HP’s webOS Developer Day in New York City proved to be quite eventful. Developer Advocate Josh Marinacci told the audience that webOS 2.0 will be coming to all webOS devices in the next few months. Of course, that is great news for owners of the original Palm Pre and Pixi models and their “Plus” follow-ups.

We can’t help but notice how the decision to update all of the older handsets results in the the opposite of that naughty fragmentation word that has been plaguing Android going back to the days of Cupcakes, Donuts and Eclairs.

Marinacci’s speech is on the video below, so if you want to hear the words for yourself, give it a play. And we just know that everyone is going to be patient and remain calm even though “the next few months” can run anywhere from December-January to next August-September or beyond. We don’t want to spoil a good thing, but as we have discovered with the Android updates, it is best not to put too much weight on specific targets based on time.
source: PreCentral

One of our friends sent us Verizon’s newest rebate form showing a bunch of new phones that should be out between November 1-24, just in time for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. On the list is the LG Cosmos Touch ($50 rebate) that will be similar to the current Cosmos with a full QWERTY keyboard, but with a full touchscreen on the front, the LG Vortex ($100 rebate) Android 2.2 smartphone with a 600MHz processor avaliable in Black and Violet colors, the Motorola DROID 2 Global , DROID PRO and CITRUS ($100 rebate each) all of which are new Android smartphones, but the CITRUS is a entry-level device, while the DROID 2 Global and DROID PRO have full QWERTY keyboard and can work globally on CDMA & GSM networks. Also on the rebate lists is the Palm Pre 2 ($100 rebate), the Samsung Zeal ($50 rebate) that little is know about, and the Samsung Continuum ($100 rebate) that is another Galaxy S Android smartphone with dual displays on the front and is expected to be showcases at the November 8th press event. The Samsung Galaxy Tab isn’t mentioned on the rebate list, but it will launch on November 11th with a price of $599, so it’s possible there will not be a rebate for it.

This is a lot for Verizon to release over the next few weeks and we hope there isn’t any delay. Which new phone are you most interested in?

The smartphone industry’s rapid adoption seems to be going on and on and, at least for the time being, the end of this growth is not on the horizon. This is not much of a news itself, but taking a closer look at the picture reveals some impressive stats that give a hint where the industry as a whole is going. According to ABI Research, the raw figures are as follows – of all mobile devices shipped in Q2 of 2010, 19% are smartphones and that in turn means this is a 12% growth compared to Q1 of the same year and 50% increase between Q2 2009 and Q2 2010. Michael Morgan, a senior analyst for mobile devices at ABI Research, states that this is only the beginning: “I am predicting an all-time record high for the third quarter numbers.” Impressive stuff indeed.

But that’s not all. With the mini-revolution that’s slowly unfolding right before our eyes in the hardware sector and with all the software improvements going on, things are bound to go up and up. That’s without mentioning some major factors – like Microsoft spending a billion to stage their comeback Windows Phone 7 platform or the persistently-rumoured Verizon-branded Apple iPhone that’s expected some time early 2011.

Why is that so important?
It’s of paramount importance, because there is no place for everyone and the battle of the mobile operating systems will be a matter of life and death for most of the companies in the smartphone business. Most of the observers tend to agree that “it needs to boil down to three or perhaps four key operating systems.”

Where the things stand at present with the mobile operating systems?
In the USA, the leading smartphone platforms at the moment are Research in Motion’s BlackBerry OS with 37.6%, followed by Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android with 24.2% and 19.6% respectively. The momentum is with Android, while Apple continues to make quite a few dollars with their devices and these two operating systems are seen by Mr. Morgan as major players: “Right now there are two key platforms: iOS and Android.”

However, it would be naive to underestimate the other potential players. The fact is that Microsoft poured a billion into their newly-released Windows Phone 7 and recently HP acquired Palm with the Palm Pre 2 and webOS 2.0 soon to hit the market. Only time can reveal how Windows Phone 7 and webOS 2.0 will fare, but one thing is certain – they will be in the OS race.

Apple was firing on all cylinders in Q2 of 2010 with 8.4 million shipments, of which 3 million were iPhone 4 units released only a few weeks prior to the end of the quarter. Even more unbelievable is that they managed to record a growth of 68% in Q3 compared to Q2.
Another manufacturer who is doing quite well is HTC. So well, actually, that the Taiwanese-based vendor is now among the top 10 biggest cell phone makers. This is a fairytale story of a far-off land manufacturer creating devices for other companies that nowadays impresses the world with its stellar-looking devices.

The obvious conclusion is that we’re in the middle of a revolution with smartphone shipments increasing on a daily basis. That growth is sure to expand and with all the advancements going on in the hardware and the software departments, things look certain to get only better and better both for regular customers and from a technological point of view.

What are your thoughts on the smartphone industry’s path? How far it will go in the next few years and what technologies you would like to see most in the new smartphones? We here at PhoneArena would love to hear what you think on these fundamental for any smartphone-lover questions.
source: Mobilemarketer via Mediapost

Market research firm IDC determined that the smartphone market this year will increase from 2009 by 55.4%. To better illustrate, that’s a shipment of 269.6 million units in 2010 versus 173.5 million in 2009. They attribute much of this forecast growth to models such as the BlackBerry Torch, the HTC EVO 4G, and the Apple iPhone 4.

They go on to speculate about the competing OS market shares by estimating their percentages in 2014. It’s no surprise that Android climbs by 51.2% over the next few years. Some of their other forecasts, however, might come as a bit of shock. One of these is that Apple’s iOS decreases by 25.8%. Perhaps we are just too in love with the iPhone to imagine it losing ground. Perhaps its loss of market share over the following years is due to other OS’s like Android gaining better brand recognition.

Tell us what you think…
source: Business Wire via Unwired View

How would you like to watch streaming satellite television from your iPhone, BlackBerry or Android handset? According to the AP, you soon will have this option. BlackBerry and iPhone (iPod Touch and iPad owners too) users will be have this function starting next month while in October, Android phones will have this capability. Besides having to download a free new app from Dish, special hardware will be required like a Sling Box which costs in the range of $200 to $300. Or, Dish subscribers can pay $200 to $400 to upgrade their DVR to one with Sling Box features. You will have to pay $10 a month for multiple DVR service, but you will get to record with it. A little note here-Sling Box is owned by EchoStar whose Chairman is Charles Ergen, the CEO of Dish Network.

With the new Dish app needed for viewing the programs, you will get to change channels remotely-unless someone is watching a different channel back home. And while the SlingBox can access programs that you  have recorded on your DVR, you can’t record on it. The current app for Dish subscribers is available for the iPhone (iPad and iPod Touch) but is limited to programming your DVR, browse TV shows and for using your phone as a remote control. The app will be upgraded to allow for streaming of programs on to the phone. Both the BlackBerry and Android apps will include the functions on them when they are launched. Dish and Echo Star are a perfect combination to provide streaming satellite television. Back in 2007, EchoStar bought Sling and later spun off Dish Network.
source: AP

Ever wondered what smartphone users are searching for from their handsets? Chitika Research has got you covered with a study revealing the top five search queries from each mobile OS. The sample was based on more than a million impressions across its advertising network in the past week. If we leave out common searches like  “Father’s Day 2010”, “NBA Finals 2010”, “Oil spill” and “50 Cent Skinny”, some interesting differences emerge.

First off, Palm users seem to want back in vogue, as 2 of their top 5 searches are “HTC EVO” or “Sprint iPhone”. That’s not to say Palm users want them apples by all means, it rather looks like they just want out. On the other hand, Apple owners already have the mojo, but they still love to remind themselves they are part of the clan – iPhone and iPad users have often searched for “iPhone 4G” or “WWDC 2010”. And just as every self-respecting community, Apple users want to stay in touch with its main events.

The study finishes by listing the Android and BlackBerry top 5 searhes. By the looks of it, BlackBerry users stray from the everyday grind with the “funny sayings” search. Now, is that the most fun you can have with a BlackBerry, or what? It’s sad that the number 5 search from Android handsets is “Unemployment extension”, but that’s why they went with a free OS, after all, smart move.
source: Chitika Research

HP’s recent acquisition of Palm has taken its toll as yet another Palm webOS veteran that aided the company in building up webOS from the ground up has announced his departure. Senior director of human interface and user experience at Palm, Matias Duarte, has left Palm and is currently joining one of webOS’s competitors for newer ventures. The man known to some in the industry as the webOS guru, Duarte signed on to become the user experience director for Google’s Android platform. This follows after Palm’s senior vice president of software and services, Michael Abbott, also announced his departure from the company in favor for a role as vice president of engineering for Twitter. Surely it’s a blow for Palm and its webOS platform now that things are looking to be more stable, but there’s no denying the kind of talent that Duarte will bring to the table for Android. Eventually we’ll witness some of the fruits of his hard labor with the green Android platform that keeps on looking better with each incarnation.
source: All Things Digital

Despite their intentions on still trucking along and hopeful about staying alive to celebrate the one year anniversary of their first webOS handset’s launch, there are rumors surrounding a company that is interested in buying Palm – and at the same time, save the company from a hasty demise. Speculations are swirling around PC maker Lenovo possibly interested in taking over the long time smartphone maker. It’s yet unclear as to what plans they may have up their sleeves for Palm if they do indeed take over the company, but these rumors seemingly have a positive affect on Palm’s stock value of late. Even though Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein may be defiant in looking for any potential bid offers, Lenovo’s purchase of Palm could increase their visibility in the market as they are about to take the plunge with their Android powered LePhone. Just a reminder for those that might’ve forgotten, it features a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 3-megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, QWERTY keyboard. Palm’s patent portfolio is no doubt seen by many as a valuable asset to companies, but we’re confident that some of the things seen on webOS could also be integrated into other platforms. You never know, Lenovo may opt to utilize webOS’s leverage and integrate some of its components into some kind of customized Android experience a la Sense or MOTOBLUR.
via Electronista

Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein reportedly released a memo on Tuesday that seemed to announce a shift from the webOS platform to Android. The memo was supposed to be up on Wikileaks at midnight, which it never was. The important part of the memo reads, “While Palm is incredibly proud of our engineers who spent timeless work and effort to bring us this advanced operating system,consumers simply have not caught on. To provide a better future for ourselves and customers, the only logical choice is to transition our hardware and software to the Android platform.” According to Wired’s Gadget Lab and Engadget, a source inside Palm says that there is no plan to switch to Android and that the company is committed to webOS.

There is no question that Android is hot at the moment. Even Rubinstein said that the DROID’s launch at Verizon before the Pre Plus was one of the reasons why his phone is selling poorly at Big Red. But there are things that Palm can do with its OS. Considering that many analysts who hated the hardware of the two phones love the OS, Palm could license webOS to another company who can make superior handsets. Whatever move Palm makes-and time is running out-dumping their home grown OS for the same software everyone else is using seems unlikely.
source: Slashdot via GadgetLab and Engadget

Verizon has been known to offer some of the industry’s best BOGO offers in the past, but there  might be an even sweeter promotion that’s going to be on the horizon. BGR is reporting that the latest Buy One, Get One Free promotion that Big Red is speculated to start running today, February 16, will feature some of their best devices to date. So if you held out long enough and plan on buying a Motorola DROID, HTC DROID Eris, Palm Pre Plus, or a Palm Pixi Plus, you’ll be eligible to get a second phone of equal or lesser value for free. If you want to venture from something aside an Android or webOS handset for the free phone, you can simply check out something like a Windows Mobile or feature phone. Finally, like all their previous BOGO offers, they will require you to sign a two year contract and tack on any required data plans. Still, you really can’t beat the savings you’ll get by this sweet promotion they’re offering.
source: BGR