Smartphones in 2011
2010 was the year of mobile. From Android to the iPhone and the iPad to the Galaxy Tab, mobile phones and devices occupied centre stage at every opportunity. 2011 promises to be every bit as exciting for mobile lovers. We look at some of the trends that users can expect to see in the coming year.
iPhone 5
It’s fairly safe to predict that the next iPhone will be a hit with users. Every other release of Apple’s phone has been snapped up by consumers so there is no reason to suspect that an iPhone 5 won’t be the same. The iPhone 4 was a fairly big change from the iPhone 3GS, so apart from a few changes, the iPhone 5 is likely to be an evolution of the platform. Obviously the signal problem will be a top priority as will a faster processor and more memory. The iPhone 5 may even support LTE, making it one of the first 4G phones on the market.
Android
Google’s mobile phone operating system will continue to grow and is very likely to overtake Nokia’s Symbian as the most popular smartphone OS at some point during 2011. Android will kickstart 2011 with Gingerbread, otherwise known as Android 2.3. With its improved soft keyboard, better copy and paste and user interface tweaks, Android 2.3 will be the must-have for early January. Then users can turn their attention to Android 3.0 – codenamed Honeycomb. Android 3.0 is expected in early 2011 and will be aimed at high-end devices. Honeycomb will include native tablet support, a natural progression as the smartphone-tablet PC world converges.
Beyond 3G
2011 is in all likelihood the year in which 3G starts to be replaced by 4G-type networks. Right now that means LTE, which is gaining popularity among network providers. LTE Advanced has theoretical download and upload speeds of 1gbps and 500mbps respectively, which makes 3G look painfully slow. Right now those sorts of speeds look to be some way off but even if LTE (standard) begins to roll out users could see download speeds of up to 100mbps. South African operators are eager to get going with LTE but spectrum shortages appear to be the primary stumbling block.
Windows Phone
2010 was a dismal year for Microsoft in general and particularly bad as far as mobile goes. With Windows Phone 7 the company showed that it was capable of developing a mobile phone operating system that is appealing to users. Although Microsoft is now a latecomer to the mobile party, 2011 should see an upsurge in Windows Phone 7 devices, among them a series of HTC phones. Microsoft’s relationship with HTC goes way back and although HTC has shipped some of the best Android-based phones, the company is now readying a range of Windows Phone 7 devices. The first of which is the HD7, a 1GHz slimline phone that looks every bit the iPhone challenger.
HP
Not a name you immediately associate with mobile phones but HP could well be increasing its activity in the phone market. HP’s previous mobile phone attempts have relied on Windows Mobile but, having bought Palm and its WebOS, HP has the foundation required to produce a decent smartphone. To date the company has only really said that it will produce a tablet PC running WebOS but it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine a line of phones as well. After all, Palm’s own PalmPre phone showed that the software is more than up to the job.
Nokia
One of more interesting companies to watch in 2011 will be Nokia. Right now the company, which is synonymous with mobile phones, is having a torrid time of it. In particular its Symbian OS, intended for smartphones, is losing popularity fast. 2011 will be a crucial year for Nokia which has slipped from being a dominant player to one desperately trying to keep up. The question that most will have of their mind is whether Nokia will eventually opt for a line of Android-based phones or throw its lot in with Microsoft. The latter could be one of the more interesting tie-ups that could occur and could really shake up the market.
HTC
For many years HTC was Microsoft’s number one partner. Almost all of the phones shipped by HTC were running Windows Mobile. When Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 was repeatedly delayed HTC switched allegiance to Android. Over the past two years HTC has produced some of the best Android-based phones, including the original Hero and later the Desire. Now that Microsoft has released Windows Phone 7, HTC is starting to work on a series of Windows-based phones. The first and best of these looks to be the HTC HD7 which looks every bit the iPhone challenger. HTC generally makes great quality hardware which teamed with Windows Phone 7 could prove to be a killer combination.
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson is another company looking a little lost in the current mobile wars. Over the past few years Sony Ericsson mostly used the Symbian operating system on its high-end phones. With Symbian starting to look like it is losing momentum Sony Ericsson in September 2010 announced that it would be dropping Symbian from its high-end phones. It’s a blow for Symbian but a good move for Sony Ericsson which is looking to remain relevant in the smartphone market, and Android has the appeal Sony Ericsson needs right now. The company’s Xperia X10 showed that it could build great Android-based phones. The earlier Xperia version with Windows Mobile was not nearly as compelling. At the same time Sony Ericsson is also planning a Windows Phone 7 device in 2011, although there isn’t much detail on this yet.
Samsung
This is the company to watch. On the surface they are a low-key player but Samsung commands a significant portion of the global mobile phone market and is putting a lot of effort into Android devices. The company’s Galaxy-brand mobile phone and tablet PC received excellent reviews and are regularly compared against the likes of the HTC Desire and the iPhone4. We can expect Samsung to continue on this path in 2011 and with Android improving all the time, Samsung looks to be a key player in the year ahead.
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