A new app promises to turn your iPhone into a GPS device but it will cost you $99.99--just $99 more than the typical paid iPhone app. (And the amount as the iPhone 3G.) The new program from TomTom the same features found in its portable navigation device including turn-by-turn voice directions and Tele Atlas maps of the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Surging iPhone sales helped Apple increase market share among smartphone makers in the second quarter, jumping to 13.3% from 2.8% a year ago and 10.8% in the first quarter, according to new data from Gartner.

Sony has suddenly become a champion of open standards, at least in the e-book market. The company says it will scrap its own proprietary technology and support the open ePub format for its Reader e-book devices.

With its virtual lighter app for the iPhone hitting 5 million downloads, Zippo Manufacturing Company is touting the milestone along with new efforts to keep the momentum going. What started out as a novelty-an app that mimics the look and feel of a Zippo lighter complete with animated flame-has become, well, a novelty with legs.

The idea of everyone banking by mobile phone has been talked up for a long time. In the U.S. at least, the reality hasn't quite caught up with vision of turning the cell phone into a portable ATM. That's starting to change with the proliferation of smartphones, 3G networks and cheaper mobile data plans.

Expansion of the prepaid market has been one of the few bright spots for wireless carriers during a recession that may have slowed growth in other aspects of their businesses. That trend continued during the second quarter with Sprint's prepaid Boost Mobile service adding nearly a million customers even as the carrier continued to lose postpaid, or contract, subscribers.

Facing a backlash from developers, AdMob is backing off its decision to pull out of services that allow iPhone application developers to plug into multiple ad networks to monetize apps.

Eco-conscious mobile users, your green phone has arrived. Sprint today unveiled the Samsung Reclaim (better than Recycle, right?), made with 80% recycled materials and coming in packing made from 70% recycled stuff. Its outer casing is 40% bio-plastics and a charger that consumes 12 times less power than the Energy Star standard requires. And yes, it's green. (It also comes in Ocean Blue.)

The Twitter crackdown is on. Yes, it also includes its social networking confederates, Facebook and MySpace, but the real culprit is Twitter, as a breaking news service of offhand remarks, idle thoughts and inside dope. Even as it continues to spread relentlessly, groups across military and civilian life are taking steps to contain the rising tide of tweets.

A new study from Mobext, the mobile marketing arm of Havas Digital, highlights data showing the U.S. has caught up to or surpassed major Europe countries in key areas such as the percentage of 3G and mobile Internet users, at 28% and 18.2% respectively. (Asia is still way ahead, with 80% 3G penetration.)