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Smartphone sales up in Q2 '08, BlackBerry leapfrogs Windows Mobile
Yo, Microsoft, step on the gas and get Windows Mobile 7 out the door, would ya? Gartner's profile of global smartphone sales in the second quarter of 2008 reveals that RIM's BlackBerry OS has jumped over Windows Mobile to become the number two platform finding its way into pockets around the world, while perennial powerhouse Symbian carries on comfortably with the number one spot (and it's not UIQ that's doing the heavy lifting there, if you catch our drift). As a percentage of the overall mobile market, smartphones account for the same 11 percent they did a year ago -- but the entire market saw growth, meaning that total smartphone shipments jumped a solid 15.7 percent over the same period. Well-earned kudos to RIM for knocking WinMo off its high horse, but seriously, Microsoft need only look in the mirror if it wants to know exactly how this came to pass.[Via jkOnTheRun]
RIM leads US smartphone sales, Apple ousts HTC for second
Well here's a Shift, according to an NPD Group study, RIM sits atop the sales charts in the smartphone world and HTC doesn't even make the top five. During the period from January until July of 2008, 9 million sets were sold in the US for a cool $1.7 billion. Behind the mighty BlackBerry comes Apple's --the iPhone launch is being touted as the magic that helped ease them into second place -- followed by Palm, Samsung , and Motorola. The NPD Group goes on to mention that smartphone sales are up ten percent over the same period last year to 19 percent of all phones sold and that pricing is down seven percent to an average price of $185 per handset. Follow the read link for more tasty bits of number crunchery.[Via Moconews]
US phone consumers: buying less, paying more
Fewer Americans are buying new ear candy these days than they were a year ago, according to a newly-released NPD survey -- but those that are still dropping coin are dropping more of it. An estimated 28 million cellphones came off shelves and into pockets in the second quarter of 2008, down a solid 13 percent year over year, but the increase in average handset price was nearly enough to offset the drop in volume altogether. Particularly notable was the fact that smartphone sales doubled in the past year, with full QWERTY models seeing the biggest gains; it's probably still a bit early to sound the dumbphone's death knell, but could it be on the horizon?
What's the best iPhone 3G alternative?
Hey, Mobile readers -- Engadget Classic has an "Ask Engadget" that will surely get your motor running this week. Eager to give some advice on what the best iPhone / iPhone 3G alternative is? Then head on over and deposit your two cents, will ya?
Toronto's public health department recommends kids limit mobile use
In case it wasn't already obvious that kids under the age of eight should be using cellphones strictly for emergencies, here's another reason: Toronto's public health department says so. In what might be a first in all of Canada, the agency is officially laying down recommendations that tykes be restricted to emergency calls and teens talk on their phones for no more than ten minutes at a time (good luck with that one) due to growing evidence that prolonged use could lead to brain tumors and other health-related unpleasantness later in life. Moving up the governmental food chain, Health Canada still officially recommends no restrictions, so the endless confusion over cellphone safety continues as usual.[Thanks, Thierry]
Americans using mobile internet the most, RAZR family most responsible
Who says we Americans don't love our mobile internet? We don't like paying through the nose for it, but there's no denying we heart it profusely. According to new research from Nielson, around 15.6% of US wireless subscribers utilize mobile internet on their handset, while the UK ganked the silver medallion at 12.9% and Italy the bronze at 11.9%. Out of the 16 countries studied by the firm, America ranked number one in terms of usage, and oddly enough, Motorola's RAZR / RAZR2 were found as the top devices (10%) for accessing the mobile web. For those curious, Apple's iPhone came in second with 4%, while RIM's BlackBerry 8100 and 8800 series claimed 2% each. Even if you're usually not the numbers type, we'd say it's worth your while to give these a peek -- pretty interesting stuff, from a nerd's point of view. [Warning: PDF read link][Via modoNews]
82% of America never uses text messaging
While there has been quite the kerfuffle about banning texting while driving and educating Australian youngsters on text speak, a new survey shows that the vast majority of us haven't even sent a single SMS. Research firm Ipsos MediaCT polled individuals in a variety of countries and came to one general conclusion: If folks are using SMS, "they're using it frequently." On the flip-side, those who aren't savvy with text messaging aren't apt to just dabble in it. For instance, 82% of respondents in America said "that they never used text messaging, while 3% said that they used it monthly or less" and 15% reported using it "every week or even more. Who knows what that figure would be if carriers stopping charging an arm and a leg for per-use messaging.[Via Textually, image courtesy of ugo]
25 percent of European households shun landlines for mobiles
Though just over 10 percent of wireless Europeans are allegedly riding the 3G wave, the picture's looking a lot prettier when you compare the adoption rate of mobiles to their tethered equivalents. A survey commissioned by the European Union suggests that roughly 24 percent of households have moved exclusively to cellphones to take care of their telecom needs -- while Finland, Nokia's home turf, came in at a staggering 61 percent. In general, former Eastern Bloc countries are racking up a much higher incidence of mobile-only behavior, apparently because governments have found it easier to concentrate on building out wireless networks rather than a landline infrastructure that could see limited use (in-home broadband excepted, though that's another story altogether).[Via textually.org]
Study expects 32 million LTE subscribers in three years after launch
With Planet Earth's wireless juggernauts jumping on the LTE train while there's still room, we suppose the latest report from ABI Research isn't all that shocking. According to it, there will be some 32 million LTE network subscribers by 2013, and with the commercial launch not expected to go down before 2010, our abacus suggests that we're talking about 32 million over just 3 years. The firm asserts that the Asia-Pacific region will account for most of those folks (around 12 million), while the rest get split 60% / 40% between Western Europe and North America. You think we're just going to let you make this outlandish claim and then fuhgetaboutit, don't you ABI? Nah, we're creating a Google Calendar reminder for this day in 2013 right now to check back and see just how accurate you really were.[Via SlashPhone]
Breakfast Topic: Shame
I am not ashamed to be a World of Warcraft player. I spend on average about two hours a day playing the game. That takes into account the weekends when I overindulge and the weekdays when I may log in for a few arenas, if at all. I have accomplishments in-game that I'm proud of, and I find it really thrilling to share my thoughts and experiences with the readers of WoW Insider. I proudly wear geeky, WoW-oriented shirts, and proclaim myself as a gamer. Every once in a while I think to myself that I should do something different with my time. But then I remember that it's some good clean (not to mention cheap) fun that I can share with my friends and family. On top of that, I really enjoy my play time. For an extra-added benefit, I can't remember the last time I was actually bored, with the game or anything else. An interesting news article hit my inbox today. Dr. Jerald Block is a psychiatrist who specializes in treating pathological computer use. His most stunning statement was that many of his clients were more ashamed of their World of Warcraft addictions than obsessions with internet porn. I can't quite wrap my brain around that. Dr. Block also believes that previous studies of gaming addiction have been focused on the wrong group. He claims that adults, rather than teens, obsess over online gaming. He is probably right on both accounts. This may lead to a paradigm shift in gaming research. Do you ever find yourself ashamed of playing WoW? [Via Boston.com]
New study finds average purchase price of handsets on the rise, uptick in smartphone demand to thank
We suppose the uptick in smartphone demand could be to blame, depending on your perspective, but regardless of semantics, a new study put out by J.D. Power and Associates has found that surging interest in high-end handsets is causing the average purchase price of mobiles to shoot upward. Compared to 2007, consumers are currently paying around $9 more on average per phone. The average price rose to $101, up from $92 just six months prior, and it also marks the highest figure found since the study's inception in 2003. Analysts are pegging recent demand in RIM, Palm (saywha?) and Apple devices as the primary culprit, and it's noted that the average price paid for a smartphone these days is $208. Not surprisingly, these folks also found that the percentage of customers who receive free phones on contract has sank from 36% to 33% in the past six months. If you're the number loving type, be sure and hit the read link for lots, lots more where this came from.[Via RCRWirelessNews]
Palm claims larger share of smartphone market, has Centro to thank
What's this? Some joyous news on the Palm front? No need to Windex your spectacles -- the aforementioned handset maker has indeed managed to up its share of the smartphone market from 7.9% in the fourth quarter to 13.4% today, largely thanks to the popularity of its Centro. In general, analysts seemed quite pleased by the gains, noting that it (along with RIM) were able to take advantage of the 7.5% skid experienced by Apple during the same period. Despite the recent gains, Palm's market share is still down from 23% in Q1 a year ago, but considering the sweeping slump in cellphone sales of late, we'd say this should still go down as a victory -- however minor -- for the firm.[Via Palm InfoCenter]
US handset sales droop in Q1, RIM rides into top 5
Unless you've been squarely camped out under an atypically large boulder the past few months, you aren't apt to be taken aback by this news. Sure enough, handset sales declined 22-percent in Q1 2008, though the industry did move some 31 million mobiles during the post-holiday quarter. It was noted, however, that smartphones comprised 17-percent of all mobile sales, which marks a 10-percent increase from the prior quarter. When taking a look at the top five handset manufacturers, you'll find Motorola shakily perched at the top (27-percent), while RIM slipped past Sanyo to grab the five spot with 5-percent. Check the read link for all the gory details.
Cellphone-only households on the rise, landlines crying a river
Hold everything -- did you have any idea surging cellphone use was putting a damper on landline utilization? Oh, right, common knowledge. Anywho, a recent study conducted here in America found that three in ten households actually relied solely or primarily on their mobile to communicate. In the latter half of 2007, it was discovered that 16-percent of domiciles didn't even have a landline, while 13-percent had one but took all (or nearly all) of their calls via cell. Just to put things in perspective, only 5-percent of US homes were cellphone-only in 2004, while 1.082-percent had not yet surrendered their can-and-string. If you're one of those number lovers, hold your head up high and hit the read link for lots more data about this totally engrossing topic.[Image courtesy of Preston LNO]
AT&T's 3G comes out on top in speed tests, will only get faster in 2009
The folks over at Computerworld just ran the current 3G providers in America through their paces, only to discover that AT&T came out on top in almost every category. Well, it appears the monolithic telco plans to keep its edge (er...) on the competition -- by upping its HSPA service to a whopping 20Mbps come 2009. Our main man Ralph de la Vega said that the process wouldn't require a major overhaul to the provider's infrastructure, and that they're already working on punching up the current 3.6Mbps speeds to 7.2Mbps "in the labs." Apparently, this won't stall plans for forthcoming 4G / 700MHz / LTE service from the company -- it'll just be icing on the cake.Read - Which 3G network is the best?Read - AT&T plans 20-megabit 3G by 2009
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An experiment for NASA offers cash while you play
Feeling bad for neglecting the kids? Want to do something for society? Well ladies and gentlemen, NASA wants you! Not for the vigorous life of an astronaut, but to stay in bed. They will even pay you (US)$17,000 to do it. What about World of Warcraft or the other MMOs we play? How are we to survive for up to 90 days away from the internet? Too easy says NASA! They will provide the internet and anyone is welcome to bring their own system. Since we spend hours in bed or sitting at the computer hacking away at gnomes, why not get paid for it?The NASA experiment has nothing to do with video games. It is actually an experiment to test the bodies reaction to low gravity. The fine folks at NASA want us to help them understand just what happens to a person who spends a long time in space. We already help promote economic studies through the games we play so why not take it one step further? As long as our fingers and thumbs do not wither away, it could make for a fine opportunity to play, get paid, and benefit the entire human race.
Mobilkom I-HSPA tests provide 10.1Mbps speeds, another acronym to remember
Nokia Siemens Networks and Mobilkom Austria are likely celebrating some I-HSPA (Internet High Speed Packet Access) test results that rang in at a respectable 10.1Mbps during a data call. I-HSPA is essentially Nokia Siemens Networks' version of HSPA+, with both touted as bringing a flat architecture to the HSPA network by connecting the base station directly to the internet. Bottom line is when we see this on our doorstep, we're just one step closer to LTE, and its speed in comparison will rekindle warm thoughts of the first time we used HSDPA after struggling with GPRS.
Survey finds 37% of Gen Y-ers text while driving
Oh sure, Americans are adamantly against texting while driving (in theory), but that's not stopping those mischievous Gen Y-ers from getting their SMS on while behind the wheel. According to a new survey of 1,200 people conducted by Nationwide Mutual Insurance (we know, we know), a third of the Gen Y-ers admitted to "always multitasking while driving," and while the "always" bit does indeed frighten us a tad, the real juice was in the next statistic: 37-percent said they sent text messages while driving. Before you start belaboring the imprudent youth, think long and hard about your own in-car cellphone usage -- remember that time you just had to reply "y w pep plz" in order to salvage your friend's pizza order? Tsk tsk.[Via About]
Vodafone recommends "more discreet" communication methods in public
Although it should be painfully obvious, we can't deny that chatting about sensitive information in public takes place practically everywhere. To that end, a new study commissioned by Vodafone UK found that over 70-percent of all workers "talk business on their mobile phones in public, with one-in-five talking about business-critical subjects such as sales leads." Worse still, 15-percent admitted to "openly discussing confidential new products or services whilst traveling," while 26-percent admitted that they have actually followed up on a lead in which they received via listening in to another's public call. Not surprisingly, the company recommends that individuals utilize more discreet methods of communicating in public, suggesting texting and emailing in particular. Of course, it's a good bit more difficult to tell a story through those two methods, but it's a lot better than having your most promising client snatched out from under you, yeah?[Via textually, image courtesy of Miloh]
Analysts project Linux in 20% of mid- to high-end handsets by 2013
There's little doubt that Linux has quite a bit going for it in the mobile realm, but a recent report put out by ABI Research asserts that just about one in every five mid- to high-end handsets sold in 2013 will boast a Linux-based OS. Citing the mounting momentum behind LiMo Foundation as well as the alleviation of "issues with framework fragmentation and silicon requirements," the research firm is projecting Linux to be an integral part of some 20-percent of higher-end mobiles in just 5 years. ABI Research's VP even noted that "Linux OS solutions will be far more cost-effective than incumbent solutions, even when silicon requirements are taken into account, given that a fuller application layer will be included in the standard package and that the burden of customization falls mostly on the independent software vendor." Hey, you won't find us kvetching about the proliferation of open-source.[Via mocoNews]
