Smart Devicewatch, issue 2008.07 snapshot
8 August 2008
SYMBIAN OS: More companies announced their backing for Symbian Foundation, with several operators inking their support, but no new device makers were on the list. Symbian revamped its partner programme, offering a lower-cost option for stakeholders. [pp.3,4.]
Further details emerged of Nokia’s touch-screen device plans, as it appears that launch of a new device is imminent. Nokia ended support for Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Connect technology, as the Canadian company becomes more of a threat. The N85 was rumoured, again. [pp.5,6.]
Issue: 2008.07
Covering: 2 to 31 July 2008
Published: August 2008
Next issue: September 2008
Keeping track of worldwide developments in higher-end mobile devices. A unique monthly report for the industry.
SUMMARY
SYMBIAN OS: More companies announced their backing for Symbian Foundation, with several operators inking their support, but no new device makers were on the list. Symbian revamped its partner programme, offering a lower-cost option for stakeholders. [pp.3,4.]
Further details emerged of Nokia’s touch-screen device plans, as it appears that launch of a new device is imminent. Nokia ended support for Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Connect technology, as the Canadian company becomes more of a threat. The N85 was rumoured, again. [pp.5,6.]
Samsung announced innov8, an eight-megapixel cameraphone powered by Symbian OS/S60, which does not skimp on specifications. [p.7.]
WINDOWS MOBILE: Microsoft missed its own 20 million Windows Mobile licence sales target for its fiscal year, although it is still showing strong year-on-year growth — at a time when conspicuous success appears crucial. The company talked-up its success in the enterprise market; and the Zune phone was rumoured again. [pp. 8-9,10.]
Motorola is reportedly readying a dual-mode MOTO Q smartphone, while also in the works is a mid-range Samsung device called SGH-i740. After months of speculation, Palm unveiled its Treo 800w. [pp.14,17,16.]
Michael Dell played down the prospects of a Dell smartphone “any time soon”, although it was acknowledged that the company is exploring the market. HTC provided a second-quarter 2008 business update, which was largely positive. [pp.12,13.]
MOBILE LINUX/OS X: The first ACCESS Linux Platform-based smartphone was shelved, with the Samsung-made device axed by operator Orange — a significant blow for ALP. Panasonic’s commitment to LiMo was questioned. [pp.18,22.]
Apple’s iPhone 3G made its debut, with high demand matched by stock shortages. Some issues with supplying operators were reported. In addition, Apple’s App Store got off to a flying start, with more than ten million applications downloaded on the first weekend. [pp.19-21,22.]
HTC said its first Android device is still on target, but warned that it will be hard to judge demand until handsets are available commercially. Motorola announced more details of its new MING devices, and confirmed the MOTO A810. China’s ZTE has readied a Linux device supporting CMMB mobile broadcast technology. [pp.19,23,24.]
OTHER OSs: Garmin delayed its nuvifone device, citing issues related to meeting operator demands. SAFRAN disposed of Sagem Mobiles, selling to venture capitalists Sofinnova Partners, which intends to create an ODM serving operators and vendors. [pp.25,36.]
Purple Labs detailed its plans following acquisition of handset software from Openwave Systems, before further bolstering its efforts by acquiring device software assets from Sagem. With Sofinnova both a Purple Labs investor and buying Sagem, the software company also has a new customer guaranteed. [pp.34,35.]
It was numbers time again, with Nokia’s results solid, and 40% market share achieved, Samsung performing well off the back of its premium units, and LG Electronics was also robust, trumpeting its high ASP touch-screen device sales. At the other end of the scale, there were few positives to be found in Motorola’s numbers, although it did maintain market share, while Sony Ericsson’s quarter was poor, leading to job cuts. [pp.29-30,37,25,28,38-39.]
Verizon Wireless was reported to have axed Palm’s Treo 755p device, just six months after its debut, while Centro sales topped two million. Group Sense PDA removed evidence of its Palm OS device line from its website, although it is not clear if devices had been available for some time. [pp.31,32.]
TRENDS: Nokia and Qualcomm finally settled their long-running legal dispute, with a feeling that Nokia may have got the upper hand, but, either way, a significant concern for both companies was erased. There was speculation as to how the pair’s relationship might develop going forward. [pp.40-41.]
Taiwanese ODMs are struggling in tough market conditions, according to local reports; however, vendors that brand their own products appear to be faring better. A group of Japanese companies teamed to promote TransferJet, a short-range data technology developed by Sony. [pp.42,43.]
EXTRACT
PURPLE LABS: Purple announces plans following Openwave buy
Purple Labs revealed more details of its plans following its $32m acquisition of Openwave Systems’ handset software business (Smart Devicewatch, 2008.05-06).
Purple acquired browser and messaging products that are described as being “among the best-selling mobile applications in the world”, having shipped in more than 1.5 billion devices, and being used by all of the top-five device manufacturers. For the quarter ending March 2008, Openwave reported revenue of $11.1m from these contracts, including software licence fees and related engineering services.
In a letter sent to mobile phone manufacturers, Purple said it will “continue to maintain the existing products, and invest in next-generation Surfer browser and other advance mobile internet technologies”. In addition to the California-based team from Openwave, the company has 75 engineers at a site in France, and plans to grow this team “aggressively” — it also recently acquired assets from Sagem Mobiles (see separate report).
Purple Labs said it plans to reuse much of the technology from Openwave in its Linux platform, stating that it is “focused exclusively on the requirements of LiMo Foundation members such as Vodafone and Orange — and believes that this will ultimately create new market opportunities for our manufacturer customers”.
Heading the acquired business will be Gordon Tsang, who previously headed the business at Openwave Systems, before moving to Purple Labs earlier in 2008 as Senior Vice-President of Sales, Asia. Indeed, as reported previously, several former Openwave executives were already at Purple Labs at the time of the acquisition, with Openwave’s messaging technology previously acquired from Magic4, a company staffed by many of the same people.
” The opportunity to acquire the Openwave business was unexpected, but fits very well with the mobile Linux strategy that Purple Labs was already pursuing. And given that several of us previously led this Openwave business, our investors are confident that we can integrate the operations effectively and deliver the financial return they require. “
– Simon Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer of Purple Labs.
[Reference: Linux vendor completes $32m Acquisition of US mobile technology leader -- Purple Labs, 3 July 2008.]
Purple Labs acquires former Sagem software assets
Purple Labs is to continue its mobile software ramp up by acquiring the mobile applications suite and software engineering team of Sagem Mobiles.
The deal follows an agreement by Sofinnova Partners, a venture capital company that is an investor in Purple Labs, to acquire Sagem Mobiles and transform it into an original device manufacturers (ODM), called Sagem Wireless. Purple Labs and Sagem Wireless also inked a multi-year licence and development agreement that will see the former providing all of the application software for the latter, including “all of the software for its future 3G Linux devices based on LiMo Foundation requirements”.
All of the related transactions are expected to close by the end of the year, subject to the approval of employee representative bodies.
Comment
Purple Labs has managed in the last few months to go from looking like “another device Linux player” to a potential handset software powerhouse. In addition to its existing Linux technology, which has already been used to power commercial devices, it now has a raft of market-proven messaging and browsing technology, as well as other software technology.
While this has largely been achieved through its acquisition of the Openwave device software business, which gave it an installed base of tier-one operator customers, the Sagem announcement clearly shows that investor Sofinnova Partners is strongly backing the company in its aims.
Indeed, through Sofinnova’s acquisition of Sagem, Purple Labs already has one customer guaranteed. The big issue is how well it will be able to market its technology to other device makers; clearly, it will be looking to exploit the relationships it acquired from Openwave to this end, although competition may be tough as it comes up against other LiMo-compliant Linux platforms.
One potential benefit that Purple Labs has is that it has no strong legacy connections with any other significant ecosystem players, meaning there is no worry about conflict among its stakeholders. However, the woes of ACCESS with its Access Linux Platform show that being an independent device software vendor is not all plain sailing (although ACCESS has had more success with its NetFront browser technology).
[Reference: Purple Labs to acquire Sagem's mobile application software portfolio and associated software engineering team -- Purple Labs, 31 July 2008.]
SAGEM MOBILES: New structure and business plan for Sagem
SAFRAN, the French industrial group that owns handset maker Sagem Mobiles, is to dispose of the unit, with new buyer Sofinnova planning to exploit several of its existing affiliates to drive development of the unit.
Sofinnova, a French venture capital firm, plans to turn Sagem into an original design manufacturer (ODM) player called Sagem Wireless, developing and marketing products under other brand names, on behalf of operators and other manufacturers, “as well as fashion, sports, and luxury companies”. This seems to mean the end of the Sagem brand, which has so far failed to generate any real market traction.
Sagem Mobiles already has deals in place with operators Orange Group and Vodafone Group, and with vendor Sony Ericsson.
In terms of software development, Sofinnova will work with Esmertec and Purple Labs, companies in which it is already a shareholder. Certain Sagem assets are also being transferred to Purple Labs, which was recently bolstered by the acquisition of browser and messaging technology from Openwave Systems (see separate report).
With Sagem Wireless and Purple Labs aligned, there is a strong possibility that the former will base its 3G devices on Linux technology, using a LiMo-compliant platform to appeal to operators while also easing its device development efforts. Purple Labs has already enabled several Linux-based devices for vendors.
The new company will have more than 300 employees, mainly located in Ningbo, China, but with a significant number in France.
The transaction is due to be completed “by the end of 2008 at the latest”. SAFRAN will retain 10% of the business, and Sofinnova also plans to outsource some device personalisation and packaging operations to this partner.
” Sagem Wireless will combine the expertise of the people from Sagem Mobiles, and the dynamic innovation mindset contributed by companies in the Sofinnova portfolio, to offer products with a distinctive difference, tailored to the specific requirements of our partner-clients. Our broad European presence, technological strengths, and forward-looking strategy should undoubtedly enable us to win over today’s leading brands by offering unrivalled products. Sagem Wireless clearly enjoys a very promising growth outlook in its chosen market. “
– Thierry Buffenoir, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sagem Mobiles.
[Reference: SAFRAN divests mobile phone unit, works with Sofinnova to ensure the growth of this business -- SAFRAN, 31 July 2008.]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 SYMBIAN OS
3 Symbian
5 Nokia
6 NTT DoCoMo
7 Samsung
8 WINDOWS MOBILE
8 ASUS;
Microsoft
10 E-TEN
12 Dell
13 HTC
14 Motorola
15 Neonode
16 Palm
17 Samsung;
Sony Ericsson
18 MOBILE LINUX/OS X
18 ALP
19 Android; Apple
22 LiMo Foundation
23 Motorola
24 Openmoko; ZTE
25 OTHER OS
25 Garmin; Intrinsyc;
LG Electronics
27 Microsoft
28 Motorola
29 Nokia
31 Palm; Palm OS
33 Panasonic
34 Purple Labs;
Research In Motion
36 Sagem Mobiles
37 Samsung
38 Sony Ericsson
39 UTStarcom
40 TRENDS
40 Companies;
Legal
42 Markets
43 Technology
44 INDEX
INDEX
A
ACCESS CO., 18, 35
ACCESS Systems Americas, 10, 31-32
ACCESS Linux Platform, 18, 35
Garnet OS (Palm OS), 10, 31-32
NetFront, 31, 35
Acer, Inc., 10, 12, 42
Devices, 10, 12
E-TEN Information Systems, 10, 12, 42
América Móvil, 3
American International Group, Inc.
AIG Investments, 39
Personal Communications Devices LLC, 39
Aplix, 3
Apple, Inc., 3-5, 8, 10-11, 18-22, 28, 32
App Store, 22
Executives, 28
Fenger, Michael, 28
iPhone, 5, 8-11, 13, 19-22, 28
iPhone 2.0, 19
iPhone 3G, 5, 10, 13, 19-21
iPod, 11, 19, 22, 32
OS X, 4, 8, 18
Arima Computer Corp., 42
ARM Holdings plc, 40
ARS, 5
ASUSTeK Computer, Inc. (ASUS), 8, 25, 42
Devices
GM5/Crystal, 8
P552, 8
P552w, 8
AT&T, 17, 19-21, 23, 31
B
Bearstech, 24
BenQ, 40
Bluetooth Special Interest Group, 14
C
Cambridge Silicon Radio, 21
Canaccord Adams, Inc., 20
Canon, 43
Carphone Warehouse, 20
Chunghwa Telecom, 13
Compal Electronics, Inc., 42
Computer Associates, 14, 21
D
Danger (see also Microsoft), 5, 11, 27
Dell, 12
Dell, Michael, 12
Deutsche Telekom
T-Mobile International, 13, 21, 23, 27, 35, 40
Devices, 27
Sidekick, 27
Sidekick Aspen (Microsoft Danger), 27
Sidekick Gekko (Microsoft Danger), 27
USA, 23, 27, 35
Dolby Laboratories, Inc., 25
E
EB (Elektrobit), 3
eBay, 19
EMCC Software, 3
Epson, 43
Esmertec, 36
ESTEEMO, 33
European Union, 17, 21, 24
F
Federal Communications Commission, US, 13, 17
Flextronics, 42
France Télécom
Orange, 13, 18, 21, 34-36
UK, 21
Fujitsu, 3
G
Garmin, 25
nuvifone, 25
Gartner, 39
GIGABYTE Communications, 42
Global Certification Forum, 8, 17
Golden Delicious Computers GmbH&Co. KG, 24
Google, 4-5, 12, 19
Android, 4-5, 12, 19
Group Sense, 32
Xplore, 32
Groupe SAFRAN, 36
H
Hewlett-Packard, 12, 42
Hitachi, 43
Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Ltd
Foxconn Technology Group, 42
HTC, 9-11, 13-14, 16, 19, 42
Devices
Diamond-series, 13
Mogul (6800), 14, 16
P4000 (Titan), 16
P5500 / Touch Dual (Nike), 14
Rose, 14
Touch (Vogue), 9, 13-14
Touch Pro (Raphael), 13
TouchFLO, 10, 14
Hutchison Whampoa
3 Group, 3, 5, 17
UK, 5
I
i-mate, 42
IDA Systems, 24
Infineon Technologies, 21
Intel, 40
Intrinsyc Software, 25
Destinator Technologies, 25
Inventec Appliance, 16
iSuppli, 19, 21
J
J.Gold Associates, 4
JVC, 43
K
KDDI, Japan, 43
Kenwood, 43
Kodak, 28, 43
Koolu, 24
L
LG Electronics, 3, 25-26, 28
Devices
KU990 (Viewty), 25-26
Prada, 26
Secret, 25
Venus, 25-26
Voyager, 26
Executives
Ahn, Skott, 26
LiMo Foundation, 4-5, 18, 22, 34-35
LiMo Platform, 4-5, 18, 22
M
Marvell, 3, 21
Matsushita
Panasonic, 22, 33, 43
Devices, 22, 33, 43
MCorpGobal
Spice Mobile Phones, 38
Microsoft, 3, 6, 8-12, 16, 19-20, 27
Danger, 5, 11, 27
Sidekick (T-Mobile), 27
Exchange Server, 6, 16, 19
Executives
Rockfeld, Scott, 10, 20
Hotmail, 34
Live Search, 20
Windows (other), 5, 11, 14, 16-17
Windows Live, 11
Windows Mobile, 8-12, 14, 16-17
Professional Edition, 8
Standard Edition, 9
WM6, 10, 14, 16-17
WM6.1, 10, 14, 17
WM7, 9, 11
Xbox, 11
Zune, 11
Zune Phone, 11
Mitsubishi, 3
Mobile and Wireless Group (MWg), 42
Motorola, 3, 14-15, 23, 25, 27-28, 30, 37, 40
Devices
A810, 23, 28
MOTO Q, 14-15
MOTO Q (Napoleon), 14
MOTO Q 2, 14-15
MOTO Q 9, 14
MOTOMING, 23, 28
MOTOMING A1600, 23
MOTOMING A1800, 23
MOTOROKR, 28
MOTOROKR E8, 28
MOTOROKR U9, 23
MOTOZINE, 28
ZN5, 28
Ex-executives
Fenger, Michael, 28
Executives
Brown, Greg, 28
Yam, Ray, 23
Symbol Technologies, 14
N
NEC, 33
Neonode, 15-16
Bystedt, Per, 15
N2, 15-16
Nikon Corp., 43
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT)
NTT DATA, 22, 33
NTT DoCoMo, Inc., 3, 6, 33
Devices
SH706i (Sharp), 6
FOMA, 6
Nokia, 3-7, 24, 29-31, 37-38, 40-41
Devices
5800 XpressMusic, 5
6220 Classic, 29
Eseries, 6, 29
E66 (Dora), 6, 29
E71 (Liam), 5-6, 29
N78, 29
N85, 6, 29
N95, 6-7, 30
N96, 5-6, 30
Executives
Jalkanen, Janne, 3
Kallasvuo, Olli-Pekka, 40
Oistamo, Kai, 3
Nokia Research Center, 5-6, 30
S60, 3, 7
S60 3rd Edition, 7
Series 40, 3
Trolltech, 24, 29
XpressMusic, 5
Nokia Siemens Networks, 40
Nuance Communications, Inc., 15
Numonyx B.V., 21
O
Olympus Corp., 43
Open Handset Alliance, 4-5, 12, 19
Android, 4-5, 12, 19
Openmoko, Inc., 24
Neo FreeRunner, 24
Openwave Systems, 34-36
Magic4, 34
P
Palm, Inc., 10, 16, 31-32, 42
Chatteremail, 32
Devices
Centro, 31
Treo, 16, 31
Treo 755p, 31
Treo 800w (Drucker), 16
Palm OS, 10, 31-32
Pioneer Corp., 26, 43
Piper Jaffray, 21
Pulster, 24
Purple Labs, 34-36
Tsang, Gordon, 34
Wilkinson, Simon, 34
Pwnage Project, 19
Q
Qisda Corp., 40
Qualcomm, Inc., 30-31, 40-41
BREW, 30
FLO, 31
R
RealNetworks
RealPlayer, 7
Regions
Americas, 5, 7, 8, 13-14, 20, 24, 25, 30-31, 39
Brazil, 19
Canada, 14, 21
North America, 5, 20, 25, 30, 39
US, 3, 5, 12-13, 15, 17, 20-21, 23, 27, 30, 34-36
APAC, 7, 15, 25, 34
Australia, 15
China, 13, 15, 23-24, 30, 36
India, 8, 24, 30, 34, 38
Indonesia, 15
Japan, 3, 8, 21-22, 33, 43
South Korea, 7
Taiwan, 13, 42
EMEA, 7, 8, 13, 17, 21, 24, 25, 31, 36, 38
Europe, 7, 8, 13, 17, 21, 24, 31, 36, 38
Finland, 3, 31, 40
France, 8, 24, 34, 36
Germany, 24, 29, 33, 41
Russia, 25
United Kingdom, 5-6, 13, 20-21, 24
Reliance Communications (India), 34
Research In Motion, 6, 8-9, 15, 20, 34-35
Devices
BlackBerry 8220 (Kickstart/Seawolf), 34
BlackBerry 8330, 34
BlackBerry 83xx-series (Curve), 34-35
BlackBerry 9000 Bold (Meteor GSM / Javelin CDMA), 6, 20, 35
BlackBerry 9500 (Storm/Thunder), 34-35
Software
BlackBerry Connect, 15
BlackBerry OS / BlackBerry Device Software, 34
BlackBerry OS 4.5, 34
Rogers Communications, Inc.
Rogers Wireless, 21
S
Samsung Electronics, 3, 7, 9, 14, 17, 18, 21, 37, 43
Devices
Access/A827, 18
SGH-G810, 7
SGH-i607 (BlackJack), 17
SGH-i617 (BlackJack II), 17
SGH-i740, 17
SGH-i800, 18
SGH-I850 (innov8), 7
SGH-i900 (OMNIA), 9, 17
SGH-i900v (Vodafone), 17
SGH-i907, 17
SGH-i908, 17
Sasken Communication Technologies, 3
Seiko Epson, 43
Sharp Corporation, 3
Devices
SH706i (NTT DoCoMo), 6
Singapore Telecom
Optus (Australia), 15
Sofinnova Partners, 34-36
Sagem Wireless, 34-36
Buffenoir, Thierry, 36
SOFTBANK CORP.
SOFTBANK MOBILE, 21
Sony Corp, 17, 43
Sony Ericsson, 3, 14, 17, 25, 36, 38-39, 43
Devices
Cyber-shot, 39
W902, 38-39
Walkman, 38-39
XPERIA, 14, 17
XPERIA X1, 14, 17
Executives
Komiyama, Hideki ‘Dick’, 38
UIQ Technology (see also separate UI Holdings entry), 39
Sprint Nextel, 14, 16, 31
Sun Microsystems
Pixo, Inc., 32
Symbian Foundation, 3, 5, 29
Symbian Ltd, 3-7, 8, 22, 29
Executives
Clifford, Nigel, 3
Forsyth, John, 5
Whittingham, Mike, 4
Platinum Partner Programme, 4
SDN++, 4
Symbian OS, 3-7, 8-9, 12, 22, 29, 39
Symbian Partner Network (SPN), 4
T
Taiwan Mobile, 13
Technology
2G, 7, 13-14, 16, 19-21, 23, 27, 30-31, 34, 39, 40-41
CDMA, 14, 16, 23, 30-31, 34, 40
EDGE, 14, 27, 40
GSM, 7, 13-14, 19, 23, 27, 30, 39, 40-41
3G, 5-7, 8, 10, 13-14, 16-17, 19-21, 23, 35-36, 39, 40
CDMA EV-DO, 14, 16
HSDPA, 6-7, 13-14, 39, 40
W-CDMA (FOMA), 6
4G, 30, 40
Long Term Evolution, 30, 40
Ultra Wideband (UWB), 43
WiMAX, 40
Categories
MID, 40
PDA, 10
R&D, 5
Connectivity
Bluetooth, 7, 14, 17, 21, 27, 43
OFDM, 40
TransferJet, 43
USB, 43
Wibree, 43
WLAN/Wi-Fi, 5-7, 14, 16-17, 19, 21, 23, 34, 39
Biometrics, 14
Near Field Communication, 43
Display, interface and imaging
Camera, 5-7, 14, 17, 23, 27, 29, 39
DivX, 7
QVGA, 6, 39
Touchscreen, 5, 11, 15, 17, 23, 26, 34-35, 37
WAP, 15
WQVGA, 27
Hardware and microelectronics
Batteries, 21
Multimedia
Dolby Mobile, 25
FM radio, 17
MPEG4, 7
Navigation
AGPS, 7
GPS, 5-6, 14, 16-17, 21, 23, 25, 34, 39
Software
API, 10
BREW, 30
Linux, 3-5, 9, 18, 23-24, 29, 33-36
Spectrum
850MHz, 13
1900MHz, 13
2100MHz, 7
Storage
Memory Stick, 39
Memory Stick Micro, 39
microSD, 17, 23, 27
TV
Broadcast, 24, 31
CMMB, 24
DVD, 33
FLO, 31
ISDB-T (One segment), 6
WMV, 7
Telecom Italia,
Telecom Italia Mobile, 3
Telefónica, 8, 13-14, 20-21
Telefónica Europe (O2)
Devices
Xda, 8, 13-14
Xda Ignito (HTC), 13
Xda Mantle (HTC), 14
Xda Zest (ASUSTeK), 8
UK, 13, 20
TELUS, 14
TietoEnator Corporation, 3
Time Warner
AOL, 34
Toshiba Corp, 21, 43
TransferJet Consortium, 43
TRIsoft OHG, 24
U
UI Holdings BV (UIQ Technology), 39
University of Texas System, 28
UTStarcom, 39
V
Verizon Wireless, 14, 30-31
Vivendi, 43
Universal, 43
Vodafone Group, 13, 15, 17, 21, 34, 36
Devices
SGH-i900v (Samsung), 17
W
WebIS, 10
Winwap Technologies, 15
X
Xplore Technologies, 32
Z
ZTE, 24
U720, 24
Comments
Got something to say?
