A business network support system aids in streamlining different communication channels and facilitating resource sharing, such as transfer of files and business documents. […]
The 5-inch Dell Streak tablet won’t go on sale by the end of July, a spokesman said late Tuesday. That announcement came after Dell earlier in the day mistakenly posted an online message on its Web site that customers could return to the site Wednesday to purchase the device. “It was a mistake, and we took […]
With the rise of personal mobile devices, a growing number of enterprises have scrapped the homogeneity mandate: instead of requiring employees to use a standard smartphone, more IT departments are now looking at some degree of control over employee-owned (or “employee-liable”) devices, to manage and secure them. “The corporate standards dam is breaking, as […]
Perhaps it was only a matter of time. But wireless security researchers say they have uncovered a vulnerability in the WPA2 security protocol, which is the strongest form of Wi-Fi encryption and authentication currently standardized and available. Malicious insiders can exploit the vulnerability, named “Hole 196″ by the researcher who discovered it at wirele […]
Forrester forecasts nearly 10 percent U.S. increase in 2010 This recession has been going on for more than two years, but within some enterprises, there must be some people saying, “Heck, get out the checkbook. Let’s do this,” and are spending on new information technology. Two events this past week indicate that for IT vendors, […]
If all the tutting, clucking, and yakking about the iPhone has made you reach for your lover’s purple pills, here’s a remedy for your malaise: Most people who have an iPhone are very happy with the service they get from AT&T. No, this is not my conclusion. Though my sense is that the iPhone is largely […]
Indian officials have demoed a touchscreen tablet computer with word processing, Web-browsing and video-conferencing functionality that will carry an initial price tag of about $35. University students are the target market, but it’s not a given that all of them will want such a device. “I can’t imagine a math or science or engineering major […]
The saying goes something like this: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The statement is, of course, embraced as dogma by those fearful of change and by automobile owners praying for a reasonable bill of charge while waiting at the mechanic’s garage. But many of today’s CIOs must see something broken inside their IT […]
The mobile phone market is up big for the first quarter of 2010 after sales declines during 2009, according to the latest sales figures released by market research firm Gartner. Smartphones are also growing faster each quarter as they continue to replace feature phones for many users. No surprise that the iPhone and Android-based phones saw the biggest gains, as the two platforms were the only two in the top five to gain market share year-over-year.
Worldwide, mobile phone vendors sold 314.7 million phones—smart and otherwise—in the first quarter, a 16.9 percent increase from the first quarter of 2009. Nokia, Samsung, and LG continue to grab most of the market with little year-over-year change, while numerous other vendors battle for small parts of the remainder. However, the importance of smartphones can be seen in the overall mobile market. Big market share drops for Sony Ericsson and Motorola allowed BlackBerry maker RIM to move into fourth place globally, making RIM the first smartphone-only vendor to crack the top five.
Data source: Gartner
Apple has moved up to seventh place overall, more than doubling first quarter shipments from 2009 to grab 2.7 percent of the mobile phone market. “Growth came partly from new communication service providers in established markets, such as the UK, and stronger sales in new markets such as China and South Korea,” said Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner, in a statement.
Global smartphone sales grew even more than last quarter, with 54.3 million units sold for a 48.7 percent year-over-year increase. Smartphones now represent 17.3 percent of all mobile phone sales, up from 13.6 percent in first of quarter last year.
Symbian still commands a large, though continually eroding, market share among smartphone platforms, shedding another 4.5 points of share. BlackBerry is holding strong at number two, losing about one point year-over year. With little innovation in its current incarnation, Windows Mobile also shed a few points as well. WebOS’s poor showing left it lumped in the “other” category with other niche platforms.
Data source: Gartner
The big winners are, as is becoming commonplace, iPhone OS and Android. iPhone OS market share improved considerably year-over-year, with its 112 percent unit growth enough to move it up to 15.4 percent among smartphones globally. However, a staggering 806 percent unit growth pushed Android well ahead of Windows Mobile into fourth place. Both iPhone OS and Android are poised to catch up to the BlackBerry platform in short order. Apple will have its work cut out for it to stay ahead of Android globally, even as the open source mobile platform has by some accounts surpassed iPhone OS-based smartphones domestically.
“To compete in such a crowded market, manufacturers need to tightly integrate hardware, user interface, and cloud and social networking services if their solutions are to appeal to users,” Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner, said in a statement. “Just adding a QWERTY keyboard will not make a device fit the communication habits of today’s various consumer segments.”
However, Cozza said, “mobile OS ecosystems are developing and will move beyond smartphones to continue to deliver consumer value and a rich user experience.” Apple strengthened its iPhone OS platform by using it to power its iPod touch and iPad mobile devices. Android runs a few similar devices, mostly e-book readers, but it has yet to make a big move into the tablet or PMP space. However, Android will also face competition with Chrome OS in the tablet market. HP announced that it will definitely expand the webOS platform into the tablet space after its acquisition of Palm, but the desktop PC market leader has its work cut out for it.
It wasn’t much of a secret, really, but the sleek, Android-powered Nexus One is finally here, and yes: you can buy it directly from Google, over the Web. As expected, the unlocked, no-contract Nexus One will cost you a pretty penny, but subsidized versions will also be available from T-Mobile and … what’s this, Verizon Wireless? You betcha.
Announced this afternoon during a press conference at Google’s Mountain View headquarters, the Nexus One (designed by phone maker HTC under Google’s strict supervision) is available for purchase right now on Google’s new Web store rather than through a carrier—a twist that some observers see as a paradigm shift in the wireless market, where the balance of power is usually tipped in the carrier’s favor.
Then again, Google is sticking with the practice of charging an arm and a leg for an unlocked, no-contract handset. If you want it unlocked for use with any SIM card and without a contract, the phone will set you back a cool $530. Here in the U.S., you’ll be able to use the Nexus One with either an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card; that said, AT&T users will only be able to tap into the carrier’s EDGE data network, while T-Mobile customers can use both EDGE and 3G.
Another option is to opt for a traditional two-year contract with T-Mobile, which brings the price of the Nexus One down to $180. That detail has already been well leaked; one of the surprises Tuesday, however, was the news that Verizon Wireless in the U.S. (which currently has the Android-powered Motorola Droid) and Vodafone in Europe are also on board with the Nexus One, with versions of the handset for those networks due in the spring. Interesting. (I should note, though, that the current unlocked Nexus One will only work on GSM-based networks, not CDMA carriers like Verizon or Sprint; I’m assuming that the eventual Nexus One for Verizon will be a CDMA phone.)
If you’ve been following all the rumors over the past few weeks about the Nexus One, few of the hardware details revealed by Google on Tuesday will come as a surprise. Yep, the Nexus One is slim and trim, alright, measuring about 0.45 inches thick and weighing in at a relatively light 4.6 ounces, and as predicted, it’ll come with a speedy 1GHz “Snapdragon” processor under the hood, a five-megapixel camera with an LED flash, Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, a slot for microSD memory expansion, and a standard 3.5mm jack for headsets. Missing in action: a slide-out keypad and “multitouch” for the Web browser (for “pinching” or “zooming” Web pages).
Also on board the Nexus One: the latest version of Android (version 2.1, to be precise), which adds a series of interface enhancements, more home screens (five, up from three), live news and weather widgets, “live” wallpaper (which, as demonstrated during Google’s press conference, might feature a forest scene with falling leaves and water that ripples when at your touch), and even built-in voice recognition for any text field on the phone (meaning you can simply speak rather than type out a text message).
Now, I haven’t personally seen the Nexus One yet, but the bloggers at Engadget have, and their praise is, well … somewhat guarded. No question, they say, the Nexus One is a sleek, sexy, and speedy handset, but the bloggers conclude that the much-vaunted 2.1 version of Android doesn’t look all that different from the Droid’s version of Android. Also, while the Nexus One is “fast,” says Engadget, it’s “not so much of a leap up from the Droid.”
So yes … it sounds like the big news with the Nexus One is the way in which it’s being sold, not so much the handset itself (although the hardware certainly does sound impressive). But while I’m pleased that Google is selling the Nexus One unlocked out of the gate, the unsubsidized $530 price tag is awfully steep.
In any case, that’s the scoop; if you’re interested in more details about the Nexus One, you can check out Google’s site right here. Nexus One
So, show of hands: Who’s interested in snapping up the unlocked Nexus One?
Google’s Android mobile OS is showing slow growth in Western Europe since its launch, according to analysts.
Noted analyst firm IDC has stated that while Android’s market share has grown in this region, from 4.2 per cent to 5.4 per cent in the July- September period, consumers are still shying away.
“Consumers steer clear of Google’s OS and sell-out is below everyone’s expectations. Consumers recognize the Google brand, but still do not understand what Android is,” IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo.
Lack of awareness
“The lack of devices available didn’t help to raise awareness, though this is expected to change, with more handsets from LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and other vendors hitting the market soon.”
It’s worth noting that Android is still pretty nascent compared to other operating systems – it’s barely a year from release, and in relative terms, a 1.2 per cent increase in three months can be interpreted in a number of ways.
However, the number of ‘headline’ handsets has been minimal, with the Hero the main phone consumers will be familiar with. Android is still also early in the development stage, meaning elements consumers take for granted in other phones, such as full Bluetooth support, aren’t added until later in the development cycle.
Symbian – the operating system used for years by Nokia in its smartphones and more recently in Samsung and Sony Ericsson models – has 48 per cent of the market in Western Europe, but many predict this to decline as other competitors raise their game.
Windows Mobile is still the mainstay of the business market too, and although the iPhone and Android handsets are growing, it will take a larger range of more compelling devices to properly take on the established players and move Android from ‘Geek Chic’ to a genuine contender.
During the course of an interview, Google Android pioneer Andy Rubin made sure so say that the Android Market will be a whole different ballgame compared with the iPhone Apps Store. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Even though Apple released iPhone developers from its overly strict nondisclosure agreement, there is still a lot of grumbling going on in Apple’s orchard. The approval process remains to be a mystery, with Apple approving and disapproving of applications seemingly at whim. Apple may have “opened up” the iPhone, but it is still maintaining strict control of the ecosystem surrounding its darling device.
Google, says Andy Rubin, will not play things that way. BusinessWeek interviewed him recently and reports that “Google won’t impose many of the restrictions Apple developers have been grumbling about. Unlike iPhone aficionados, developers using Android Market will, for example, be able to allow consumers to try their applications for free before they buy them. This may seem like a small thing, but developers name lack of free trial as one of the biggest reasons behind their lukewarm App Store sales.”
Sampling products before you buy them is by no means a revolutionary idea. Many of the network operators’ content can be previewed or sampled before users commit to purchasing it or subscribing to certain services. That Apple does not allow iPhone users to sample applications before they buy them is odd, especially considering that Apple allows iTunes users the ability to sample 30-second snippets of songs before buying them. Why doesn’t Apple allow apps to be sampled?
The Android Market is following the model set by the existing content delivery platforms of the major network operators, and that is a good thing. There are definitely a few applications that I paid for for my iPhone that I am less than thrilled with. Sampling them, even for a few moments, would have been enough to allow me to make a more informed purchasing decision and possibly even save some money.
