New figures from Good Technology show that Apple's iOS is dominating mobile platform adoption for business use -- accounting for as many new activations as Android, Windows Mobile, and WebOS combined. However, as competition continues to get more intense in both smartphones and tablets Apple will have a difficult time retaining such a dominant stake.
It's not here yet, but next week Microsoft is hosting a media event where it is expected to unveil launch details for the highly-anticipated Windows Phone 7 platform. With Microsoft's virtual absence from the smartphone arena in recent years, and the rise of iPhone and Android, Windows Phone 7 may be too little, too late. However, there are a few compelling reasons to take a closer look and consider making a switch to Windows Phone 7.
The Verizon iPhone is coming! The Verizon iPhone is coming! I know this will come as a complete shock, but there are renewed reports (rumors, speculation -- call it what you want) that Verizon will soon offer the Apple iPhone. I don't know if these rumors are any more or less credible than the last 3,726 times we have heard the same thing, but I do know that for Apple to redeem the iPhone as a smartphone platform and be able to assert its dominance, it needs Verizon.
Apple's iPhone 4 and iPad made up about half of new activations of mobile devices among businesses during the last three months, while Android smartphones again gained more marketshare, according to two new studies.
To paraphrase American author Mark Twain, the rumors of the death of WebOS have been greatly exaggerated. An HP executive has confirmed that new WebOS smartphones will be introduced by HP in early 2011.
Motorola introduced its now iconic Droid handset one year ago. Today, the veteran phonemaker expanded its Android smartphone lineup to 22 models, with five new handsets introduced today -- including the Droid Pro, which targets the core audience for RIM's BlackBerry in the corporate marketplace.
New statistics from Nielsen show that smartphone buyers in the United States are favoring the Android platform. With that trend, Android continues to gain on Apple iOS and RIM BlackBerry in overall market share, and is on a trajectory to become the leading smartphone platform and bury the iPhone in the process.
Microsoft confirmed weeks of rumor and speculation by revealing that it will, in fact, launch Windows Phone 7 on October 11. A joint event held with AT&T, and possibly T-Mobile, will unveil the Windows Phone 7 devices although they're not expected to be available until sometime next month. Microsoft may have a hard time making Windows Phone 7 rise from the ashes of Windows Mobile and succeed while trying to straddle the line between business and consumer smartphone.
In what could be a considerable boon for Android users, Google on Friday acquired Blind Type, a San Francisco-based maker of touch-typing software for smartphones.
Microsoft will debut three new smartphones that carry its revamped Windows Phone 7 operating system on Oct. 11, offering them on wireless carrier AT&T a month later, according to the Wall Street Journal.
It's a sad fact of human nature that when we're confronted with something different or new, we tend to attribute its success or failure in the world to the feature that most sets it apart. President Obama's legacy, for example, will always be inextricably linked with his skin color; a female executive's track record will often still be seen as indicative of the capabilities of her gender.
One of the elements of Android that is often touted over iOS and other mobile platforms is that it is open source. The open nature of Android means that vendors can build on and extend the platform, or that developers are free to create apps unfettered by restrictive rules and approval processes. A new report, though, shows that many Android apps take that open nature a bit too far and share sensitive information without the user's knowledge.
Nokia announced that the highly-anticipated N8 smartphone is now shipping -- although it reportedly won't arrive in the United States for another four weeks. The N8 has some impressive features, but the question is whether or not the smartphone is impressive enough for Nokia to come this late to the party and still have an impact.
So far, Nokia's new Symbian phone, the N8, is getting lukewarm reviews, and few are willing to bet on anything except its slow demise. There are reasons, mainly its operating system, that make the phone a very hard sell to Americans consuming both Android and Apple iOS systems and applications.
More developers are actively engaged in creating iPhone and iPad apps than apps for other mobile platforms today, but a new survey from Appcelerator indicates the momentum is shifting.