U.S. Cellular billing system upgrade causes troubles; Asus to enter U.S. smartphone market

Quick news from around the Web.

@FierceWireless: RT@CNETNews: Report: The fragmentation of the Android market is both a strength and a weakness for users and developers. ArticleFollow@FierceWireless

> U.S. Cellular said a recent upgrade to its billing system has caused troubles with its customer service system. Article

> Asus plans to jump into the U.S. smartphone market next year. Article

> Samsung is reportedly closing in on a purchase of Germany's Novaled, which makes TV and smartphone screen technology. Article

> Cellular M2M connections will grow to 450 million by 2018, according to ABI Research. Article

> Apple's Tim Cook is rumored to be heading to China to sell the company's latest iPhones. Article

> The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected Apple's "pinch to zoom" patent. Article

> Nokia is planning to release "Treasure Tags," which are Bluetooth- and NFC-capable proximity sensors that users can use to, for example, find their keys. Article

> LG will release premium cases for its upcoming G2 smartphone. Release

Mobile Content News

> Facebook-owned Instagram reportedly is blocking access to Instance, a popular third-party application that supports viewing and uploading of Instagram photos on devices running Microsoft's Windows Phone OS. Article

> Zynga has lost three high-ranking executives in the past month, increasing the number of top staffers who've ankled the struggling social gaming firm since its December 2011 initial public offering, Bloomberg reports. Article

> Code contained in the fourth beta release of Apple's iOS 7 mobile operating system upgrade suggests the company will introduce biometric fingerprint scanning in tandem with the next version of its iPhone. Article

Mobile Developer News

> FierceDeveloper Editor Shane Schick checks out the secret message for app developers in Apple's latest ads. Editor's Corner

> Seventy-one percent of developers picked Android as their top platform. Article

And finally… Google asked to remove 100 million "piracy" links this year. Article