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By Steve Mullins. Fourteen million mobile users in the US – more than 6% of the total mobile audience – scanned a Quick Response code on their mobile device in June 2011, says comScore.

The research also found that a mobile scanning a QR code during the month was more likely to be male (61% of the code-scanning audience), skew toward ages 18 to 34 (54%) and have a household income of $100k or above (36%)

BMW has launched the Ultimate Drive, a mobile social app which allows users to not only discover the best roads to drive on in over 50 countries, but to rank and share those cool byways via Facebook, e-mail or other GPS devices.

Once the user has fired up the app, it displays nearby stretches of road which others have contributed as the best ones in the area.

By Maria Stadtmueller. Mobile brand HTC Corp has announced a strategic partnership and investment with headphone maker Beats Electronics, of Beats by Dr Dre audio experience fame.

By Mark Terry. Topshop will be the first brand to partner with gaming platform SCVNGR starting 5 September when it launches a campaign for students. Participants will be able to play a bespoke SCVNGR game via a smartphone app to complete fashion-themed challenges and get exclusive offers.

Anyone within a 500 metre radius of a UK Topshop store can play the game as long as they have downloaded the app for iPhone or Android. Players choose the rewards they want and then tackle the tasks required to accumulate the requisite points.

By Steve Mullins. Jägermeister has got itself an Ice Cold app. And with this little iPhone gizmo, users aren’t only able to find their nearest Jägermeister-serving local via an interactive map. No, they can also check-in to UK venues and music festivals to earn points and win prizes such as electric guitars, iPods, signed JägerMusic merchandise, Jägermeister clothing and tickets to festivals.

There’s also a Jägermeister news feed to keep users up to speed with goings-on such as new bands joining the JägerMusic programme, as well as festival and concert announcements.

By Steve Mullins. Is it time for cool brands to buy into mobile? Well, Google’s doing it with Motorola for a price tag of around $12.5 billion in a move the search giant hopes will boost its Android mobile operating system.

“Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers,” says Larry Page, CEO of Google. “I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”