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  • Android Overtakes iOS in Latest Mobile Mix Report

    According to Millennial Media’s Mobile Mix Index, for the first time Android surpassed iOS as the largest smartphone operating system on Millennial Media’s network last month, with an 8% month-over-month increase and 46% of the impression share. iOS represented 32% of the impression share.

    In 2011, Millennial Media anticipates that we’ll continue to see increased platform diversity with not only Android, but RIM and Windows Phone 7 applying pressure on iOS.

    “This prediction once again stresses the importance of advertising and developing across platforms,” said Mack McKelvey, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Millennial Media.

    Here are a few additional highlights from the December issue:
    • Samsung maintained the number two position in the Top 15 Manufacturers for the third consecutive month. The Samsung Code entered the Top 30 Mobile Devices for the first time in December and is the only Windows OS device in the Top 30 Mobile Device Ranking.

    • HTC claimed the number three position in the Top 15 Manufacturers – with a 9% growth month-over-month. There is a direct correlation with this increase and HTC having the highest number of devices (nine) in our Top 30 Mobile Device Ranking, including the debut of four new devices on our network: HTC Nexus One (Passion), HTC Evo, HTC Droid Incredible, and the HTC Desire.

    • Travel and Vacation app impressions doubled quarter-over-quarter. Apps in this category have evolved to bring online capabilities to the mobile platform (e.g., reservations, check-in, boarding passes, travel updates, etc.). The double digit quarterly growth shows that mobile consumers found value in staying connected through their mobile devices as they traveled this holiday season.

    • Music and Entertainment apps maintained the number three position quarter-over-quarter with 22% of the impression share. Television apps are the fastest growing sub-category with 259% growth in impression share quarter-over-quarter.

    • Touch Screen devices grew 10% month-over-month, with approximately 57% share of impressions in the December Device Input Mix. This growth can be attributed to the increased penetration of Smartphones with this input method.

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  • Verizon and Apple Team Up to Deliver iPhone 4 on Verizon

    Verizon Wireless and Apple have just announced that the iPhone 4 will be available on the Verizon network beginning on Thursday, February 10. Verizon customers will be given the opportunity to pre-order CDMA iPhone 4 online on February 3, ahead of general availability.

    The companies have signed a multi-year but non-exclusive deal. The device will be selling at standar $199 for the 16GB and $299 for 32GB. iPhone 4 on Verizon will include new Personal Hotspot capabilities allowing customers to use iPhone 4 to connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices. The phone works on Verizon 3G (EV-DO) only – 4G data or GSM roaming will not be available.

    “We are pleased to introduce millions of wireless users to the industry leading iPhone 4 on the nation’s most reliable network,” said Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon.

    “This is an important step for the industry as two great companies join forces to give wireless customers one of the most important technological additions to the mobile landscape this century,” he added.

    Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer said: “Verizon Wireless customers have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on iPhone 4, and we think they are going to love it. We have enormous respect for the company Verizon has built and the loyalty they have earned from their customers.”

    iPhone 4 features a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, Apple’s A4 chip, a 3-axis gyro and a glass and stainless steel design. iPhone 4 also comes with iOS 4, which includes multitasking, folders, Game Center, AirPlay and AirPrint wireless printing.

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  • Amazon Opens Android Application Store to Developers

    US-based online retailer Amazon has opened its mobile application store to submissions from developers. The Amazon "Appstore" is due to launch in the US during 2011 and will be available for Android devices that run versions 1.6 of the operating system and above.

    Developers will be able to set a list price for their applications for which they will receive the industry standard 70 per cent share of revenues. Amazon, however, reserves the right to discount applications and will guarantee to give developers at least 20 per cent of the list price.

    Amazon will take a more hands-on role with its store than Google, with a stricter approval process than for the official Android Market; a move which will likely see Amazon’s store focus on high quality premium applications. Unlike the official Android Market, which comes preinstalled on all Google-approved devices, users will have to download the Amazon Appstore.

    According to iSuppli, Amazon’s control over pricing may see developers receive lower revenues per download than from other stores. However, the retailer’s ability to offer scale, its wealth of customer data and track record in online retailing will guarantee developers’ interest.

    "Developers’ major issues with Android Market include the poor opportunity for monetisation due to the plethora of free, low quality applications and consumers’ reluctance to use Google Checkout as a billing platform. The Amazon Appstore offers a solution to both these issues. Amazon has credit card/bank details from all its customers and offers a trusted billing platform. Its stricter approval process will ensure higher quality content and its wealth of customer data and expertise in providing customer recommendations will also improve app discoverability and monetisation," said iSuppli analysts Jack Kent.

    According to him, as a downloadable store, rather than one that arrives preinstalled on the device, Amazon’s store will struggle in the face of competition from the official Android Market and other embedded application stores run by operators and handset manufacturers. At launch, the store’s availability is limited to the US; a rapid international rollout will be vital for the store to attract wide developer interest.

    Amazon already has a considerable presence on mobile platforms; it offers its Kindle e-book app for Blackberry, Windows Phone 7, iOS and Android devices and has a number of mobile apps that enable users to make purchases from Amazon’s online store directly from the app. It will hope to leverage its existing Android mobile audience to boost the adoption of its own mobile application store.

  • Skype Officially Launched Group Video Calling with New Premium Package

    Today at the Consumer Electronics Show, Skype has officially launched group video calling for consumers and enterprises. Group video calling is available as part of the new Premium package which offers group video calling together with access to live chat customer support as a day pass for $4.99 (€3.49/£2.99) or as a monthly subscription for $8.99 (€5.99/£4.99) per month.

    Skype users who sign up for group video calling in the first month it’s available will receive a 33 percent discount on 3 and 12-month subscriptions. New users receive a 7-day free trial. In addition, consumers who sign up for group video calling will receive a 25 percent discount off an HD webcam.

    Group video calling is also available in the new Business version of Skype, a desktop application for PCs, which gives enterprises the ability to control how Skype is used within the workplace, with the capacity to turn off or configure a variety of Skype settings. According to Skype, with group video calling, enterprises "can easily set up real-time, face-to-face meetings and work in more collaborative and productive ways." For enterprises using Skype Manager who sign up for Group Video Calling, they will receive a 33 percent discount when signing up for a 3 or 12 month subscription. In addition, they will receive a 15 percent discount off of a headset and speakerphone bundle.

    To start a group video call, only one member of the call needs to have activated the seven-day free trial or to have signed up for a day pass or monthly subscription using Skype for Windows 5.1. For all participants to receive video, they need to be on at least the 5.0 version of Mac and windows.

    According to Skype, video calling accounted for approximately 41.5% of all Skype-to-Skype minutes in the second half of 2010.

    Skype also said that video calls between two parties will continue to be offered as a free product.

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  • Google Android Reaches #2 Spot among Smartphone Platforms

    comScore has released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending November 2010. After several months of strong growth, Google Android captured the #2 ranking among smartphone platforms with 26.0 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers.

    The report ranked the leading mobile original equipment manufacturers and smartphone operating system platforms in the U.S. according to their share of current mobile subscribers ages 13 and older, and reviewed the most popular activities and content accessed via the subscriber’s primary mobile phone. The November report found Samsung to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 24.5 percent market share, while RIM led among smartphone platforms with 33.5 percent market share.

    OEM Market Share

    For the three month average period ending in November, 234 million Americans ages 13 and older used mobile devices. Device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 24.5 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers, up 0.9 percentage points from the three month period ending in August. LG ranked second with 20.9 percent share, followed by Motorola (17.0 percent), RIM (8.8 percent) and Nokia (7.2 percent).

    Smartphone Platform Market Share

    According to the report, 61.5 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in November, up 10 percent from the preceding three-month period, as RIM led with 33.5 percent market share of smartphones. After several months of strong growth, Google Android captured the #2 ranking among smartphone platforms in November with 26.0 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers. Apple accounted for 25.0 percent of smartphone subscribers (up 0.8 percentage points), followed by Microsoft with 9.0 percent and Palm with 3.9 percent.

    Mobile Content Usage

    comScore finds that in November, 67.1 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device, up 0.5 percentage points versus the prior three month period, while browsers were used by 35.3 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers (up 0.8 percentage points). Subscribers who used downloaded applications comprised 33.4 percent of the mobile audience, representing an increase of 1.1 percentage points. Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased 1.0 percentage points, representing 23.5 percent of mobile subscribers. Playing games attracted 22.6 percent of the mobile audience while listening to music attracted 15.0 percent.

     

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  • Skype to Acquire Qik

    Skype has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Qik, a provider of mobile video software and services. Qik has 60 employees, and is headquartered in Redwood City, California and has an office in Moscow, Russia. The transaction is expected to close in January 2011. The companies informed that terms of the acquisition will not be disclosed.

    Qik was founded in 2006 and offers solutions to capture and share video with anyone across mobile devices, the web, and desktop platforms. Videos can be shared in real time or stored so moments can be viewed later, allowing for video messaging, sharing and archiving. The Qik service is available on over 200 mobile phones across the Android, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows Mobile platforms, and comes pre-loaded on a wide variety of mobile handsets.

    Both Skype and Qik have a common purpose of enriching communications and sharing with video, across any device. According to Skype, the acquisition of Qik "helps accelerate Skype’s leadership in video by adding recording, sharing and storing capabilities to Skype’s product portfolio. Through this acquisition, Skype will also be able to leverage the engineering expertise that is behind Qik’s Smart Streaming technology, which optimizes video transmission over wireless networks."

    "The Qik team has delivered exceptional video experiences for its mobile partners and millions of end users across a range of devices," said Tony Bates, Skype’s Chief Executive Officer.

    "Skype’s software enables an estimated 25 percent of the world’s international long distance voice calling minutes*, and approximately 40 percent of those Skype-to-Skype calls are happening over video. Qik’s deep engineering capabilities and strong mobile relationships will be an impressive complementary fit with Skype," he added.

    Vijay Tella, Chief Executive Officer of Qik, said: "Qik has worked very hard to solve complex problems that allow millions of people everyday to take advantage of sharing their lives with those people who are most important to them. Joining Skype allows Qik’s team to unite with Skype’s talented team to develop new and innovative products for our customers and partners."

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  • Vonage Announces Successful Completion of Refinancing

    Vonage has announced the successful completion of its planned refinancing. According to the company, the new $200 million, five-year term loan facility provides Vonage with "a more efficient capital structure" and is the result of the its solid financial and operating performance highlighted by EBITDA and free cash flow generation of $150 million over the past twelve months.

    The company completed the refinancing on December 14, 2010, replacing its first, second and third lien debt totaling $194 million which carried interest rates ranging from 16% to 20%. The new lower cost facility will be accretive to 2011 net income by approximately 45% and will reduce interest expense by $20 million from 2010 (assuming constant LIBOR).

    According to Vonage, the new loan bears interest at LIBOR plus 8%, with a LIBOR floor of 1.75%, and carries far less restrictive covenants than those under the prior facility, providing the company with "enhanced operating and financial flexibility to invest for future growth and value creation." The new facility is pre-payable at par, allowing the company to retire debt with cash from operations at any time.

    Total interest expense savings from the Vonage’s recapitalization efforts throughout the year, which include prepayment at par of $41 million in debt, totals $116 million if the loans were outstanding to maturity. Vonage exits the refinancing with a clean balance sheet, low leverage of 1.5 times debt to last twelve months EBITDA and more than $70 million in cash.

    "Today’s announcement of our successful refinancing begins a new and exciting chapter in Vonage’s history," said Marc Lefar, Vonage’s Chief Executive Officer.

    "This transforming event, combined with our strong cash flow and the stabilization of our customer base, provides a very strong platform on which to continue to build the future of Vonage," he added.

    Vonage also said that upon completion of the refinancing, all third lien notes were converted into 8.3 million shares of the company’s common stock. The remaining charges associated with the retirement of the first, second and third lien debt, totaling approximately $60 million, will be recorded in the fourth quarter.

    Banc of America Securities LLC acted as lead arranger and bookrunning manager for the term loan Facility. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. acted as co-arrangers for the term loan facility.

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  • AT&T Acquires Wireless Spectrum From Qualcomm

    AT&T and Qualcomm announced that AT&T has agreed to purchase spectrum licenses in the Lower 700 MHz frequency band from Qualcomm for $1.925 billion. According to AT&T, the move "will bolster the company’s ability to provide an advanced 4G mobile broadband experience for its customers in the years ahead."

    Qualcomm currently uses the licenses to support the service business of FLO TV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, and the sale follows Qualcomm’s previously announced plan to evaluate strategic options for the FLO TV business. Qualcomm says they expects that the FLO TV business and network will be shut down in March 2011.

    The spectrum covers more than 300 million people total nationwide: 12 MHz of Lower 700 MHz D and E block spectrum covers more than 70 million people in five of the top 15 U.S. metropolitan areas – New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco; 6 MHz of Lower 700 MHz D block spectrum covers more than 230 million people across the rest of the U.S.

    As part of its longer-term 4G network plans, AT&T intends to deploy this spectrum as supplemental downlink, using carrier aggregation technology. This technology is designed to deliver substantial capacity gains and is expected to be enabled with the completion of 3GPP Release 10. AT&T expects to begin deploying this spectrum once compatible handsets and network equipment are developed.

    Qualcomm also said that it intends to integrate carrier aggregation technology into its chipset roadmap, to enable supplemental downlink to address increased consumer demand for rich mobile media content. AT&T also expects to deploy this technology.

    The companies anticipate closing the sale during the second half of calendar year 2011.

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  • Broadcom Announces New Android Platform to Enable Mass Market Smartphones

    Broadcom has announced a new baseband platform that provides simultaneous HSDPA modem connectivity and Android-based applications processing.

    According to the company, the new Broadcom BCM2157 dual-core baseband processor delivers high-end smartphone features on more affordable 3G Android handsets: this includes mobile hot-spot, multi-touch screens, innovative media and applications processing, "and other capabilities that will help handset makers drive these features to a larger tier of users."

    The BCM2157 baseband processor platform includes the following features:

    • 3G HSDPA modem supports 7.2 Megabits per second (Mbps) downstream connectivity and worldwide roaming.
    • Built-in support for HVGA displays, multi-touch screens, 5 megapixel digital cameras, 3G dual SIM/dual standby, and other key smartphone capabilities.
    • Dual-core ARM processors for dedicated modem support and superior application processing (500MHz).
    • Broadcom’s complete connectivity suite, featuring Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and NFC solutions, including InConcert technology that makes these various technologies work better together.
    • Support for mobile hotspot functionality, allowing the handset to share the 3G connection with up to 8 simultaneous devices or users via Wi-Fi.

    The platform is based on mature technology, building on the proven architecture of the BCM2153 and is now sampling to early access customers with first commercial launches expected in Q1 2011.

    "The smartphone continues to influence the cellular industry, with defining features like multi-touch screens and the ability to run applications now enriching lower cost handsets. We’ve maximized the functionality of our new Android-processing baseband platform to enable our partners to deliver the most popular features in more affordable designs," said Scott Bibaud, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Broadcom’s Mobile Platforms Group

  • VIZIO Unveils 65-inch Theater 3D Razor LED HDTV

    VIZIO announced the introduction of their new Theater 3D technology with the launch of the 65" Theater 3D Edge Lit Razor LED LCD HDTV with VIZIO Internet Apps. The 65" XVT3D650SV is VIZIO’s largest HDTV ever.

    The company claims that their Theater 3D technology provides a superior alternative to conventional 3D by utilizing battery-free, affordable and lightweight 3D glasses causing less eyestrain than the current "Active Shutter" technology. According to VIZIO, "Theater 3D technology produces clear, flicker-free 3D images that are noticeably brighter than conventional 3D and eliminates costly and bulky 3D eyewear that requires batteries or charging."

    The XVT3D650SV supports a wide selection of 3D formats to ensure compatibility across Blu-ray, broadcast, cable, satellite, and gaming. In addition to the standard formats, VIZIO also supports SENSIO Hi-Fi 3D, the high quality, visually lossless 3D format that enables 3D content to be delivered over 2D infrastructure as well as RealD’s patented side-by-side format.

    VIZIO’s Smart Dimming technology in this Edge-Lit Razor LED intelligently controls its array of LEDs, which are organized in 32 zones. Working frame by frame, based on the content being displayed, Smart Dimming adjusts brightness in precise steps down to pure black (where the LED is completely off). This cutting edge technology minimizes light leakage, and enables a Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 1 Million to 1, for blacker blacks and whiter whites on the same screen.

    The XVT3D650SV also features the latest VIZIO Internet Apps (VIA) Connected HDTV platform. Current Apps from top online content and service brands include: Amazon Video On Demand, Facebook, Flickr, Netflix, Rhapsody, Pandora, Twitter, VUDU and Yahoo! TV Widgets. Additional Apps recently released include Fandango, Yahoo Fantasy Football, NBA Game Time, Wiki TV, My-Cast, MediaBox, TuneIn Radio, Web Videos and iMemories.

    "Our Theater 3D technology is a significant step forward in bringing a high-quality, immersive experience home to consumers," stated Matthew McRae, VIZIO CTO.

    "The bright and flicker-free images, extremely low crosstalk, and comfortable glasses allow extended viewing of content without the side-effects associated with the first generation of 3D technology. This is increasingly important as more content is released and 3D gaming goes mainstream," he added.

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