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RIM CEO Has Rocky Start as Steady Approach Disappoints Some

January 24th, 2012
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Research In Motion Ltd.’s Thorsten Heins got off to a rocky start to his tenure as the BlackBerry maker’s chief executive officer.

Investors clamoring for a strategic shakeup were instead told by Heins on a conference call this morning that no “drastic change” is needed. The comments sent the stock sliding, more than erasing a gain of as much as 7.6 percent in early trading.

RIM, which helped pioneer the U.S. smartphone market more than a decade ago, is betting on the management overhaul to stem falling sales and market-share gains by Google Inc.’s Android and Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad. Heins, a 54-year-old German native who spent more than 20 years at engineering giant Siemens AG, said that he promotes “creativity, innovation and free thinking” and that he is ready to go head-to-head with the Silicon Valley rivals.

“We need to fight back and get stronger,” Heins said in an interview. “You will see and hear much more from us.”

Heins, who is replacing co-Chief Executive Officers Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, joined RIM four years ago after more than two decades at Siemens in roles ranging from research and development to product management. He was one of RIM’s two operating chiefs, overseeing engineering, hardware and software.

RIM slumped 8.5 percent to $15.56 at the close in New York after rising as high as $18.29 in early trading. The stock has lost 89 percent since its peak in 2008, when soaring BlackBerry sales pushed RIM’s market capitalization to more than $80 billion, making it the most valuable company in Canada. Its sales have now declined for two straight quarters, and its market value stands at $8.2 billion.

Predecessors’ Influence

“I’m a German and this is what I like to talk about: the process discipline,” Heins told investors on the conference call.

In the interview, Heins said he plans to continue on the strategic path laid out by his predecessors. Lazaridis will be vice chairman and lead the board’s innovation committee, providing counsel to the CEO.

“It’s hard to see how this change can impact the company’s course,” Ittai Kidron, an analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. in New York, told investors in a note today. “RIM’s previous leadership is still involved so their influence is there and important. We believe this could make it difficult for Mr. Heins to make changes without their approval.”

‘Make or Break’

Balsillie and Lazaridis, who guided RIM together for two decades, said the decision to step down and appoint Heins was theirs. Lazaridis, who founded the Waterloo, Ontario-based company in 1984, said the shift is a result of the company’s evolution and the introduction of new technologies that will give RIM more competitive products.

“He’s really excelled in every department he’s been responsible for,” Lazaridis said. “He became the natural choice.”

Heins’s top challenge will be to lead RIM’s transition to next-generation products running on a new operating system, which has suffered from delays. In December, RIM said the first BlackBerrys based on the new system, called BB10, won’t be available until the latter part of this year.

“Getting this new operating system out has to be the key,” Jennifer Fritzsche, an analyst at Wells Fargo & Co. in Chicago, said in an interview. The new software “will make or break this company.”

Product Delays

Heins said the company’s focus on its own software will yield results in the long term. About 18 months ago, the company considered and decided against adopting another operating system, he said.

“Jim and Mike’s strategy of not sacrificing long-term value for short-term gain is the right one,” Heins said. “I share that value.”

RIM may consider licensing out its new operating system if other manufacturers are interested in it, Heins said. He also cited RIM’s 75 million subscribers, “strong balance sheet” and negligible debt as advantages.

The company had a nine-month delay in getting e-mail onto its PlayBook tablet computer, RIM’s response to Apple’s market- leading iPad. The technical difficulties and marketing missteps have left PlayBook shipments at a little more than 1 percent of those for the iPad.

Heins said he plans to emphasize discipline in RIM’s execution to make sure they company sticks to schedule.

“When you say we’re bringing a product to market, you make sure you execute,” he said.

No Retreat

At Siemens, Heins rose through the ranks of research and development, customer service, sales and product management. He ran several units of Siemens’s communication business and also worked as the division’s chief technology officer.

“Heins is a product execution guy, he’s not a visionary,” Ehud Gelblum, a New York-based analyst at Morgan Stanley, said in an interview. “Heins has to give people a reason why they need a BlackBerry. It’s going to be very difficult for him.”

Originally from Munich, Heins joined Siemens in 1984 after graduating from the University of Hanover. He is married and has two children, and his hobbies include bicycling, motorcycling, skiing and hiking.

Heins said his role will be in taking RIM “to the next phase.” Among his first moves, he said, will be hiring a new marketing chief to communicate with the consumer market.

With the transition to the new operating system, Heins says RIM will be able to compete more effectively for the customers it has lost. RIM, which dominated the U.S. smartphone market before Apple and Google entered it, had its share of sales drop to 16.6 percent in the three months ending in November, according to ComScore Inc. Google’s Android raised its share to 46.9 percent and Apple increased to 28.7 percent.

“We will be working the consumer market not at the expense of the enterprise,” Heins said. “I’m not here to retreat from the U.S. market. I’m here to take it up.”

Source:http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-23/rim-ceo-has-rocky-start-as-steady-approach-disappoints-some.html

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xpPhone2 “post-smartphone” device will run Windows 7/8

January 13th, 2012
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We’ve already talked about the xpPhone in the past. You know that’s an OQO-like computer with cellular connectivity and all other goodies you would expect from a modern smartphone. At that point, xpPhone was running Windows XP (as its name suggests) and now they’ve announced a model with Windows 7 that is also capable of running Windows 8 (once it’s out).

Aside from boasting a desktop OS, this “post-smartphone” device also packs a 1.6GHz processor (I guess it’s Intel Atom), 2GB of RAM, 4.3-inch screen, side-sliding QWERTY keyboard, 112GB hard/flash drive, GPS, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, and a battery that can handle up to 18.5 hours of talk time.

Yep I would like to try it out even though I’m not sure the desktop OS is best suited for mobile devices. Simply put, having all this hardware crammed into such a small package makes the xpPhone2 too heavy for comfortable use.

Source:http://www.intomobile.com/2012/01/11/xpphone2-postsmartphone-device-run-windows-78/

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Smartphone users warned over downloading malware apps

November 8th, 2011
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Smartphone users need to take more precautions to protect themselves from unintentionally downloading malware applications, according to a national computer security campaign.

According to Get Safe Online, a UK-based campaign and national initiative to teach citizens about basic computer security, there has been an increase in smartphone malware as the market has grown.

Criminals are typically creating Trojan copies of reputable apps and tricking users into installing them, the BBC reports.

The app, if downloaded, can secretly generate cash for criminals through premium rate text messages.

The campaign said fraudsters are designing apps that generate cash secretly in the background without the owner realising until their monthly bill is received.

A typical scam involves an app designed to send texts to premium rate services without the user knowing.

According to the report, apps can appear to be bona fide software or sometimes masquerade as stripped down free versions of well-known games.

The campaign has expressed concerns that users of smartphones, such as Android devices, were not taking enough steps to protect their devices.

Rik Ferguson, a hacking researcher with the Internet security firm Trend Micro, pointed out that ‘this type of malware is capable of sending a steady stream of text messages to premium rate numbers’.

“With costs of up to 6 pounds per message, this can be extremely lucrative,” Ferguson said.

“The user won’t know this is taking place, even if they happen to be using the device at the same time, as the activity takes place within the device’s back-end infrastructure,” he added.

Source:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/smartphone-users-warned-over-downloading-malware-apps/articleshow/10641373.cms

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Nokia, Microsoft smartphone union aims to beat Apple, Google

October 27th, 2011
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Nokia, the Finnish cellphone maker, introduced two smartphones on Wednesday, the first fruits of its alliance with Microsoft, in a bid to curb its declining market share.

Nokia’s chief executive, Stephen A. Elop, presented the Lumia 800, a 420 euro ($584) touch-screen device, and the Lumia 710, a 270 euro handset at a company product introduction. Both devices are being sold in six European countries and will be sold later this year in parts of Asia. Other smartphones are planned for the United States, but not until early next year.

Analysts said the Nokia smartphones, the result of an eight-month collaboration with Microsoft, could also help Microsoft extend its dominant computer software business into the cellphone and mobile device market. The software has received positive reviews, but few handset makers are using it.

The new lineup aims to revive Nokia’s tarnished reputation as an innovative force in mobile phones, an industry it pioneered and dominated until Apple and Google, helped by more user-friendly software, wrested control of the smartphone business four years ago.

“Nokia really needed this to happen today, and this is a new start for the company,” said Pete Cunningham, an analyst based in London with the research firm Canalys. “This helps stop the bleeding and will help Nokia get back in the game.”

Elop, a former senior Microsoft executive who made the decision to enter the software alliance with his former employer in February, said the new Lumia devices showed that Nokia, which is based in Espoo, Finland, was delivering on his promise of a turnaround. “This signals our intent to be today’s leader in smartphone design and craftsmanship,” Elop told 3,000 people attending the company’s Nokia World conference in London.

During an interview, Elop said Nokia was planning to push its smartphones into the United States, where it has struggled, early next year. He said Nokia was in advanced talks with the four major US operators, which together sell more than 90 percent of all cellphones in the country. Nokia’s new smartphones for the United States, Elop said, will run on high-speed 4G networks that use a technology called LTE, or Long Term Evolution, as well as on older 3G networks.

They will also be made to run on networks that use the CDMA standard, which is used by the market leader, Verizon Wireless. Elop said Nokia was listening closely to phone operators and would be flexible in meeting their demands. “If you do the math, you may come to the conclusion that clearly we are in good conversations with those operators,” he said

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Wash., is using its business connections, its server software powers a lot of cloud computing centers used by network operators, to help Nokia re-establish relationships with US operators, he said. “When we enter a market, it is not just dipping your toe in the market, but coming in with the appropriate levels of investment by us,” Elop said. “It takes work. It takes money. We are being very deliberate.”

Source:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/nokia-microsoft-smartphone-union-aims-to-beat-apple-google/articleshow/10506650.cms

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HP Quits Smartphone, Computer Business

August 24th, 2011
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Computer giant, Hewlett-Packard, is pulling out of the tablet and mobile phone market after poor sales of its products and stiff competition from rivals, Apple and Google.

The announcement, just a year after the company spent billions to acquire failing mobile maker, Palm, came as HP said it also plans to sell or spin off its PC division.

Together, the moves would take HP out of the consumer market, though it will continue to sell servers and other equipment to business customers.
The move comes in the wake of alarming news from retailer, Best Buy, who according to reports, is struggling to shift its stock of over 250,000 HP Touchpad tablet.

It has only shifted 10 per cent of the stock so far and is reportedly asking HP to take the rest back.

‘Our TouchPad has not been gaining enough traction in the marketplace,’ said HP CEO, Leo Apotheker, in a conference call.

“We have made the difficult but necessary decision to shut down the WebOS hardware operations.”
HP’s mobile device business, which includes the webOS-running smartphones and TouchPad has suffered while rivals Google and Apple have seen roaring sales of their products.

In a desperate bid to regain market share, HP last year snapped up Palm, a struggling wireless pioneer for $1.8 billion.

But since Palm’s comeback attempt, the popularity of the iPhone has only grown while phones running Android, which first hit the market in 2008, abound.

According to research firm, IDC, Apple took the top spot in the second quarter, while Samsung, a big maker of Android phones, took second place in unit sales.

Nokia came in third, while BlackBerry maker, Research In Motion, took fourth.

The PC division is HP’s biggest revenue generator but least profitable division.

The move has long been rumoured, but just six months ago HP dismissed reports of the possibility as “irresponsible reporting”.

Meanwhile, Google Inc. and Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Google will acquire Motorola Mobility for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of about $12.5 billion, a premium of 63% to the closing price of Motorola Mobility shares on Friday, August 12, 2011. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals in the US, the European Union and other jurisdictions, and the approval of Motorola Mobility’s stockholders. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2011 or early 2012.

Source:http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/08/23/hp-quits-smartphone-computer-business/

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HTC EVO 3D brings depth to smartphones

July 26th, 2011
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Watching and interacting with content in 3D has been around for a few years.

Putting it on a smartphone, though, is something new all together. The HTC EVO 3D brings the 3D technology on an Android phone that does a really good job of displaying 3D images and videos.

Where the experience falls short is when you want to view the 3D pictures and videos away from the phone.

3D content

The HTC EVO 3D does more than let you watch 3D content. I was able to watch The Green Hornet on the phone entirely in 3D.

The phone does more than let you play 3D games. I played a pretty cool Spider Man game on the phone that did a good job of mixing solid gameplay and the 3D display.

Where this phone distinguishes itself is in how it lets you produce 3D content.

The 5 megapixel camera works great for standard 2D images and high-definition video. But you can shoot 3D images and video by moving a small switch on the phone from 2D to 3D.

The resulting images and videos are pretty good considering no glasses are needed to view them. You can clearly see depth in the images. I took a picture of a monster truck that made it appear as if the truck was a good bit in front of the backdrop.

The challenge is being able to share the images you create or even just view them on something other than the phone. The phone can easily share content with computers and televisions. You’ll need a 3D compatible display to look at the 3D content produced with the phone.

The other stuff

This phone obviously does more than 3D. It’s actually a pretty good Android smartphone. It runs on an updated version of the HTC Sense Android skin. That gives the phone several ways to personalize the experience and brings the Sense user interface several new tweaks that make finding and sharing content much easier.

One of my favorite features is the HTC Watch movie library. You can log in through your phone to get access to tons of films. I was able to view The Green Hornet through HTC Watch. The only real issue I have with the phone is that it’s not 4G compatible. Sprint offers some pretty good 4G connections in select markets. Valley owners of this phone will be left out of the 4G party once Phoenix gets access.

Let’s be honest.

The truth about a phone like the HTC EVO 3D is that it is a good smartphone that will do most everything the other similar devices on the market can do. It’s an Android phone, so it has some of the same benefits – such as an open platform and easy access to files – and deficiencies – such as a slow camera and bad battery life – other Android phones do.

What the EVO 3D does differently is life up to its name. Viewing 3D content on a mobile phone is a pretty cool thing. It would be far cooler if I personally had a way to view the photos and videos on my T.V. or computer monitor. That deficiency, though, is the result of my own personal hardware, not a problem with the phone.

Fans of the 3D technology should definitely consider this phone. Everyone else should know that it’s a good smartphone running on a solid network.

Source:http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2011/07/25/20110725htc-evo-3d-review.html

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Does Hardware in Smartphones Matter?

May 24th, 2011
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Silly question. Of course it matters, otherwise we would not be getting 1080p phones and 3D-capable devices with the ability to run applications our PCs ran four or five years ago.
ZoomBut how much attention do you have to pay to the hardware in smartphones that are on carrier shelves today?

I consider myself a moderate geek and always enjoyed comparing hardware specs and being at the bleeding edge of computer hardware, at least as far as my budget reasoning permitted. That has changed somewhat over the past years, perhaps as a result of the general commoditization of hardware (and growing age.) However, I noticed that I was paying much more attention lately to smartphone hardware, especially as the first dual-core phones arrived.

That was an enlightening moment by any measure. Faster hardware is not necessarily better hardware and it may not matter at all in the grand scheme of smartphone usage.

Several months ago, I purchased an HTC-built G2 phone with an 800 MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The phone had issues, especially on the battery side, which barely lasted 4 hours under heavy use, but it was a decent phone otherwise. The only performance issue I ever noticed was a boot time of more than 1 minute. Now a phone geek, I could not wait to get my hands on a dual-core phone to see how app performance would improve. So I got a LG-built G2x phone, which uses Nvidia’s 1 GHz dual-core Tegra processor. The effect: Boot time is down to less than 20 seconds and Firefox is blazingly fast in JavaScript benchmarks (about 3 times faster than the G2 in Sunspider), but I would still call it the worst phone I ever owned (just behind the RIM Blackberry Pearl).

The touchscreen is less sensitive and a nightmare in games that require accuracy. Application stability is even worse as the default Android browser takes leisurely pauses now and then, the core phone app crashes frequently during dialing and I have gotten used to the fact that my G2X reboots itself three or four times a day. I would love to get by G2 from my girlfriend back, but since she has seen the G2X, my chances aren’t that good. I am not going to bash the G2X, even if my criticism is admittedly harsh. This may be a lemon and I am waiting for a replacement device.

The important observation is that the hardware may be, in the current competitive smartphone landscape, a nice-to-have feature, even if you are shelling a lot of money for your gadget and expect the very best from it. The true value of your phone, however, may not be so much single-core or dual-core at this time. It is platform integration. Apple is, conceivably, leading this discipline since it has only one two devices (excluding tablets) that are fine-tuned to work with its software platform. Just like its desktops and notebooks, Apple is recreating an overall experience – and experience that is tough to match by an Android or Windows Phone manufacturer. HTC or LG will never understand Android as well as Apple understands iOS.

A few weeks ago, I was called by a friend who had trouble with his new entry-level Android phone. He was tired of his iPhone, thought it was overkill and did not want to pay AT&T’s high carrier fees anymore. However, that opinion changed quickly – he got an Android phone with a 3″ screen and learned that Android on a 3 inch screen is a pain in the you-know-what to use. It had a horrible graphics engine and a build quality that suggested Yugo may have returned as a phone. Yes, he should have looked closer before he bought the phone, but it reminded of my LG and the overall lack of dedication to build a device that just makes sense from a usability view.

You can look a fragmentation from different angles – you can defend the Android model and you can attack it in various ways. But you can’t lose your attention to detail and it seems that Google has given phone developers too much freedom in creating new devices. Perhaps it is time to pull back a bit and make sure that tougher standards have been met and better phones are being rolled out to market. Inferior hardware can quickly kill a product image, especially the perception of quality. Microsoft has made its fair share of experience here.

Hardware that works in sync with the overall platform makes it clear that faster and newer chips do not necessarily enhance the user experience.

Source:http://www.tomsguide.com/us/google-android-apple-ios-iphpone-user-experience,news-11275.html

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