For an Operating System that only has 6% of the market share, it’s hard to believe that some forecast Windows Phones to become number two, or even number one, within a few years time. Things change very quickly in the tech world in a short period of time, so I suppose anything is possible. I just don’t see Apple’s iOS losing that much market share, given the iPhone’s popularity.
Here’s an excerpt from BGR.com:
According to research reports from Gartner and IDC, Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system will grab about 20% of the smartphone market by 2015, enough to propel the OS past Apple’s iOS platform to take the No. 2 spot globally. Research firm Gartner believes Android will have a 49% market share in 2015, followed by Windows Phone at 19.5%, and Apple’s iOS growth will slow so much that it will only maintain a 17% share. IDC believes Windows Phone will have a 20.3 percent share in 2015.
In this blog post by the New York Times, McAfee’s threat report including (amongst other info about hacker threats in general) statistics about Android OS being the most targeted mobile platform. Android went from third, to first in the hacker target list. That’s the double edged sword of using Android – one the one hand, you aren’t locked in like the Apple App Store to get your apps, but the downside is that apps are not vetted by Google, so they potentially could contain malware, which can be used to steal personal identifying information.
Are you using any steps on your Droid to prevent malware? Share your tips here.
Samsung recently announced a new 5.3 inch screen smart phone/tablet, called the Samsung Note. It’s a crossover product that blurs the line between a phone and a tablet. One of the most unique features of the Note is the “S Pen” interface that takes advantage of the included stylus (remember those thingies, Palm Pilot/Pocket PC fans?). As an educator, I see great potential with the S Pen, as it would make an e-text more useful as students can jot down notes and highlight, circle text much easier than with an e-reader or other non-stylus enabled tablet.
But, as a phone, is it just too big? Should Samsung have gone after the Kindle 6 inch sized tablet segment, and just not make it a phone? The folks at Engadget tossed it around and reported it was surprisingly light for its size…
This video, “Gulp,” shot on a Nokia N8 (yes, that’s a mobile phone), is considered the largest stop motion animation short film. Don’t forget to check out All About Symbian for a background description and the “Making of” video as well.
Goes to show that making an interesting film is not all about the expensive equipment, but about one’s imagination as well.
The Wall Street Journal cites sources in know for its report that the iPhone 5 will be coming to Sprint in October, along with Apple and Verizon. [click to continue…]
Many news stories in the mobile phone world tend to be rather narrow in focus, passed along amongst the geek blogs, but I’m sure everyone, geek or not, has heard of this story by now. Google is acquiring Motorola’s Mobility division. It doesn’t take a professional geekster to know why this move was made: to compete head to head with the iPhone. Google, which did not make its own hardware, typically partnered with manufacturers like HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and Sony Ericcson for its Android phones. Now, with the purchase of Motorola Mobility, this gives Google a hardware division, which presumably means more direct control over it’s Android smart phones, and means they have a more complete smart phone “ecosystem.”
What do you think? Was this a wise move for Google? Should Steve Jobs be looking over his shoulder?
Research In Motion (RIM), maker of Blackberry phones, has recently introduced three new phones: the Bold 9900, torch 9850 and 9810. Three different form factors, all running on the new Blackberry 7 OS. The Bold now features a touchscreen (reminiscent of the Nokia E6), while the 9850 is an all touch display, and the 9810 having the slider form factor, with full qwerty keyboard underneath. For availability, check the Blackberry website.
So, this TeleNav survey has been roaming the web lately, and of course it’s quite entertaining in itself. The survey is taken from 500+ people of driving age (national survey, according to TeleNav), during one week in July. The most popular question was “Are you more willing to give up your mobile phone for a week, or..? However, when you see the data closely, you’ll realize the results may say something different than what the article (or our title) claims…
A small survey conducted by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, examined mobile phone ownership, and tries to get a glimpse into what consumers want to buy next. Looks like many Android and Blackberry owners plan to make the switch to the iPhone. More stats after the break, and why I called it a ‘small’ survey.
While everyone (not counting zombies) knows that the Apple App Store is the king of mobile software, Nokia has their version, called the “OVI” Store, which recently hit 7 million daily downloads. Sure, the Apple App store gets over twice as many daily downloads, but 7 million is not too shabby.
Nokias aren’t very prevalent in the U.S. market, but if you happen to own one, you actually have many great apps to choose from in the usual categories (utilities, games, personalization), for smart phones, and non-smart phones (S40 phones) alike. In addition, if your Nokia is unlocked (not tied to a carrier), you can download apps from other 3rd party sources as well.
For an Operating System that only has 6% of the market share, it’s hard to believe that some forecast Windows Phones to become number two, or even number one, within a few years time. Things change very quickly in the tech world in a short period of time, so I suppose anything is possible. I just don’t see Apple’s iOS losing that much market share, given the iPhone’s popularity.
