At TamsBlackBerry’s, we are currently hesitant to get into the Storm 2 release rumor game – but the release definitely is upcoming in the near future. The reason for this assumption is pictured below:
So: in case anyone of you still wants a Storm 1…get it at Verizon’s for 50$ with contract…
RIM has been known for its beautiful wallpapers which ship with their handsets: these so-called OEM wallpapers tend to leak out from time to time.
The latest victims are sourced from Curve 8520 / Storm 2 / Tour 9630 devices. Hit the links below for further information and download links:
BlackBerry Curve 8520 OEM Wallpaper
Hutchison Austria’s CEO Berthold Thoma is known to be extremely talkative when faced with journalists – the interview below has him talking about a few interesting things.
Before diving into the (translated) interview, let me give you some background information from other sources: this carrier has always invested heavily into smartphones due to their multimedia features. Originally being deep in Microsoft’s camp, they have since moved over to the S60 camp (which makes up for about 30% of the offered handset models). The carrier is known for its great service at affordable prices – here we go:
The Hutchison Group was the first to offer free roaming all over its network. Why that?
At Hutchison’s, we are convinced that having cheap data access all over the world is an integral part of information society. We have realized thiis vision inside our group via the 3LikeHome service.
Of course, there is a business plan behind all of that. Our research has shown that cheap roaming is in demand. Lowering prices causes usage to explode: in the first year, voice usage in 3likehome networks increased by 427 percent, with data usage being multiplied by a factor of 90.
Do you think that we will see further carrier mergers?
The trend has already started. Three of the four Austrian carrieirs are already in international networks, which will consolidate even more on a long term.
Where do you see Windows Mobile in two years?
We currently sell three Windows Mobile handsets. Our business customers love the Exchange integration, and Microsoft furthermore does a great job integrating Live into the OS.
I predict that WM’s market share will raise over the next two years. The main risk IMHO is Android…if it continues to fare as well as it did, it could become a significant competitor.
What do you think about S60
S60 has had some problems staying in line with other OS’s, especially when apps and the web browser are concerned. I wonder which future updates Nokia will deploy in order to remain competitive…
The iPhone is said to dominate the handset market. Do you think that Apple can keep this position?
Apple has caused movement in the handset market, but has since maxed out at a 13 percent smartphone market share…which is not something I call dominance.
Nevertheless: customers benefit from every movement on the market which leads to better handsets.
What do you think about picocells?
In general, these do not pay off financially. However, I can envision them being deployed to cover hot spots like shopping centres….
Will VoIP replace classic voice calls?
VoIP definitely is interesting, especially for customers who are into international calls. Teens furthermore love Skype. Unlike most other carriers, we want to help our customers realize the benefits of these services and thus provide pre-bundled Skype with some of our handsets.
As for VoIP replacing classic calls: unlikely.
The folks at AdMob’s usually compile monthly reports on device market share. Even though these usually are pretty valuable, they pale in comparison to their recent special report on iPhone and Android applications.
I have personally been so impressed by the report, that I felt like publishing it in its entity for you below without further comments:
Source PDF file here
PhoneArena has just received the picture below – they claim that it was shot on-site by a Verizon employee:
As of now, Verizon has not stated anything…
Our friends at the German BenezBlog have just posted a nice list of leaked firmware updates – it covers the aforementioned devices, and can be found at the two links below:
Storm 9530
All others
OmieTech furthermore leaked the shot below along with a leaked version of an updated BlackBerry messaging client:
As of now, all of these are of course unreleased and unofficial…
The image below hits us via the Boy Genius, who claims that it shows a Verizon roadmap:
If the image is true, the Storm 2 could be available by October…
The ebook is to book publishing what the MP3 file is to the music industry – a tool which the average manager does not understand, is afraid of and thus cannot use to his full advantage. In Austria, book writers have gone on a rebellion against Google’s book search, while a German publishing house head called for “governmental intervention” regarding Google.
As Amazon is a very large seller of paperback books, publishers who want to act up can be silenced effectively and quickly by threatening them with a de-listing of all their stuff. This has apparently happened to the publisher behind Dan Brown – CNet reports the following:
…
The Kindle version of “The Lost Symbol” was in limbo since Amazon first placed the hardcover version on its site for preorder. Its publisher, Random House, was concerned with releasing a Kindle version on the same day as the hardcover version. The company reasoned that with such a low price ($9.99 on the Kindle) compared with the hardcover version, which Amazon is currently offering for $16.17, that Kindle sales would cannibalize hardcover sales.
…
“Now that all of our security and logistical issues surrounding the e-book of ‘The Lost Symbol’ have been resolved, the e-book will be released simultaneously with the hardcover on September 15,” the publisher announced. It didn’t elaborate on what those issues were.
…
If things really happened as I have predicted above, the ebook party is now well on its way (and will not be hampered by the content sources). Authors tend to understand very well when something threatens their pocketbook, and act accordingly – I can only hope that the boys at Amazon’s keep up their strict measures when the first union starts to go bonkers…
Electronic Arts can be considered one of the biggest vendors of mobile games: while once being very cautious about all things mobile, they have since started to push into the market aggressively. The BlackBerry App World is their next victim:
A list of their current offerings can be seen here:
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/vendor/1113
Canalys is a very popular technology research firm, who regularly post all kinds of interesting information. Their latest press release looks at mobile phones – the most important bits are below:
First of all, it’s time for a look at various market share figures:
The next interesting thing is a breakdown by input method:
Finally, the chart below provides you with market share figures on a per-OS basis:
