Help may be on the way for iPhone 4 users frustrated by dropped calls with the arrival of Radio Frequency Microelectromechanical Systems (RF MEMS), semiconductors that can improve the performance of antennas in cell phones, according to the market research firm iSuppli.

Intel, Nokia and the University of Oulu officially opened the Intel and Nokia Joint Innovation Center. According to the companies, initially the lab will conduct research for “new and compelling mobile user experiences that could leverage the rapidly increasing capabilities of mobile devices.”

Smartphone manufacturers need to accommodate seven core smartphone applications, the “Big Seven”, in their next generation handset designs, according to In-Stat. These big seven applications include email, games, social networking, instant messaging, mapping & directions, music & radio, and weather.

Mobile data usage continues to grow exponentially as 3G technology spreads globally. According to ABI Research, from 2009 to 2015 data usage in Western Europe and North America is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 42% and 55% respectively. In 2010, the average North American user is expected to consume 159 megabytes of data – up from 100 megabytes in 2009.

The phenomenal success of the iPad and iPhone is expected to make Apple the world’s second-largest semiconductor buyer in 2011, potentially positioning the company to become the world’s top chip purchaser in 2012, according to iSuppli.

Today, Research In Motion launched the BlackBerry Torch 9800 – RIM's first slider smartphone. It features a capacitive touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and the new BlackBerry 6 operating system, which includes a WebKit browser.

Brother UK has launched the iPhone app that allows users to scan to and print from their mobile phones. The company’s iPrint&Scan is free to download and allows customers to wirelessly print from and scan to their iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.