Business News Holding

Blog

  • Vizio Maintains Lead in U.S. LCD TV Market

    Riding a wave of demand for its light-emitting diode (LED)-backlit televisions, Vizio managed to maintain leadership in the U.S. market for LCD TV in the fourth quarter as well as for the entire year in 2010, according to new IHS iSuppli research.

    U.S.-based Vizio in the fourth quarter shipped 2.9 million LCD TVs, up 78.9 percent from 1.6 million in the third quarter. This gave the company a 27.6 percent share of unit shipments, up from 19.5 percent in the third quarter. Vizio’s lead over second-place Samsung expanded to 7.4 percentage points in the fourth quarter, up from 2.1 percentage points in the third quarter.

    Topped by a strong fourth-quarter performance, Vizio padded its leadership of the U.S. LCD TV market for the entire year of 2010. Company market share amounted to 21.3 percent in 2010, up from 18.3 percent in 2009. Vizio’s lead expanded to 2.5 percentage points over chief rival Samsung, up from 1 point in 2009.

    “Vizio’s market share gains in the U.S. LCD TV market in 2010 were driven by strong consumer demand for the company’s LED-backlit sets,” said Riddhi Patel, director, television systems for IHS. “Vizio has been able to offer sets with this advanced feature while maintaining competitive pricing. Consumers are snapping up LED-backlit LCD TVs from Vizio and others because of their thinner profile, superior picture, lower power consumption and reduced prices.”

    Vizio Takes Flat-Panel Lead in Q4 2010 but Samsung Takes the Year

    Vizio in the fourth quarter of 2010 also managed to displace Samsung for leadership in the U.S. market for flat-panel televisions, a category that combines the LCD TV and plasma segments. With its strong business in both plasma and LCD sets, Samsung historically has led this area. However, Vizio captured the lead because of aggressive shipments of feature-rich LCD TVs at attractive pricing through its distribution network.

    Vizio in the fourth quarter shipped 2.9 million flat-panel sets, up 78.9 percent from 1.6 million in the third quarter and a 55.5 percent increase from 1.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. This gave Vizio a 23.9 percent share of the U.S. flat-panel market in the fourth quarter, up from 16.6 percent in the third quarter.

    Meanwhile, Samsung’s share rose to 21.5 percent in the fourth quarter, up from 18.8 percent in the third. While its share rose, the increase was not sufficient to keep it from falling to second place in the U.S. flat-panel television market.

    Samsung shipped 2.6 million flat panel sets in the fourth quarter of 2010, up 41.5 percent from 1.8 million in the third quarter and a 22.8 percent rise from 2.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2009.

    However, because Samsung led Vizio in flat-panel television shipments during the first three quarters of 2010, it maintained leadership for the year as a whole. Samsung accounted for 20.1 percent of U.S. flat-panel shipments in 2010, compared to 18.4 percent for Vizio.
     

  • LifeSize Video Center Introduces Mobile HD Video Streaming

    LifeSize, a division of Logitech, has just announced HD video content streaming on mobile devices using LifeSize Video Center. According to the company, now organizations can benefit from "greater communication reach and flexibility" by using HD video streaming, recording and auto-publishing to make video content available to teams working remotely on mobile devices, such as iPads and iPhones.

    Today, mobile devices are everywhere. According to Frost & Sullivan, 2010 enterprise-level shipments for tablets worldwide was 600,000 units and is expected to go up to 49.1 million in 2015. LifeSize claims that the latest version of itsVideo Center helps organizations address the need for workers to have mobile access to live and on-demand video content such as executive updates, business presentations, sales meetings, training sessions, lectures and data.

    New features of LifeSize Video Center include:

    · Mobile Streaming: Users can access live and on-demand HD video content not only on a PC, but on a variety of devices, including an iPod, iPhone or iPad connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network. Videos are accessed through the native Web browser, which requires no additional software installation.

    · Automatic Adaptive Streaming: LifeSize Video Center now features automatic adaptive streaming so that a single HD recording from a LifeSize 220TM Series endpoint can be streamed at up to four different bitrates, which means users will always experience optimal video quality especially when working from home, on mobile devices, or in locations with slow bandwidth.

    · Network Storage: Organizations looking to leverage existing storage can now serve on-demand videos from NAS and store a virtually unlimited amount of footage without additional fees, giving IT administrators infinite scalability to meet enterprise needs. Administrators can also control the backup of videos in case of an emergency.

    · API: Using LifeSize Video Center’s API enables easier automation and integration of LifeSize Video Center into third-party systems and tools, such as the company intranet and Learning Management Systems (LMS), so that resellers and organizations can easily customize the video streaming solution for their unique environment.

    "Based on our research, the demand for HD video on-the-go will play a big role in accelerating the adoption of video conferencing technologies in 2011," said Roopam Jain, industry director, conferencing & collaboration at Frost & Sullivan.

    "Tools like LifeSize Video Center present use cases that extend beyond the typical green story and cross-office collaboration. They bring value closer to home by giving professionals access to video content no matter where they need to be and enabling those working the field to leverage video as a visual touch point to their teammates at home base," he concluded.

  • Samsung Develops Mobile DRAM with Wide I/O Interface

    Samsung announced the development of 1 gigabit mobile DRAM with a wide I/O interface, using 50 nanometer class process technology. The new wide I/O mobile DRAM will be used in mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet PCs.

    The new 1Gb wide I/O mobile DRAM can transmit data at 12.8 gigabyte (GB) per second, which increases the bandwidth of mobile DDR DRAM (1.6GB/s) eightfold, while reducing power consumption by approximately 87 percent. The bandwidth is also four times that of LPDDR2 DRAM (which is approximately 3.2GB/s).

    To boost data transmission, Samsung’s wide I/O DRAM uses 512 pins for data input and output compared to the previous generation of mobile DRAMs, which used a maximum of 32 pins. If you include the pins that are involved in sending commands and regulating power supply, a single Samsung wide I/O DRAM is designed to accommodate approximately 1,200 pins.

    Following this wide I/O DRAM launch, Samsung is aiming to provide 20nm-class* 4Gb wide I/O mobile DRAM sometime in 2013. The company’s recent achievements in mobile DRAM include introducing the first 50nm-class 1Gb LPDDR2 DRAM in 2009 and the first 40nm-class* 2Gb LPDDR2 in 2010.

    According to iSuppli, mobile DRAM’s percentage of total annual DRAM shipments will increase from about 11.1 percent in 2010 to 16.5 percent in 2014.

  • Google's Android Becomes the World's Leading Smartphone Platform

    Canalys today published its final Q4 2010 global country-level smartphone market data, which revealed that Google’s Android has become the leading platform. Shipments of Android-based smartphones reached 32.9 million, while devices running Nokia’s Symbian platform trailed slightly at 31.0 million worldwide.

    But Nokia did retain its position as the leading global smart phone vendor, with a share of 28%.

    The fourth quarter also saw the worldwide smartphone market continue to soar, with shipments of 101.2 million units representing year-on-year growth of 89%.

    According to the report, in Q4 2010, volumes of Google OS-based smartphones (Android, OMS and Tapas) were again boosted by strong performances from a number of vendors, notably LG, Samsung, Acer and HTC, whose volumes across these platforms grew 4,127%, 1,474%, 709% and 371% respectively year-on-year. HTC and Samsung together accounted for nearly 45% of Google OS-based handset shipments.

    "2010 has been a fantastic year for the smart phone market. After a difficult 2009, the speed with which the market has recovered has required real commitment and innovation from vendors and they have risen to the challenge," said Canalys VP and Principal Analyst Chris Jones.

    "But vendors cannot afford to be complacent. 2011 is set to be a highly competitive year with vendors looking to use new technology, such as dual-core processors, NFC and 3D displays, to differentiate their products and maintain value," he added.

    At a regional level, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) remained the largest market, with shipments totalling 38.8 million and a year-on-year growth rate of 90%. Nokia continued to lead in EMEA and Asia Pacific, but in 2010 it was overtaken by RIM in Latin America, which shipped over a million more units than Nokia in Q4 2010. The vendor was particularly helped by the popularity of its mid-range smart phones, such as its Curve family of devices.

    The United States continued its reign as the largest country market in terms of shipments, at more than double the size of the Chinese smart phone market. RIM recaptured first place from Apple, as the latter experienced its usual US seasonal dip, and RIM benefited from the first full quarter of shipments for the BlackBerry Torch. HTC successfully maintained its third-place ranking in the US for the third consecutive quarter, driven by its speed to market with the latest Android updates and new Windows Phone 7 devices.

    "The US landscape will shift dramatically this coming year, as a result of the Verizon-Apple agreement,’ said Canalys Analyst Tim Shepherd. "Verizon will move its focus away from the Droid range, but the overall market impact will mean less carrier-exclusive deals, while increasing the AT&T opportunity for Android vendors, such as HTC, Motorola and Samsung."

    Android was by far the largest smart phone platform in the US market in Q4 2010, with shipments of 12.1 million units – nearly three times those of RIM’s BlackBerry devices. Windows Phone 7 devices appeared too late in the quarter to take full advantage of holiday season purchasing. As a result, Microsoft lost share in the United States, from 8% in Q4 2009 to 5% in Q4 2010.

    Related news
    IDC: Mobile Phone Market Grows 17.9% in Fourth Quarter
    Android Overtakes iOS in Latest Mobile Mix Report
    Amazon Opens Android Application Store to Developers
    Google Android Reaches #2 Spot among Smartphone Platforms

  • IDC: Mobile Phone Market Grows 17.9% in Fourth Quarter

    The worldwide mobile phone market grew 17.9% in the fourth quarter of 2010, a new quarterly high driven by smartphones. According to the IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped 401.4 million units in 4Q10 compared to 340.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2009.

    Vendors shipped a total of 1.39 billion units on a cumulative worldwide basis in 2010, up 18.5% from the 1.17 billion units shipped in 2009.

    The strong quarterly and annual growth comes after a weak 2009, which saw the market decline by 1.6%. According to IDC, a stronger economy and a wider array of increasingly affordable smartphones helped lift the market to its highest annual growth rate since 2006 when it grew 22.6%.

    "The mobile phone market has the wind behind its sails," said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker. "Mobile phone users are eager to swap out older devices for ones that handle data as well as voice, which is driving growth and replacement cycles."

    He noted that it’s not just smartphone-focused suppliers that capitalized on the mobile phone market’s renewed growth last year. ZTE, a company that sells primarily lower-cost feature phones in emerging markets, moved into the number 4 position worldwide in 4Q10. It is the first quarter the Chinese handset maker finished among IDC’s Top 5 vendors.

    "Change-up among the number four and five vendors could be a regular occurrence this year," added Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team. "Motorola, Research In Motion, and Sony Ericsson, all vendors with a tight focus on the fast-growing smartphone market who had ranked among the top five worldwide vendors during 2010 are well within striking distance to move back into the top five list."

    Market Outlook

    IDC believes the worldwide mobile phone market will be driven largely by smartphone growth through the end of 2014. "Feature phone users looking to do more with their devices will flock to smartphones in the years to come," noted Restivo. "This trend will help drive smartphone sub-market to grow 43.7% year over year in 2011."

    Regional Analysis

    * The Asia/Pacific mobile phone landscape was driven by low-cost and high-end devices in 4Q10. Domestic brands in India like G-Five, Micromax, and Karbonn grew with aggressive advertising and branding activities for entry-level phones, while ZTE and Huawei worked closely with carriers to push low-cost Android smartphones in China. High-end smartphones, however, were equally well-received, resulting in higher shipments from Apple, Samsung, and HTC in 4Q10. Korea had the biggest smartphone appetite accounting for two-thirds of phones shipped in 4Q10, up from one-eighth a year ago.

    * In Western Europe, carrier smartphone promotions motivated more users to scrap their feature phones, resulting in strong smartphone sales. The iPhone 4, HTC Desire, Nokia N8, Samsung Galaxy S, and Blackberry 8520, which were among the region’s top sellers, contributed to the overall market’s growth. Consequently, the feature phones experienced their sharpest decline ever. In CEMA, quarterly volumes breached the 70 million unit threshold for the first time, marked by an influx of Chinese and unbranded handsets. Meanwhile, smartphones experienced brisk growth due to falling prices and more Android-powered devices.

    * The United States mobile phone market closed out the year with more vendors becoming more active in this space. Market leaders RIM and Apple maintained a healthy lead, while newcomers Dell, Huawei, Kyocera, and Sanyo launched their first smartphones to the U.S. market. In addition, 4G took another step forward with the commercial launch of Verizon Wireless’ LTE network. Similarly, in Canada, the focus was on smartphones. Android-powered devices from multiple players, along with incumbent vendors RIM and Apple, pushed shipment volumes to a new record level.

    * In Latin America, sustained user interest in smartphones drove the market, resulting in strong results for Nokia, RIM, and Samsung as well as relative newcomer Huawei. Smartphones, as well as QWERTY-enabled feature phones, helped boost social networking and messaging, two fast-growing trends in the market. Finally, Alcatel and ZTE once again thrived in the inexpensive entry-level device market.

    Top Five Mobile Phone Vendors

    Nokia overall unit volume slipped 2.4% in the fourth quarter, which the vendor attributed to the "intense competitive" environment and component shortages. The result was lower feature phone shipments. The company did, however, grow smartphone volume by 38% compared to the same prior-year quarter. Nokia launched the C7 and the C6-01 touchscreen smartphones as well as the C3 combination touchscreen & QWERTY device in the fourth quarter. Still, smartphone ASPs dropped 16% on a year-over-year basis.

    Samsung reached a new milestone in 4Q10, pushing through the 80 million unit threshold for the first time in the company’s history and improving its profit margins for the second straight quarter. Driving shipment volumes was the continued success of its Galaxy S smartphones, of which the company sold nearly ten million units worldwide for the year. Similarly, Samsung’s mass-market and touch-screen phones earned a strong following in emerging markets.

    LG crossed the 30 million unit mark for the quarter, due in part to the success of Optimus One smartphone sales across multiple regions. LG’s smartphone strategy is paying off; the company sold more than a million units in the first month of availability, and newer versions (Optimus 2X, Optimus Black) are expected later this year. Meanwhile, LG’s feature phones comprised the majority of shipments, but an aging portfolio and lower prices within emerging markets left the company vulnerable to the competition.

    ZTE finished the quarter in the number four position with shipments steadily spreading from its home country of China to developing regions such as Africa and Latin America. ZTE has also recently made inroads in developed markets such as Western Europe and the U.S. as well as Japan. While most of its shipments have historically concentrated on entry-level and mid-range devices, some of its recent success is directly attributable to its rapidly expanding smartphone line, such as the Android-based Blade and Racer devices. Meanwhile, its S- and C-series entry-level feature phones provided additional competition within emerging markets.

    Apple     The iPhone maker slipped to the number 5 position despite a record quarter for unit shipments and the departure soon thereafter of CEO Steve Jobs on medical leave. It was the company’s second straight quarter on IDC’s Top 5 list. The iPhone sold particularly well in developed regions of the world, such as North America and Western Europe. Apple, which said it could have sold more iPhones last quarter had it been able to make more, is set to introduce the touchscreen device on Verizon next month.

  • Motorola Mobility Announces Q4 and Full-Year 2010 Financial Results

    Motorola Mobility reported net revenues of $3.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010, up 21 percent from the fourth quarter of 2009. The GAAP earnings in the fourth quarter of 2010 were $80 million (.27 per share), compared to a loss of $204 million (.69 per share) in the fourth quarter of 2009

    On a non-GAAP basis, earnings in the fourth quarter of 2010 were $108 million (.37 per share) compared to a loss of $70 million (.24 per share) in the fourth quarter of 2009.

    For the full year, 2010 net revenues were $11.5 billion, up 4 percent compared to 2009. For the full year, the GAAP loss was reduced to .29 per share from a loss of $4.56 per share in 2009. On a non-GAAP basis, the loss was reduced to .28 per share from a loss of $2.95 per share in 2009.

    Motorola also announced thet the company generated positive operating cash flow of $225 million and $606 million in the quarter and full year, respectively. As planned, subsequent to the end of the quarter, the company received $3.2 billion in cash related to its separation from Motorola, Inc.

    "The improvement in our financial results last year, including profitability in the fourth quarter, is indicative of the progress we have made in delivering innovative smartphones and improving the Mobile Devices business," said Sanjay Jha, chairman and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobility.

    "Our Home business performed well and remains a premier provider of digital set-tops and end-to-end video solutions. With the global opportunities ahead, along with our diversified portfolio, our brand, and our people, we are well positioned to grow, and further improve our financial results in 2011," he added.

    Operating Results

    According to the report, Mobile Devices segment net revenues in the fourth quarter were $2.4 billion, up 33 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. For the full year 2010, net revenues were $7.8 billion, an increase of 9 percent compared to 2009.

    Motorola shipped 4.9 million and 13.7 million smartphones in the quarter and full year, respectively, compared to 2.0 million in the fourth quarter and full year 2009. The company shipped total handsets (including smartphones) of 11.3 million and 37.3 million in the quarter and full year 2010, respectively.

    The Company’s outlook for the first quarter of 2011 is the following:

    * Consolidated operating earnings in a range around breakeven
    * Non-operating costs of approximately $10 million
    * Income tax provision of approximately $25 million
    * Net loss of $26 million to $62 million
    * Net loss per share of .09 to .21
    * Basic shares outstanding of approximately 294 million shares
    * Excludes charges associated with items of the variety typically highlighted by the Company in its quarterly earnings results, stock-based compensation expense and intangible assets amortization expense.

  • Bandwidth.com Enters Into a Groundbreaking Agreement with Verizon

    Bandwidth.com, a privately held telecommunications company, announced that it has signed a commercial deal with the Verizon wireline companies under which the parties agree to terminate each other’s VoIP traffic at a rate of $0.0007 per minute.

    According to Bandwidth.com, the agreed upon rate, which applies to traffic that originates from or terminates to a VoIP end user, provides the companies with cost certainty for the traffic they exchange.

    "For too long, uncertainty over what charges apply to VoIP traffic has served as a wall to the innovations customers want and the lower prices they need," said John Murdock, President of Bandwidth.com.

    "We are delighted to be working with Verizon in reaching a commercial deal that hopefully will serve as a path for the industry and service providers to move forward and better serve customers," he added.

    According to Murdock, this agreement demonstrates how VoIP and other innovative services can flourish through private agreements.

    We know from our experience first hand how such services can spur economic growth and workplace productivity, while lowering costs and generating job growth," Murdock noted.

  • IPsmarx Releases New Line of VoIP Mobile Dialers for iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile

    IPsmarx announced the release of Breeze, their new line of VoIP Mobile Dialers that can be used with smartphones, such as the iPhone, Windows Mobile, and Android devices.

    By implementing IPsmarx Breeze, VoIP service providers can offer their own branded VoIP application that will enable their end users to make and receive calls using Wi-Fi or 3G on their smart phones.

    According to press release, with Breeze, end users "enjoy the convenience of using their smart phones’ existing contact list and advanced features like Call Forwarding, Call Waiting, Music on Hold, and Call Transfer, while making cost saving calls using the internet."

    “The Pre-paid Press estimates mobile smart phone traffic to increase by 700% over the next five years and according to latest statistics published on itmag.com, the mobile VoIP market will be worth US $32.3 billion by 2013 and when 2019 rolls around, half of all mobile calls will be made over all-IP Networks,” said Andrea Lopez, Senior Tech Sales Representative for IPsmarx.

    “Consumers and businesses are changing the way they communicate and service providers have to stay ahead of this trend by offering VoIP on smart phones,” she added.

    Because IPsmarx maintains an in-house development team, they are committed to updating the Breeze application as smart phones and their operating systems evolve.

    “This furthers our mission to enable our VoIP Service Provider clients to stay ahead of VoIP trends and offer competitive features to differentiate their service in the constantly evolving VoIP marketplace,” said Arash Vahidnia, IPsmarx CEO,

    “By implementing Breeze, we expect to see our existing clients greatly expand their businesses. Service Providers who have not migrated to IPsmarx yet have the opportunity to use IPsmarx Breeze with their existing Softswitch or IP-PBX platform without having to invest in a new softswitch."

    Combined with the IPsmarx Multi-Tenant IP-PBX System, Breeze is a superior mobile VoIP application for enterprises as it can be used as an extension in the PBX system.

    Breeze also supports VoIP Tunneling Technology and if integrated with IPsmarx Tunneling server, it can work from blocked areas or from behind firewalls for both incoming and outgoing calls.

  • Apple Reports Record Holiday Quarter Revenue

    Apple announced financial results for its fiscal 2011 first quarter ended December 25, 2010. Record Mac, iPhone, iPad sales have driven highest revenue and earnings ever: the company posted record revenue of $26.74 billion and record net quarterly profit of $6 billion ($6.43 per diluted share).

    These results compare to revenue of $15.68 billion and net quarterly profit of $3.38 billion ($3.67 per diluted share) in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 38.5 percent compared to 40.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 62 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

    During the quarter Apple sold:

    • 4.13 million Macs  (23% unit increase over the year-ago quarter);
    • 16.24 million iPhones (86% unit growth);
    • 19.45 million iPods (7% unit decline);
    • 7.33 million iPads.

    “We had a phenomenal holiday quarter with record Mac, iPhone and iPad sales,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.

    “We are firing on all cylinders and we’ve got some exciting things in the pipeline for this year including iPhone 4 on Verizon which customers can’t wait to get their hands on,” he added.

    Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO, said: “We couldn’t be happier with the performance of our business, generating $9.8 billion in cash flow from operations during the December quarter. Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2011, we expect revenue of about $22 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $4.90.”

  • Mobile VoIP Gateway Revenues to Soar Past $6 Billion in 2015

    VoIP, the technology that has revolutionized voice services over the past several years and has brought calling costs down for residential and business customers alike, is spreading from the fixed-line world to the mobile world. Usage is on the rise creating significant opportunity for mobile VoIP gateway equipment suppliers as expenditures in this space are expected to soar beyond the $6 billion mark in 2015, says In-Stat.

    "Mobile VoIP has only recently begun being implemented in the business environment," says Amy Cravens, Market Analyst.

    "One of the key benefits of mobile VoIP for enterprises is extending desk phone functionality to mobile devices. Business-oriented solutions will essentially enable the users’ cellphones to become an extension of their desk phones and will deliver, in addition to voice, a unified communications experience, including email, IM, and collaboration," she daid.

    Business mobile VoIP users will increase tenfold over the next five years. According to the report, mobile operators are currently a barrier to adoption but could become a significant driver of adoption over the next several years.

    The research also finds that business mobile VoIP is based on IP PBX and hosted PBX solutions and that growth in IP PBX mobile VoIP usage will largely be driven by mid-sized and enterprise businesses.

    Related news
    Unified Communications Market Has Strongest Quarter Since 2008
    Demand Up, Prices Down for Carrier VoIP and IMS Equipment
    China Sourcing Report: VoIP Products 2010