Mobile

Google's Android operating system may be a victim of its own success.

More than 6 million handsets shipped in 2009 using Google's Android software. And the forecast in 2010 is that this figure will triple with shipments possibly topping out at 20 million this year. But a new study from IMS Research indicates that the rapid pace of Android's growth could cause more fragmentation, which could ultimately harm Android's potential as a leading smartphone operating system.

The problem is that in going from the 1.5 version of the software to 2.1, Google has released four different versions of the software, … Read more

Cash-conscious consumers are flocking to prepaid month-to-month wireless phone service in lieu of contract-based plans.

A study released by the New Millennium Research Council, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, last week said new prepaid wireless customers exceeded the number of new contract subscribers that signed up for service in the fourth quarter of 2009. This is the first time that prepaid services have outsold post-paid or contract services, the group said.

New prepaid cell phone subscribers accounted for almost two-thirds of all 4.2 million cell phone subscribers that U.S. carriers added in the fourth quarter of … Read more

Smartphones continue to take over the U.S. mobile phone market, and Google's Android software has the most momentum in that category at the moment.

Data released by ComScore Monday shows that Android-based phones are still a fraction--9 percent--of the U.S. smartphone market, but posted the fastest growth of any smartphone platform over the last three months. Google and its partners gained 5.2 percentage points of market share from November 2009 to February 2010, presumably on the back of the successful Motorola Droid launch.

However, that's only good enough for fourth place in the U.S. … Read more

Customer satisfaction is greater among users of smartphones and handsets sporting touch screens than among those whose wireless phones require other input methods, according to two new J.D. Power surveys released Thursday.

The survey measuring customer satisfaction among smartphone owners in the U.S. found that smartphones with touch screens ranked 771 out of 1,000 points, a full 40 points higher than smartphones without a touch screen. A little more than half of owners said their smartphone has a touch screen. Though touch screens aren't as prevalent on traditional mobile phones, satisfaction with those devices reached 756 points on the scale, 53 points higher than the industry average, the survey of traditional-handset owners showed.

Smartphones were ranked for ease of operation, operating system, physical design, features, and battery power. Traditional handsets were graded for their operation, overall design, features, and battery life. Individual scores in each category were added up to create a total grade for each different brand of popular phones.

Among smartphone manufacturers, Apple hit the No. 1 spot for overall satisfaction with a score of 810, followed by BlackBerry maker Research In Motion with a grade of 741. Among companies who make traditional handsets, LG won the top spot by scoring 729, following by Sanyo at 712 and Samsung at 703.… Read more

Research In Motion's revenue and device shipments may have been up for the fourth quarter of 2009, but analysts worry the company's days at the top of the smartphone market are numbered as it succumbs to pressure from competition.

On Wednesday, RIM reported increases in its quarterly profit and revenue, but the company still disappointed Wall Street, which was expecting bigger gains. The company also announced slightly lower phone shipments, which also raised eyebrows. And average selling prices on its phones fell slightly. Shares in the company's stock fell roughly 5 percent Thursday on the news.

This &… Read more

Research in Motion's quarter was solid, but fell short of Wall Street's lofty expectations. International sales were strong, but revenue and earnings fell short of expectations. RIM's outlook was upbeat for the first quarter.

The company reported net income of $710.1 million, or $1.27 a share, up from earnings of $518.3 million, or 90 cents a share a year ago. Revenue was $4.08 billion, up 18 percent from a year ago. The problem: for the fourth quarter, RIM was expected to report earnings of $1.28 a share on revenue of $4.31 … Read more

AT&T executives, apparently feeling the heat of iPhone users' complaints about poor service, have reportedly been working with Apple to resolve the issues.

Since Apple's iPhone launched exclusively on AT&T's network more than two years ago, customers have been complaining about dropped calls and slow data connections, especially those in urban areas such as New York and San Francisco. Now, as rumors circulate that an iPhone is in the works that would be capable of running on Verizon Wireless--AT&T's biggest competitor--AT&T is reportedly schooling Apple on improving network communication. … Read more

Rumors that the iPhone is coming to Verizon have been buzzing around the Web over the last day or so. So what should Verizon iPhone users expect when the device finally comes to the nation's largest wireless network?

First, rumors of the Verizon iPhone are just that. There has been no confirmation from Apple or Verizon about the launch of this device. That said, there was never a question that AT&T's exclusivity deal with Apple would end one day. The big question has simply been when. And considering that Verizon is the largest wireless operator in … Read more

Google may have settled on a plan for dealing with Android fragmentation: slowing down and splitting up.

Engadget's tour of CTIA last week resulted in conversations with Android followers who report that Google has a two-pronged strategy for dealing with the spate of Android handsets running as many as four different versions of the operating system. This complicates life for application developers, who have to either pick a version or two to target with their application or conduct lots of testing to make sure they can run across Android handsets.

Google apparently has two strategies in mind. According to … Read more