A Busy Week on the Mobile Side of Things

It’s certainly been a heck of a week on the mobile side of things. First and foremost, we’ve had the new reality show concept of Apple and Samsung in the courtroom. Lots of interesting things have been going on there and some Apple secrets have been revealed - it is well worth reading. Of course before the lawsuit actually began, a jury of one’s peers needed to be selected. Apple has also announced that it plans to acquire AuthenTec, a fingerprint sensor and security specialist, but we wonder if Samsung will put in an alternative bid.

As Apple and Samsung slug it out, the rest of the mobile world looks to be focusing on mobile commerce, which is rapidly growing. A further indication of that growth is underpinned by the related growth in mobile Internet advertising.

Making news as well, are the now perpetual also-rans of mobility, Nokia and Research in Motion. RIM is both releasing a new (but not really new) LTE PlayBook, while also planning to lay off a substantial collection of its workforce. Nokia, on the other hand, has more or less gotten its workforce act together and is now looking at ways to retain key members of the team.

On the M&A front, Verizon completed its acquisition of Huges Telematics, which will lead it to rapidly expand its enterprise mobility solutions, and AT&T picked up NextWave, which will open up new LTE capacity in several years. On an already completed acquisition, Google has commented that Motorola Mobility’s patent portfolio, which many have speculated was the real reason for Google’s acquisition, is actually worth probably less than half of what the company shelled out to make the buy.

Some very interesting research and survey reports have also recently popped up. It appears, for example, that mobile phone display sales are, according to DisplaySearch, on the decline following a number of years of strong growth. This implies a slowing down of smartphone sales overall, not that Apple appears to have anything to worry about, however. A new Appcelerator-IDC report points to strong iOS dominance among developers, while new Strategy Analytics research points to solid market share gains for Apple, at the expense of Android. Meanwhile, another report finds that smartphones and tablets have now gone completely main stream. Frost & Sullivan have released a report that points to continued rapid growth of LTE, as well as an attendant and significant rise in LTE test equipment sales.

 Mobile peace of mind continues to be front and center with a number of vendors. This week saw the release of Kids Place from Kiddoware, an app that allows parents to secure their Android devices from the prying hands of their little kids. And New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute is looking to ensure that users have significantly more control over personal data after mobile providers collect it.

If you happen to be a gadget geek, or someone who needs to carry a collection of different electronic tools, then make sure to scope out the new LOROM Power Pack – there isn’t anything worse than having gadgets in need of power and having no charging sources in sight anywhere, LOROM has what you need. The new power pack packs a powerful punch, and will charge laptops, tablets, GPS systems, and more, including of course your little smartphone battery.

That’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of course. Check out Mobility TechZone directly for much, much more.

Want to learn more about today’s powerful mobile Internet ecosystem? Then be sure to attend the Mobility Tech Conference & Expo, collocated with ITEXPO West 2012 taking place Oct. 2-5 2012, in Austin, TX. Co-sponsored by TMC Partner Crossfire Media the Mobility Tech Conference & Expo provides unmatched networking opportunities and a robust conference program representing the mobile ecosystem. The conference not only brings together the best and brightest in the wireless industry, it actually spans the communications and technology industry. For more information on registering for the Mobility Tech Conference & Expo click here.

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