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Category: smartphone

  • Brother Launches An iPhone App

    Brother UK has launched the iPhone app that allows users to scan to and print from their mobile phones.

    The company’s iPrint&Scan is free to download and allows customers to wirelessly print from and scan to their iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad – with a compatible printer from Brother’s latest inkjet multifunction printer range.

    Brother also informed that they are developing similar versions of the app for other types of smart phone including Google-based Android 1.6 handsets and above.

    According to the company, all of Brother’s latest inkjet multifunction printers introduced from 2009 onwards that have a wireless interface will be fully compatible with the application. Models with network interface are also compatible when connecting to a wireless network.

    Phil Jones, sales and marketing director at Brother UK, said: “Smart phones are becoming an essential modern day business tool and we are pleased to be able to offer even more convenient features for our customers.”

    “iPhone users have been waiting for an app like this for quite some time. We’re really pleased to be at the forefront of innovative printing technology, providing businesses with the means to succeed,” he added.

    The application has been initially launched in English, with plans to introduce French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Dutch versions by the end of 2010.

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  • Wireless Infrastructure Spending to Rise in 2011 as 4G Deployment Starts

    Following two years of declining expenditures, global capital spending on wireless infrastructure equipment is set to return to growth in 2011 as carriers in the developed world start deploying next-generation 4G networks, according to iSuppli.

    The research group says that capital spending on wireless infrastructure throughout the world is projected to reach $40.3 billion in 2011, up 6.7 percent from $37.8 billion in 2010.

    This will reverse the downward trend that first occurred in 2009 and is expected to continue this year. Expenditures dipped 5.7 percent in 2009, and in 2010 will tumble by an additional 2.3 percent to $37.8 billion.

    “The upturn in 2011 signals renewed commitment within the wireless industry to move on expansion plans that had been delayed or put on hold because of the global recession,” said Dr. Jagdish Rebello, senior director and principal analyst for wireless research at iSuppli. “Starting in 2011, wireless carriers in industrialized countries will start to deploy 4G in order to attain faster speeds and to unclog the heavy data traffic generated by the exploding use of smart phones. This 4G-driven growth in capital spending will continue at least through 2014.”

    According to iSuppli, carriers the developed world in 2011 will start to deploy 4G, with most expected to choose Long Term Evolution (LTE). Over the next decade, LTE will become the dominant technology, while WiMAX will be relegated to the status of a niche 4G technology, iSuppli believes.

    Already, a number of wireless carriers have announced support for LTE, including NTT DoCoMo and KDDI in Japan, as well as Vodafone and Orange in Europe. In the United States, Verizon Wireless has announced it will roll out LTE by the end of this year, with AT&T and T-Mobile expected to follow suit in 2011.

    Overall, carriers will work to establish viable business models to achieve greater revenue growth in light of the capital expenditures needed for network upgrades, iSuppli believes. This means that in all likelihood, carriers launching 4G will implement tiered pricing plans based on data access rates. As a result, data traffic in access networks will be prioritized, and customers will be required to pay higher access fees when using high-bandwidth services like mobile video or peer-to-peer mobile video gaming.

    Rebello notes that while wireless carriers in Japan, the United States and Western Europe contemplate launching 4G services in 2011, their counterparts in the developing world will continue to invest in 3G network enhancements.

    "For Latin America, China, India and the rest of the developing world—where wireless penetration has yet to extend to many rural areas—4G is not considered a feasible proposition at this point. Instead, carriers will focus on expanding the geographical coverage of their networks, or seek network-sharing agreements with infrastructure providers to help reduce total capital outlay," Rebello siad.

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  • CTIA Updates Its “Consumer Code for Wireless Service”

    CTIA–The Wireless Association has released an updated version of its “Consumer Code for Wireless Service,” which was originally developed in 2003 to help consumers make informed choices when selecting and managing their wireless service.

    CTIA said that while they periodically review the Code to ensure it reflects the industry’s innovations and consumers’ needs and expectations, these updates reflect the new and increasingly popular offerings by carriers.

    The Code, which has been adopted unanimously by CTIA’s Executive Committee, includes new provisions that cover messaging and data services for both prepaid and postpaid wireless customers. It will be effective on January 1, 2011.

    Some of the changes to the Code include disclosure of data allowances offered in a service plan, whether there are any prohibitions on data service usage and disclosure of whether there are network management practices that will have a material impact on the customer’s wireless data experience.

    The Code also states that prepaid service providers must disclose the period of time during which any prepaid balance is available for use.

    Signatories must adhere to the Code’s 10 points, including commitments to disclose rates, additional taxes, fees, surcharges and terms of service; provide coverage maps; make customer service readily accessible; and allow a trial period for new service.

    Compliance with the Code is reviewed on an annual basis. Carriers complying with the Code will receive the Seal of Wireless Quality/Consumer Information, which they can display on their company’s website and collateral materials.

    According to CTIA, the Code has been widely supported by many national, regional and rural wireless carriers including AT&T, Cellcom, CellularOne of NE Arizona, Clearwire, Illinois Valley Cellular, SouthernLINC Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, Unicel, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless.

    The Code’s signatories cover almost 93 percent of U.S. wireless subscribers. Additional carriers have indicated they will comply with the voluntary code.

    “When we originally developed the Code, many of the great innovative wireless products and services that are now seamlessly integrated in our lives were non-existent. The Code’s updates reflect how consumers are using wireless and to help them make the most informed and personalized choices,” said Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA.

    He added that the new Code “provides consumers with a wide range of information about their service, disclosures in advertising and reflects the industry’s continued voluntary commitment to consumers’ best interests when it comes to wireless.”

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  • WAC Accelerates Delivery of Open Applications Platform

    The Wholesale Applications Community (WAC), an alliance of telecommunications companies committed to building an open applications platform, has announced its formation as a corporate entity, as well as the organisation’s leadership and board of directors.

    They also outlined the business models and technology evolution path that will enable developers, operators and other commercial organisations to monetise applications and services.

    Launched in February 2010, WAC wants to unite a fragmented applications marketplace and create an open industry platform that benefits the entire ecosystem, including applications developers, handset manufacturers, OS owners, network operators and end users.

    The company announced that Peters Suh has been named the CEO of the WAC. Most recently Peters was the CEO of the Joint Innovation Lab (JIL), a joint venture between China Mobile, SOFTBANK MOBILE, Verizon Wireless, and Vodafone. Prior to JIL, Peters held a number of executive positions at Vodafone, Fremont Communications and AirTouch.

    “Our goal is to create a wholesale applications ecosystem that will establish a simple route to market for developers to deliver the latest innovative applications and services to the widest possible base of customers around the world. We’re focused on establishing WAC as the first choice for brands and developers in the mobile ecosystem, ultimately delivering greater choice and value for the end user, the consumer,” said Suh.

    The company also announced that Michel Combes, Vodafone Chief Executive Europe has been elected Chairman of the WAC, and Jean-Philippe Vanot, Deputy CEO, France Telecom has been named as Vice Chairman.

    At launch, WAC will allow operators to distribute applications through their respective application storefronts and charge users through their existing phone bill. In this model, developers will set the application price and will receive a revenue share for the transaction.

    The revenue share will be defined on an operator-by-operator basis. According to the company, this will ensure that revenue shares will be competitive in today’s application market. WAC is a not-for-profit organisation and will receive a small transaction fee for each application to cover its operating costs.

    In the future, WAC wants to offer business models that enable additional purchases from within an application; leverage network capabilities, such as location, to enhance an application; and facilitate the serving of advertisements to end users.

    "Developers will see great benefit in a single process through which they can create, distribute and profit from their applications on multiple retail outlets," said John Delaney, Research Director for Consumer Mobile with industry analysts IDC.

    "Unification with JIL will prove a significant boost for the Wholesale Application Community’s efforts to achieve a global, open development platform."

    WAC will publish its initial specification and components of its SDK to developers in November. The specification will be based on W3C standards.

    WAC will also provide backwards compatibility for devices based upon the current JIL and BONDI specifications. Details of the developer roadmap and a preview of the WAC specifications will be available in September.

  • Consumer LBS Market – a Multi-Billion Dollar Opportunity

    New analysis from Frost & Sullivan , 2010 North American Consumer Location-based Services (LBS) Market – The Wireless Carrier Opportunity, finds that the wireless carrier-generated segment of the North American consumer LBS market amounted to on-deck application software revenues of approximately $718 million in 2009 and forecasts this to reach $1.58 billion in 2015.

    The consumer location-based services sector has experienced tremendous change during the past eighteen months, forcing North American wireless carriers to cope with a vastly different competitive landscape.

    According to the research group, carrier dominance in the North American consumer LBS sector, which was carefully developed during the past decade, is now being directly assaulted by smartphone application storefronts and free off-deck solutions.

    The analysts think that wireless carriers must become more creative and aggressive in leveraging their unique assets if they want to successfully carve out and keep a significant portion of this sector’s potential revenue. Powerful technology and greater customer awareness are driving the consumer LBS market and providing even more opportunities for carriers to partner with top-tier application developers and create, launch, and promote new LBS solutions.

    "In tandem with smartphone advances, carriers are making their networks and locationing capability more accessible to LBS application developers," said Frost & Sullivan Senior Industry Analyst Jeanine Sterling. "Partnerships with location aggregators, open application programming interface (API) platforms, and simpler, quicker certification reviews make it easier for LBS developers to stake a claim to the market."

    However, new monetization models and higher channel fragmentation encourage smartphone users, in particular, to bypass wireless carriers and download LBS solutions directly from the phone’s application store. The majority of location-based applications available through smartphone storefronts are free or available for a one-time fee. In such an environment, carriers will have to strategize cleverly to justify their monthly subscription model. They will also have to find ways to appeal to a smartphone user population that is quickly growing in terms of size and demands.

    According to Sterling, wireless carriers have to bring a strong marketing sensibility to the consumer LBS sector. Their gatekeeper role and control over products and partners have disappeared in the smartphone sector and has been weakened with feature phone users. Carriers need to decide where they can compete successfully in this sector.

    "Some LBS solutions – such as the kid finder services – are just an automatic and perfect fit. Other applications and capabilities may not be as obvious. To thrive in this market, carriers have to be real marketers – monitoring customer needs, identifying product voids, working with creative partners, and publicizing the distinct benefits that carriers bring to today’s mobile user," advises Sterling.

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  • Four out of Five Cell Phones to Integrate GPS by End of 2011

    With cell phones increasingly becoming the nexus of the burgeoning markets for navigation and Location Based Services (LBS), the use of GPS technology in such platforms is set to explode during the coming years, according to iSuppli.

    In the fourth quarter of 2011, 79.9 percent of cell phones shipped—amounting to 318.3 million units—will incorporate GPS functionality, up from 56.1 percent in the first quarter of 2009—or 187.8 million units—iSuppli predicts.

    The research group says the adoption of GPS in mobile handsets is being driven by smart phones.

    “The smart phone is the key product driving the technology industry today—and social networking services and applications spurred by GPS-related features are critical elements in the smart phone market today,” said Dr. Jagdish Rebello, director and principal analyst for iSuppli.

    “This is illustrated by Google’s decision to make turn-by-turn navigation, LBS and mobile ads the central features in its bid to take on Apple in the smart phone market, and make up the central pillars of its strategy to increasingly monetize mobile search.”

    Rebello said that smartphones are taking over from Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) as the major platform for navigation. By 2014, usage of navigation-enabled smart phones will exceed that of PNDs.

    Furthermore – he continued – the smart phone is likely to generate many innovative LBS apps in the next five years. Apple’s iPhone already has more than 6,000 LBS apps available.

    Meanwhile, both Apple and Google are focusing on mobile advertising as a key source of revenue used in association with LBS.

    Apple’s new iAd platform, part of the company’s updated iPhone OS 4 operating system, enables the embedding of advertisements into applications, allowing iPhone users to interact with the ad without leaving the app. Similarly, Google in May acquired leading mobile ad provider AdMob.

    “Nonetheless, Apple recently upped the ante in the smart phone GPS segment with the addition of a gyroscope to its latest iPhone model. Used in combination with GPS, an accelerometer, a compass and the gyroscope can be used for in indoor navigation with floor accuracy,” as the analysts claim.

    iSuppli also sees an increased penetration of embedded GPS in a range of consumer and compute electronic devices by 2014. For example, iSuppli estimates that 18 percent of laptops and 42 percent of portable handheld video game players will have embedded GPS in 2014.

    According to the research group, altogether, the boom in mobile handset navigation will benefit suppliers of GPS semiconductors such as Texas Instruments, Broadcom Corp., Infineon Technologies and CSR.

    “GPS is not the only embedded connectivity technology that will be increasingly embedded in consumer and compute electronics devices. With the ratification of the Bluetooth 4.0 standard supporting the Bluetooth Low Energy profile, iSuppli expects increased penetration of Bluetooth in wireless mice, keypads and other interface devices for the mobile and desktop market—an area that has been dominated by proprietary technologies,” said Rebello.

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  • T-Mobile HSPA+ Network to Deliver Broadest Reach of 4G Speeds in U.S.

    T-Mobile today announced the continued expansion of its super-fast mobile broadband network to more than 85 million Americans-the most pervasive network to offer 4G speeds in the country.

    The company is on track to deliver HSPA+ speeds in 100 major metropolitan areas with backhaul in place, covering 185 million people in the U.S. by the end of this year.

    "The aggressive pace of our HSPA+ network rollout means our customers can enjoy a better mobile broadband experience on more devices in more places today-but we’re not done yet. Our first HSPA+ smartphone is coming soon and our footprint will double between now and the end of the year," said Neville Ray, chief network officer for T-Mobile USA.

    Now HSPA+ network service is available in nearly 50 major metropolitan areas across the country.

    According to the company, 16 of T-Mobile’s current 3G devices, including more than a dozen smartphones, can benefit from enhanced speeds when they’re on the HSPA+ network in all of these major metropolitan areas, including the newest smartphone available from T-Mobile-the Samsung Vibrant.

    The company also said that later this summer it will unveil its first HSPA+-capable smartphone.

    In addition, T-Mobile has introduced the webConnect Rocket 2.0 USB Laptop Stick, an updated form factor of its first HSPA+-capable device. Featuring a new rotating swivel USB form factor, the webConnect Rocket 2.0 is designed to deliver the same home broadband experience on the go as its predecessor, so customers can surf the Web, download large files or watch video from a laptop anytime on-the-go with a blazing-fast connection.

    The webConnect Rocket 2.0 enables customers to take full advantage of T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network in areas where the service is available-delivering 4G speeds.

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  • Apple Reports All-Time Record Revenue

    Apple has announced financial results for its fiscal 2010 third quarter ended June 26, 2010. The company posted record revenue of $15.7 billion and net quarterly profit of $3.25 billion ($3.51 per diluted share).

    These results compare to revenue of $9.73 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.83 billion ($2.01 per diluted share) in the year-ago quarter.

    Gross margin was 39.1 percent compared to 40.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 52 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

    Apple sold 3.47 million Macs during the quarter, representing a new quarterly record and a 33 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter.

    The company sold 8.4 million iPhones in the quarter — 61 percent unit growth, 9.41 million iPods — 8 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

    Apple also began selling iPads during the quarter, with total sales of 3.27 million.

    “It was a phenomenal quarter that exceeded our expectations all around, including the most successful product launch in Apple’s history with iPhone 4,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPad is off to a terrific start, more people are buying Macs than ever before, and we have amazing new products still to come this year.”

    “We’re really pleased to have generated over $4 billion of cash during the quarter,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the fourth fiscal quarter of 2010, we expect revenue of about $18 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $3.44”

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  • Nokia Siemens to Acquire Motorola’s Wireless Network Infrastructure

    Nokia Siemens and Motorola jointly announced that the companies have entered into an agreement under which Nokia Siemens will acquire the majority of Motorola’s wireless network infrastructure assets for US $1.2 billion in cash. The companies expect to complete closing activities by the end of 2010.

    According to Nokia Siemens, as part of the transaction, the company expects to gain incumbent relationships with more than 50 operators and to strengthen its position with China Mobile, Clearwire, KDDI, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone.

    Nokia Siemens expects that based on revenue, with the addition of the Motorola wireless network infrastructure business, it will become the #3 wireless infrastructure vendor in the United States, the #1 foreign wireless vendor in Japan, and strengthen its current #2 position in the global infrastructure segment.

    Motorola’s networks infrastructure business provides products and services for wireless networks, including GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, WiMAX and LTE. This business is a market leader in WiMAX, with 41 contracts in 21 countries; has a strong global footprint in CDMA with 30 active networks in 22 countries; and a robust GSM installed base, with more than 80 active networks in 66 countries; and excellent traction with LTE early adopters.

    Approximately 7,500 employees are expected to transfer to Nokia Siemens Networks from Motorola’s wireless network infrastructure business when the transaction closes, including large research and development sites in the United States, China and India.

    Motorola retains the iDEN business, substantially all the patents related to its wireless network infrastructure business and other selected assets.

    The companies expect to complete closing activities by the end of 2010 and therefore do not expect the transaction to have any impact on Nokia Siemens Networks’ financial performance in 2010.

    Nokia Siemens and Motorola also are exploring a global relationship in the public safety arena. According to the companies, this relationship would combine Motorola’s leadership in providing solutions to public safety organizations with Nokia Siemens Networks’ commercial LTE solutions.

    "This is an exciting acquisition that I believe has significant benefits for customers, employees and our shareholders," said Rajeev Suri, Chief Executive Officer of Nokia Siemens Networks. "Motorola’s current customers will continue to get world-class support for their installed base and a clear path for transitioning to next generation technologies while employees will join an industry leader with global scale and reach. Nokia Siemens Networks will see the benefits of a deal that is expected to enhance profitability and cash-flow and to have significant upside potential."

    Greg Brown, Co-CEO of Motorola, said: "Motorola is very proud of the operational and financial performance of our Networks business and its employees, who will now become a valuable addition to Nokia Siemens Networks. We are excited to have reached this agreement to combine our Networks team with such an industry leader."

    "This is great news for our customers, our investors and our people and will allow us to sharpen our strategic focus on providing mission and business critical solutions for our government, public safety, and enterprise customers," he added.

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  • iSuppli: Facebook Plans New Mobile Strategy

    Facebook is set to move beyond its mobile application strategy as it plans to become a stand-alone mobile platform, which developers can distribute mobile apps with, says iSuppli.

    Already a leader in non-mobile web applications, Facebook offers more than 550,000 applications and supports 1m developers. According to the research group, the social network’s aim is to offer something similar on mobile (most third-party Facebook apps are not currently available on mobile).

    Facebook’s mobile growth remains strong. It now counts more than 150m active mobile users (out of more than 400m total users), compared with 100m in February 2010.

    “Mobile will continue to play a key role in growing Facebook’s overall user base. In May 2010, it launched Facebook 0, a text only version of the social network aimed at mobile users in developing countries with lower-end phones and limited access to mobile data. Facebook has deals with more than 60 network operators in 50 developing countries to provide the service for free,” said iSuppli analyst Jack Kent.

    According to him, while Facebook will likely remain the leading social network on mobile, a number of new players will force it to innovate. Foursquare, the location-based mobile social network that offers a gaming element and check-in functionality, is most prevalent of these new entrants. While Foursquare‘s 2m user base is tiny compared to Facebook, its implementation of location specific data is likely to be similar to Facebook’s forthcoming local features.

    “Facebook’s drive towards creating its own mobile platform may cause a headache for developers who will be forced to develop for another set of APIs (application program interfaces) in the already fragmented mobile sector. The prospect of tapping into a 500m-strong social graph could however prove enticing for many, as is already the case for many websites that integrate Facebook’s APIs,” said Kent.

    He thinks that having previously focused on developing native applications for mobile operating systems (including Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android), Facebook’s new strategy will likely focus on mobile web based applications that give it greater control over its ecosystem and the user experience it provides.

    “For Facebook, offering its own platform for mobile web applications will help drive its core advertising and microtransaction business models. It will be able to serve ads and gain revenues from its Facebook Credits virtual currency, outside the realm of other mobile ad-networks and mobile application stores,” concluded the iSuppli analyst.