ABI Insights

Is the "Vanilla" Android UI Good Enough?

08 Sep 2010 - Victoria Fodale

In late August, Dell and AT&T released an Android 1.5 smartphone for just $99. This would be exciting news if the device had been released a year ago. But with the Android OS now at version 2.2, and version 3.0 slated for release by the end of the year, is a device shipping with 1.5 something to g. . .
Apple Owners Are Happy, But What about the Handset Case Industry?

08 Sep 2010 - Michael Morgan

When Steve Jobs announced that he would be offering free cases or bumpers to iPhone 4 owners and refunds for those who have already purchased cases for their new device, Apple was admitting that without a redesign of the iPhone 4, the antenna issue will remain. Some may say that this was Apple avoid. . .
Avaya and Acme Partnership to Bring SIP-based UC to Mid-size Companies

08 Sep 2010 - Subha Rama

The Avaya Aura SBC™, based on Acme Packet’s Net-Net OS-E software, will lower cost and help organizations benefit from SIP-based UC functionality and federation.
Intel Buys McAfee: Mobile Suppliers Take Notice!

25 Aug 2010 - Dan Shey

Mobile device security is a hot topic these days, but it is not so much end-user driven. While any IT administrator can talk about daily office and corporate network threats, these are not necessarily threats coming from mobile devices. IT is well aware of threats to wireless-connected laptops and t. . .
Intel Acquires TI’s DOCSIS Modem Group

19 Aug 2010 - Sam Rosen

Intel has announced it will acquire Texas Instruments’ (TI) Puma group which makes the DOCSIS chipsets used in cable modems and gateways. Like the Pace-2wire acquisition, Intel’s move highlights a desire to integrate broadband modems or gateways into set-top boxes. This pressure is driven by two d. . .
Smartbook Remix

17 Aug 2010 - Jeff Orr

Smartbooks – a mobile device design concept intended to compete with clamshell netbooks and new shapes – have not materialized at the rate initially expected in 2009. The ABI Research forecast for smartbooks has been revised downwards to reflect this slow start in 2010. What caused the change in thi. . .
Tyco-ADC Merger: What Are the Implications for the Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) Market?

17 Aug 2010 - Aditya Kaul

Tyco Electronics’ recent acquisition of ADC for $1.25 billion is an M&A deal apart from the NSN-Moto announcement and points towards a consolidation trend in the wireless infrastructure marketplace. The Tyco-ADC deal is focused on complementing Tyco’s presence as an undersea cabling and electronics . . .
Alternative Energies Await Higher Gas Prices

13 Aug 2010 - Larry Fisher

Here’s a statement you might take issue with: “It’s unfortunate that the price of gasoline is so low.” However, if read in the context of trying to promote alternative energy sources and related technologies, it’s a statement you must agree with. Why? Because low gas prices inhibit the move to alte. . .
Do GPS Car Kits and Cases for the iPhone Make Any Sense?

13 Aug 2010 - Dominique Bonte

Over the past year, watching traditional GPS and navigation vendors launch iPhone car kits and cases with integrated GPS-receivers has been intriguing. TomTom launched car kits for iPhone ($100) and iPod touch ($80) in 2009. Magellan’s Premium GPS Car Kit for iPhone and iPod touch is now available. . .
Advice to RIM: Don’t Compromise What Made You What You Are

09 Aug 2010 - Kevin Burden

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), apparently finding the BlackBerry too secure for its liking, has asked RIM to make some serious compromises to the service architecture that has made BlackBerry the success that it is. Advice to RIM – Don’t even consider it.
Extending the Wireless Sports and Fitness Device market ahead of BLE

06 Aug 2010 - Jonathan Collins

The market for wireless sports and fitness monitoring devices is set to undergo significant growth, in part because of an upcoming shift to standardized RF communications in the uptake of Bluetooth Low Energy enabled devices. Even so, existing players are preparing to leverage their existing proprie. . .
3DTV – A Booster Shot for the Pay-TV Market

06 Aug 2010 - Jake Saunders

Competition in the pay TV market is intense, so operators are always looking for new ways to increase ARPU through advanced services to their customers. For example, HDTV services have already provided operators increased ARPU. Recently, some of the pay TV operators have announced the launch of 3D. . .
EMV Contactless in the UK – Promising Much But Can It Deliver?

06 Aug 2010 - John Devlin

Recently, a rash of announcements has come from UK retailers who are set to take contactless payments. Just within July, AMT Coffee completed a national rollout after a successful trial and the Co-operative Pharmacy group confirmed it will trial contactless ahead of a wide-scale rollout next year. . . .
Clearwire's Growth and Positioning After Its Second Quarter 2010 Earnings Call

06 Aug 2010 - Philip Solis

This week, Clearwire announced its second quarter earnings results and also made an interesting – but not unexpected – announcement about its LTE equipment testing. The company has leveraged the WiMAX ecosystem to its advantage to get a head start on rival 4G networks and is positioning itself to b. . .
Surprise (or Not): Search Matters to Mobile Marketers

02 Aug 2010 - Neil Strother

It turns out mobile search is a pretty big deal (no surprise here) – despite what a certain CEO from Cupertino, CA said a few months back. And if you’re a marketer, you should pay close attention.
Why Did EDGE Tumble Over the Edge in the M2M Market?

30 Jul 2010 - Sam Lucero

EDGE is considered a 2.5G GSM-family cellular air interface standard, used by wireless operators in the same frequency bands as GSM/GPRS, but increasing the spectral efficiency – and thereby reducing the costs – of communications. As the mainstream cellular industry has shifted from 2G to 3G techno. . .
Sprint's Brand New Groove

30 Jul 2010 - Mark Beccue

Sprint has been gradually rebuilding its US mobile services market share in the wake of a struggling post-paid business and in the face of continued intense competition from market leaders Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility. It continues to leverage its “Simplicity, Value and Network” brand to execu. . .
Will Remote Radio Heads Finally Provide a Home for Gallium Nitride RF Power Devices in Wireless Infrastructure?

14 Jul 2010 - Lance Wilson

With LTE and other forms of OFDM-based air interfaces, diversity operation of both base stations and mobile devices is certainly in the cards. On the base station side both receive and transmit diversity will certainly occur as LTE deploys.
Smartphone vs. "Dumbphone" Users

14 Jul 2010 - Janet Wise

Perhaps it’s just the programs I watch on TV, but it seems to me that there is a preponderance of smartphone ads on television lately; in fact, I can’t turn on the TV without seeing an ad for the Droid or the iPhone or Blackberry or some state-of-the-art HTC model. At the moment, I’m perfectly hap. . .
Mobile Handset Market Still Robust, Low Priced Smartphone and PC OEMs Entrance Force Hyper-Competition

15 Jun 2010 - Celia Bo

The global handset market started its rebound in 4Q 2009 with strong, robust market growth. Worldwide handset shipments hit a grand total of three hundred and three million in 1Q 2010, achieving a mid-double-digit growth compared to the same period just one year ago. The blended ASP (Average Selling. . .