Monday, June 30, 2008

June 30, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 30:

  • Michael Gartenberg at JupiterResearch about Real takes Rhapsody DRM free, launches deal with Verizon - First Take
  • Dean Bubley at Disruptive Analysis about Operator-specific vs. Vanilla handsets
  • Vinita Jakhanwal at iSuppli about PND Display Shipments to Nearly Double by 2010
  • Carl Howe at Yankee Group about OpenTable.com Mobilizes Dinner Reservations
  • Kevin Burden at ABI Research, Jack Gold at J. Gold Associates and Rick Doherty at Envisioneering Group via BusinessWeek about How Nokia's Symbian Move Helps Google
  • Caroline Milanesi at Gartner and Neil Mawston at Strategy Analytics via BusinessWeek about What's Ailing Sony Ericsson?
  • UBS Securities analyst Maynard Um via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about Analyst: RiM Spending Points to Larger Cell Phone Goal

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Friday, June 27, 2008

June 27, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 27:

  • Carl Howe at Yankee Group about Apple’s three considerations for iPhone location apps: liability, liability, and liability
  • Carl Howe at Yankee Group about I’ll see your billion PCs and raise you 3.4 billion PDs
  • James Faucette at Pacific Crest Securities, Jack Gold at J. Gold Associates and Matt Thornton at Avian Securities via Investor's Business Daily about BlackBerry Maker RIM Misses Q1 Views
  • Phil Kendall and Susan Welsh de Grimaldo at Strategy Analytics about Worldwide Mobile Subscriptions to Reach 5.6 Billion by 2013
  • Gartner's Carolina Milanesi via Dow Jones Newswires about Sony Ericsson Profit Warning Hits Sector
  • Phillip Redman at Gartner via Computerworld about Virgin Mobile USA to buy Helio for $39M
  • Sal. Oppenheim Jr. & Cie analyst Nicolas von Stackelberg, Robert Jacobsen at Jyske Bank and Richard Windsor at Nomura via Bloomberg.com about Sony Ericsson Says Profit Will Drop as Sales Weaken
  • Chris Jones at Canalys via BusinessWeek about Garmin Gets on the Phone
  • Pali Research analyst Walter Piecyk via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about What's Up With Sprint?
  • JoAnne Feeney at FTN Midwest via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about Report Future iPhone To Be Powered By Intel's Atom Chip
  • Friedman Billings Ramsey analyst Craig Berger via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about Apple To Build 15M-Plus 3G iPhones In 2008, FBR Says
  • JMP Securities analyst Samuel Wilson via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about AAPL, NOK, PALM Shares Tumble As RIMM Ups Marketing, Notes Higher Component Prices

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Wednesday, June 25, 2008

June 25, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 25:

  • Tuong Huy Nguyen, Jessica Ekholm and Madhusudan Gupta at Gartner about Worldwide Mobile Gaming Revenue to Surpass $4.5 Billion in 2008
  • Stephanie Ethier at In-Stat about Personal Navigation Device Sales Beat Expectations
  • Ian Chard at Juniper Research about Mobile web users to top 1.7bn by 2013, driven by New Web 2.0 collaborative business models
  • Michael Gartenberg at JupiterResearch about T-Mobile @Home Changes the Landline Story - First Take
  • Michael Gartenberg at JupiterResearch about Nokia Acquires Symbian, Sets it Free - First Take
  • Ed Kountz at JupiterResearch about More Activity Around Mobile Payments
  • Thomas Husson at JupiterResearch about Nokia to acquire Symbian
  • Ian Fogg at JupiterResearch about Symbian OS Becomes Free
  • Thomas Husson at JupiterResearch about Nokia to acquire Plazes
  • Michael Gartenberg at JupiterResearch about Sprint Instinct - First Thoughts
  • Dean Bubley at Disruptive Analysis about Less than 1% 3G traffic from smartphones
  • Dean Bubley at Disruptive Analysis about HSDPA on the fringes of coverage
  • Dean Bubley at Disruptive Analysis about Received party pays for mobile in Europe?
  • Andreas Constantinou at VisionMobile about Nokia and Symbian to become one; royalty-free, open source roadmap
  • Stuart Carlaw at ABI Research about Nokia to Acquire Symbian and Go Open
  • Jérémie Bouchaud at iSuppli about The Birth of a Mobile-Handset Powerhouse
  • Dr. Jagdish Rebello and Tina Teng at iSuppli about New iPhone Carries $173 BOM and Manufacturing Cost
  • Geoff Blaber at CCS Insight about Nokia Squares Up to Software Rivals by Buying Symbian and Moving to Open Source
  • Emily Green at Yankee Group about Anywhere Devices need a zero-based rethink
  • Ross Rubin at NPD Group via Engadget about Switched On: The iPhone's iFunnel
  • Ben Wood at CCS Insight via FT.com about Nokia relies on innovation to stay ahead of the pack
  • Geoff Blaber at CCS Insight and Nomura Securities analyst Richard Windsor via BusinessWeek about Nokia Throws Open Mobile Software

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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

June 18, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 18:

  • Dean Bubley at Disruptive Analysis about New Report: The Case For Femtocell-Aware Handsets
  • Jack Gold at J.Gold Associates via Computerworld about Speech technology powers Instinct phone functions, other wireless devices
  • Carolina Milanesi at Gartner via Forbes.com about Nokia's Trickle-Up Success
  • Carolina Milanesi at Gartner via International Herald Tribune about New iPhone signals an Apple defeat
  • Morgan Stanley’s Kathryn Huberty, Needham’s Charlie Wolf and Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about Apple: Morgan Stanley, Needham Up Targets, Estimates; Bernstein Finds CIOs Caution On iPhone Support
  • UBS analyst Jeffrey Fan and Lehman’s Jeff Kvaal via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about RIMM: Lehman Ups Target; UBS Sees Strong Guidance

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REVIEW: TRITTON AX Visor Universal Bluetooth Car Kit

With a new law going into effect on July 1 that requires car drivers in California to use a hands-free device to talk on their cellphone while driving, I decided to test the new Tritton AX Visor Universal Car Kit, which acts as a portable speakerphone when linked to a Bluetooth handset supporting headset or hands-free profiles.

In the past, I was never pleased with the volume levels of my Bluetooth headsets while driving. The sound was always drowned out by my car noise and I could never hear anything (I'm getting old). This all changed when I started using Tritton's AX Bluestream Bluetooth Stereo Headset, which I reviewed last December. It allowed me to use my iPod earbuds and having an earbud in each ear made a world of difference. Unfortunately the new law forbids having both ears covered.

So when Tritton's PR team asked me to review the AX Visor speakerphone car kit, I decided to give it a spin. The device is Bluetooth V1.2 compliant, supports Car Handsfree (Unidirectional microphone) and Speakerphone mode (Omnidirectional microphone), has an OLED display for caller ID (displays automatically reversible when device is used upside down), claims up to 15 hours of talk time and 400 hours of standby time and uses a mini-USB port for charging. It also has a clip on the back, which allows it to be easily attached to your car visor, hence the product name. The MSRP for the AX Visor is $119.99, but I was able to find it online for less than $90.

Out the box, I easily paired the AX Visor with my Samsung Blackjack Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone and away I went. With my other Bluetooth devices, I would "physically" connect them to my handset by pushing a button after turning it on.

One of the cool things about the AX Visor is its auto connect feature, which according to Tritton, "utilizes an integrated accelerometer that detects vibration in a vehicle and automatically connects to the paired phone." It works as stated. All I have to do is get in my car and turn on the AX Visor and it automatically connects to my handset. Even if I leave the car, it will re-connect upon entry. Sweet.

Auto connect is a neat feature, but more importantly, how did it do as a speakerphone? Very well, in fact. This thing is loud. Loud enough that I can hear everything being said over the car noise. Loud enough that I had to lower the volume or close my car window so other drivers/people couldn't hear my conversations. So for an old dude like me that's pretty good.

How's the sound on the other end? People I was speaking with said I came in clear. There were some delays/cutouts due to ambient car noise but nothing major. And no one complained that I sounded like I was in a wind tunnel. For conference calls on the road it still might make sense to put the AX Visor or handset on mute, but it's well suited for listening mostly and speaking occasionally while driving.

As for battery life, I can't attest to Tritton's claims, but I think I charged it once by using the supplied USB cable via my PC and haven't touched it since.

All in all, the AX Visor is another solid Bluetooth device from the folks at Tritton. If you're looking for a Bluetooth speakerphone for car or portable use then it just might be the ticket...

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

June 17, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 17:

  • Juniper Research about The “Great Unbanked” to drive Mobile Finance Market to 41.5 billion transactions by the end of 2011, but legislation issues must still be overcome
  • Carl Howe at Yankee Group about Unlocked iPhones get a price cut to $374?
  • Thomas Husson at JupiterResearch about AdMob Stats for Europe
  • Seamus McAteer at M:Metrics via Forbes.com about My Phone, My Game Machine
  • Neil Mawston at Strategy Analytics and Ben Wood at CCS Insight via Reuters about Cellphones challenge cameras with sharper pictures
  • Nomura analyst Richard Windsor, Geoff Blaber at CCS Insight and Gartner analyst Nick Jones via Reuters about Nokia unveils new business phones
  • Lehman analyst Tim Luke via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about Apple: Mac Unit Sales Grew 50% In May

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Monday, June 16, 2008

June 16, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 16:

  • Walter Piecyk at Pali Research, Ross Rubin at NPD Group and Neil Strother at JupiterResearch via BusinessWeek about The iPhone's Impact on Rivals
  • Thomas Kang at Strategic Analytics, Yang Jong In at Korea Investment & Securities and Stan Jung at Woori Investment & Securities via BusinessWeek about Why Korea Won't Bite the Apple
  • Julie Ask at JupiterResearch about Admob Servces 100M Mobile Ad Impressions Each Day
  • Thomas Husson at JupiterResearch about Green Porno
  • Ed Kountz at JupiterResearch about Mobile Payments in the U.S.--the JR View
  • Dean Bubley at Disruptive Analysis about Apps on smartphones = Geek. Apps on Facebook = Fun. Why?
  • Tim Bajarin at Creative Strategies about The Real Impact of the iPhone
  • RBC Capital’s Mike Abramsky, Deutsche Bank’s Chris Whitmore and Goldman Sachs’ David Bailey via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about Apple: Street Expects Huge Demand For iPhone 3G
  • UBS telecom analyst John Hodulik via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about Verizon, AT&T: UBS Downgrades On Weak Economy
  • Citigroup’s Jim Suva and American Technology Research analyst Rob Sanderson via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about RIMM: Citi Sees Beat-And-Raise Qtr; AmTech Ups Ests

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Thursday, June 12, 2008

June 12, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 12:

  • Ken Dulaney at Gartner and Shiv Bakhshi at IDC via BusinessWeek about The iPhone Eyes BlackBerry's Turf
  • Ross Rubin at NPD Group via Engadget about Switched On: Dash delivers open roads, open questions (Part 2)
  • Thomas Husson at JupiterResearch about SFR Music
  • Carl Howe at Yankee Group about Apple’s iPhone 3G: who needs carrier subsidies?
  • Ramon Llamas at IDC and Bill Hughes and David Chamberlain at In-Stat via TechNewsWorld about Verizon to Offer Starter Centro Smartphone as iPhone Alternative
  • Carl Howe at Yankee Group and Michael McGuire at Gartner via Computerworld about Apple's App Store vital to iPhone success, say analysts
  • Ben Wood at CCS Insight via Unstrung via iPhone Goes Pay as You Go
  • Paolo Pescatore at CCS Insight and JupiterResearch analyst Mark Mulligan via Billboard about MusicStation Claims U.K. Market-Leader Status

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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

June 11, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 11:

  • Michael Gartenberg at JupiterResearch about HTC Touch Diamond - Ten Quick Thoughts
  • Michael Gartenberg at JupiterResearch about iPhone 3G and .me - Some final thoughts on the news
  • Ben Wood at CCS Insight about It’s Going to Be an Eight-Megapixel Christmas
  • Juniper Research about Transport based mobile ticketing usage to grow from over 37 million transactions in 2007 to just over 1.8 billion by 2011, driven by cost savings for the transport industry
  • Matthew Thornton at Avian Securities, Sean Ryan at IDC, Jack Gold at J. Gold Associates and Andy Hargraves at Pacific Crest Securities via Investor's Business Daily about Apple: All Play And No Work?
  • Andrew Brown and David Kerr at Strategy Analytics about iPhone 2.0 : Is Apple Ready For Business
  • Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster via InformationWeek about Apple App Store A $1.2 Billion Business In 2009
  • Gartner analysts Ken Dulaney and John Pescatore via Computerworld about Gartner: Be cautious about letting new iPhones into your company
  • Ben Wood at CCS Insight via Telegraph about Apple has head in the cloud

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008

June 10, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 10:

  • Carolina Milanesi at Gartner via NYTimes.com about Smartphones Now Ringing for Women
  • Julie Ask at JupiterResearch about $199 iPhone - a real price point for consumers
  • Julie Ask at JupiterResearch about Apple's MobileMe and 3G iPhone
  • Ian Fogg at JupiterResearch about iPhone Release 2.0 - Notes from Europe
  • David Card at JupiterResearch about Minimal Value-Add iPhone Post
  • Thomas Husson at JupiterResearch about iPhone 2 - a new business model?
  • Dean Bubley at Disruptive Analysis about iPhone 3G - what's Apple got against cameras?
  • Carl Howe at Yankee Group about Seven Overlooked iPhone 3G Details
  • Joshua Martin at Yankee Group about Is it July 11th yet?!
  • Jack Gold at J. Gold Associates via Computerworld about 3G iPhone fast but lacks management tools mobile enterprises need
  • Charles Golvin at Forrester and Mike McGuire at Gartner via chicagotribune.com about Software updates equip iPhone for corner office
  • Bernstein Research’s Toni Sacconaghi and Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster via FORTUNE about Will the App Store be a cash cow for Apple?
  • Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about Apple: The Street Weighs In On The iPhone 3G
  • Roger Entner at Nielsen IAG and Charles Golvin at Forrester Research via Kansas City Star about Sprint, Garmin face challenges from iPhone upgrade

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Monday, June 09, 2008

June 9, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 9:

  • Michelle Abraham at In-Stat about Steady Growth Seen in Worldwide 3G Mobile TV Services
  • Michael Gartenberg at JupiterResearch about HTC Touch Diamond in the house
  • Thomas Husson at JupiterResearch about Where will you watch the Euro 2008?
  • Julie Ask at JupiterResearch about Smart Marketing Tactics for Verizon/MediaFLO's Mobile Video
  • Andreas Constantinou at VisionMobile about Revenue models in open source: a guide
  • Carl Howe at Yankee Group about Apple iPhone Buzz topping last year’s numbers
  • Ross Rubin at NPD Group and Charles Golvin at Forrester Research via Dow Jones about AT&T Takes Shot At Verizon Wireless With Subsidized iPhone
  • Gene Munster at Piper Jaffray via Dow Jonesabout Apple Introduces 3G iPhone
  • Hakim Kriout at Grigsby & Associates, David Garrity at Dinosaur Securities and Ross Rubin at NPD Group via Bloomberg.com about Apple Unveils Faster IPhone to Lure Business Buyers
  • American Technology Research analyst Mark McKechnie via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about AmTech Cuts Nokia Amid Apple, RIMM SmartPhone Threat
  • John Delaney at IDC via guardian.co.uk about Apple unveils new iPhone 3G with GPS and a lower price

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Thursday, June 05, 2008

June 5, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 5:

  • Dr Windsor Holden at Juniper Research about South American mobile data revenues to rise to $23 billion by 2013, but growth dependent on lower content pricing
  • Julie Ask at JupiterResearch about Verizon's Bid for Alltel - Implications for Sprint?
  • Julie Ask at JupiterResearch about Screenvision Speaks to Audience with Txting
  • Dean Bubley at Disruptive Analysis about So... you think that femtocell users won't need new handsets?
  • Dean Bubley at Disruptive Analysis about Handsets, handsets everywhere. Yet not a single one I want.
  • Gerhard Fasol at eurotechnology.japan about It's an entirely different story for the iPhone in Japan than anywhere else..
  • Shaun Collins at CCS Insight about Orange Shakes Up Its Organisation in the UK
  • Andrew Jaquith at Yankee Group about “Rogue Mobile Devices” is the Wrong Perspective
  • Tole Hart at Gartner and Goldman Sachs analyst Jason Armstrong via Dow Jones about Verizon To Acquire Alltel In $28.1 Billion Deal
  • Oppenheimer analyst Ittai Kidron via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about Motorola: Will The Handset Spinoff Be Scrapped?
  • Shaw Wu at American Technology Research via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about Apple: 3G iPhone And More Coming Monday At WWDC
  • Roger Entner at IAG and Craig Moffett at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company via NYTimes.com about Verizon in Talks to Buy Alltel
  • John Delaney and Kresimir Alic at IDC via International Herald Tribune about Telecoms look to grow by acquisition

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Tuesday, June 03, 2008

June 3, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 3:

  • Dean Bubley at Disruptive Analysis about UMTS at 900MHz becoming a reality
  • Harry Wang at Parks Associates about GPS-integrated Mobile Devices to Exceed 830 Million Units Globally by 2012
  • Ross Rubin at NPD Group via Engadget about Switched On: Dash delivers open roads, open questions (Part 1)
  • Peter Jarich at Current Analysis via RCR Wireless News about The future of 3G in China
  • Carolina Milanesi at Gartner via RCR Wireless News about It’s official: LG by a neck over Sony Ericsson
  • Ross Rubin at NPD Group via chicagotribune.com about Plot turns interesting in reading of Kindle's future
  • Pacific Crest’s Andy Hargreaves via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about How Big Is The Potential Market For the Apple iPhone?
  • Roger Entner at Nielsen/IAG and Gareth Jenkins at UBS via The Mac Observer about AT&T Not Likely to Subsidize iPhone

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Monday, June 02, 2008

June 2, 2008 Roundup

Analysts in the news for June 2:

  • Julie Ask at JupiterResearch about Mobile Content: It's Not Just About Ringtones Anymore
  • Dean Bubley at Disruptive Analysis about DoCoMo dual-mode consumer VoWLAN launches
  • Dean Bubley at Disruptive Analysis about Extending mobile presence - the need for context and device state information
  • Ross Rubin at NPD Group about New Small Wonders join Vado in cheapie camcorder market
  • Ross Rubin at NPD Group about A completely academic guide to ultramobile jargon
  • Sean Ryan at IDC, Jack Gold at J. Gold Associates and Kitty Weldon at Current Analysis via SearchMobileComputing.com about Motorola Good offers smartphone users NOC-based VPN
  • IDC analyst Ryan Reith via Bloomberg.com about Palm Gains After Centro Wins U.S. Users From IPhone
  • Thomas Weisel analyst Doug Reid via Barron’s Online Tech Trader Daily about Apple: Weisel Ups Target, Ests On Strong Macs, iPhone
  • Ben Wood at CCS Insight via Telegraph about iPhone to be sold for £100 in UK next month

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