Is the future of mobile industry vague? Not at all! It’s likely to be the best future the whole mobile industry could ever count on – all due to an App phone. Being a new concept in 2007, it is now a great handheld device everybody is used to. Users expand their phone productivity and functionality by installing apps they need and customizing the device to their taste. Got phone, got apps – you’re good to go. Apple saved the industry from downfall by giving a hope for both customers and developers, who now fully focus their attention on iPhone development. The whole market at its current state, actually, was created and brought up by Apple. The new player turned into winner by broadening the choice for customers and giving opportunities for developers.

No matter where you go, you now have great openings in front of you. Some developers are seduced by Android because it’s open and they can literally do whatever they want. Besides, it’s free and highly customizable resulting from the first killer factor. And, of course, there’s an app store called Android Market. Operators love it as they can enhance its particular features they find important, e.g. messaging, internet services, UI improvements, etc. But what can happen if everybody wants to add something original and make the OS look different from the original Android based OS. It’s going to get fragmented and an app working perfectly on your device will not work the same way on your friend’s handset or won’t run at all. The apps would need to be tweaked according to device specs. Big challenges are inevitable. Let’s hope there’ll be a solution not involving patent infringements.

Android is going to be very popular as this platform is spinning up. Apple will be holding industry leadership for quite a long time but the market share is going to change. Everybody is waiting for iPhone OS 4.0 and discussing the new device – iPad, another prospective platform for developers. With full multitasking support and packed up in new hardware with tuned software on top, the next Apple mobile device will probably be a hit again. We’ll see it in the near future.

Posted in mobile development | No Comments »

Inspired by Apple’s astonishing profits other phone makers decided to… Guess what? To come up with something unseen before? Nothing of the kind! Copying with pride was a new strategy elaborated by handset manufacturers. Before Apple, no one really believed in touch phone concepts. But after the apparent success of the iPhone they all went ‘we got touch screens, too!’ Moreover, they start launching their own App Stores ignoring the fact that they might not work for numerous phone models of a single manufacturer.

Anyways, Nokia is launching Ovi Store, Palm is also launching its store and a new phone Palm Pre. Predictably, they haven’t come even close to Apple’s results. iPhone-like devices are produced everywhere.

RIM is gathering pace as its products become more popular worldwide and these guys are working really hard on implementing its proper inventions in their handsets. For example, the SurePress feature, intended to provide users with the most familiar feel they had with their former, physical keyboard equipped devices. It actually gives you a sort of a feedback after touching the screen, which is very nice in terms of typing and tapping.

Even Google is taking the plunge and releases Android mobile OS along with its new phone – Nexus One. This is not just a hardware specific OS conceived for a proprietary device, this is an open platform offered by Google for phone manufacturers as a way to get a new refreshing experience, since they’ve been using same mobile software for a very long time. New products by HTC even feature multitouch (a bunch of the latest handsets use this technology), though there’s going to be patent infringement handlings since Apple sued HTC for stealing their IP.

What about Microsoft? It’s absolutely no doubt that it’s high time to get back to mobile business with fresh ideas. These guys have been working hard and came up with something really impressive – Windows Phone 7, a turning point in Windows Mobile history. Photocopiers? Not at this time! When developing its new product Microsoft focused on multitasking which is either blocked or only partially implemented on some devices due to battery life issues and performance lags. How is it going to work under the new OS? More questions than answers, actually. But one thing is clear – Microsoft is back in the game. Anyway, competition always does good and new ideas are always welcome.

Posted in mobile development | No Comments »

Revealing a new product is an important step. The most difficult about it is to make it appealing to customers and software developers. The former will be lured by the attractive design and impressive functionality but you will definitely need something more convincing for the latter. Here you go: Software Development Kit for iPhone, which was intentionally designed for developers who glimpse great opportunities in the new device. What is it? SDK is a complete set of developer tools aimed at redefining the whole experience developers have had before. And this is not the whole story! Ok, the app is designed, debugged and ready for launch and therefore for sale. What’s then? Selling apps on mobile operators’ online stores? No way, you deserve a better place for your masterpiece! Welcome to the App Store – a dream come true for every developer wishing to be able to sell apps online and in one well organized place. App Store made it much easier for the end users, too. Just launch iTunes, go to the App Store and browse through multiple categories of apps. The same works for iPhone. Now users have literally every application available in their pocket!

The number of apps available for the iPhone skyrocketed within a few months after the introduction of the above mentioned innovations. Now the App Store counts more than 150,000 titles ready for download. And this number is growing. This is actually the best example of entrepreneurship in modern mobile history led by the supreme commander Steve Jobs. It’s no doubt that the recipe for success is making risky decisions and eventually turning them into great achievements. Prefer something more conservative? Then you’re off the track!

Posted in mobile development | No Comments »

Back in 2007 the mobile industry was living through its hard times. Not only there was no push for innovation but companies themselves didn’t aspire for it. Industry evolution was about implementing minor design changes and slightly improving software. Every new line of cell phones turned out to be a redesigned old concept; the software remained untouched except for occasional introduction of new features. There were no changes in the UI and thus no changes in user experience. That was the moment when Apple introduced a totally new handset – iPhone.

A company that has always been setting computer and music industry trends decided to make another leap forward – seize the mobile industry market. Nobody really believed in Apple’s success because the market was already shared between such established manufacturers as Nokia, Samsung, LG etc. Steve Ballmer, by the way, was almost sure of a failure of Apple’s new undertaking. The new device unveiled by Apple had no physical keyboard, but was equipped with a giant screen capable of reacting to multi touch gestures. It was a new technology patented by Apple and no other touch screen phones featured it. What’s so good in it? Well, the most crucial thing is being able to control the whole handset with just your fingers. Funny enough, but with the introduction of the iPhone many mobile users realized that they are really sick of that crappy stylus.

In the next part I want to focus on other Apple inventions that followed the anticipated release of the iPhone.

Posted in mobile development | 1 Comment »