Garmin: ‘we’ll have to make decisions within the next couple of quarters’ on future of phone business
It doesn't take a rocket scientist -- er, make that a smartphone industry analyst -- to figure out that Garmin's been underperforming in the handset game since it tied up with ASUS early last year; notable missteps have included lackluster hardware, a hopelessly delayed first model, banking fortunes on WinMo in its twilight years, and a general failure to capture the kinds of blockbuster carrier deals that can prop up your bottom line. Indeed, it wasn't long ago that the company went public with the fact that Garmin-Asus' financials weren't where they needed to be, but things are getting a little more serious now: CFO Kevin Rauckman has mentioned in an interview that they'll need to decide "within the next couple of quarters whether [they] continue to invest or whether [they] pull back." Of course, "pull back" is probably code for "cut and run," since there's really no good way to half-ass your smartphone presence and still earn customer loyalty and turn a profit.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: asus, aviation, business, cellular, decisions, earn-customer, garmin, general-failure, loyalty, nuvifone, smartphone
RIM co-CEOs pull no punches responding to Apple’s antenna statements
Thought Nokia's statement was strongly worded?
Categories: BlackBerry, Mobile Phone, Other Tags: antenna-design, black, debacle, decisions, Demonstration, direct-response, global, rim
Symbian^3 reviewed in exquisite and ruthless detail by Eldar Murtazin
No folks, those mythical N8 review units still aren't on our doorsteps, but we can offer you the next best thing: a thorough (we mean thorough ) overview of the Symbian^3 environment that will be front and center on Nokia's next great phone. Eldar Murtazin of mobile-review reports on everything from the sophisticated handling of contacts and caller ID pictures, through the noticeable speed improvements, past the limited utility of online widgets that display only two lines at a time, beyond the "weak spot" web browser, and all the way to Symbian's unhealthy habit of "clinging to continuity." It's an enlightening read, which pulls no punches with its conclusion: Symbian^3 is an evolutionary step up from S60 5th edition, which brings nothing new to the market and offers no comparative advantages. Strong words from Eldar, paricularly when he doesn't disclose what build of the OS he's using; his rationale, however, is that his analysis relates to overarching design decisions and ignores software bugs and version-specific foibles
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: analysis, decisions, design, doorsteps, foibles, mobileos, nokia, speed, symbian3, web-browser
HTC EVO 4G accessories detailed ahead of launch
So you live in the land of WiMax and rainbows . Lucky you. Then you'll be needing some accessories to go along with that new EVO 4G you'll be purchasing next week
Categories: htc, Mobile Phone Tags: benefit, break, CLIP, decisions, engadget, evo 4g, Pouch, sprint
Palm also looking at licensing webOS and / or finding new investors
Although we've got the feeling that Palm will eventually be sold off, apparently that's not the only option on the table: Reuters has followed up last night's news that Palm is up for sale with some more details, including the revelations that Cisco is an interested buyer and Palm is also considering licensing webOS and / or seeking an additional infusion of cash from an outside investor. We're at all sure who'd be willing to join Bono's Elevation Partners in pumping more cash into Palm as it stands right now, but we can certainly see the company loosening the strings and licensing webOS to other manufacturers, something it did with great success back in the Palm OS days
Categories: htc, Mobile Phone, Other Tags: cisco, decisions, dollars, eventually-led, familiar, manufacturers, match, palm, portfolio, press-release, strategy, webos
Vertu taste on a Nokia budget: meet the N97 Mini Gold Edition
Phone manufacturers usually leave the gilding to jewelers and other specialty shops that are more willing to show complete disregard for taste and common sense than themselves, but once in a while, pure, unadulterated emotion gets the better of someone in a position to make product decisions -- yes, even at Nokia -- and something like this slips through the cracks. Meet the N97 Mini Gold Edition, which is pretty self-explanatory: it's an N97 Mini with 18-carat gold on the important bits
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: decisions, edition, engadget, important, manufacturers, meet-the-n97, middle, model, n97 mini gold edition, other-specialty, phone, product, slips, specialty, standard