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 »
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 »
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 »
Android apps on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will not be able to support mobile advertising at launch, RIM said. That means Android developers who make free apps will have even less incentive to bring their apps to the PlayBook through the Android App Player. 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 »
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 »
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 »
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7.7 is in the house as is the Asus Transformer Prime with Ice Cream Sandwich. Hear early impressions on these new tablets from Matt and Kevin, along with thoughts on Nokia’s Windows Phone performance to date. Plus a good Android browser gets better! Read more »
Research In Motion’s new CEO, Thorsten Heins, held his first conference call on Monday morning, reiterating his view that the company is not in need of a major shakeup but instead some improvements in processes, marketing and consumer focus. Read more »
RIM has announced it has replaced co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie with Thorsten Heins, the current COO. The change was necessary but Heins will have to make a clear break from RIM’s past performance, which at least initially he doesn’t appear anxious to do. Read more »
IOS’ year end surge has helped close the gap on Android in the U.S., with December sales hitting 44.5 percent of all smartphones, just behind Android at 46.9 percent, according to new data from Nielsen. Android and iOS continue to separate from fast-fading BlackBerry. Read more »
Research In Motion is rumored to be launching a 10-inch PlayBook tablet this year. After nearly a year of dismal BlackBerry PlayBook sales, I’m not sold on the idea. RIM has nothing to convince people to buy such a device over an iPad or Android tablet. Read more »
What consumers need to understand and embrace NFC is a gateway drug. And that is not likely to be mobile payments, said Andrew Bocking, Vice President, Handheld Software Product Management at RIM. It’s more likely to be personal content sharing through NFC-enabled phones. Read more »
As expected, the past year was an exciting one for mobile tech. I did reasonably well on my 2011 predictions, but now it’s time to power up the crystal ball and gaze at what 2012 will bring. Here are my 16 predictions for the new year. Read more »
The past year in mobile has been even more eventful than most of us would have predicted. Our appetite for mobile data grew dramatically; Google’s Android continued its march to worldwide dominance; Amazon joined the tablet bandwagon; and AT&T tried and failed to acquire T-Mobile USA, among many other things. All of that activity lays the groundwork for a very promising — and very challenging — 2012. This research note serves both as a review of the major trends and events of 2011 as well as a forecast for the coming year. Companies mentioned in this report include Millennial Media, Quattro Wireless and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full research note, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As 2011 comes to a close, I’m thinking ahead to what mobile technology trends I expect to see in 2012. While I formulate those thoughts for a post later this week, now is a good time to see how I did with my 2011 predictions. Read more »
Research in Motion announced its fiscal third quarter results on Thursday (PDF), showing quarterly growth in revenues and handset sales, but continued dismal tablet numbers. Even worse: the company is predicting lower handset sales next quarter, which make up nearly 80 percent of all revenues. Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Research In Motion’s BlackBerry platform has long ruled the mobile enterprise, but the end of its reign appears to be near. A recent survey of enterprises that have 10,000 or more BlackBerry users show that 30 percent are planning to leave RIM’s platform. Here’s why. Read more »
RIM responded to its worst outage ever by giving away $100 worth of apps. And it’s throwing in a month of free tech support. It’s an unsatisfactory gesture and another case of RIM not communicating well enough with consumers who need more reasons to stick around. Read more »
Charter, a China-based manufacturer is partially closing production due to nearby communities reporting bad odors. What’s impacted? Laptops and smartphones that use metal casings: Apple’s MacBook Air and handsets from HTC. Other laptops and new ultrabooks may be impacted too; just before the profitable holiday season. Read more »
What started as a brief message interruption for BlackBerry users in Europe has now become a worldwide problem that has left millions of people unable to get service — and highlights the leadership problems at the top of Research in Motion. Read more »
Group messaging app Kik, which got off to a fast start before it was banned by Research In Motion, is back with a new app for BlackBerry devices. The new Java ME-based app will be distributed directly by Kik and brings back cross-platform support. Read more »
On Wednesday, Amazon introduced color screens and touch screens to its Android-powered Kindle lineup. With this, Amazon brings a combination of three critical elements to the tablet marketplace that no company — not even Apple — has matched: a full product line, a powerful business ecosystem and a unique combination of revenue streams. How will it compete in the tablet, video and online media spaces? This research note examines the prospects at hand. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As our demand for data increases, so too do the number of mobile devices and services. Add to that the infrastructure needed to support such connectivity, and a wide, complex picture of the mobile industry emerges. This report examines the various sectors of the mobile landscape and what the future holds for each. Hardware, cloud services, mobile search, advertising, location-based services and the growing ubiquity of the Internet of Things will all play an important role in the concept of mobility as it shifts and evolves over the next several years. With the help of more than a dozen contributors, GigaOM Pro presents a comprehensive analysis of the companies and trends that will lead us into the next era of mobile. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
By 2015, the worldwide sales of NFC-equipped handsets will reach 263.6 million units, with the cumulative total at more than half a billion compatible devices. This report covers the current landscape for NFC, examines the technology’s different forms of deployment and forecasts its future. It also examines the various deployments of NFC technology — mobile payments, point of purchase, augmented reality — and the challenges businesses, carriers and handset makers face moving forward. Companies mentioned in this report include Google, TapIt, Amazon and NTT DoCoMo. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
