“According to the recent survey of Strategy Analytics, Palm Centro smartphone attracted attention of 50% of Americans, who decided to buy a new mobile device in 4Q 2007. They preferred it to Samsung i760, LG Rumor, Nokia Prism and Pantech C810. The users chose Palm Centro and Samsung i760 as multi-functional “all-in-one” devices.As for Nokia Prism, the respondents spoke of it as a fashion product designed for ladies. Those who needed multi-functional device with voice services, music and PIM (Personal Information Management) preferred LG Rumor with the QWERTY-keyboard.” via mobile-review.com
First Linux phone standard ships!
“Weeks after Google revealed aspirations of creating a defacto standard operating system for mobile phones, via Android and the Open Handset Alliance, a lesser known, broad-based consortium has published what it hopes can serve as an actual standard for Linux-based phones. The Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum was founded in 2005, and quickly doubled its membership. Unlike industry groups such as the OHA and LiMo (Linux Mobile Foundation), which are writing actual code for cross-licensing among members, LiPS has taken on the ambitious goal of defining real standards. LiPS Executive Director Bill Weinberg explains, “Our goal is to create a freestanding, actual specification that exists as a real standard, and is not beholden to any one implementation.”In theory, standard APIs for Linux-based mobile phones, if widely adopted, could enable operators to roll out services faster, while enabling handset manufacturers to produce compatible new phones faster. Other beneficiaries could be ISVs (independent software vendors), mobile phone software stack providers, and of course, phone consumers, who after buying a new phone could re-install purchased applications and continue with existing services. Additional LiPS views on real vs. de facto standards can be found in a whitepaper comparing LiPS to Android, here. Weinberg admits that the challenge is in moving from paper standards to real implementations and then to widespread adoption. One turning point could come if operators were to mandate specification compliance. Weinberg said, “The most powerful adoption will come from operators, such as [existing LiPS members] France Telecom, Telecom Italia, and British Telecom. They want to roll out their services on LiPS’s API enabler specification.”Read more here: