Archive for the ‘Mobile Phones’ Category

BOMBSHELL: Google Buying Handset Maker Motorola Mobility For $12.5 Billion

Posted: August 15, 2011 in Industry News, Telecommunications, Information communications technology, Mobile Phones, Technology, Mobile Technology, Mobile Handsets, Smartphones, Mobile Industry News, Handset manufacturers, Mergers & Acquisitions, Wireless Technologies
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Huge!

Google is buying handset maker Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in cash.

That’s a 61% premium.

Needless to say this is a gamechanger in the mobile world, as Google moves down the stack, and is no longer just an operating system provider meaning it competes directly with Apple as well as the various other handset makers who currently use Android.

What’s more, one of the biggest arguments in favor of Apple’s continued to dominance is that without a complete end-to-end “stack”, no other platform could compete with its integrated software/hardware setup.

Bear in mind that Google has over $35 billion in cash, so this answers one question about what they’ll do with it. The company still has tons more dry poweder.

Other handset makers, like RIMM and Nokia are both up pre-market on the news as the focus obviously turns to Microsoft: Is it now forced to buy one of them? Or does Microsoft benefit because the remaining handset makers (Samsung, etc.) now turn more towards Windows?

Another angle that will be scrutinized is MMI’s patent portfolio, and how that plays out.

That’s one of the key points made by Larry Page in his post on the subject:

We recently explained how companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android. The U.S. Department of Justice had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to “protect competition and innovation in the open source software community” and it is currently looking into the results of the Nortel auction. Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Appleand other companies.

Obviously lots to digest. Stay tuned with LIVE coverage all day at SAI.

Full press release below, and below that we’ve posted Larry Page’s Google blog post explaining the deal.

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - News) and Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MMI - News) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Google will acquire Motorola Mobility for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of about $12.5 billion, a premium of 63% to the closing price of Motorola Mobility shares on Friday, August 12, 2011. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business.

Larry Page, CEO of Google, said, “Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”

Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola Mobility, said, “This transaction offers significant value for Motorola Mobility’s stockholders and provides compelling new opportunities for our employees, customers, and partners around the world. We have shared a productive partnership with Google to advance the Android platform, and now through this combination we will be able to do even more to innovate and deliver outstanding mobility solutions across our mobile devices and home businesses.”

Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google, said, “We expect that this combination will enable us to break new ground for the Android ecosystem. However, our vision for Android is unchanged and Google remains firmly committed to Android as an open platform and a vibrant open source community. We will continue to work with all of our valued Android partners to develop and distribute innovative Android-powered devices.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals in the US, the European Union and other jurisdictions, and the approval of Motorola Mobility’s stockholders. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2011 or early 2012.

Webcast Information

Google and Motorola Mobility will hold a conference call with financial analysts to discuss this announcement today at 8:30am ET. The toll-free dial-in number for the call is 877-616-4476 (conference ID: 92149124). The call will also be webcast live at http://investor.shareholder.com/media/eventdetail.cfm?eventid=101369&CompanyID=ABEA-3VZHGF&e=1&mediaKey=A21887C59EBAAC12F1BCF4D43C080953. The webcast version of the conference call will be available through the same link following the conference call.

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Supercharging Android: Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility

8/15/2011 04:35:00 AM

Since its launch in November 2007, Android has not only dramatically increased consumer choice but also improved the entire mobile experience for users. Today, more than 150 million Android devices have been activated worldwide—with over 550,000 devices now lit up every day—through a network of about 39 manufacturers and 231 carriers in 123 countries. Given Android’s phenomenal success, we are always looking for new ways to supercharge the Android ecosystem. That is why I am so excited today to announce that we have agreed to acquire Motorola.

Motorola has a history of over 80 years of innovation in communications technology and products, and in the development of intellectual property, which have helped drive the remarkable revolution in mobile computing we are all enjoying today. Its many industry milestones include the introduction of the world’s first portable cell phone nearly 30 years ago, and the StarTAC—the smallest and lightest phone on earth at time of launch. In 2007, Motorola was a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance that worked to make Android the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. I have loved my Motorola phones from the StarTAC era up to the current DROIDs.

In 2008, Motorola bet big on Android as the sole operating system across all of its smartphone devices. It was a smart bet and we’re thrilled at the success they’ve achieved so far. We believe that their mobile business is on an upward trajectory and poised for explosive growth.

Motorola is also a market leader in the home devices and video solutions business. With the transition to Internet Protocol, we are excited to work together with Motorola and the industry to support our partners and cooperate with them to accelerate innovation in this space.

Motorola’s total commitment to Android in mobile devices is one of many reasons that there is a natural fit between our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers everywhere.

This acquisition will not change our commitment to run Android as an open platform. Motorola will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. We will run Motorola as a separate business. Many hardware partners have contributed to Android’s success and we look forward to continuing to work with all of them to deliver outstanding user experiences.

We recently explained how companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android. The U.S. Department of Justice had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to “protect competition and innovation in the open source software community” and it is currently looking into the results of the Nortel auction. Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.

The combination of Google and Motorola will not only supercharge Android, but will also enhance competition and offer consumers accelerating innovation, greater choice, and wonderful user experiences. I am confident that these great experiences will create huge value for shareholders.

I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.

Posted by Larry Page, CEO

Via: http://www.businessinsider.com/breaking-google-buying-motorola-mobility-for-125-billion-2011-8#ixzz1V6KELtUY

WWDC Keynote – What’s New in iOS 5?

Posted: June 7, 2011 in Industry News, Telecommunications, Information communications technology, Mobile Phones, Technology, Mobile Technology, Mobile Handsets, Smartphones, Mobile Industry News, Mobile Conference, Mobile Platforms, Tablets, Developers, Mobile Developers, Handset manufacturers, Wireless Technologies
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For the full video of the conference you can find it here:

http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/11piubpwiqubf06/event/

Posted By ] Jillian

Yeah yeah yeah, Lion looks fantastic –but what about iOS 5? Many of us were not-so-patiently waiting to hear what would become of our iOS devices, and from the moment Scott Forstall took the stage we weren’t disappointed.

The address continued with an overview of the 10 key features among a noted 200 that will be included in the upgrade:

  1. Notifications
    1. Addition of a Notification Center, accessed by swiping down from the top of the screen
    2. No more annoying popups, a brief, non-persistent animation will alert you to a new notification
    3. All notifications will be itemized on the the lock screen, with a swipe bringing you to the correct app
    4. Can be cleared individually, but can easily be removed by tapping the [X] to dismiss
  2. Newsstand
    1. Easy access to all of your newspaper and magazine subscriptions
    2. New issues are automatically downloaded in the background and placed into a single location integrated with the home screen
  3. Twitter integration
    1. Full iOS integration with a single sign-on with interaction available for all apps, including Camera and Photos
    2. Add twitter account handles to your contacts
  4. Safari
    1. Safari Reader creates an uncluttered view of website story content, a 20-page review can be turned into a single longer page with one click
    2. Easy sharing of website content and links
    3. Tabbed browsing
    4. Reading List features allows you to save content for reading later
  5. Reminders
    1. Create lists with optional reminders by date and location (be reminded when you arrive or leave)
    2. Will sync across all devices including integration with Cal
  6. Camera
    1. Camera button added to the lock screen
    2. Use the volume-up button to take pictures –fully tactile approach for a shutter button
    3. More advanced features including pinch-to-zoom and manual exposure settings by tapping areas of your photo
    4. Editing directly on your device including crop, rotate, reduce red-eye, and one click enhance
  7. Mail
    1. Rich text formatting with indentation control
    2. Draggable addresses
    3. Search entire message content
    4. Flag as unread
    5. S/MIME support
    6. OS-wide dictionary that all apps can access with tap-to-define functionality
    7. A new keyboard can be split with your thumbs for faster on-screen typing
  8. PC Free
    1. No more PC required with activation, set-up, software updates all available Over-the-Air (OTA)
    2. Only download delta updates, meaning only the information that was changed –reducing the data downloaded
    3. More configuration available on the device itself including adding and removing calendars and mailboxes
  9. Game Center
    1. Purchase and download apps from within Game Center itself
    2. Increased social aspects including friend discovery, friend of friend discovery and enhanced score/achievement sharing
  10. iMessage
    1. Messaging platform supported by all iOS devices including iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone
    2. Send text messages (including group messages), photos, videos and contacts
    3. Includes delivery receipts, read receipts, and typing indication

Of course, we were teased with additional things that they didn’t cover in detail, such as AirPlay mirroring of your iOS device to your television, multitasking gestures and WiFi syncing.

In keeping with the theme of the conference, Apple promised over 1500 new API’s for developers. This will translate into a lot more apps with a lot more functionality and a lot more potential! Putting power in the hands of developers means we are looking foward an even more innovative future.

While the inevitable comparisons to other devices and their features will no doubt follow, I don’t think anybody can deny that iOS 5 is a giant leap forward on an already innovative and progressive platform.

With release of iOS 5 set for the fall, only one question remains… how can we possibly wait?

Via: http://www.padgadget.com/2011/06/06/wwdc-keynote-whats-new-in-ios-5/

IT’S OFFICIAL: Android Clobbering Everyone, iPhone Dead In The Water

Posted: April 27, 2011 in Industry News, Telecommunications, Information communications technology, Mobile Phones, Technology, Mobile Handsets, Mobile Industry News, Mobile Platforms, Digital Trends, Handset manufacturers
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Posted By ] Henry Blodget

A few weeks ago, when Comscore’s mobile survey showed that Google’s Android smartphone platform had blown past BlackBerry and iPhone to dominate the US market, Apple fans temporarily panicked.

Smartphone Market Share -- Phones Bought In Past 6 Months

It was the 1990s all over again!

But then Apple posted another monster quarter with great iPhone sales, and Apple fans rejoiced (and lambasted anyone who had murmured word one about Android.)

(How could Apple possibly be losing share, Apple fans roared. Apple’s US iPhone sales grew 155% year over year!)

Well, now the Nielsen numbers are out. And they show the same trend Comscore’s numbers did:

Android is gaining share by leaps and bounds, and iPhone share is dead in the water.

Specifically, Nielsen’s numbers suggest that, of all the smartphones sold in the US in the past six months, fully 50% were based on the Android platform.  Meanwhile, only 25% of buyers bought an iPhone, and only 15% bought a BlackBerry:

Smartphone Market Share -- Phones Bought In Past 6 Months

Now, these numbers extend back beyond February, when Apple started selling the iPhone through Verizon (which helps). And another Nielsen survey, of purchasing intent, suggests that going forward the sales may be more evenly split. So Apple looks poised to regain some share, at least relative to RIM and other also-rans.

Here’s the purchasing intent of those who expect to buy a smartphone over the next year. Last year, iPhone was the big winner. Now, by a small margin, it’s Android:

Smartphone Purchase Intent -- March 2011
As for current platform market share (phones in use), Nielsen’s numbers look very similar to Comscore: In March, Android had 37% of the US market, iPhone had 27%, and BlackBerry had 22%:

Smartphone Market Share -- March 2011

After the initial Comscore numbers came out, Apple fans also made the perfectly reasonable point that, if you’re assessing platform market share, you should also include iPod touches and perhaps even iPads when looking at Apple’s numbers.  And, certainly, if you include both of those, Apple’s overall share looks better.  But, globally, if you add up iPhones and iPod touches, Apple still lost share to Android year over year.

Why do Android’s gains matter? Can’t Apple just hold onto the “premium” segment of the market?

The Android gains matter because technology platform markets tend to standardize around a single dominant platform (see Windows in PCs, Facebook in social, Google in search). And the more dominant the platform becomes, the more valuable it becomes and the harder it becomes to dislodge. The network effect kicks in, and developers building products designed to work with the platform devote more and more of their energy to the platform. The reward for building and working with other platforms, meanwhile, drops, and gradually developers stop developing for them.

(This has not happened yet. Developers are certainly gearing up to develop for Android, but most say that they develop for the iPhone first. And Apple’s app distribution and payment mechanism is still far superior to Android’s. But lots more developers now develop for Android than they did two years ago.)

Importantly, it’s not a question of which platform is “better.” (This is irrelevant.) It’s a question of which platform everyone else uses.  And increasingly, in the smartphone market, barring a radical change in trend, that’s Android.

So that’s why Android’s gains matter. And, yes, Apple fans should be scared about them.

As we’ve said before, Apple is fighting a very similar war to the one it fought–and lost–in the 1990s. It is trying to build the best integrated products, hardware and software, and maintain complete control over the ecosystem around them. This end-to-end control makes it easier for Apple to build products that are “better,” but it makes it much harder for the company to compete against a software platform that is standard across many hardware manufacturers (Windows in the 1990s, Android now).

As we explain here, two important things are different about the current Android - iPhone battle as compared to the Mac – Windows war in the 1990s. First, Apple is maintaining price parity (or better) with the leading Android phones. (Macs were always priced higher than PCs). Second, Android is still a fragmented platform, which significantly reduces the benefits of “interoperability” across multiple manufacturers.

Google is working to fix the second problem, though–enacting much tighter rules about how Android can be used. And if the platform is to become dominant and ubiquitous, it will likely continue to tighten these rules.

And Apple’s price parity certainly does not appear to have stopped the Android juggernaut so far. And the reported delay in the release of the iPhone 5 until September won’t help.

See Also: Android Is Destroying Everyone, Especially RIM — iPhone’s Dead In The Water

Via: http://www.businessinsider.com/android-versus-iphone-smartphone-share-2011-4

SURVEY OFCOM – Young people would ‘rather go without television than their mobile phones’

Posted: April 20, 2011 in Digital Trends, Industry News, Information communications technology, Media & Entertainment, Mobile Handsets, Mobile Industry News, Mobile Phones, Smartphones
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Posted by ] DAILY MAIL REPORTER

  • 28 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds would miss their mobile phone more than the Internet or television
  • Children aged between 12 and 15 are also most attached to their mobile handset

It is proof, if any were needed, of the increasing dominance that the mobile phone has in our lives.

Young people would rather give up watching television than go without their mobile phones, according to a survey by Ofcom.

For the first time since the media regulator began conducting research in 2005, 28 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds said they would miss their mobile handset more than either the Internet or television.

Survey: Twenty-eight per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds said they would miss their mobile handset more than either the Internet or television

Twenty-six per cent said they would miss the Internet the most, while 23 per cent could not do without television.

Children aged between 12 and 15 are also more attached to their mobile phone, with 26 per cent saying they would struggle more without it than without the Internet or television, which both attracted 24 per cent of the vote.

For adults aged 16 and over, television remains the medium that would be missed the most, but the figure has decreased from 50 per cent in 2009 to 44 per cent in 2010.

Those aged 12 to 15 spend 17.2 hours each week watching television – with time spent on the Internet not far behind at 15.6 hours.

The time that adults spend on the internet has also increased from 12.2 hours in 2009 to 14.2 hours in 2010.

Ofcom’s research found that the number of text messages sent by 12 to 15-year-olds has doubled to 113 each week compared to 54 in 2007.

Meanwhile, 40 per cent of adults, down from 46 per cent in 2005, have concerns about television such as offensive content, programme quality or repeat.

James Thickett, Ofcom research director, said: ‘While TV remains the most used media among younger people, the internet is quickly catching up, and TV is no longer the media that would be missed the most among this age group.

‘Younger people are spending longer online and this is being driven by increased take-up and use of smartphones and games consoles to get online.’

Ofcom’s adult media literacy report surveyed 2,117 adults aged 16 and over and the children‘s literacy report surveyed 2,071 children aged five to 15 and their parents.
Via: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1378783/Young-people-television-mobile-phones.html#ixzz1K41AX5Be

Android market share to surge over next four years | Wireless – CNET News

Posted: September 9, 2010 in Industry News, Information communications technology, Mobile Handsets, Mobile Industry News, Mobile Phones, Mobile Platforms, Smartphones, Technology, Telecommunications, Uncategorized
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Posted By ] Lance Whitney

The global smartphone market of 2014 could see Android in second place with a 25 percent share, followed by BlackBerry, Apple, and Windows Mobile, according to IDC’s new “Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.”

Though annual growth in the hot smartphone market may slow in another four years, certain key players will continue to drive sales and grab more market share. No one vendor will dominate the landscape, but Android will enjoy the fastest growth, IDC forecasts.

Nokia’s Symbian will hang on to its No. 1 spot with 32.9 percent of the market in 2014. But it will lose some customers to Android, which will see its share climb from 16.3 percent this year to 24.6 percent.

“Phone vendors have been drawn to Android because it allows them to present their own approach to what a smartphone experience can be,” Ramon Llamas, a senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team, said in a statement. “In addition, users have quickly warmed to Android, comparing it to iOS due to its ease of use and a growing mobile application storefront. Now that HTC and Motorola have leapt out in front with their own respective devices, other vendors such as Dell, Kyocera, LG Electronics, and Samsung will soon help grow the Android market.”

(Credit: IDC)

BlackBerry’s share will stay about the same, though Apple’s iOS is expected to lose some share, falling from 14.7% this year to 10.9% in 2014. Rounding up the top five, Microsoft will recapture some of its lost mobile market share through its new Windows Phone platform.

“IDC believes the market will comfortably support up to five OS players over the next five years,” Kevin Restivo, a senior research analyst with IDC, said in a statement. “Shorter replacement cycles and an ample feature phone to smartphone upgrade opportunity means the smartphone OS market will remain fragmented but healthy for the foreseeable future.”

Looking at the near term, consumer demand higher than expected should help the market grow 55.4 percent this year over 2009, 10 percent higher than IDC’s previous forecast last quarter. Amid launches of the iPhone 4, BlackBerry Torch, and HTC Evo 4G, 269.6 million smartphones will ship this year, compared with 173.5 million last year, estimates IDC.

The surge in demand will lead to overall growth of 14.1 percent this year, 1.5 percent higher than IDC’s prior forecast and a nice improvement over last year when the market dropped 2.8 percent. The smartphone market will enjoy further gains of 24.5 percent next year before declining to annual growth of 13.6 percent in 2014.

In a separate report earlier this week, Piper Jaffray was especially bullish on Android, saying it would likely control half of the smartphone market within five years.

via Android market share to surge over next four years | Wireless – CNET News.

Vodafone reverses 360 strategy – cloud not devices

Posted: July 27, 2010 in Industry News, Information communications technology, Media & Entertainment, Mobile Applications, Mobile Handsets, Mobile Industry News, Mobile Internet, Mobile Phones, Mobile Technology, Smartphones, Technology, Telecommunications
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Posted By CAROLINE GABRIEL. Published: 27 July, 2010

One of the biggest dilemmas facing operators, as they seek to keep their brands foremost in users’ minds despite the sparkle of Android and Apple, is where they can best achieve this. Should they take on Nokia in branding the devices, create their own user interface to rival HTC Sense – or, and perhaps more realistically, draw their power from the capabilities of their networks and servers? Some carriers are admitting defeat at the smartphone end and looking to attract customers and new revenues by harnessing network features like location, and the growing importance of the mobile cloud.

Vodafone seems to be going in this direction with a rethink of its 360 web services strategy, launched last year but delivering mixed results so far. The cellco now plans to give up on own-branded handsets for 360, reports Total Telecom, and focus instead on expanding the mobile back-up and other cloud services under the brand.

Although own-brand cellphones remain important at the low end, Vodafone will look to entice handset vendors to preload 360 services on their devices, rather than competing with them. It has already released a version of the 360 store for Android, as well as its launch operating system, LiMO – a Linux-based OS that is heavily driven by the operators, but has not achieved the market weight of its Google backed alternative. And it has even said it would like to see 360 apps on the iPhone.

True to its new approach, the carrier is to halt development of its second generation 360-branded smartphone, the LiMO-based H2 from Samsung. The existing two 360 handsets, M1 and H1, are also from Samsung, although the services are supported across a wide variety of non-cellco phones too, numbering about 100 models and five platforms.

“From now on we will be focusing all efforts on expanding the range of handsets and platforms that support Vodafone 360 and in developing and enhancing the suite of Vodafone 360 services,” said the operator in a statement to Total Telecom. “Consequently there will be no further development of bespoke Vodafone 360 handsets, and activity on the H2 ceases with immediate effect.”

The change of heart is a blow for LiMO, whose selling point is the way it supports carrier brands and business models. Outside its Japanese stronghold, Vodafone 360 had been its flagship alliance and Verizon Wireless was expected to launch a similar service with LiMO devices later in 2010.

URL Link:

http://www.rethink-wireless.com/2010/07/27/vodafone-reverses-360-strategy-cloud-devices.htm

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