Telstra, an operator from down under, created a new user interface in house called the “TelstraOne Experience” and have discovered that by making mobile fones easier to use, they can successfully increase usage of their data services. While many of you are rolling your eyes right now, saying “no fucking shit”, this new evidence may…
Droid Does… pretty damn well in it’s first week
Droid Does. That’s the slogan that Verizon’s ad campaigns for the Motorola Droid have been hammering into our heads for the past several weeks. With $100 million reportedly invested into the marketing push to turn struggling Motorola’s Droid the de facto alternative to the iPhone 3GS, Verizon and Motorola are betting big on the new…
Apple iPhone takes third place in Q3 global smartphone sales
There’s no denying the almost magical draw of the iPhone and the world of good it’s done for Apple’s bottom line. A new report from Gartner today backs up that notion with data that has the Apple iPhone accounting for 17.1% of global smartphone sales in Q3 2009. That figure puts Apple in the No.…
ABI Research: Mobile accessories to turn over nearly $55 billion in 2009
ABI Research’s latest report says that by the end of this year, the world’s mobile handset accessories market will have chalked up a value of nearly $55 billion, representing a small decrease from the 2008 figure. The problem seems in the memory card segment market, which has been oversupplied, with selling prices being barely above…
Bad news for streaming music services – Most students prefer to download music
Streaming music services like Spotify seem like n0-brainer winners. You get unlimited access to a virtually unlimited catalog of music for a nominal monthly fee. How could streaming music not be a runaway success? By not catching on with the all-important youth/student demographic, that’s how. A new survey of 10,000 university students, conducted by the…
Analyst: 1 in 6 mobile subscribers will have an NFC enabled device by 2014
The boffins at Juniper Research have predicted that by 2014, 1 in 6 mobile phone subscribers will be using an NFC device. Whether or not they’ll be using NFC for something other than transmitting naughty pictures and business cards is another story all together. Juniper Research also thinks that in 2014, NFC enabled monetary transactions…
Juniper Research: Mobile coupon redemption value to approach $6 billion globally by 2014
In its new report titled “Mobile Coupons & NFC Smart Posters: Strategies, Applications & Forecasts 2009-2014,” Juniper Research forecasts that consumer usage of mobile coupons will generate close to $6 billion globally in retail redemption value by 2014. However, the research company warns about stumbling blocks the industry faces: apathy amongst the wider public, and…
IDC + Canalys: Q3 2009 was a record breaker for smartphone shipments
The economy, which is experiencing either a recession, or depression depending on who you ask, is starting to look better, but make no mistake, a lot of people are still hurting and will continue to hurt for a few more years. It’s surprising then that in the midst of all this belt tightening and frugal…
ABI Research: 27% of smartphones cost under $200 this year
We dig the idea of falling smartphone prices. ABI Research has been following the market and they say that in 2007 only 18% of these devices were priced under $200 retail. This year, however, that percentage went up to 27%, and by 2014 the research company predicts 45% of them [smartphones] will be priced below…
Analyst: Over half of Europeans want their next mobile phone to have a touch screen
Analysts at Canalys (does that rhyme?) conducted a survey with over 3,000 people spread out over France, Germany and the United Kingdom to find out how large of an impact touch screen devices are having on Western Europe. The results speak for themselves: 38% want their next mobile phone to be finger touch enabled and…