BlackBerry-RIM Concedes Defeat

Research In Motion - maker of BlackBerry - has suggested it will exit many consumer markets to focus on its business customers as the company swings to a loss. New chief executive Thorsten Heins said via a conference call with market analysts that the company planned to “refocus on the enterprise business” and would not rule out a sale of the company, saying he would be open to hearing purchase offers.

RIM is losing the battle on the consumer front, the dominance of Apple’s iPhones and iPads as well as an onslaught of competitively priced Android and now Windows  powered devices onto the smartphone market has left RIM clearly on in the outer.

“We plan to refocus on the enterprise business and capitalise on our leading position in this segment,” Mr Heins said. ”We believe that BlackBerry cannot succeed if we tried to be everybody’s darling and all things to all people. Therefore, we plan to build on our strength to go after targeted consumer segments.” Read the full article »»»»

Android Overtakes Apple Mobile App Downloads

​The growth of Googles Android platform has been stratospheric over the past 12 months, at October 2010 Android held 19 percent of the U.S. smartphone market – with Apples iPhone iOS at 24 percent. Fast forward 12 months to October 2011 and Android was holding 38 percent of the smartphone market, an increase of almost 20 percent, against Apples 26 percent, an increase of only 2 percent. Androids big big numbers is also reflected in it’s massive increase of available apps to 500,000.

Note worthy is Samsungs strangle hold on the smartphone market. Our favorite semiconductor behemoth has consistently outperformed Apple in sales. Samsung smartphones make up almost 25 percent of the U.S. market, while the much lauded Apple iPhone has consistently sat below 9 percent. This explains Apples aggression toward Samsung [check the litigation links]  84.5 million smartphone handsets in the U.S. equates to 21 million Samsung handsets to Apples 8 million iPhones, ouch! Read the full article »»»»

Google Buys Motorola For $US12.5 Billion, Bits n Bobs, Parts and Patents

Since its launch in November 2007, Android has not only dramatically increased consumer choice but also improved the entire mobile experience for users. Today, more than 150 million Android devices have been activated worldwide — with over 550,000 devices now lit up every day — through a network of about 39 manufacturers and 231 carriers in 123 countries. Given Android’s phenomenal success, we are always looking for new ways to supercharge the Android ecosystem.

According to Googles Official Blog “That is why I am so excited today to announce that we have agreed to acquire Motorola. ” said Googles CEO Larry Page via the behemoths Official Blog. Motorola has a history of over 80 years of innovation in communications technology and products, and in the development of intellectual property, which have helped drive the remarkable revolution in mobile computing we are all enjoying today. Its many industry milestones include the introduction of the world’s first portable cell phone nearly 30 years ago, and the StarTAC — the smallest and lightest phone on earth at time of launch. In 2007, Motorola was a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance that worked to make Android the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. I have loved my Motorola phones from the StarTAC era up to the current DROIDs. Apple Inc is in for a serious shakeup, it’s iPhone is about to get quite a bit of competition. Read the full article »»»»