SYN Analysis — GigaOM

SYN Analysis

T-Mobile’s first 4G phone with a 21 Mbps radio is the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, a variant of the current Galaxy S devices. The smartphone will ship with Android 2.2, but Samsung’s update history isn’t all that great — will it affect sales of the new … Read More »

The iOS 4.3 beta, despite being covered by Apple’s NDA, is leaking signs of new hardware and software features like a sieve. The latest find is support for multi-touch gestures on the iPhone. Is the feature also a sign of a buttonless future for iOS devices? Read More »

 
 

Netflix has built a sizable streaming library, with more than 20,000 titles now available. So why is it that, when the company is spending more money than ever securing streaming content, I’m finding less and less to watch through its streaming service? Read More »

Verizon is launching four LTE handsets in the first half of 2011, but one, the HTC Thunderbolt, is expected to offer simultaneous voice and data. It’s likely Verizon will keep voice and data traffic separate meaning the solution will only work in areas of LTE coverage. Read More »

Independent, off-deck, app stores will become the major driver of mobile app downloads by 2015, eclipsing on-deck app store. That’s the word from a new report from research firm MarketsandMarkets, which forecast the growth of the mobile app market. Read More »

iPhone owners are the most satisfied with their mobile platform, but Android owners are the most likely to stick with their handset OS for their next phone. Better Google apps may be the reason, but regardless, it’s potentially bad news for Apple and Google smartphone competitors. Read More »

The iPad 2 is said by some to be arriving as early as February (at least in the U.S.), and the rumor mill is working overtime. As consensus grows, we end up with a much better picture of what to expect from Apple’s next iPad. Read More »

MG Siegler notes that few Android handsets run version 2.3, the most current version of Google’s mobile platform, but the argument is disingenuous when he says that nearly 90 percent of iPhones are current. You can’t count minor versions for one platform and not the other. Read More »

The success of The Social Network at the Golden Globes might look like a thorn in Mark Zuckerberg’s side — but in fact it shows how the Facebook billionaire is clever enough to have used Hollywood’s fiction to his own benefit. Read More »

iPad 2 is expected to have a “retina display,” but the pixel per inch count is far less than the 330 found on iPhone 4. That means a future iPhone with 4-inch display could use a retina display while improving the experience for browsing and video. Read More »

Critics have waited for years for someone to challenge AT&T’s stranglehold over the iPhone, but despite predictions that millions could defect to Verizon next month now that it can sell the iconic handset, history actually suggests that losing exclusivity could help AT&T rather than hurt it. Read More »

In one of the first indications about manufacturer satisfaction with the Windows Phone 7 launch, an LG executive said the big Microsoft roll-out was, “less than we expected.” But he said the platform still has a chance as an easy-to-use alternative to Android. Read More »

More Must Reads

A plan to bring a nationwide wholesale LTE network to the U.S. is in trouble. LightSquared has a troubled private equity backer and may be losing ground in Washington as it seeks a way around regulations that are making its planned network a long shot. Read More »

Android has finally surged past iOS in ad impressions on Millennial’s ad network for the first time, breaking a two-month tie. The numbers reflect the obvious growth of the Android platform and solidifies the idea that Android has become the top platform for mobile advertising. Read More »

Only six months after introducing a $40 unlimited prepaid 3G data plan, Virgin Mobile is adding a 5 GB soft-cap of data each billing period. Users that reach the limit will see their bandwidth slowed until the next month of service begins. Read More »

Now that the Verizon iPhone is here, you may be tempted to rush out and buy one. But there’s no good reason to, unless you’re extremely impatient or don’t care that much about money. If neither of those descriptors applies, then you’re better off waiting. Read More »

Verizon and Apple today released the iPhone on Verizon’s 3G network. It will start selling on Feb. 10 for $199.99 for a 16 GB version and $299.99 for a 32 GB unit at Apple and Verizon stores. This could rock the smartphone market in the U.S. Read More »

The DECE will soon find itself trying to convince consumers to buy a piece of digital content online that they buy once and watch anywhere. But if it’s going to show the value of its Ultraviolet rights locker, it’ll be fighting against on-demand rentals. Read More »

Globally, mobile broadband subscriptions are set to double in 2011, up to 1 billion from 500 million last year. This growth rate is increasing and it corresponds very highly to another growth rate: that of smartphone sales, which recently jumped 93 percent per year. Read More »

Nvidia said today Intel will pay the graphics chipmaker $1.5 billion as part of a legal settlement. The agreement shows how fast things are changing for Intel and the computing industry as power efficiency is trumping performance, and entertainment is winning out over productivity. Read More »

Square, the mobile payment start-up co-built by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, has taken on $27.5 million in new funding to help it compete in the increasingly competitive mobile payments market. The latest funding comes from Sequoia Capital, giving the start-up a reported valuation of $240 million Read More »

Bob Muglia is leaving Microsoft. More accurately, he’s “retiring” this summer because CEO Steve Ballmer decided that the Server and Tools Business, which Muglia leads, needs new leadership. One has to ask what’s going on at Microsoft and what Steve Ballmer has in mind. Read More »

Verizon Wireless is widely expected to announce a version of the Apple iPhone for Verizon customers tomorrow, ending more than three years of official U.S. iPhone exclusivity on AT&T. Here’s why the onslaught of iPhones won’t hurt Verizon’s data network in contrast to AT&T’s struggles. Read More »

Cable companies and TV programmers are faced with a startling new reality: They are no longer the gatekeepers that decide what consumers see on their new Internet-connected TVs. In this new app-based world, their content is increasingly being placed against options from online services like Netflix. Read More »

The U.S. isn’t the only government knocking on Twitter’s door right now, it turns out. Officials on the other side of the Atlantic are also casting their eyes over the site — if for very different reasons. Their focus is on disclosing paid Tweets. Read More »

Porn producers have been going after BitTorrent file sharers with mass lawsuits, but courts have made it harder to actually unmask users based on their IP address. Some porn studios now think it’s time to fight piracy with cheaper and better online video offerings instead. Read More »

Android’s share of the mobile market might be growing rapidly, but if it really wants to generate Apple-style levels of consumer excitement, it could learn some lessons from the legion of iPhone copycats that are all the rage across China. Read More »

App analytics firm Distimo reported that 49 percent of the revenue on iPhone apps came from in-app purchases in both free and paid apps. The news underscores the importance of in-app payments and the emergence of the freemium model as a revenue driver for app makers. Read More »

Three new reports suggest that opportunities for technology jobs are outpacing the wider job market. Postings for information technology positions grew by 82 percent over December 2009, and the position of software engineer has been named “the nation’s best job.” Other technology-related jobs also rated highly. Read More »

Ford today announced a new mobile app to help drivers remotely manage energy consumption in the automaker’s upcoming Ford Focus Electric vehicle. The software can schedule and monitor the recharge process, and plan intelligent driving routes with recharging stations along the way. Read More »

Two new data points from eBay and Scanbuy about the growth of mobile shopping suggest where things are ultimately headed: Deal-hungry users are increasingly going to put pressure on retailers, both online and offline, to change prices in real time to satisfy these more savvy buyers. Read More »

In a short private session with Research In Motion, I finally got a hands-on look at the BlackBerry PlayBook. It’s better than I expected: elegant, intuitive and speedy when running multiple apps. I finally found out why Flash runs well on the PlayBook. Hint: think cars. … Read More »

Skype voice traffic is expected to grow by 45 billion minutes in 2010 to more than twice the volume added by all the world’s phone companies combined, according to research firm Telegeography. That means one out of five voice minutes is now going to Skype. Read More »

The number of co-working spaces has continued to grow in popularity during the last year. According to a recent report, the number of co-working facilities almost doubled in 2010, and there are now over 650 such locations worldwide, according to a study by Deskwanted. Read More »

Don’t expect the ad revenue in mobile games to be the major driver of revenue. While ad revenue in mobile games is expected to rise from $87 million in 2010 to $894 million in 2015, it will still be dwarfed by download and in-app purchase revenues. Read More »

After buying Palm back in July, Hewlett-Packard is now finally poised to unveil what looks to be an array of webOS-powered devices. The company has invited the tech press to a Feb. 9 event in San Francisco to talk about the future of webOS. Read More »

This Thursday marks the beginning of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Unlike many of its rivals, Apple doesn’t play the CES game. So what does the show have to offer the average Apple user? At least two things: accessories and a sense of superiority. Read More »

Firefox has taken the number one spot in browser market share in Europe, pushing past Internet Explorer for the first time, according to StatCounter. But the real battle for Firefox is with Chrome, the Google browser that continues to gain market share at a rapid pace. Read More »

Zipcar had until the end of 2010 to decide if it wanted to buy majority share of Spanish car sharing company Avancar, which it invested $300,000 in for a minority share. The answer? Undecided. Zipcar has extended the option to buy majority share another year. Read More »

Apple is expected to report very strong results at its quarterly conference call Jan. 18. Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore raised his initial estimates for Apple’s product sales during the company’s first quarter of its financial year, which includes December, based on retail channel checks. Read More »

Each year we’ve brought you the greener — and not so green — sides of the massive annual Consumer Electronics Show. In 2011 we’ll continue with the tradition. Here’s the green guide for what to see, do, complain about, watch for, and test out at CES … Read More »

Thought Andoid tablets can’t be cool? Vizio begs to differ: The company just introduced an iPad competitor that doubles as a fancy multitouch remote control for any Vizio TV ever sold, plus millions of other CE devices. Features like these could help Android tablets to succeed. Read More »

This week at the Consumer Electronics Show, we’re likely to see dozens of new tablets and smartphones from the usual suspects — and at least one surprise entrant. Vizio will show off a new 4-inch smartphone and 8-inch tablet, both of which are built around Google … Read More »

Sprint is adding another M2M, or machine to machine, device on its 3G network: the BodyMedia armband will capture workout data and shoot it to the cloud. This new “Internet of Things” approach for devices is expected to generate nearly 300 million data subscriptions by 2015. Read More »

A year ago, I predicted that telcos and cable providers would start dabbling in energy management before the ball dropped into 2010. I was right. . . . though about a year too early. Now 2011 is the year this looks like its going to happen. Read More »

loading external resource
Click to log in with: Not you?
Comment as guest:
By continuing you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Submitting comment...
results