Nielsen: Android And Apple Dominate The App Space But Mobile Browser Rules
Apple’s and Android’s stronghold on the U.S. smartphone market has been the case for many quarters already, and figures out today from Niels… Read more at paidContent »
iPhone 4 led U.S. smartphone gains in 2011
Apple’s iPhone 4 was the leading mobile phone in the U.S., despite being a phone launched mid-way through 2010, according to a new Nielsen report. The iPhone helped propel smartphone usage in the U.S. to new heights during the past year. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Three hurdles for Microsoft’s mobile future
Microsoft quietly made a personnel move this week that may indicate the company is working toward a unified operating system for handsets, tablets and PCs. But this is a critical moment for Windows Phone, and Microsoft should first tackle a few other important things to regain ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple devices winning big in the Middle East and North Africa
Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are huge in the Middle East and North Africa, where they account for 55 percent of mobile Internet traffic, according to a new survey. The iPhone and the iPad trade honors as most popular device in many countries. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Carrier IQ and the continued erosion of operator trust
The Carrier IQ scandal is still unfolding, and all parties involved are trying to spin their side of the story pretty heavily. Meanwhile, the software, which monitors users’ keystrokes and text messages and can see passwords and other vulnerable information, is said to be on more than 141 million devices. So it’s worth looking at the various players to understand who is hurt and who is helped by the kerfuffle around surreptitious smartphone data collection. This brief research note tackles the question of what the Carrier IQ case means for consumers, device makers and, perhaps most important, the operators. Companies mentioned include AT&T, Research in Motion and Sprint. For a full list of companies, and to read the full research note, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple’s iPhone 4S most-discussed smartphone for second half of 2011
Apple’s iPhone 4S is the smartphone on the tip of everyone’s tongue this holiday season, according to stats from Nielsen/McKinsey subsidiary NM Incite released Friday. The 4S captured 40 percent of online buzz around smartphones during the last six months, despite not being introduced until October. Read more »
Can't Anybody Here Play This Game? RIM Shamed Again By Trademark Defeat
At a certain point, it’s not funny: it’s stunning. Assuming it manages to keep a lid on its incompetence for the next three weeks, Research… Read more at paidContent »
7digital Music Adds Microsoft To Its App List, Still Awaits Apple Approval
Music downloads may have taken a backseat to streaming services like Spotify in the buzz stakes, but with iTunes still driving more music sa… Read more at paidContent »
Hands on with Touch: Is a solid product enough at this stage?
Messaging apps. The words could just make you sigh at this point. From Facebook to WhatsApp to Apple, everyone has something to offer in this space. So can a new entry at this point possibly stand a chance? Touch, a new app, hopes so. Read more »
Comscore: U.S. Mobile Market Still Two-Horse Race Between Android And Apple
Comscore’s latest mobile numbers are out, and they continue to paint a familiar picture: Android and Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) are gaining at the e… Read more at paidContent »
RIM: $485 Million Charge On PlayBook Surplus, Admits It Won't Make Targets
News today from Research In Motion that underscores why, sometimes, the number of shipped devices is not always the best short-term indicati… Read more at paidContent »
It’s a 1 million mobile app world
IOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 have collectively hit 991,524 apps available in their stores with the big million unit milestone set to be reached in the next day, said an analytics firm. It’s a reminder of just how big this modern app market is. Read more »
RIM takes $485M charge on PlayBooks, lowers guidance
Research In Motion announced on Friday it was writing down the value of its BlackBerry PlayBooks, taking a mostly noncash charge of $485 million of $360 million after taxes, due to lower-than-expected sales of its tablet. The company also lowered its guidance and outlook. Read more »
RIM offers device management for iOS and Android
If you can’t beat iOS and Android devices in the market, you might as well secure them. That seems to be the stance of RIM, which is launching a device-management and security service for IT departments called Mobile Fusion that builds off its BlackBerry Enterprise Servers. Read more »
How Will Facebook's Buffy Phone Look? There's An App For That
Facebook has not approached anything resembling a confirmation of the reports that it is developing its own phone with HTC, code-named “Buff… Read more at paidContent »
RIM, Apple, Microsoft All Taking A Swipe At NFC Mobile Payment Technology
As the Black Friday shopping opportunities continue to pile up, the mentions of mobile payment services get ever more frequent, too: in just… Read more at paidContent »
Why not even a $199 PlayBook tablet will help RIM
Holiday shoppers seeking a tablet bargain have another option: Research In Motion has slashed the starting price of its BlackBerry PlayBook line by $300, meaning it’s only $199 for the 16 GB version. But more PlayBook sales could actually be worse for RIM. Here’s why. Read more »
Update: No Flash Yet On Android Ice Cream Sandwich, But Does It Matter?
Today we either saw the first effects of Adobe’s decision to stop developing Flash for mobile, or another example of why it has not gotten v… Read more at paidContent »
Facebook just a healthier smoke break, says iPass
Bosses may be worried that their mobile employees are wasting vast amounts of time updating their wall or emailing friends, but a new report from iPass reveals we lose relatively little time on technology distractions. But our gadgets are harming us in other ways. Read more »
Survey: For enterprise workers, iPhone beats BlackBerry
A quarterly survey by iPass released Wednesday says iPhone market share has overtaken BlackBerry’s in the workplace. iPhones’ popularity for mobile workers isn’t just a result of taking share from RIM, however. The overall market is expanding, too. Read more »
Android accounts for more than half of smartphone sales
One in every two smartphones sold in the world is an Android device, according to Gartner, which said that Google’s mobile platform has doubled its share in the past year and surged to a 52.5 percent smartphone market share worldwide in the third quarter. Read more »
Reviewers May Find Faults, But Developers Say Kindle Fire Is Big Big Big
photo: Amazon
The Kindle Fire tablet may not be all reviewers’ cup of tea, but Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) seems to have gotten one thing just right: it’s picked… Read more at paidContent »
Subscriber Content
Connected world: the consumer technology revolution
Connectivity changes everything. That’s the credo driving just about every corner of our day-to-day lives. As human beings, we are now connected to one another through not just our social networks but also our cars, the books we read, the albums we download and even our own health and wellness habits (to name just a few areas). With that in mind, GigaOM Pro has singled out certain areas in the technology industry where we see this shift to constant connectivity taking place most drastically. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google kills Gmail app for BlackBerry
BlackBerry may not be a top priority for Google or one of the other major software vendors, but to kill off a decent app that many of us BlackBerry owners used is just wrong. Effective Nov. 22, Google is ending support for BlackBerry’s native Gmail app. Read more »
Mobile Startup Funding: Strangeloop $10 Million; Urban Airship $15 Million
photo: Flickr / Tracy O
What will be the most-used medium for consuming mobile content in the future: the web or apps? It’s a question that gets hotly debated, and… Read more at paidContent »
Does the Siri outage reveal its success?
Siri went down on Thursday for its first extended outage — around five hours, according to most counts. Five hours is hardly three days (like another noteworthy recent mobile service blackout), but the reaction of media and users show Apple’s personal assistant is making its presence felt. Read more »
Two Tracks For Digital Music: Aspiro White Label Deal; 7digital Tablet App
According to figures from IE Market Research, there are currently 832 million paid users of digital music worldwide, with that number expect… Read more at paidContent »
Woes Piling Up For RIM? BlackBerry Makers’ Shares Dip Below Book Value
More turmoil this week from BlackBerry maker RIM (NSDQ: RIMM) that could not be mitigated by the news of the launch of a new distribution de… Read more at paidContent »
BBM Music helps RIM dance through its transition
Research In Motion’s BBM Music service moved from beta to general availability on Tuesday, allowing BBM friends to share music tracks. This is clever, adding new value to the old BBM service as RIM continues to transition from BlackBerry to its new BBX operating system. Read more »
Video: inPulse thinks it’s time for wearable displays
The market for smart watches and wearable displays is growing based on the number of companies trying to crack this space. The latest product to cross my desk is the inPulse smartwatch; here’s a video look at this $149 connected timepiece that pairs with a smartphone. Read more »
Why 1 in 2 smartphones in the U.K. run Android
When visiting the U.K. and looking at the locals, odds are that every other one is using an Android device. BlackBerry is now the second most carried, followed by Apple’s iPhone; the old no. 2. How did this happen, and is it likely to continue? Read more »
Squawk! Angry Birds/Fruit Ninja ‘Rip-Off’ Reaches Number-One In App Store
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but this may be stretching the expression a bit too far. Cut the Birds, a game release… Read more at paidContent »
Kantar: Android Was The Only OS Whose Sales Grew In All Markets It Surveys
We have seen time and again how the growing number of Android-based handsets from a plethora of OEMs — and the popularity of some specific… Read more at paidContent »
Canonical: Ubuntu has a future in mobile
Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth thinks Ubuntu Linux has a shot to be a contending operating system for future phones and tablets. It will be a tough go: Apple iOS and Google Android dominate the field now, with new Windows Phone 7 also making a play. Read more »
RIM gets desperate to move BlackBerry Playbooks
RIM is trying even harder to stoke some demand for its unloved tablet, introducing a new “buy two, get one free” offer on PlayBooks through the rest of the year. It’s a desperate move for a company that can’t seem to execute. Read more »
RIM Delays Playbook 2.0 Software As Angry BlackBerry Owners File Suit
RIM’s rough year hasn’t gotten any better this week. The company was forced to delay the implementation of the feature for which it is known… Read more at paidContent »
U.K. survey finds consumers underwhelmed by iPhone 4S
U.K. site MyVoucherCodes polled over 1,500 smartphone shoppers, and found that a third of those surveyed were “disappointed” with the 4S. Of those questioned, only 29 percent said they’d be interested in buying one. Might initial fervor mask a mostly underwhelmed buying public? Read more »
BASIS Makes Good On Threat, Sues BlackBerry Over BBX
Research In Motion probably can’t wait for the year to end. After a spate of bad news, the BlackBerry-maker was hoping to turn the corner wi… Read more at paidContent »
RIM’s pain could be Apple’s enterprise gain
A new survey of business professionals out of the U.K. reveals that RIM’s recent network problems could work out very well for enterprise adoption of Apple’s iPhone. A survey revealed a lot of individuals interested in defection, and Apple’s platform as the life raft of choice. Read more »
New headache for RIM: Trademark lawsuit over BBX name
Research In Motion has another headache with a trademark lawsuit over its new BBX operating system name. Basis International, a New Mexico software company, has followed up with threats against RIM with a lawsuit claiming that it owns the trademark to the BBX name. Read more »
