3 Manufacturers to watch in 2011

Whilst doing some desk research at work, I was ever so fortunate to stumble across the brilliant Metrofone website. Aside from the fact its a brilliant website, it was a pleasant reminder of the sheer quality of handsets currently gracing the consumer market right now. What’s even more ironic about the Metrofone site is it stocks 3 of the handset manufacturers that I feel have made significant leaps and bounds recently.

Blackberry

Blackberry have always had a stronghold on the US market, but thanks to the increasing success of their Enterprise integration, as well as the explosive growth in the 16-24 age group thanks to Blackberry messenger (BBM), they now have a significant market share in the UK too. In fact, in the 13-24 age group, Blackberry adoption has increased by over 400% in the UK.

Whats more, not only are they exploring alternative form factors for their devices for broader appeal (e.g. The Torch is their first slider touch/keypad device), they are attempting to attract developers to harness their strengths and spread their services accordingly (e.g. BBM API set to launch Q1 2011). And to top it all off, early indications suggest their first tablet, the Playbook, is going to be a real winner.

Samsung

One thing Samsung have never struggled doing, is selling phones. They have consistently been in the top 3 manufacturers in the world, with significant presence in the US, Europe and Asia. They have always had great hardware, but their operating system selection has always been debatable. Unlike Nokia, when significant OS launches such as Android and Windows Phone 7 came along, they swallowed their pride and accepted they could increase their reach and reinforce their foothold in smartphone market share by embracing new partners.

They now have a delightful handset in the Galaxy S, which is selling phenomenal amounts globally, including almost 8 million in China alone. They have also been the second into the tablet foray with the Galaxy Tab, utilising the flexibility of Android to deliver a decent piece of kit. Samsung definitely on the ascendancy into 2011.

HTC

What can we say about HTC! Just a few years ago a relative unknown in Western markets, now, with thanks to a brilliant new brand identity and a hefty marketing strategy, its making a real splash in the smartphone market. Adopting Android appears to be the best move HTC ever made; acting as a vehicle to get their hardware into the hands of a whole new range of consumers.

The Desire HD is an object of utter beauty for example, and not only demonstrates the power of the Google OS, but the quality of hardware HTC continue to produce. Even though they don’t use their own OS, they add their own little touches with their Sense UI and services, which help establish a sense of familiarity in a world where the consumer doesn’t are about the brand of OS.

All in all, if there are 3 manufacturers to watch over the next 12 months, these are the guys!!

Make your own Android App…
…yes, YOU!

Google appinventor allows the average joe to create their own Android App, without the need for any design or coding skills! As this rather lame but simple example video shows you, the functionality may be limited, but there will be ways of creating and delivering applications that anyone and everyone can use! Just as the Apple application process tightens up, Google open theirs up even more! Great move

Google’s Nexus One:
Why the ‘Superphone’ failed*

*Ok, ok, failed may be a tad harsh, but if you call anything ‘super’, you can expect a backlash when it doesn’t live up to expectations!

In a time when Android continues to go from strength to strength, what was supposed to be the landmark handset to earmark the operating system’s dramatic introduction to the market, the Nexus One seems to be slipping into the mire of Google’s ‘could have beens’.

Tipped to be the ‘superphone’ that would challenge and revolutionise the smartphone market, it has now be dropped by two major MNOs in the states, and has had absolutely no impact on the continual rise of Android. There are people who stand by the handset, continuing to herald it as the best handset they have ever owned, but unfortunately it seems that the majority have lost faith.

Only 20,000 handsets were sold in its first week, and other Android handsets such as Motorola’s Droid heavily outsold Google’s HTC manufactured offering. Goldman Sachs originally predicted that there would be 3.5 million Nexus One sales this year. Not long ago that number has been slashed to just one million. (read more…)

Evidence against the iPhone Mobsession

I have rapidly established a reputation for ‘iPhone bashing’, which is nothing to do with not owning a suite of Apple Products or disliking Steve Job’s hair. Oh no. For those of you that are not aware, my main ‘beef’ is with brands who do not consider other platforms simply because its a) too hard, b) too expensive/not as cheap as iPhone or c) just want to tick a box that says ‘We have an iPhone app’.

There is a wealth and breadth of great (and some not so great) operating systems out there that can offer brilliant, rich and engaging experiences for their users, that despite having a substantially larger market share than Apple, continue to be overlooked. For a long time I have wanted to put together a presentation to demonstrate this very point, but Ewan MacLeod of Mobile Industry Review has pulled it out of the bag. (read more…)