Keen competition - Windows Smartphone, i-mate Delist

Windows Smartphone Manufacturer to Delist from London Stock Exchange
­UK-listed Dubai-based Windows smartphone manufacturer, i-mate has reported sales for the six-month ended of September of $20.6 million compared to $46.2 million for the same time last year. This resulted in an estimated operating loss of $10.8 million loss compared to $29.4 million loss for the same time last year.
The company has cash amounting to $11.2 million and stock at $9.1 million with debtors of $3.9 million and creditors of $2.6 million. As stated in the year end results on 29 September the last 2 months have seen global handheld sales drop considerably and this trend is looking set to continue.
Earlier this year, the company blamed Qualcomm for delays in providing chipsets, leading to problems with the launch of several smartphones in the US market.
"Although we have devices which are not dependent on this chipset, it has a significant impact on the range of product we have to sell," Chief Executive Officer Jim Morrison said in a statement at the time. The shortage affected two of the seven Windows Mobile based models it sells.
The company has now decided to de-list its shares from London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) stock market and will hold a shareholder vote next month. As the CEO, Jim Morrison owns the majority of the company's shares - the resolution is certain to be passed. The delisting should save the company some US$2 million a year in stock-market costs.
Jim Morrison commented “It was made quite clear at the time of our preliminary results last month that the economics and business benefits of being a quoted Company were becoming increasing unclear. Our business and indeed the market continue to weaken as global consumer confidence slides. I fully expect i-mate to be a private company within 60 days.”
If the resolution is passed the Company’s non-executive chairman, Bernard Cragg and non-executive director, Bill Gorjance, will resign and Jim Morrison will take on the role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Android and Windows Mobile smartphones are complementary, says HTC

2008/9/25
Android and Windows Mobile handsets can complement each other in the market, offering consumers and telecom service providers more choice, according to John Wang, CMO, High Tech Computer (HTC), who added in saying the company will continue to simultaneously develop smartphones based on the two platforms.

E-Ten to showcase mobile TV-supporting PDA phone at GSMA congress

29 January 2008
E-Ten Information Systems will showcase its forthcoming mobile TV-supporting PDA phone, the Glofiish V900, at the GSM Association's Mobile World Congress from February 11-14, 2008 in Barcelona, according to company chairman Hwang Shan-rong.
The V900, which is powered by a Samsung Electronics 667MHz processor and Windows Mobile 6, supports the reception of DVB-H, DVB-T, T-DMB and DAB broadcasts, said Hwang, noting that the device also supports 3.5G and features a 3.2-megapixel camera.
However, Hwang declined to specify a timetable for the availability of the V900.
Including the V900, E-Ten plans to launch six new handsets in 2008, with half supporting 3.5G technology and another half supporting the 2.5G standard, Hwang noted.
In other news, E-Ten saw its after-tax profits grow 61% on year to NT$646 million (US$20 million), or NT$4.02 per share, in 2007.

HTC share of Windows Mobile smartphone segment declining

Can you keep winning in a market without significant differents

29 January 2008
High Tech Computer (HTC) has lost the title as the global top ranking vendor of Windows Mobile-based smartphones (excluding touch-screen models), with its share of the segment falling to below 30% currently, trailing behind Motorola and Samsung Electronics, according to internal data from Microsoft.
Motorola, Samsung and HTC have been competing fiercely in the segment with each vendor accounting for a 20-30% share globally, with Motorola now leading the contest with a small margin, the data showed.
Previous data indicated that HTC topped the segment with a market share of over 50% in Microsoft's fiscal 2007 (from July 2006-June 2007).
However, HTC still retained the number one title in the Windows Mobile-based PDA phone segment, accounting for nearly a 50% share, according to the same data.
Palm was ranked second in the Windows Mobile PDA phone segment with a market share of over 10%, followed by Samsung and Asustek Computer with each accounting for less than a 10% share, the data indicated.
HTC is expected to see its share in the Windows Mobile PDA phone segment continue to erode since a number of vendors, including Motorola, Samsung, LG Electronics, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Palm, Asustek, E-Ten Information System and Gigabyte Communications, are all planning to launch touch-screen PDA phones, according to sources in Taiwan's handset industry.

Dopod China reportedly to introduce low cost CDMA handsets in China

18 Dec, 2007

Dopod China, which has a strong connection with High Tech Computer (HTC), will soon begin to introduce low cost CDMA handsets in China in cooperation with China-based telecom service provider China Unicom, according to market sources and media reports in China.
Dopod will market its CDMA handsets under a new brand name, Vivie, which will be built by a China-based contract maker, using CDMA chipsets from VIA Telecom, an affiliate of VIA Technologies, said the sources, noting that the CDMA handset will not be powered by Windows Mobile OS (operating system).
Previously, Dopod focused on marketing Windows Mobile-based PDA handsets and smartphones manufactured by HTC, using chipset solutions mostly from Qualcomm.
The introduction of VIA Telecom-based CDMA handsets signals a further integration of the VIA Technologies Group, the sources indicated.
In other news, market sources estimated that the size of the CDMA handset market in China is expected to reach 10 million units in 2007, with leading vendors including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Motorola, Huawei Technologies and ZTE.

China-based Huawei and ZTE to enter global smartphone market in 2008, say sources

30 Nov, 2007

China-based Huawei Technologies and ZTE are expected to start making inroads into the global smartphone market in 2008, joining Amoi Electronics and TechFaith Wireless as new rivals to Taiwan-based smartphone vendors, according to sources in Taiwan's handset industry.
Huawei is expected to launch Windows Mobile- and Symbian-based smartphones, targeting telecom service providers in Europe, said the industry sources, noting that Huawei may also push sales of own-brand smartphones to other markets.
Huawei has been shipping 3G mobile phones to Vodafone with total shipments already exceeding 800,000 units, the sources indicated. In addition, Huawei is also a supplier of 3G data cards for more than 150 telecom service providers around the globe.
ZTE has ventured into the development of Linux- and Windows Mobile-based smartphones, the sources indicated, noting that ZTE has established business relationships with Vodafone, Hutchison Telecom and BT, and the company is also a leading provider of CDMA handsets in India.

China’s smartphone sales continue to rise

20 Nov, 2007 by CommsDay
China saw a 5.2 per cent increase in smartphone sales, reaching sales volume of 6.388 million sets in Q3 and gaining US$2.23 billion sales revenue, increasing 11.3 per cent on a month-on-month basis, said CCID Consulting.
The firm put down the highs in sales volume to students buying phones during the summer vacation and the promotions during the Chinese national holiday.
CCID also reported that Symbian OS retained its lead over other operating systems, holding nearly 70 per cent market share with sales volume reaching 4.416 million handsets, due to Nokia’s ongoing popularity in China.
Windows Mobile posted 52 per cent growth rate attributed in part to the popularity of Windows Mobile-based phones from Motorola, Samsung, Lenovo and Dopod, though still representing just over 5 per cent of the market.
Conversely, although Linux still held more than 25 per cent of the market, sales volume dropped partly due to the declining sales of Motorola’s Linux-based models, which accounted for 70 per cet of the Linux-based smartphone market, the market analyst said.
The market share for Palm operating system phones is down 52.6 per cent. The reason is that the manufacturers adopting the Palm operating system are not the mainstream of the market, CCID reported.
CCID also added that market share of phones with large screens continually increase. However, while smartphones with a screen size larger than two inches make up more than 90 per cent of the market, their share is actually decreasing. Demand for screen sizes larger than 2.4 inches has decreased nearly 13 per cent, which the firm has speculated on account of customers wanting smaller, lighter phones.
Looking forward, CCID Consulting forecasts that China's smart phone market will keep increasing in 2007Q4 and the sales volume will increase five per cent while the sales revenue will increase eight per cent.
Promotional campaigns are also expected to be the key to a manufacturer’s success in the smart phone market in 2007Q3.

Taiwan market: Samsung achieves goal of shipping one million handsets

9 Nov, 2007

Samsung Electronics recently reached its target of shipping one million handsets for a 14-15% share in the Taiwan handset market, according to Scott Huang, vice president of the mobile communications unit at Samsung Taiwan.
Samsung will continue to boost its sales in Taiwan by introducing more camera, music and fashion handsets, with two 5-megapixel camera models, the G608 and G808, and three music handsets to be launched in early February 2008, Huang noted.
Although Samsung has engaged simultaneously in the development of Windows Mobile-, Linux- and Symbian-based handsets, the company will focus on Windows Mobile-based models in the Taiwan market, with the i458 to hit the local market in early 2008, Huang added.
Samsung on November 8 launched its Windows Mobile-based i608 smartphone in Taiwan. The i608 supports HSDPA and is equipped with a QWERTY keyboard. Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) is expected to purchase 10,000-20,000 i608 handsets from Samsung in the initial cooperation plan, according to sources at CHT.

E-Ten introduces Glofiish X600, shipping X800

5 Nov 2007

E-Ten Information Systems has introduced its Glofiish X600 pocket PC phone and announced that its Glofiish X800 is now shipping worldwide.

The Glofiish X600 is a value pocket PC phone based on Windows Mobile 6 and is E-Ten's smallest handset to date, according to the company. The X600 features GPS, GPRS and Wi-Fi connectivity in a handset that measures just 107×58×14.7mm and weights only 136g.

The Glofiish X800 is based on the Window Mobile 6 platform and features 3.5G HSDPA high-speed connectivity, a high-resolution 2.8-inch VGA (640×480) display and GPS function. The device has dimensions of 113.5×60×15.8mm.

E-Ten's Glofiish X800 pocket PC phone has begun shipping to channel partners around the globe and is available in several languages. Pricing and availability is subject to regional variation but the device can be expected to available in key markets within a few weeks.

Asustek to begin volume production of v1520 smartphone for Vodafone, say sources

6 Nov, 2007

Asustek Computer is expected to begin volume production of the v1520 smartphone for Vodafone this month, according to sources in the Taiwan handset industry.
The Windows Mobile-based smartphone will run on a Marvel PXA 270 platform and it supports GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a 3.5-inch display and a 2-megapixel built-in camera, the sources revealed.
The production of the v1520 is an extension of the collaboration of the two companies that began at the end of 2006 when Asustek landed v1210 smartphone orders from Vodafone, the sources indicated.
Vodafone currently also outsources the production of its branded smartphones to High Tech Computer (HTC) and China-based Huawei Technologies, noted the sources.

Qisda to start shipping UMA-compliant smartphone to Europe

1 Oct, 2007

Qisda, parent company of BenQ, has landed orders for a smartphone compliant with the UMA (unlicensed mobile access) standard from a telecom service provider with shipments to begin in October, according to sources close to Qisda.
The UMA-compliant cellphone is the E72 smartphone launched recently by BenQ, the sources indicated. The E72 is powered by a Texas Instruments (TI) OMAP 1030 processor and Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6 OS (operating system) and supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0.
After officially spinning off its brand-product business unit BenQ in September, Qisda is now focusing on the development of market-niche handsets, including models supporting UMA and NFC (near field communication) standards, the sources noted.
Qisda will also aim at getting OEM orders from telecom services providers in Western Europe, while BenQ will focus on selling its own-brand handsets to markets in Eastern Europe and China, the sources stated.

Broadcom Joins the LiMo Foundation

18 Sept, 2007

[Broadcom joins LiMo Foundation as semiconductor supplier. LiMo Foundation members collaborate to create a unified Linux-based OS for mobile devices.]

Irvine, CA -- Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that it has joined the LiMo Foundation as one of its first semiconductor suppliers. Broadcom joins a prestigious group of founding members (Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics and Vodafone) that have collaborated to create a unified Linux-based operating system for mobile devices. As part of the group's charter the LiMo Foundation is delivering a globally consistent software platform and unified applications programming interface (API) to enable open source contributions that will help to drive smartphone capabilities and developments.
As Broadcom 3G solutions continue to evolve towards more powerful and increasingly connected devices, next generation handsets will require a software platform that can keep pace with this increasing level of sophistication. Today's smartphone is expected to enable, enrich and entertain consumers with dynamic user interfaces and increased security. As the Linux operating system continues to gain momentum in the mobile space, Broadcom will work with the LiMo Foundation to address industry concerns such as power, size and cost, in an effort to achieve widespread adoption of Linux-based handsets.
"Broadcom's membership in the LiMo Foundation highlights the growing enthusiasm for mobile Linux and the effort to build products within a shared architecture," said Morgan Gilis, Executive Director of the LiMo Foundation. "The power of the LiMo Foundation increases with each new committed contributor and the addition of Broadcom to this alliance will make the technology increasingly attractive for new handset products."
As an associate member of the LiMo Foundation, Broadcom will gain access to the Foundation's code, participate in working groups and make contributions that will enable Broadcom to further assert its leadership in the developing smartphone segment, while continuing to maintain technological leadership in the mobile Linux arena.
"Adding the expertise and commitment of a leading chip supplier such as Broadcom to the LiMo Foundation makes the organization stronger and ultimately more successful in commercializing innovative LiMo solutions," said Kiyohito Nagata of NTT DoCoMo, Chairperson of the LiMo Foundation. "We're excited to have Broadcom as a member and we expect the company to make strong contributions to our technology and market initiatives."
"Broadcom is an exciting addition to the LiMo Foundation," said Hankil Yoon, the chair of Architecture Council of LiMo and Vice President of Samsung Electronics. "Broadcom's diverse connectivity portfolio will drive increasingly advanced devices into Linux handsets."
Broadcom's move to join the LiMo Foundation follows the recent expansion of its smart-phone Design Center in Taiwan, which currently focuses on the development of Windows Mobile solutions, and joining the S60 developers' community for Symbian S60 based smart-phones. These three recent moves highlight Broadcom's strong commitment to and investment in all popular types of smartphone. It is this commitment and investment, combined with world-leading silicon solutions that enable Broadcom to target the majority of the feature-rich mobile phone market.
"Broadcom has a long history of working closely within the Linux community on advanced communications products. Our membership in the LiMo Foundation highlights our commitment to the expanding opportunities within the Linux mobile environment," said Jim Tran, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Mobile Communications line of business. "Support for advanced operating systems, such as Linux, is a key feature of our advanced baseband products and we're excited to support LiMo Foundation devices for both the smart- and feature-phone markets."
Key Broadcom Linux-compliant Mobile Solutions
Broadcom expects its initial Linux-compliant mobile solutions to include the BCM2153 and BCM2820.
The BCM2153 HEDGE (HSDPA + EDGE) multimedia baseband processor is the industry's first solution for mobile handsets that integrates a High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) baseband modem with world-class application, audio and multimedia processors on a single monolithic chip. The new Linux-compliant mixed-signal device is the first developed completely in a 65 nanometer CMOS process and integrates an advanced HSDPA modem that delivers 7.2 Mbps (megabits per second) for applications requiring high speed 3G connectivity. With this level of integration, the BCM2153 HSDPA processor requires less board space, cost and power than competing solutions, thus eliminating the cost premium associated with HSDPA handsets today.
The BCM2820 applications processor is a high performance system-on-a-chip solution that combines Broadcom's industry-leading VideoCore's multimedia processor and an ARM11(TM) applications processor. Fully supporting Linux, the BCM2820 is optimized for high volume markets including mobile phones, mobile TVs and portable audio/video/game devices, while delivering unprecedented levels of integration, multimedia performance and low power dissipation. The BCM2820 applications processor offers an impressive array of multimedia features including support for an 8 megapixel digital camera, MPEG-4/H.264 VGA video decoding at 30 frames per second, video encoding at 30 frames per second, and NTSC/PAL TV output via composite, component and S-video connections.
Both the BCM2820 and BCM2153 are currently available to Broadcom's strategic partners. Broadcom also makes available complete development platforms, pre-integrated with associated software and peripheral devices, such as PMU, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FM Radio, and GPS.