Business Week reports on how the spectacular increase of data use on smartphones — the industry’s “dream come true” — is creating a need to moderate consumer use. The increases in uses are steep:
For years, as the price of wireless voice calls plummeted, mobile-phone service providers longed for the day when consumers en masse would use their handsets for more than sending calls and the occasional text message. The industry is finally getting what it wished for.
Use of mobile e-mail, browsing, and downloads is on the rise as Americans snap up smartphones like the Apple iPhone 3G. An average owner of the new iPhone uses three times more data than a holder of even an older iPhone version, according to AT&T (T). And the phenomenon is much larger than Apple. People are buying Research In Motion’s (RIMM) BlackBerry devices, snapping up special cards that connect laptops to the mobile Web, and purchasing specialized mobile data-only devices like the Kindle, an e-reader from Amazon (AMZN) that wirelessly downloads books.
In the 12 months through June 2008, the number of Americans who had access to media-rich social networking sites via a mobile phone rose 93%, according to a survey of more than 30,500 U.S. consumers by research firm comScore (SCOR). About 58% more people sent photos with a phone than in the year before, and the number of Americans with an unlimited data plan rose 58%. “We’ve seen a significant acceleration [in data use] in the past year,” says Mark Donovan, a comScore senior analyst. . . .
Comments
@ 06:26
All the buzz today, Google and T-mobile, G1 with open source Android moble platform.
In order to add a little competition to the market place and provide an open source option, Google yesterday announcement their new G1 phone with service from T-mobile. Last November, Google announced the formation of the Open Handset Alliance, a group of more than 30 hardware, software, and telecom companies, to promote open standards for mobile devices. The group includes Google, HTC, Intel, Motorola, and T-Mobile. I think the reason the phone has generated buzz in recent weeks is that it is the first to run on
Android, a Linux-based open source mobile platform. Google has said that the goal of the platform would be to spur innovation within the mobile development community. I wonder what this open source mobile platform will do to expand the applications that will drive market penetration and require more capacity?
@ 07:57
Google and T-mobile opened up and broadened the playing field yesterday with the announcement of the G1 telephone with the Google Android operating system. Last November, Google announced the formation of the Open Handset Alliance, a group of more than 30 hardware, software, and telecom companies, to promote open standards for mobile devices. The group includes Google, HTC, Intel, Motorola, and T-Mobile. Andy Rubin, senior director of mobile platforms for Google, characterized the platform as “future proof because it has openness built in.” Cole Brodman, the chief technology and innovation officer for T-Mobile USA, said that T-Mobile is hoping to give its customers a mobile Internet experience comparable to the Web experience they get on their home computers. The phone will run best on local Wi-Fi networks or on T-Mobile’s GSM-based Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) 3G network. T-Mobile’s 3G Brodman promised that T-mobile will expand its G1 networked so that it is nationwide by November. I wonder what I will be using my laptop and wireless router for this time next year? Maybe a docking station and a usb port to add a wider keyboard will top my holiday wish list.