personal Localised Alerting Network (PLAN) is a new extension to the national Emergency Alert System, which makes use of TV and radio to broadcast critical information in the event of a natural …

A 3D version of the Wikitude augmented-reality browser will be available on the upcoming LG Optimus 3D smart phone. Like the Nintendo 3DS, the Optimus 3D can produce a three-dimensional image without requiring you to wear daft glasses.  Wikitude has been available for Android smart phones for over a year, but, until now, could only show off your surroundings in 2D. Thanks …

The European Union has made it illegal for any mobile-phone operator to offer contracts that are longer than 24 months. The rule, brought into force on 1 May this year, will have little effect on Brits, though, because only one UK network has recently offered a 36-month contract, according to the founder and director of BillMonitor, Dr Stelios Koundouros. Some reports …

Google’s next update to the Android OS is called Ice Cream Sandwich. Confirmed last night at the Google I/O developer conference, the company has remained fairly tight-lipped on the features that’ll be rolled in — but here’s what we know so far. We’ll update this story whenever we find out more hard facts. What is Ice Cream Sandwich? Ice Cream …

Up to half a million T-Mobile customers have been charged for calls they didn’t make thanks to a month-long glitch in the mobile network‘s billing systems. Users who called their voicemail service, which should be free, were instead lumbered with call forwarding charges. T-Mobile identified the problem, which lasted from 31 March to 28 April, and has promised to credit …

The Motorola Gleam has landed. First spotted at Mobile World Congress in February, Carphone Warehouse is now flogging the retro flip phone on a pay as you go deal for £49.95.  That could be music to your lugholes if you yearn for the simple life and just can’t be doing with all that smart-phone malarkey — the Gleam is just a straightforward handset with a ludicrously shiny cover. It’s …

Nokia may be building a dual-screen mobile device capable of delivering 3D video. A patent application for ‘Autostereoscopic Rendering and Display Apparatus’ suggests a gadget reminiscent of the Nintendo 3DS in form and function, Tom’s Guide reports. What’s different is that the system would track the user’s position and eye level in relation to the screen, changing the display accordingly. …

Two of HTC’s forthcoming Android phones, the Salsa and ChaCha, are now available to pre-order on Amazon UK. We’ve known for a while that this pair of Facebook-friendly mobiles will arrive in the UK in June. Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange will sell the handsets. What we didn’t know was the price. Amazon has kindly divulged that the ChaCha will cost £250 …

A significant update to Windows Phone 7 will be released within a fortnight. It’s widely expected to be version 7.5, code-named ‘Mango’. Microsoft will hold a special event on 24 May in New York City to announce the upgrade. Microsoft developers have revealed a number of consumer-friendly features that will be included in the next release, Windows Phone Secrets reports. Bing on …

It’s possible to prove anything with statistics, but only painkillers or a couple of cold pints make the headache we get from new market share data go away. Regardless, the news is that Apple has taken second place for the number of mobile phones shipped worldwide during the first quarter of 2011, according to IDC analysts. Though Nokia still leads …