Category Archives: BlackBerry
BlackBerry Q5 could take BB10 into emerging markets like India
Ovum predicts Q5 is suitable successor to Curve
According to Adam Leach, principal device and platforms analyst at Ovum,”BlackBerry is clearly aiming to replicate the success of the Blackberry Curve in emerging markets, doing so will help the company establish the Blackberry 10 platform in the market.” Despite low average incomes,emerging markets accounted for roughly 17 per cent of the nearly 450 million smartphone shipments globally in 2011. In markets such as India. Smartphones are establishing themselves as the prime means of Internet access. Continue reading
BlackBerry opens up BBM to Android & iOS
No mention of WP8 version, though
In a typical if-you-cant-beat-em-join-em approach, BlackBerry has just announced plans to make its IMS facility BlackBerry Messenger BBM available to iOS and Android users. That is, of course, if Apple and Google allow BlackBerry to upload the apps to their resxpecitive app stores. There’s no mention of a Windows Phone 8 (WP8) client, of course. One UK publication described BBM as the “rioters’ texting toool” because BBM proved to be the IMS of choice amongst London rioters. Other observers take the view that WhatsApp is likely to have the most to lose. However, GoMo News believes that it’s the mobile operators who are most in danger as a universal BBM could seriously dent their SMS revenues. Continue reading
Samsung edging out Apple in smartphone wars
South Korea’s Samsung has further extended its lead over Apple as the world’s largest smartphone maker, taking a 31 per cent share of recent sales according to new data.
Research firm Gartner says the manufacturing giant sold 64.7 million smartphones in Q1 2013, against 38.1 million iPhone sales. It means Samsung is increasing its lead since a year ago when it sold 40.6 million smartphones to Apple’s 33.1 million.
Together, the two companies now account for nearly half the smartphone market which in itself is increasing by 43 per cent a year. Gartner says more than 200 million people bought smartphones in the quarter, and that the devices now account for just AMeanwhile, Nokia’s shares slump after release of latest WP8 model
South Korea’s Samsung has further extended its lead over Apple as the world’s largest smartphone maker, taking a 31 per cent share of recent sales according to new data. Research firm Gartner says the manufacturing giant sold 64.7 million smartphones in Q1 2013, against 38.1 million iPhone sales. It means Samsung is increasing its lead since a year ago when it sold 40.6 million smartphones to Apple’s 33.1 million.
Together, the two companies now account for nearly half the smartphone market which in itself is increasing by 43 per cent a year. Gartner says more than 200 million people bought smartphones in the quarter, and that the devices now account for just under half of total phone sales globally.under half of total phone sales globally. Continue reading
Anite shares emerge from the doldrums on upbeat trading news
Says revenues now look more promising
Shares in mobile phone testing specialist, Anite, closed more than 7 per cent higher in London last night, allaying concerns earlier in the year that it was in for a bumpy ride ahead. The price surge helped correct a 15 per cent plunge in the company’s stock in March after it admitted that its order intake was lower than 12 months previously. It also warned at the time that it needed to put in a strong fourth-quarter to meet financial targets for the year, further spooking investors and sending shares down to 131 pence. Continue reading
Microsoft ‘reversing gear’ on Windows 8
Tiled interface too much of a learning curve
Microsoft is planning to do a u-turn over key elements of its Window 8 operating system, it’s claimed, after many users found the new platform difficult to master. The Seattle giant is due to release an update to the OS later this year and, in an interview with the Financial Times, its head of marketing Tammy Reller admitted the “learning curve was real,” hinting that significant changes were on the way.
The admission also puts a question mark over Windows Phone 8, Microsoft’s current mobile operating system and which deploys the same Windows NT kernal. Continue reading
BlackBerry Q10 is Selfridges’ fastest-ever selling tech product
Rating: Plus you can now run Skype on a BB10 device
The very latest BB10 based handset, the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone went on sale on Friday 26th April [2013] and – in the UK and was exclusively available in Selfridges’ stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester stores. The leading High Street retailer has subsequently claimed that in less than 24 hours the Q10 gained the title as the department store’s fastest-ever selling consumer electronics product. Pre-orders for the BlackBerry Q10 on Selfridges.com, which launched on Wednesday, 24th April [2013], have exceeded all expectations with over 30,000 page views of the pre-order page within the first two days of the exclusive announcement. So the Brits obviously still get excited by BlackBerry’s smartphones. Continue reading
Chat apps threat to mobile revenues as they overtake SMS as preferred means of messaging
Research by media consultancy Informa has revealed that “over the top” messaging via chat apps such as Apple’s iMessage and WhatsApp is now popular than SMS, undermining mobile operators’ traditional revenues.
The rapid rise of chat apps since their introduction over the last five years is even seen by some analysts as a threat to Facebook’s social networking dominance. Continue reading
Apple needs to attract to emerging markets to keep smartphone crown
Rating: Juniper smartphone research show small rise for Apple
It seems that Apple managed a small rise in its smartphone shipments according to the latest estimates from mobile analyst firm, Juniper Research. The firm reckons Apple sold something like 37.4 million iPhones in Q1 2013 compared to 35.1 million in the same period last year [2012]. Overall, around 200 million smartphones are estimated to have been shipped in Q1 2013. No surprises for guessing who came out best. Samsung’s estimated 68 million smartphones represent 34 per cent of all smartphone shipments in the quarter. So, if Apple is to retain its smartphone crown, it will have to take drastic steps. Continue reading
Apple investors braced for unwelcome profit plunge
Thin margins could spark further fall in share price
Apple investors are bracing themselves for a rare plunge in profits tomorrow [Tuesday, 23rd April] when the Cupertino manufacturer reveals how many iPhones and iPads it has sold in recent months. Though most analysts expect Apple to report another record period of sales for the three months to April, they also believe lower margins on its iPhone 5 and iPad mini are set to cause the first drop in profits for a decade. Continue reading
BlackBerry demands probe into ‘misleading claims’ over Z10 customer returns
Lack of apps and poor user interface cited for returns
Claims that some retailers are finding more customers are returning their BlackBerry Z10 phones than the outlets are actually selling has prompted demands by the manufacturer for an investigation into the research company involved. The troubled Canadian firm is to ask the Securities and Exchange Commission and Ontario Securities Commission to probe what it says is “a false and misleading report” about retail return rates. The report, by Boston-based Detwiler Fenton, initially sparked a fall in the value of BlackBerry shares, though at close on Nasdaq last night the price had recovered slightly to $13.64 – albeit still well below its January peak of $18.32. Continue reading
Possible hint that BlackBerry Q10 release is imminent
Rating: UK PT team just sends us Q10 details
Well, this is strange. We all know that Blackberry is planning to launch the QWRTY version of its BB10 handset – the Q10, any time now. The smart money has so far been on April 30th [2013]. But, for no apparent reason, the company’s UK PR team decided to remind us just how desirable this handset will be. We’re fans. We’ve checked and apparently some Canadian web sites are already letting BlackBedrry junkies pre-order this handset. So just in case the launch is more imminent we’ve republished the Q10 promo blurb below. Continue reading
Guest Post: Top 10 handsets of 2012
by Saffy Kaurdashian, a blogger with 91mobiles
GoMo News asked me to pick my favourite handsets from last year. 2012 witnessed all kinds of smartphone technology. Some were so quirky it was hard to see them as phones. Many manufacturers have tried to use an ‘exaggeration element’ to try and win publicity, curiosity and ultimately sales. The smartphones that faired the best are however the ones that managed to include performance, style, and something decidedly attractive in each device. That makes them desirable at a time where money spending has been curbed due to the slumping economy. With most of the popular phones being all touchscreen, there is an argument which says that the QWERTY hardware era has ended. Let’s take a look at the phones that settled at the Top Ten slots below. Continue reading
51degrees.mobi compares Z10 vs Sony Xperia Z
Rating: Founder also takes a pop at PrimeLocation’s mobile site
51Degrees.mobi, put together a very interesting chart last week. This chart which shows web traffic usage for the Blackberry Z10 in comparison to the traffic for the Sony Xperia Z during March 2013. They are two of the main contenders for ‘also-ran’ or Tier Two smartphones so it is intriguing to see how ell they are doing. below are some of the findings. Continue reading
Six in ten smartphones sold in UK now Android, says Kantar
But the clouds still over BlackBerry
Latest figures from market researcher Kantar confirm Android’s overwhelming dominance of the UK smartphone market, accounting for six in every ten handsets sold. But, as with the rest of the world, Kantar’s quarterly survey up to February [2013] also reveals BlackBerry as continuing to lose ground, with the once dominant manufacturer taking just 5.1 per cent of sales in the period, down from 16.8 per cent a year ago.
BlackBerry didn’t dupe investors over stock value, rules judge
Failings don’t equate to fraud
A class action brought by disaffected BlackBerry shareholders, accusing the troubled manufacturer of trying to hide its falling market position, has been thrown out by a US judge. The action, filed by investor Robert Shemian, sought to recover losses on behalf of other US shareholders who bought the company’s stock from December 2010 through to June 2011 when shares in BlackBerry – then known as RIM – commanded as much as $75. Continue reading
