IBM has partnered with the Industrial Design Centre at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay on mobile web research. The initiative will focus on development of new designs of mobile device interfaces that can be used by people who are semiliterate or illiterate, as well as individuals who have limited or no access to information technology.

The NPD Group has released a new smartphone report, finding that Motorola and HTC have driven Android to the lead in the U.S. Android is installed on one in three smartphones sold, according to the group.

Meanwhile, for the first time since 2007, RIM has slid to the number 2 position, as Android took the lead.

While Android accounted for 33% of all smartphones purchased in Q2, RIM accounted for 28%. Apple came in third at 22% with the launch of the iPhone 4.

Today, Research in Motion (RIM) and AT&T launched the BlackBerry Torch, the first smartphone to feature the new BlackBerry 6, which was also unleashed today.

Update: The new Kindles are already sold out (temporarily obviously). On the product page, the company says, "Due to strong customer demand, Kindle is temporarily sold out. Order now to reserve your place in line. Orders are prioritized on a first come, first served basis.

Comex has launched a site called Jailbreakme.com, that when visited from an iOS device, allows you to jailbreak it. This is the first jailbreak for iOS 4, and can be accessed via the mobile version of Safari. The point is to make jailbreaking easier for the average joe, I presume.

Everybody’s scrambling to get their iPad competitors out. Most recently, we heard what Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had to say about his comany’s plans. Research in Motion (RIM) will apparently have its iPad competitor out in a few short months.

Logitech has started a contest to promote Google TV, the upcoming service for which Logitech is a launch partner. The contest is called "Host with the Most", and asks if "you have what it takes to be a ‘host with the most’ for Logitech Revue with Google TV?"

Logitech Revue is the company’s set-top box that will help the Google TV service launch (alongside TVs and Blu-ray players from Sony).

Apple announced today that the iPhone 4 will be available in 17 more countries this Friday (July 30). Countries include: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

The device will be available through Apple’s retail and online stores and through authorized resellers. It’s currently available in France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US.

You may have heard that a few people have been dissatisfied with their recent iPhone 4 purchases. Apple has gone out of its way to make it up to them (whether or not they’ve done enough is debatable), but that hasn’t stopped people from complaining.

As you are probably aware, Apple announced last week that iPhone 4 buyers would be entitled to a free case (or bumper) to correct the highly-publicized receptions issues with the device. Those who already purchased a case/bumper would be entitled to a refund.

InformationWeek is reporting that Baidu may be looking at developing a mobile operating system, citing Chinese media reports. The project would be led by former Google employees. Meanwhile, TechCrunch says Android is poised to dominate in China.

Apple announced today that the iPad will be available in nine new countries this Friday. These include: Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore.

All models of the iPad will be available through Apple retail stores and through authorized resellers. Currently, the iPad is available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US.

Apple’s iAds are making their way into the wild after weeks of hype. MacRumors.com says, "their presence appears to be very spotty on iAd-compatible applications at the moment with banners appearing only occasionally while at other times the apps simply show blank space in the banner location."

Amazon has introduced a new version of the Kindle DX with a lower price of $379 (down from $489) and 50% better display contrast.

AdMob released its Mobile Metrics report for May, which focuses on changes in the mobile market over the course of two years. Unsurprisingly, a lot has changed. While AdMob’s network traffic itself has grown a lot in that time, the company says there continues to be strong regional differences with devices used to access the mobile web.

The iPhone 4 is scheduled for release on June 24th. eBay has prepared for this and has set some rules for how the site will handle sales.

Apple announced that it has sold three million iPads in the 80 days since its introduction.

"People are loving iPad as it becomes a part of their daily lives," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement. "We’re working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more people around the world, including those in nine more countries next month."

As you may know, eBook readers are getting cheaper. Yesterday Barnes & Noble lowered the price on its 3G Nook, forcing Amazon to also lower the price of its Kindle. Combine that with the popularity of the iPad, and the market for eBooks is growing.

Earlier today, Barnes & Noble revealed a new Wi-Fi version of its Nook eBook reader, and along with that, dropped the price of its 3G version to $199. Not to be outdone, Amazon has now announced that it has dropped the price of its Kindle from $259 to $189.

iOS4, the recently announced new version of Apple’s mobile operating system is due out today. Users of devices that utilize this OS are no doubt anxious to get it, but they shouldn’t have to wait much longer. Although as Brad McCarty at The Next Web points out, "Bear in mind, iPhone OS 3 (released last year) took the better part of the day to hit the public."

Barnes and Noble today introduced its Nook Wi-Fi device priced at $149. In addition, the 3G version of the Nook has been lowered to $199.

The company notes that the new Nook 3G price marks the first under $200 dedicated full-feature eBook reader that offers both free 3G wireless and Wi-Fi connectivity. It also now has a new software update that is supposed to make it easier to connect in more places via Wi-Fi.