"As the innovator of the original Windows Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition in 2002 and the first Android smartphone in 2008, HTC believes the industry should be driven by healthy competition and innovation that offer consumers the best, most accessible mobile experiences possible," said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of North America, HTC Corporation. "We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones."

While HTC did not say which of its patents were violated, the countersuit follows a similar action Apple made in March when it charged HTC with infringing on 20 patents. At the time, Apple also requested that the ITC halts the sale of HTC products in the U.S.

Currently, 12 smartphones manufactured by HTC are available in the U.S., including Google’s Nexus One, the Incredible (Verizon Wireless), the Evo 4G (Sprint) and the Hd2 (T-Mobile). Since Google’s Android operating system powers many HTC devices, news outlets already speculate that Apple’s move was actually a sign of increased tension between Google and Apple.

In a separate filing dating back to October 2009, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer Nokia also alleges that the iPhone infringes on 10 of its patents. Apple hit back with a countersuit in December claiming that the Finish manufacturer infringed 13 of its patents.

While Apple's iPhone's are only available through AT&T, Google Android based phones are backed by all major carriers. The Android operating system powers smartphones made by manufacturers such as Motorola, Samsung, and HTC. Consumers and businesses have a choice to find the right device for their needs. Apple, on the other hands, has currently only two versions of the iPhone – the 3GS and the 3G. Finally, most Android based phones are cheaper than Apple's offerings.

Google also managed to improve the offerings available through its Marketplace store. However, some applications are only available on newer versions of the Android operating system, and some phones are not upgradable. This makes it much harder for developers to jump on the Google bandwagon.

Apple, on the other hand, can not only count on the iPhone, but on the iPod Touch and the new iPad as well since all run on the same operating system.

Since NDP focuses on the consumer market, corporate sales through enterprise contracts are not included in the numbers published. Android based phones are still behind RIM, Apple and Windows Mobile based phones in the most recent statistics from ComScore, which are based on contracts signed.

"If you build your application with features based on a user's location, make sure these features provide beneficial information. If your app uses location-based information primarily to enable mobile advertisers to deliver targeted ads based on a user's location, your app will be returned to you by the App Store Review Team for modification before it can be posted to the App Store," Apple said.

The company claims the GPS data can only be used to provide "beneficial information to users.” Looks like Apple is going to keep location-based advertising to them," said Twitterific developer Greg Hockenberry in a recent tweet.

One of the ad networks that has had success with in-app advertising on the iPhone is AdMob, a company Apple tried to get control over but that Google is now in the process of acquiring. Several news outlets reported that Apple is now in the process of acquiring mobile ad company Quattro Wireless, a direct competitor to AdMob. Sounds like that it's only a matter of time before Quattro will be the exclusive provider of in-app advertising on all Apple devices.

Jack Dorsey, an American software architect and businessperson best known as one of the founders of Twitter, started selling the new product through a website. The system is designed for many types of businesses including storefront owners, street vendors, and even part-time flea market salespeople, according to the website. Customers don't have to have the Square gadget or app to pay. They only need a credit card and an e-mail address to receive a receipt. Dorsey plans to give the hardware and software needed away for free (however, there is no information on transaction fees.)

When a credit card is swiped through the device, it converts the card information into an audio signal, which is then processed by Square's software application on the device, encrypted and transmitted to Square's servers via a Wi-Fi or 3G connection. Vendors need to establish a profile that is tied to a bank account, a system already proven by companies like PayPal.

The payment system is secure, so Dorsey, since all data is encrypted and the credit card information is not stored on the device. After establishing a profile, users can set their photos to display on the vendor's screen to thwart identity thieves. The e-mail address a customer needs to provide during a sale is invisible to the seller and only used to transmit the digital receipt.

There are now more than 125,000 developers in Apple’s iPhone developer program. The company has sold more than 50 million iPhones and iPod Touch handhelds, according to its last quarterly report. The top download category is games with over 21,000 apps available, followed by entertainment and books.

At this time, real competitors are few. Google’s Android platform, which ranks number 2, has 10,000 applications available for download.