Fragmentation remains the single biggest issue facing Android. Google looks set to release support for Android on another subset of devices; wearables. At South by Southwest, Google announced a software development kit (SDK) that will allow developers to write apps for wearable devices that are running Android. Wearables are still a solution looking for a...
Eliminating other sign ons is essential for recovery. Yahoo! has moved to remove booth Google and Facebook from its properties as it will son require users to use a Yahoo! login to get access to its services. This means that everyone who wants to use Yahoo! internet services will have to have their own account...
Microsoft and Sony have a huge opportunity in mobile gaming. It looks as if Microsoft is intending to make a much bigger deal of its underutilised asset XBox Live. Sony has the same opportunity but I have yet to see the company do anything to capitalise on this opportunity, A recent job posting at...
Services are the only way for Apple to hold its edge. The limitations of a unified ecosystem is staring to hurt Apple’s ability to differentiate in hardware. The single biggest complaint heard from users is that Apple iPhone screen is too small when compared to the slabs of glass made by Samsung or LG Electronics....
Apple will have to make cars in order to make money from them. It is the Geneva auto show this week and there is suspicion that Apple will launch iOS 7 to be built into dashboard infotainment systems. Apple is expected to launch with Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. There is some smoke with this fire...
Samsung has no choice but to push into the ecosystem. Samsung and Google have signed a 10 year patent agreement but there does seem to be more involved than just a simple IP cross licence. The first sign of this is that the media hubs through which Samsung was selling movies and music have...
The suit count is way up making Nokia and Android the most exciting development. MWC Day 1 MWC 2014 has attracted more visitors than ever but the void of news flow hallmarks what is becoming an increasingly mature industry. The jeans and t-shirts which were rare in 2013 are now almost extinct and continue to...
Firefox enables a $25 smartphone but it is hard to see how anyone makes money from it. For the last year Firefox OS has promised mid to high level smartphone performance for a mid to high level feature phone price. It got the price right but the performance really lagged which combined with spotty operator...
There is a lot “up” with Facebook to justify spending $19bn of shareholder’s money on WhatsApp. Facebook will pay $4bn in cash, $12bn in shares and $3bn in restricted stock to acquire WhatsApp, trumping Google’s bid of $10bn. My current estimate is that WhatsApp currently has around 475m users which means that Facebook is paying...
Richard is founder, owner of research company, Radio Free Mobile. He has 16 years of experience working in sell side equity research. During his 11 year tenure at Nomura Securities, he focused on the equity coverage of the Global Technology sector.
Sina Weibo – Fair deal
Sina Weibo is heading for an IPO at a fair price. Sina Weibo, the Chinese Twitter look alike, has broken even just in time for it to IPO. Weibo saw 61.4 active users in Q4 2013 up from 58.9m in Q3 2013 upon which it was able to earn $197m in Q4 13 revenues. The...