Day: May 27, 2007

Shipments of Windows Mobile PDAs grew 64 percent in the first quarter of 2007, and this strong growth helped propel worldwide PDA shipments to 5.1 million units, a 39.7 percent increase from the first quarter of 2006, according to Gartner, Inc.“Microsoft Windows Mobile licensees accounted for nearly 3.2 million PDA shipments in the first quarter of 2007, or more than 60 percent of all PDA shipments in the quarter,” said Todd Kort, principal research analyst in Gartner’s Client Computing group. “This strong growth was surprising because Windows Mobile 6 will launch in the second quarter, accompanied by the launch of many new and improved models. Normally, consumers and businesses have constrained their purchases when upgrades are imminent.”Research In Motion continued to lead the PDA market (see Table 1), but its product mix has shifted toward smartphones, with the BlackBerry Pearl representing about 55 percent of RIM’s total shipments in the first quarter of 2007. As such, RIM’s PDA shipments were essentially flat. Gartner analysts said RIM’s PDA shipments should grow through the remainder of 2007 as the new 88xx and 83xx models replace the 87xx. Mio Technology, the leading Microsoft licensee, shipped nearly 568,000 PDAs, all with integrated GPS capability. Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) accounted for 57 percent of Mio’s shipments, driven by sales of the C510 and C250 car navigation devices into Southern European countries.Table 1Worldwide: Preliminary PDA Vendor Shipment Estimates, 1Q07 (Units) Company 1Q07 Shipments 1Q07 Market Share (%) 1Q06 Shipments 1Q06 Market Share (%) 1Q06-1Q07 Growth (%) Research In Motion 928,239 18.1 929,883 25.3 -0.2 Mio Technology 567,967 11.1 216,728 5.9 162.1 Samsung 451,000 8.8 2,150 0.1 20876.7 Sharp 436,450 8.5 249,380 6.8 75.0 Nokia 319,100 6.2 157,150 4.3 103.1 Others 2,423,089 47.3 2,114,009 57.6 14.6 Total 5,125,845 100.0 3,669,300 100.0 39.7Note: Excludes smartphones, such as Treo 750 and BlackBerry 81xx, but includes cellular PDAs such as BlackBerry 87xx.Source: Gartner Dataquest (May 2007) Samsung, Sharp and Nokia round out the top five vendors in the first quarter of 2007 with market shares of 8.8 percent, 8.5 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively. Samsung benefited from a strong marketing effort led by Cingular to promote the BlackJack, seen by many as a low-cost alternative to the BlackBerry. Palm continued its focus on the smartphone market and dropped out the top five in the PDA market in the first quarter of 2007. Palm shipped 297,000 PDAs in the first quarter and ranked seventh in global PDA shipments. Windows Mobile PDA OS shipments surpassed 3.1 million units accounting for 62.1 percent of shipments in the first quarter of 2007 (see Table 2). RIM was the nearest competitor with 18.1 percent market share. “With Windows Mobile device shipments up over 1.2 million units from the first quarter of 2006, Microsoft has achieved a dominant position in the market for data-centric devices. However, Microsoft has faltered in the much larger smartphone market,” said Mr. Kort. “The reverse is true for Symbian and Nokia. RIM seems to be the only company making a balanced effort, although it still has a lot of catching up to do in the smartphone market.” Table 2Worldwide: Preliminary PDA Vendor Shipment Estimates by Operating System, 1Q07 (Units) Company 1Q07 Shipments 1Q07 Market Share (%) 1Q06 Shipments 1Q06 Market Share (%) 1Q06-1Q07 Growth (%) Windows CE 3,184,703 62.1 1,937,667 52.8 64.4 Research In Motion 928,239 18.1 929,883 25.3 -0.2 Palm OS 314,353 6.1 489,220 13.3 -35.7 Symbian 288,000 5.6 132,000 3.6 118.2 Linux 33,400 0.7 43,530 1.2 -23.3 Others 377,150 7.4 137,000 3.7 175.3 Total 5,125,845 100.0 3,669,300 100.0 39.7Note: Excludes smartphones, such as Treo 750 and BlackBerry 81xx, but includes cellular PDAs such as BlackBerry 87xx.Source: Gartner Dataquest (May 2007) Gartner Dataquest defines a PDA as a data-centric handheld computer weighing less than 1 pound that is primarily designed for use with both hands. These devices use an open-market OS supported by third-party applications that can be added into the device by end users. They offer instant-on/off capability and synchronization of files with a PC. A PDA may offer WAN support for voice, but these are data-first, voice-second devices. Examples include the RIM BlackBerry 8707v, HP iPAQ 69xx, Nokia E61, Motorola Q, T-Mobile Dash and Sidekick 3. Smartphones offer all the attributes of a PDA, except that smartphones are voice-centric with data access as a secondary capability, and are designed for primarily one-handed operation. Examples include the Palm Treo 750v, RIM BlackBerry Pearl, Orange SPV C700, Nokia E60 and Sony Ericsson P990i.

“Since the Treo 680 debuted late last year, Palm, Inc. has released several patches for its system software. This company has now combined all of these into a ROM update. It also includes other improvements to this smartphone.This ROM update — with the catchy name “Software Update for Palm Treo 680 Smartphone for AT&T 1.09” — includes: Improved power management for better battery life. Camera update for improved battery life (available previously as a standalone update). Helps correct distorted characters that can occur in the title bar of the Phone application. Helps fix device “freezing” that may occur under certain conditions. System Lockout improvement for increased security (available previously as a standalone update). Support for the new Daylight Saving Time legislation (available previously as a standalone update). Provides better support for networks unique to some Caribbean, Latin American, and Asian countries. Updates Cingular branding, replacing it with the new AT&T branding.This updater is only for the AT&T version of the Treo 680. It should not be installed on the unlocked version.The ROM update is available now on Palm’s support web site.” via brighthand.com

“The Sony Ericsson P1i measures up at 106x55x17 mm (for M600 – 107x57x15 mm), which makes it obvious that it has marginally gained only in thickness, while the P1 shaves some millimeters from its forefather in the rest. Though it weights 125 grams, which is heavier that the M600’s 112 grams. In the sense of dimensions, the model is pretty much in line with feature phones, which makes it stand out against the backdrop of many other today’s smartphones. The handset comes in a sole color scheme – Silver Black.” Read more here: