Tech frenzy over mobile - Seattle Times

BARCELONA, Spain — The crowd outside the auditorium at Mobile World Congress on Monday was a restive mass of executives waiting to hear Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer. It was worse than the dressing-room line at Nordstrom Rack.

The pushing and shoving among men in suits to get a seat were a microcosm of the fierce competition and frenetic pace of a wireless industry here for its largest annual gathering. It was a stampede of the electronics industry to mobility.

The Mobile World Congress trade show, which started Monday, could draw as many as 53,000 attendees and 1,400 companies setting up booths and battling for sales and partnerships with hardware makers, software developers and wireless carriers. That compares with 49,000 attendees and 1,300 booths in 2010.

In addition to Ballmer, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo also spoke Monday.

With the industry drawing much of tech world's attention, the world's largest software company still had a lot of explaining to do about Windows Phone 7, the mobile operating system that started selling in October. The platform is growing slowly and has shipped 2 million copies to phone makers — the largest metric it has disclosed so far.

"We're off to a strong start; we know we've got a lot of work to do," Ballmer said in his speech.

But, no matter how Windows Phone 7 sales are characterized and despite Microsoft's eyebrow-raising partnership announced Friday with Nokia, the platform faces huge challenges.

Software update

Ballmer's speech was, at the end of the day, mostly a software update for an industry hungry for big technology leaps. This crowd has been spoiled by Apple's steady stream of new products and Google's stratospheric growth in mobile.

In fact, Google's mobile platform, Android, seems ubiquitous at the show, the launchpad for new products from all corners.

Samsung, for instance, announced both a new Galaxy smartphone and tablet, only a few months after releasing its first one. Sony Ericsson announced a smartphones running PlayStation games is coming in March. The platform common to all of them: Android.

Chip maker Qualcomm promoted software-development kits for new technologies such as augmented reality, also running on Android. An example of augmented reality is the yellow first-down line TV viewers of football games see on their screens.

Apple, too, looms large over the show, even though it is not at the conference in an official or public way, with many companies showing software built on the iPhone and iPad.

By contrast, Microsoft had no new devices running Windows Phone 7 to show here, and Nokia has not said when its first Windows Phone will be ready.

Even more telling is both Apple and Google are the platforms for tablets most developers here are targeting — and tablets are the hot topic at the conference.

Microsoft had no specific news about an operating system for tablets. The last update came at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, when the company showed a very rough chip prototype for the next version of Windows on tablets.

With this as a backdrop, Ballmer drummed on the phrase "fast paced" in his speech to describe Microsoft's mobile progress over the past 12 months.

The company announced plans for Windows Phone 7 about 12 months ago, began selling devices in the fall and on Friday announced the exclusive deal to put Windows Phone 7 on smartphones for the world's largest phone maker, Nokia.

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, formerly president of Microsoft's Business division, joined Ballmer in the Monday appearance.

"The world is shifting from a battle of devices to a war of ecosystems," he said. "... Microsoft and Nokia together represent a natural partnership."

Ballmer shared a laundry list of updates coming to Windows Phone 7 this year in his speech. One, planned for March, will add a copy-and-paste feature for Windows Phone 7 users.

Later this year, Windows Phone 7 will get Twitter integration into its People Hub, its address book. When people pull up their address books on the phone, they will also see their most recent tweets. (Facebook is already integrated.)

Multitasking between programs is also coming to Windows Phone 7. Corporate Vice President Joe Belfiore showed the ability to pause and switch between two games on the phone.

Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft's Web browser in progress, will have a version ready for Windows Phone 7 this year. The browser is a major update for Microsoft because it supports HTML5, a Web programming standard that lets developers build richer, more applike websites.

Microsoft will also expand the integration of SkyDrive on Windows Phone so people can access Office documents created in Office Web Apps on their phones.

Kinect connection

Microsoft also showed Windows Phone 7 working with Xbox Kinect. In a video, a Windows Phone user controlled balls in an Xbox "Kinect Adventures" handball game while another player tried to hit them in a game.

"My sense is they're doing better than people expected," Will Stofega, an analyst with Framingham, Mass.-based IDC, said of Windows Phone 7. "People said they would sell 10,000 copies."

He said the key is for Microsoft not to let Nokia get in the way of other phone makers such as Samsung and LG, which are already selling Windows Phones.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com

View the original article here

European mobile operators say big sites need to pay for users' data demands - The Guardian

StreetStats from Top10.com seeks to crowdsource the speed of 3G networks

European mobile networks have called on companies such as Facebook, Apple, Google to help pay for network upgrades as the growth in smartphone use has made data demand soar.

The call from major operators, including France Telecom (owner of Orange), Telecom Italia and Vodafone, would require content providers such as Apple and Google to pay fees linked to the usage of their products, according to a report by Bloomberg.

It is likely to meet stern resistance from the companies whose content is attracting people to buy smartphones, which will argue that the mobile networks are effectively trying to charge at both ends of the connection. The demands breach the broad principle of net neutrality, which suggests that companies offering connectivity should not charge providers for content passing over their networks.

Meanwhile British users are being offered a free app to help them crowdsource the speed of 3G networks so that they can pinpoint the best coverage and choose between networks.

France Telecom's chief executive Stepane Richard yesterday reiterated a call he had made last month for "service providers" such as Apple, with its iTunes service, and Google with YouTube, to pay for the use that users make of mobile networks' systems. "It's necessary to put in place a system of payments by service providers as a function of their use."

The call was echoed by Telecom Italia's chief executive Franco Bernabe and Telefonica SA's CEO Cesar Alierta at the LeWeb conference in Paris. Bernabe said that the tension between user demand for data and the mobile networks' readiness "is set to compromise the economic sustainability of the current business model for telecom companies."

IDC calculates that the number of mobile data connections in western Europe will rise by 15% annually to reach 270m in 2014, but that overall end-user revenues to networks will fall by 1% annually. Meanwhile the analyst Canalsy reckons operators' annual spending on network systems to support growing data and voice traffic is forecast to leap by 28% to about $3.7bn (£2.42bn) this year.

Meanwhile British smartphone users can find out what sort of 3G connection speeds they can expect using a crowdsourcing web and smartphone app developed by a UK broadband site - produced in reaction to huge perceived variations in connection speeds.

Devised by the comparison website Top10.com, the app is called StreetStats and the company says the web version has already had more than 2m users comparing fixed-line broadband speeds.

"The UK's 3G networks are notoriously patchy, with mobile data speeds varying wildly from provider to provider, town to town and even from street to street," said Harry Jones, a director of Top10.com. "Whilst consumers rely on their smartphones to access the internet and email, very little information exists to help them explore and understand 3G coverage in their area."

Available now free for the iPhone, as well as on a web page accessible from any smartphone, and from next year as an Android app, the program does a small network connection test and produces a crowdsourced map showing what sort of download and upload speeds people have managed to achieve on 3G networks at various locations.

"Armed with this information for the first time, consumers can now make a more informed choice about the phone network they sign up to, ensuring they achieve the best service available in their area," said Harry Jones, a director of Top10.com. "By making 3G speeds across the UK transparent for everyone, Top10.com hope to empower consumers to find the right service for them, and to put pressure on mobile phone networks to improve their services in slow areas."

Like all crowdsourcing applications, it will depends on user input for its effectiveness: so far it has had a few hundred tests, almost all in London, although there have also been a handful of tests in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and various other locations.

The UK's 3G networks have come under increasing strain as sales of smartphones have rocketed. The iPhone in particular drove data use dramatically on its arrival in 2007 on O2's network, but Android phones added to the arrival of the iPhone on every network

Richard at France Telecom said that the explosion in data use is "good news.... but a challenge for carriers like us" and said it "raises the question of the business model of mobile data." In February Alierta said that content providers were getting a free ride on Telefonica's networks, "which is good news for them and a tragedy for us... that can't continue."

At Top10.com, Jones said: "As the gap narrows between the tariffs and handsets offered by mobile networks, the quality of their 3G coverage is becoming increasingly important to customers. With the rise of data-hungry smartphones, tablets and netbooks, we expect 3G to become as essential as home broadband in the years ahead. With StreetStats 3G, we wanted to build a tool that would empower consumers to make the right decision when choosing a mobile network and, more generally, track the evolution of UK 3G speeds as they improve."

The company already offers a system for testing fixed broadband lines via the web, which shows home broadband speeds for competing networks on an interactive map.

View the original article here

Global mobile split between Apple's iOS and Symbian - Apple Insider

Global mobile split between Apple's iOS and Symbian

By Daniel Eran Dilger

Published: 02:00 PM EST

December began with an blizzard, dumping heavy and dense piles of StatCounter web analytics about mobile users, each offering an apparently contradictory look at which vendors were ahead in the race to blanket the world with mobile devices.

StatCounter's headlines

An initial report on StatCounter's data suggested an American comeback by RIM's BlackBerry, shored up by data that showed RIM grabbing the lead in the US with 34.3 percent of all web traffic from smartphone users, just two years after Apple trounced RIM with three times its presence in US web stats.

Mike Abramsky of RBC Capital Markets explained in a note that RIM's sudden assent in browser stats was "likely on uptake of the release of new BlackBerry [OS] 6 devices (with their improved [Web Kit] browser." He added, "alternatively, it may also reflect how Apple and Android users are doing more apps than browsing on their devices."

Reports of data culled from web analytics firms like StatCounter only take into account web traffic, and aren't able to monitor how phones are being used. They can also offer misleading slices of accurate data that are nearly meaningless to the market because they overrate the importance of a headline-grabbing detail while ignoring surrounding facts of greater significance.

iOS with the iPod touch

Pingdom, a vendor of network server monitoring tools, has supplied its own take on StatCounter's figures with a global look at mobile OS usage. While the first StatCounter report presented data only on smartphones, Pingdom included stats for the iPod touch (but not the iPad) in its iOS figures.

Apple's market position with iPhone is supported by iPod touch sales; long before the company could line up distribution deals for the iPhone with carriers globally, the iPod touch was bundled with other phones by those carriers, introducing their users to the iOS and likely tilting their next phone purchase in favor of the iPhone.

Other mobile device makers also offer iPod touch-like devices, but none have become very popular. Smartphone stats that ignore the iPod touch don't provide a realistic view of the mobile market, and in particular the demand for software specific to a given mobile platform.

For example, while sales of all phones from all manufacturers using some version of Android have overtaken the iPhone in the US, they haven't eclipsed the unified market for all iOS devices, which helps to explain (in part) why Android Market isn't leading in mobile software sales, or attracting the same interest from developers and marketers.

Think globally

Additionally, the US is only one part of the global market for mobile devices. Apple has rapidly rolled out both device sales and its App Store to more countries than Android Market, BlackBerry App World, and Microsoft's previous Windows Marketplace for Mobile or its fledgling Windows Phone 7 app store.

This has enabled Apple to take the market share lead in mobile devices away from Symbian in a variety of key markets. Pingdom's stats show the iOS has taken the lead across North America, Australia, and even Symbian's home turf of Europe.

Symbian still leads in Asia, Africa and South America, and not just because cheaper feature phones are selling in massive volume to third world countries. The figures are based on web share, so the mobile devices portrayed in the numbers must at least have a web browser. Entry level Symbian devices do sell for considerably less than full fledged smartphones however.

Beyond Nokia's first place position, Apple is in second place globally, with RIM's BlackBerry in third and Android in fourth place. The report notes that "BlackBerry?s strongest region is North America, but it is still behind iOS there. Android might be growing fast, but it?s still far from dominating any part of the world."

In global numbers, HP's Palm webOS "hardly made a dent," while the report stated that "WinCE is pretty much universally dead. Windows Mobile reaches a couple of percent in a few countries, but that?s about it. We?ll see what happens with Microsoft?s Windows Phone 7."

By nation

Symbian's global lead comes without much presence in the US at all; only 1.36 percent of web traffic in the US comes from Symbian phones. However, Symbian is the leading mobile OS for 100 other countries, and accounts for half or more of the mobile web traffic in 75 of them. Symbian's top ten nations where it is the most popular are Chad, Libya, Sudan, Iraq, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Somalia, Mozambique and Paraguay; Symbian phones account for 84 to 94 percent of all mobile web traffic in these countries.

Apple's iOS leads in 30 countries, and in 21 of these it accounts for half or more of the country's mobile web traffic. Its top ten countries are Canada, Cuba, Switzerland, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, France, Singapore, Denmark and Sweden; iOS devices account for between 62 and 84 percent of all mobile traffic in these countries. Japan and Belgium are nearly tied with Sweden, with iOS taking a 61 percent share of all web traffic in those two nations.

In the US, Apple accounts for just over 35 of all mobile web traffic with the iOS, as it competes directly with RIM's BlackBerry and Android. RIM's share of web traffic is 32 percent, lower than the iOS because these numbers include iPod touch.

BlackBerry commands a slight lead when it is only compared against the iPhone, as noted above. RIM doesn't sell an iPod touch-like product, but is planning to enter the non-phone tablet market to compete against the iPad (these stats do not include iPad use however).

BlackBerry is the leading mobile OS in four countries (all in Central and South America), and is tied with iOS in a fifth (the UK). The only nation where BlackBerry enjoys more than half of all web traffic is the Dominican Republic.

Pingdom points out that "interesting enough, considering RIM is a Canadian company, it isn?t all that strong in its native Canada, where it accounts for a mere 3.6% of the country?s mobile web traffic." It also notes that RIM has a stronger presence in the UK than in the US.

Android has a 23 percent share of US traffic, and only leads in one country: South Korea. That's where Samsung has been selling its Galaxy S. There are no other countries where Android makes up more than half of the nation's web traffic.

Apple shows interest in individually lit, multi-color keyboard backlights
In battle of iPad vs. Android-based Galaxy Tab, 85% prefer Apple
Old Navy piloting Apple's iOS EasyPay retail software
Apple TV users reporting long rental wait times, HDMI issues
BBC to launch global subscription TV app for iPad
Verizon 4G LTE launches Sunday with high-speed plans starting at $50
Global mobile split between Apple's iOS and Symbian
Women want Apple's iPhone, men prefer Google Android, Nielsen finds
Users complain of sound issues with Apple's 27-inch Cinema Display
RIM's BlackBerry overtakes Apple's iPhone in US browser usage
Google nearly ready to challenge Apple, Amazon with e-bookstore
iOS 4.2 supports technology for reducing network congestion
Apple patents show convertible tablet, MagSafe optical data connector
Apple Global Data Center Director Olivier Sanche dies at 41
Apple amends iOS Game Center to use real names in invites
Amazon Kindle 'rapidly' losing e-reader market share to Apple's iPad
Insurance company claims Apple's 'dangerous' MagSafe started fire
Richard Branson's 'Project' debuts on iPad, Infinity Blade coming Dec. 9
PCWorld reliability survey: Apple 'smoked the competition'
Camera lens supplier selected for Apple's second-generation iPad - rumor
Softbank to offer fully subsidized iPad in Japan with 25-month contract
Windows Phone 7 developers fear platform flop
Microsoft to respond to new Apple TV with Xbox-based service - report
Tablets like Apple's iPad expected to 'displace' 10% of PCs in 2014
Cyber Monday: Apple's sale, $110 off MacBook Airs, Office for $80, Fusion for $18
IDC: Android poised to pass Apple's iOS, Nokia's Symbian in Europe
As world's most-sued tech company, Apple is forced to 'lawyer up'
Apple's 11-inch MacBook Airs 'flying off the shelves' alongside iPad
Apple iPhone user loyalty twice that of Android
Deep hardware discounts suggest sluggish sales of Google TV
Sony adopts, then drops, Cocoa-like GNUStep plans to rival Apple iOS
Apple iPad widely expected to lead tablet disruption of PCs in 2011
Black Friday Macs: Save up to $130 on MacBook Airs, $150 on MacBooks, $270 on MacBook Pros, $180 on iMacs, $100 on Mac minis and $400 on Mac Pros
Black Friday Software: 80% off Adobe CS5, Office 2011 for $89, Final Cut Studio for $799
Black Friday Electronics: AirPrint-ready printers, Apple accessories, and digital cameras
Black Friday iOS devices: Apple TV for $79.99, 8GB iPod touches for $199.99
Apple nabs HP's former 98 acre campus in Cupertino
Apple resellers launch early Black Friday sales: up to $150 off MacBooks, $270 off MacBook Pros, $180 off iMacs, $100 off MacBook Airs
Early Black Friday: Apple TV for $79.99, Office 2011 for $89.99, VMWare Fusion for $27.99
Apple posts Black Friday deals [u]

View the original article here

UK Scientists Develop Mobile STD Test - PC Magazine

A group of U.K. health professionals is developing a cheap, widely available test for sexually transmitted diseases that you can administer privately through your mobile phone.

The test involves peeing or spitting onto a special computer chip and plugging it into your phone for analysis. Test results for common STDs, like gonorrhea, Chlamydia and herpes, will appear in minutes. The software also has the potential to include treatment recommendations and directions to your nearest doctor.

The project is called eSTI² ("electronic Self-Testing Instruments for STIs") and is being developed by a consortium of hospitals in the U.K., thanks to a £4 million ($6.4 million) grant from The Medical Research Council and UK Clinical Research Collaboration.

According to lead scientist Tariq Sadiq, a professor at the University of London, the test aims to give people no excuses not to get tested.

"Currently, if you want to know if you have an infection, your sample is usually sent to a laboratory and the results come back in a few days," he said in a press release. "Imagine how much more likely you would be to get tested if you could test yourself away from a clinic and have an on-the-spot, accurate result, but still let a doctor or pharmacist know within minutes that you may need treatment."

The test is also geared towards tech-savvy youths who may be too shy or lazy to get tested. Tariq said he plans to make the tests as widely accessible as they are cheap: he hopes to distribute the tests in nightclub vending machines, pharmacies, and supermarkets for as little as 50p ($0.80) each, according to The Guardian.

The technology is "very close to becoming a reality," Tariq said in the release, but appears to be hindered by implmentation issues such as privacy and confidentiality matters, as well as enabling a robust architecture that allows it to capture yet-to-be-identified STDs.

View the original article here

Facebook Offers Local Deals for Mobile Users - New York Times

People who use Places, Facebook’s location feature, will see a yellow icon indicating that a redeemable deal or coupon is available nearby. They can then use the application to “check in” at the store or restaurant and show their phone’s screen to an employee to claim their deal.

“We’re enabling merchants to push deals out to their existing customers and hopefully attract new customers,” said Tim Kendall, director of monetization at Facebook, during a press event at the company’s headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif.

Mr. Kendall said Facebook would not charge businesses directly to list coupons and special deals through the mobile application. Instead, businesses can purchase advertising to publicize their offerings on Facebook, he said.

One of Facebook’s first partnerships involving the new Deals feature is with the Gap. The company outlined a campaign offering a free pair of jeans to the first 10,000 users who check into their local Gap store using Facebook’s mobile application.

Facebook also plans to work with nearly two dozen major chains like H&M, 24-Hour Fitness and McDonalds for special offers. But eventually all merchants and small businesses with a Facebook Places page will be able to offer deals.

“It starts to solve an age-old problem that local businesses have always had,” said Emily White, director of local at Facebook. “They’ve been told they need to be online. But it hasn’t always been clear what the benefit is. That’s what this deals platform allows. It’s turning those fans, those visitors, those eyeballs into real dollars, real people and real business.”

Local retailers will be able to offer several different kinds of deals, including one-time offers and loyalty rewards, as well as “friend deals,” for those who check in and “tag” multiple friends. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and chief executive of Facebook, said it would be difficult to defraud the system because people will be required to be present at a store in order to redeem the coupon.

To start, the new feature is available only through the Facebook iPhone application. Android users can find local deals through a dedicated mobile Web site.

Facebook’s deals program borrows heavily from location-based social networks like Foursquare, Loopt and Gowalla, which have long been experimenting with similar ways to offer rewards and deals on cellphones.

Facebook’s large user base, which exceeds half a billion people, gives the company a clear advantage over smaller competitors that have only just begun to gain traction, said Ray Valdes, an analyst at Gartner.

“Facebook is now the largest photo-sharing site on the Web and the largest invite service on the Web,” he said. “Getting into the local deals business might have the same effect. Competitors will have to maneuver in order to not be at a disadvantage and get squashed.”

Facebook’s announcement also places the company more squarely in Google’s line of sight, as both companies battle to be the primary hub for both businesses and consumers on the Web. In recent months, Google has taken steps to bring more small businesses online and help users find those businesses more easily.

Analysts say the two companies are competing to tap the market for mobile advertising and search, which is still in its infancy. For retailers, the Facebook feature offers the chance to establish online connections with real-world customers and learn more about them.

Another advantage Facebook has over Google is a way to exploit the social connections of its users. As they cash in on deals, alerts are published to their Facebook news feeds, alerting people in their network to the offer and broadening the number of people who know about it.

“Each of these announcements may seem like a small thing, but it adds to the centrifugal force that Facebook has in the evolving modern Web,” said Mr. Valdes.

Mr. Zuckerberg said the announcement aligned with Facebook’s larger goal of building a social Web that, increasingly, is also mobile.

To illustrate the point, he said 200 million people were now using Facebook through its mobile application, a threefold increase since last year.

“Think about Android and iPhone,” Mr. Zuckerberg said. “This is a much bigger footprint than that. The only bigger platform is the mobile Web itself.”

View the original article here

Gartner: Tablets will serve as companion devices in enterprise market - Visage Mobile

In a report predicting booming sales for the technology over the next few years, market research firm Gartner said tablet PCs will be used primarily as companion devices to notebooks for the enterprise market.

Inflating popularity already had many experts positioning tablets as a key piece to the enterprise mobility market in the coming years. But Gartner has concluded it will take some time for the tablet to fully supplant the notebook computer.

For now, the tablet will be utilized as a secondary device to take on the road or use for email, calendaring, accessing web applications and information sources and showing PowerPoint presentations, Gartner predicts. The firm said tablets may be bumped down as a third device in some instances.

"Since these workers usually also have smartphones, media tablets become their third device. Most organizations will not buy that third device," Gartner's report concludes.

However, workers may use their own money to purchase a tablet and use it for both corporate mobility and leisure, Gartner found. The convenience factor for travel and an "instant on" for quick look-up functions make tablets viable for both uses.

Overall, Gartner's study predicted total tablet sales will reach 19.5 million units sold this year. Next year, sales will balloon 181 percent to 54.8 million units sold, according to Gartner. North America will account for 61 percent of tablet sales this year, but will see its market share drop to 43 percent in 2011.

Despite Gartner's prediction, many still believe tablet PCs will be widely adopted for corporate mobility management.

Mobile services provider AT&T recently announced a plan to sell iPads directly to businesses. It is the first time a vendor has positioned the tablet directly as a business tool, according to InformationWeek.

"We are getting many requests for help on iPad strategies for the enterprise," Forrester Research Vice President and Principal Analyst Ted Schadler told InformationWeek. "iPads are a tremendously empowering technology that any employee can buy."

AT&T did not provide pricing details about the initiative, saying only that it would offer its enterprise customers Wi-Fi and 3G iPads through "attractive post-paid mobile broadband plans." The plan hits the market on October 28.

Many see this move as beating rival Verizon Wireless to the enterprise punch. One day before AT&T's announcement, Verizon revealed that it would begin selling iPads in the near future.

This entry was posted by Mobility Management News Desk on Monday, October 18th, 2010 at 8:37 am and is filed under Managing Mobile Devices News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.

Please follow us @Visage_Mobile on Twitter. We also encourage you to join MOM’s Kitchen, a professional business network for Mobility Operations Managers (MOMs). This online community will allow you to explore ideas, debate issues and define best practices and benchmarks for the emerging discipline of enterprise mobility management.

View the original article here

Android This Week: Angry Birds, Opera Mobile Coming - GigaOm

Android phone owners got some game-loving news this week as the full version of Angry Birds was released. The release was unusual in that the app is free, as GetJar has a unique ad-supported distribution model in place. Rovio Mobile’s decision to give an exclusive deal for Angry Birds to GetJar was also out of the ordinary, as it means the hottest game in town will not be available from the Android Market. Google must be hoping this doesn’t start a trend, as it cuts out the 30 percent royalty Google normally takes from each app sale.

Opera Mobile will be coming to the Android platform in a few weeks, as announced by the company this week. Opera Mobile brings the desktop browsing experience to the smartphone better than previous versions of the browser. This new browser will take advantage of the hardware capabilities found in current smartphones, and implement a pinch/ zoom interface that rivals that in competing browsers.

The number of apps in the Android Market is growing rapidly, and the openness of the platform opens up the door for utility apps that improve the user experience. Keyboard apps fall in that category, and as many Android phones rely on onscreen keyboards developers have stepped up and produced quite a few of them. A keyboard app that may have more features than the others is Ultra Keyboard, as demonstrated in our video review. The app offers multiple keyboard layouts, multiple input methods and can translate text into a number of languages.

Kevin noted that handset makers are going to be offering Android-based smartphones in India soon, anticipating another half-billion new Android users as a result. In addition, some of the smartphones in India may be from brands unfamiliar to U.S. users; Indian companies Spice Mobility, Olive Telecom and Micromax are expected to be offering Android phones as well.

GigaOM had a cool infographic this week showing the steady progress of Android’s march toward market dominance that’s worth a look.

Gingerbread is next up on the Android dessert menu, and from the looks of it, most Android users have managed to upgrade to either Eclair or Froyo versions. Kevin took a look at Android Market data provided by Google’s dashboard service, and found that nearly three-quarters of Android users are using Android version 2.1 or above. Let’s hope more users are able to upgrade to Froyo before Gingerbread is out of the oven.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

View the original article here

Japan's DeNA Buys Mobile Game Firm Ngmoco - PC Magazine

Japan's DeNA mobile games company said Tuesday that it will acquire American mobile gaming company ngmoco, and add it to its stable of gaming platforms.

Terms of the deal were not announced by ngmoco.

DeNA will pay $300 million in its shares, stock options, and cash in November to buy ngmoco and will pay up to an additional $100 million if the company meets performance milestones. Part of the deal is dependent on ngmoco's earnings for 2011, Reuters reported.

"ngmoco will lead DeNA's efforts in the Western world, including launching a new western smartphone version of the incredibly successful Social Games Network, Mobage (we say "Mo-ba-gae") that we're building together with DeNA," co-founders Neil Young, Bob Stevenson, Alan Yu and Joe Keene wrote in a blog post.

Ngmoco designs games like GodFinger and WeFarm for the iPhone and iPod touch. The company said it plans to add them to the Mobage network of games, which are all tied together via a connected service.

Ngmoco said its are played more than 50 million minutes a day and have been downloaded more than 60 million times on Apple's iOS devices. The company's Plus+ social network has over 13.5 million registered users, with more than 50 million friend connections and has been installed more than 86 million times, it said.

Ngmoco also said that it continues to plan to expand its service beyond iOS devices into the Android OS, with the first games being delivered in the fourth quarter.

"We've also got exciting news for developers & our plus+ partners," the company added. "We're going to be opening up our platforms and frameworks, allowing them to access both the technologies and traffic that power ngmoco & DeNA products globally. By integrating the native libraries and technologies that power our leading ngmoco family of games & our plus+ network with the Mobage SDK, we'll create the Open Mobage Smartphone SDK. Developers who target this platform will gain access to the APIs, Libraries & Services that power the leading smartphone games, effortlessly bring their applications to both iOS & Android and get immediate access to a community of tens of millions of users both here in the West and Japan."

Developers can sign up for the beta at the Web site.

View the original article here

Microsoft, Adobe Could Partner On Mobile, Cloud Businesses - Wall Street Journal

Microsoft, Adobe Could Partner On Mobile, Cloud Businesses - WSJ.com More BigCharts Virtual Stock Exchange WSJ Asia WSJ Europe WSJ Portuguese WSJ Spanish WSJ Chinese WSJ Japanese WSJ Radio Financial News WSJ Lifestyle Brands WSJwine SEARCH | The Wall Street Journal Business Welcome, Logout My Account My Journal Help Message Center ( new)
U.S. Edition Home ? More

WSJ.com is available in the following editions and languages:

U.S. Asia India China Japan Europe Americas en Español em Português Register for FREE Register for FREE Thank you for registering.

We sent an email to:

Please click on the link inside the email to complete your registration

Please register to gain free access to WSJ tools.

An account already exists for the email address entered.

Forgot your username or password?

This service is temporary unavailable due to system maintenance. Please try again later.

The username entered is already associated with
another account. Please enter a different username

The email address you have entered is already in use.
Please re-enter the email address.

First Name Last Name Email (your email address will be your login)Confirm Email Create a Password Confirm Password Company Size (Optional) Please make a selection 1-99 100-499500-9991,000-2,4992,500-4,9995,000-9,99910,000-14,99915,000-24,99925,000+Not Applicable

From time to time, we will send you e-mail announcements on new features and special offers from The Wall Street Journal Online.

Create a profile for me in the Journal Community

Why Register?

Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

As a registered user of The Wall Street Journal Online, you will be able to:

Setup and manage your portfolio

Personalize your own news page

Receive and manage newsletters

Login/Register to set your edition Today's Paper Video Blogs Journal Community

Log In Log In Login Password Log in Your login is either a username or an email address.

Keep me logged in. Forgot your password?

World » More

World » More

Loading… U.S. » More

U.S. » More

Loading… New York » More

New York » More

Loading… Business » More

Business » More

Loading… Markets » More

Markets » More

Loading… Tech » More

Tech » More

Loading… Personal Finance » More

Personal Finance » More

Loading… Life & Culture » More

Life & Culture » More

Loading… Opinion » More

Opinion » More

Loading… Careers » More

Careers » More

Loading… Real Estate » More

Real Estate » More

Loading… Small Business » More

Small Business » More

Loading… Asia Europe Earnings Economy Health Law Autos Management Media & Marketing Energy   More Industries   Accounting Advertising Airlines Banking Chemicals Computer Hardware Computer Software Consumer Products Defense & Aerospace Broadcasting & Entertainment Financial Services & Insurance Food & Tobacco Hospitality Industrial Goods & Services Media Agencies Paper & Forest Products Pharmaceutical & Biotech Real Estate Retail Semiconductors Transportation Close

Dow Jones Reprints: This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visitwww.djreprints.com

See a sample reprint in PDF format.Order a reprint of this article nowOCTOBER 8, 2010, 3:31 P.M. ETMicrosoft, Adobe Could Partner On Mobile, Cloud Businesses ArticleCommentsmore in Business »

SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones)--The reported visit by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) Chief Executive Steve Ballmer to the headquarters of Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) spurred takeover talk, but the more likely result could be increased collaboration between the two companies, especially in the hot areas of cloud and mobile computing.

For example, analysts said, Microsoft could help drive the adoption of Adobe Systems' Flash on mobile devices such as phones and tablets, while Adobe could help drive business for Azure, Microsoft's cloud-computing development platform and service.

"We believe the most likely outcome of any potential deal between Microsoft and Adobe would be ...

Email Printer Friendly Order Reprints Share:

facebook

Twitter

Digg

StumbleUpon

Viadeo

Orkut

Yahoo! Buzz

Fark

Reddit

LinkedIn

del.icio.us

MySpace

 

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit

www.djreprints.com

Back To Back ToMSN Money HomepageMSN Money InvestingMost Popular ReadEmailedVideoCommentedSearches

Subscriber Content Read Preview

1.Verizon iPhone May Not Be Built for Speed2.Apple Readies iPhone for Verizon 3.Sellers Who Caved on Price4.Fed Officials Mull Inflation as Fix

Subscriber Content Read Preview

5.Opinion: Noonan: Revolt of the Accountants

Subscriber Content Read Preview

1.Opinion: Noonan: Revolt of the Accountants2.Apple Readies iPhone for Verizon 3.The Write Stuff Boosts the Brain4.Why Are Distressed Homeowners Still Paying Their Mortgage?5.BofA Halts All Foreclosure Sales1.Brett Favre Controversy Over Lewd Messages 2.digits: Verizon iPhone: Benefits, Drawbacks?3.Cutting Back: Spain Hits Hard Times4.Worth It?: Google's Gmail Calling5.PM Report: iPhone Coming to Verizon1.Democrats and 'Poisoned' Politics496 comments2.Opinion: Revolt of the Accountants358 comments3.Liu Xiaobo Wins Nobel Peace Prize315 comments4.U.S. Economy Lost 95,000 Jobs in September264 comments5.Foreclosure Bill Is Blocked257 comments 1. Toyota 2. Health 3. Motorola 4. Chennai 5. Intel Most Read Articles Feed Most Emailed Feed Most Popular Video Feed Most Commented FeedMost Popular Feeds Editors' PicksTrash Tours: Off-Limits Waste Facilities Welcome the CuriousIn Hunt for Dubai Hit Men, Trail CoolsOctober Mystery: Rays Offense Disappears

Subscriber Content Read Preview

Stars Boost Use of U.K. Gag RulesCWG Day 5: India's Medals TallyIn Cuba, an 'Extended Family' ReunitesHow to Buy Contemporary ArtPhotos of the Day: Oct. 7What Happened to the Mopheads?Videoprevious nextOpinion Journal Opinion Journal: 95,000 Lost Jobs3:21Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: A Nobel for Liu Xiaobo7:18Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: Mario Vargas Llosa's Nobel2:54Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: The Progress in Afghanistan6:57Opinion Journal Obama Pulls Down His Party2:21Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: More Job Losses2:21Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: Missing Stimulus Money162:00Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: Ending the War in Afghanistan?9:20Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: Britain's Welfare State Woes5:44Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: The Enthusiasm Gap9:55Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: Will Voters Bite Blue Dogs?4:38Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: The Campaign Against Free Trade 9:36Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: Running Against ObamaCare3:50Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: Creating Another Facebook?9:37Opinion Journal Opinion Journal: Burgers, Fries and ObamaCare5:16 Most Recommended CommentsComments CommentersCommenters 1. “The Democratic party is falling...;” - David Pearlman 106 Recommendations 2. “Christine O'Donnell dated a...;” - James Rodesiler 90 Recommendations 3. “Perhaps most pernicious is the...;” - Steve Fleischer 74 Recommendations 4. “Wall Street is a den of agnostics...;” - David Pearlman 72 Recommendations 5. “Once again, Ms. Noonan is late to...;” - J. Scott Shipman 68 Recommendations Peter Venetoklis 1229 Recommendations jean balloon 1023 Recommendations Matilda Anders 527 Recommendations Joseph Wootten 438 Recommendations Dave Cavena 402 Recommendations More in BusinessBofA Halts All Foreclosure SalesDoubts Emerge Over BP's StudyGenzyme to Explore AlternativesSchlumberger in Bribery ProbeSanofi-Aventis to Lay Off 1,700 U.S. Employees null Email Newsletters and Alerts

The latest news and analysis delivered to your in-box. Check the boxes below to sign up.

WSJ.com Email Features Real Time Economics Newsletter News AlertSubmit The email address null is already associated with another account. Please enter a different email address:

Enter Your Email

Sign UpNew! To sign up for Keyword or Symbol Alerts click here.To view or change all of your email settings, visit the Email Setup Center.

Thank you !
You will receive in your inbox.

To view or change all of your email settings, visit the Email Setup Center. null Email Newsletters and Alerts

The latest news and analysis delivered to your in-box. Check the boxes below to sign up.

WSJ.com Email Features This Week's Most Popular On the Editorial PageSubmit The email address null is already associated with another account. Please enter a different email address:

Enter Your Email

Sign UpManage Email Preferences

Thank you !
You will receive in your inbox.

Manage Email Preferences Editors' PicksTrash Tours: Off-Limits Waste Facilities Welcome the CuriousIn Hunt for Dubai Hit Men, Trail CoolsOctober Mystery: Rays Offense Disappears

Subscriber Content Read Preview

Stars Boost Use of U.K. Gag RulesCWG Day 5: India's Medals TallyIn Cuba, an 'Extended Family' ReunitesHow to Buy Contemporary ArtPhotos of the Day: Oct. 7What Happened to the Mopheads? WSJ Web Slice CONTENT LINKS TO ACTUAL PAGE CONTAINING WEB SLICE FUNCTIONALITY. 15back to top WSJ.com Account:My AccountSubscriber Billing InfoCreate an Account:Register for FreeSubscribe to WSJ.comSign up for WSJ ProfessionalHelp & Information Center:HelpCustomer ServiceContact UsNew on WSJ.comTour the new JournalAbout:News LicensingAdvertisingAdvertise LocallyConferencesAbout Dow JonesPrivacy Policy - UpdatedSubscriber Agreement & Terms of Use - UpdatedCopyright PolicyJobs at WSJ.comFuture Leadership ProgramWSJ.com:Site MapHomeWorldU.S.New YorkBusinessMarketsMarket DataTechPersonal FinanceLife & CultureOpinionAutosCareersReal EstateSmall BusinessStudent JournalCorrectionsTools & Formats:Today's PaperVideo CenterGraphicsColumnsBlogsTopicsGuidesAlertsNewslettersMobileiPadPodcastsRSS FeedsJournal Community- Message CenterWSJ on TwitterWSJ on FacebookWSJ on FoursquareMy JournalPortfolioDigital NetworkWSJ.comMarketwatch.comBarrons.comSmartMoney.comAllThingsD.comFinance Jobs at FINSBigCharts.comVirtual Stock ExchangeProfessorJournal.comWSJ U.S. EditionWSJ Asia EditionWSJ Europe EditionWSJ India PageForeign language editions:WSJ ChineseWSJ JapaneseWSJ PortugueseWSJ SpanishACAP EnabledCopyright ©2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

View the original article here