Smartphone

Global smartphone sales grow 29 percent in Q1

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:01:13 -0400

Worldwide smartphone sales totaled 32.2 million units in the first quarter of 2008, a 29.3 percent increase over the year-ago quarter, according to a new report issued by market research firm Gartner. North American smartphone sales totaled 7.3 million units in Q1, a 106.2 percent year-over-year increase, while smartphone sales in Europe, Middle East, and Africa totaled 11.7 million units, a 38.7 percent leap. Nokia remains ahead of the vendor pack, commanding over 45 percent of the global smartphone market and notching a year-over-year sales increase of 25 percent--Research In Motion held on to second place, improving its worldwide market share to 13.4 percent and continuing to dominate the U.S. market at 42 percent. Apple moved into the number three slot, with 5.3 percent of the global smartphone market and jumping to number two in the U.S. with 20 percent. Gartner anticipates touchscreens, usability and application integration will continue to drive smartphone growth, especially as vendors and operators expand their portfolios to include open-platform devices.

For more on the Gartner smartphone report:
- read this release

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Nvidia debuts new mobile device processor line

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:59:58 -0400

Visual computing technologies developer Nvidia introduced the Tegra processor family, promising richer multimedia and Internet experiences across Windows Mobile-based devices. According to Nvidia, Tegra is a computer-on-a-chip smaller than a dime designed for minimal power consumption and maximum "visual PC experience"--its heterogeneous processor architecture boasts multiple processors, each architected for a specific class of tasks including an 800 MHz ARM CPU, a HD video processor, an imaging processor, an audio processor and a low-power GeForce GPU. Nvidia adds that the Tegra architecture achieves up to 10 times the power efficiency of existing products in battery-operated computer systems running rich-media visual computing applications. The APX 2500 smartphone chip, introduced by the company earlier this year, will now be rebranded as the Tegra APX 2500, with the new Tegra 650 processor extending the fledgling product line. Nvidia projects that Tegra products will hit the consumer market by the end of the year.

For more on Tegra:
-read this release

Related article:
Nvidia to acquire graphics developer

Palm still on track to debut Linux OS by late 2008

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

During an appearance at the recent JP Morgan Tech Show in Boston, Palm CFO Andrew Brown confirmed the company remains on track to release a Linux-based next-gen operating system--i.e., the so-called "Palm OS II"--sometime by year's end, although he declined to specify what kind of product the device maker will deliver. Borrowing a page from the Steve Jobs playbook, Brown proclaimed that software, not hardware, will determine the winners of the mobile device race--he admitted the new Linux project has been in the works for close to three years, adding "it has not been an insignificant investment." Other tidbits: Brown refused to confirm rumors that Verizon Wireless is poised to add the Palm Centro to its device portfolio, but did say a Treo upgrade is scheduled for this summer.

For more on Palm's Linux progress:
- read this Barron's article

Related articles:
Palm on target to debut Linux smartphone in 2009
Palm gets small with Centro smartphone
Palm announces Windows-powered Treo

Verizon debuts a slew of new devices

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:59:57 -0400

On the eve of CTIA Wireless 2008, Verizon Wireless introduced five new devices including the BlackBerry Curve, the LG enV2, the Motorola Q9c, the XV6900 and the Samsung Alias. The XV6900 smartphone has a touchscreen user interface and uses Microsoft Windows Mobile 6. The phone retails for $349.99 with a $50 rebate and a two-year contract.

The enV2 is redesigned to be slimmer and is featured in a black and maroon finish. The phone will be available in April for $129.99 after a $50 rebate with a two-year contract.

The Blackberry Curve 8330 will be available in May and will operate on the carrier's EVDO network. The phone will retail for $269.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

The MOTO Q 9c smartphone is targeted at business professionals and features the VZ Navigator service. The phone uses Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 and retails for $249.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year customer agreement.

Finally, the Samsung Alias will be available in mid-April and features the same dual-hinge design as on the SCH-u740. The phone retails for $129.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. -Brian

For more:
-see our photo slideshow of new releases

See these releases:
BlackBerry Curve
LG enV2
Moto Q9c
XV6900
Samsung Alias

QUICKLINKS: CTIA Wireless 2008 Smartphone Summit; Sony Ericsson launches first U.S. HSDPA phone;

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:59:55 -0400

CTIA Wireless 2008 Smartphone Summit. FierceWireless

Sony Ericsson launches first U.S. HSDPA phone. FierceWireless

Videocon to bid for Motorola's handset biz. FierceWireless

Kyocera goes GSM. FierceWireless

Dell smartphone launch imminent?

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

Analysts are once again clamoring for Dell to launch a smartphone soon. Strategy Analytics' director of wireless device strategies Neil Mawston told MacWorld the development of smartphones would be a logical step for Dell to expand its presence in the mobile market. Mawston pointed out that Apple, HP and Toshiba are already in the business of smartphones and PDAs, so the competitive threat and market itself are just too big to ignore. While the rumor that claimed Dell would launch a Google Android-powered smartphone at Mobile World Congress last month never came to fruition, the company could still launch such a device or ink a deal with Microsoft for Windows Mobile. Mawston also noted that Dell needs to replace its Axim PDAs, which it killed off last year.

According to a recent report from ABI Research, one in three phones sold in 2013 will be a smartphone. Smartphones will increase from the 10 percent market share they have now to 31 percent market share in five years, according to the report. -Brian

For more on Dell's rumored smartphone plans:
-read this MacWorld article

Microsoft forecasts its mobile future

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates kicked off CES 2008--as well as his final year at the company's helm--with a keynote address that focused in part on the software goliath's continuing push into mobile. According to Gates, Windows Mobile-based smartphones sold more than 10 million units in 2007, a figure forecasted to double in the year ahead--added Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, the firm's voice-enabled TellMe mobile search service accounted for more than 2 billion searches last year, setting the stage for the introduction of the GPS-based Say and See application, which responds to voice queries via text messaging and related visual solutions.

While neither Gates nor his associates alluded to the release of Windows Mobile 6.1, Bach did address Microsoft's mobile advertising efforts: "The mobile advertising market alone is going to be about $11 billion in 2011, and I think with all the work we're doing we're very well positioned to take advantage of that," he said. "We are taking advantage of new opportunities in mobile to continue to build [a] great business. All of this is being done in the context of building community services and new advertising and business models."

For more on Microsoft's upcoming mobile efforts:
-read this CES keynote transcript

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Microsoft: "We want mass and scale" in mobile
Microsoft: "We're in the mobile business in a big way"
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Report: Dell at work on smartphone

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 06:59:58 -0500

A Forbes profile spotlighting Michael Dell and his second go-round as CEO of the technology firm bearing his name speculates that Dell is at work on a smartphone, developing the device in collaboration with Taiwanese hardware maker Quanta Computer. The device, which is said to include video, an MP3 player and Internet access, is reportedly scheduled to debut in early 2008, possibly in conjunction with January's Consumer Electronics Show.

In February Dell hired Ron Garriques, executive VP of Motorola's handset division, to run its entire consumer business, the first indicator the firm was mulling entry into the smartphone market. In mid-August, it acquired ZING Systems, a consumer technology and services company emphasizing always-connected audio and entertainment devices. Dell is offering no official comment on the device, although with $13 billion in cash and equivalents on the balance sheet, Forbes reports it is also exploring acquisition possibilities, Quanta among them.

For more on Dell's smartphone future:
-read this Forbes article

Google Maps 2.0 released

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:59:58 -0500

Google released version 2.0 of its Google Maps mobile location and search application. New features include a beta version of Google's My Location technology, which triangulates cell tower ID information to provide users with their approximate location as well as nearby points of interest. Google adds that My Location also complements GPS-enabled devices by delivering location estimates faster than GPS, providing coverage inside buildings and requiring only limited drain on phone batteries. My Location is available on most on most J2ME-enabled smartphones, including all color BlackBerry devices, all Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition devices, most Windows Mobile devices, newer Sony Ericsson devices and some Motorola devices.

For more on Google Maps 2.0:
-read this release

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Google launches Android. Now what?
Developers at work on Google applications
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More Google dish: Mobile OS, smartphones on tap

QUICKLINKS: Openwave debuts contextual mobile merchandising; Sony Ericsson and Quickoffice extend smartphone agreement; and muc

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:59:55 -0500

> Openwave debuts contextual mobile merchandising. FierceMobileContent

> Sony Ericsson and Quickoffice extend smartphone agreement. Release

> Sybase to support Google's Android. Release

> Vivendi acquiring Activision. FierceMobileContent

> Blogger discovers integrated GPS in HTC Shift. Article