Brand: MacTech

Motorola just reported lower mobile phone shipments than Apple for the second quarter in a row, reports “Silicon Alley Insider” (http://macosg.me/2/m3). Motorola shipped 2.7 million smartphones in the second quarter of the year, up from 2.3 million in the first quarter.

However, that was below recently raised expectations of 3.2 million from Morgan Stanley’s Ehud Geldblum, and 3.1 million from Citi’s Jim Suva. Apple shipped 8.4 million iPhones during its June quarter, verses 8.3 million for Motorola — including just 2.7 million Android smartphones.

Japan’s trade ministry asked Apple to report by Aug. 4 on measures the company will take to prevent a fire hazard the ministry said is related to the iPod Nano, reports “Bloomberg Businessweek” (http://macosg.me/2/m1).

Six incidents involving the 2005 model nano catching fire while being charged have been reported to the ministry since 2008, says Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry spokesman Hiroshi Miyashita said today by telephone. There were an additional 21 cases involving incidents where the players overheated and emitted smoke since 2005, he adds.

Just Mobile (http://www.just-mobile.com) has launched the Just Mobile UpStand, an US$49.95 iPad stand designed to complements your home, office or studio.Precision engineered from aluminum, the UpStand’s supporting grips are finished in rubber to hold your iPad firmly in place and keep it pristine.

It’s compatible with most iPad cases, too. The UpStand will float your iPad at just the right height for desktop use, according to the folks at Just Mobile. It’s perfect for working with a Bluetooth keyboard, watching movies or using the iPad as a digital picture frame, they add.