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

It’s been quite a journey for Palm. When the Palm Pre was released in early January 2009 many people thought this is the device that will be able to knock Apple’s iPhone from the top. Now, we all know that things didn’t turn up that well for Palm, but now we’re edging closer to their second attempt.

Now owned by HP, the first commercial aimed at advertising the new Palm Pre 2 is already here with HP indicating that the fact they are a much bigger company compared to how big Palm were back in 2009 will allow them to splash more funds for advertising the new device. As for now, it’s not known how many outlets will show the ad.

As for the commercial itself, it’s 34 seconds in length and is aimed at emphasizing all the advantages of the Palm Pre 2 – the device’s speed, the new webOS 2.0, Just Type, the cool applications and the true multitasking.

Check it out for yourself below and don’t forget to comment what are your first impressions of the device – is it going to make it to the top or its future is to be lagging behind the competition. The rumoured release date for Palm Pre 2 is 11th of November and its first carrier will be Verizon.
source: Electronista

HP’s PC division head confirmed in an interview that it will show the fruit of its marriage with Palm early 2011 in the form of a tablet, running webOS. HP put on the shelf its plans for the Slate – a Windows 7-powered tablet, but it is no doubt using the hardware expertise acquired on the way to come up with a webOS device just months after it acquired Palm. What would it be is anyone’s guess, but webOS is great at multitasking and many other things, so a tablet with it backed by HP’s mammoth production and marketing capabilities might stir up the market quite a bit.

Speaking of alternative mobile operating systems for the exploding tablet market, Bloomberg reports that BlackBerry will be releasing its BlackPad in November with an OS created by QNX – a Canadian software company it bought in April. It turns out that these guys are producing the in-car multimedia and navigation user interfaces in our Porsches, Audis and BMWs, so we are assuming that BlackBerry is aiming for a classy experience with the BlackPad. The QNX operating system has actually been around since the 80s and is now used in Canadian nuclear plants, so we’d dare to say it must be stable.

We are embedding a video of the latest QNX in-car touchscreen creation we could find, called the “Flash Motor” – the BlackPad’s user interface may or may not look anything like that. It’s QNX’s part of a project called the “LTE connected car”, using in-dash touchscreen for infotainment and controlling the car.

It has nothing to do with the BlackPad for now, but you can still check it out to see what the OS is capable of – UI is demoed as well as browsing, a YouTube client, etc. The QNX guys are heavy users of Adobe Flash in their software, so it will be relatively safe to assume Flash won’t be an issue, unlike on some other tablets we know of.

source: Yahoo! & BGR

Discover the QNX “Flash Motor” – a car with a difference from Paul Wyatt on Vimeo.

The latest version of webOS, that was released by Sprint for its Palm phones, seems to have unlocked some gaming capabilities on the Palm Pixi munchkin. Since webOS 1.4.5 brings OpenGL support to the handset, it is now able to run 3D games for mobile. Need for Speed: Undercover was installed on it to test the 3D prowess of the Palm Pixi, and it behaved quite well, with playable framerate, but slow loading times. If you are a Pixi user and have gaming pedigree, that is certainly great news.

While some are just receiving their mobile gaming capabilities, others are running Rage at 60fps. That is precisely what John Carmack from id Software (hint: DooM 1, 2 and 3; Quake 1, 2, 3 and 4) demoed with an iPhone 4 in his hands at QuakeCon 2010. Carmack was using id’s Tech 5 graphics engine, and, scaled for the iPhone, the “megatexture” experience of Rage looked amazingly smooth. He even went as far as to say that the demo is able to “kill anything done on the Xbox or PlayStation 2… “. Certainly an impressive feat, if we forget that the whole action is shown on a 3.5” screen, a big part of which is to be occupied by your thumbs.
source: Engadget and Gizmodo

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

Palm’s WebOS devices and the iPhone are getting some free public TV viewing thanks to SPB TV that’s available for free through Palm’s App Catalog and Apple’s App Store. With plenty of viewing material from around the world, there will surely be something on there that’ll catch your eyes. The interface should be familiar to cable subscribers with its quick channel previews and TV Guide-like view to allow you to check out what’s playing. In addition, there is support for adaptive network bandwidth control to allow an undisturbed steady stream of your favorite content to your handset. With no additional subscription charges required to watch content, it would make the perfect solution for those individuals that can tolerate the available programming on these public television channels – plus it can be used to kill some time in between work.
via IntoMobile & PalmInfocenter

Just about a week before Steve Jobs held up the iPad in San Francisco, the word was that Verizon was going to be the iPad’s carrier and that this time, Big Red would not make the mistake of showing Steve Jobs the door. So many thought that it was Verizon’s time in the sun, that when Jobs announced that AT&T was to be the iPad’s initial 3G carrier, the oxygen level in the room decreased by 50%. Now nearly a week after the tablet’s announcement, there is word that perhaps Verizon isn’t totally done. According to Silicon Alley Insider, Fox News reporter Clayton Morris has a source inside Verizon who tells him that a CDMA version of the tablet is still in the works, and would be a new hardware version. Two Wall Street analysts, Brian Marshall of Broadpoint AmTech and Ashkok Kumar of Northeast Securities both believe that a Verizon branded iPad is on the way. Marshall says, “Based on some of my datapoints, I still think VZ will happen in the near-term on the iPad and in 2H10 on the iPhone.” On the other hand, both incorrectly predicted that Big Red would be named as a carrier at the event last week. And yes, Verizon could end up watching Apple and AT&T ring up accounts from the sidelines. Apple CEO Tim Cook said during his company’s post earnings conference call that multi-carrier solutions are not the best option for every country. So we are back to the same rumors and guesses that mark Apple’s lack of a relationship with Verizon. Apple’s relationship with AT&T meanwhile, has obviously been repaired. But WILL Verizon get the iPad?
source: SiliconAlleyInsider via AppleInsider

Business Week is reporting that Verizon will start offering the webOS powered duo of the Palm Pre and the Palm Pixi sometime this month. A BW source says that Big Red will introduce the models at this week’s CES in Las Vegas. Both models will have additional memory when compared to the current version of the devices, which have been available exclusively in the U.S. at Sprint since the launch of both phones.

For Palm, this is the second chance for the Pre to take off. When originally introduced last year, it was immediately considered the equal of the iPhone and hopes were high for big sales of the device. But the reality never caught up with the expectations and the Pre languished after being launched in June. Maribel Lopez, founder of Lopez Research LLC, a San Francisco-based consulting and research firm, says Palm has “to prove that this platform has legs and they can do something with it.” According to BW’s source, Big Red will determine the pricing for the phones this week. At Verizon, the Pre and Pixi will have to compete with the current flagship model, the Motorola DROID and the touchscreen BlackBerry Storm2. the carrier has been heavily marketing the Android based Motorola phone while practically ignoring the Storm sequel. The Business Week story also says that AT&T might start selling Palm’s phones in the first half of the year. This would mean that Palm would have to start producing GSM models of the webOS handsets for the American market.
source: BusinessWeek

Visit the download page for Adobe Flash from an iPhone and Adobe tells you in no uncertain terms whose fault it is that the software will not play on your device. “Apple restricts use of technologies required by products like Flash Player. Until Apple eliminates these restrictions, Adobe cannot provide Flash Player for the iPhone or iPod Touch,” says the writing in the box.

Now we take a look at what it says when you try to get Flash from a device using webOS. “Adobe Flash Player is coming to Palm’s webOS in the first half of 2010.” This is certainly exciting news for Pre owners and might actually be enough to sway those sitting on the fence to land on the side of the fence belonging to Palm’s handset. Besides the Pre, there is also talk that the recently launched Motorola DROID will be getting Flash 10 support in the first half of next year. This looks to leave Apple out in the cold unless they start playing nice with Adobe. Remember Apple, pride comes before a fall.

For the time being, Palm’s latest webOS update, 1.2.1, weighing in at 38MB, addresses issues with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, adds photo albums to Media Sync, and continues the cat-and-mouse game with Apple by repairing the broken iTunes sync. Maybe Apple will quickly push out an incremental update that breaks the sync again? We hope not, but until that day comes, enjoy the restored iTunes sync-ability.

Following are the rest of the official updates:

New applications
NONE

Feature changes to existing applications
Email

Resolved an issue where after installing the 1.2.0 webOS update some customers running Exchange 2007 could no longer synchronize with their Exchange account for Email, Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks.

System

Resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with latest version of iTunes (9.0.1).
Media sync now synchronizes photo albums, maintaining the album structure in the Photos app.
Media sync now allows for synchronizing photos without requiring the full-resolution originals. This provides faster display of high-quality full-screen images and enables users to store more photos on the phone.

Web

Resolved an issue where if a user tried to play streaming music or video, the media stream might drop out or have a long delay before starting.

Security

This release implements several security fixes, including the following:
Addresses a security issue encountered by webkit developers. This issue did not impact end users.

Individuals interested in contacting Palm to report suspected security issues can find more information at palm.com/security.

source: mypre.com