Graphical User Interface Design - Rossul Design » Mobile OS

US mobile market trends- Smartphone usage stats

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:20:02 +0000

ComScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data, repots some interesting trends in smart phone usage. 42.7 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones, up 18 percent from the August through October period.

Here is content usage breakdown:

Most popular activity is still text messaging (63,5%)
Web surfing (28%)
Games (28.6%)
Accessing Social network sites (17%)
Listening to music on mobile phone (12.8%)

Accessing social network has a boost of 3.5% in last month, text messaging has 1.5% while paying games have not changed much.

Blackberry is still most popular device used by 43% of the smart phone owners. Apple has a share of 25%. Microsoft gave up 4% to Google which has 7.1% (4.3% up for 3 months). Palm is in trouble and down 2.1% to 5.7% total maker share.

Apple App Store vs Wholesale Apps Community

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:15:51 +0000

The world’s leading telecommunications operators and device manufacturers are launching an open global alliance, that will establish a simple route to market for developers and provide access to the latest and widest range of innovative applications and services to as many customers as possible worldwide.

Current members:

América Móvil
AT&T
Bharti Airtel
China Mobile
China Unicom
Deutsche Telekom
KT
Mobilkom Austria Group
MTN Group
NTT DoCoMo
Orange
Orascom Telecom
Softbank Mobile
Telecom Italia
Telefónica, Telenor Group
Telia Sonera
SingTel
SK Telecom
Sprint
Verizon Wireless
VimpelCom
Vodafone and Wind
Samsung
LG
Sony Ericsson

Purpose of the alliance is “to create a ’wholesale applications community’ that will establish a simple route to market for developers, in turn, providing access to the latest and widest range of innovative applications and services to as many customers as possible worldwide. This alliance will deliver scale unparalleled by any application distribution ecosystem in existence today”.

The terms of the new service is still unclear.

Apple’s iPad Cons and Pros

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:01:54 +0000

This is what we make of Apples iPad presentation — a new beautifully and smartly designed new device, which is clearly oriented towards education market and execs on the go.

Pros:

Beautiful design
Vertical and horizontal modes
Long batter life (10 hours)
Amazing stand by time of 1 month
LED screen, which delivery reach colors and wide view angle.
3G connectivity
Wi-Fi N connectivity
PRICE (!)

Cons:

No multitasking. Works pretty much the same way as iPhone. One needs to close one app to open another
No camera and video chat
Quite heavy (1.5 pounds)
iBookstore – US only at launch

* This is initial thoughts and we’ll be probably updating the list.

Bing May Become a Default Search Option for iPhone OS 4.0

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:26:14 +0000

Business Week reports that Apple and Microsoft have been discussing making Bing the default search engine on the iPhone. In light of accelerating rivalry between Apple and Google over the mobile market it does make sense. Some sources suggest that Apple is working on its own search solution and the Bing deal might be just a move that buys Apple some time. It doesn’t look like any deal between any of these three companies will live long. Each has its own Mobile OS, Mobile Ad agency, and two of them have their own devices.

Apple’s Rumoured Tablet to Have 3D Interface?

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:21:06 +0000

Apple has filed a patent that describes an interface for manipulating “three-dimensional virtual objects” on a touch screen. The technology may be used in future releases of iPhone or in the rumoured Apple tablet (iSlate?). I doubt that simply porting existed OS to a 10” touch screen may take “you-know-who’s considerable undivided attention”. Having an entire event dedicated to the mobile market Apple will most probably try to set a new standard. 3D User Interface may become just the thing to mark a new step in evolution of UX. Apple has been working on various 3D systems for quite some time now: 3D Projection System, 3D Desktop, 3D Displays, etc.

Apple to Buy Mobile Advertising Company

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:41:42 +0000

Apple is about to announce the acquisition of Quattro Wireless for $275 million. Apple tried to bid on AdMob acquired by Google not so long ago. With Google’s Nexus launch tomorrow both companies become direct competitors in the smartphone market. From a UI prospective, it is interesting to see how Apple’s User Experience dedication and strict App Store approval rules will stand against Google’s users-know-better-what-they-need approach.

Smartphone sales per OS vendor

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:33:27 +0000

Stats from June 09 shows Symbian being the clear leader on Mobile OS market, thanks to Nokia and a few Sony Erricson and Samsung devices.

(data does not include Palm WebOS, which was introduced in June, 2009)

Market share of Smartphone operating systems as of Q2/2009 by Canalys.

It will be interesting to see what the chart will be for Q2 2010 with new Android phones introduced every week or so, Windows UX-focused Mobile 7 and Samsung’s Linux-based Bada.

Touch screen tactile feedback and user satisfaction survey

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:06:33 +0000

A survey recently conducted (France, Germany and the UK) showed 38% were planning to get a touchscreen on their next mobile phone while only 47% of people who already owned a touchscreen said they would get another one. In other words, less than half of touchscreen owners thought they’d stick with the technology on their next purchase. Apple has a high customer satisfaction rate and since iPhone is the only available device iphone users don’t really have a choice.

As a designer I can’t help but love the idea of one surface that becomes what one needs it to be at the moment. I’m not moving back to physical keyboard. At least on my phone.
I don’t play many games on my iPhone and when I do tactile feedback is not something I miss.

The possibility of tactile feedback was mentioned in the original iPhone patent application and last year Apple filled “Keystroke tacility arrangement on a smooth touch surface” patent. It desscribes various tactile feedbacks on a smooth sureface keyboard such as:

Braille-like dot pairs or bars at key centers
Articulating frame that protrudes at key edges during typing
Articulating frame that deforms surface cover at key edges during typing
Rigid frame under key edges with compressible key centers

We may see it implemented in rumoured Apple Tablet Mac that supposedly should surface in next few months. So it looks like touchscreen are going to become smarter and more “user-freiendly”.

Motorola Droid first impression

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:33:45 +0000

Android 2.0 looks great. I have to admit. I’m a big fun of iPhone OS but version 2 of Google mobile OS looks sleek and visually polished. I did not have a chance to play with it yet but pictures leave very positive impression. It LOOKS usable enough. Not sure it would beat iPhone’s in it’s simplicity but it is a real rival.

The firsts device available with Android 2 seems to be Motorola Droid. Sadly it’s design doesn’t produce any excitement. Seems very dated and follows Nokia Communicator idea, which judging form how often i’ve seen it on streets never been very popular device.