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From Sony Ericsson comes the SmartWatch. This Android timepiece enables wearers to keep on eye on Facebook posts, as well as catch up on tweets, texts and e-mail. All users need to do is download the apps they like to wear and access them via a scratch- and splash-proof multitouch display.

More than 13.6 million smartphone owners in Western Europe’s five leading markets accessed a retail site in October 2011, according to The Connected Europe: How Smartphones & Tablets Are Shifting Media Consmuption report from comScore and Telefonica. The UK had the largest smartphone audience with 4.7 million people, but Germany accounted for the biggest increase in users with a 112% spike year-over-year.

Volkswagen has published a dedicated iPad app for the launch of the new Golf R in the US. The Gold R Drivers Forever app features exclusive Golf videos, photos, interviews and articles, enthusiast stories, plus an illustrated timeline highlighting the history of the car.

More than half of India’s urban youth have consciously cut the time they spend on social media and are no longer as enthusiastic about social networks as when they first signed up, according to a survey conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, writes Maria Stadtmueller.

Close to 30% of respondents in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune have stopped using accounts on social networking sites, while 20% barely log on to the websites.

Broadcaster Eurosport has launched its first on-air QR code campaign across Europe to enable viewers to access online and mobile tennis content during live coverage of the Australian Open. The campaign runs daily until 29 January on the flagship Eurosport channel, aiming to send fans to Eurosport.com’s Livescore app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Livescore provides score alerts, results and match schedules to complement viewers’ TV experience during the Australian grand slam tournament.

Four brands, ASOS, H&M, Net-A-Porter and Sephora, have achieved digital ‘genius; status in L2’s Digital IQ Index: European Specialty Retail study. All have established robust e-commerce channels, strong programming on social media platforms, mobile compatibility, and show a willingness to innovate on emerging platforms, the research firm says.

Following in the footsteps of Premier League Manchester City, Championship football club Southampton is also making a play with augmented reality. Fans can download a mobile app developed by Blippar, point their smartphones at advertising banners in the city and access content on the club’s website.

Goop has gone the personalised celebrity route to show off New York City with a new iPhone/iPad app. Building on the success of Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle website, goop.com, the app is the first of a series of goop City Guides, aimed at delivering an ‘authentic’ take on the Big Apple.