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Why Palm Can’t Be Saved

By Fei on February 25, 2010

By David Coursey
February 25, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO - That sound you’ve been hearing–that soft “swooshing” in the distance–isn’t anything important. It’s just the sound of Palm circling the drain. For despite having had excellent carrier support from Verizon and Sprint, as well as good products, the company has once again failed to gain any real traction in the marketplace.

Let me make this really clear: There is no reason for anyone to purchase a Palm smartphone that makes sense, save a few people who hate Apple, Android, and BlackBerry with equal passion. All three competitors are better choices than a Palm Pre Plus or Pixi Plus.

Though a sentimental favorite and hard worker, Palm faces challenges that have only become tougher since its relaunch last summer.

Now, the Wall Street Journal is out with a story that suggests the inevitableness of Palm’s predicament. In the nicest way possible, it says Palm, with a mere 0.7 percent of the smartphone market, compared to 14.4 percent for Apple and Research In Motion with 20 percent, simply can’t catch up.

It also includes quotes from analysts who are reducing their sales projections, devaluing the company’s stock rating, and suggest the channel finds it easier to sell Palm’s competitors.

If Palm ever had a real window of opportunity–and that is certainly debatable–it is closing rapidly.

As devices running Google’s Android smartphone OS gain momentum, Palm simply has nowhere to turn. Tepid developer support, plus what seems like a lack of carrier attention span, leaves potential customers with few reasons to choose a Palm Pre or Pixi or, for that matter, whatever else Palm comes out with.

In retrospect, the race was really decided before Palm really got going last summer. The company had to count on competitors making mistakes for it to make inroads.

Apple, meanwhile, has jumped from strength to strength, BlackBerry has remained a winner, and though slow to catch-on, Android is clearly everyone’s other choice. And many users’ first choice.

I was hoping to end this piece with some helpful suggestions for Palm, but short of paying developers to create perhaps 10,000 applications this month, and next month, and every month, or getting Apple to support Palm devices in iTunes, I don’t see any future where Palm survives.

The best hope is for some company that needs a smartphone to purchase Palm and go from there. I just don’t know what company that would be. So, Palm will likely soldier on for another year or two. There will be new products, just no sales.

Eventually, Palm will run out of money and the flushing will be complete.

Powermat embeds itself in smartphones

By Fei on February 18, 2010

By Rosemary Hattersley
February 18, 2009

LONDON - Powermat, a company that specialises in wirelessly charging gadgets such as BlackBerry smartphones and iPhones, is to start marketing wireless battery packs. This will enable handsets to be recharged without the need for an accessory device to pick up the charge.

The present Powermat charging approach is to embed a rechargable cell into the outside of an iPod or other smartphone sleeve. This additional cover is then placed in contact with the Powermat charging device that holds the charge. Any device can be recharged using a Powermat, but it must have a corresponding rechargeable cell. Powermat currently sells a mat on which three separate devices can be simultaneously charged and is about to launch dual-device and single device versions.

Simultaneously, however, the company has developed batteries that can be recharged using the same technique but without the need for a smartphone jacket. Instead, the regular lithium-ion battery is removed and switched for a Powermat one designed specially for the item. This allows for a lighter, slimmer setup and means that handset owners who prefer to customise their gadgets with coloured or protective cases can do so.

A small amount of power is required in order to enable the Powermat battery to work, but this is embedded in the replacement cover for the phone in question. The Powermat battery will be sold with the charging plate cover as part of the bundle. Charging time and power supplied are comparable to those of a lithium-ion equivalent.

At a demonstration at Mobile World Congress, we were told that Powermat is in talks with many of the best-known handset makers with a view to offering such a wireless charging solution as an accessory or even as part of the standard bundle. It hopes manufacturers will adopt the idea and offer it to consumers for free, rather than charging customers for the convenience of being able to wirelessly charge their phones by placing them on a special mat.

It’s Microsoft’s Game to Lose with Windows Mobile 7

By Fei on February 15, 2010

By Tony Bradley
February 15, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO - Speculation is mounting that Microsoft will show off the Windows Mobile 7 operating system at a wireless industry conference in Barcelona next week. Customers have waited through a series of delays and setbacks, but if those predictions turn out to be true, it could help to generate some renewed excitement over the waning mobile platform.
The Windows Mobile 7 platform is rumored to have an interface based in large part on the Zune HD which has received a fair amount of praise. There are also rumors that Microsoft is forking its business mobile platform and its consumer offering with the addition of a platform based more on social networking and aimed at a teen audience.

Microsoft did develop an interim mobile platform–Windows Mobile 6.5– to add some incremental improvements over Windows Mobile 6, but compared with platforms like Android and iPhone, Windows Mobile is lacking and Microsoft has seen its lack of progress reflected in declining market share.

On the other hand, Microsoft is still in third place for smartphone platforms in the United States. It is behind RIM and Apple, but at 18 percent of the market it is solidly ahead of Palm and Google. It has dropped out of second place, and lost a percent of market share over the last quarter, but if any of the other platforms (with the possible exception of the iPhone) were to experience the delays and setbacks that Microsoft has encountered, the market share drop would be much more dramatic.

The relatively small decline in market share for Windows Mobile can be attributed in large part to attrition and impatience. As business professionals lose or break older Windows Mobile devices, or contracts expire and they switch wireless providers, they are forced to choose a new smartphone and the current Windows Mobile does not offer a very compelling platform compared with iPhone and Android.

I personally represent that group. I held out as long as I could–even falling back on an older feature phone for months–waiting patiently for a new Windows Mobile. I didn’t find Windows Mobile 6.5 to be enough of an incentive, but I needed a smartphone and couldn’t continue holding out for Windows Mobile 7. So, now I have an iPhone…for now.

The fact is, barring an announcement that it is simply throwing in the towel and giving up on the mobile operating system altogether, Microsoft still has an audience anxiously waiting to see what it will deliver. Even in third place, Microsoft is easily within striking distance to reclaim second place from Apple, and it could pose a challenge even to RIM’s BlackBerry dominance if Windows Mobile 7 can live up to expectations.

While Microsoft has struggled with its mobile operating system, it still occupies a dominant stake of the server operating system, desktop operating system, business productivity software, messaging, and Web browser markets. Bells and whistles aside, it’s hard to argue with the potential of a smartphone platform that can seamlessly tie in with the platforms and tools that businesses rely on.

RIM, Apple, Palm, and now Google, all recognize and respect Microsoft’s presence in the enterprise. These other mobile platforms realize that integration with Microsoft backend tools–particularly Exchange Server–is imperative to success in the enterprise. No matter how hard they try, though, the solutions are often clumsy or cumbersome, and have a sort of “square peg in the round hole” feel to them.

The core appeal of a Microsoft mobile operating system is the inclusion of native tools that naturally integrate with the existing server, desktop, and office productivity environment. Windows Mobile is uniquely suited to deliver a seamless and familiar experience for business professionals.

Expecting Microsoft to introduce unique innovations or raise the bar in any way for mobile operating systems is probably a recipe for disappointment. Assuming that Microsoft can at least improve Windows Mobile to the point that Windows Phones are more or less on par with next-generation smartphones like the iPhone or Droid will be enough, though, for Microsoft to get the ship pointed in the right direction and begin to reclaim some of its lost mobile platform market share.

Microsoft has a built-in audience and the game is Microsoft’s to lose.

Touchscreen smartphones up 138%

By Fei on February 11, 2010

By Lexton Snol
February 11, 2009

LONDON - For the first time ever, smartphones with touch screens accounted for more than half of all smartphone shipments globally in Q4 2009, taking 55 percent of the market.
According to the latest Canalys estimates, touch-screen smartphone shipments were up 138 percent year on year in Q4, reaching almost 30 million units, in a quarter where overall smartphone market growth stood at 41 percent.

Canalys puts total touch-screen smartphone shipments for the year at over 75 million, more than double the 2008 figure. Total smartphone shipments in 2009 hit a new peak of 166 million units.

“Looking at the whole of 2009, it is no great surprise to see Apple at the top of the table of leading vendors of touch-screen smartphones,” said Canalys analyst Tim Shepherd.

“But Nokia stands out as a very close second, seeing tremendous growth thanks to models such as the Nokia 5800 and N97. And Nokia was actually the leading vendor by volume of touch-screen smartphones in the final quarter of the year.”

After Apple and Nokia, HTC and Samsung took the third and fourth spots, though Canalys notes that Samsung also ships a lot of touch-screen mobile phones that are not smartphones.

Independent research conducted by Canalys with 4,000 consumers toward the end of last year showed that 60 percent of those interviewed wanted a touch-screen interface on their next mobile phone.

And although some existing users said they will switch back to a different interface, Canalys expects the overall shift toward touch screens to continue during 2010.

User interface (UI) design and the input technology vendors build into their handsets is a factor in attracting customers to particular devices, but Canalys points out that it is also key to enabling discovery, acquisition and usage of new applications and services.

“This is an area where Apple is still in an enviable leadership position, having built up a vast, easy-to-access library of content and applications that will help continue to drive the success of not only the iPhone, but also the other devices it launches, such as the iPad,” noted Canalys VP and principal analyst Chris Jones.

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“For vendors with similar aspirations, attracting developers to their chosen smartphone platforms is an ongoing challenge, especially as more platforms and application stores launch onto the market.

“Developer bandwidth is as big an issue for this industry as network bandwidth. And if you get it right, you have a much more effective lock-in when that user comes to replace their device, it isn’t just about building new revenue streams.”

Canalys research shows that Symbian remained by far the largest smartphone OS by shipment volume in 2009, increasing in absolute terms despite losing share to the much faster growing RIM, Apple and Android.

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Canalys consumer research shows that the handset vendors whose users have the highest propensity to stay loyal to their current brand are Apple, Nokia and RIM.

“It is no coincidence that the brands with the highest churn inertia are also the leading smartphone makers,” added senior analyst Pete Cunningham.

“These devices typically demand, and reward, a higher level of time investment on the part of the user. If you have customized your device and set it up so that you can use your preferred email and social networking clients, navigation solution and other apps and content, then moving to a different platform becomes more inconvenient.”

The capabilities of smartphones continue to increase, further distancing their functionality from other mobile phones and enabling the creation of a broadening set of applications.

Canalys estimates that the proportion of smartphones with Wi-Fi rose to 84 percent in Q4, while 83 percent had integrated GPS and 43 percent featured integral keyboards - new highs in every case.

Google Lets You Search for What’s ‘Near Me Now’

By Fei on January 10, 2010

By Ian Paul
January 10, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO - Google’s latest location-based feature for mobile devices, which went live recently, will make it easier to find restaurants, bars, ATMs and more when you’re in an unfamiliar area. The feature, called “Near Me Now,” is available on the Google homepage on your iPhone (OS 3.0 or later) and Android (OS 2.0.1 or later) devices. Near Me Now is currently available only for United States users, and was first announced in December, alongside other new mobile search features including Google Goggles.

How It Works

Before you can use Near Me Now, you must allow Google to identify your location;, Google is not entirely clear on what this means, but I assume the search giant is talking about enabling its My Location feature. Once that’s done, you will see your location and a “Near Me Now” link under the search box on the Google mobile homepage. If you click on the link, you’ll see an expanded list of five categories: Explore Right Here (more about this later), Restaurants, Coffee Shops, Bars, and ATMs and Banks.

Then, you simply select the category to find a hotspot for lunch, the closest ATM, or the nearest place to grab a latte. With Near Me Now you can also drill deeper to find restaurant reviews, hours of operation, and contact information just as you can with Google Maps.

Local Search and Explore Right Here

If you’re looking for something in your vicinity that’s not a restaurant, bar, or bank, Near Me Now has more options to help you find what you’re looking for. You can click on the “Browse More Categories” option, which will enable the local search feature Google launched last fall. Local search gives you more categories, so you can find other places like shopping centers, gas stations, hotels, and movie theaters.

Your second option is to select the “Explore Right Here” category. This will give you a list of what Google believes are the most popular locations and attractions around you–an ideal tool when you have some time to kill, but aren’t sure what’s in your immediate vicinity. Google says Explore Right Here will only work if your “phone provides location accuracy within approximately a city block.”

What About The Rest of Us?

While Near Me Now looks like it could be a helpful product, it won’t be nearly as helpful until it expands its offerings. Google has not said whether it plans to introduce Near Me Now for Blackberry, Nokia, and Windows Mobile users. That’s a massive chunk of the mobile user base, not to mention the fact that Near Me Now is an ideal tool for traveling executives–many of whom favor Blackberry and Windows Mobile.

Google should also consider integrating Near Me Now onto the PC, since the search giant also offers location-aware applications like My Location and Latitude for the desktop. Google may be reluctant to violate the sanctity of the Google homepage, but Near Me Now could be integrated into Google Maps just like My Location is.

Near Me Now looks like a great feature, and once it’s launched on more platforms (not to mention other countries), it could be a threat to other location-based business finder apps like Yelp and Urban Spoon.

Adobe unveils Flash Player 10.1 for mobile devices and PCs

By Jon on October 6, 2009

August 12, 2009

Adobe unveiled Adobe Flash Player 10.1 software for smartphones, smartbooks, netbooks, PCs and other Internet-connected devices, allowing content created using the Adobe Flash Platform to reach users wherever they are. A public developer beta of the browser-based runtime is expected to be available for Windows Mobile, Palm webOS and desktop operating systems including Windows, Macintosh and Linux later this year. Public betas for Google Android and Symbian OS are expected to be available in early 2010. In addition, Adobe and RIM announced a joint collaboration to bring Flash Player to Blackberry smartphones, and Google joined close to 50 other industry players in the Open Screen Project initiative.

“With Flash Player moving to new mobile platforms, users will be able to experience virtually all Flash technology based Web content and applications wherever they are,” said David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president, Platform Business Unit at Adobe.

Flash Player 10.1 is the first consistent runtime release of the Open Screen Project that enables uncompromised Web browsing of expressive applications, content and hi-def videos across devices. Using the productive Web programming model of the Flash Platform, the browser-based runtime enables millions of designers and developers to reuse code and assets and reduce the cost of creating, testing and deploying content across different operating systems and browsers. Flash Player 10.1 is easily updateable across all supported platforms to ensure rapid adoption of new innovations that move the Web forward.

The browser-based runtime leverages the power of the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) for accelerated video and graphics while conserving battery life and minimizing resource utilization. New mobile-ready features that take advantage of native device capabilities include support for multi-touch, gestures, mobile input models, accelerometer and screen orientation bringing unprecedented creative control and expressiveness to the mobile browsing experience. Flash Player 10.1 will also take advantage of media delivery with HTTP streaming, including integration of content protection powered by Adobe Flash Access 2.0. This effort, code-named Zeri, will be an open format based on industry standards and will provide content publishers, distributors and partners the tools they need to utilize HTTP infrastructures for high-quality media delivery in Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR 2.0 software.

Globe and RIM Bring the New BlackBerry Curve 8520 to the Philippines

By Jon on October 1, 2009

Blackberry Curve 8520
www.blackberry.com / www.globe.com.ph

Globe Telecom and RIM has announced the launch of the BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone in the Philippines. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone will be available from Globe on October 1.

The new BlackBerry Curve 8520 introduces an innovative touch-sensitive trackpad, which makes scrolling and selection smooth and easy for a great navigation experience. It is also the first BlackBerry smartphone to feature dedicated media keys, smoothly integrated along the top of the handset, giving customers an easy, convenient way to control their music and videos.

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone is an incredibly approachable smartphone designed to be efficient and convenient. For people who like to be connected, it provides the industry’s leading mobile email and messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) solution, as well as easy access to popular social networking sites (including Facebook® and MySpace). The new smartphone features a highly tactile full-QWERTY keyboard for comfortable, accurate typing, rich multimedia capabilities and easy access to music, games and other mobile apps for entertainment on the go. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone is Wi-Fi®-enabled to give customers faster Web browsing and extended data coverage.

“As we have made BlackBerry services available to retail customers early this year, we are excited to bring another unique BlackBerry smartphone to Filipino consumers. They have been very receptive to the idea of being able to easily access the important people and information they want on the go. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone will be especially attractive to younger people, who want to carry their music, videos and games with them, along with their email and access to social networking sites,” said Menchi T. Orlina, chief marketing officer at Globe.

“This new BlackBerry smartphone is easy to use and navigate, delivering an excellent customer experience. The adoption of BlackBerry smartphones and services among Filipinos continues to expand and with this new offering, we can cater to a bigger market and provide the core benefits of the BlackBerry platform for all as it is now in a more affordable package. We are glad to make the BlackBerry Curve 8520 available to enterprise and retail customers. Customers will appreciate the multimedia features of this smartphone in addition to its exceptional business functionality,” said Jesus C. Romero, Enterprise segments head of Globe Business.

“The new innovative touch-sensitive trackpad and dedicated media keys on the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone give users an enjoyable navigation experience and better access to their music. The approachable design and offering from Globe makes this new handset an obvious choice for cell phone users looking to upgrade to a smartphone,” said Gregory Wade, regional VP, Asia Pacific at RIM.

Globe consumers can get the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone at no cost with Plan 2500, or purchase the BlackBerry Curve 8520 prepaid kit, priced at P14,995.

Retail customers can activate the BlackBerry Internet Service with one of the personal BlackBerry data plans.

Enterprise customers can contact their Globe Business Account Managers for information about data plans for the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone.

To learn more about the BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone visit: www.blackberry.com/curve8520

Gwabbit now available for BlackBerry smartphones

By Jon on May 29, 2009

Contact management just got a little easier for BlackBerry smartphone users. A new application called gwabbit automatically searches your e-mails and identifies contacts embedded in the messages, then adds or updates that information to your BlackBerry Contacts in a single click. For those users syncing their contacts to Outlook, gwabbit’s automated capture keeps contacts updated globally.

Designed and released by Technicopia, gwabbit is available now, at www.gwabbit.com.

Compatible with all BlackBerry smartphones including the BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Curve series and BlackBerry Pearl series of smartphones, gwabbit costs just $9.99 (US) and downloads in less than a minute.

gwabbit for BlackBerry smartphones joins gwabbit for Outlook, as an automatic email contact management solution for both desktops and mobile phones. gwabbit for Outlook automatically identifies signatures in incoming emails and creates them as new or updated contacts on your desktop. gwabbit for Outlook is available for a single, one-time fee of $19.95 (US). The two products together deliver complete email contact management for any professional on the road or at their desk.

For more information please visit www.gwabbit.com.

Strong showing expected at CommunicAsia2009 and BroadcastAsia2009

By Jon on May 28, 2009

CommunicAsia2009 & BroadcastAsia2009

CommunicAsia2009 and BroadcastAsia2009 are expected to feature about 2000 exhibiting companies from 65 countries and regions from across the globe, demonstrating the strong demand by companies to expand their footprint in Asia’s emerging markets and the importance of the annual exhibitions as networking and sourcing platforms for the global infocomm and media industries. The shows are set to return from 16-19 June 2009 at the Singapore Expo.

The infocomm industry’s strength is still evident despite the unpredictable conditions in the global economy. Infocomm sectors in many Asian countries are out-performing the rest of the global economy, representing significant opportunities here.

“The global gloom has accentuated the gleaming potential in Asia and increased the urgency in which international companies are moving into the continent,” said Victor Wong, project director at show organizer Singapore Exhibition Services. “CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia’s established reputation and repeated ability to attract trade professionals from across the Asia Pacific region makes the shows the first choice for exhibiting companies, especially in the current environment of tighter budgets.” Visitors can look forward to exciting displays from market leaders like Blackberry, Google, Harris, Huawei, LG, Navteq, Samsung, Yahoo! and ZTE.

As Web 2.0 technlogies take over the enterprise sector across Asia this year in the goal to streamline customer service and spending, this same development will be mirrored in the Philippines. IDC expects worldwide interoperability for WiMAX in the Philippines to get back into the game in 2009. WiMAX and other fixed wireless subscriptions in the Philippines will skyrocket to $1 billion by 2013, seizing about 5% of the market from the current 1%. A recent Market Research report showed that PLDT’s wireless broadband service revenues in the first half of 2008 rose by 50% year-on-year.

AS companies are turning to cutting edge technologies to meet the challenges posed by today’s tough economic climate, CommunicAsia2009 will focuse on the latest hot technologies for applications, solutions and hardware. These key techniques, which are already starting to have a huge impact on the way we live, work and play, include IPTV, mobile entertainment, WiMAX, navigation and LBS, satellite, Femtocell, iGov, wireless technologies, Green IT and mobile Internet.

In response to the buzzing media industry development in Asia, BroadcastAsia2009 will again feature key technologies that draw huge interest and demand from the market. These include broadcast-to-handheld / mobile TV, digital media asset management, high-definition technology, PITV, mobile broadcasting and professional audio technology. Featured for the first time at BroadcastAsia2009 is digital signage which reflects the growing global demands of the retail, hospitality and entertainment industries for a dynamic medium to captivate their audiences. A form of electronic display that is installed in public spaces, digital signage is set to replace the conventional printed posters with state-of-the-art digital panels.

CommunicAsia, BroadcastAsia, CG Overdrive, as well as various inter-government meetings, are part of the Infocomm Media Business Exchange (imbX). It brings together business leaders, companies and industry professionals to showcase their latest innovations, network, exchange ideas and tap new markets.

RIM launches BlackBerry Asia Fan Page on Facebook

By Jon on May 28, 2009

Research In Motion, maker of BlackBerry smartphones, recently launched the BlackBerry Asia Fan Page on Facebook, allowing fans to get first-hand updates on BlackBerry activities and access an extensive photo gallery of all the various BlackBerry events and newly launched products around Asia Pacific.

Through this Fan Page, sharing information, tips and tricks and personal experience on BlackBerry with fellow BlackBerry fans is even made easier via wall comments and open discussion boards.

BlackBerry fans can also share and download applications with one another, select and download exciting BlackBerry wallpapers that they can use to personalize their BlackBerry smartphones.

Check it out at http://www.facebook.com/BlackBerryAsia.

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