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BlackBerry Losing Its Grip On The Market Share?

by Paul Joseph January 31, 2012 Featured

Once, BlackBerry was the default choice of enterprise customers for their communication needs. But, that is changing fast, especially in the established markets like North America and Europe, according to a New York Times report .   Apple has captured a significant market share from Reserach In Motion (the makers of BlackBerry) in North America, where it once was a dominant player. Samsung is slated to do the same in the other established market of RIM i.e. Europe with its Android operating system. BlackBerry is still going strong in developing markets. But, it is finding it difficult to hold on to its market share in more developed countries. While Apple Inc’s iOS and Google Inc’s Android operating systems have captured a lot of imagination, RIM has failed to innovate in recent years. Hence, many enterprise customers are switching from BlackBerry to other platforms. According to a recent global survey on information workers by research firm Forrester, 27% smartphone users have Android, 26% BlackBerry and 24%, an iPhone. “ Android and Apple together are eating BlackBerry’s lunch ,” said Frank Gillett, a Forrester analyst. Last year,  Blackberry Servers had gone down , sending millions of people across the globe into a frenzy. the servers were down for 4days . after the issue was solved to make it up to the customers Blackberry maker RIM offered all the customers 12 premium apps free of cost . And recently it was also reported that both the CEO’s stepped down from their position. Was this a good news ot bad only time can tell? The one asset that RIM can still bank on is security. But, that won’t be for too long, since other players are also addressing this issue. Some of Samsung’s new phones, like the Galaxy S II, include extra security features for enterprise customers. The newest version of Google’s Android operating system, called Ice Cream Sandwich, has built-in encryption. RIM is aware of its problems and is taking a number of steps to address them. It recently brought a new CEO on board in the form of Thorsten Heins. Heins is betting big on BlackBerry’s new operating platform called BlackBerry 10 or BB10. But, this has also received a severe jolt, since the new OS won’t be ready before late 2012. Now, it’s hard to imagine that enterprise customers will be ready to wait for that long. Looking For A Social Media Agency?? – Contact WATConsult – India’s Leading Social Media Agency Related Posts Android Captures 40% Of US Smartphone Market If Mobile Apps Shape Who We Are..Indians Mean Business Android, iOS Race Heats Up: Nielsen More Than 300,000 Android Phones Activated Daily, Reports Google Android To Become Asia’s Most Popular Mobile OS?

Tagged as: apple, blackberry, international, ios, iphone, news, reports, rim, samsung, technology

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Facebook Timeline Finally Comes To Android And iPhone.

by Paul Joseph December 19, 2011 Featured

Timeline as a concept was introduced a few months ago by Zuckerberg at the annual F8 summit. The timeline service could be activated by developers and those who wanted to get the preview and it was recently pushed out last week for all Facebook users. The mobile apps also received an UI overhaul some weeks ago. Now, Facebook has managed to sync in all the corners and released the timeline feature on mobile OS’s like Android and iOS. The timeline was accessible in iPhone and Android but only if you used Facebook’s mobile site. Now with the timeline on Facebook’s official app, it is much easier to change and add things like photos, videos and updates on your timeline while being on the go. The app implementation of the timeline while generally being in sync with the desktop version differs in a few ways. To make optimum use of the smaller screen space, the timeline is made up of a single column instead of the two columns as seen in the desktop version. General consensus is that the app on both platforms works faster than its predecessor and is very light. The ‘timeline’ update has not yet been rolled out to the iPad but it is on its way, says Facebook. Facebook has been pushing for mobile this year. It also has an IPO lined up before April. According to statistics, more than half the people use Facebook through their mobile and the company plans to leverage this to make Facebook ubiquitous in the mobile space. I am happy that Facebook is trying to make the user experience very consistent. Looking For A Social Media Agency?? – Contact WATConsult – India’s Leading Social Media Agency Related Posts Video Chat On iPhone, Android From Yahoo – Apple’s FaceTime Gets Competition Google Acquires BlindType – Android Users To Benefit From Technology So, Is Facebook Really making a phone?! Tata Sky Unveils Tata Sky Mobile Access Zomato Brings Food Search To iOS Devices

Tagged as: facebook, iphone, mobile, news, technology, timeline, web

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EdServ Launches The HumThum App For The Nokia Ovi Store

by Paul Joseph September 29, 2011 Featured

Nokia is currently the largest mobile handset manufacturer in the world, but its Smartphones category has not been able to match up to the iPhone’s, Samsung’s and HTC’s. Nokia smartphones are mostly based on the Symbian platform (Nokia has now entered into an agreement with Microsoft, which will see Nokia phones on the Windows Mobile platform). The Nokia Ovi App Store is no match for either the Apple’s collection of apps and neither that of Android. The tie-up with EdServ to include the HumThum app on the Nokia Ovi App Store is a good move as this would allow Nokia smartphone users to access excellent educational content , which includes “ tuition, academics, skill development and test prep services ”. The HumThum services were till now accessible on EdServ ’s education and career portal, www.lampsglow.com . Over the last couple of years EdServ has acquired a number of companies to further boost its online educational content portfolio. We have reported about these developments on WATBlog. Read about the same here , here and here . This app is specifically aimed students and since these days most school students own a phone the HumThum app will prove beneficial. With an app like HumThum parents can possibly encourage them to use their mobiles more often and spend time exploring and learning through the application. EdServ’s Chairman and CEO, S Giridharan revealed that nearly 1 million USD was spent over the last two years to develop the HumThum app. They already have over 2.5 lakh registered users on lampsglow.com, out of which more than 50% is from the mobile segment. Their aim is to reach 1 crore subscribed users of the HumThum mobile app by the end of next year. The HumThum app also features a “Talking Dictionary”, which can provide not only the meaning of any English word, but also its correct pronunciation. The app also has a PDF converter and will turn your Nokia phone into a mobile scanner or photocopier. One can design websites using the HumThum app and subsequently host the website and update it as well, right from your smartphone. This feature will attract business users as well, especially those living in remote areas. They can maintain their website through a mobile device provide updates for their customers and advertise. The app has other useful features like 2D and 1D bar-code readers, latest currency conversion option, latest share market price checker, local classifieds, local news and a domain name checker.

Tagged as: census, domain-name, educational content, facebook, features, government, humthum services, iphone, microsoft, social-media

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RIM Launches Torch 9860 In India Another High- End Alternative In The Blackberry Lineup

by Paul Joseph September 22, 2011 Featured

While Research In Motion (RIM) may not have had the best Quarterly Results , they are busy refreshing their lineup to keep up with the industry. They recently updated their BBM  to v6 for all devices, and are now announcing a new handset. In a Mumbai event yesterday, the Blackberry Torch  9860 was announced. Based on the Blackberry OS7, an upgrade to OS6 found in current high end devices, it will retail for Rs. 28,490/- Here are the specs of this new device: Refreshed BB OS7 3.7″ Display 1.2GHz Processor 5MP Camera with 720P HD Recording 1230mAh Battery The new all-touch design is similar to what other handset makers like HTC and Apple have been making since 2008. Its display is the largest ever on a Blackberry smartphone. Web browsing too is said to be up to 40% faster than current devices with an advanced WebKit browser. Said Ms. Frenny Bawa, MD of RIM India, “ We are very excited to build on the success of the BlackBerry solution in India with the introduction of the new BlackBerry Torch 9860. This powerful new smartphone features many new enhancements, including the next generation BlackBerry 7 operating system, and we think customers will be particularly thrilled by the faster performance, enhanced browsing and richer multimedia .” After the Blackberry Playbook  competing with tablets like the iPad and Galaxy Tab, the phone will give people another high-end alternative in the Blackberry lineup. It will compete in the Indian market with the iPhone 4, Samsung Galaxy S2 and HTC Sensation. At Rs. 28,490/- it will be available at Blackberry and Multi Brand outlets throughout India. What do you think? Will you buy a Blackberry Torch 9860? Do let us know in the comments below.

Tagged as: alternative, apple, billion-auction, blackberry torch 9860, india, india tim, Indian, industry, iphone, os7 india, social-media

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Apple And Life After Jobs

by Paul Joseph August 26, 2011 Featured

Steve Jobs resigned his post as the CEO of Apple. Inc, yesterday. This is truly an end of an era. Steve Jobs started Apple with his friend Steve Wozniak in 1976 when the idea of a personal computer was still in its infancy. Together, through several ups and downs, they managed to build it up to be the behemoth that it is today. Visionary, inspiring, enigmatic, erratic, eccentric, ruthless – These are some of the words that have been used to describe Steve Jobs over the years, but these words are not enough to describe the man that helped revolutionize the entire personal computing industry. Right from the start, with Macintosh, Steve helped people to personalize their experiences on the desktop. Later with successive hits like the iPod , iPhone , Macbook Pro , and finally the iPad , Apple is now the largest Silicon Valley company, leaving establishments like Microsoft and Dell behind. All this was possible because Steve Jobs bought a lot to the table for the Apple. He was the first person in the industry urging people to ‘Think Different’. Aestheticism and creativity were very important at Apple when Steve was around. When Apple was receiving criticism when it wiped away Adode Flash on their iPhone platform he commented that, “ Flash was designed for PCs, not for touch screens using fingers .” Speculation has begun as to how this will affect Apple. Tim Cook, who was acting CEO when Steve was on medical leave, has been appointed current CEO on the strong recommendation of Steve. Tim is a veteran of 18 years at Apple and has been credited with playing a huge role in bringing Apple to profitability with some solid and brilliant work in organizing their supply-chain mechanism. He was COO of Apple for many years. Apple has a very strong presence throughout the world and that is not going to change anytime soon. The iPhone 5 launch is speculated to take place in September and many people have pledged to buy it blindly. This is surely a good sign for the company. They have been untouchable in the ‘Tablet arena’ even with competitors bringing out a slew of tablets into the market . This is the beauty of Apple. They produce just a handful of products but everyone of them has been super successful. The house that Steve built will definitely continue to grow nevertheless unless the company values change over the years. We do not think that it is likely. Apple along with other companies like Google will always be the innovation engine of Silicon Valley for a long time to come. Apple will not be same as it was with Jobs at the helm. Steve Jobs has always been the best CEO, a company can get. Here is an inspiring video of him sharing 3 of his most important life lessons at a commencement ceremony at Stanford University. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc Here’s wishing the great leader and visionary all the best for his health and future. By: Denzil Lewis

Tagged as: apple. inc, author, ipad, iphone, ipod, news, security, social-media, tablet arena, technology

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Nokia Does What It Knows Best – Launches Cheapest Cellphone

by Paul Joseph August 26, 2011 Featured

It seems Nokia is trying to grab a lot of eyeballs these days with a slew of new announcements coming from the Finnish giant. A few days ago, it launched three new smartphones running on the latest Symbian OS, Belle . This is an update to Anna that was launched six months ago. Nokia claims that the newly launched Nokia 700 is the smallest smartphone in the world. To add to this, Nokia launched two of its cheapest mobile phones ever – whenever you think of lower end phones, the first brand that comes to mind is indeed Nokia, for lower end phones have catapulted Nokia to where it is right now. This move can be seen as beacon to attract users in the low end market as it fights off increasing competition from local Asian brands. The Nokia 100 and 101 – priced at $30 and $35 respectively, will become available from the third or fourth quarter this year. The Nokia 100 has features that you would expect a basic phone to have – calling and sending text messages apart from a color screen and FM radio, making it the cheapest Nokia phone with a color display. Doesn’t it seem like the next generation version of the immensely popular but basic Nokia 1100 ? The 101 is a dual SIM device, has an MP3 player and supports 16 GB SD memory card. Although Nokia was late to jump on the bandwagon of manufacturing dual SIM phones, it now realizes that dual SIM is one of the key factors in low end markets. The 101 is Nokia’s fifth dual SIM phone in the last three months. From the outside, both the 100 and 101 have similar looks and they run on Nokia’s lowest end OS, series 30. These phones have the ‘Made for India’ tag, i.e. they are quite robust and sturdy. Come to think of it, Nokia is actually in a squeeze between low end phone manufacturers like ZTE, Micromax, etc. and high end smartphones like the iPhone, Android phones and Blackberry. Nokia has failed miserably in recent years in the smartphone segment. Symbian OS, the flagship open source OS by Nokia is seen by many as outdated. Android OS has already made a tremendous mark in the industry and app developers have shifted from Symbian to iOS and Android. As a lifeline to the sinking ship, Nokia has tied up with Microsoft and will bring out phones running on Windows phone 7 in the later part of the year. While this much talked about deal is more beneficial for Microsoft, who now have a hardware partner, Nokia is trying its level best to stay afloat in the smartphone market. Nokia shares were up by 1% after these news articles. Nokia claims that around 1.3 billion users use Nokia phones daily, most of whom are the low end users.  With the Microsoft deal, Nokia hopes to add more smartphone users to its kitty. Despite all this, Nokia is lagging way behind competitors when it comes to smartphones and now is also threatened by Chinese low end manufacturers. What do you think about the immediate future of Nokia?

Tagged as: india, industry, international, iphone, low end market, microsoft, nokia, open-source, social-media, symbian

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Apple And Samsung Gear Up For An Ugly Legal Confrontation

by Paul Joseph August 24, 2011 Featured

In what can change the future of computing and patenting as we know it, Apple have amended their initial lawsuit against Samsung to accuse them of “slavishly copying” Apple’s designs. Apple described Samsung’s flagrant replication of its designs as “copied” replacing the earlier “misappropriated”. The lawsuit also adds Droid Charge, Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Prevail, Galaxy S (i9000), Gravity, Infuse 4G, Nexus S 4G, Replenish, Sidekick, Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy S II to the list of devices Apple deems border on being copycats of Apple devices. Apple seeks to ban U.S. imports of Samsung’s smartphones and tabs, through the U.S. International Trade Commission. The preliminary mandate will be on September 8, 2011. The Counter Claim Samsung filed a lawsuit in South Korea against Apple citing five patent infringements. Samsung also filed a suit in a court in Tokyo, Japan citing two patent infringements, and in Mannheim, Germany citing three patent infringements. Besides suing Apple in three countries on two continents, Samsung then went the whole hog by countersuing Apple in the Northern District of California against Apple’s infringement of 10 patents. Do Smartphone patents even mean anything? In reality, every smart phone has numerous technological features which developers can claim as their own infringed patent. This has now resulted in Tech giants buying out entire companies just to acquire patents which they hold. For instance, Google is trying to buy Nortel’s entire patent portfolio for $900 million. So what’s all the Fuss about? Apple believes Samsung has violated “trade dress law”, or the identifying features of a product that consumers immediately recognize. Apple is going the extra mile with claims like Samsung has copied “the front surface of the product dominated by a screen surface with black borders.”  It seems too generic to sue over, but Apple want their pound of flesh, and they could show that Samsung deliberately copied the iPhone’s design. Is Apple running scared of Samsung’s Emergence ? Of course it is! Samsung has the only real tablet competitor to the iPad , their Galaxy Tab. They have seen sales grow across the world, and this threat is real and present. Samsung’s Android devices are also not as restrictive as Apple’s in terms of App usage, and Apple faces the very possible threat of losing valuable market share . The lawsuit could also be a clever guise to shield its upcoming iPhone 5 from the infinitely better Samsung Galaxy S2 and Infuse 4G. The current delay is read as Apple trying to catch up with the superior Android phones. Until Apple launches its iPhone 5, the only way it can stop customers switching is an injunction to block Samsung’s sales. How Bad is it for Samsung? Apple is Samsung’s key buyers of semiconductors and display panels. Apple relies on Samsung to provide it with the parts it needs for its devices, and Samsung makes huge profits selling them to the biggest tech company on the planet. Who will come out on top? All fingers point to a ruling in favour of Apple. The company gets even better publicity and establishes its business as one dangerous to imitate. Rivals will avoid designs that are the spitting image of iOS devices, which helps Apple in brand differentiation in the future. Samsung does have a lot to lose, and we expect them to keep supplying Apple with chips despite this lawsuit. But if the hearings take a turn for the worse, there might be a massive industry-wide shake up among component suppliers over the next ten years. What are your views on patenting a Generic Design? Will Apple get away with this? Let us know!

Tagged as: author, features, india, ipad, iphone, lawsuit, mobile, news, samsung apple lawsuit, technology

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Google + is now available on iPhone (iOS)

by Paul Joseph July 19, 2011 Featured

The Google+ app for iOS has been released . It will be the quick access to the Google + account on your iPhone .Google + is the latest social networking platform from Google and is direct competitor to the current market leader , Facebook . This app also features Huddle IM system which lets you send

Tagged as: apple iphone, current, direct-competitor, facebook, iphone, latest, latest tech news, market-leader, social-networking, system-which, the-current, the-latest, the-quick

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Prepare For GMAT Entrance Exams On Your Mobile Devices

by Paul Joseph May 26, 2011 Featured

If you want to enroll yourself into a leading business school, it is mandatory to go through a drilling session of entrance exams. Preparing for the same can be a equally an hard task, but what if you get to revise the earlier entrance exams question papers on your iPhone or iPad. The app called ” Official GMAT ” app ( US $4.99 ) launched Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) allows the GMAT test takers to study the actual question papers directly from their iPhones, iPad, iPod Touch. The app is the official mobile guide of GMAT book series. With the help of the app the GMAT test takers can go through hundred of test question papers with full-fledged answers as well as they can manage their time on every question. Because it is a known fact that proper pacing is important to complete the GMAT test. Currently, we can download free format of GMAT test  paper course online but it lacks in several ways. The feature also carries two operation called ‘Exam’ and ‘Operation’ which allows individual to practice the question whenever they want. There is a tracking center called ‘Performance tracking center’ which allows the individual to keep track on the performance and improvement at the same time. It is integrated with social media sites called Official GMAT Blog , Twitter and Facebook . There is also an interesting feature where exam date countdown timer is set to keep the students on their toes. According to the source of GMAT, ” The GMAT app is a fun way to keep the candidates skill sharp and connect with others who are getting ready for the exam while competing with the other app users “. Users can register on mba.com directly from the app in order to compare school, explore financing options, register GMAT and find other prep materials. “The Official GMAT” app’s test prep option available on multiple platform like GMAC, including GMAT Paper test, free GMATPrep software and the recently released digital book version of the Official guide. Looking For A Social Media Agency?? – Contact WATConsult – India’s Leading Social Media Agency Most Commented Posts Paypal India Block Leaves IT Guys High & Dry – Need For An Indian Paypal? Wish Us Happy Birthday And WIN Free Customized TShirts from Myntra.com – Domain & Hosting from LimeDomains Be a BIG part of the next BIG thing! Join WAT! Now Women Meow On FM Radio! WATBlog Wins The Best Indian Blog Award 2009! Thanks To Our Readers, Bloggers & Staff!

Tagged as: block-leaves, business school, gmac, gmat book series, india, Indian, iphone, media, mobile, official, paypal-india, technology, web

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Ibibo Launches CricEx As Fantasy Cricket Games Attract Players

by Paul Joseph February 17, 2011 Featured

With just two days to go for the much awaited ICC World Cup 2011 , almost all cricket lovers would have geared up for the biggest cricketing extravaganza. Indians, no doubt have a bigger reason to rejoice since it is being hosted in the Indian sub-continent this time. While the event is sure to engage many a fans offline, there also should be something that will engage the fans online, either by ways of interactive games or updates. Ibibo understood this and has launched CricEx, a virtual cricket stock exchange game that is likely to change the ways netizens hook themselves up with the ensuing cup. According to TechWhack , ibibo ‘CricEx is a virtual trading game where one can buy and sell shares of their favorite cricket players instead of shares of companies. A complete portfolio of cricket players can be created and if the players selected perform well, one can get hold of the leader board. You can either buy or sell the players you want. Unlike cricket, there is no restriction of 11 players and one can buy as many players as one wants. However the total value of the shares you buy for each of the players cannot exceed your cash in hand.’ According to Ibibo, ‘ the aim of the game is to increase your net worth and profit by buying and selling shares of cricket players’. For selling players, users can go to their portfolios and choose the player they would like to sell. The price of a player is determined by his performance in the match. Better the performance, higher the price. For instance, when a batsman hits a sixer, his price would increase and that of the bowler would decrease. The opposite also holds right. Apart from this, the price of the player also changes with every over. Also, the players stocks can be sold or bought anytime. However, the players’ price change happens only during an instance of live match. Users, on registration, are given a virtual amount of Rs.10 lakhs to enable them buying stocks of players initially. For users who have share trading experience, they can apply the same experiences here and get themselves engaged in this exciting game. Ibibo is also eyeing on launching the mobile version of this game. We at WATblog took a sneak peak of the site. It allows Facebook sign in apart from a normal registration form. The home page has four important tabs viz. My Portfolio, My Watch list, Buy Players and Sell Players. The interface seems quite interactive and it’s a breeze playing with all of them. The game is simple and fun. A brilliant idea indeed. Let us know if you have tried it out or not. As the World Cup beckons, cricket fantasies are also turning digital and becoming bigger and better. Exchange4Media has an interesting write-up on this subject. It says that fantasy cricket leagues and online cricket games have sprung up on the web. For instance, Dream11 is one such game (with 600,000 players already) that enables users to come to the site, play cricket and interact with other users in the community. This is quite different from those sites that simply offer scores and commentary. Another one is Super Selector (which has been around for a while) from ESPN-STAR Sports that allows users to create a fantasy cricket team and award points to these players based on their performances in the actual world cup matches. There is also an SMS based game called PlayUp that enables users to test their cricket knowledge by making them answer to certain questions on anything related to cricket. And also various apps for Apple iPad and iPhone that have come up in view of the ensuing ICC Cricket World Cup. There are both free as well as paid apps to choose from. Indeed, it’s raining cricket all around at this point of time. While the teams from the 14 cricketing nations are gearing up to rise to the occasion, certain organizations are vying to mint money by acknowledging the cricket fantasies of the fans around the world. With so many of them battling it out, let us see who makes the best bang for the buck. Have you chosen your way to get yourself engaged this world cup? Let us know. REGISTER FOR WATSUMMIT – INDIA’S FLAGSHIP SUMMIT ON DIGITAL MEDIA REGISTER NOW! Related Posts Vodafone To Live Stream Cricket World Cup Matches Google Ebooks Store Now Live With Over 3 Million Titles Google Voice App For iPhone Launched Samsung Unveils iPad Competitor Galaxy – Should Apple Worry? Annual Apple iTunes Event May Reveal New iPod, iTunes Or Apple TV

Tagged as: cricket, facebook, india, Indian, iphone, mobile, sms, technology, web

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