As it abandons U.S. devices, Peek raises $15M for Asian expansion (exclusive)
Gadget blogs pounced on mobile-internet device maker Peek yesterday when the company announced it was killing off service for its devices running on T-Mobile. What they missed was a $15 million fund raise from Peek, confirmed by chief executive Amol Sarva to VentureBeat, as the company expands its business aggressively in Asia.
On January 30 users who had paid $299 for “lifelong service” on the companies bare bones email and Twitter devices were surprised to … Continue Reading
Nokia’s bold new Meltemi OS will make feature phones smarter
Not content to let its feature phone software stagnate, Nokia is apparently working on a new low-end mobile operating system called “Meltemi,” which will allow the company to sell more capable phones in emerging markets.
News of the Linux-based Meltemi, which is the Greek word for winds that blow across the Aegean see from the north during summer, was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
For Nokia, Meltemi is a sign that the company … Continue Reading
Nielsen: Android takes 40% of US smartphone share, leads as “next desired OS”
Not much has changed in the US mobile market over the past few months: Android is still the leader — accounting for 40 percent of the total smartphone market — and consumers’ desire for the Google OS doesn’t appear to be slowing down, reports research firm Nielsen.
The company’s report, based on July 2011 consumer data, shows that Android rose 1 point from its lead share of 39 percent months ago. Apple’s iOS, meanwhile, remained … Continue Reading
Nielsen: Smartphones finally overtake feature phones for new device purchases
55 percent of U.S. consumers who purchased a new phone in the last three months bought a smartphone, according to data from Nielsen’s May mobile consumer survey.
This marks the first time, at least according to Nielsen’s data, that smartphones have outranked feature phones (often known as “dumb phones”) in sales. And with smartphone sales speeding up, there’s little chance this trend will be reversed anytime soon. Last year, only 34 percent of U.S. consumers … Continue Reading
Reminder: the real smartphone war is against dumbphones
Will Android kill the iPhone? Or is it the other way around? It’s tempting to stick with the market share battle mindset when it comes to smartphones, but as Asymco’s Horace Dediu points out, the real question may be, who can tempt away users of dumbphones, or traditional cellphones?
Dediu compiled second quarter smartphone market figures for the past four years (see chart at right), which makes it easy to see just how much potential … Continue Reading
A million Optimus Ones say LG made a smart bet on Android
As with many cellphone manufacturers trying to figure out how to make the leap into superphones, LG’s bet on Google’s Android operating system is turning out to be a wise decision. The company announced today that its budget-minded Optimus One is its fastest-selling phone ever, hitting 1 million units sold worldwide in 40 days.
The Optimus One is currently available in the US as the Optimus T on T-Mobile for $29.99 (after a mail-in rebate … Continue Reading
MobileBeat: Snaptu wants to make dumbphones smarter with apps
Snaptu is one of 20 promising startups included in the MobileBeat 2010 Startup Competition, and is in the running for one of two coveted Tesla Awards.
Mobile app startup Snaptu has a simple goal: To bring the rich mobile app experience seen on the iPhone, Android, and other smartphones, to every cellphone — in particular, low-end phones (often referred to as “dumbphones”).
The company has developed an application that runs on any phone that supports … Continue Reading
