CorraoGroup Blog

Smart phones, which can surf the Internet, e-mail photos and do other computer-like functions, are still only about one-quarter of the overall cell phone market worldwide. But they have been growing fast as consumers trade up from less-capable voice and text phones. IDC estimates that smart phone shipments will top 269 million this year, up from 173.5 million in 2009.

For the first six months of this year, smart phone makers shipped 119 million phones, up 55 percent from the first half of 2009, according to IDC.
But HTC and Motorola — both of which use Google’s Android  operating system for their phones — made the most gains in the second quarter compared with the first quarter, said Llamas. HTC’s U.S. market share climbed from 8.9 percent to 14.2 percent. Motorola rose from 12.9 percent to 14.2 percent.

Android is the wild card, deserving close observation for the rest of this year and years to come.  As HTC and Motorola have leapt out in front with their own respective (Android-based) devices, others such as Dell, Kyocera, LG Electronics and Samsung will soon help grow the number of Android phones on store shelves.”

The net for all businesses is to be connect and marketing to smartphone users as this will be device of choice going forward.

Motorola’s co-CEO Sanjay Jha said June 9 the phone maker is building a new Android phone with a 2GHz processor. That’s double the speed of the Nexus One, HTC Droid Incredible and HTC Evo 4G smartphones currently on the market. Jha also said Motorola will feature include two to four new phones with front-facing cameras that could be used for video conferencing, similar to what the Evo 4G offers and what the iPhone 4 will feature.

I’m not going to analyze the definition of “Cloud Applications” related to hardware & software requirements or the perception that this technology is new to the market. What I would like to address is why companies are starting to purchase these solutions.

The maturity of cloud-based applications combined with increased networks performance and security has provided any business owner options for how they can  manage their digital information. It has become very compelling to outsource this requirement and regard this service as an utility bill. The initial cost and learning curve is minimal allowing most business owners to focus on their core competency.  Another factor to consider is new Cloud2-base systems allow integrated social media feedback to your organization, providing a compelling case for increased customer satisfaction and shorter sales cycles. Even Verizon is getting into Cloud business.

In the end, you will probably see a blend for Cloud-based solutions with traditional internal proprietary solutions. Understanding what is best for you requires long-term planning and assessment of internal budget and resources required to properly manage in regards to your business needs.

During the last few weeks, I’ve been spending more time with existing and potential clients discussing 2010 business planning.  “Confidence” in the business climate continues to slowly grow and most companies are exploring investing into expanding their customer reach. I have observed an interesting trend in that these same companies really don’t know who their customers are, and in turn, what their real requirements are for products and services. I can only equate this to trying to catch butterflies in the dark -  you might get lucky and catch a few, but lose the opportunity to get the majority.

Understanding your current and future customer segments with existing financial data, customer satisfaction surveys and industry data is critical to developing a solid strategic and business plan. Consider that what might have worked 2-3 years ago will not always apply in today’s market; the days of “nice to have” products and service are long gone, and you must provide simple messaging that communicates your value as a “got to have”  in relation to your customer’s day to day business.

Last, and probably the most important, is to share this information internally to your business! I can’t tell you how many times I find companies that fail to accurately communicate customer requirements within their organization. Some symptoms to look for related to lack of understanding of customer requirements are:

• Deadlines continue to move out on critical projects;
• Customer support  = fire fighting culture;
• Missing/Inaccurate company milestones;
• Sales and profitability declines;
• Employee turnover.

Staying connected to your customer is not only critical for upfront business planning but should also be developed for ongoing customer satisfaction.  Developing an integrated social media strategy that allows your customers and internal staff to interact in real-time will also provide you with invaluable data, allowing you to adjustment your plan as needed throughout the year.

Just about anyone with a cell phone knows exactly what Bluetooth is. It’s that wireless thing that lets you hang a headset on your ear that makes you look either incredibly cool or like a cheap imitation of those Star Trek characters.

Bluetooth is a wireless standard, named for the 10th century Danish king who unified Denmark. It was originally intended as a replace for computer connections, but rapidly found a home in cell phones.

We’re now seeing the latest evolution in Bluetooth wireless technology, called “Low Energy.”   Bluetooth LE will enable a plethora of new applications – some not even possible or imagined today – in many markets including healthcare, sports and fitness, security, and home entertainment.

A conference featuring Bluetooth LE will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Santa Clara, CA on March 2nd,  providing developers and press the latest updates and product announcements.  It’s a must for anyone in the wireless market wanting to expand their customer reach.  We’ll be there:  will you?