Is Mobile Passing thorugh a Meteor Field?
June 26, 2012
The demand for mobile devices is on the rise and right now the force is strong with Android. Device sales and activations are moving at light speed according to the article Google: 900K Android Activations a Day:
“Apple used WWDC to reveal that through March, it had sold 365 million iOS devices. An impressive figure, but at over 25 million activations per month according to Rubin’s math, the Android ecosystem is proving to be an able competitor.”
“Android and its app ecosystem are in good shape in Google’s eyes, but that they are also big pillars in the company’s strategy to compete against Apple and Microsoft in the mobile space. That includes catering to the “bring your own device” BYOD trend that has gripped enterprise IT departments.”
The WWDC 2012 officially unveiled the iOS 6 and brought developers up to speed on the latest innovations being launched into the company’s mobile operating system that powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. However, Microsoft is hasn’t been left adrift, as their going to utilize Windows 8 to support desktop and tablet views from all form factors to compete with Apple and Android.
If all this is true, than the big ships are flying on a collision course. With the increasing Android, iPhone and Microsoft sales, pretty soon the mobile industry space will be as oversaturated as a meteor field. This could cause everyone to have trouble maneuvering.
Jennifer Shockley, June 26, 2012
Numbers Do Not Lie: Big Things, Small Packages
June 21, 2012
Big things come in small packages, and that is the challenge desktop internet is currently facing when compared to mobile devices. The mismatched growth in mobile usage and monetization now casts a shadow that looms over the internet industry according to Mary Meeker Explains the Mobile Monetization Challenge. Mobile usage hit 10% of the total global Internet traffic as of May 2012. That may not sound like much, but it was only five percent at that time last year.
According to Meeker, cost and ecommerce are playing a big role as:
“There are lots of places to find evidence of the mobile monetization gap. Effective desktop CPMs are five times the price of mobile Internet CPMs in the U.S.: $3.50 versus $0.75. And companies like Pandora, Tencent and Zynga currently report that average revenue per user is as much as five times lower on mobile.”
“Mobile e-commerce is 8 percent of the total e-commerce market in the U.S. Today, payments for and within applications account for 71 percent of revenue versus 29 percent for mobile advertising”
Right now there are over 1.1 billion global mobile 3G subscribers as compared to the 2.3 billion global internet users. The mobile device offers desktop accessibility with the added convenience of portability at a reasonable price. When you consider all the details, it isn’t surprising the hard number results favor the smaller package.
Jennifer Shockley, June 21, 2012
Sprylogics Tech Update
June 11, 2012
In an effort to make the most of their innovations, Sprylogics is focusing on four particular areas of further development. Canada Newswire lets us in on the “Sprylogics Technology Update.” The write up informs us:
“The Sprylogics Technology Team is focused on leveraging and enhancing the existing patent pending technology base to build mobile search solutions that interpret what people are saying online and on their mobile phones in order to:
a) Better understand what they are looking for (query intent);
b) Better understand trends and patterns in people’s behavior and opinions in aggregate (improve quality and relevancy of search results).
“This is accomplished through the use of semantic technologies and natural language processing techniques like entity extraction, semantic graph creation, disambiguation, matching and clustering to process massive volumes of unstructured data in order to extract key sentiments, facts, opinions, user interests and intents. “
Sprylogics’ solutions have been updated in the following areas: expanded natural language processing; improved machine learning; a beefed up knowledge base; and advances in mobile development and API’s. See the article for details on each. We wonder how much of this progress is linked to the company’s financing boost earlier this year.
Sprylogics, Based in Ontario and was formed in 2011, styles itself the “semantic search engine.” Cluuz is the catchy name of the company’s search platform, while their Analyst and Evidens analyzes workflow. Sprylogics is awaiting a patent on their unique semantic graph visual display.
Cynthia Murrell, June 11, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Google to Change Android Tactics
June 7, 2012
We thought Google had its Android carnival under tight management, but we guess changes are needed since, according to ZDNet, “Google to Centralize Android Development and Sales.” There are several reasons the move is a good idea, but fragmentation and a loss of control to vendors are probably foremost; the hardware vendors Google partners with tend to impose non-removable skins on top of Android that can hamper or, worse, change functionality. Now is that any way for partners to treat each other? Furthermore, these altered versions are often based on an outdated Android version, which further confuses and frustrates customers.
So, just how is the company planning to reign in its wayward offspring? Not all details are in, but the article informs us:
“Wall Street Journal reporter, Amir Efrati reports that ‘Google plans to give multiple mobile-device makers early access to new releases of Android and to sell those devices directly to consumers, said people familiar with the matter.’ In the past, Google would pick a single vendor to introduce major Android updates in lead devices, and then all the other vendors would follow. These devices were then, as now, sold to end-users through wireless carriers or retail outlets.
“By the holiday season though, there were be as many as five manufacturers creating a portfolio of ‘Nexus’ lead devices that include smartphones and tablets. While the old sales channels will still be there, Google will sell the gadgets directly to consumers in the U.S., Europe and Asia via its website. These will run on be running Google’s next version of Android, Jelly Bean.”
As a consumer, I’m in favor of this plan. We don’t yet know just who these “multiple” manufacturers are, though writer Steven J. Vaughn-Nichols suspects Motorola (of course), ASUS, HTC, Samsung, and Sony will make the list. He also posits that the consolidation may be, in part, an effort to present a united front against Apple’s intellectual property hullabaloo.
Cynthia Murrell, June 7, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Does Its Open Source Nature Weaken Android for Google?
June 4, 2012
Though Dan Graziano still feels the open source choice helped Android get where it is, he suspects open source may soon be the death of the operating system. Specifically, all the manufacturer add-ons and inconsistencies between versions leave users with a sour taste. The writer shares his views in BGR’s “Being Open Could Close the Door on Android.” He asserts:
“I understand that vendors need to distinguish their devices from the competition, but forcing customers to use a clunky, battery-wasting skin is not the answer. I wouldn’t be so against Android skins if the manufacturers allowed the average user to remove them completely, and I mean without the need to root a device.”
Yeah, me too. While he’s at it, Graziano notes that carriers are not helping the situation:
“Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint — they all do it, some more than others — pre-install apps on their devices. This ‘bloatware’ often cannot be uninstalled and is found on just about every Android device, including my ‘pure Google’ Galaxy Nexus. To make matters worse, carriers and vendors sometimes enter into exclusive partnerships to offer services on certain devices.”
The most egregious exclusive services deal, according to the write up, was Verizon swapping out the default option for a number of Google services to Microsoft‘s Bing. That just adds insult to injury.
I won’t mention here the pun Graziano uses for cheap knockoff tablets; see the piece if curious. His point, though, is that closing Android would knock those useless things off the shelves.
Since Google seems determined to plow ahead with its Motorola Mobility acquisition despite China’s insistence that Android remain open for at least another five years, it would seem the OS will not become closed and licensed for some time. Can Android survive five more years of manufacturer and carrier tampering?
Cynthia Murrell, June 4, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
China Insists on Open Android for Motorola Deal
May 31, 2012
SlashGear puts forth an interesting angle on how Google convinced China to approve its purchase of Motorola Mobility in “Open Android—The Price for China’s Motorola Bid Approval.” Well, maybe it is a perspective on how China squeezed Google for a deal. Could happen we suppose. Is search next?
Having already gotten the go-ahead from US and European authorities, China’s government was the last hurdle for the would-be partners. Concerned for other manufacturers who rely heavily on Android, a pledge to keep that operating system open for at least five years was described as China’s “main condition” for the green light. Writer Chris Davies reports:
“With Motorola brought in-house, suspicions were raised that Google might take a more aggressive approach and follow in Apple’s footsteps, marginalizing other Android OEMs such as HTC and Samsung in the process. Google execs promised that would not happen, with talk of a firewall between the two companies, but have met with no small amount of skepticism in response.
“The Chinese drive for openness would seemingly mean that Android will remain available for all who want it, at least for the next half-decade, though without full details of the deal it’s impossible to know under what conditions that will be the case.”
While we await those details, it is worth pondering what those next five years could bring. Will manufacturers find a workable Android alternative before time is up?
Cynthia Murrell, May 31, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Can Google Manage Motorola Mobility
May 19, 2012
Google’s on a roll. Oracle seems to be holding a cold cup of Java. The Facebook IPO fizzled. Now China has approved Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility. Navigate to “China Finally Approves Google’s Motorola Mobility Acquisitions, Deal Likely to Close Next Week.” I learned from the write up:
Google may have announced its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility last August and gained approval from both EU and US authorities but it’s taken until today for the search giant to gain clearance in China…. Chinese law stipulates that any business which generates revenues in excess of $1.55 billion (10 billion yuan) per year, of which $62 million (400 million yuan) comes from China, must receive government approval before it can be acquired.
Messrs Brin and Page did not suggest China change its laws. The company waited until the Middle Kingdom did its bureaucratic boogie.
Now that the deal between a vendor with a ore competency in software and online advertising and an mobile phone outfit nearly done, the question becomes, “Can Google Manage Motorola Mobility?” My hunch is that Google will do Googley things. For example, Google will behave in an unpredictable way.
There are rumors that Google will create a preferential implementation of Android. There are rumors that Google will sell the Motorola Mobility manufacturing operation. There are rumors that Google will wheel and deal with the Motorola patents.
My view is that Google itself is not sure what it will do. Situational decisions, betas, and mixed signals are likely to be the summer picnic fare. I don’t pay too much attention to Google, but the company is a headline maker. The Motorola deal caught me by surprise. Google’s tie up with Samsung has been great for Samsung, but I think the Google management of Android has been interesting.
According to PCMag:
Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt raised eyebrows when he appeared at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and argued that Android is not fragmented but “differentiated.” Then there was the write up “The Many Faces of a Little Green Robot.” If that write up is correct, there are 681,900 Android devices running different flavors of Android.
Now that’s a form of management that is remarkable.
Stephen E Arnold, May 19, 2012
Sponsored by Polyspot
Forbes: Google and Facebook Will Be Obsolete in Five Years. Really?
May 14, 2012
When researching the impact of web tycoons like Google and Facebook, every once in a while you come across an article that’s so out of left field that it bears mentioning. Forbes contributor, Eric Jackson’s article “Here’s Why Google and Facebook Might Completely Disappear in the Next 5 Years,” is an excellent example of one of these stories.
According to the article, with the rate of technological progression, tech companies that have dominated in the web 1.0 and 2.0 eras have historically been unable to adapt to the changes that come with the new generation of social and mobile technology.
Jackson writes:
“[Facebook and Google] will have all the money in the world to try and adapt to the shift to mobile but history suggests they won’t be able to successfully do it. I often hear Google bulls point to the market share of Android or Eric Schmidt’s hypothesis that Google could one day charge all Android subscribers $10 a month for value-added services as proof of future profits. Yet, where are all the great social success stories by Web 1.0 companies? I imagine we’ll see as many great examples of social companies jumping horses mid-race to become great mobile companies.”
While Jackson brings up some excellent points, he forgets the fact that Google and Facebook have already made the leap from social to mobile and are continuing to adapt.
Jasmine Ashton, May 14, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Publishers Sour on Apps
May 12, 2012
Have you noticed a slowdown in attempts to app-ify traditional publications? Technology Review describes "Why Publishers Don’t Like Apps." Writer Jason Pontin describes early attempts of publishers to cure their Internet woes with apps. They seem to have expected tablet and smartphone users to relate to the written word more like, well, the written word than like a Web site. Sure, most of the projects supported some limited interactability, but publishers also expected people to be happy viewing simple replicas of print materials. And, they expected to be able to charge for this paltry access.
Problems abounded from the beginning, including grossly underestimating costs (an age-old problem), and technical difficulties converting print matter into apps. The write up emphasizes:
"But the real problem with apps was more profound. When people read news and features on electronic media, they expect stories to possess the linky-ness of the Web, but stories in apps didn’t really link. The apps were, in the jargon of information technology, ‘walled gardens,’ and although sometimes beautiful, they were small, stifling gardens. For readers, none of that beauty overcame the weirdness and frustration of reading digital media closed off from other digital media.
"Without subscribers or many single-copy buyers, and with no audiences to sell to advertisers, there were no revenues to offset the incremental costs of app development. With a couple of exceptions, publishers therefore soured on apps."
Ah, so publishers don’t like apps because the golden goose is a sparrow and lays small monetary eggs. Got it.
Cynthia Murrell, May 12, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Is Android Slipping From Google’s Grasp?
May 8, 2012
It is a tale of fragmentation and control: BetaNews declares, “Google Has Lost Control of Android.” The extensive article examines the ways in which writer Joe Wilcox says open source distribution of the Android platform is hurting the company. He asserts:
“Forrester Research predicts that proprietary Android will surpass the Google Android ecosystem by 2015. Stated differently, Google’s open-source mobile platform risks fracturing into multiple fatally fragmented Android ecosystems. Not one but many. There is little time for Google to demonstrate decisive leadership that can keep the ecosystem largely intact. . . .
“Google’s problem: Two partners are overwhelming successful, while the majority limp along, and one hurts the entire Android ecosystem. Apple is now the least of concerns. Putting Amazon and Samsung in their place is more important.”
Why are Amazon and Samsung such thorns in Google‘s side? For its part, Amazon has customized its Android platform to direct users into its retail world, not Google’s. For example, it delivers its own products and services over Google’s even if, say, the address for Google Play is typed directly into the Kindle‘s browser. Sneaky.
Samsung has hijacked the Android environment on its Galaxy Tab and on most of its smartphones, controlling the user experience. The Samsung skin is so thick, Wilcox says, that users lucky enough to get an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich won’t be able to see much of a difference.
See the article for more in depth discussion of Android’s fragmentation, the need for Google to exert control, and Wilcox’s suggestions for the company. Interesting reading (cute pictures, too.)
Cynthia Murrell, May X, 2012
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