Thursday, January 7, 2010

Year of the Smartphone...or Tablet...or Smartbook?

With Google’s official rollout of its Nexus smartphone this past Tuesday, the company upped the ante what is certainly going to be one of the most hotly contested markets this year: smartphones.

That’s good news for real estate professionals as the smartphone, in design and concept, is a product which makes sense. Having your “office” productivity tools at hand, with easy access to the Web, simply makes it easier to do your job away from your desk.

Google’s Nexus, running it’s Android Operating System, offers some innovation and solid features which make it a real contender in the category: 1GHZ processor, 3.7 inch touchscreen interface; 5MP camera/camcorder; GPS; WiFI and Bluetooth support; and speech to text conversion for composing messages without a touch.

Clearly the Nexus and the host of new smartphones coming in 2010, all want the iPhone’s crown as perceived category leader, though Blackberry still dominates in smartphone market share. (The iPhone’s limited availability through AT&T is certainly a contributing factor.)

Looking ahead, though, another recent survey found most consumers wanting an iPhone device, followed by one running Android.

With so much growth potential in the smartphone market, you’ll have plenty of choices this year as the category continues to evolve and attract more vendors and models. But you might want to wait a just little longer before buying into any of latest hype.

Wait to see what Apple brings to market in its much anticipated new tablet. It’s expected for Jan. 27 and speculation about what it will be runs wild. It could mark the next wave in mobile technology, or strengthen the case that the smartphone is the one solution every mobile professional needs.

The biggest problem with smartphones is their small screen size; the problem for netbooks, and tablets seen to date, is their larger screen size dictates a form which is just too large for a pocket or purse. Now if something could bridge that gap, and deliver everything the mobile professional needs in performance, connivence, productivity and portability, it truly will be the one device worth having.
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While researching the Web, I can across this interesting article regarding the actual cost of smartphone ownership and thought it worth passing along.

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