Motorola Xoom, Apple iPad 2 Keep Mobile Hype Alive
Although the Mobile World Congress 2011 and the impressions left by the event were covered two weeks ago, the mobile sector got another volt, thanks to the tablet world and Google’s ceaseless updates. The most popular player in the mobile market seems to be Android. Verizon Wireless refurbished its V Cast music app, now offering full sync with Android devices; songs can now be transferred from the Android phone to PCs and other attuned MP3 device by means of V Cast Media Manager and get socially driven recommendations based on current music purchases. The newly launched App Genome Project reveals that the number of apps in the Android Market increased by 127% since August 2010, in comparison to Apple’s modest increase of 44%.
During this week, Microsoft released the first update for the Windows Phone 7, adding copy and paste features, improved Marketplace search and the software update process itself. There are rumours of a possible partnership between Microsoft and Vesterbacka that would bring Angry Birds to the Windows Phone 7. James Choi, marketing strategy and planning team director of LG Electronics, suggested Microsoft sought dealerships with committed mobile carriers, such as Verizon and AT&T, thus increasing the visibility of the device on the market.
Many argue that giant players in the mobile industry are dictating trends, such as Isis, a small player that teamed up with the notorious AT&T, but we also have new entrants that try to make place for themselves. For example, we have Paydiant, a mobile payments stealth start-up that recently received $7.6 million in funding this week.
A very important event is reserved for the mobile market on the 2nd of March, expected to be the debut of the iPad 2, exactly one year after the launch of the original iPad that sold over 15 million units. A few days ago, Apple dampened enthusiasm by postponing the launch of the iPhone 5, due in July 2011, to September 2011.
The latest tablet from Motorola, the Xoom device, was released this week to a responsive market. Motorola lines up to compete against the iPad, a battle HP has not even commenced yet. According to HP’s earnings call, the company, with a strong specialization in consumer PCs, is losing ground to innovative devices from competitors, especially tablets. Hopefully, HP will recognize its weakness and will come up with a plan for regaining the top position.
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