RIM Releases BlackBerry Storm2, Touts Improvements
By Phil Goldstein
Research In Motion announced the BlackBerry Storm2, the sequel to its first touchscreen device, in a coordinated media blitz. Two days after Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam touted the device in a New York Times article, RIM is promoting the product as one of its major launches for the holiday season.
Verizon did not make any official announcement about pricing or availability for the device, but Vodafone announced that it will launch the new smartphone in seven European countries as well as South Africa."This is a dramatically different, dramatically enhanced product," RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie told Bloomberg. Indeed, the phone has several advancements from the original, including WiFi and a new user input mechanism. The touchscreen now stays still when tapped, and provides tactile feedback electronically instead of mechanically, according to a review in the Wall Street Journal. The phone is expected to be one of the cornerstones of Verizon's holiday handset strategy, in addition to the Android phones it is expected to launch.
"We believe the Vodafone announcement is largely embedded in expectations (we expect late October launch) and expect Verizon to announce Storm2 for the holiday season," UBS analyst Maynard Um wrote in a research note. "We expect launches for Bold2 by U.S. and Canadian operators in late October."In an interview with Reuters, Balsillie acknowledged that the company is prepared to launch new smartphones to keep pace with the likes of Apple, Palm and Motorola.
"We have a really rich (product) road map ... and we aren't slowing down," he said. [FierceWireless]
As Mobile Web Usage Explodes, Full-Featured Browsers on Smartphones See Strongest
One of the undisputed bright spots in 2008 has been the continued rapid growth of web usage on mobile devices. While growth of web usage is up across all mobile device classes, one of the biggest areas of growth has been smartphones. ABI Research sees this growth continuing over the next five years, with highly capable Internet browsers on smartphones expanding from 130 million in 2008 to 530 million by 2013.
“From the strong growth in ad-calls for ad networks such as Admob to the astounding increases in page views for Opera Mini, it’s very clear that consumers have embraced the use of the web on mobile devices,” says research director Michael Wolf. “The increase in awareness of the web on mobile devices – due to the iPhone and new RIM models – has helped contribute to this growth, as has the continued move towards flat-rate data plans by many mobile operators.”
In addition to more capable devices, consumers’ desire to access popular web applications such as web search, social networking and online/mobile video is giving rapid rise to both pre-installation and aftermarket downloads of capable mobile browsers. However, much more work needs to be done to create a seamless experience for mobile users trying to access the broader Internet for rich media applications.
“Three-screen playback is motivating plug-in vendors such as Adobe, Microsoft and Google to put significant development into the mobile device side to enable a consistent experience across all three screens,” adds Wolf. “Investment in content access and playback both in browsers and web-based applications across various devices will help to continue this market’s future growth.” [ABI Research]
RIM Confirms BlackBerry Application Storefront Launch
By Jason Ankeny
In conjunction with this week's BlackBerry Developer Conference, device maker Research In Motion announced both a new online application storefront and a new on-device application center promising to help developers and operators more effectively reach BlackBerry smartphone users worldwide.
According to RIM, the online app storefront will go live in March 2009, although developers may begin submitting their applications and content for inclusion on the site in December--the store will give developers the flexibility to set their own prices and award them 80 percent of revenues generated from sales of their apps. RIM will partner with online payment service PayPal to offer consumers a secure mechanism to purchase apps directly from their BlackBerry devices.
Research In Motion adds it is also collaborating with its carrier partners to provide operator-customized, on-device application centers to nurture after-market application downloads. RIM has already launched on-device distribution system for individual software applications, most notably the Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones application.
According to leaked information obtained by enthusiast community Crackberry.com, the on-device BlackBerry Application Center will make its debut via the BlackBerry Storm version 4.7 operating system. [FierceMobileContent]
RIM to Launch BlackBerry Application Center
By Jason Ankeny
Device maker Research In Motion is poised to introduce the BlackBerry Application Center, a virtual software storefront to rival Apple's App Store and Google's Android Market. According to leaked information obtained by enthusiast community Crackberry.com, the on-device BlackBerry Application Center--which will make its debut via the BlackBerry Storm version 4.7 operating system--will enable users to discover, browse and install third-party BlackBerry apps hosted by mobile operators, serving as the primary interface between the consumer and the carrier's directory of downloadable software.
The BlackBerry Application Center promises one-click, browser-based installation--users will only see applications available for their specific device model and OS version, with related information for each app including full descriptions, the date of the most recent software update and alerts when new updates become available. Carriers will assume responsibility for hosting application data and sending updates to a RIM-hosted server backend.
Last month, mobile content and applications provider MobiHand announced a partnership with CrackBerry.com to launch their own on-device application storefront for BlackBerry smartphone users. The digital retail portal enables consumers to browse and search thousands of applications optimized for their particular Research In Motion-produced device, and will integrate with the BlackBerry Wallet m-commerce service to simplify to purchasing process.
According to MobiHand, users may purchase applications in a single click, with over-the-air delivery following within seconds of registration. No word on how, if at all, the launch of an official, RIM-operated BlackBerry app service will impact MobiHand's rival effort. [FierceDeveloper]
Flickr Photostream-
- Copyright © 2008-2011 Mobile & Wireless. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Blogger
- Back To Top
- Log in
- Blogger
- Home
Recommended Links-