Venerable computer giant IMB this week unveiled its first ever Mobile Foundation.

The foundation is billed as a comprehensive portfolio of software and services designed to help organizations capitalize on the proliferation of mobile environments — including laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Building on its recent acquisition of Worklight, the new foundation further expands IBM’s strategy to provide clients with a mobile platform that spans application development, integration, security and management.

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Restaurants of all shapes and sizes are quickly getting on board the mobile revolution.

With restaurant apps now as common as restaurant menus, major chains like T.G.I. Fridays are joining the mobile party by taking their app experience to the next level.

The new T.G.I. Friday’s Mobile App for iPhone and Android is being promoted as the first from a casual dining chain that gives guests the ability to start a tab, keep track of it and pay directly from their phones.

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On Monday, another major acquisition was confirmed in the mCommerce space.

Today, precision consumer marketing firm Catalina Marketing Corporation announced its acquisition of mCommerce outfit Modiv Media.

According to details provided in a joint statement, the integration of Modiv into Catalina provides brands and retailers the ability to engage shoppers, influence their behavior, and boost loyalty with a “unique mobile experience” that saves shoppers time and money.

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Square is growing at a rate few can believe.

The upstart maker of credit-card readers for smartphones and tablets has seen overwhelming expansion in recent weeks. According to Bloomberg, Square as increased its payment volume by as much as 25 percent… since just last month.

Not yet three-years old, Square says it’s now processing transactions at an annualized rate of $5 billion.

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This week, a new infographic sponsored by Mobile+Positive and Luth Research was published to great interest across the blogosphere.

The infographic and its underlying report provide a fascinating look at how well Walmart, Target, Sears and Kohls have performed in Apple’s App Store.

The data is based on the Luth Traffic Index, which is an estimate of the total downloads an app has received over its entire lifespan. It is based on statistical analysis of comments, ratings, price, category and date of last release of each app in the iTunes and Android Marketplace.

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In what amounts to a major mobile breakthrough for the mobile industry in the United States, on Tuesday, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Masabi US, the transit mobile ticketing company, announced a new joint endeavor that will bring rail travel up to speed in the mobile era.

MBTA and Masabi will bring mobile ticketing to MBTA commuter rail riders this fall. With applications for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry, customers will be able to purchase commuter rail tickets and passes.

Less than half of MBTA’s 140 Commuter Rail stations have fare vending machines, forcing many customers to pay for tickets on board. But that will soon change as riders will be able to purchase tickets via credit or debit cards directly from their phones.

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On Tuesday, Twitter payment and commerce platform Chirpify had no shortage of critical developments to boast about.

In addition to landing new financing from the likes of Voyager Capital, the CEOs of HootSuite and BuddyTV, and others in the tech and social media industries, Chirpify also unveiled its new Twitter Commerce for Digital Content platform.

“Twitter is a tremendous platform for brands, retailers, politicians, musicians and others to engage fans, yet with more than 140 million users there’s still no way to directly exchange goods and currency,” said HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes. “Chirpify provides a unique approach to fill this void by processing transactions without ever having to leave Twitter.”

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