The mobile-messaging value chain is changing as OTT players upend mobile operators’ SMS business. There will be 27.7 trillion messages by 2016, and most of the growth in traffic will come from IP-based services. Successful carriers will use this new technology to extend reliability and scalability. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Ericsson is exercising all its options in its ongoing patent dispute with Samsung. Last week it sued the Korean handset and infrastructure vendor after the two failed to reach a technology cross-licensing agreement. Now Ericsson is seeking to ban Samsung’s products from the U.S. Read more »
Whether it’s the iPhone 5, the importance of LTE, or BYOD trends disrupting the enterprise, there are always technologies, trends, and companies changing the way we define mobile. Here are some noteworthy segments to watch in the coming months, from location-based shopping to apps to wireless networks. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The switch from voice to data isn’t just affecting carriers. The new mobile data reality is driving device makers to change the way handsets are designed, Internet companies to deal with the smaller screen, and infrastructure makers to re-architect the fundamental topologies of their networks. Read more »
Some will never switch their voice activities from a smartphone to a tablet: Who wants to hold a tablet to their head? Wired or wireless headsets help, but wearing them for hours isn’t comfortable. What about a radical new wireless handset that looks like a pen? 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 »
Media issues like advertising and discovery along with commerce dominated the activity in social and real-time Web technologies during the first quarter. Google raised some hackles, Facebook responded to demands from traditional advertisers, and Yahoo got a new chief executive. Read more in the full report. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
With Apple and Nokia at each others’ throats over control over the upcoming nano-SIM standard for mobile phones, the ruling body that was set to decide between them has instead postponed its vote for at least a month. Read more »
The industry has moved beyond starry-eyed soothsaying about a world of 50 billion connected devices to start talking about how these mammoth networks of objects and appliances would actually work and how they would be managed. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Mobile deals combine location-aware discounts with mobile marketing campaigns. What are the largest pitfalls in this promising space, though? Privacy and security issues must be addressed to assure consumers their purchases are secure and their location is being closely guarded. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The mobile payments industry can learn a lot from Starbucks, which has seen tremendous success with its year-old payment app for iPhone and Android. But very few players can match Starbucks’ brand recognition or customer demographics, and no one should expect to replicate its success. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
This report outlines the myriad issues at play in Facebook’s move, from examining how CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to rewire the world to understanding the company’s infrastructure dependency. But from every angle, it’s clear the effects will ripple throughout the startup and tech communities. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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 »
Prior to Huawei’s CES scheduled press event on Monday, the company took a shot at high-end handset makers with the Ascend P1 S. Just 6.68 millimeters thin, the phone runs Android 4.0 on a Texas Instruments dual-core OMAP chip and 4.3-inch high-resolution Super AMOLED display. Read more »
Faced with reports from analysts about lower-than-expected sales and share price trouble, Nokia has fired back by announcing that UK sales of the Lumia 800 are doing better than expected. Is it time to cut the Finnish handset maker a break? Read more »
Google rocked the mobile world on Monday, August 15, with the news that it will buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, marking a 63-percent premium for the handset manufacturer. It’s a move that ushers Google into the exclusive club of companies that control both the hardware and software elements of their smartphone offerings, and it will enable Google to design handsets that are more closely integrated with Android. However, the deal doesn’t come without its risks, and it remains to be seen just how it will affect other handset makers, competition from Microsoft and the crucial patent issues currently surrounding Google. Companies mentioned in this report include Apple, Research In Motion and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
When it comes to broadband, it seems Indians will increasingly use 3G wireless connections to access the Internet. At the end of the first quarter of 2011 there were 11.5 million wired broadband subscribers in India, a pittance versus the explosive growth in 3G connections. Read more »
Netflix certified more Android devices for its software, adding support for a number of handsets and tablets powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor. That brings the total number of Netflix-capable smartphones and tablets up to 22. Good, because consumers don’t care whose chip powers their device. Read more »
Hulu Plus subscribers with Google Android phones can now watch their favorite movies and television shows on the go. The bad news: Only six handsets support the software for now. The good news: If your phone is supported, the Hulu Plus app offers a great experience. Read more »
Earlier today Nokia stock hit a 13-year-low. Despite what CEO Stephen Elop says, it is hard to reconcile the falling share price with what is arguably the hottest mobile market. The funny thing is that as a company they shouldn’t have been in this position. Read more »
Microsoft last week pulled the plug on the Kin, a two-phone lineup that debuted on Verizon Wireless just a few weeks ago. The flop is just the latest knot in a string of evidence suggesting strong relationships with carriers are crucial to selling ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
With the U.S. mobile penetration rate nearing 100 percent, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing plenty of stories about how we’re approaching (or already at) a saturation point. But I’m beginning to wonder exactly where that saturation point is — and how much longer “handset penetration” ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Verizon Wireless said it will launch its first LTE handsets by the middle of 2011. But the super-fast handsets are likely to come with usage pricing models that will see high-end users pay substantially more for 4G service than they’re currently paying for 3G. Read more »
Apple has patented a system that would enable consumers to use their phones to replace keys for the cars, homes and offices. It’s an effort that could finally move the needle for NFC, which has failed to gain any real traction at the retail counter. Read more »
The change in the mobile phone market caused by the introduction of Apple’s iPhone has slightly cut the profits for the handset industry overall, but has most severely affected Nokia and Sony Ericsson, while boosting Research in Motion, according to data released today from Deutsche Bank. Read more »
