Mobile

The War For Mobile Platform Supremacy

Submitted by James Mowery on Wed, 04/14/2010 - 13:21

The battle for mobile dominance is heating up as the war rages on. Some have risen to the challenge while others have taken a beating. Some underdogs have presented some new twists while some of the greats have lost their step. But it doesn't seem to matter where your allegiance lies: this competition is brutal, and it is make-or-break for many of those involved. But the rewards for dominating mobile is endless.

So let's take a look at all these platforms to see where they stand at the moment.

MeeGo

MeeGo is a result of the combined efforts of Intel and Nokia. The goal with MeeGo is to create a platform that is scaleable to many different devices, including smart phones and netbooks. However, that could create problems as too broad of a focus for a platform could result in doing many things good but nothing specifically great, which might not win over consumers. That said, MeeGo looks promising.

The project is still in its early infancy, so, with no devices on the market running MeeGo, it will be difficult to tell how far the project will go. However, it will be exciting to see what Intel and Nokia (leaders in their respective industries) come up with in the coming months.

WebOS

WebOS is the platfrom that Palm has created to replace its elderly Palm OS, and it has made appearances on the Palm Pixi and Pre devices. The platform itself looks great. But many people would not know it with all the complaints that have been circulating about it (trust us, it is a great platform). Yet Palm has no one to blame but itself for the lack of adoption and enthusiasm surrounding the platform. Sadly, it all hit a new low when reports recently broke out that Palm is looking for a buyer.

Palm's webOS, as great as it is, is missing a few crucial things including user interest (from poor marketing efforts), third-party support, stellar hardware, and a strong backer. If a company like HTC, Motorola (doubtful), or Dell acquires Palm, it could give them a strong foundation to build their own platform to compete with the likes of Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, and others. But will it happen? Your guess is as good as ours.

Blackberry OS

Blackberry has one of the most popular smart-phone platforms in existence, and, ironically, it is one of the least prepared to compete with all of the platforms mentioned here. Perhaps it is complacency? Maybe it is ignorance? Whatever it is, though, Blackberry needs to consider starting from scratch.

While most other mobile platforms have begun heavily integrating with Web-based services — keeping users connected to their data, their social networks, and their friends — Blackberry has failed to keep with the times. The Blackberry OS is starting to show its age, and many have been calling for a total rewrite of the code. It has yet to happen. True, the company maintains its dominance, but it is slowly (okay, very slowly) falling to the competition.

Windows Phone 7

The Windows Mobile platform has received a kick in the rear and fresh coat of paint with the new Windows Phone 7 platform that Microsoft has been sharing with the world, and it does look beautiful. Unfortunately, many years of Microsoft's previous incarnations of Windows Mobile has left a bad taste in our mouth's.

It features one of the most flashy and unique interfaces I have seen for quite awhile now, and it is sure to catch the eyes of everyone that takes a look at it. However, all the beautiful on the outside can't contain the fact that the vast majority of third-party developers have long but forgotten about Microsoft's mobile platform. But if people are willing to use Windows Phone 7, developers will likely develop for it. So will the glitz and glamour help Microsoft to reassert themselves as a force in mobile? It's a coin flip.

iPhone OS

The iPhone. What can be said about the pride and joy of Apple? It is the hottest mobile phone and platform out there right now, and it is what all the competition envies the most.

Apple has recently announced the iPhone OS 4 platform that will bring some new features: the most prominent being multitasking, iBookStore support, folders, and e-mail refinements. Multitasking is the huge addition, however, and it could be the one addition that really propels the iPhone forward. Still, third-party developers are who Apple needs to keep happy in order for the platform to maintain its growth. But things are on the bright side for Apple.

Android

Android is the brainchild of Google, and it is one of the fastest growing platforms available right now. It has the support of one of the most powerful companies in the world and is quickly attracting developers from many of the other platforms.

Android 2.1 has set the bar high, and with features like voice search, voice-to-text support, turn-by-turn navigation, multi-touch support, and many other features that really push the limits of what a smart phone can do. The platform is also becoming quite appealing because the number of third-party developers is increasing as well.

It's Not Over

In the end, the platform that is going to rule them all is going to be the one with the third-party developers. Right now, that would be the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. But nothing is set in stone.

This war is far from over, but the battle is just heating up. Competition continues to grow more desperate and daring as the world continues to cut the wires and enjoy the freedom of mobile. The company that controls the mobile landscape pretty much controls the future for many technological developments.

In the end, to say that this war is crucial is a gross understatement — it is the future.

The Demand and Supply for Mobile Data Increases

Submitted by James Mowery on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 17:17

If you are still one of those people who never step a foot outside your house and are always glued to a desktop machine, this article will, unfortunately, make no sense to you. However, if you are one of the millions of Americans who do manage to see the sun, then you'll be happy to note that there are more just like you connecting to mobile high-speed Internet.

Put simply, we've come a long, long way.

By the end of 2009, there were approximately 181 million HSxPA subscribers. Overall connections had increased to 271 million. That resulted in a 43-percent growth rate year-over-year.

Mobile subscriptions, however, surpassed 4.35 billion at 2009's end, with a 10.4-percent growth rate year-over-year. That puts global cellular penetration around 66 percent.

ABI Research predicts that 80 percent of the world's population will have access to cellular technology by 2014, which is pretty impressive when considering we are likely in the high 60s still.

On a global scale, the Asia-Pacific region is dominating in cellular penetration (45 percent) while Western Europe (13 percent) and North America (7.2 percent) lag behind.

However, when not considering global position, the Asia-Pacific region has only reached 52.5-percent penetration while Western Europe and North America have 140-percent and 93-percent penetration rates respectively.

Those numbers don't appear to be far-fetched either, and, if accurate, they will help drive many countries to faster and more reliable broadband on the go while providing access to people who have never had it.

Unfortunately — particularly for the U.S. — this data (still) isn't cheap for consumers, and competition is lacking.

In order to have further progression in mobile broadband, an understanding by the government and FCC that only competition can help resolve this issue is necessary; furthermore, definitive action from the government to promote competition is crucial. Rural market competition, in particular, could help plant seeds for future growth of smaller competitors.

That said, the future is looking bright for mobile broadband — consumers continue to be on the move while the demand for broadband in as many locations as possible grows. With 3G coverage constantly expanding and 4G coverage rolling out in many cities around the U.S., it is sure to be interesting to watch how companies cope with these various challenges in the future.

Lenovo Predicts 70-80% of Sales to Involve Mobile Web Soon

Submitted by James Mowery on Wed, 03/17/2010 - 08:10

Lenovo LePhone for Mobile Web Devices

What does it mean when Lenovo, one of the world's most popular PC makers, states that mobile Internet products will be a majority of their business in the future? It means that the mobile Internet has a promising future — obviously — and those who are involved in the manufacturing of computers and mobile technology are recognizing this. It requires adaptation.

"Even today, notebook sales already are higher than desktops," Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing told PysOrg.com. "Mobile Internet products are going to be 70 to 80 percent of our sales ... within three to five years."

Places around the globe, particularly in Asia, are seeing explosions in mobile Internet usage. Lenovo and its competition from Dell, HP, Toshiba, and Apple are surely in a frenzy to capitalize on this opportunity.

Taking a giant leap into mobile, Lenovo, along with Dell, has unveiled a smart phone for the first time, which will be powered by Android.

How well it will be received by consumers is unknown, but it wouldn't be too hard to imagine that it will take a few attempts at the smartphone market to get it right.

Interestingly, it just goes to show how much the times have changed, and how companies must adapt to the demand of ever-changing consumer desires.

If mobile is where fortune lies — and all the evidence is in support of that — these companies better be ready to supply the goods.

My only question is when will U.S. consumers be able to get their hands on one of these PC-manufactured smartphone devices?