Posts Tagged ‘RIM’

A few days at Mobile World Congress…

Posted on: by Graham H

February each year, for one week, the entire mobile phone industry camps out in the tapas bars of Barcelona.

Occasionally, some people might stray into the Mobile World Congress, a magnificent event in which the likes of Microsoft, Nokia and Research in Motion try to convince us that the products they showed us last year are somehow newer and shinier this year.

Those sober enough to make it to RIM’s developer event on Monday were treated to a free PlayBook each.  Meanwhile, Nokia had a beach party.  The Far Eastern companies, like Samsung and LG, were less imaginative.  Rather than trying to disguise their lack of innovation with cunning free gadgets and liquor, they actually had some new products.  “Phablets” are all the rage.  Not quite a phone and not quite a tablet, a phablet is, essentially, a very, very big phone.  Samsung’s Galaxy Note has a 5.3 inch screen (compare to 3.5 inches on the iPhone).  Some of you will be glad to know that the stylus is back.  Sorry, I mean “S-Pen”.

Here at eSAY, we’re dedicated followers of fashion, so expect to see WorkMobile® on the PlayBook real soon, and optimized for tablet and phablet Android devices later this year.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, these patatas bravas won’t eat themselves…

Graham (Senior Developer)

Google officially ahead of the OS pack

Posted on: by melonie

The search giant’s mobile OS has toppled Symbian from its number one position.  This reshuffle highlights the speed with which Google has raced to the top of the smartphone market ahead of Apple’s rapid ascension. 

In the fourth quarter of 2010, phonemakers sold 32.9 million Android-equipped phones globally, roughly seven times more than the year-earlier quarter, compared with Symbian’s sales of 31 million, according to research firm Canalys.

The numbers also highlight Google’s success in battling Apple, whose shipments of its popular iPhone increased to 16.2 million from 8.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Unlike Apple or Nokia, Google does not make its own phone hardware but instead offers its Android operating system free to other phone makers who can adapt it to suit their devices.

As a result, Android has become the standard software for many phone makers. US phone maker Motorola has even managed to stage a comeback of sorts by focusing solely on Android after years of heavy market share losses.

In fact, only Nokia, Apple and RIM have so far resisted using Android software, and some experts have suggested that Nokia will announce plans to introduce smartphone models using Android.