While Apple celebrates its success in the retail sector, its battles off the high street and in the courtroom are heating up. Not only is Apple embroiled in patent disputes with Samsung, the Korean manufacturer: Now it has set its sights on Motorola phones, the firm recently taken over by Google.

Motorola Mobility has filed a lawsuit against the Californian technology giant accusing Apple Inc of infringing copyright patents. Motorola have now decided to step into the ring and are taking on the giants regarding the iPhone 4S and Apple’s iCloud service. The lawsuit they have filed concerns Apple’s perceived violation of six of Motorola’s patents in their iPhone 4s. It is linked to the external antennae – redesigned after “antennae-gate of the iPhone 4 to improve connectivity – and how music and media is stored on the iCloud remote service. Papers filed in Florida are a response to an earlier patent case brought by Apple against Motorola.

It has been suggested Motorola have only opted for the legal option after they were bought out by Google. Apparently no mobile manufacturer can engage in any lawsuit around a patent without Google’s approval. It suggests the Android merchant is up for the fight. And why not? Apple’s sales figures were impressive in the fourth quarter of 2011, but they were close. The iPhone 4S was released at the beginning of that final quarter of the year. Their sales figures in that period marked Apple as the top smartphone vendor worldwide. They had lost out to Samsung in the previous quarter as the Korean technology firm became the market leader, shipping nearly a billion smartphones during the year and topping the popularity charts month in and month out with the Samsung Galaxy S2. Apple’s loyal followers bided their time and bought the iPhone 4S, breaking and setting new records. Apple shipped 37 million smartphones in the months from October to December. Those figures are up 128% from the previous year.

Cause for champagne certainly, but it can’t be ignored that Android is catching up, and while Apple once had the unfettered dominant position in the mobile phones market, especially in the UK, now it has to look over its shoulder. This might be legal papers filed in the US but it shows Apple is not afraid of a fight and while it is winning the battle on the high street, it may believe it can also consolidate its position by winning in the courtroom as well.

What does this mean for UK mobile shoppers? Well nothing much really. It provides fodder for bloggers and technology journalists but until there is a major win from one side or another in a British court it is unlikely to impact what UK consumers can buy on the shelves or online. It shows more clearly that both Android and Apple believe the smartphone market is there for the taking. Competition is fierce and both sides want to be the winner. Competition means one thing for consumers; reduced prices. So while the lawyers on both sides will be making money from the on-going disputes, the consumer could well be saving it.

Many people are starting to turn their backs on technology and are choosing easy to use mobile and home phones as against looking towards more and more in built technology. The trend was initially confined to the over 60′s but the manufactures of many down spec mobiles such as Doro and Binatone have reported huge growths in their markets from younger people just fed up with the shear amount of technology squeezed into ever smaller handsets.

Doro Easy Phones offer bigger and clearer buttons with huge simple high resolution displays together with easy menus, quick dialing and loud ringtones. Many phones are now starting to be hearing aid compatible too. Prices start at less than £50 ( $80) and are available in more than 30 countries on all five continents. Early reports of a brand new telephone system made up of two tin cans and a length of string had yet to arrive here !!!

If you are looking for cheaper phone bills get a mobile from phones4u and be in charge of what you spend, phones4u have a full range of new handsets on their website, check it out here

If you have a blackberry you know how good their excellent messenger service is. Its free from BB to BB as it uses your data allowance to send the message. The down side was thats its only Blackberry to Blackberry, but now the new Whats App messenger application from those very nice people at whats app enables users to send sms messages or photos free of charge from iPhones , Blackberry , some Nokias ( all the new ones ) and android..

Its free so go check it out..