Posted on February 23, 2010, at 5:55 PM .
Gartner have released their latest figures breaking down the mobile OS market between BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian, Windows Mobile et al. RIM are doing very well in second place with a 3.3 point gain bringing them to 19.9 percent market share. While Symbian is dominating the list, I’m personally more concerned with smartphone-based OSes that have a relatively vibrant developer community. With all that today’s modern smartphone can do, Symbian seems like a relic of a feature phone world that is almost obsolete.
As we pointed out in the IDC post, you can’t deny Apple’s market share growth rate. Apple is selling just 10M fewer units than RIM, and if the growth numbers remain constant, I can see them overtaking RIM. On the other hand, RIM still has some core business and technology advantages that can leave Apple in the dust.
For example, carriers are going to put an increasing amount of pressure on hardware manufacturers to be efficient with data. Apple have been pretty greedy when it comes to network consumption and if they lose the carriers’ confidence, we’ll be seeing the carriers’ marketing dollars shifting to BlackBerry. RIM are also going to see a tremendous amount of growth globally, while Apple are too rigid in pricing to be effective outside of first world countries. It’s safe to say that the next few years are going to be very interesting.
[Graph courtesy of TechCrunch]
Posted on February 23, 2010, at 3:42 PM .
Fido have announced they are carrying the BlackBerry Curve 8520. The device comes in black, and will run you $50 on a three year contract (voice and data). You could also shell out $400 for the device without a contract, which seems like an awful lot for a BlackBerry that bills itself as an introductory smartphone. I hope this device becomes free on Fido shortly as others have managed to work out the economics.
Posted on February 23, 2010, at 11:43 AM .
Handango have been on a downward slope for some time now as most of the bigger sites signed up with Mobihand, and carriers are taking app store development in-house. I assume the company must have been close to bankruptcy and PocketGear came in and acquired them. Now PocketGear supports 2,000+ mobile devices, every major OS, with 140,000+ paid and free titles.
Considering the market, I can’t imagine PocketGear is in much of a better position. I’m not even sure about Mobihand’s ability to stay relevant over the long term, let alone PocketGear which is bloated with apps that will never sell. In general, I think the market is going to continue to trend towards the carriers and manufacturers fighting for market share, with a few independent stores getting whatever they can.
Posted on February 23, 2010, at 10:56 AM .
Slacker fans rejoice, Slacker 3.0 is now available for download! The biggest change is that you can now cache your stations wirelessly while you sleep for a fresh brew of music to go with your morning coffee. It’s available for download now via your BlackBerry browser at http://www.slacker.com or App World. Per Slacker, here are some of the new features in version 3.0:
• Updated interface
• Faster application startup time
• Significantly smaller application size
• Improved touch interface for BlackBerry Storm
• Greatly improved battery life
• New settings menu options
• Tabbed info view for lyrics, reviews and biographies
Check out the full release after the break.
Continue reading ‘Slacker 3.0 With Wireless Caching Live!’
Posted on February 23, 2010, at 10:33 AM .
Electric Pocket have updated BugMe!, their notification app and are offering 10 copies as a giveaway. BugMe! is a quick and easy way to remind yourself of daily chores and To Do items. You can take notes, jot down ideas or set a reminder for yourself about an errand you need to run. The app will pop up an alarm when it’s time to get the job done. The latest build includes new features such as:
- Reminder Alerts (nags) for notes so they will repeatedly alert you until acknowledged.
- The ability to schedule BugMe! alarms on a monthly basis – both on the same day of each month and “First Tuesday” style.
- Alarms set to repeat on a recurring basis will now display their next scheduled alert time.
- The option to set a snooze time, which is ideal for those who use BugMe! to wake them up or who may not be able to act on an alert right when it sounds.
- A daily email summary of notes with alarms for the next 24 hours.
- Auto-backup of notes to SD card (if present).
- Automatically checks for app updates, with a link to download the latest version.
To win a copy, just leave a comment on this post. Remember, if you comment as a guest and don’t leave any contact info, we can’t send you the free copy. Make sure to leave your Facebook, Twitter or email to be eligible to win.
More information about BugMe! available in the BlackBerryCool Store.
Posted on February 22, 2010, at 6:06 PM .
RIM is hosting a webcast to talk about their latest initiative – BlackBerry Super Apps. According to RIM, “a Super App levaerages the unique capabilities of the BlackBerry platform to offer a seamless, integrated and efficient experience.”
During their webcast, you’ll learn how to:
- Design apps that are stickier, more intuitive, more engaging and more valuable to users.
- Maximize network efficiency and battery life with “always-on” apps that run in the background, quietly waiting for the right time to spring into action.
- Add custom menu items and data to the Inbox, Address Book and Calendar so your apps are always one click away.
- Leverage true push technology to deliver “just-in-time” data with audible notifications and customized messages
Date: Thursday, February 25, 2010
Time: 2:00 PM EST
Presenter: Mike Kirkup, Director, Developer Relations
Register for the webinar today and learn how to build a Super App.
