Sales of Smartphones to Reach 300m by 2013 February 3, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Juniper Research, Nokia, Smartphone, Web 2.0.Tags: Juniper Research, Nokia, Smartphone, Web 2.0
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High-end mobile handsets (so-called ‘smartphones’) are expected to account for a growing proportion of mobile phones sold each year, potentially sustaining the performance of key brands such as Nokia at a time of economic uncertainty. A new report from Juniper Research forecasts that, between 2008 and 2013, annual sales of smartphones will rise by 95% to over 300 million.
Underpinning Juniper’s forecast is the finding that a rising demand for complex Web 2.0-centric applications is broadening user appeal and expanding the overall market for ‘Smart’ devices. This key trend is not being lost on handset manufacturers, large and small alike, as they increasingly rely on sales of high-end devices to mass market users. Thanks to this change in focus, smartphones will increasingly become the basis for the next generation of mobile devices.
The 5800 – A Good Foundation for Nokia Touch Screens January 27, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Android, iPhone, Mobile, Nokia, Smartphone, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: Android, iPhone, Mobile, Nokia, Smartphone, Telecom, Wireless
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Nokia’s first proper touch-screen handset will reach several key European markets in the next few days. As a significant milestone in the company’s strategy, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by its execution, which will provide a strong foundation on which to introduce further touch-enabled handsets. Nevertheless, the whole package needs some tweaks to put it on an even footing with the genre-defining iPhone and devices based on Google’s “people’s platform”, Android. A good launching point for Nokia touch screens with a touch of déjà vu.
Our road test of the 5800 XpressMusic over the past few weeks has provided some useful pointers as to Nokia’s relative strengths and weaknesses as it enters the touch-screen arena.
First off, and more important, the 5800’s S60 5th Edition platform (the first handset in the market running the software) is very stable, with not a single crash or hang yet experienced. This is unusual for high-tech handsets generally and especially when a vendor introduces a major technology update.
Google releases unlocked G1 for developers December 9, 2008
Posted by aikservices in Android, Australia, Austria, Canada, CDMA, Finland, France, G1, Germany, Google, GSM, Hungary, India, Japan, Mobile, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Smartphone, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, T-Mobile, Taiwan, Telecom, United Kingdom, USA, Wireless.Tags: Android, Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, France, G1, Germany, Google, Hungary, India, Japan, Mobile, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, T-Mobile, Taiwan, Telecom, United Kingdom, USA, Wireless
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To make the phone more accessible to developers, Google’s Android development team released the first SIM-unlocked and hardware-unlocked version of the T-Mobile G1, which runs on the Android platform.
The move, which the development team quietly let slip on Friday, is a clear signal to application developers that they now have a G1 to test their applications on free from the constraints of signing up for a service contract with T-Mobile USA. The phone, called the Android Dev Phone 1, is available for $399 in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, India, Canada, France, Taiwan, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Poland and Hungary.
Developers who are registered in the Android Market can sign into their account and purchase the phone. Google is limiting one phone to each developer account. Google warned that non-developers should probably not make use of the phone, noting that, “Since the devices can be configured with system software not provided by or supported by Google or any other company, end users operate these devices at their own risk.”
Source: http://www.fiercewireless.com
Smartphones Try To Outsmart the Competition December 8, 2008
Posted by aikservices in AT&T, BlackBerry, CDMA, GSM, iPhone, Microsoft, Mobile, Research In Motion, RIM, Smartphone, Telecom, Verizon Wireless, Wireless, YouTube.Tags: BlackBerry Storm, GPS, Mobile, Research In Motion, RIM, Telecom, Verizon Wireless, Wireless, YouTube
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Cell phone carriers are touting their smartphones as the smart choice for the holiday season. Verizon Wireless and Research in Motion’s new BlackBerry Storm has all the familiar BlackBerry features but is a touch-screen device.
Audrey Lundy, public relations manager for Verizon Wireless, said Verizon incorporated the touch-screen to keep up with customer demand. The Storm employs a clickable touch-screen that is designed to respond like a keyboard.
When Apple’s iPhone came into the marketplace in 2007, users were excited about its touch-screen capability. The phone also offers more than 5,000 downloadable applications like navigation tools and access to YouTube.
The iPhone was the No. 1-selling phone for the third quarter of this year. Even with its success, some said the iPhone is for general consumers while the BlackBerry is for the business community.
The launch of the iPhone 3G added Microsoft Exchange access and GPS technology, which could in turn appeal more to the business crowd, said Brian Bollenbach, director of product development for Anyware Mobile Solutions. The BlackBerry and the iPhone still have their niche audiences, he said. But additions and phone upgrades are increasing their customer base. “I say in both cases they have opportunities to bleed over to both markets with their new versions,” said Bollenbach.
Smart phones took off about six years ago, said Bollenbach. They offered mobile versions of applications business people had on their home computers, making it easier to work away from the office.
Various industries took note of the increasing popularity for mobile devices. They started creating mobile Web sites, but many were slow to take off because it took a long time to download all the information. Bollenbach said in the past year there have been significant improvements to browsers that have sped up loading time. The success of the iPhone in the past year has the other carriers taking note of its forward-thinking applications, he said. “The systems are going to continue to become more diverse,” said Bollenbach. “I do think we’ll see certain carriers lose market shares and others will gain.”
Which company will see the most success depends on consumers’ carrier service, he said. The iPhone works for AT&T subscribers and the BlackBerry Storm is on the Verizon plan. Those services could influence future smart-phone purchases.
“I would say iPhone is off to a good start, they have a loyal fan base,” he said. “But we’ll have to see.”
Even with people conserving their money this holiday season, Bollenbach anticipates many smart phones are a likely gift purchase this year.
Open-Source Symbian Has Caught AT&T’s Eye December 8, 2008
Posted by aikservices in Android, AOL, Apple, AT&T, BlackBerry, CDMA, Google, GSM, iPhone, Mobile, Research In Motion, RIM, Smartphone, Symbian, Telecom, Windows Mobile, Wireless.Tags: Android, AOL, Apple, AT&T, BlackBerry, Cell Telecom, Google, Intrinsyc, iPhone, ISB Corporation, Mobile, Nokia, Research In Motion, RIM, Symbian, Telecom, Trusted Logic, Windows Mobile, Wireless, Xenient
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The world has been waiting for an open-source Symbian mobile operating system, but it won’t have to wait much longer. The Symbian Foundation expects to have its first version ready in the first half of 2009.
The foundation is making strides and gaining more support. Symbian on Thursday announced AOL, Cell Telecom, Intrinsyc, ISB Corporation, Trusted Logic, and Xenient have added their endorsements to the 58 other companies already supporting the open-source effort.
“We are delighted with the response from the Silicon Valley community, as well as from developers around the world, to the plans for the foundation to build on the leading open mobile platform,” said Lee Williams, who has been nominated as executive director of the foundation and who was a keynote speaker at this week’s Symbian Partner Event in San Francisco.
The AT&T Connection
Even though Symbian has a commanding lead in the global mobile operating-system market with nearly half the implementations worldwide, competition is rising. Research in Motion, Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android, and Windows Mobile are all challenging Symbian on the smartphone front.
What’s more, Symbian hasn’t gained much traction in the U.S. Symbian could gain an advantage, though if comments made by an AT&T executive at the Symbian event Thursday pan out as some observers expect.
Roger Smith, AT&T’s director of next-generation services, told the event that the wireless carrier is considering how it might standardize on only a few mobile platforms over the next few years. He cited Symbian as a “credible candidate” to be among those platforms.
Speaking of an open Symbian, Smith said, “If done well and done right, this can be a game-changing event.” It’s all part of AT&T’s move to take more control over its destiny in the mobile operating space.
A Fragmented Market
“At the end of the day, the mobile OS platform market is going to be fragmented for the foreseeable future. While there is Windows Mobile, there is no Windows of mobile, meaning one dominant platform that will rule everything,” said Michael Gartenberg, vice president of mobile strategy for Jupitermedia. “We are going to see any number of strong players here amongst many.”
Symbian has been a strong platform in Europe for some time. But until the birth of the Symbian Foundation, talk about Symbian revolved around Nokia, its creator. Nokia’s interpretation of the Symbian mobile operating system was in the Series 60 devices. Some industry watchers have speculated about Symbian becoming a unified platform for AT&T.
“It’s hard to see a carrier standardizing on a single platform and what benefit that would have for them,” Gartenberg said. “Even more interesting is that these comments came from someone at AT&T, which of course has the exclusive [U.S.] franchise on the iPhone, which is now one of the best-selling devices in mobility, period.”
Apple iPhone Users Download 300 Million Apps December 8, 2008
Posted by aikservices in Apple, BlackBerry, CDMA, GSM, iPhone, Microsoft, Mobile, Palm, Research In Motion, RIM, Smartphone, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: Apple, BlackBerry, Microsoft, Mobile, Palm, Research In Motion, RIM, Smartphone, Telecom, Wireless
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Apple iPhone owners have downloaded 300 million applications through the App Store. The news came in the fine print of an advertisement in Friday’s edition of The New York Times.
What’s more, iPhone owners appear to have downloaded a whopping 100 million apps in the last six weeks alone, based on previous Apple disclosures.
To put the phenomenon into perspective, the App Store launched on July 11. By early September, Apple was boasting about its progress: 100 million downloads.
Apple launched its App Store with more than 3,000 applications — more than 90 percent priced at less than $10 and more than 600 offered for free. That number has since swelled to more than 10,000 applications, and numbers are growing as developers embrace the opportunity.
“This milestone demonstrates both Apple’s strengths and prominence in this space as a newcomer,” said Michael Gartenberg, vice president of mobile strategy for Jupitermedia. “It wasn’t that long ago when the CEO of Microsoft and the CEO of Palm were basically dismissing Apple’s efforts in mobile, talking about how difficult it is for a new entrant into the space.”
A Blockbuster App Store
The App Store’s applications can take advantage of the iPhone’s large display, multi-touch user interface, hardware-accelerated 3-D graphics, built-in accelerometer, and location-based technology.
Earlier this week, for example, Amazon released an application that lets users tap into its shopping features through the iPhone. But games and music topped the iPhone’s list of most popular applications.
“Apple has really turned the App Store quickly into an extremely viable and popular platform to developers. When Apple announced the first 100 million downloads, developers noticed,” Gartenberg said. “And there are something like 10,000 applications in the store right now, which is huge for a platform that’s been on the market and generally available for just a few months.”
Competitors Copycat
So popular is the iPhone App Store that Research In Motion is coming online with its own store. RIM in October announced the new store and a new on-device application center that opens up the BlackBerry’s millions of users to developers vying for an audience.
RIM said it plans to launch the BlackBerry application store next March, giving its users a one-stop shop for compatible applications and a user-friendly way to manage upgrades and purchases.
RIM said the introduction of more consumer-friendly features in BlackBerry smartphones has sparked interest from the general public. As a result, thousands of consumer and lifestyle-oriented applications for BlackBerry smartphones are now available.
Will Apple’s and RIM’s app stores duke it out? Analysts expect RIM to pick up its fair share of developers. Apple’s success with the iPhone and the subsequent App Store demonstrates the velocity of mobile and how quickly things change in this arena.
“When you’ve got the right technology, the right messaging, the right marketing, and the right product coming together at the right time, you can do a lot,” Gartenberg concluded.
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