Canalys forecasts global investment growth into mobile security will reach $795.8M this year, with Y-o-Y growth of 44.2%-- and should be worth $3 billion by 2015.

There is a current lack in mobile security solutions, with only 4% of smartphones and tablets shipping in 2010 having some form of mobile security, according to Canalys-- making such devices easy pickings to hackers.

The analyst predicts mobile security uptake will grow rapidly (to over 20% of WW mobile devices carryin security software by 2015) as enterprises start conforming more strictly to data protection and compliance practices and consumers start understanding security threats on their personal data. 

Businesses should also start deploying tracking, monitoring and corporate data access solutions on mobile devices employees bring to the workplace. Such solutions would be increasingly tied to enterprise app stores.

Mobile client security measures will include anti-virus, firewall, messaging security, web threat security, VPN functionality and encryption-- measures Canalys predicts will growth at a CAGR of 54.6% to 2015.

Mobile security investments in mature W. European markets should accelerate as enterprise mobility and consumerisation trends pick up speed, while Canalys says developing MEA markets "will experience a sharp rise in mobile security investment from 2013 to 2015" as Android adoption gains headway as the mobile OS of choice. 

Operators should also ensure customer data protection as WW mobile operators are going through increasing mobile malware attacks-- with attack sophistication to surely rise in time, regardless of device or OS in use. 

Canalys suggests channel partners to stock up on their mobile security portfolios and knowhow, as well as joining forces with resellers selling such solutions. 

Go Canalys Mobile Security Analysis

Lead Android tech writer Scott Main reminds developers the latest Android version-- Ice Cream Sandwich-- will support all devices. In his words, it will "support big screens, small screens, and everything in between."

Announced last May, Ice Cream Sandwich is an attempt to unite all Android-powered devices under a single version of the Google OS, thus addressing device fragmentation issues. 

In a blog entry, Main posts details developers can take to either make sure apps remain tablet-only or ensure their apps will work on both tablets and smartphones.

In fact, Main suggests developers should update their tablet apps to work on smaller screens, rather than releasing two separate app package files-- making both updating and publishing and app identification on the user side easier. 

Main gives no indication when the Ice Cream Sandwich SDK will get release though-- only saying it is "coming soon" and developers should start preparing for it. 

Go Preparing for Handsets (Android Developer Blog)

Ovum forecasts the WW feature phone app market will reach revenues of $1BN by 2016, fuelled by the sucess of smartphone apps. 

The feature phone app market might even prove lucrative for some developers-- thanks to improvements in both developing and publishing, a larger market and reduced competition. 

After all, feature phone users still vastly outnumber the smartphone market. Ovum says WW feature phone numbers will total 2.3BN in 2016, with a 63% share of the total mobile market. 

HTML5-capable feature phone browsers (to become widespread in the next 12-18 months) could also be a boon for developers, even if "JavaME software is the best option for developing feature phone apps". 

Go Feature Phone Apps Market to Almost Double to $1 billion

As HP drops Palm's webOS (alongside its Personal Systems Group) in favour of courting enterprise clients, Microsoft issues a call for webOS developers asking they switch to Windows Phone 7. 

The call comes from Brandon Watson, tweeting Microsoft will give published webOS devs "what you [webOS devs] need to be successful on #WindowsPhone, incl.free phones, dev tools, and training, etc."

Watson says he has over 1000 expressions of interest from disgruntled ex-webOS developers. 

Microsoft needs all the app-appeal it can get for Windows Phone 7, after all-- even if the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace already has around 30000 apps. 

Go Brandon Watson's Developer Call on Twitter

Go Brandon Watson's Second Twitter Call

Go Windows Phone 7 Marketplace Reaches Nearly 30000 Apps (Windows Phone Developer Blog)