• Verizon Wireless says it is rolling out its Evolution Store design in 560 additional locations nationwide in 2009. Introduced nationally last year, the new design will be featured in 830 company-owned Communications Stores nationwide by the end of the year.

• Alltel Wireless announced the launch of the MOTO VE465 music phone by Motorola. The clam-shell handset, now available at Alltel Wireless retail outlets and online, sells for $50 with a two-year service agreement and instant rebate.

• InterDigital says it will expand its technology development and licensing business through targeted new investment in both cellular and non-cellular wireless technologies, and it plans to stop further product development of its SlimChip HSPA technology. Instead, it plans to monetize the product investment through technology licensing. As a result, the company expects that its core operating expenses, excluding arbitration and litigation expenses, will decline by about $33 million pre-tax on an annualized basis compared to 2008.

• Nokia Siemens Networks inaugurated a new Global Network Solutions Center (GNSC) in Noida, Delhi NCR. The company says it’s part of a strategic response to the growing trend for operators to outsource network management and maintenance.

• Huawei Technologies confirmed it has been selected to provide its end-to-end CDMA solution and services to Cox Communications. Cox, the third-largest cable provider in the United States, will launch its 3G wireless network using Huawei’s LTE-ready SingleRAN solution and 3900 Series base stations.

• Zippo and Moderati announced that their free iPhone app, the Virtual Zippo Lighter, has been downloaded more than 3 million times since its release last October, making it one of the most popular applications in the Apple App Store. The application is averaging about 100,000 new downloads per week.

• According to Bango, when it comes to the most popular phones for browsing and buying content on the mobile Web worldwide, the iPhone sits outside the top 20. The Bango Top 20 handset list, based on Bango’s February statistics, puts the Nokia 3110c on top, followed by the Samsung M800 in second and the Nokia 6300 in third. The iPhone appears as 24th on the list.

• Mobile gaming provider Digital Chocolate struck a global partnership with Samsung Electronics to provide Samsung customers with a community experience called Party Island, where players can create an avatar, play a variety of casual hit titles and meet new friends. The collaboration brings Digital Chocolate’s virtual world Party Island to Samsung mobile customers worldwide and is available on multiple platforms, including mobile, Facebook and the rest of the Web.