Posts Tagged ‘tablets’
Possibility of iPads In Cockpits Sparks Fierce Debate Among Pilots
The debate got going when one pilot called the iPad “consumer rubbish” and expressed concern over the iPad’s reliability in the cockpit. This sparked a response in the comments section of a piece at Network World from a staunch iPad supporter who called the device a “game changer.” Using the iPad is highly preferable to flipping through papers to find a navigational aid, according to the second pilot, who also points out that an iPhone can serve as a backup program should the iPad fail during flight.
While Alaska Airlines is looking into integrating the tablets into the cockpit, for now they are still Class 1 devices needing to be stowed during takeoff and landing, including those in the cockpit. The second pilot points out that if the iPads are being certified for use in a cockpit, they will surely be tested for interference, but the first pilot maintains that electronic maps need to be on a specialized gadget, not a “flaky consumer device.” See the full point/counterpoint here.
The best and worst in mobile 2010: It’s all about Apple and Android
It’s been a big year for mobile news. Android continued its strong growth in the smartphone market, Apple shook things up with the iPhone 4 and completely rejuvenated the tablet market with the iPad, and former mobile titans like RIM, Palm and Nokia struggled to maintain their relevancy.
I may be a little biased as VentureBeat’s lead mobile writer, but this year made it clear to me why mobile is one of the most exciting and vibrant areas in technology right now. The research firm IDC predicted in September that this year over last, and it doesn’t look like that will slow down anytime soon. Come next year, we can expect cheaper and more capable smartphones, and tablets that can finally stand up to the iPad.
But before we enter 2011, let’s take a look back at some of the best and worst stories in mobile news this year.
The Best
The iPad finally gets the tablet right, others follow suit
Apple’s wildly successful tablet was one of the worst kept secrets in the technology industry by the end of 2009, when multiple reports pointed to the fact that Apple was gearing up to introduce a tablet device. But not everybody was excited for yet another computing platform (). But, Apple being Apple, it managed to defy expectations , and it continued to do so as the tablet sold like crazy, .
Mere speculation of the iPad sparked an entirely new wave of tablets earlier this year, but most of those early entries failed, like the HP Slate and (more on the latter below). As it was becoming clearer that the iPad was a success, pretty much every major technology company threw their hats into the tablet arena, with the majority adopting Android as their tablet platform of choice. While is the only legitimate Android iPad competitor right now, we can expect even stronger competition next year. RIM also , which looks cool, but didn’t do much to negate the company’s failure to innovate this year (see below).
Android adoption grows like wildfire thanks to killer devices
Google’s Android platform wasn’t truly successful until the release of the Motorola Droid in November 2009, which was buoyed by a strong anti-Apple marketing campaign. Verizon apparently spent $100 million advertising the Droid, an investment which went on to help the entire Android platform in 2011. Earlier this month, Google’s every day (nearly 10 million a month), up from around 50,000 activations at the beginning of the year. In comparison, in its last quarter.
We can also point to the slew of great Android devices this year as a driving force behind the platform’s success. The year started off with the first true “Google phone”, the Nexus One, which Google attempted to sell on its own through an online store. That plan , but the Nexus One heralded other superpowered Android phones like the Evo 4G and Droid X. In the second half of the year, Samsung unveiled its ambitious Galaxy S line of phones across all major US carriers, which we’ll discuss further below.
Basically, if you were on the lookout for an Android phone this year, it was tough to be disappointed.
Apple’s iPhone 4: Its most polished entry yet
Despite the many great Android phones that hit the market this year — which brought a sexy new design, high-definition video recording, front facing camera and FaceTime for video conferencing, and a high-resolution “Retina Display.” Apple didn’t increase the iPhone’s screen size to compete with larger Android phones, but the iPhone 4’s display looks so good it didn’t seem to matter that it was still 3.5-inches.
But while the iPhone 4 is definitely one of the best phones to come out this year, it isn’t without it’s problems, as we’ll discuss below.
Samsung comes out of nowhere to become a major Android manufacturer
Samsung has been building mobile phones for years now, and it’s also released a couple of low-end Android phones. So you can imagine the surprise when, seemingly out of nowhere, featuring its droolworthy 4-inch Super AMOLED screens and its powerful 1-gigahertz Hummingbird processor. And the company didn’t just focus on hardware — Samsung also managed to bring its Galaxy S phones across all major U.S carriers.
The company’s ambition has seemed to pay off. Samsung announced in November that it , and earlier this month we reported that . Much of the hardware in the Galaxy S phones went into Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablet, which has sold 1 million units two months after it launched. And of course, Samsung’s Galaxy S experience , the second Google phone and Nexus One successor.
Front-facing cameras for mobile video chat
Before we knew the official specifications of the iPhone 4, it was widely known that it would pack a front-facing camera for mobile video conferencing. At the time, I argued that , something I believed would be the next killer feature in smartphones. When Apple finally unveiled the iPhone 4, its was one of the biggest announcements. Finally, we had a simple way to initiate mobile video chats from our phones as easily as making a standard phone call.
While FaceTime is certainly restricted by only working on WiFi networks, Apple made the technology even more useful and the most recent iPod Touch version (which also sports cameras).
Android phones like the Evo 4G, MyTouch 4G and Nexus S also feature front-facing cameras, and I suspect the feature will become even more common next year. The new wave of front cameras also opened the doors for , which has created mobile video chat apps that will work across the iPhone and Android.
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 is surprisingly cool
Perhaps it was the low expectations going in, but count me as shocked that Microsoft was actually able to make a desirable smartphone platform in Windows Phone 7 — one that offered some key difference from its competitors, as well as an attractive and refreshing user interface.
Microsoft , but didn’t until October. And by that point, it was obvious that to regain its relevancy in mobile devices. The company , and a few weeks after the phones hit shelves. Microsoft announced yesterday that , which doesn’t tell us much about actual users, but it’s a sign that consumers definitely want the phones.
Microsoft knew what it needed to succeed: Attractive high-end smartphones, a strong app community and a modern OS. With Windows Phone 7, it managed to put together all of the right pieces to deliver a platform , even if it is several years too late.
Worst
Microsoft’s Kin: The phones nobody wanted
Kin. Need I say anything else? From the moment , its misguided attempt at capturing the youth market, it was clear that Kin was an idea several years too late. They were severely restricted phones that had subscription plans just as expensive as real smartphones. So it was no surprise when Microsoft, surely with plenty of egg on its face, several weeks after the phones hit stores.
At the time of the Kin’s death, I wrote:
What started as an ambitious attempt to justify Microsoft’s purchase of Danger, the company behind the popular Sidekick messaging phones, turned into a misguided attempt at trying to figure out what young people find cool. Never mind that many teenagers and twenty-somethings had already moved on to legitimate smartphone platforms.
The Kin phones lacked an application store and seemingly basic functionality like a calendar and instant messaging software — a glaring omission for something aimed at “connected” youth. Ultimately, the Kin’s failure is one Microsoft needs to remember: Instead of trying to force-feed a lackluster product to consumers, perhaps it should devote more time on creating something people actually want — like it did with the Xbox 360.
Microsoft kills the Courier dual-screen “digital journal”
At a time when every company seemed hell-bent on taking on the iPad with tablets of their own, was a breath of fresh air. Courier was a dual-screened “digital journal” that was touch-screen capable, but also featured a stylus pen for hand written text, diagrams and more. Video demonstrations of the product made it seem like the evolution of the digital planner, combined with a personal journal and web-enabled tablet.
It was an ambitious move for Microsoft — so before the project even got off the ground.
iPhone 4 design issues: Antennagate, glassgate and the elusive white iPhone 4
As beautiful as Apple’s iPhone 4 may be, it became clear over the course of the year that Apple may have actually over-designed the phone to the point where its looks was interfering with its functionality.
The first big issue was antennagate: As soon as the iPhone 4 started getting into consumers’ hands, many began to notice that they could repeatedly kill their iPhone’s reception by holding the lower-left corner of the device. This time around, Apple made the device’s antenna an integral part of its design, and it appeared as if that allowed users to easily block reception. The issue became so widely known that to address the issue, where he mentioned that in a similar manner. Jobs , and instituted a program to offer free cases to every iPhone 4 owner.
But the iPhone 4’s troubles didn’t stop there. Several gadget sites eventually reported on another phenomenon, , where certain cases that slid onto the back of the iPhone could trap dirt and debris, eventually leading to scratches and cracks on its rear glass panel. Apple never admitted to the issue, but ended up removing sliding cases from its online stores and retail locations. The company is reportedly investigating just how widespread the issue is. It doesn’t appear to be affecting as many users as antennagate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple is keen on avoiding any further controversy with the iPhone 4.
The iPhone 4’s design was . Apple showed off white iPhone 4s when it was first announced, but that version never found its way to stores. Apparently, the white iPhone 4’s glass back was leaking in light — to the point where it was washing out pictures taken by the device’s camera. The issue was apparently discovered at the last-minute by Apple. The company ended up delaying the release of the white iPhone 4 three times without explanation– now .
HP buys Palm … and does nothing with it
Following lackluster sales of the Palm Pre and Pixi, former mobile leader Palm was in a tough spot at the beginning of the year, and it quickly became obvious that the company was looking to sell. after from four other major companies. The acquisition showed that HP was serious about becoming a player in the smartphone business, and we argued .
That may still happen eventually, but for now it doesn’t look like HP has done much with Palm. In October, of Palm’s innovative webOS operating system, but at the same time it revealed the Palm Pre 2, which was nothing more than a speed upgrade to the original Pre. At a time when killer Android phones were coming left and right, it seemed downright crazy that Palm still didn’t have a major new handset. At least early next year with the “PalmPad.”
RIM and Nokia continue their downward spiral into irrelevancy
I suppose it was too much to ask to see some spark of innovation from either Research in Motion or Nokia this year. Both companies managed to release new flagship devices that somehow feel several years too late.
, it’s first attempt at combining a multitouch screen with its beloved BlackBerry hardware keyboard, which ran its new BlackBerry 6 operating system. Unfortunately, the new OS wasn’t the major upgrade that RIM needed to compete with more modern competitors, and the Torch was hampered by a slow processor and low display resolution. In the end, it was a minor release when RIM needed something major. Next year RIM may release a phone featuring the next-generation OS on its PlayBook tablet, but who knows when that will actually happen.
Nokia faced similar software problems with its N8 smartphone. In my review, . Nokia too is gearing up to release a next-generation OS next year, dubbed Meego, together with Intel. But Meego has seen some serious delays, and unless it comes out early next year, it risks being too little, too late, for Nokia.
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HP to show off its PalmPad webOS tablet next month?
HP is gearing up to unveil its long-awaited tablet running Palm’s webOS software. It will show off the device at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month, according to , who also managed to dig up some details on the device.
We reported in September that HP was abandoning its plans for an Android tablet and was . A CES debut would fit into the company’s schedule, and it would also give Palm a leg up on Apple’s second-generation iPad announcement. At the same time, CES will definitely be filled with tablets of all shapes and sizes, so it’s going to be tough for Palm to stand out.
Morris says that HP will debut three tablet models, each running a new version of the webOS operating system (version 2.5.1). They will likely feature screens around 10 inches, front and rear-facing cameras (at 1.3 and 3 megapixels) and compatibility with Sprint’s 4G wireless network. For video output, the PalmPads will sport a mini-HDMI connection. They may also have a USB 3.0 port, which doesn’t make much sense to me on a tablet but should allow for extremely fast data transfer between the tablet and other devices.
A fourth version won’t be shown at CES and will be customized for university students. It may feature a smaller 8.9-inch screen, according to Morris, and will also “have access to a university’s internet educational software.”
Morris describes the PalmPad designs as a spin-off of the “never released” HP Slate tablet. Actually, HP did release the Slate, which ran Windows 7, for $799 in October — it’s just that nobody cared. VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi .
I wouldn’t be surprised if HP decided to reuse its Slate hardware for the PalmPad, but I hope that it gets a redesign so it doesn’t appear too similar to the failed tablet.
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Survey: 1 in 5 Americans will own tablets by 2014, and one-third will use them for business
Enterprise applications continue their charge into the mobile market and are set to take over about a third of all tablets in the next few years, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive.
More than 1 in 5 Americans will own a tablet by 2014, and 37 percent of them will own them for business use, according to the survey. About half of all tablet owners plan to use the devices for social networking.
The survey was sponsored by Fuze Box, a company that has created a number of its own collaboration applications, .
What the survey doesn’t take into account is just what the tablet market will look like by 2014. Apple’s touchscreen iPad is the clear leader right now, . But Microsoft’s strategy to date has centered on rather than a true tablet with a lightweight operating system like Apple’s iPad or Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, which runs Google’s Android operating system.
Another interesting tidbit: more than a third of tablet owners expect to use it for web conferencing and online meetings. The iPad in its current form doesn’t have a front-facing camera for Apple’s video-calling app Facetime. But the next version of the iPad will likely have one, as .
Mobile phones have already begun their grand entrance into the enterprise space with applications like Salesforce’s Chatter and Yammer landing on the Apple App Store and the Android marketplace. Since most tablets run the same operating systems as their smartphone counterparts, it’s easy enough to port those same applications to tablet computers. So expect to see some of the best enterprise applications popping up on tablets — if they haven’t already.
Here’s the survey’s breakdown of what people will use their tablets for most:
- Browsing the Internet (78%)
- Email (75%)
- Reading e-books/newspapers (53%)
- Social networking (50%)
- Watching TV/movies (43%)
- Business/Professional purposes (37%)
- Gaming (33%)
And here’s the survey’s breakdown of what business users will be doing with their tablets:
- Business correspondence (58%)
- Online meetings/Web conferences (37%)
- Marketing (34%)
- Training (33%)
- Finance/accounting (32%)
- Sales (27%)
- Graphic design (27%)
- Inventory management (27%)
- Customer support (24%)
It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the devices are seeing some growth in the enterprise space. About half of the largest companies in the world on the Fortune 100 list have begun either . Though Apple is a leader in that market for now, there are a number of other tablets rising up to challenge it. That includes , whose BlackBerry smartphone is famous for its enterprise capabilities.
Our favorite stocking stuffers for phones and tablets
So you’re still looking for gifts. Well fret not — thanks to our increasingly close relationships with our mobile devices, accessories for phones and tablets also make great gifts. Here are a few cool stocking stuffer ideas that will appeal to anyone.
Phone and tablet cases
Our mobile devices these days often feature large slabs of glass. And while that’s great for enabling the proliferation of touchscreen technology, it also makes our phones and tablets ticking time bombs for scratches, cracks and shattering unless they’re protected somehow. So consider a case for the clumsier members of your friends and family. They’re available in most retail stores these days, and you can also find a wide selection in Apple stores and cellular carrier retail locations.
For the iPhone and iPad, I recommend cases from , a company that offers a wide variety of attractive designs that are strong enough to let your device survive a tumble. Your choices are more limited where it comes to Android phones, but generally you can find cases at the phone’s respective carrier retail spots. has a wide selection of Android cases and accessories, but it may be too late to order in time for Christmas.
GelaSkins: An easy way to customize mobile devices
Instead of a case, you can opt for a – an adhesive print that can spice up the design of phones, tablets, ereaders and more. The skins are designed specifically for individual devices, so they generally fit without issue. They’re also easily removable and don’t leave any residue on your device. The company has artwork available from over 100 artists, and each design looks completely original.
I’ve tested a couple of GelaSkins over the past few months, and I’ve found that they get more attention than just a plain iPhone case. While they won’t offer much protection for your devices, they sure do look cool.
Agloves: Touchscreen capable gloves for the cold
Winter and touchscreen devices just don’t mix. Normal winter gloves have a layer of insulation that prevent capacitive touchscreens from recognizing your inputs. Enter , a company that has developed winter gloves knitted with conductive material. They’re affordable at around $17.99, and while thin, I’ve found that they stand up to below-freezing temperatures fairly well.
Headphones: Because stock headphones usually stink
Modern smartphones do more than just phone calls, email and texts — they also serve as portable music players. It’s criminal that Apple still includes terrible earbuds with iPhones, and most other phone manufacturers are guilty of the same thing. So do your friends a favor, and get them a pair of headphones that don’t stink.
You don’t have to pay much for good sound — you can snag for a mere $13.89 on Amazon. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, are a tremendous value for around $40. You can find a wide variety of headphones in retail stores, but beware of brands that you’ve never heard of. Noise-cancellation headphones sound great, but are usually expensive, so seek out “noise isolating” sets instead.
Go digital: Gift apps, music, games and more
One of the great things about digital marketplaces is that it’s incredibly easy to gift things without ever having to worry about shipping or delivery charges. On iTunes, you can gift apps, games, music, TV episodes (but not whole seasons, sadly) and movies to people instantly. Android’s Market isn’t robust enough yet for that, unfortunately, but you can always gift music, TV, and movies via Amazon.
My recommendations for digital gifts: The ; , yet another great TV show canceled before its time; and (which is technically not giftable because it relies on in-app purchase, so you’ll have to gift $50 of iTunes credit so your friends can buy the issues on their own).
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Surprise, surprise: Apple’s iPad expected to dominate tablets into 2012
Even though we’re seeing a slew of Android tablets on the horizon, Apple’s iPad is expected to maintain its leading place in the tablet market into 2012, according to J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz.
This, of course, should surprise no one. The iPad sparked the most recent tablet craze when it was announced early last year, this after the tablet market saw several false starts over the past few decades.
Moskowitz predicts tablet revenues will rise to $24.9 billion in 2011 (up from $10.2 billion this year) and that they’ll hit $34.1 billion in 2012. The iPad, which will make up for 89.4 percent of tablet revenues this year, will still account for a significant portion of total tablet revenues in the next few years. In 2011, he predicts the iPad will account for 71.6 percent of tablet revenue, and by 2012 it will still lead with 61.4 percent.
Apple in the iPad’s first six months, and some analysts predict . The iPad has a significant head start on its rivals, and it also boasts more polished software — Android isn’t expected to be optimized for tablets until its version 3.0 release in the first half of 2011. Moskowitz also expects Android 3.0 to be released some time around the release of the second generation iPad, which should dull the impact of Android tablets even further.
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Apple’s PC market share expected to grow – if you consider iPad a PC
Could the iPad be Apple’s key to gaining a bigger slice of the global personal computer market? If you consider it a PC like Goldman Sachs does, then yes.
Goldman Sachs on Monday with a note from the newly hired Bill Shope, formerly of Credit Suisse. The note, packed with praise for Apple and bearing a stock-price target of $430, has created a stir — including on Wall Street, where Apple’s stock popped on Monday before drifting back down a bit today to about $321.
Shope noted the growth in the “global PC personal computer market,” but he – including when he tracked the growth of Apple’s share of the “PC market” over the past 15 years.
While there is overlap in the markets for tablets and computers (some people are buying the former rather than the latter), it seems strange to just lump them together for purposes of historical analysis. He wrote that “Apple’s share of the PC market has been below 5 percent for most of the past 15 years,” but that, with tablets from all vendors now in the mix, that share will rise to 12 percent next year.
However the data might be framed, it does show why other PC makers are (or should be) stepping up their development of tablets. Shope forecasts that Apple will sell 37.2 million iPads next year, which would give it a 68 percent share of the tablet market.
, despite the iPad’s cannibalization. NPD Group on Monday said Mac sales will break a record this quarter, with more than 4 million being purchased. Sales are up 20 percent so far this quarter compared with the same period last year. Growth is faster overseas than in the United States, NPD said. About half a million of those sales will be of the MacBook Air.
For Shope, the key to Apple’s growth story is the “” of software and content the company has created. In his 59-page report, he says that people buy Apple hardware products for their design, but once they buy in, they stay because of the “switching costs” involved with moving to another platform. He says Apple’s revenue growth relative to operating expenses – nearly triple since iTunes launched in 2003 – is traceable in large part to this lock-in. Once you buy an Apple product, you’re likely to buy many more Apple products because they’re all tied to the platform.
John Melloy of CNBC took note of an otherwise-overlooked aspect of Shope’s report: the . So far, the company has “steadfastly refused to part with this cash hoard,” Shope wrote. He predicts a big dividend.
Some observers say the cash is best used to improve efficiency, which improves margins. Others note the incredible growth in the stock, and the missed returns that represents for Apple.
But Dan Nathan, an options trader quoted by Melloy, said that “Apple invests only in Steve Jobs’ ego. “They have made a monumentally horrible decision on this cash management issue, and believe it or not it has cost investors in a serious way. Their arrogance will be the thing that brings them back down to the stratosphere with every other once dominant tech company.”
That might be more than a bit harsh, but, as noted by Fortune’s Philip Elmer-Dewitt, revenues have grown seven times faster than operating-system . Dewitt chose to characterize this as being evidence of the “bang [Apple] gets for its R&D expenses.”
Apple hasn’t reported how much it spends on Jobs’ ego.
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