In-app advertising — or “appvertising” — has quickly matured from a novel new marketing platform into a bona fide strategy for delivering pitches directly to consumers on their mobile devices, and the ever-increasing supply of apps on the market is giving advertisers endless opportunities to reach consumers. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
If RIM can’t deliver a dramatic upgrade of its aging BlackBerry OS, its days as the dominant player in the mobile enterprise may be coming to an end. The question is, who is best positioned to become the new Number ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Research In Motion shares tumbled last week after the company reported disappointing shipments and subscriber adds, and a new study indicates developers are showing little interest in the aging OS. Which means the door is wide open to the mobile enterprise. Read more »
Apple’s iPhone 4 officially launches today as both pre-order customers and those hoping to walk up and grab the new device are lined up around the country. Just like the original Apple iPhone, this model is sure to influence the features on future smartphones from competitors. Read more »
Although not yet rolled out, RIM is introducing a new Blackberry App World 2.0 storefront, complete with carrier billing for purchases, QR codes to find software and a BlackBerry ID to manage data across devices. It sounds great but late, given what competitors already offer. Read more »
With technology changing so fast and mobile enterprises often moving slow, it’s easy to be a revision or two behind. Here we examine current and on-the-horizon solutions you might want to watch for, so your mobile workforce so can do more with less in a wider ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
General Motors moved this week to link its upcoming Chevrolet Volt and in-vehicle communications system, OnStar, with Google navigation tools and smartphones based on the search giant’s Android platform. This marks a key intersection in the trajectories of automakers and Internet giants and could pave the way to much more comprehensive partnerships across previously disconnected industries and systems. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The fragmentation that has long plagued the mobile industry gets worse by the day as new operating systems and app stores come to market. WebKit will emerge as an effective tool for developers as we move toward web-based apps, but won’t be the panacea that some ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Research In Motion is bringing the BlackBerry to enterprises through China Telecom, but why offer the Storm as part of this deal? If RIM wants to compete with the iPhone in China, it should be targeting consumers with the Storm, not enterprises that need a keyboard. Read more »
Worldwide handset shipments are up 13.8 percent in the first quarter of 2010 compared to the same period last year, but the rising tide isn’t helping Motorola — sales were down 42.2 percent from the year ago quarter. Is Motorola counting too much on its Droid? Read more »
AT&T and Verizon Wireless have thus far been able to stay far above the brutal battleground that is the prepaid space. That will change, though, as smartphone sales continue to ramp up and mobile data traffic ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Sales in the smartphone market far outpaced that of feature phones in the first quarter of 2010, with each of the top five handset makers registering sales growth. As to the handset makers that gained market share — they all used one of two platforms. Read more »
Research In Motion introduces two slight refreshes today in the Bold 9650 and Pearl 3G. Incremental upgrades are always welcome, but they’re not enough to fend off other maturing smartphone challengers. Research In Motion needs to get moving on its new BlackBerry operating system. Read more »
Research in Motion co-CEO Mike Lazaridis during his keynote at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona said that his company is going to launch a new WebKit-based browser. While he waxed eloquent about the browser, he didn’t give any specifics as to its availability, however. 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 »
Mobile augmented reality (AR) brings computer-generated multimedia into an end-user’s literal field of vision. It merges real-time digital information with the user’s perceptions of his or her immediate physical surroundings. The mobile AR user simultaneously experiences physical reality and digital media consumption. This report looks at the growing mobile AR ecosystem, from the technologies and trends supporting its development to the applications, players, and business models driving innovation. The report includes a forecast for the number of mobile AR–capable devices, summarizes existing revenue forecasts for the nascent market, and leverages three in-depth case studies to demonstrate the intersections between markets, technologies, and companies in emerging applications. Read more »
Last year is in the rear-view mirror, and it’s time to sober up and get back to work. With a sharp — if bloodshot — eye on the new year, then, I’ll wager some predictions for 2010. ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The BlackBerry generated the most positive buzz of any mobile brand in 2009, according to new figures from Zeta Interactive. The news comes just a day after Nielsen said RIM’s 8300 series is second only to the iPhone in the U.S. Read more »
As the year winds to a close, GigaOM Pro’s crack team of contributors takes a look back at what went right, what went wrong, and for whom in the world of ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As the year winds to a close, GigaOM Pro’s crack team of contributors takes a look back at what went right, what went wrong, and for whom in the world of the NewNet. ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As Lenovo steps back into the mobile business, it’s becoming clear that Android will democratize the hardware for mobile phones allowing the PC makers (both Dell and Acer are using it) to make a compelling handsets and put the hurt on traditional handset makers. Read more »
Research In Motion has fared well as the smartphone space expands beyond business users into the mainstream, but the Canadian manufacturer is in danger of losing ground as Android picks up steam. Shares of RIM slid this morning after Citigroup downgraded the stock from “buy” to […] Read more »
Research In Motion shares took a beating on Friday and several analysts cut their ratings on the stock after the company posted disappointing sales for its fiscal second quarter and ratcheted down expectations for the current one. But while increasing competition and ever-dwindling price points may […] Read more »
What happens when you promise end-users a persistent connection to data, applications and services regardless of the device they’re using? Mobile cloud computing aims to deliver just such a promise. Mobile access to popular web-based services such as Facebook and Gmail, combined with next-generation smartphones like the iPhone, Palm Pre and Android devices, is driving broad adoption of mobile data. However, the center of economic gravity is shifting. Historically, access to the mobile network was the service. But as users have expanded the uses for those bits, what the user does in a given session becomes fundamental to how much the service provider can charge the user or a third party (e.g. an advertiser). Thus, it’s likely that the mobile, IT and MCC sectors will continue their current marriage of convenience to attack a rare convergence of both short-term and longer term opportunity. However, in the process of adapting to an Internet that’s becoming more global, mobile and web-based by the day, the mobile and IT industries will be forced into new ways of doing business. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The mobile content distribution industry began to undergo a seismic shift last year with the launch of Apple’s App Store, and a host of competitors from across the mobile spectrum are in various stages of following Apple’s lead. Google was first with Android Market, which is built on an open-source platform backed by a consortium of dozens of key players in wireless. Research In Motion jumped on the bandwagon in recent weeks with its BlackBerry App World, and Microsoft, Nokia and Palm – among others — are set to launch offerings this year.The motivation to build an application-distribution channel varies from segment to segment, of course. This report identifies the major players in the application-distribution model and looks at how the trend will affect carriers, handset manufacturers, developers, content owners and end users. It also examines key factors that will contribute to the success or failure of specific app stores, general shortcomings in the new app-store model, what solutions are already needed and how the space will evolve over the next several years.
UPDATED Aug. 31, 2009 (9:31a.m.): Report re-posted with summary table included Read more »
The U.S. wireless data market grew 5 percent quarter over quarter and 32 percent from first quarter 2008 to reach $10 billion in mobile data service revenues. It marked the first time the U.S .market has achieved the $10 billion milestone. Given the strong growth in data revenues shown by the top carriers and the increase in service revenues overall, it appears that (at least for the time being) the worst is over for the mobile industry. In summary, the recession has been all but a tiny blip (from the service revenue perspective) in its growth trend, and the U.S. mobile market has weathered the downward spiral in the economy better than its counterparts in other developing nations. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
In this report, we will discuss the main drivers behind 4G and take a look at the two main technology contenders. We will also take a look at how broadband impacts consumer behavior and the impact 4G might have on the mobile ecosystem. While there are ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The U.S. wireless data market escaped recessionary woes in the fourth quarter of 2008, growing 7.3 percent over the previous quarter and 38.7 percent over fourth quarter 2007 to reach $9.4 billion in mobile data services revenues. In 2008, mobile data services revenues reached our original ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Prepaid phone company MetroPCS says it hopes to deploy LTE, the next-generation wireless standard, beginning in 2010, according to Tom Keys, chief operating officer of the company. Keys spoke with me at the MetroPCS headquarters today in Richardson, Texas. While he couldn’t lay out a definite […] Read more »
The economic downturn knocked the wind out of the handset market in the third and fourth quarters of 2008, resulting in shipments of 1.2 billion handsets for the year and overall growth of just 5.4 percent, according to data released today from ABI Research. And it’s […] Read more »
Eli’s Dirty Jokes — an animated series that brings to life jokes told by 79-year-old Eli Buchalter, the accountant for web studio GoPotato.tv, which produces the show — will begin airing on Cinemax. Read more »
Rogers Wireless, the pioneering (and initial) Blackberry carrier partner, launched the new Blackberry Bold in Toronto this morning. Blackberry bold: good, but not good enough to beat iPhone. Even lemmings … aka analysts agree. Read more »
The Street.com: Sprint, Clearwire Near WiMax Deal with $2B from Intel BroadbandReports: RIM Sues Motorola Over Patent Abuse ArsTechnica: Latest Google Android SDK a Big Improvement SmartHouse: Blu-Ray Xbox 360 planned TechDirt: Court Scrutinizes Software Patents Again Engadget: Verizon Offering Unlimited Plans Read more »
Bloomberg: Yahoo Defense May Fail to Repel Hostile Microsoft Bid Apple Web site: Apple releases Mac OS X 10.5.2 Update Reuters: Nokia Adds Google Search to Handsets Broadband Reports: Competition Still Not Lowering TV Prices Reuters: RIM May Offer Touchscreen BlackBerry NYTimes: Wide BlackBerry Outage Reported […] Read more »
