Android may have an insurmountable lead in the Chinese smartphone market, but when it comes to internet-connected mobiles Symbian and Nokia are still number one according to new stats from search giant Baidu.
The company’s latest quarterly Mobile Internet Development Trends Report for Q1 2012 measured only internet-connected phones which have browsed the web through Baidu.
Discarding the category of ‘other’ which came out tops on both counts, the breakdown by brand shows Nokia in the lead with 22 per cent, counterfeit or shanzhai products with 16.1 per cent and Samsung third with a share of 10.4 per cent.
Apple is fourth with 5.9 per cent, which tallies with Analysys International’s estimates that iOS had a smartphone market share of 5.7 per cent by the end of 2011.
The times they are a-changing, however, with Nokia at risk of losing that impressive lead if it doesn’t innovate and produce more smartphones that appeal to users, said Baidu.
It may need more than the recently launched Lumia 800C and the planned 610C to do this, especially given the fierce competition in the smartphone market.
One strategy would be to target the entry-level, which is set to provide great growth opportunities for handset makers in China. In fact, with domestic giants such as Huawei, ZTE and Lenovo all set to launch in that area, the days of shanzhai manufacturers could also be numbered.
“Nokia’s mobile market share continues to drop, with 5.8 [per cent] decrease month-by-month and 18.4 per cent drop year-on-year. Shanzhai phones’ market share is also steadily decreasing, with 4.3 per cent decrease month-by-month and 10.3 per cent drop year-on-year,” said Baidu.
Over on the platform side, Baidu hasn’t broken the results down in English but TechInAsia has a handy translation.
Android is surprisingly down in fourth place with a share of 14.4 per cent, despite an overwhelming lead in the pure-play smartphone market of around 70 per cent, according to Analysys International stats.
Discounting ‘other’ again, number one spot goes to that old classic Symbian S60, with 17.2 per cent of the Baidu-surfing market, followed by MTK – an OS favoured by shanzhai handset makers – with 16.7 per cent, and then the nondescript ‘feature phone’ with 16.1 per cent.
Apple’s iOS is fifth with 5.8 per cent, just a percentage point higher than Symbian on the S40.
All of which proves that while the smartphone market is where most Chinese users are headed, the majority are still on much more basic handsets, according to IDC research manager Ian Song.
“The biggest thing to consider here is that China is still predominately a feature phone market. Based on our sell-in numbers, feature phones made up 75 per cent and smartphones made up 15 per cent of the total PRC mobile phone market in 2011,” he told The Reg.
“Going forward, IDC believes that feature phone brands and OSes will speed up in decline as smartphones becomes cheaper and more useable in China.” ®
The Nokia 610 is a useful asset - News Broadcast
The Nokia 610 is a recent addition to the Nokia range which provides the consumer with a smart phone, at a price which most can afford. The unit itself utilises an 800 MHz processor combined with the Microsoft Windows phone 7.5 operating system, all of which is contained within a unit which measures 119 mm x 60 mm wide whilst being 12 mm thick and weighing 131 g in weight.
The handset comes with an internal memory capacity of 8 GB, which is more than sufficient for most requirements, whilst also offering Internet access through its own 3G connection with speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps in addition to Wi Fi connectivity, providing the means to access available hotspots with these. In addition the unit comes with a class 10 versions of GPRS and EDGE, as well as Bluetooth and Micro USB connectivity.
The handsets display screen is 3.7 inches in size and is a TFT capacitive display screen which offers touch screen functionality and which operates and a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. Within this the unit is able to display up to 56,000 colours. In terms of durability the unit comes with gorilla glass to ensure durability whilst also providing multi-touch touch screen capability. Accelerometer and compass services are also provided a standard.
The unit comes with a 5.0 megapixel camera that comes with autofocus, face detection of geo-tagging as well as an LED flash whilst also providing a VGA quality video recording capability, which records at 30 frames per second. In addition the unit comes with satellite navigation which benefits from A-GPS support, a stereo FM radio with RDS capability, an MP 4/MP3 multimedia player as well as a document viewer, predictive text input functionality and a video/photo editor in conjunction with voice memo functionality.
The Nokia 610, which is similar in many ways to the Nokia 710, offers the consumer an impressive level of technology combined with the style of an affordable price tag.
The author writes on a variety of subjects including the Nokia 610 and the Nokia 710
iPhone, iPad optics add night vision for covert missions - Macdaily News
Special Operations Apps/System for Optical Attachments – also known as [SOA]2 – can allow geo-tagging in the standard Military Grid Reference System in frame-stamped high-definition video, geo-located and accurate within seven (7) meters. The integrated smart device can be attached permanently or temporarily to optics, weapons, or equipment, according to K. Dominic Cincotti, founder of SOA and its affiliated company, MW Research and Development, Inc.
Generation III night vision devices, long-range day optics, infra-red imaging systems, and laser range finders, among others, can now be configured with commercially available smart devices – including the iPhone 4S and the New iPad – from the [SOA]2 cluster of newly patented and patent-pending hardware and software.
To produce [SOA]2, Cincotti’s companies led the program development with proprietary solutions, including an intellectual property cluster for attaching mobile smart devices onto weapons. Cincotti established a Joint Teaming Alliance (JTA) with US Night Vision, Hoodman USA, and Jonathan Springer, the US Army captain who created the critically acclaimed Tactical Nav App that has been soldier-deployed in the fiercest combat zones.
“This is the Dream Team for optics, US Night Vision hardware, and software, and a chance for us all to help customize the future,” Cincotti said, “and with the US Army’s announced intention to issue smart devices to soldiers, [SOA]2 is the best use of the newest technology and the army technology already in hand.”
US Night Vision’s vice president of sales and marketing, Chris Byrd, said “With [SOA]2 and USNV Hardware, warfighters can use their smart devices as a calibrated, heads-up display for optics to improve situational awareness. No longer will they have to squint through a scope and close one eye – or be locked into goggles.”
“We are taking military-grade optics and turning them into mobile high definition data-recording navigational and analysis systems,” Byrd said, “while still maintaining the integrity of the original optics that have already been purchased in previous acquisition cycles.”
Tactical Nav’s developer, CPT Springer, said in the release, “Bottom line up front, this joint teaming alliance is about integrating the best uses of technology we have right now and putting this technology into the hands of our combat soldiers downrange.”
“The soldier already knows these mobile smart devices,” CPT Springer said, “it’s already in his pocket, and he’s already an expert at using it.”
[SOA]2 completed testing earlier this month in North Carolina, Cincotti said, and at SOFIC the Special Operations community, law enforcement, government security agencies, and major defense contractors will have the opportunity to schedule meetings for field demonstrations and to discuss inclusion in the [SOA]2 program.
“We do our best to answer and anticipate the needs of special operations,” Cincotti said, “and we are looking forward to continued input from the operators and SF soldiers as [SOA]2 progresses to adoption and deployment.”
[SOA]2 comprises a cluster of interlocking intellectual property, including issued patents, patents pending, and proprietary IP. SOA and MW R&D have been issued two patents already this year, executed three patent filings addressing mobile devices on weapons, and filed more than a dozen US and international patents in the last five years. US Night Vision has a patent pending, and Hoodman USA has a patent on their products.
Special Operations Apps/System for Optical Attachments [SOA]2 includes:
• Multi-use Optics Case Integrator
• Adapter Rings machined from Ultem 2300, which is virtually unbreakable and super-lightweight
• Hoodman System Accessories, now modified for mobile devices for [SOA]2, including Day/Night Solutions to reduce glare and light bleed
• A proprietary software platform that includes a range of Special Operations-specific tactical navigation apps, integrating various optics hardware and mobile-device capabilities
Future iterations of [SOA]2 now being developed by Cincotti’s companies are expected to deliver Facial and Object recognition and advanced targeting, on smart phone platforms, as well as on iPads and tablets. The Tactical Nav App will feature tracking of a unit, or an individual within a unit, and a “John Madden-style” tool that allows for mark-up.
US Night Vision, founded in 2001 and located in Roseville, CA, has been providing federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the US Military, with advanced night vision, thermal imaging, infrared and lasers. The company handles the exportation of night vision systems following U.S. Department of State, ITAR guidelines. In addition to the exclusive line of US Night Vision products, manufactured and assembled at the Roseville facility, the company is also a national distributor for L3 ETO (Electron Tube Operations), FLIR GS (Government Systems), FLIR CVS (Commercial Vision Systems), Laser Technologies, Inc., and a point of sale for L3 Warrior Systems, Laser Devices Lasers and other related optics and accessories.
Hoodman USA, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Torrance, CA, manufactures digital camera tools, including Glare Fighting LCD Loupes, Ratcheting variable angle viewers, the fastest, longest lasting CompactFlash memory cards and the world’s first steel-plated, ruggedized SDHC memory card line. Hoodman has more than 500 dealers in the US and around the world.
CPT Springer, while a Battalion Fire Support Officer in Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne, began developing what would become the Tactical Nav App. He spent more than $30,000 of his own money to create the app, now available for download on the iTunes App Store.
For MW R&D/SOA, Dave Mullins, a veteran operator with experience on four continents, leads in-house subject matter experts, along with Mark Tocci, a veteran Ranger and a patent-pending inventor.
The Special Operations Apps/System for Optical Attachments in-house team included Sam Thompson, physicist, veteran of NASA’s Mars Rover project, and a patent-pending inventor; and Ronnie Medina, veteran special forces operator and project consultant.
The Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) is an annual event, bringing together more than 7,000 attendees from government and industry and featuring more than 350 exhibiting companies.
Special Operations Apps is a privately held company based in Wilmington, NC, strategically situated between Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune and convenient to Virginia Beach, VA.
More info via Special Operations Apps’ website here.
[Attribution: TUAW. Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Lynn Weiler" for the heads up.]
Microsoft Integrates More Nokia “Infrastructure” (Traffic, Geocoding) Into Bing Maps - Searchengineland.com
Yesterday Microsoft announced that in 24 countries, including the US and UK, Nokia (Navteq) will be delivering traffic data to Bing Maps. The company also said that it would start using Nokia’s geocoding services in several (unnamed) countries to improve directions.
In May last year I wrote Bing Maps To Be Powered (Replaced) By Nokia? A source argued to me that over time Nokia would gradually replace most of the infrastructure behind Bing Maps. I was very surprised at the time but it appears to be happening.
This mapping integration was allegedly, according to my source, one of the sticking points that caused Nokia to pass on Android as a platform. Google wouldn’t similarly agree to a commingling of Google Maps with Nokia on the back end. However if Windows Phone fails to deliver for Nokia — so far results have been modest — the company may be compelled to embrace Android as a survival move.
Nokia is also behind the new Yahoo Maps. My suspicion is that Nokia hopes to eventually make these third party mapping services part of its local ad network.
Related Entries
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- Report: Apple Replacing Google Maps With Own Product In iOS 6
- Will Apple’s Move Bring A Real & Perhaps Better Google Maps To iOS
- Microsoft Makes Venue Maps More Visible On Bing
- Bing Maps To Be Powered (Replaced) By Nokia?
- Nokia Now “Powering” Bing Maps
- Powered By Nokia, The New Yahoo Maps Goes Live
- Google Maps Vs. Bing Maps: Summer Vacation Planning Showdown
Related Topics: Google: Maps & Local | Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Bing Maps & Local | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
Huawei mimics Nokia Siemens Networks marketing - The Register
Huawei mimics Nokia Siemens Networks marketing
Plagiarism or total coincidence?
Posted in Business, 25th May 2012 07:37 GMT
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Nokia Siemens Networks has pointed out close similarities between its marketing material and Huawei's.
“Rarely does a competitor turn out to be your biggest fan. But that’s the only conclusion that can be drawn from the ringing endorsement of how we market our consulting by Chinese company Huawei,” says a Nokia Siemens Networks blog post.
Nokia Siemens Networks thinks it has caught Huawei out.
“Of course it’s not the first time our enthusiastic competitors have paid us the ultimate compliment," the post says. "It was November 2011 that a rather familiar slide popped up in a Huawei presentation, (we think it’s been seen a few times) using copyrighted content generated in our Smart Labs in Finland,” the blog adds, referring to a slide featuring signalling traffic generated by Angry Birds.
A Huawei spokesman told The Register the company was "aware of the matter and it was being looked into internally." ®
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Future-Proof Dock Is Ready for a Larger iPhone, Smaller Connector - Wired News
It's made of tubes. Photo: Left Field Design
If Apple changes either the physical design or connector interface of the iPhone in its next smartphone refresh, your current docking accessory will become all but obsolete. A Kickstarter project called ODOC anticipates this possibility with docking hardware that’s ready for nearly anything Apple may have in development.
The ODOC is heavy. Currently weighing in at a pound and a half with the potential to hit 2.7 pounds when it goes into production, the dock is a hefty chunk of metal. But the minimilist tube design is heavy for a reason — the dock’s engineers want to cut down on the “pick up the iPhone, but the dock fails to disconnect, and instead gets lifted off the desk” problem.
Just don’t mistake heavy for unwieldy. The cylinder-inspired design can be set to four different angles to optimize an iPhone’s viewing and even navigation position. The weight of the dock, rectangle base and O-Ring keep the iPhone stationary while swiping and even finger typing.
Case removal is optional. Photo: Left Field Design
The dock cavity itself is large enough to accept a current iPhone in almost any protective case. Likewise, if the iPhone 5 employs a larger chassis, it should fit too.
But ODOC’s most intriguing design element is its swappable USB/audio interface — if Apple ditches the current 30-pin dock connection, a replacement element can be purchased for $20. Removing the element itself involves the relatively painless the removal of four screws.
The ODOC is currently securing funding on Kickstarter.
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