The news as of the first coffee this morning, and the music is Brook Benton's "Rainy Night in Georgia," one of the very, very few songs you could put on a tape loop and play all day and I'd never get tired of, the Grateful Dead's "Brown-Eyed Woman" being another:
Fundamentalist opposition to the contrary, evidently evolution does exist: Infonetics Research has released the first edition of its biannual Mobile/WiFi Phones and Subscribers market report, finding that "Smartphones are evolving quickly, and differentiation is becoming increasingly based on software and OS rather than form factor." Evidently smartphones were the best-performing segment of the mobile phones market in 2008, the only segment to show unit and revenue growth in the second half of the year.
Fundamentalist opposition to the contrary, evidently evolution does exist: Infonetics Research has released the first edition of its biannual Mobile/WiFi Phones and Subscribers market report, finding that "Smartphones are evolving quickly, and differentiation is becoming increasingly based on software and OS rather than form factor." Evidently smartphones were the best-performing segment of the mobile phones market in 2008, the only segment to show unit and revenue growth in the second half of the year.
The report states that the economic recession has had a notable impact on the worldwide mobile phones market in the latter half of 2008, ending in flat manufacturer revenue growth for the year ($156 billion), as consumers and enterprises cut device spending. Infonetics analysts forecast an eight percent drop in the total number of mobile phones sold in 2009, to 1.1 billion worldwide, down from 1.2 billion in 2008.
Sure smartphones still compete on hardware features that support apps like photography or video viewing, but according to the Infonetics findings, "software and applications that enable a user's preferred mobile uses have an increasing influence on device selection -- personalization will be king."
They give the example of the Android platform. Conceding that "it may be a work in progress," they report that the first handset to use it, the G1, is "attracting high levels of interest, and future models are likely be optimized for Web applications like social networking."
Open source platforms like Android "are gaining traction and shaping the new competitive landscape," says Richard Webb, Directing Analyst, WiMAX, Microwave, and Mobile Devices for Infonetics Research.
Some things don't change, though: The study found that Nokia maintained its leadership of total mobile phone market share in 2008, due to "its established brand, stability of the newly acquired Symbian OS, and its strong visibility in multiple segments." Samsung held steady in second place, increasing its lead over Sony-Ericsson, while LG overtook Motorola on the rail to claim fourth spot.
Some things don't change, though: The study found that Nokia maintained its leadership of total mobile phone market share in 2008, due to "its established brand, stability of the newly acquired Symbian OS, and its strong visibility in multiple segments." Samsung held steady in second place, increasing its lead over Sony-Ericsson, while LG overtook Motorola on the rail to claim fourth spot.
Symbian retains market leadership of the smartphone operating system market, followed by BlackBerry, which regained its #2 spot after being overtaken by the surge in iPhone units in the third quarter of 2008.
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We'd like to give you some good news here at First Coffee once in a while, and today we have some. Sure you keep hearing that 2009 will be down in the dumps for cellular handset sales worldwide, but ABI Research's current forecasts for 2010 are cautiously optimistic - "if by optimism," ABI officials say, "you mean that we may see shipment numbers stabilize and maintain an essentially flat growth rate rather than falling further."
Well, yes, in fact, we'll take that as good news these days. Sure beats all those horrible deficit projections from President Obama's budget.
"ABI Research estimates that worldwide handset shipments will fall by at least eight percent in 2009," says practice director Kevin Burden, echoing forecasts made elsewhere, "and we believe that flat growth in 2010 is the best the market will deliver. We will see neither significant growth nor decline in shipments, and that would actually be a good outcome: the beginning of the upswing back to a more stable growth pattern."
Even if global shipment numbers hold steady at essentially 2009 levels, Burden said, there will be regional variations. He said some regions such as the Middle East and Africa will fare comparatively better, but volumes there are quite low.
The Asia-Pacific region will suffer most in 2009; ABI's research found "primarily as a result of its huge volume of shipments - roughly triple the next largest region." If stabilization does come to the region it'll show up a bit later than it will in North America and Europe, too.
"There are telltale signs that at least some parts of the handset ecosystem may be starting to steady," Burden adds. "Many handset vendors are replacing component inventories after reducing them to very low levels in recent months to keep from overextending as the market dropped. This doesn't necessarily mean the whole market is doing better, but it is good news at least for the component suppliers, some of which were really suffering."
"ABI Research estimates that worldwide handset shipments will fall by at least eight percent in 2009," says practice director Kevin Burden, echoing forecasts made elsewhere, "and we believe that flat growth in 2010 is the best the market will deliver. We will see neither significant growth nor decline in shipments, and that would actually be a good outcome: the beginning of the upswing back to a more stable growth pattern."
Even if global shipment numbers hold steady at essentially 2009 levels, Burden said, there will be regional variations. He said some regions such as the Middle East and Africa will fare comparatively better, but volumes there are quite low.
The Asia-Pacific region will suffer most in 2009; ABI's research found "primarily as a result of its huge volume of shipments - roughly triple the next largest region." If stabilization does come to the region it'll show up a bit later than it will in North America and Europe, too.
"There are telltale signs that at least some parts of the handset ecosystem may be starting to steady," Burden adds. "Many handset vendors are replacing component inventories after reducing them to very low levels in recent months to keep from overextending as the market dropped. This doesn't necessarily mean the whole market is doing better, but it is good news at least for the component suppliers, some of which were really suffering."
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Ulysse Nardin , a vendor of mechanical timepieces, and SCI Innovations, which earns its keep "uniting technologies and elegant design into consumer products," according to company officials, have come together to create a hybrid-powered smart phone under the Ulysse Nardin brand.
Titled "The Chairman," the hybrid smart phone is considered a marquee product for the Ulysse Nardin brand, as well as the first partnership of its kind for the horologists.
Ulysse Nardin , a vendor of mechanical timepieces, and SCI Innovations, which earns its keep "uniting technologies and elegant design into consumer products," according to company officials, have come together to create a hybrid-powered smart phone under the Ulysse Nardin brand.
Titled "The Chairman," the hybrid smart phone is considered a marquee product for the Ulysse Nardin brand, as well as the first partnership of its kind for the horologists.
It's evidently an open smart phone compatible with most GSM networks around the world and built more with the C-Level executive than teen mall rat in mind, as Ulysse Nardin hints by saying "ease of use is a primary focus." The customized user-interface is easily navigated with a 2.8" touch-screen and oversized numeric buttons for reference and typing. It also has a fingerprint recognition security feature, only permitting the specified owner access.
"Ulysse Nardin has resisted the many offers received over the years to produce other products under the Ulysse Nardin label. We have never found an opportunity that matched the prestige and standing of our brand," says owner and President of Ulysse Nardin, Rolf W. Schnyder. But everybody has their price, so today "I am absolutely thrilled that Ulysse Nardin has partnered with SCI Innovations to release the first hybrid smart phone into the market," Schnyder says.
According to Ulysse Nardin, the smart phone is hand-assembled by "some of the world's best engineers." The Chairman "visually shares many of Ulysse Nardin's iconic elements," including the symbolic anchor on the screw-mounted pusher and the customized Ulysse Nardin winding rotor located on the reverse side of the device. Maybe you're doing a better job visualizing this than First Coffee is, but so far it's not sounding like a mass-market breakout product.
"Ulysse Nardin has resisted the many offers received over the years to produce other products under the Ulysse Nardin label. We have never found an opportunity that matched the prestige and standing of our brand," says owner and President of Ulysse Nardin, Rolf W. Schnyder. But everybody has their price, so today "I am absolutely thrilled that Ulysse Nardin has partnered with SCI Innovations to release the first hybrid smart phone into the market," Schnyder says.
According to Ulysse Nardin, the smart phone is hand-assembled by "some of the world's best engineers." The Chairman "visually shares many of Ulysse Nardin's iconic elements," including the symbolic anchor on the screw-mounted pusher and the customized Ulysse Nardin winding rotor located on the reverse side of the device. Maybe you're doing a better job visualizing this than First Coffee is, but so far it's not sounding like a mass-market breakout product.
The Chairman features a functioning mechanical watch rotor incorporated into its design. This component was designed by Ulysse Nardin for the Chairman, and evidently is similar to an automatic watch that receives power from the force of a rotor, as it charges a built-in battery using the kinetic energy of the moving rotor to supply supplemental power.
The Chairman and its various iterations will have limited production and a service plan which includes internal and external repairs whenever necessary. It will be available for purchase in the fall of 2009 and be offered in solid gold, steel/gold and steel versions.
First Coffee gets a kick out of company info lines on press releases that read like 19th century novels, so we'd like to note that "since the manufacturer's earliest days more than 160 years ago when its founder, Ulysse Nardin, began making marine chronometers from a mountainous location in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, the watch making powerhouse has continually proved that challenges present intriguing opportunities worthy of exploration. From the time when Ulysse Nardin opened its doors in 1846 in Le Locle, it has been the recipient of 4,300-plus awards in watch making -- eighteen of them gold medals -- and has received the greatest number of patents in mechanical watch making." Movie rights have been optioned.
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Sword Ciboodle, seller of business software and services, has rolled out the first phase of a project for Vhi Healthcare to provide a comprehensive CRM product to "spearhead the organization's customer service improvement objectives." The company is working towards subsequent phases.
Vhi Healthcare is Ireland's largest and only specialist health insurer with over fifty years experience. (No, First Coffee doesn't know where the comma goes in that sentence without further information.) The company processes more than 500,000 member claims and 1.36 million doctor invoices per year. Seeking to improve its customer service capabilities, it picked Sword Ciboodle as the technology platform that would underpin its customer service.
The first phase of the project has been rolled out in its contact centers in Kilkenny and Donegal, giving staff "a more complete picture of its members' information" and "access to all relevant customer information." Other elements handled by Sword Ciboodle include member payments and contact history. Margaret Molony, Director of Information Technology, Vhi Healthcare and a woman obviously without a drop of Irish blood, says the product helps them "deal more effectively with a significant recent increase in the volume of customer enquiries."
Further phased deployments in 2009 could see the addition of such features as computer telephony integration, e-mail blending, cross-selling and up-selling and campaign management.
Sword Ciboodle, seller of business software and services, has rolled out the first phase of a project for Vhi Healthcare to provide a comprehensive CRM product to "spearhead the organization's customer service improvement objectives." The company is working towards subsequent phases.
Vhi Healthcare is Ireland's largest and only specialist health insurer with over fifty years experience. (No, First Coffee doesn't know where the comma goes in that sentence without further information.) The company processes more than 500,000 member claims and 1.36 million doctor invoices per year. Seeking to improve its customer service capabilities, it picked Sword Ciboodle as the technology platform that would underpin its customer service.
The first phase of the project has been rolled out in its contact centers in Kilkenny and Donegal, giving staff "a more complete picture of its members' information" and "access to all relevant customer information." Other elements handled by Sword Ciboodle include member payments and contact history. Margaret Molony, Director of Information Technology, Vhi Healthcare and a woman obviously without a drop of Irish blood, says the product helps them "deal more effectively with a significant recent increase in the volume of customer enquiries."
Further phased deployments in 2009 could see the addition of such features as computer telephony integration, e-mail blending, cross-selling and up-selling and campaign management.
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Jenzabar , a vendor of software for higher education, has announced a "comprehensive new release" of Jenzabar EX, their enterprise resource planning system. The Jenzabarbarians say the release has "enhancements designed to support a more collaborative working environment."
Jenzabar , a vendor of software for higher education, has announced a "comprehensive new release" of Jenzabar EX, their enterprise resource planning system. The Jenzabarbarians say the release has "enhancements designed to support a more collaborative working environment."
Jenzabar EX Release 3.0 does update the Purchasing, Registration, and Common modules and Financial Aid Manager, as well as the Development and Admissions modules.
The Purchasing module has been redesigned to offer new requisition capabilities and a personalized and collaborative environment to provide streamlined workflow for module managers, approvers, requesters, and purchasing agents. In addition, users can now access Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Sybase InfoMaker, and the Web directly from Jenzabar EX. A personalized navigation window called "My Workspace" has also been added to provide a customizable and interactive user interface and enable users to collaborate with co-workers.
Enhancements within other Jenzabar EX modules include Registration, Admissions, and Development. The product is offered on the Microsoft SQL Server platform and lets administrative and academic staff access, update, store, and report on data through a common database and a suite of end-to-end integrated modules.
