Today’s mobile news roundup features Android handset activations reaching over 300M in Q1 2012, while Samsung denies intent to acquire Nokia, and there’s also a new app that allows internet sharing and more.

Android activations still growing

According to the latest report from MarketResearch, provider of global market intelligence products and services, activation of Android devices “still maintained triple figure Year-on-Year (YoY) growth of + 126 % in Q1’2012”.  The report stated that though Android device activations seems to be slowing down, they were still able to maintain their dominance over other mobile device platforms.   Android devices have “a global market share of 59% and increasing the installed base of legitimate Android device (handset) activations to 331 Million, up from 250 million in Q4’2011.”

Samsung denies Nokia acquisition

As Nokia’s shares continue to plummet, rumors about its impending sale soar.  Last year, it was rumored that Samsung Electronics Co. wanted to acquire the Finnish phone maker but the South Korean company denied the rumors.  And as Nokia continues to operate in the slumps, rumors about a buyout may be in the works and Samsung is once again in the middle of things.  But just as the year before, Samsung shut down the rumors in an e-mailed statement.

Open Garden for mobile internet sharing

Consumers are always worried about going over their mobile internet plans that most are looking to connect to WiFi.  But unfortunately, WiFi connections aren’t vastly available quite yet.  So what are consumers supposed to do?  Install an app.

Yes, you read that right, install an app but not just any app.  Open Garden is new app that lets people piggyback on each other’s internet connection, eliminating the risk of going over their monthly plans.

“Every smartphone is a computer and a router, so we thought it was the right time to interconnect all of these devices together to make general access more ubiquitous,” said Micha Benoliel, co-founder and CEO of the San Francisco-based company Open Garden.

The app allows people to scan for WiFi connections when none is available.  For instance, when you’re in a certain cafe where there’s no available WiFi connection, or only paid WiFi available, Open Garden scans the place for someone connected to WiFi and connects to it.  If that connection gets disconnected or discontinued, the app looks for the next available WiFi connection.

“As long as the devices are in proximity they recognize themselves seamlessly. If one device in the mesh has access to the Internet, then the other device can benefit from it,” Benoliel added.

The app is available for  Android devices, Windows and Mac, and can also be used to interconnect different devices, such as an iPhone and tablets, for free using the plan.  Network carriers should not fear this new app as a threat to their business but an answer to their 3G and 4G congestion problem.

Lenovo unveils Lenovo Mobile Access

Lenovo, the Chinese multinational IT company, unveiled the Lenovo Mobile Access – a flexible, no-contract mobile broadband service that gives consumers and business users greater choice and flexibility when connecting to valued online services.

“We live in world where it’s not only undesirable to be without online access, it’s often disruptive to businesses. For that reason we wanted to create a flexible mobile broadband solution that would be unparalleled in its ability to help business users stay connected and working,” said Dilip Bhatia, vice president and general manager, ThinkPad Business Unit, Lenovo.

“Fundamentally, Lenovo Mobile Access gives individual and corporate customers options to determine how, when and where they want to connect with online applications and services, all at a price that fits their budget.”

Lenovo Mobile Access provides pre-connected, always-on, customizable connectivity to the Internet and corporate networks, making it an ideal solution for users who need access to online content, applications and services away from their home, office or public Wi-Fi hotspots. Powered by a scalable cloud-based platform from Macheen Inc., the service is now embedded across select models of the ThinkPad product line and available immediately in the United States and nine European countries.