| -link"> | | | | wireless access to email, corporate data, phone, |
| Perspectives of Wireless Marketing Wars | | | | web and organizer features. The true power of |
| — Who will Be the Winner? | | | | BlackBerry is mailbox integration. BlackBerry can |
| PDA & Mobile Market Analyst | | | | integrate seamlessly with a user's existing |
| QArea GroupAccording to the research held by | | | | corporate or personal email account providing a |
| analytics company Canalys the market of "smart" | | | | wireless extension of their regular e-mailbox.The |
| mobile devices in Europe, Near East and Africa | | | | first BlackBerry was released in early 1999. The |
| grows more rapidly than market of mobile | | | | first BlackBerry with integrated cell phone, as well |
| phones. Within the first half of 2005 9.6 million of | | | | as the first BlackBerry sold outside of North |
| smartphones and PDAs were sold compared to | | | | America was released in 2001, using the European |
| 3.6 million during the same period of the previous | | | | GSM/GPRS standard. RIM at the moment has a |
| year. Such trend is observed worldwide — | | | | very dominant position in the mobile email market. |
| almost 70 million full feature handsets are sold | | | | BlackBerry is used worldwide, available from 95 |
| worldwide. According to analysts the two main | | | | wireless carriers in 40 countries. In November |
| processes in progress stipulate such growth at | | | | 2004, RIM announced the number of subscribers |
| the moment. On the one hand, ordinary users | | | | to the BlackBerry service to have reached two |
| interchange their old smartphones and PDAs to | | | | million, having doubled within ten months. |
| newer ones. On the other hand, there is an | | | | Proceeding their steady growth, RIM announced |
| upsurge in interest in mobile E-mail and extended | | | | an additional one million subscribers in May 2005, |
| abilities of smart mobile devices from companies | | | | only six months after having reached two million. |
| and corporations.Modern smart mobile systems | | | | Experts' Area Rudy de Waele, CEO at Random |
| are to be: always available (small sized / handy), | | | | One (R1): "The market is going more Symbian |
| always On (optimized memory usage, minimal | | | | due to the strategic moves Symbian did with S60 |
| battery use), extensible (new software can be | | | | platform, delivering Symbian to various devices of |
| added if necessary), affordable, and of various | | | | different brand manufacturers and Nokia's latest |
| form factors. Moreover, a smart mobile device | | | | partnership with Vodafone to increase the use of |
| should combine the maximum of mobile | | | | S60 as a standard software platform. |
| technologies available at the moment: GPS, VoIP, | | | | Windows Mobile is going to catch up bit by bit, |
| Bluetooth, IrDa, GPRS/EDGE, Wi-Fi, mobile E-mail, | | | | they have the market advantage in US and they |
| support of HTTP protocol, MP3 etc. This is a vast | | | | can benefit from the Microsoft PC/Mobile |
| domain for competition among manufacturers of | | | | synchronization that becomes more and more |
| operation systems for smartphones and | | | | popular and is a crucial element for the success of |
| PDAs.There are several very large players in this | | | | mobile data services, but I don't see them getting |
| market: Symbian OS, BREW OS, Blackberry OS, | | | | quickly at the same level of Symbian on a global |
| Windows Mobile OS and Palm OS etc. | | | | level, it's going to take at least 4-5 years for |
| Experts' AreaUlf Morys, General Manager at | | | | them to catch-up, if ever they will...Meanwhile I |
| Gameloft GmbH:" - Symbian: more important in | | | | don't see a bright future for Palm OS, neither |
| the future, but still niche market (Nokia market | | | | BREW, though BREW is still quite strong in the |
| share ca. 33 % overall; not more than 1/3 of this | | | | market due to Qualcomm strength on the |
| Symbian phones & some other Symbian | | | | market.Nobody can compete with Symbian as of |
| phones). Overall optimistic estimate: ca. 10 % of | | | | now, their competitors will have to come up with |
| total newly sold phone base.- BlackBerry: | | | | a stronger OS and that doesn't look obvious.At |
| interesting for business / productivity applications; | | | | last, don't forget about Linux who has a lot of |
| no mass market. | | | | potential, specifically in mobile, I see a bright and |
| - WindowsCE: difficult to judge. Microsoft will keep | | | | growing future for them." |
| pushing it's platform, but results were often | | | | No wonder, RIM manufactures a top notch device |
| unsatisfactory in the past; make sure that the | | | | (with BlackBerry OS on board) that is secure, |
| partners can actually bill for applications delivered | | | | stable, and dominates market share with state |
| to this platform. We've seen problems with this.- | | | | and local government, the military, and with |
| BREW: real mass market potential in US and | | | | commercial corporations. In 2005 RIM was the |
| Chinese market, not very relevant for European | | | | first largest PDA supplier, and their technology |
| market." | | | | BlackBerry occupied the second place among OS |
| SYMBIAN | | | | manufacturers giving Microsoft product the |
| | | | go-by.RIM develops its own software for its |
| Nokia 6680 SonyEricsson P910 Motorola A1000 | | | | devices, using C++ and Java technology. Third |
| Symbian OS maintains its position as the | | | | party developers applications must be digitally |
| industry’s leading operating system for | | | | signed, that guarantees the application authorship. |
| phones designed for 3G networks. At the end of | | | | Available services are: Wireless Email Service, |
| Q4 2005, 22 Symbian OS phones (38% of the | | | | Wireless Calendar Service, Wireless Internet |
| Symbian OS models shipping) were developed for | | | | (HTML and WAP formats) Services, Voice and |
| 3G networks, across Europe and Asia. | | | | SMS, Mobile Data Service, Attachment Service, |
| SYMBIAN — is a software licensing | | | | Instant Messenger, GPS Service, Bluetooth etc. |
| company that develops and supplies the | | | | Diagram |
| advanced, open, standard operating system | | | | Year-on-year increment of devices shipments |
| — Symbian OS — for data-enabled | | | | Note BREW includes CDMA and WCDMA chipsets |
| mobile phones and PDAs.As of September 2005 | | | | The full feature handsets market is hard to |
| 60 phones that run under Symbian OS from eight | | | | predict, however almost all analysts predict |
| manufacturers are shipped worldwide and a | | | | steady and increasing growth of this market |
| further 56 phones from eleven manufacturers | | | | (which is observed at the moment). Each |
| (among them Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, Nokia, Samsung, | | | | manufacturer aspires to create a common OS to |
| Sony Ericsson, BenQ and Motorola) were in | | | | globalize and standardize application development, |
| development. Symbian OS is an undisputed sales | | | | distribution and management (as they say) to |
| leader in Europe and has a strong market share in | | | | develop applications for all but not for each distinct |
| other countries. Currently Symbian's market share | | | | device. Some people welcome such opportunity |
| is 55.9 per cent from worldwide sales (according | | | | and some are bothered by possible monopolization |
| to IDC analytics company), at that 82 per cent of | | | | and subsequent abuses in this domain. What is |
| devices were manufactured by Nokia (in whole | | | | observed at the moment that each of the |
| since 2005 beginning there were sold | | | | manufacturers had occupied a distinct |
| approximately 34 million data enabled devices with | | | | characteristic niche, where he is successful, and |
| Symbian OS on board). | | | | already from there with mixed success tries to |
| Experts' AreaPhilip Solis, ABI Research senior | | | | "conquer"the mobile wireless world. |
| analyst, author of the study "Smartphones: The | | | | Experts' AreaAlexei Golovashov, Senior QA |
| Market for Smartphones and Smartphone | | | | Engineer, QArea Group:"BlackBerry? One of its |
| Operating Systems":"Symbian's chief advantages | | | | main advantages is an advanced ergonomics both |
| are that it is easy to build applications for, and | | | | of the device itself and its software. The user |
| that it has a large developer community. | | | | interface, as of today, I suppose, is one of the |
| Disadvantages are that Symbian is primarily limited | | | | best among developed for PDA devices. While its |
| to Nokia handsets, and its market is concentrated | | | | main disadvantage is absence of memory card. |
| in "GSM-heavy"regions." | | | | Absence of the latter means that it can not be |
| 19 of 60 devices with Symbian OS support | | | | used for other purposes, it is narrow directed. I |
| WCDMA. By the way, smartphone Nokia 6680 is | | | | use my Symbian as MP3 player and to watch |
| recognized a 3G world bestseller telephone. | | | | movies. I will not be able to use BlackBerry for |
| Key features of Symbian OSRich suite of | | | | that even if I want to. BlackBerry is convenient |
| application engines — the suite includes | | | | only for business domain, I guess, while Symbian |
| engines for contacts, schedule, messaging, | | | | also can be used as a game platform, and its a |
| browsing, utility and system control; OBEX for | | | | rather essential part of users who use it that |
| exchanging objects such as appointments (using | | | | way. BREW, from my point of view, has no bright |
| vCalendar) and business cards (vCard); integrated | | | | future at all. J2ME is that well-developed that |
| APIs for data management, text, clipboard and | | | | nobody pays attention to BREW. Furthermore, all |
| graphicsBrowsing — supports WAP 1.2.1 for | | | | BREW applications are to be certified, that |
| mobile browsingMessaging — multimedia | | | | complicates their usage and distribution,"- says |
| messaging (MMS), enhanced messaging (EMS) and | | | | Alexei Golovashov, QArea's Senior QA Engineer. |
| SMS; internet mail using POP3, IMAP4, SMTP and | | | | What then |
| MHTML; attachments; fax Multimedia — | | | | 3GSM is the latest addition to the GSM family. |
| audio and video support for recording, playback | | | | 3GSM enables the provision of mobile multimedia |
| and streaming; image conversion Graphics | | | | services such as music, TV and video, rich |
| — direct access to screen and keyboard | | | | entertainment content and Internet access. |
| for high performance; graphics accelerator API | | | | The whole world, and wireless market in |
| Communications protocols — wide-area | | | | particular, moves toward high speeds, multiple |
| networking stacks including TCP/IP (dual mode | | | | functions and extended business possibilities. 3G |
| IPv4/v6) and WAP, personal area networking | | | | networks is the next inevitable stage of mobile |
| support include infrared (IrDA), Bluetooth® | | | | market development. It provides plenty of |
| wireless technology and USB; support is also | | | | capabilities both for business and entertainment, |
| provided for multihoming capabilities and link layer | | | | communication and data transfer, Internet access |
| Quality-of-Service (QoS) on GPRS/UMTS | | | | and mobile e-mailing. Most of 3G devices should |
| networks Mobile telephony — Symbian OS | | | | combine all available 3G technologies to be |
| is ready for the 3G market with support for GSM | | | | competitive. This factor will also affect the |
| circuit switched voice and data (CSD and EDGE | | | | development of devices and operating systems |
| ECSD) and packet-based data (GPRS and EDGE | | | | for them. As we can see, the mobile market |
| EGPRS); CDMA circuit switched voice, data and | | | | requires a device that could fullest reveal the |
| packet-based data (IS-95, cdma2000 1x, and | | | | capabilities of next generation mobile networks 3G |
| WCDMA); SIM, RUIM and UICC Toolkit; other | | | | and 4G. These numbers are dramatic confirmation |
| standards can be implemented by licensees | | | | of 3G leading position: 173 Commercial 3G |
| through extensible APIs of the telephony | | | | Operators in 75 Countries worldwide (as of |
| subsystem International support — | | | | February 02, 2006), over 228 million reported 3G |
| conforms to Unicode Standard version 3.0 Data | | | | CDMA subscribers (as of November 30, 2005), |
| synchronization — over-the-air (OTA) | | | | 826 models of 3G devices worldwide. The |
| synchronization support using SyncML; PC-based | | | | industry standard for 3G wireless networks |
| synchronization over serial, Bluetooth® wireless | | | | consists of 5 operating modes — three of |
| technology, Infrared and USB; a PC Connectivity | | | | them are based on CDMA technology: |
| framework providing the ability to transfer files | | | | CDMA2000, WCDMA (UMTS) and TD-SCDMA. In |
| and synchronize PIM data Security — full | | | | this light BREW OS has a great opportunity to |
| encryption and certificate management, secure | | | | become a leader, though Nokia 6680 under |
| protocols (HTTPS, WTLS and SSL and TLS), WIM | | | | Symbian OS is a 3G world bestseller telephone. |
| framework and certificate-based application | | | | The services by 3G carriers are quite actual |
| installation Developing for Symbian OS — | | | | already — 80% of British mobile users are |
| content development options include: C++, Java | | | | ready to pay for mobile TV service, nothing to |
| (J2ME) MIDP 2.0 and PersonalJava 1.1.1a (with | | | | say about GPS, high-speed packet data access |
| JavaPhone 1.0 option), and WAP; tools are | | | | and high quality voice services.Still large companies, |
| available for building C++ and Java applications and | | | | financial giants, transnational corporations and |
| ROMs with support for on-target debugging User | | | | government institutions adhere to the tried |
| Inputs — generic input mechanism | | | | technologies — they use BlackBerry |
| supporting full keyboard, 0-9*# (numeric mobile | | | | — undisputed leader in enterprise mobile |
| phone keypad), voice, handwriting recognition and | | | | solutions for mobile professionals and seek no |
| predictive text input. | | | | alternative for it. However, if You still want an |
| REW | | | | alternative for You BlackBerry You should be set |
| | | | for paying a pretty penny of some $500 for a |
| Motorola RAZR V3c Nokia 6255i Samsung | | | | new device and a new connection and it is not |
| SCH-A815 | | | | easy at all to find an equal substitution.And let us |
| BREW - Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless | | | | don't forget that more players like Windows |
| is a combination OS, application platform, and | | | | Mobile OS and Linux OS are on their way and hit |
| marketing system. BREW started with | | | | their stride. Table Annual global sales gain and |
| QUALCOMM-based CDMA chipsets and technology | | | | market share of each OSNote BREW OS is not |
| — a vast market — but BREW is | | | | included in the table |
| independent of the wireless technology utilized by | | | | OS vendor 2004 % share 2005 % share |
| a particular handset or network and can support | | | | Symbian 14,365,850 61.2% 34,000,000 53,27 |
| other wireless technologies. Ideally, BREW can | | | | Linux 6,380,160 27.2% 9,300,000 14,57 |
| work with any device, and Qualcomm is planning | | | | Palm Source 1,210,090 5.2% 2,200,000 3,45 |
| to port it to Global System for Mobile | | | | Microsoft 1,119,610 4.8% 14,000,000 21,94 |
| Communications (GSM). Qualcomm is trying to | | | | RIM 135,180 0.6% 4,000,000 6,27 |
| remove the gap between GSM and CDMA | | | | Others 277,520 1.2% 322,000 0,5 |
| operators. As CDMA strengthened hand, the GSM | | | | Total 23,488,410 63,822,000 |
| lobby propped its own version of CDMA which | | | | Undoubtedly, there's still a long way to go: |
| they named WCDMA (Wideband CDMA). WCDMA | | | | Symbian powered nearly 34 million devices last |
| has been launched in a group of countries (80 | | | | year, more than double what Microsoft was able |
| operators in 29 countries), and many more are | | | | to ship, but the gap is narrowing.Microsoft is |
| gearing to launch it within this year, it is already | | | | preparing their new mobile operating system |
| successfully running in countries like Korea, Japan, | | | | Crossbow which is to replace Windows Mobile 5.0 |
| China, India, Brazil and in some parts of North | | | | launched in May 2005. Crossbow will have both |
| America.So far prevalent in the CDMA domain, | | | | Push Email and built in Internet Pager, thus |
| BREW is gradually transiting to the GSM bastion of | | | | Crossbow will provoke competition to BlackBerry |
| Europe as the continent's operators introduce 3G | | | | OS. Microsoft aspires to get over Symbian and |
| services based on WCDMA (by the end of year | | | | BB at a time and we know how this usually |
| 2005 the number of WCDMA networks users | | | | results. New product will take time to be tested |
| worldwide increased by 2,6 times compared to | | | | to make sure it runs smoothly in operator's |
| December 31, 2004 and reached 43,81 million | | | | networks. After all, will operators agree to update |
| users). Such a scenario could make Qualcomm a | | | | their software and servers for new applications to |
| worldwide flag carrier in mobile market. In all, 40 | | | | run properly? MS provided an adequate tool set |
| commercial BREW device manufacturers | | | | for the developers to develop software for their |
| (Audiovox, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Nokia, | | | | platform. In many ways they are helping to open |
| Samsung, BenQ etc.) offer over 135 | | | | up software innovation on devices. While |
| BREW-enabled devices — as of January, | | | | developers for Symbian OS quite often complain |
| 2006 according to Qualcomm. Almost 10% of all | | | | of its being bad documented and too many OS |
| handsets shipped worldwide are BREW compatible | | | | versions. Microsoft's long legacy includes an |
| and the number of application downloads (May | | | | understanding of the Developer and providing |
| 2005) exceeds 300 million. The success of BREW | | | | Developers tools. Symbian is a newcomer. Still, we |
| has been built on CDMA platforms of major | | | | shouldn't forget about the power of open source: |
| mobile operators, including Verizon Wireless, China | | | | Why would a Developer want to restrict |
| Unicom, Telstra and KDDI.Regardless of platform, | | | | themselves into a platform with a proprietary |
| BREW requires little memory (150KB), which | | | | software code? Some experts consider that just |
| makes BREW applications workable even on | | | | the developer support is going to be key in who |
| low-end phones.BREW provides basic capabilities | | | | wins in the consumer market place.Much also |
| for such advanced services as GPS, VoIP, | | | | depends on marketing and promotion: Symbian's |
| Bluetooth 1.1, MP3 and MIDI support, video | | | | operating system is used in many top-end |
| recording and playback, multimedia streaming, | | | | business phones today, because of its support for |
| e-mail. The set of BREW services includes | | | | features such as PIM, voice-conferencing, push |
| communication capabilities of TCP/UDP sockets, | | | | email and Web access. Nokia phone stands for |
| HTTP protocol support, SMS-MMS services, | | | | world recognized brand and image phone — |
| extended telephony capabilities. BREW supports | | | | and it does pay dividends. To have Nokia's |
| several programming languages including Java, and | | | | smartphone is almost the same as to drive |
| via extensions BREW understands C/C++, | | | | Mercedes.The potential of growing markets should |
| interactive animation Flash and XML.The Wall | | | | also be considered: the demand for mobile phones |
| Street Journal paralleled BREW with Microsoft | | | | in India, China, Eastern Europe and Africa is not a |
| Windows in wireless communication | | | | new phenomenon. Just in time enter a growing |
| domain.Experts' | | | | market and you can lead the race (Industry |
| AreaVictoria Alexandrova, Project Manager, PDA | | | | analysts forecast that 80% of the next billion |
| applications Department of QArea Company: | | | | mobile phone customers will come from emerging |
| "Who I see a winner? Symbian, of course. It is | | | | markets).This is a niche market, all around. We |
| convenient, applicable, multi functional and easy for | | | | say Europe — we mean Symbian, we say |
| understanding. However, if I were in the USA I | | | | USA — we mean Windows Mobile, |
| definitely would rather use BlackBerry, since they | | | | BlackBerry and BREW. BREW — is limited |
| provide top quality service." | | | | to CDMA markets (US and Chinese markets), |
| BLACKBERRY | | | | Blackberry — is closely tied to business and |
| | | | corporate clients, Symbian is prevailing mainly in |
| BLACKBERRY — is a proprietary operating | | | | Europe: it turns out they have nothing to "brew". I |
| system, provided by RIM (Research in Motion, | | | | hope none of them comes to dominate, since |
| Canada), for the BlackBerry devices and | | | | that is a recipe for stagnation; the 3 equally |
| BlackBerry enabled devices (BlackBerry email is | | | | balanced would be perfect for fair competition |
| already on a few handsets including Siemens | | | | and product development. We can not provide |
| SK65, Nokia 6820/6822, Motorola MPx220). | | | | adequate predictions for someone's success or |
| BlackBerry is one of the leading wireless solutions, | | | | failure. It will be just a forecast.All is left is to |
| which allows users to stay connected with | | | | guess who to place stake on ... |