Today’s mobile roundup includes the escalating battle between Apple and Shenzhen Proview Technology, Apple secretly shipping iPad 3, an iOS-linked Tongue Drive System,  and the latest mobile health trends from mHealth.

Apple

News surfaced last week that Shenzhen Proview Technology discretely filed a lawsuit against Apple with the Superior Court of the State of California in Santa Clara County on February 17th, accusing them of committing fraud when thay used a company set up by one of their law firms, IP Application Development Ltd., to purchase the iPad trademark from Proview on Dec. 23, 2009 for 35,000 British pounds ($55,000).  And it seems like Shenzhen Proview is just getting started, as they plan for a worldwide battle with full media coverage.

Shenzhen Proview sent a press release attached with a fully amended court filing dated February 27 to The Register.  The allegations include:  fraud by intentional misrepresentation, fraud by concealment, fraudulent inducement and unfair competition:

The report from The Register stated that Proview claims Apple “allegedly plotted with intermediary Farncombe International and its MD Graham Robinson to create the IP Application Development (IPAD) company, with Robinson initially approaching Proview’s UK MD Timothy Lo under a false name, Jonathan Hargreaves.”

“The filing alleges that after first being rebuffed, Robinson then threatened legal action to cancel Proview’s trademarks, coercing the financially struggling firm into accepting the £35,000 he had previously offered. Proview alleged that soon after it had accepted the terms, IPAD Ltd transferred these to Apple for ‘token compensation’.”

Proview is seeking an unspecified amount in damages and Apple is firm on their stand that they are the rightful owner of the iPad trademark.

Though the iPad trademark dispute is still ongoing, Apple is said to be readying their plan to secretly ship the iPad 3.  Apple.pro published a series of shipments scheduled to begin delivery in the U.S. no later than March 9 coming from Foxconn Chengdu, China.  Also, the $50 price reduction for the iPad 2 from Best Buy is said to be a sign that a new device will soon arrive.

In other gadget news, Georgia Tech has been working on its Tongue Drive System – a retainer-like device embedded with sensors to help people with spinal cord injuries to independently operate various devices with their teeth and tongue.

“The system sends output signals to an iOS device, which interprets positional data from sensors and the magnet attached to the tongue, and this can be used to control anything from mouse cursors to electric wheelchairs,” as stated in the report on The Verge.  “Testing on able-bodied people is due to start soon, with a view to moving onto clinical trials once complete.”

The world is ready for mHealth

A new study from The Boston Consulting Group and Telenor Group suggests that mobile health technology can offer sizeable benefits to all countries, lead to economic growth and promise a better life for individuals.

According to a report from Reuters, the study grouped countries “into three clusters, each with a different set of primary health care challenges. Where countries in one cluster primarily face challenges with non-communicable diseases and quickly growing system costs, countries in another cluster struggle with maternal/child health, communicable diseases and limited access to health care. What unites them all is that mobile health technology can improve the quality, reach and effectiveness of services while reducing costs and the overall system burden.”

Telenor Group launched a number of mobile health initiatives across its markets, such as an assisted living project that helps the elderly stay at home longer through mobile alarm systems in Norway, and a mobile text messaging service provides epidemic surveillance in Thailand.  They’re also working on a service called Healthline, providing patients with a simple number to dial for both serious and non-serious medical needs in Bangladesh and Pakistan, and with another initiative, mothers can obtain critical information about prenatal health via their phones in India.