Apple passes Microsoft's Market Cap

By now you probably all heard about Apple amazing achievement to overtake Microsoft as the largest tech company in the world, as far as market capitalization is concerned.

As a non-Apple fan, it was amazing to look at the remarkable way the company has done in the past few years, with the release of those brilliant "iProducts" that made millions of people all around the world stand in lines like children.

The Cupertino-based iPhone maker has just hit a market cap north of $227 billion, as Microsoft’s stocks take a bit of a dive. It's 10 time bigger than the numbers Apple had 10 years ago, when Microsoft actually had to invest in it to keep it alive… funny…

IntoMobile took a screenshot of some comparisons between Google, Apple and Microsoft:

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By now you probably all heard about Apple amazing achievement to overtake Microsoft as the largest tech company in the world, as far as market capitalization is concerned.

As a non-Apple fan, it was amazing to look at the remarkable way the company has done in the past few years, with the release of those brilliant "iProducts" that made millions of people all around the world stand in lines like children.

The Cupertino-based iPhone maker has just hit a market cap north of $227 billion, as Microsoft’s stocks take a bit of a dive. It's 10 time bigger than the numbers Apple had 10 years ago, when Microsoft actually had to invest in it to keep it alive… funny…

IntoMobile took a screenshot of some comparisons between Google, Apple and Microsoft:

Enterprise Mobility: 10 mobile mistakes you should avoid

10 useful tips that will help you avoid making common mistakes when selecting and implementing an enterprise grade mobile solution.

Here at the MobileSpoon we focus mainly on the fascinating side of mobility for consumers, whereas, in our little blog brother (MobileFever) we I try to write mostly about implementing mobility in large organizations, where devices may need to be rugged, workflows are much more complicated than downloading an iPhone game app, and requirements are tough.

10 mistakes to avoid when selecting and deploying a mobile solution:

Mistake #1: Neglecting the Field Users
Mistake #2: Being the first to try new technologies
Mistake #3: Selecting the wrong mobile device
Mistake #4: Compromising on usability
Mistake #5: Settling on a hardcoded/customized solution
Mistake #6: Planning a tight project plan
Mistake #7: Creating an inconsistent mobile environment
Mistake #8: Expecting too much out of technology
Mistake #9: Forgetting the big picture
Mistake #10: Leaving security to the end

Comments are welcome!

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10 useful tips that will help you avoid making common mistakes when selecting and implementing an enterprise grade mobile solution.

Here at the MobileSpoon we focus mainly on the fascinating side of mobility for consumers, whereas, in our little blog brother (MobileFever) we I try to write mostly about implementing mobility in large organizations, where devices may need to be rugged, workflows are much more complicated than downloading an iPhone game app, and requirements are tough.

10 mistakes to avoid when selecting and deploying a mobile solution:

Mistake #1: Neglecting the Field Users
Mistake #2: Being the first to try new technologies
Mistake #3: Selecting the wrong mobile device
Mistake #4: Compromising on usability
Mistake #5: Settling on a hardcoded/customized solution
Mistake #6: Planning a tight project plan
Mistake #7: Creating an inconsistent mobile environment
Mistake #8: Expecting too much out of technology
Mistake #9: Forgetting the big picture
Mistake #10: Leaving security to the end

Comments are welcome!

Dell Streak - Android based mini tablet gets reviewed

I don't know if it's the image quality or the the fact that I'm bored with seeing the same brand all the time (who said HTC?) – but the Dell Streak sure looks AMAZING…

It can be related as a gigantic smartphone, but in fact it's a very small tablet. At least in the way it was designed (landscape mode, customized Android UI…)

According to BGR:
"A giant amongst smartphones, the Streak features a 5″ WVGA capacitive touchscreen display, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, 16GB of internal memory, support for microSD cards up to 32GB, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, 7.2Mbps HSDPA and 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. To debut with Android 1.6, Dell says the Streak has been “designed with the future in mind” and will be subject to OTA updates which will bring Adobe Flash 10.1, Android 2.2 “Froyo”, and video chat apps to the Streak before the year’s end."

According to CNet.UK:
"This beast makes giant phones such as the HTC HD2 look positively tiny, thanks to a 5-inch screen that makes the Streak clock in at 152 by 78 by 10mm. It does make phone calls, and you can even hold it up to your face if you don't mind looking like a pin-head, but Dell insists the Streak is primarily meant for Web surfing rather than voice chat."

Here's a good video with some demonstration of this gigantic smartphone (or extra tiny tablet – depending on how you relate to it…)

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I don't know if it's the image quality or the the fact that I'm bored with seeing the same brand all the time (who said HTC?) – but the Dell Streak sure looks AMAZING…

It can be related as a gigantic smartphone, but in fact it's a very small tablet. At least in the way it was designed (landscape mode, customized Android UI…)

According to BGR:
"A giant amongst smartphones, the Streak features a 5″ WVGA capacitive touchscreen display, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, 16GB of internal memory, support for microSD cards up to 32GB, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, 7.2Mbps HSDPA and 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. To debut with Android 1.6, Dell says the Streak has been “designed with the future in mind” and will be subject to OTA updates which will bring Adobe Flash 10.1, Android 2.2 “Froyo”, and video chat apps to the Streak before the year’s end."

According to CNet.UK:
"This beast makes giant phones such as the HTC HD2 look positively tiny, thanks to a 5-inch screen that makes the Streak clock in at 152 by 78 by 10mm. It does make phone calls, and you can even hold it up to your face if you don't mind looking like a pin-head, but Dell insists the Streak is primarily meant for Web surfing rather than voice chat."

Here's a good video with some demonstration of this gigantic smartphone (or extra tiny tablet – depending on how you relate to it…)

What's new with Android 2.2?

I am still looking for ways to upgrade my rooted Nexus One (what a mistake it was to root it!). As you can understand, I did not get any push notification from Google...

Will update you all shortly….

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I am still looking for ways to upgrade my rooted Nexus One (what a mistake it was to root it!). As you can understand, I did not get any push notification from Google...

Will update you all shortly….

Android fragmentation – some statistics

Many analysts are talking about Google's fragmentation problem with so many different Android OS versions out there.

According to MobileCrunch (in my opinion – one of the best mobile sites) – Android 2.1 finally reaches 1/3 of Android handsets, just as 2.2 looms nearby.

If you are interested to see how Google's new beast is progressing in terms of distributing OS updates to all of those different devices models out there – here's an up to date snapshot:

Soon Android 2.2 will be released and the fragmentation mess will begin all over again…

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Many analysts are talking about Google's fragmentation problem with so many different Android OS versions out there.

According to MobileCrunch (in my opinion – one of the best mobile sites) – Android 2.1 finally reaches 1/3 of Android handsets, just as 2.2 looms nearby.

If you are interested to see how Google's new beast is progressing in terms of distributing OS updates to all of those different devices models out there – here's an up to date snapshot:

Soon Android 2.2 will be released and the fragmentation mess will begin all over again…

Android passes Windows Mobile market share – says Gartner

A new report from Gartner shows no real surprises in the trends in the smartphones market.

While RIM and Apple continues to be strong in smartphones sales, Android has passed Microsoft's Windows Mobile and is now the fourth largest smartphone operating system.

Gartner estimates consumers bought about 8.4 million iPhones in the first quarter, compared to 5.2 million Android phones. This is significantly different than another report done by NPD Group that talked about Android passing iPhone sales in the US… oh boy… numbers numbers numbers…

Smartphones accounted for 17.3 per cent of all mobile handset sales in the first quarter of 2010, up from 13.6 per cent in the same period in 2009.

[Source]

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A new report from Gartner shows no real surprises in the trends in the smartphones market.

While RIM and Apple continues to be strong in smartphones sales, Android has passed Microsoft's Windows Mobile and is now the fourth largest smartphone operating system.

Gartner estimates consumers bought about 8.4 million iPhones in the first quarter, compared to 5.2 million Android phones. This is significantly different than another report done by NPD Group that talked about Android passing iPhone sales in the US… oh boy… numbers numbers numbers…

Smartphones accounted for 17.3 per cent of all mobile handset sales in the first quarter of 2010, up from 13.6 per cent in the same period in 2009.

[Source]

Microsoft adds turn-by-turn navigation to Bing for Windows Mobile

In case you haven't seen this earlier – there is a new version of the Microsoft Bing Maps for Windows Mobile that adds a new navigate option with full turn-by-turn voice support. Fantastish!

The first hit came from Google, who announced back in October that they were adding free turn-by-turn functionality to Android. Nokia followed up with a massive haymaker in January, bringing free voice navigation to over a dozen of their most popular handsets. This time, it’s Microsoft.

You can find it in the marketplace.

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In case you haven't seen this earlier – there is a new version of the Microsoft Bing Maps for Windows Mobile that adds a new navigate option with full turn-by-turn voice support. Fantastish!

The first hit came from Google, who announced back in October that they were adding free turn-by-turn functionality to Android. Nokia followed up with a massive haymaker in January, bringing free voice navigation to over a dozen of their most popular handsets. This time, it’s Microsoft.

You can find it in the marketplace.

Android surpasses iPhone sales in US

Predictions aside! Android has already managed to do what many expected it will do – and that's to bypass iPhone sales (in Q1, 2010 in the US)!

The NPD Group, a leading market research company, has released the wireless market research which reveals that based on unit sales to consumers last quarter the Android operating system moved into second position at 28 % behind RIM’s OS (36 %) and ahead of Apple’s OS (21 %).

“As in the past, carrier distribution and promotion have played a crucial role in determining smartphone market share,” said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD. “In order to compete with the iPhone, Verizon Wireless has expanded its buy-one-get-one offer beyond RIM devices to now include all of their smartphones.”

Strong sales of the Droid, Droid Eris, and Blackberry Curve via these promotions helped keep Verizon Wireless’s smartphone sales on par with AT&T in Q1. According to NPD’s Mobile Phone Track, smartphone sales at AT&T comprised nearly a third of the entire smartphone market (32 percent), followed by Verizon Wireless (30 percent), T-Mobile (17 percent) and Sprint (15 percent).

You can read the rest of the report in here

I believe those numbers are amazing. I wonder how will those numbers change once the iPhone 4.0 is released and once Verizon will start selling it as well. I believe next quarter's report will look different.

But only time will tell…

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Predictions aside! Android has already managed to do what many expected it will do – and that's to bypass iPhone sales (in Q1, 2010 in the US)!

The NPD Group, a leading market research company, has released the wireless market research which reveals that based on unit sales to consumers last quarter the Android operating system moved into second position at 28 % behind RIM’s OS (36 %) and ahead of Apple’s OS (21 %).

“As in the past, carrier distribution and promotion have played a crucial role in determining smartphone market share,” said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD. “In order to compete with the iPhone, Verizon Wireless has expanded its buy-one-get-one offer beyond RIM devices to now include all of their smartphones.”

Strong sales of the Droid, Droid Eris, and Blackberry Curve via these promotions helped keep Verizon Wireless’s smartphone sales on par with AT&T in Q1. According to NPD’s Mobile Phone Track, smartphone sales at AT&T comprised nearly a third of the entire smartphone market (32 percent), followed by Verizon Wireless (30 percent), T-Mobile (17 percent) and Sprint (15 percent).

You can read the rest of the report in here

I believe those numbers are amazing. I wonder how will those numbers change once the iPhone 4.0 is released and once Verizon will start selling it as well. I believe next quarter's report will look different.

But only time will tell…

Why is it so hard to build an iPad alternative?

Today I discovered (I'm probably the last one on earth to see it) that HP Slate was probably cancelled…

It shows, once again, how hard it is to compete with Apple's innovation and stubbornness on design perfection.

But, I must ask this: why is it so hard to build a cutting edge mini-tablet that will combine the power of Windows 7 with the slickness of the iPad and some finger friendliness?

It seems to me (and I may be a bit naive here) that all that needs to be done is the following:

Cutting edge design – What can I say, it doesn't have to be as slim as the iPad, it just needs look cool.

Long battery life - heck, my netbook is running Window 7 and lasts almost 10 hours, I think that's more than enough…)

On-screen Keyboard – I've personally seen a lot of great looking virtual keyboard sets for Windows 7, doesn't seem like a serious challenge to me.

Finger friendly UI – tweaking windows around, you can make the fonts bigger, buttons wider and nice finger gestures. Probably will not beat the iPad's usability, but good enough for most users.

Stylus support – thinking of a notebook, I would add stylus support to enable easier hand writing, drawings etc. Exists in our days…

An improved shell - that will combine both traditional desktop with PIM widgets, animations, fun stuff and productivity stuff. Some of it already exists, but I would wrap the desktop in a fancier design that will emphasis the capabilities of a real Windows OS with the day to day activities.

As you can see, most of the things are pure add-ins for windows, which practically exist everywhere!

I just can't see why we don't have such hardware and software today. For me, it seems like someone, again, messed up seriously and let Apple be one step ahead…

Just for that reason, I'm going to get myself an iPad.

Lame.

Technorati Tags: Tablet,Microsoft,Apple,iPad

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Today I discovered (I'm probably the last one on earth to see it) that HP Slate was probably cancelled…

It shows, once again, how hard it is to compete with Apple's innovation and stubbornness on design perfection.

But, I must ask this: why is it so hard to build a cutting edge mini-tablet that will combine the power of Windows 7 with the slickness of the iPad and some finger friendliness?

It seems to me (and I may be a bit naive here) that all that needs to be done is the following:

Cutting edge design – What can I say, it doesn't have to be as slim as the iPad, it just needs look cool.

Long battery life - heck, my netbook is running Window 7 and lasts almost 10 hours, I think that's more than enough…)

On-screen Keyboard – I've personally seen a lot of great looking virtual keyboard sets for Windows 7, doesn't seem like a serious challenge to me.

Finger friendly UI – tweaking windows around, you can make the fonts bigger, buttons wider and nice finger gestures. Probably will not beat the iPad's usability, but good enough for most users.

Stylus support – thinking of a notebook, I would add stylus support to enable easier hand writing, drawings etc. Exists in our days…

An improved shell - that will combine both traditional desktop with PIM widgets, animations, fun stuff and productivity stuff. Some of it already exists, but I would wrap the desktop in a fancier design that will emphasis the capabilities of a real Windows OS with the day to day activities.

As you can see, most of the things are pure add-ins for windows, which practically exist everywhere!

I just can't see why we don't have such hardware and software today. For me, it seems like someone, again, messed up seriously and let Apple be one step ahead…

Just for that reason, I'm going to get myself an iPad.

Lame.

Technorati Tags: Tablet,Microsoft,Apple,iPad

Off-topic: Why superheroes aren't online more often

Thanks Yair for sharing this one…

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Thanks Yair for sharing this one…

ClickSoftware's ClickConnect Conference – June 7-9th 2010.

I've been participating in the ClickSoftware user conference events for 4 years now (in both Europe and North America), and those events are always amazingly beneficial for both existing and future customers seeking for constantly improving their service quality and organization efficiency.

ClickSoftware's next ClickConnect event will be held in Barcelona and we will be there – giving some mobility sessions and of course - exposing our next release of ClickMobile and the Mobility Suite for the first time!

In addition, few customers will be sharing their own experience with ClickSoftware products and of course their ClickMobile implementation: Manuel Rosa de Silva, Executive Member of the Board, Portugal Telecom and Stanna Headden, Project Manager, Questar Gas.

You can download the complete agenda from here.

Looking at it I can only say: Yummy!!!

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Conference highlights include:

• Fresh and dynamic case studies delivered by industry peers
• In-depth ClickSoftware-led sessions on product functionality
• Hands-on experience of new and existing products and solutions in the designated demo pavilion
• Insight into future offerings and the ClickSoftware product roadmap
• Networking with strategic partners
• Professional networking and social time with colleagues and other conference attendees

In addition to the above, you’ll also have the opportunity to attend a networking reception in a beautiful Japanese garden, followed by dinner in one of Barcelona’s top restaurants with fantastic views of the city. During the conference we’ll also be taking a tour of the infamous Nou Camp stadium, home of one of the most successful football teams in the world.

Sponsors:

This year the event is being sponsored by some of the strongest players in the enterprise and field service such SAP, Panasonic, Accenture, Brother and more!

See you there!

Visit the ClickConnect 2010 Registration Page

Technorati Tags: ClickSoftware,Mobility Suite,ClickMobile,ClickConnect

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I've been participating in the ClickSoftware user conference events for 4 years now (in both Europe and North America), and those events are always amazingly beneficial for both existing and future customers seeking for constantly improving their service quality and organization efficiency.

ClickSoftware's next ClickConnect event will be held in Barcelona and we will be there – giving some mobility sessions and of course - exposing our next release of ClickMobile and the Mobility Suite for the first time!

In addition, few customers will be sharing their own experience with ClickSoftware products and of course their ClickMobile implementation: Manuel Rosa de Silva, Executive Member of the Board, Portugal Telecom and Stanna Headden, Project Manager, Questar Gas.

You can download the complete agenda from here.

Looking at it I can only say: Yummy!!!

---

Conference highlights include:

• Fresh and dynamic case studies delivered by industry peers
• In-depth ClickSoftware-led sessions on product functionality
• Hands-on experience of new and existing products and solutions in the designated demo pavilion
• Insight into future offerings and the ClickSoftware product roadmap
• Networking with strategic partners
• Professional networking and social time with colleagues and other conference attendees

In addition to the above, you’ll also have the opportunity to attend a networking reception in a beautiful Japanese garden, followed by dinner in one of Barcelona’s top restaurants with fantastic views of the city. During the conference we’ll also be taking a tour of the infamous Nou Camp stadium, home of one of the most successful football teams in the world.

Sponsors:

This year the event is being sponsored by some of the strongest players in the enterprise and field service such SAP, Panasonic, Accenture, Brother and more!

See you there!

Visit the ClickConnect 2010 Registration Page

Technorati Tags: ClickSoftware,Mobility Suite,ClickMobile,ClickConnect

Why is Windows Phone 7 criticism so exaggerated?

There has been a lot of criticism against Microsoft's next generation mobile OS – Windows Phone 7.

Missing copy & Paste, backward compatibility, multi-tasking, etc. Oh no! How can Microsoft do that to us geeky mobile fans!? Can we really live without copy & paste???

I personally do not agree with those opinions, I think Microsoft is building something great that will eventually combine the basic enterprise needs, office, exchange etc. with a new, fresh, and actually innovative user experience and rich gaming and multimedia capabilities.

So what if there will not be copy & paste? As long as I can click on a number or link and the system understands where I want to go – that's fine! After all – it is a mobile smartphone not a laptop.

(And remember we are talking about first release…)

I believe we see good things from Microsoft lately, they had to replace their Windows Mobile infrastructure, simply had to, and when you develop everything from scratch – you need to cut some functionality to release it fast enough (not that I think it's fast enough…). Apple is doing it all the time, Google is doing it all the time, why should we expect something else from Microsoft?

On the positive side – here are 2 new videos showing the office and email hubs – absolutely AMAZING:

You can find some hints about popup menus, system menus, etc, as well as some integration between emails, calendar, etc.

Great stuff:

Technorati Tags: Windows Phone 7,Microsoft,Windows Mobile

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There has been a lot of criticism against Microsoft's next generation mobile OS – Windows Phone 7.

Missing copy & Paste, backward compatibility, multi-tasking, etc. Oh no! How can Microsoft do that to us geeky mobile fans!? Can we really live without copy & paste???

I personally do not agree with those opinions, I think Microsoft is building something great that will eventually combine the basic enterprise needs, office, exchange etc. with a new, fresh, and actually innovative user experience and rich gaming and multimedia capabilities.

So what if there will not be copy & paste? As long as I can click on a number or link and the system understands where I want to go – that's fine! After all – it is a mobile smartphone not a laptop.

(And remember we are talking about first release…)

I believe we see good things from Microsoft lately, they had to replace their Windows Mobile infrastructure, simply had to, and when you develop everything from scratch – you need to cut some functionality to release it fast enough (not that I think it's fast enough…). Apple is doing it all the time, Google is doing it all the time, why should we expect something else from Microsoft?

On the positive side – here are 2 new videos showing the office and email hubs – absolutely AMAZING:

You can find some hints about popup menus, system menus, etc, as well as some integration between emails, calendar, etc.

Great stuff:

Technorati Tags: Windows Phone 7,Microsoft,Windows Mobile

Microsoft Kin Gets Reviewed

Microsoft's Kin One and Kin Two (or should we say: Kin1 and Kin2?) will be officially available tomorrow and reviews were already published today.

Here's an extensive video review made by our PocketNow.com friend Chuong Nguyen. Thanks for creating this one Chuong! It really summarizes the handheld approach elegantly.

And what do the other blogs say about the Kin?

Engadget’s review ended up with:

"In the end, we’re left with two orphan devices — phones that feel like they should have been killed before they made it to market, but somehow slipped through. It’s clear to us from conversations we’ve had with Microsoft that there are people at the company with good ideas about what phones should and shouldn’t do, but we don’t feel the Kin is representative of those ideas. The execution (or lack thereof) on these products makes us legitimately concerned about what the company will do with Windows Phone 7."

Gizmodo was a bit nicer:

"The Kins have an audience, a sense of style, and—a rarity from Microsoft—a coherent philosophy. They're precocious feature phones, with actual potential. So why are they priced like smartphones?

As a dumbphone killer, the Kin is an easy pitch. As a smartphone competitor, it’s hopeless."

 

Ouch…

Will it be embarissing to say I kind'a like those goofy looking CutePhones? I think they are slick…

Ouch x 2…

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,Kin 1,Kin 2

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Microsoft's Kin One and Kin Two (or should we say: Kin1 and Kin2?) will be officially available tomorrow and reviews were already published today.

Here's an extensive video review made by our PocketNow.com friend Chuong Nguyen. Thanks for creating this one Chuong! It really summarizes the handheld approach elegantly.

And what do the other blogs say about the Kin?

Engadget’s review ended up with:

"In the end, we’re left with two orphan devices — phones that feel like they should have been killed before they made it to market, but somehow slipped through. It’s clear to us from conversations we’ve had with Microsoft that there are people at the company with good ideas about what phones should and shouldn’t do, but we don’t feel the Kin is representative of those ideas. The execution (or lack thereof) on these products makes us legitimately concerned about what the company will do with Windows Phone 7."

Gizmodo was a bit nicer:

"The Kins have an audience, a sense of style, and—a rarity from Microsoft—a coherent philosophy. They're precocious feature phones, with actual potential. So why are they priced like smartphones?

As a dumbphone killer, the Kin is an easy pitch. As a smartphone competitor, it’s hopeless."

 

Ouch…

Will it be embarissing to say I kind'a like those goofy looking CutePhones? I think they are slick…

Ouch x 2…

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,Kin 1,Kin 2

Best Social Media Apps for Windows Mobile

Are you a friendly social person who likes talking to people on the move? Do you have Windows Mobile phone? If the answers are yes and yes - this post is exactly for you!

Reading this great summary by SpeckyBoy, I couldn't help but linking to some of the applications mentioned and add some of my own suggestions:

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Facebook for Win Mobile
Keep up with the latest news and posts with Facebook on your phone. Now your status updates can be up-to-the moment accounts of what you’re doing. Photos and videos are about as close to live-action as you can get. Show your friends what you’re up to, while you’re out and about.

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Quakk - an open source twitter application for Windows Mobile check out the link to read more about this good looking twitter client.

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AIM 2.0 for Windows Mobile

• Get AIM activities like status updates.
• Got friends on other networks? Add your Facebook or Twitter services and never miss an update. Start syncing to your accounts by going to lifestream.aim.com and update your settings.
• You can add your YouTube or Delicious accounts too.
• Leave a comment, like an item. Obviously, if your friends don't have the beta they won't know about the Lifestream so if you want to try out commenting back and forth with someone make sure they have the beta too.
• Read comments made by your friends. Obviously, if your friends don't have the beta, they won't know about the Lifestream. Comments can be made on the desktop AIM beta client or at lifestream.aim.com.

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Nimbuzz Mobile

Nimbuzz is the complete All-In-One for Windows Mobile: Free calls, instant messaging, and file-sharing and status updates. From a single contact list, chat and call any of your contacts via: Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, Facebook, MySpace, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger (MSN), ICQ, Gadu-Gadu, Jabber, studiVZ and Hyves (supports 3G, Wifi, EDGE and GPRS network connections). You can chat, update and send pictures, or videos with social network friends that are on Facebook, MySpace, studiVZ, Hyves and Gadu-Gadu.

 

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Bebo for Windows Mobile
View the latest updates from any of the people in your Friends list. Leave comments and view comments from your friends Take pictures on your phone, then upload them right to Bebo. Send messages or call people in your Friends list. Manage your profile and post status updates anytime, anywhere.

Technorati Tags: Windows Mobile,Social Network,Freeware

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Find 20 more social network apps for Windows Mobile in here

0 comments | Read more...

Are you a friendly social person who likes talking to people on the move? Do you have Windows Mobile phone? If the answers are yes and yes - this post is exactly for you!

Reading this great summary by SpeckyBoy, I couldn't help but linking to some of the applications mentioned and add some of my own suggestions:

---

Facebook for Win Mobile
Keep up with the latest news and posts with Facebook on your phone. Now your status updates can be up-to-the moment accounts of what you’re doing. Photos and videos are about as close to live-action as you can get. Show your friends what you’re up to, while you’re out and about.

---

Quakk - an open source twitter application for Windows Mobile check out the link to read more about this good looking twitter client.

---

AIM 2.0 for Windows Mobile

• Get AIM activities like status updates.
• Got friends on other networks? Add your Facebook or Twitter services and never miss an update. Start syncing to your accounts by going to lifestream.aim.com and update your settings.
• You can add your YouTube or Delicious accounts too.
• Leave a comment, like an item. Obviously, if your friends don't have the beta they won't know about the Lifestream so if you want to try out commenting back and forth with someone make sure they have the beta too.
• Read comments made by your friends. Obviously, if your friends don't have the beta, they won't know about the Lifestream. Comments can be made on the desktop AIM beta client or at lifestream.aim.com.

---

Nimbuzz Mobile

Nimbuzz is the complete All-In-One for Windows Mobile: Free calls, instant messaging, and file-sharing and status updates. From a single contact list, chat and call any of your contacts via: Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, Facebook, MySpace, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger (MSN), ICQ, Gadu-Gadu, Jabber, studiVZ and Hyves (supports 3G, Wifi, EDGE and GPRS network connections). You can chat, update and send pictures, or videos with social network friends that are on Facebook, MySpace, studiVZ, Hyves and Gadu-Gadu.

 

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Bebo for Windows Mobile
View the latest updates from any of the people in your Friends list. Leave comments and view comments from your friends Take pictures on your phone, then upload them right to Bebo. Send messages or call people in your Friends list. Manage your profile and post status updates anytime, anywhere.

Technorati Tags: Windows Mobile,Social Network,Freeware

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Find 20 more social network apps for Windows Mobile in here

20 Things to mention about HP and Palm – by Strand Consult

Strand Consult, the company that wrote back in 2002 the following notes about Palm and Handspring:

"Neither Palm nor Handspring are likely to survive the convergence of mobile phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDA). A convergence, which will form the market for Smart Handheld Devices (SHD):

Neither Palm nor Handspring has the distribution power necessary for operating in the Smart Phone and SHD market

Neither of the companies have the financial muscle necessary to compete with Nokia, Ericsson/Sony, Siemens, Motorola, and now also Microsoft

The PDA value chain and price structure means that products become 30% more expensive at retail level than those shipped through the value chain of the mobile industry." (Link)

… has published a new report about HP's acquisition of Palm; 20 points to take into considerations when analyzing HP's move, with the following summary:

"The biggest question is whether HP in the short term can create a growth in their share value, so that they can justify the investment in Palm? In the long term, the investment must create revenue and profit. We believe that it will be tough for HP to create enough revenue and profit to justify their purchase of Palm.
We could easily make the above list much longer. From where I'm sitting it looks to me as if HP has looked at the value that iPhone has created for Apple's shareholders and said “hey, we need a product like that too”. If you look at what they got for their 1.2billion USD, it appears as if HP purchased a donkey, and is hoping that they can pass it off as a racehorse to their shareholders."

Click here to read all 20 points:

1.  Palm is only a brand name in the USA. Outside the USA Palm is totally unknown as a phone manufacturer.
2.  Palm has no distribution in the mobile world and few and limited relationships with operators around the world.
3.  Palm has limited mobile experience - they have been trying to enter the industry since 2002.
4.  HP also has limited experience in the mobile industry - they have been trying without success.
5.  HP has limited distribution in the mobile world and limited experience in the mobile value chain - they have tried several times but without success.
6.  Even Compaq's iPAQ was not a Compaq product, but a product created by a reference design company in Seattle and a then unknown company in Taiwan, which we now know as HTC. The iPAQ was a Microsoft brainchild that they got Compaq to market and sell, because Microsoft wanted to enter the PDA market. This was the turning point for HTC - a close collaboration with Microsoft, resulting in HTC becoming the worldwide brand it is today.

Check out the full report in here

Technorati Tags: HP,Palm

0 comments | Read more...

Strand Consult, the company that wrote back in 2002 the following notes about Palm and Handspring:

"Neither Palm nor Handspring are likely to survive the convergence of mobile phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDA). A convergence, which will form the market for Smart Handheld Devices (SHD):

Neither Palm nor Handspring has the distribution power necessary for operating in the Smart Phone and SHD market

Neither of the companies have the financial muscle necessary to compete with Nokia, Ericsson/Sony, Siemens, Motorola, and now also Microsoft

The PDA value chain and price structure means that products become 30% more expensive at retail level than those shipped through the value chain of the mobile industry." (Link)

… has published a new report about HP's acquisition of Palm; 20 points to take into considerations when analyzing HP's move, with the following summary:

"The biggest question is whether HP in the short term can create a growth in their share value, so that they can justify the investment in Palm? In the long term, the investment must create revenue and profit. We believe that it will be tough for HP to create enough revenue and profit to justify their purchase of Palm.
We could easily make the above list much longer. From where I'm sitting it looks to me as if HP has looked at the value that iPhone has created for Apple's shareholders and said “hey, we need a product like that too”. If you look at what they got for their 1.2billion USD, it appears as if HP purchased a donkey, and is hoping that they can pass it off as a racehorse to their shareholders."

Click here to read all 20 points:

1.  Palm is only a brand name in the USA. Outside the USA Palm is totally unknown as a phone manufacturer.
2.  Palm has no distribution in the mobile world and few and limited relationships with operators around the world.
3.  Palm has limited mobile experience - they have been trying to enter the industry since 2002.
4.  HP also has limited experience in the mobile industry - they have been trying without success.
5.  HP has limited distribution in the mobile world and limited experience in the mobile value chain - they have tried several times but without success.
6.  Even Compaq's iPAQ was not a Compaq product, but a product created by a reference design company in Seattle and a then unknown company in Taiwan, which we now know as HTC. The iPAQ was a Microsoft brainchild that they got Compaq to market and sell, because Microsoft wanted to enter the PDA market. This was the turning point for HTC - a close collaboration with Microsoft, resulting in HTC becoming the worldwide brand it is today.

Check out the full report in here

Technorati Tags: HP,Palm

Best Windows Mobile Apps

With so many iPhone and Android sites out there, it seems like Windows Mobile freeware and apps are now rare ingredients.

Someone who keeps doing a fantastic job in managing

and testing good Windows Mobile apps is Saijo George, which you may know from 1800PocketPC.com.

Saijo has another site, just about WinMo applications and freeware which is called BestWinMoApps, and if you own a Windows Mobile phone, you want to go check this site out.

http://www.bestwindowsmobileapps.com/

If you are a beginner with Windows Mobile, check out the Mobile Spoon's Guide: Windows Mobile Essentials - Building Up a New WinMo Device - From Scratch...

Technorati Tags: Windows Mobile

1 comments | Read more...

With so many iPhone and Android sites out there, it seems like Windows Mobile freeware and apps are now rare ingredients.

Someone who keeps doing a fantastic job in managing

and testing good Windows Mobile apps is Saijo George, which you may know from 1800PocketPC.com.

Saijo has another site, just about WinMo applications and freeware which is called BestWinMoApps, and if you own a Windows Mobile phone, you want to go check this site out.

http://www.bestwindowsmobileapps.com/

If you are a beginner with Windows Mobile, check out the Mobile Spoon's Guide: Windows Mobile Essentials - Building Up a New WinMo Device - From Scratch...

Technorati Tags: Windows Mobile

Does BlackBerry Really Have a "Problem"?

There is an ongoing argument about RIM's ability to remain so dominant in the enterprise, especially now when iPhone 4 is going to address some of the critical enterprise needs.

I recently came across an interesting article at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech, discussing BlackBerry's problem.

It talks about the fact that BlackBerry is seen as a special beast: not an iPhone/Android fancy one but also much better than Palm or Windows Mobile phones.

Interesting thought, although RIM once again proved that it is still very strong in the game…

According to the article:
"Sales in the most recent quarter reflected that confusion. RIM shipped 10.5 million devices, below the 11 million expected. And pricing power is falling. RIM brass expects its average price to fall between $305 and $310 per phone in the current quarter, versus an average of $311 per device in the fiscal Q4. Not the direction you want things to be headed when new Android devices from all sorts of manufacturers are popping up weekly like spring poppies, and it seems that Apple’s iPhone will be offered by the nation’s No. 1 wireless carrier Verizon soon."

---

Another interesting opinion was found at emf discussing that same argument. It brings some interesting thoughts:

"Let’s remember a few things about the BlackBerry platform:

• Generally speaking, it has the best battery life in the market
• It has the best built-in security features
• Carriers love the data compression – and so will you when you roam internationally
• Paired with the BES, it  has unparalleled homogeneous device management functionality

That said, let’s not forget some other things:

• The web browsing experience is simply not on par with the competition
• The user experience is not as modern as what can be found on other platforms
• The touch experience has simply not been as successful as with other platforms
• The App World does not have anywhere near as many apps as Apple’s AppStore"

I've said in the past that I believe BlackBerry is kind of a wonder. With so many sharks out there, RIM managed to succeed so amazingly, and they might as well continue to do so in the future… but I do feel some slow down… the devices all seem too similar now, the functionality seem to be very standard comparing to iPhone and RIM may be too small and too alone to fight the competition…

Only time would tell.

Technorati Tags: BlackBerry,RIM,Smartphones

1 comments | Read more...

There is an ongoing argument about RIM's ability to remain so dominant in the enterprise, especially now when iPhone 4 is going to address some of the critical enterprise needs.

I recently came across an interesting article at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech, discussing BlackBerry's problem.

It talks about the fact that BlackBerry is seen as a special beast: not an iPhone/Android fancy one but also much better than Palm or Windows Mobile phones.

Interesting thought, although RIM once again proved that it is still very strong in the game…

According to the article:
"Sales in the most recent quarter reflected that confusion. RIM shipped 10.5 million devices, below the 11 million expected. And pricing power is falling. RIM brass expects its average price to fall between $305 and $310 per phone in the current quarter, versus an average of $311 per device in the fiscal Q4. Not the direction you want things to be headed when new Android devices from all sorts of manufacturers are popping up weekly like spring poppies, and it seems that Apple’s iPhone will be offered by the nation’s No. 1 wireless carrier Verizon soon."

---

Another interesting opinion was found at emf discussing that same argument. It brings some interesting thoughts:

"Let’s remember a few things about the BlackBerry platform:

• Generally speaking, it has the best battery life in the market
• It has the best built-in security features
• Carriers love the data compression – and so will you when you roam internationally
• Paired with the BES, it  has unparalleled homogeneous device management functionality

That said, let’s not forget some other things:

• The web browsing experience is simply not on par with the competition
• The user experience is not as modern as what can be found on other platforms
• The touch experience has simply not been as successful as with other platforms
• The App World does not have anywhere near as many apps as Apple’s AppStore"

I've said in the past that I believe BlackBerry is kind of a wonder. With so many sharks out there, RIM managed to succeed so amazingly, and they might as well continue to do so in the future… but I do feel some slow down… the devices all seem too similar now, the functionality seem to be very standard comparing to iPhone and RIM may be too small and too alone to fight the competition…

Only time would tell.

Technorati Tags: BlackBerry,RIM,Smartphones

What's New? Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Still Leading the Way

It's that time of the quarter where we get all competitive and try to check how different mobile vendors are doing, and it's always interesting:

Android:
Google's Android continues to increase its popularity at a growth rate of 32% (year over year), according to a recent report from AdMob (I wonder if it's because Google just acquired them…). You can read more about it in the March 2010 Mobile Metrics Report.

Another interesting fact is that from the entire Android activities, Motorola's Droid is responsible for 32% while Google's dissapointing Nexus One is responsible only for… 2%… (Another proof that this is one of the biggest Google flops so far?)

Read more in here

---

RIM now the 4th largest phone maker

According to research firm IDC, RIM has earned bragging rights as one of the world’s top 5 phone makers. With 10.6 million BlackBerry devices sold during the months of January to March, RIM managed to narrowly beat out fifth place Sony Ericsson by 100,000 phones. Nokia, Samsung and LG finished first, second and third with 107.8 million, 64.3 million and 27.1 million devices sold.

Given that BlackBerry started as such a small company comparing to all the others – this is, yet again, an amazing achievement.

Read the full report in here

---

iPhone

Apple sold 8.8 million iPhones while Motorola sold 8.5 million last quarter (US only). The crazy part is that those are all, obviously, iPhones while Motorola’s entire line consists of smart and feature phones. Including Droid and Devour.

Read more about this story in here

Technorati Tags: Smartphones,Nexus One,BlackBerry,Rim,Apple,iPhone,Android

0 comments | Read more...

It's that time of the quarter where we get all competitive and try to check how different mobile vendors are doing, and it's always interesting:

Android:
Google's Android continues to increase its popularity at a growth rate of 32% (year over year), according to a recent report from AdMob (I wonder if it's because Google just acquired them…). You can read more about it in the March 2010 Mobile Metrics Report.

Another interesting fact is that from the entire Android activities, Motorola's Droid is responsible for 32% while Google's dissapointing Nexus One is responsible only for… 2%… (Another proof that this is one of the biggest Google flops so far?)

Read more in here

---

RIM now the 4th largest phone maker

According to research firm IDC, RIM has earned bragging rights as one of the world’s top 5 phone makers. With 10.6 million BlackBerry devices sold during the months of January to March, RIM managed to narrowly beat out fifth place Sony Ericsson by 100,000 phones. Nokia, Samsung and LG finished first, second and third with 107.8 million, 64.3 million and 27.1 million devices sold.

Given that BlackBerry started as such a small company comparing to all the others – this is, yet again, an amazing achievement.

Read the full report in here

---

iPhone

Apple sold 8.8 million iPhones while Motorola sold 8.5 million last quarter (US only). The crazy part is that those are all, obviously, iPhones while Motorola’s entire line consists of smart and feature phones. Including Droid and Devour.

Read more about this story in here

Technorati Tags: Smartphones,Nexus One,BlackBerry,Rim,Apple,iPhone,Android

Official Twitter Client for Android Released

At last, a decent Twitter app for Android.

I just completed downloading and testing the Android official Twitter application and it's beautiful.

The opening screen includes icons (like the latest trend in LinkedIn/Facebook/other iPhone apps) that are taking you to the different options of the client.

All the usual capabilities are there, and are very well presented.

Finally, an application that actually looks better on my Nexus One than on my iPhone.

At the moment, the Twitter application only runs on Android 2.1, so if you have an older version, try Twidroid Pro.

Find out more details in MobileCrunch.

Technorati Tags: Android,Twitter

0 comments | Read more...

At last, a decent Twitter app for Android.

I just completed downloading and testing the Android official Twitter application and it's beautiful.

The opening screen includes icons (like the latest trend in LinkedIn/Facebook/other iPhone apps) that are taking you to the different options of the client.

All the usual capabilities are there, and are very well presented.

Finally, an application that actually looks better on my Nexus One than on my iPhone.

At the moment, the Twitter application only runs on Android 2.1, so if you have an older version, try Twidroid Pro.

Find out more details in MobileCrunch.

Technorati Tags: Android,Twitter