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Category: smartphone

  • Verizon Clarifies Succession Plans; Names Lowell McAdam as COO

    Verizon Wireless President and CEO Lowell C. McAdam has been named president and chief operating officer of Verizon Communications, reporting to Chairman and CEO Ivan G. Seidenberg, effective Oct. 1, 2010.

    According to Verizon, the appointment of McAdam by the Verizon Board of Directors "is an important step in the succession process for when Seidenberg retires from the company." McAdam will have responsibility for the operations of Verizon’s network-based businesses — Verizon Wireless and Verizon Telecom and Business — as well as Verizon Services Operations. Also reporting to him will be the technology management and CIO functions.

    Separately, Verizon named Francis J. Shammo, currently president of Verizon Telecom and Business, to become executive vice president and chief financial officer of the company, effective Nov. 1. Shammo will succeed John F. Killian, who last Monday announced he will retire around the end of the year.

    Verizon also announced that Daniel S. Mead, currently executive vice president and chief operating officer at Verizon Wireless, will become president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless, succeeding McAdam.

    Verizon Chairman and CEO Seidenberg said, "This is a timely and logical next step in our evolution as we put in place an outstanding senior executive team that can carry us into the future."

    Seidenberg emphasized that the decisions to name these executives to key posts was based on their individual successes operating a wide range of businesses. "The pedigree of these executives puts them in a league of their own. Each one of them is a leader who has repeatedly delivered results and enhanced shareholder value."

    Regarding McAdam, Seidenberg said, "The Board’s selection of Lowell to this key, central position underscores its commitment to reward success while working with me to prepare our company for an executive transition in the future. Lowell is undeniably the right executive at the right time, given his track record of growth while managing one of the most dynamic and successful businesses in America."

    In his current role at Verizon Wireless, McAdam, 56, leads the premier wireless provider with the wireless voice and 3G broadband data network. Prior to assuming this position in 2007, McAdam served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Verizon Wireless from the company’s inception in 2000, helping to build the industry’s leading wireless company.

    Previously, McAdam was president and CEO of PrimeCo Personal Communications, a joint venture owned by Bell Atlantic and Vodafone AirTouch. He also served as PrimeCo’s chief operating officer, responsible for overseeing the build, deployment and successful launch of the new company’s customer service operations and all-digital network.

    McAdam has served as vice president – international operations for AirTouch Communications and was lead technical partner for cellular ventures in Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Italy, Korea and Japan. McAdam joined AirTouch as executive director of international applications and operations in 1993. Prior to that, he held various executive positions with Pacific Bell.

    In addition to serving on the Verizon Wireless Board of Representatives, McAdam is a member and past chairman of the Board of Directors of the CTIA, the wireless industry trade association.

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  • Gartner: Android to Become No. 2 Worldwide Mobile OS in 2010

    The worldwide mobile operating system market will be dominated by Symbian and Android, as the two OSs will account for 59.8 percent of mobile OS sales by 2014, according to Gartner.

    The research firm predicts that Symbian will remain at the top of Gartner’s worldwide OS ranking due to Nokia‘s volume and the push into more mass market price points. However, by the end of the forecast period, the No. 1 spot will be contested with Android, which will be at a very similar share level.

    According to Gartner, communication service providers’ marketing and vendor support for Android-based smartphones will drive the platform to become the second-largest platform, following Symbian, by year-end 2010. This is almost two years earlier than Gartner predicted a year ago.

    "The worldwide mobile OS market is dominated by four players: Symbian, Android, Research In Motion and iOS," said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner.

    "Launches of updated operating systems — such as Apple iOS 4, BlackBerry OS 6, Symbian 3 and Symbian 4, and Windows Phone 7 — will help maintain strong growth in smartphones in 2H10 and 2011 and spur innovation. However, we believe that market share in the OS space will consolidate around a few key OS providers that have the most support from CSPs and developers and strong brand awareness with consumer and enterprise customers," she said.

    Gartner expects manufacturers such as Samsung to launch many new budget Android devices in 2H10 that will drive Android into mass market segments. Other players, such as Sony Ericsson, LG and Motorola, will follow a similar strategy. This trend should help Android become the top OS in North America by the end of 2010.

    "CSPs and mobile device manufacturers alike will need to revisit their platform strategies and balance the need to pursue platforms with the highest current demand against the need to maintain differentiation with unique devices," Cozza said. "CSPs will likely reduce the number of platforms they offer, to reduce their support costs and clarify their propositions to market."

    Gartner predicts that by 2014, open-source platforms will continue to dominate more than 60 percent of the market for smartphones. Single-source platforms, such as Apple’s iOS and Research In Motion’s OS, will increase in unit terms, but their growth rate will be below market average and not enough to sustain share increase. Windows Phone will be relegated to sixth place behind MeeGo in Gartner’s worldwide OS ranking by 2014.

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  • Privus Mobile Debuts Real-Time Caller ID and Text ID for BlackBerry

    Privus Mobile, the Caller ID solution for BlackBerry smartphones, has released new features for its smartphone Caller ID application delivering real-time caller and text identification.

    Through this feature Privus Mobile announces the name of the incoming call or text for true hands-free operations regardless of whether the person is in the user’s contact list or not.

    While there are a few applications offering Caller ID, they are all forced to show the Caller ID after the call is coming in due to BlackBerry programming restrictions as well as lack of support for simultaneous data and voice.

    According to Privus, this is the first time BlackBerry users have been able to receive true Caller ID on their phone when the call is coming in as well as the name associated with incoming text messages from people not in a phone’s contact list.

    Privus was able to get around notification limitations by leveraging its new Voice Cue functionality in the 4.0 update. Now, users will be notified of the name of the incoming caller via a voice announce feature. “Not only does this allow users to hear the name of the incoming call as it’s coming in and decide whether it’s worth the effort to get off the couch and answer the phone, but it enables true hands-free operation when they are driving,” as the company said.

    Privus Mobile for BlackBerry Version 4.0 features:

    •Caller ID – Enables users to see the name associated with any incoming call on their BlackBerry smartphone – not just those already in the contact list
    •Text ID – Displays the name associated with incoming text messages – not just those already in the contact list
    •Voice Cue – Announces the name of callers from the user’s contact list and from Privus Mobile’s real-time Caller ID for callers not already in the contact list to allow for true hands-free operation
    •Caller Name Look-up – Enables users to look up the name associated with any telephone number through one of the world’s most comprehensive caller information databases from Accudata Technologies.

    “The days of scrambling to find your phone so you can see, or guess, who’s calling are over. No longer will you have to fumble around the passenger seat in the car to find your phone so you can see who’s calling even if you’re already wearing a Bluetooth headset,” said Greg Smith, president of Privus Mobile. “Now you can see and hear the name behind the number for incoming calls or texts on your BlackBerry. It’s the perfect combination of true functionality and convenience in a smartphone application.”

    The application is compatible with all BlackBerry devices including the newly-released BlackBerry Torch, BlackBerry Tour, BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry Bold.

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  • Nokia N8 Offcially for Sale at the end of September

    Nokia finally announced that Nokia N8, the company’s long-awaited, flagship handset, will be on-sale in the last week of September for £429 SIM free or on contract from £35 per month.

    The Nokia N8 introduces a 12 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and Xenon flash, HD-quality (720p) video recording, film editing software and Dolby Digital Plus surround sound.

    Among the features of this Symbian^3 smartphone are:

    • On-demand Web TV (CNN, E! Entertainment, Paramount and National Geographic and others)
    • HDMI connection
    • Navigation with Ovi Maps
    • Up to three personalised home screens
    • Integrated social networking: all social networks in a single app
    • Flick scrolling and pinch-to-zoom
    • Ovi apps
    • 3.5 inch widescreen (640 x 360 pixels) capacitive touch
    • 6GB mass memory + micro SD card slot, 135MB internal memory, support up to 32GB memory cards
    • 1200mAh BL-4D battery

    "The Nokia N8 is perfect for creating and sharing great content in high-definition, using HDMI out to connect to your TV as well as hot-USB swap. We’re making it fun and easy to capture and share memorable moments on the go," said Mark Loughran, General Manager, Nokia UK.

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  • Cell Phone Antenna Troubles? Radio Frequency MEMS Come to the Rescue

    Help may be on the way for iPhone 4 users frustrated by dropped calls with the arrival of Radio Frequency Microelectromechanical Systems (RF MEMS), semiconductors that can improve the performance of antennas in cell phones, according to the market research firm iSuppli.

    Long plagued by technological hurdles and other disappointing setbacks, RF MEMS are finally ready for the big time, with revenue projected to double in 2010 and more than triple in 2011, as the analysts say.

    From slightly less than $4 million in 2006, global RF MEMS revenue is anticipated to climb to $8.1 million this year—and then surge to $27.9 million in 2011, according to iSuppli. By 2014, revenue will reach a whopping $223.2 million—a far cry from the industry’s extremely modest beginnings.

    “More than 50 percent of cell phones shipped in 2014 will feature some form of front-end-module tuning using RF MEMS technology,” said Jérémie Bouchaud, principal analyst for MEMS and sensors at iSuppli.

    “The implementation of RF MEMS switches and varactors in mobile phones could help boost the performance of smart phones like the iPhone 4, which made news headlines recently because of a problematic antenna that resulted in dropped signal strength. RF MEMS are also ideal for impedance matching of the Power Amplifier,” he said.

    Although other technologies will address antenna issues, including SoS FETs and BST varactors, MEMS deliver the best performance in terms of insertion loss.

    According to iSuppli analysts, RF MEMS switches have been used in small volumes in instrumentation applications because of their small form factor and excellent RF performance. However, despite initial promise, they failed to take off on a large scale because of myriad commercialization and technological obstacles. All that is about to change as RF MEMS technology begins to realize its potential because of strong product offerings from a number of major suppliers.

    The report finds that Seven firms are sampling RF MEMS products.

    California-based WiSpry Inc. and Japan’s TDK-Epcos are offering RF MEMS for high-volume cell phone applications. On another front, U.S. firms Analog Devices Inc., Radant Technologies Inc. and XCOM Wireless Inc.—in cooperation with relay manufacturer Teledyne Technologies Inc.—as well as Japanese supplier Omron Corp. are targeting high-end applications for testing and instrumentation such as ATE and RF test. U.S. startups Radant MEMS and MEMtronics focus on defense applications.

    "In particular, interest is growing among mobile handset manufacturers on how RF MEMS can be used for the front-end tuning of cell phones to improve antenna performance, given the advent of new wireless standards like LTE for 4G technology. WiSpry—which has garnered several design wins for its MEMS varactors—is expected to commence volume production by the fourth quarter this year," said Bouchaud.

  • Nokia and Intel Build Joint Research Center

    Intel, Nokia and the University of Oulu officially opened the Intel and Nokia Joint Innovation Center. It will employ about two dozen R&D professionals and become the latest member of Intel’s European Research Network.

    According to the companies, initially the lab will conduct research for “new and compelling mobile user experiences that could leverage the rapidly increasing capabilities of mobile devices.” They claim that creating interfaces that are more similar to interactions in the real world can enable experiences that are more natural and intuitive, in the same way that modern games and movies are more immersive through the use of realistic 3-D graphics.

    The new lab is aligned with the MeeGo open source platform recently launched by Intel and Nokia.

    "The University of Oulu’s focus on future telecommunications solutions as well as electronics and photonics made it the perfect location for the Intel and Nokia Joint Innovation Center," says Justin Rattner, Intel chief technology officer and director of Intel Labs.

    Another potential area of research could look into technologies that allow displaying a 3-D hologram of the person you are talking to on the phone, a capability only found in science fiction movies today. Consumers will feel more involved and engaged with their mobile experience than with current methods, as the companies claim.

    "3-D technology could change the way we use our mobile devices and make our experiences with them much more immersive," said Rich Green, Senior vice president and chief technical officer, Nokia. "Our new joint laboratory with Intel draws on the Oulu research community’s 3-D interface expertise, and over time will lay down some important foundations for future mobile experiences."

    The lab will be located at the Center for Internet Excellence at the University of Oulu, and will work closely with the Oulu Urban Living Labs, which provide a unique environment for sensor research, testing and piloting technological and social innovations.

    The Intel and Nokia Joint Innovation Center follows a successful industry and academia collaboration model similar to the ones of Intel Labs Barcelona and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Spain, the Intel Visual Computing Institute and the Saarland University in Germany or Intel Labs Berkeley at the University of California at Berkeley in the United States.

  • ”Big Seven” Smartphone Applications to Drive Future Hardware Designs

    Smartphone manufacturers need to accommodate seven core smartphone applications, the “Big Seven”, in their next generation handset designs, according to In-Stat.

    These big seven applications include email, games, social networking, instant messaging, mapping & directions, music & radio, and weather.

    Combined, the big seven will account for 7 billion downloads worldwide in 2014, says the research group.

    “In-Stat tracks 26 different categories of smartphone applications,” said Frank Dickson, VP of Research. “A designer can optimize a handset for any one of those application categories. However, it’s the big seven applications that phone designers need to accommodate in each and every device.”

    Recent research by In-Stat found that the three applications that have the highest compound annual growth rates through 2014 are micro blogging, mobile banking and VoIP.

    The report also says that the number of Android apps downloaded is growing at the fastest rate; however, Apple applications still dominate both free and paid downloads.

    “The tsunami of mobile applications has created a hyper-competitive market putting significant pressure on prices and margins,” said Dickson.

    According to In-Stat, productivity applications such as mapping, business and enterprise applications and phone tools & utilities generate 59% of all smartphone application revenue.

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  • ABI Research: Mobile Data Usage Grows but Data Revenue Lags

    Mobile data usage continues to grow exponentially as 3G technology spreads globally. According to ABI Research, from 2009 to 2015 data usage in Western Europe and North America is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 42% and 55% respectively.

    In 2010, the average North American user is expected to consume 159 megabytes of data – up from 100 megabytes in 2009.

    “Mobile voice has already been surpassed by mobile data traffic on some networks, and this trend will only accelerate,” says ABI Research wireless analyst Bhavya Khanna.

    “This boom in usage is driven by the rapid adoption of smartphones in these markets,” he added.

    According to analysts, the explosion in data traffic does not mean a corresponding rise in data revenues for operators, as the popularity of unlimited or fixed price plans caps revenue even as usage grows. Mobile data revenues are expected to grow at a CAGR of about 18% in North America, in sharp contrast to the increase in usage. This presents a challenge for operators as they look to manage the demands on their networks without a corresponding increase in income.

    ABI Research claims that the growth in data traffic comes at the cost of voice: minutes of use are on the decline in developed markets in North America and Western Europe.

    "However, in emerging markets there is still room for voice usage growth. Increasing competition in Africa has reduced tariffs, resulting in minutes of use per user growing by 9% between 2009 and 2010. There is still much room for growth on the continent, as average usage per subscriber continues to be half of that of the Asia-Pacific region," said Khanna.

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  • Apple to Rise to No. 2 in Semiconductor Spending by 2011

    The phenomenal success of the iPad and iPhone is expected to make Apple the world’s second-largest semiconductor buyer in 2011, potentially positioning the company to become the world’s top chip purchaser in 2012, according to iSuppli.

    The research group predicts that with projected semiconductor spending in 2011 of $16.2 billion, Apple will leap over Samsung, which will drop to the third spot after finishing with $13.9 billion. Apple’s one-step rise in the rankings will move the company to a close second place behind Hewlett-Packard, which will retain its No. 1 ranking next year thanks to $17.1 billion in spending.

    "Leadership in semiconductor spending represents a position of prestige, and an advancement in the rankings means that a company has been successful in introducing new products and that it is allocating more dollars in research and development—two factors that, as it turns out, feed innovation as well," said Min-Sun Moon, Senior Analyst at iSuppli. 

    According to him, in Apple’s case, the move to second place reflects the company’s triumph in the iPhone 4 and iPad, two flagship products that have captured the public’s imagination—and have garnered tremendous sales—on a scale unequaled by rival devices.

    Apple’s expected rise to No. 2—eclipsing Samsung and putting it within a hair’s breadth of Hewlett-Packard— indicates that the company’s investment in its new smart phone and tablet has paid off—and will do so for some time to come, he believes.

    Apple’s anticipated growth in 2011 continues the extraordinary arc of expansion enjoyed by the company in recent times. In 2009, Apple recorded a surprising 13 percent increase in semiconductor spending—a year when most manufacturers posted negative growth. This year, spending by Apple will rise by a staggering 54.0 percent to reach $12.4 billion—the highest growth rate predicted for any company. Next year, spending levels will be augmented by another 30.4 percent for the company to catapult to its vaunted second-place finish.

    According to the analysts, barring any unforeseen mergers and acquisitions by current champion Hewlett-Packard, Apple could well snag the top spot as soon as 2012, ousting a company that has held the lead since early this millennium.

    iSuppli data show that for 2010, a number of OEM companies are set to join Apple and post rapid growth in semiconductor spending levels.

    The next five companies following Apple, in descending order, are Lenovo at 47.1 percent; SanDisk at 44.3 percent; Research in Motion at 42.9 percent; Cisco at 37.3 percent; and Acer at 29.4 percent.

    "Overall, semiconductor consumption will continue to increase in the Asia-Pacific region, given the rise of manufacturing levels in the region and because of outsourcing activity flowing out from other areas. Major markets contributing to this trend include compute platforms, wireless communications and wired communications," concluded Min-Sun.

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  • RIM Introduces BlackBerry Torch 9800

    Today, Research In Motion launched the BlackBerry Torch 9800 – RIM’s first slider smartphone. It features a capacitive touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and the new BlackBerry 6 operating system, which includes a WebKit browser.

    BlackBerry 6 features a redesigned interface that seamlessly works with the touch screen and trackpad, includes “expanded messaging capabilities with intuitive features to simplify the management of social networking and RSS feeds,” and provides integrated access to the BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other instant messaging applications.

    According to RIM, new WebKit-based browser renders HTML web pages (as well as HTML email) “quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience”. It features tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, pinch to zoom and an auto-wrap text zoom feature that can intelligently wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements.

    Key BlackBerry Torch features include:
    • new form factor – Touch/QWERTY combination smartphone
    • touch-sensitive trackpad located on the front face of the device
    • BlackBerry App World pre-installed (supporting carrier billing through AT&T)
    • 3.2" 360 x 480 capacitive touch screen display
    • 5.0MP camera with flash, auto focus, image stabilization and geo-tagging
    • Support for 3G networks (HSDPA)
    • 512MB Flash memory, 4GB on-board memory, microSD/SDHC memory card slot (4GB card included, cards up to 32GB supported)
    • Built-in GPS and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
    • Network Support
    o GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
    o HSPDA/UMTS: 800/850/1900/2100 MHz
    • Approximately 4.4" x 2.4" x 0.57" (closed), 5.8" x 2.4" x 0.57" (open)

    In the U.S, the BlackBerry Torch will be available for AT&T customers on August 12 for $199.99 with 2-year service agreement on a qualifying rate plan and data plan required.

    “We were the first to launch the BlackBerry solution in 1999 and have a rich history of innovation and collaboration with Research In Motion,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.

    “The two companies that brought the first BlackBerry smartphones to market have teamed up again with the new BlackBerry Torch, creating a true generational shift in hardware and operating system for this enormously popular service,” he added.

    Mike Lazaridis, president and co-ceo, Research In Motion, said: “This is one of the most significant launches in RIM’s history and we are proud to introduce the new BlackBerry Torch and BlackBerry 6 together with AT&T.”

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