Beginning on July 1 a new hands free mobile phone law goes into effect in California.

Motorists face a $20 fine plus fees for a first offense and a $50 fine plus fees for a second violation. Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using a mobile phone or a hands free device while operating a motor vehicle.

Drivers will be allowed to use a mobile phone while driving to make emergency calls to a law enforcement agency, a medical provider, the fire department or other emergency agencies.

Japanese children should have limited access to mobile phones to protect them from harmful content according to an advisory panel to the government.

The advisory council on education made the proposal to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda as children become more likely to be exposed to cyber crimes and bullying on Internet school bulletin boards.

Limited mobile phone use on airplanes may be an inconvenience for some people, but for those who want peace and quiet it is something they welcome.

A survey, commissioned by Yahoo and conducted by Harris Interactive, found that the majority of Americans, 74 percent, favor mobile phone use being restricted to non-talking features like texting and games.

I am just on the way out the door but I caught this (opens in PDF) excellent news release by Nielsen/NetRatings stating that "one in four members of UK social networks use their phones to network." Now considering that Europeans tend to be dramatically ahead of North Americans in cellular adoption this statistics release seemed worth of attention.

Here is a chart that really drove home the popularity of social networking via mobiles (click the image for a larger version):

A new study suggests that prolonged cell phone use has been linked to brain cancer as well as tissue damage. The study said that exposure to mobile phone radiation causes the risk to significantly increase over time.

The bitter taste of disappointing profits in Motorola’s handset operations will be spun off as the electronics manufacturer tries saving itself by splitting into two companies.

Filipinos increased the number of text messages they sent last year two fold, averaging 1 billion daily, industry figures showed.

For the 8 million Filipinos who work abroad, texting is the primary way they keep in touch with family at home. Text messages are also a political tool and played an important roll in overthrowing President Joseph Estrada in 2001 by making people aware of rallies.

Shipments of recycled handsets are on track to exceed 100 million units in 2012, according to a recent study from ABI Research.

Shorter handset replacement periods, growing demand for low-cost mobiles in emerging markets, regulatory requirements, and growing consumer awareness are the main factors behind the market for recycled handsets.