In the five years since the iPhone hit the market, Apple and Google have delivered more than 40 billion cumulative downloads of apps. Other sources predict the app marketplace will swell to surpass 66 billion downloads in 2016, a growth fueled by tablet, entertainment, and enterprise apps. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
It used to be iPhones at every turn, but now there are plenty of Android sightings. That makes sense since there are now 500 million Android devices activated since 2008. That’s more than total iOS devices, however, Google hasn’t yet monetized its broad Android base. Read more »
Research In Motion shares leapt on an analyst report suggesting Samsung was considering to license BlackBerry 10 for its phones. Anything is possible, even no-cost licensing to gain market share, but it doesn’t make sense. Nearly 1 of every 2 Android phones sold is a Samsung. Read more »
Android and iOS have run away with the smartphone market, leaving others to fight for the remaining scraps. Windows Phone appears to be making some headway, however, as BlackBerry falters. Could Microsoft’s Windows 8 launch help boost phone sales due to a halo effect? Read more »
Despite its current decline, RIM is a different firm today than it was in 2007, with new management, a full awareness of its shaky position, an upcoming OS release and a number of lingering advantages that can still be leveraged. Here’s how it just might survive. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple and Google still dominate the smartphone space, but look out for Microsoft, which finally has some muscle behind its mobile strategy. Meanwhile mobile-browser developers went head-to-head with native apps, and Facebook continued to buy mobile expertise via acquisition. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A survey of mobile application developers shows falling confidence in the future of BlackBerry devices. Aside from waning support for RIM’s mobile platform, recently announced to be a late delivery, nearly a third of BlackBerry programmers are shifting to Google Android efforts. Read more »
After topping the mountain in February when the U.S. passed 50 percent smartphone ownership, It’s all downhill: Nielsen notes 2 of 3 new phone purchases in the U.S. last month were smartphones. Android and iOS continue to pull away from the pack while BlackBerry fades away. Read more »
Among several options Research In Motion is currently reviewing for its continued transition is the sale of its BlackBerry handset division. That would keep the company alive, but only as a services provider; a bad situation given that 79 percent of RIM’s revenues come from hardware. Read more »
Research firm IDC offers up its look at smartphone market share through 2016 and suggests several surprising trends: Android may peak this year while Windows Phone will jump past iOS in 2016. A year ago, IDC said the same thing for 2015. Here’s the problem. Read more »
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Research In Motion pre-announced news that it continues to face on-going challenges in the smartphone market and expects an operating loss this quarter. RIM is looking to J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and RBC Capital Markets to determine how to best proceed during its challenging transition. Read more »
Research In Motion’s beleaguered BlackBerrys are known as many things but are generally not thought of as entertainment devices. That hasn’t stopped a shell company from suing RIM for infringing a patent for a music playlist. Read more »
Research In Motion is showing off its BlackBerry 10 platform; perhaps the company’s last chance for success in the mobile market. The interface looks impressive, but there are still many hurdles to be cleared as pointed out on Twitter by those watching the demos. Read more »
Boston rail commuters will soon have the ability to use their smartphones to buy and display their train tickets. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will launch the U.S.’s first smartphone rail ticketing system this fall through a partnership with London-based Masabi. Read more »
Computing in the business market will change radically in the coming years thanks to mobility, apps and a shift toward tablets. Here we gather a survey of GigaOM Pro readers to examine the future of enterprise mobility. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Research In Motion clarified earlier statements about removing the ability to manually install Android applications on the BlackBerry PlayBook. The company previously said it was closing the loophole in the next PlayBook software update. Now it says the option will still be available for developers. Read more »
Saavn has been hailed as India’s Spotify. But with much of its customer base being in India and much of its catalog being Bollywood fare, things work a little different for the company. One example: Saavn has high hopes for its Blackberry and Symbian apps. Read more »
More than a year after promising to make WiMAX and LTE versions of its PlayBook tablet, RIM has delivered squat on its 4G promises. But now new photos have popped up on CrackBerry’s forums that appear to be of the mythical LTE PlayBook. Read more »
The year of denial is over at Research in Motion. In a frank and overdue conversation with investors Thursday, new CEO Thorsten Heins finally admitted that the situation was dire and that “substantial change” is needed. Does he have enough time to effect that change? Read more »
Cloud computing, mobile computing and the consumerization of IT combine to create another force that overwhelms IT departments: complexity, including complexity of devices and applications, physical and virtual computing environments, and related challenges for IT staff. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Cloud computing, mobile computing and the consumerization of IT are changing the game for IT departments. Section one of our three-part report describes and quantifies each of these trends, demonstrating that they are real now, growing rapidly and perilous to ignore. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A shell company capped off a week of patent controversy by suing two popular phone makers for including a button that lets users put a smile… Read more at paidContent »
Research In Motion introduced a $119 wireless keyboard for its PlayBook tablet, which also includes a convertible case to hold both the keyboard and tablet. But like the recent software upgrades and new apps RIM just added, this device won’t attract many new PlayBook owners. Read more »
TextPlus, maker of the popular TextPlus communications apps, is betting on Windows Phone 7 over BlackBerry. The company released its TextPlus messaging app on Windows Phone and expects to roll out its TextPlus Free Calls VoIP companion app in the first half of this year. Read more »
After recently capping my running streak at 425 days and buying a Bluetooth 4.0 heart monitor, I’m adding more mobile tech to my health-tracking obsession by tracking daily nutrition on my smartphone. After some research, I settled on the free MyFitnessPal app. Here’s why. Read more »
Embattled BlackBerry maker Research In Motion got a rare bit of good news this week after judges refused to let a gadget site trademark the… Read more at paidContent »
New Research in Motion boss Thorsten Heins says that Europe — where the BlackBerry’s market share remains higher than in the U.S. — can save it from the brink of disaster. But he’s wrong: the reality is that the only thing that can save it is itself. Read more »
Searching for a new lease of life, Mozilla is joining forces with Spanish operator Telefónica to build handsets that have web technologies at their heart. But can Mozilla succeed where Palm failed? And is there room in a difficult market for more players? Read more »
Tablets represent the next evolution in the advancement of mobile computing, and by 2015 or 2016, the tablet will begin to replace the laptop and the desktop operating systems market will begin to level off or perhaps decline. Our latest forecast examines these trends in detail. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Research In Motion delivered a major software update for its PlayBook tablet with the release of PlayBook OS 2.0. The upgrade brings overlooked features to RIM’s tablet, which has so far faced relatively poor sales and generally negative reviews. Is it too little, too late? Read more »
Leaked images of Research In Motion’s new BlackBerry 10 software show much similarity to the user interface of Apple iOS and Google Android. The screenshots indicate that BlackBerry is finally moving towards a more touch-friendly platform that supports home-screen widgets. Now about the supporting ecosystem… Read more »
Priceonomics, which keeps track of the resale value of items like cars, bikes and gadgets, published a report Wednesday that shows how the value of iPhones, Android phones and BlackBerrys hold up over time. Short answer: iPhones, even years-old models, retain their value the longest. Read more »
Research In Motion is undeniably on the ropes at the moment, with the mobile handset maker weathering a decline in global market share, dela… Read more at paidContent »
Much of today’s business communication activity still happens in email, but that presents a problem for the current on-the-go workforce. This report, based on a recent survey of business managers, highlights some of the problematic areas around business content collaboration and provides options for working through them. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Even if you throw the exploding tablet market in with the staid PC market, shipments of smartphones surpassed those of “client PCs” in 2011,… Read more at paidContent »
This year’s CES was the biggest in the show’s 44-year history. It boasted 15 miles of exhibit hall aisles, 3,100 booths and 153,000 attendees. It is easy to be jaded by the endlessly repetitive products, but the thousands of innovations point toward a future of connectivity. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has accused Samsung of “slavishly copying” its hardware designs; but whether or not that is true, one area where Samsung… Read more at paidContent »
