Microsoft has applied for some touchscreen gesture patents including dual screen devices and bezel gestures, a website said. The patents were filed in February 2010.

First in the list are the off screen gestures which take place along the bezel. Some bezel gestures also display a drop down menu when the gesture is performed – something similar also happens in the Android ecosystem and BlackBerry PlayBook as well, so the competitors might be concerned about the Microsoft move. Then there are multi-finger gestures, which can be performed on multiple screens at the same time. Another application talks about usual pinch-to-zoom combined with multi-screen devices.

Another new gesture that Microsoft’s application talks about is multi-screen hold and tap, in which the users can interact with apps through split-screen. In real life, users may hold an icon on one screen and tap another object on second screen &#151 the result is, the first object moves to the second screen where users tapped.

At this point, we need to be clear about it: the patents have not been granted yet, these are just applications by Microsoft.

As far as mobile apps are concerned, BlackBerry continues to keep its options open. It is reported that the company will make sure its QNX based smartphones support Android apps as well. According to Bloomberg, Research In Motion (RIM) plans to use a version of the Android app player for PlayBook on its QNX operating system smartphones. The phones are likely to be launched by early 2012.

QNX based BlackBerrys are a significant part of RIM’s plans to arrest the slide of its fortunes in the smartphone segment &#151 at a time when the sales of iPhone and Android phones are increasing.

iPhone and Android phones have access to a large number of apps. QNX smartphones, on the other hand, wouldn’t be able to provide many Proprietary apps, and that seems to be the reason why the company is enabling access to Android apps.

The dilemma for the company seems real &#151 on the one hand it needs to build a developer community to bring its app store to life; on the other developers seem to be tired with the rising number of app platforms and they want the app scenario to be simple because they don’t want to create multiple versions of the same app. At the same time, the situation will change dramatically if QNX based BlackBerrys begin to sell in large numbers.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of the UK has prohibited Motorola from using the phrase “the world’s most powerful smartphone” in its Atrix commercials. The ruling was issued in response to a complaint by two Samsung users who said the claim was misleading.

The Motorola Atrix runs on a dual core 1 GHz Processor whereas the Samsung Galaxy SII processor is a dual core 1.2 GHz engine. Thus the Advertising Standards Authority concluded that Motorola could not claim Motorola Atrix was the most powerful smartphone in the world.

The ASA website said, “The ASA noted Motorola said, in the context of the ad, the word ‘powerful’ was used to refer to the combination of technical features of the Atrix. We noted they said when the phone was docked into the unique HD dock or the standalone Lapdock it powered a full desktop Browser whilst providing support for cloud-based computing and a full virtual Windows desktop. However, while we acknowledged the ad showed the phone being used with other associated accessories, we considered viewers would understand the claim ‘The world’s most powerful smartphone’, along with a close-up of the phone, to mean the phone, in isolation, was the most powerful smartphone.”

Motorola Atrix was launched around the same time as the Samsung Galaxy SII was launched in the UK.

The first Windows Phone Mango handset, called IS12T, is being launched in Japan by Fujitsu. The phone will be made available in Japan through KDDI (a Japanese telecom operator) and Okinawa Cellular Telephone. The 59 mm thin phone comes in three colours and has a massive 32 GB memory, stunning 13.2 Megapixel camera, and is water and dust resistant.

Mango is officially called Windows Phone 7.5 and includes the integrated People Hub in which users can check updates on leading social networks, without having to launch applications separately. Another attraction is Office Hub, where users can read their MS Office documents created on laptops or personal computers.

A statement from Fujitsu says, “Windows Phone IS12T is the first smartphone in Japan to run Windows Phone 7.5. Designed to be simple and easy-to-use, the smartphone is equipped with essential features, including fully integrated social media capabilities.”

The launch of the Fujitsu phone at this time is slightly surprising since Microsoft started accepting applications for Mango phones just two days ago. Even Nokia, which would be focused on the Windows Phone 7.5 operating system, is yet to announce a handset based on the OS. There is no announcement from Microsoft about when current Windows Phone users will be able to upgrade to Mango.