By admin | Published:
December 21, 2009
ABI Research released a report today that shows some very positive momentum in the mobile industry. The research firm estimates that a total of 1.2 billion mobile devices will ship in 2009, including handsets, mobile Internet devices, netbooks, mobile consumer electronics products, and cellular modems. In 2014, ABI expects that the total number of devices shipped will reach 2.25 billion!
According to a statement made by ABI industry analyst Michael Morgan, “The next five years will see a shift in the breakdown between types of mobile devices shipped. Today, wireless handsets rule the roost, with other mobile devices accounting for only 40 million shipments and cellular modems only 60 million. While handset shipments did actually decrease between 2008 and 2009 due to the global recession, (other) segments in fact grew very aggressively.”
For more information see: http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/Mobile_Devices_Research_Service
http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/business/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222002858
By SVM | Published:
November 30, 2009
Black Friday 2009 saw a dramatic increase in the use of mobile phones by consumers to research and make purchases, according to industry data reviewed by Dow Jones. For example, Paypal, which is used by about half of the top 100 online retailers including Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Sears, saw mobile payments increase by nearly 650% in comparison to last year, according to a company representative.
Searches made from mobile devices also jumped from around 5,000 on Black Friday in 2008 to roughly 200,000 in 2009 said Siva Kumar, chief executive of TheFind.com, a product search engine.
For more information, see this story from the Wall Street Journal.
By SVM | Published:
October 6, 2009
Verizon Wireless announced today that it will be developing and selling Google Android phones, starting as soon as a few weeks from now. In what appears to be a direct attempt at dismantling the dominance of AT&T’s iPhone, the mobile operator said that it has partnered with Google to co-develop Android-based devices (made by major manufacturers) that will be pre-loaded with “innovative applications.” The phones will be available online and at Verizon stores.
It will be interesting to see if Verizon’s marketing muscle can jumpstart sales of Android phones, which have been insignificant to date compared to the success of the iPhone.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/06/technology/verizon_google/index.htm
By SVM | Published:
October 2, 2009
Google Wave, the much-anticipated mashup of email/Facebook/Twitter/IM, has finally crashed ashore. Though not one of the lucky 100,0000 invitees Google has chosen to test the product, I have been following the reviews closely since the software debuted. So far, the feedback has been mixed. Some users like the immediacy of the communications and the collaborative opportunities enabled by Wave; others are overwhelmed by amount of raw information coming in in real time. The question is: will it replace email? Will it be a productivity enhancer…or a productivity killer, as some are claiming? See what Google is saying –http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/09/30/whats-next-for-google-wave/
By SVM | Published:
August 6, 2009
There have been a number of mobile start-ups that have announced new funding rounds in the last week, included MobileIron, WeFi Inc. and Apperian.MobileIron is a Sunnyvale, CA-based smartphone software firm who recently emerged from stealth mode with $9 million in funding from Norwest Venture Partners, Storm Ventures and Sequoia Capital. The company launched a data and content management platform that helps companies monitor employee smartphone usage (including security features), which can help enterprises decrease wireless bills by up to 20 percent.
Fairfax, VA-based WeFi Inc. creates software that finds and connects users to Wi-Fi hot spots. The company has secured an undisclosed second investment from Lightspeed Venture Partners and Pitango Venture Capital. The funding will be used to develop WeFi’s software products and increase marketing efforts and strategic partnerships.
Business-centric app-maker Apperian has raised $1 million in a first round of funding from CommonAngels. The Boston-based startup was founded by a group of Apple veterans, including CEO Chuck Goldman, who spent eight years with Apple.
For more information see:
http://moconews.net/article/419-smartphone-software-firm-mobileiron-launches-with-9-million-in-funding/
http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/08/03/daily73.html?surround=lfn
http://www.pehub.com/46137/iphone-app-maker-apperian-raises-1-million/
By SVM | Published:
July 14, 2009
Juniper Research recently published a report predicting that the number LTE subscribers is expected to exceed 100 million by 2014. Howard Wilcox, author of the report, was quoted as saying, “There is intense activity in the LTE market right now, with in excess of 30 network operator commitments.”
In the same time period, another leading research firm, ABI Research, issued a report stating that it believes that wireless operators will spend roughly $3.3 billion building LTE base stations in 2011. Senior Analyst Nadine Manjaro states that, “Vendors will be shipping base station equipment in significant quantities in 2010 ahead of limited trials that typically last about a year, followed by full commercial launches.” ABI research previously issued a study in June of 2009 noting that the number of wireless operators committed to deploying LTE networks and offering LTE-based services to subscribers in 2010 has climbed to at least 12.
For more information, see:
http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/juniper-abi-research-forecast-big-numbers-lte/2009-07-09?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/dozen-operators-launching-lte-services-2010
By SVM | Published:
July 6, 2009
It was recently announced that the magicJack USB dongle will be in production with a femtocell-enabled version of the device within the next six months. A user will be able to plug the femtocell-enabled magicJack into a computer, and when a mobile device such as a Blackberry or iPhone is used, the call will go out over the magicJack network. Subsequently, if a call is received on the user’s magicJack number, it will ring on their cell phone.
According to Nathan Franzmeier, CEO of magicJack sister company Stratus Telecommunications, adding a device like the “femtoJack” can make it much less expensive to ensure broad coverage. For example, he stated, “if ten people in my office have the device, I’ve effectively covered the office with a cell network that didn’t cost very much. If the device was $40, —for $400, that’s covered my entire office, and all of us can use our cell phones with no air time.”
Dan Borislow, CEO of magicJack parent YMax, was also recently quoted as saying that the company has currently sold more than 4 million units and is expecting to bring in around $100 million in revenue this year. Borislow added that magicJack is “the fastest growing telecommunications company in history,” which is likely to cause some dispute, but Borislow feels the femtocell offering could make his claim ironclad.
For more information see:
http://www.voipplanet.com/solutions/article.php/3827416
http://www.fiercevoip.com/story/magicjack-ceo-femtocell-offering-q1-2010/2009-06-30
By SVM | Published:
June 25, 2009
While this isn’t a traditional mobile tech story, we thought it was a really interesting IT-related story to share, so here it is! IBM has created the new Aquasar supercomputer which uses water to siphon off waste heat, and then uses the excess energy to warm up a building.
Developed jointly by IBM and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the Aquasar’s microchips avoid cooling with energy-intensive air conditioning by using water to transfer heat away from the chips. A network of water-carrying “micro-capillaries” take water very close to the microchips, cooling the system at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius rather than a traditional coolant that requires a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius, according to IBM researcher Dr. Thomas Brunschwiler.
In addition, the excess heat from the computer will be piped into the building’s heating. The 25 kilowatt system will account for just “a small fraction” of the building’s overall energy demand, but researchers said future applications are promising. According to IBM, Aquasar will reduce overall energy consumption by 40 percent and save up to 30 tons of carbon dioxide a year, which is about the equivalent of driving an average car around the world 10 times!
For more information, see: http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2009/06/23/ibm-supercomputer-reuses-heat-to-warm-buildings/
By SVM | Published:
June 16, 2009
Here’s a cool company that we wanted to share with you: Bug Labs. We find BUG particularly interesting because the company truly seems to capture the spirit of open source- collaboration and community.
BUG is a modular, open source system for building devices that helps developers explore the realm of personalized devices and applications, and find ways to solve many of the problems that current gadgets can’t. The company’s BUGnet online community provides a collaborative environment for developers to connect with each other, share ideas, and jointly build applications.
Bug Labs was created for the new generation of engineers, enabling them to tap their creativity and build any type of device they want, without having to learn solid state electronics or outsource development overseas. The way they explain the company’s story on the website is simply this: “As kids, we were more likely to take apart new toys than actually play with them, just to see what was inside. As teenagers, personal computers were still new and as much a challenge to tinker with as they were to operate. With BUG, we want people to recapture and share this excitement again, and we want them to apply this to their everyday device. We believe everybody is an inventor at heart, so we’ve developed a platform for users to create and forever modify their favorite gadget, allowing for ultimate customization and use.” You can learn more about the company at: http://www.buglabs.net/
By SVM | Published:
June 15, 2009
Industry leaders got together lat week at ConnectivityWeek, a collection of events that focus on the application of Information Technology and energy challenges as they relate to the need for better sustainability. The group includes representatives from utilities, manufacturers, and communications technologies working together on issues related to smart grids, smart devices, and smart services.
One hot topic was the fact that GE and Whirlpool plan on adding communications modules in their appliances to give utilities the ability to turn them down during peak power demand times. According to GE Consumer & Industrial vice president Kevin Nolan in a May press release, “GE will help consumers significantly decrease power usage during peak demand periods, which will help the utilities reduce the need for more power generation and help consumers save on their energy bills.” This sounds great, but a major stumbling block remains –what communication standard will be used to get everyone talking in the same language? Will it be ZigBee, WiFi, cellular, a powerline signal, or something else entirely?
It sounds like it’s anyone’s guess. At ConnectivityWeek, GE’s David Najewicz noted that “Some of the early hardware we’re building has three radios in it.”
Obviously, the smart home appliance is on its way, and it’s going to be interesting to watch the different communications technologies jockey for position. With Whirlpool committing to smart appliances by the year 2015, and other manufacturers also jumping on board, a winning standard should emerge soon. We’ll keep watching!