A new leg of the smart phone wars are coming, if not already begun. Just like the video above when you get geeks in one spot with light sabers this may get pretty fierce. If you’ve been paying attention at all you’ve noticed: the barrage of Android phones on the horizon, possible 6 BlackBerry devices by EOY, coupled with iPhone 4, (iOS 4) and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 7 waiting. Sure, there have been casualties already with the Kin (if you can even classify that as a smart phone – more dumb). I almost forgot about Nokia’s Symbian OS. Sure, their CEO has made a commitment to take Nokia to the top of the mobile phone market but is it too late?
I know I’m the BlackBerry guy on the site and I’m not going to take the “what RIM needs to do” route with this post. Instead I’m going to touch on the news that’s been out there for most platforms and add my two cents in.
Android
You can’t deny the specs on recent Android devices are enough to wow you, excluding Moto Blur & Garminfone. Devices like the Incredible, Droid X, and EVO 4G can make any mobile phone geek’s mouth water (HDMI out are you serious?). Sure, Skynet aka Google is behind this new mobile platform so world domination has to be in the playbook somewhere. I think it’s safe to say with the announcement of 20 more Android devices coming to market by EOY they have a pretty good game plan on taking the consumer market by force.
A report came out awhile back that Samsung is producing an Android phone to rival the BlackBerry form factor (Galaxy Q?). Google does a lot of things well and you can really appreciate their mobile OS but will they try to step into the Enterprise Messaging ring with RIM? Currently Android uses ActiveSync to accomplish enterprise messaging with Exchange. Recent iOS 4 issues with ActiveSync also affect Android devices and there are reports out there that Apple’s work around doesn’t completely fix it. Does Google have some alternative to BES up their sleeves?
iPhone (iOS 4)
We’ve covered the problems Apple has had with the iPhone 4 release so I’m not going to replay them here. Getting past the signal issues the specs on the iPhone 4 are amazing. Stacked against some Android devices and getting past the “it’s shinny and Apple” mentality it’s not the best spec’d smart phone out there. Despite the comparisons to other makes Apple did sell a ton of these, 1.7 million in three days.
iPhone enthusiasts came out in droves to get this new device and to the Apple faithful it’s met expectations, granted they can get through the negative press (and everyone gets their free bumpers). iOS 4 also promised many features enterprises have been waiting for but from what I see fall short of delivering. I think we can all say Steve Jobs can woo the consumer market well but I think he needs help actually delivering on the enterprise side. Apple has real potential because they tend to offer the “I need that” feeling with their tech. The question is will they ever fully fulfill enterprise expectations?
Nokia/Symbian
What is there really to say here? Years ago they were on top of the mobile phone market now they nearly traded market share in the US with Apple from 10 yrs. earlier. I’m sure they’ll be able to meet a segment of the market but I don’t know if they’ll be a big player. Do they scrap Symbian and jump on the Android platform band wagon? Nokia will always have a special place for me but they really need to make some leaps forward to make an impact.
Windows Phone 7
Just recently there has been news on the Windows Phone 7. AT&T seems pretty committed to this platform rumored to loading 8 million of these devices. From what we have seen the OS is going to be completely changed from previous OS versions. Rumor is we may start to see devices on AT&T by late summer but that window is closing fast. A few weeks ago Microsoft CEO announced an enterprise version of Windows Phone 7 OS named Windows Embedded Handheld. So clearly Microsoft is looking to segment its consumer and enterprise business. If Microsoft is smart they’ll have better integration with Exchange and their new mobile OS.
WebOS/Palm
I hesitate even mentioning this platform. HP’s CEO has gone back and forth first saying he wasn’t in the smartphone business only wanting to cannibalize WebOS for HP’s other devices. Then brass at HP has been on record saying Palm will live on as a subset of HP. I honestly haven’t followed their plans closely but don’t be surprised to see a Palm device before end of year.
BlackBerry
When you think mobile messaging nothing really beats a BlackBerry. Devices like the Bold 9700, Bold 9650, and to some extent Storm 2 9550 (some may not agree with that last one) really bring together what RIM does well with more consumer friendly features. Earlier this year at WES they seemed to really embrace social networks. The idea of Super Apps like Twitter and Facebook for BlackBerry really interoperate well with the native apps. The sneak peeks we’ve seen of BlackBerry 6 and the 9800 Slider/Torch seem to bring to fruition the marrying of social networks and messaging in a nice looking UI. Recently RIM PR machine has been promoting the use of BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) and as a BBM user I think this is a good thing. BBM still has a few bugs to work out but the use of groups will only help get people involved in using their devices more. So the question is will BlackBerry 6 and their soon to release devices be enough to get the masses talking about BlackBerry again?
Final Thoughts
The next leg of the smart phone wars looks to be very interesting. The competing manufacturers will only help make a better product for you, the consumer. I may be a bit biased pulling for BlackBerry but as soon as Android and Apple gets their poop in a group more, watch out. Android and Apple have loaded their devices with tons of cool specs and features with some nice apps to boot. I still don’t think either of these platforms quite have the feel and stability BlackBerry has been able to do. It’s still uncertain what future WebOS and Symbian will bring to the table. However it all shakes out if the hardware, UI, apps, and general feel of a new device/platform aren’t stellar it will fade away like the Microsoft Kin. Sound off if you agree or think I’m off my rocker.
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