Rumours of a Dell smartphone are running rampant, but what features might the company include, and is it smart to go after Apple's iPhone or tackle the BlackBerry set? One analyst weighs in.
News Mobility
Samsung, Nokia, Apple Handsets Do Well Despite Recession
ABI Research says mobile and wireless handset sales rocked in the first half of 2008, but bombed in the latter half thanks to the recession. The year closed with 1.21 billion handsets shipped for an annual growth of 5.4 percent compared with 16 percent growth from 2007. ABI expects 2009 to be a good year for smartphones, which users are increasingly using for Web services and search. Samsung, Nokia, Apple and RIM grew despite the tepid market, ABI says.
Retailer Wireless Devices Largely Unprotected
A new survey shows 44 percent of the wireless devices used by retailers are vulnerable to attacks by data thieves. And that's the good news. A year ago, the same Motorola survey showed 85 percent of retailers were sitting targets for drive-by data attacks. New PCI standards phasing out Wireless Equivalent Protocol--the weakest form of encryption this side of no encryption at all--may hold the key to improved retailer wireless security.
Obama Wins Smartphone Compromise
What mobile wireless device costs £2.500, comes loaded with Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol and High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptor Interoperability Specification, and secures calls to classified government networks? The BarackBerry. A White House official confirms that President Barack Obama will keep a smartphone while in office, although speculation persists that it will not be Obama's beloved BlackBerry but instead a Sectera Edge, the ultrasecure smartphone developed for the National Security Agency by General Dynamics.
BlackBerry Maker RIM Drops Certicom Quest
Following a court order slapping a permanent injunction on BlackBerry maker Research In Motion's £38.5 million hostile takeover bid for Certicom, the developer of elliptic curve cryptography technology, RIM drops its offer.
Is There Life After iPhone?
So far, the answer is yes. I don't need no stinkin' App Store. In mid December, I bought a Nokia N96 cell phone from Amazon, and I'm simply in love. While there's no touchscreen and some usability deficiencies compared to iPhone 3G, the N96 is good enough where the mobile compares and otherwise beats the Apple smartphone.
RIM Now Supports IBM Lotus Quickr, Lotus Symphony on Smartphones
Research In Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie celebrates RIM BlackBerry's 10th anniversary in enteprise mobility by pledging support for IBM Lotus Quickr, Lotus Symphony and additional support for Lotus Connections. Also, application developers can more easily develop new software applications for BlackBerry smartphones. Meanwhile, the BlackBerry platform support for XPages allows developers to write an app once for both Web and secure use on BlackBerry smartphones.
DiVitas Offers a Solid Unified Communications Option
DiVitas Networks' newest mobile UC platform moves beyond the usual fixed mobile convergence features to include secured instant messaging, presence and visual voicemail. Such features made up for a disappointing set-up experience.
MetaGeek Wi-Spy DBx Offers Cheap, Easy WLAN Analysis
With the proliferation of WLANs in businesses and homes, the need to plan and police wireless networks is growing. The MetaGeek Wi-Spy DBx USB device and accompanying Chanalyzer 3.1 software simplify sophisticated spectrum study for the masses.
Treo Pro Looks Good, but Needs Improving
The Treo Pro from Palm is bringing a sleek new look to the smartphone for business users. However, the erratic 3G performance and battery life issues in the Palm Treo Pro need to be resolved.
Nokia’s E71 Is a Well-Equipped Smartphone
Nokia's E71 is a slim, feature-packed smart phone with an excellent thumb keyboard and enough battery life to last a full work day, offering better manageability, independence than the iPhone 3G.
RIM BlackBerry Bold Comes Up a Little Short
RIM's BlackBerry Bold smartphone is a powerful device with a lot of storage, rich multimedia capabilities and excellent audio. However, it disappoints in several areas and in the highly competitive smartphone space falls behind other devices, such as the Apple iPhone and the Android-based T1 smartphone.
BlackBerry Storm Lacks Punch
RIM's BlackBerry Storm smartphone offers all the enterprise features that businesses have come to know and love, and that Apple's iPhone lacks.
Inside Mobile: Why eBooks and eBook Readers Will Eventually Succeed
Reading eBooks from eBook readers similar to the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader will eventually be the preferred reading method for millions worldwide, predicts Knowledge Centre analyst J. Gerry Purdy.
Microsoft: Tag It!
Finally, Microsoft does something right in mobile. But success will take lots of marketing and customer engagement - and that might not even be enough.