News In Brief: Ericsson, Samsung, Bridgewater, Eircom, RIM, Google, Standard Chartered

Ericsson has deployed an M2M solution connecting buses in a Brazilian city to 3G networks. The product was developed in conjunction with local firm Dataprom, and offers fleet management services including route monitoring, speed, and distance travelled.
 
Samsung, LG, and Huawei hold more bargaining chips in terms of LTE technology patents than they did in 2G to 3G technologies, however Qualcomm and Nokia still hold the aces when it comes to essential patents, according to research firm Informa Telecoms & Media.
 
Mobile personalization firm Bridgewater Systems has opened a center of excellence in India, which will act as a hub for its mobile data technology development, sales and customer support, and professional services in Asia Pacific.
 
Eircom has launched what it says is Ireland's first infrastructure as a service offering. Instant Infrastructure is a cloud-based service consisting of virtual servers and storage.
 
RIM has settled a patent dispute with Prism Technologies over technology used in BlackBerry smartphones. The financial terms of the “license and settlement agreement” were not disclosed.
 
Google CEO Eric Schmidt has thrown down the gauntlet for US regulators, stating he will fight them “very hard” if they attempt to block the acquisition of AdMob.

UK-based global bank Standard Chartered will allow employees to swap their BlackBerry devices for Apple’s iPhone. Employees are thought to have pushed for the change, though the bank said it was persuaded by Apple’s strong software library, The Times reports.