iOS Gaining Marketshare Rapidly

iOS is still the top mobile operating system, as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch are incredibly popular. But, when only considering smartphones, Android holds the number one spot. But, its time at the top may be coming to an end. Recently, Nielsen revealed in a survey that the iPhone made up 43% of all smartphones. This is s huge gain in marketshare, as the iPhone only held 32% of the market last year, and even less in years before. Android took 48% of the market this year, and Blackberry took up 5%, The rest is defined as "other" by Nielsen, although its probably primarily made up of Windows Phone 7.

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iPhone Holds Resale Value Best

Apple products always hold their resale value longer than their competition. Macs have been the biggest example of this. Sure, the price of a Mac may be a bit higher than competitive hardware, but they always have better features, and the resale value for an Apple computer is always much higher than the competition.

Turns out the same is true of the iPhone. Better quality, looks, longevity, and features will do that. Android phones are often out of date within a few days of release, let alone a few months down the road. Because of Android fragmentation, you can expect not to see many updates on even a newer Android phone. This lowers resale value considerably. Add into the fact that Android phones don't look as good as the iPhone, making them less desirable in general, and the fact that fact that Android phones are far more generic, you can bet that Android phones are going to be valued far less than iPhones 18 months after the purchase.

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More on Carrier IQ, the Phone Tracker

Yesterday, Carrier IQ (CIQ) was demonstrated on an Android handset. The software allowed your carrier to collect everything their users did with their phones, from sending and receiving texts, phone calls, the keys people pressed, usernames and passwords, and even encrypted searches (without encryption). You can find the original story, as well as the demonstration video here.
Now there have been a few updates to this story. Not all phones have it, some unexpected ones do, and as it turns out, Carrier IQ isn't the sole bad-guy here.

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Android Phones Track Everything You Do

You thought location tracking was a big deal? Wait until you hear this. Android, Blackberry, and even Nokia phones have software, called Carrier IQ, built into the OS, and on every phone. The developer who discovered it described it as a rootkit. It tracks everything from the numbers you dial, the messages you send or receive, and even the encrypted web searches you do. Even https requests are stored without encryption to your carrier. If you used your phone to do something, that information is available to anyone. The software then takes all this collected data and sends it back to the companies' servers. Imagine that, your carrier has every text message you've ever sent. Suddenly those sexts don't seem like a good idea, huh?

There's no way to remove or opt out of the software. The only thing you could possibly do is root your phone, and install a rom that doesn't have the software. But good luck with that. You'd have to find a stabile rom, one that works on your phone, and one that has specifically removed this software. Not to mention the difficulty of applying a rom. Even experienced Android users occasionally brick their phones trying to find a working rom. Buying a new phone every time something goes wrong is very expensive.

So, if you don't like the idea of sending your carrier everything on your phone, don't get an Android, Blackberry, or Nokia phone. On the other hand, if you're the kind of person who walks around naked, keeping a journal that you share with strangers, and you don't mind sending out all your text messages, phone numbers, web searches, and personal data, then you're probably fine with an Android, Blackberry, or Nokia phone. Big Brother's watching you through your Android, Blackberry, and Nokia phones.
via CultOfMac

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iPhone Customer Loyalty Surpasses Competitors

According to Market research firm GfK, no other smartphone operating system commands the loyalty of iOS. This came from a survey of 4,500 people from all around the world. According to the study, 84% of current iPhone owners say that their next phone will be an iPhone. Only 60% of Android owners want an Android phone, and just 48% of Blackberry owners wish to continue with Blackberry.

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Blackberry Can't Hold Ground in the Workplace Either

95% of mobile workers have a smartphone, and for 45% of those people, the iPhone is their smartphone of choice. That makes it top dog in the workplace. Blackberry still holds second place, with around 32%, and Android takes third, with about 21%.

What's fueling this? It's pretty simple. The iPhone is the most secure smartphone with the most apps. It's got a great, easy to use OS, and the most mobile apps, by far. The same reasons people choose the iPhone for home is the same reason they want to use it at work.

The iPhone is now available on the top 3 service providers. It's the most popular smartphone ever. It's no wonder it became a big wig in business.
via BGR

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Blackberry, Android Trade-Ins Skyrocket thanks to iPhone 4S

According to popular second hand gadget buyer, Gazelle, the release of the iPhone 4S caused a huge spike of trade-ins of Blackberry and Android phones. People often trade their phones into Gazelle for cash after buying a new phone. The timing of this spike was right around the iPhone 4S launch, leading to the company to believe the new iPhone was the cause.

Between the availability of the iPhone on the three biggest carriers, and massive outages for Blackberry users, trade-ins of Blackberry phones have increased 80% increase, with much of the influx coming around the iPhone 4S release. Anthony Scarsella spoke for Gazelle, and said, "In the grand scheme of BlackBerry growth over the past month, it can be pretty much entirely attributed to the launch of the iPhone 4S". So, despite the outages, it seems much of the increase in Blackberry trade-ins came from the release of the iPhone 4S.


But RIM isn't the only one seeing record trade-ins. Android trade-ins saw a 72% increase, caused, again, by the release of the iPhone 4S and the availability of the iPhone on Sprint.

Surveys from customers say a lot about iPhone popularity, as do the number of trade-ins from competitors. It seems that the availability and new features of iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S have many Android and Blackberry users finally making the switch to the iPhone.
via AppleInsider

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iPhone Requiers Less Tech Support

When compared to Blackberry and Android manufacturers, iPhone require far fewer support calls. Analytics firm ClickFox has published the results of a study of the technical support required by smartphones. They found that iPhones require the least tech support, by far. They found that multiple calls were required to solve an issue with an Android or Blackberry phone, but that most iPhone issues were solved in just one support call.

Apple has been #1 in customer support in the tech industry for some time now. Great support leads to happier customers, and reduced costs for Apple. In fact, Apple could mention this in commercials, it's a great selling point. "Go with an iPhone, and you'll spend less time on hold with tech support". The advertisement practically writes itself!
via tuaw

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Mobile Phones That work Abroad

The HTC Desire is one of the hottest phones currently on the market and its popularity has led to shortages in stock levels. If you are planning to pick up a Desire with the intention of taking it abroad, then its roaming abilities should not disappoint. The Desire is compatible with the majority of international networking standards and its quad band compatibility means that it will operate well in both Europe and the USA. Selecting a network by hand or allowing the Desire to choose an appropriate foreign provider is open to preference and its simple, intuitive menu system with touch sensitive interactions should further simplify things.

The Samsung Tocco Lite is a popular entry-level smartphone that lacks the high end hardware of its more expensive peers, but still has the necessary software and connectivity tools to make it well equipped for use overseas. You will not have to alter any of its core settings for use when roaming, because by default it is set to seek out an appropriate foreign carrier when it is taken overseas. However, you can use its touch screen interface to make your own manual selection of a network, which may be useful if you know that your domestic provider has a roaming deal with a specific partner in your destination.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is not only an excellent smartphone powered by the Android platform, but it is also a suitably versatile travelling companion thanks to its quad band network connectivity and its ability to download at high speeds via HSDPA and 3G networks. The Xperia X10 has received critical appreciation for its roaming capabilities and you can set the phone to automatically choose a suitable alternative to your standard network provider if service is unavailable or you are out of the country with your phone. Alternatively you can use the wireless controls menu to manually select from a list of available providers.

The BlackBerry 8520 Curve is a smartphone specifically designed for the business user with fairly serious messaging requirements. Its full QWERTY keypad simplifies typing longer messages and it is optimised for email. Because the target audience will be expected to travel to different regions, the 8520 is a quad band compatible handset, which means that most international destinations will offer networks to which it can connect. The 8520 also boasts integrated wireless connectivity, which uses the universal Wi-Fi b and g standards, so internet connectivity for messaging, web browsing and email access is also possible no matter where you go.

The Nokia X6 is one of the Finnish manufacturer's flagship smartphones and its generous 16GB of on-board memory means that it is a traveller's dream. You can fill it with hours of music and video, allowing it to act as a multimedia hub for your time away. The X6's touch screen display and intuitive menu system are coupled with the powerful Symbian operating system. As with all good smartphones, it is compatible with multiple network types, including 3G. It should be easy to automatically search for a partner network associated with your provider and to access most of the services that you can enjoy whilst at home.

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BlackBerry has shot Apple

New York studio Guava has made for touch phones BlackBerry a roller, having passed on the eternal competitor of all devices of such type iPhone.
Assumption in the advertising legislation of the United States, allowing to touch the competitors, gives open space for the advertisers who are thinking out witty and not so courses, connected with the competitor.

The word-combination "the murderer iPhones" was applied and applied hardly probable not to each mobile phone using touch technologies. And Guava and BlackBerry have gone further. They have represented on the screen in a 15-second roller actually murder process iPhone, having used for this purpose vegetative essence of both names of manufacturers and technology slow motion.
The blackberry berry (Blackberry) aka "bullet" -> has pierced an apple (Apple), having broken off an apple in shreds.

Visual component of a roller almost exactly same what has been used in a preview trailer "Stop The Bullet" British radio station Choice FM. The spot has been started on video services and for one week on YouTube "has collected" more than 600 thousand viewings.

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Apple or BlackBerry?

Apple the roller should answer on bottom advertising.
It is interesting, whether continuation, how in well-known history with motorcar giants will follow?

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Who here the Boss!?

The BlackBerry Bullet Takes a BIG BITE out of Apple!

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The American president prefers Blackberry

Joy of Tech

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BlackBerry: shoot the Apple

Short video with the big implied sense :)

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