techcrunch.com - Global shipments of smartphones are continuing to increase, growing 45% to hit a record 251 million units in Q3 2013, from 172.8 million units a year ago, according to the latest report from Strategy Analytics.
"This was the first time ever that smartphone shipments exceeded a quarter-billion units in a single quarter. Smartphones accounted for 6 in 10 of all mobile phones shipped worldwide. The smartphone industry's robust growth is being driven by strong demand for LTE models in developed regions like the U.S. and 3G devices in emerging markets such as China," said Linda Sui, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics.
Samsung is still the leading brand, capturing a record 35% share of all smartphone volumes worldwide. The Korea tech giant's shipments grew 55% over the last year as it shipped a record 88.4 million smartphones worldwide. Slowing shipments of its flagship Galaxy S4 was offset by strong demand for its new Note 3 phablet and lower-priced devices such as the Galaxy Y.
Though Samsung shipped over two times more smartphones than Apple during the quarter, Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston expects the Cupertino, Ca.-based company to "rebound sharply and regain share in the upcoming fourth quarter of 2013 due to high demand for its new iPhone 5s model."
Apple shipped 33.8 million iPhones worldwide in Q3 2013, up from 26.9 million a year earlier. The slowing shipments as consumers waited for the release of the iPhone 5s and 5c meant that Apple grew just 26% annually during Q3 2013, or about half the overall smartphone industry average of 45%. Apple's global smartphone market share also decreased from 16% to 13% during the past year.
Huawei took the third place spot in the rankings as its global shipments grew 67% annually to 12.7 million units in Q3 2013. Though the Chinese company's 5% market share is considerably less than Samsung's or Apple's, it still makes Huawei the world's third largest smartphone vendor. Huawei's shipments were driven by the popularity of its P6 and G610 models in its domestic market.
"Huawei remains very strong at home in China, but its position is less robust in other major markets like the U.S. and Europe. Huawei will need to expand aggressively in the American and European markets if it wants to seriously challenge the big two of Samsung and Apple next year," said Woody Oh, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics.
Strategy Analytics smartphones Q3 2013
The other smartphone brands in the top five this quarter were LG, Lenovo
LG, which shipped 12 million smartphones worldwide for 5% market share in Q3 2013. The Korean company grew 71% annually, making it the fastest-growing vendor among the top five brands. Strategy Analytics noted that LG's growth was driven by demand in Europe, but that it still needs to catch up with its competitors in China and India.

midsizeinsider.com - Shipments of tablets and smartphones are set to grow by more than 50 percent this year, according to the latest figures from Gartner. Meanwhile, PC shipments are set to slow down. In the face of the trend of increased mobility, IT professionals at midsize firms who focus on developing robust security policies can face the security risks of the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) work environment head on.
Mobility Trends
Gartner's latest survey reveals that smartphones and tablets will reach 184 million units shipped by the end of the year, which equates to a 53 percent increase from last year. The forecast for mobile phones is even rosier; mobiles will grow 3.7 percent in the next year to more than 1.8 billion units. Mobile sales are also predicted to level off as consumers focus on mid-tier and lower-end Android smartphones, which will be popular sellers in emerging markets. Overall, the findings show lower-priced devices across all device categories are driving growth.
When considering PCs, tablets and mobile phones together, Gartner predicts 2.3 billion units will ship out by the end of 2013, a 4 percent increase from 2012. However, Gartner found desktops and notebooks will decrease by 11 percent to 303 million units by the end of the year. By next year, the numbers for PCs will look bleaker; it will take just two more years for tablets to overtake PC shipments.
Mobile and Security
Many midsize firms have already implemented BYOD policies due to the rise of mobility. BYOD has proven to be a benefit for growing companies for a number of reasons. Primarily, it creates satisfied and productive employees who enjoy a better work-life balance because they can use their personal mobile devices for work as well.
Based on Gartner's findings, keeping up with BYOD security will be a significant part of a company's IT priorities. While there are many benefits to BYOD, security concerns revolve around any company's most precious asset: Its data.
If security is left unconsidered, mobile devices have the potential to expose a company network to a wide range of information security threats. In this era of third-platform technology, especially with the increased use of cloud platforms, midsize firms are even more at risk. IT professionals at midsize firms are tasked with staying on top of the latest trends and educating employees about their personal role in helping to keep corporate data safe.
Many midsize firms are securing their policies and investments by consulting experienced vendors to make sure their information infrastructure has all the security software and hardware necessary to prevent a breach. Targeted malware can expose data to thieves and hackers, and for a smaller firm, a security breach could spell disaster because money, resources and time are always tight. An initial investment in making sure the right tools are in place can offer a growing firm peace of mind.
Future Security
Shipments of PCs and laptops are diminishing, while sales of cheaper mobile devices are skyrocketing. Due to the increasing popularity of BYOD policies in the workplace, IT professionals should focus on security policies that aim to keep corporate data as safe as possible. By working with experienced vendors that understand the needs of growing firms, BYOD can continue to be a productive policy in the workplace - and a safe, dependable one as well.

appstechnews.com - A new survey from Citrix has revealed that, for seven in 10 (71%) of large enterprises, they see incorporating mobility as a "top priority" for their business, with 63% adding it was the most important factor in keeping their organisation competitive.
The survey of 1700 senior IT decision makers, conducted by Vanson Bourne, comprises an overall report entitled 'Citrix Mobility in Business' which examines global mobility trends in a snapshot:
71% of companies surveyed "allow, accommodate and encourage" BYOD
Android is "by far" the most popular OS, with 72% of respondents on board; this compares favourably with iOS (54%)
BlackBerry still garners a fair market share, being supported by 35% of companies - although the report understandably notes caution as to whether that figure will rise again
The most popular apps used in the enterprise were sales, CRM or database-related (48%). Social media platforms were surprisingly popular, garnering 43% of the vote
One of the more interesting titbits to emerge from the report related to the adoption of mobile device management (MDM) and mobile app management (MAM) technologies, with MDM at 48% take-up and MAM at 47%. As MAM solutions become more pervasive, any gap that was there has now all but disappeared.
Elsewhere, the percentage of companies adopting virtualisation technologies is also at a healthy number. 41% of organisations are either supporting mobility through app virtualisation or are planning to, whilst 40% utilise desktop virtualisation.
In both virtualisation and MDM/MAM, it's fair to say that companies are predominantly choosing both or not at all. This certainly makes sense, although with many vendors offering device management and app management solutions separately, it could be argued that organisations have to take a bigger leap now.
For benefits to the organisation, increased development of mobile apps and increasing adoption of collaboration tools were the biggest draws. More than half of organisations (51%) polled say they are examining solutions to achieve greater productivity for employees on any device, anywhere.
Enterprise social media is certainly gaining ground, with business leaders and IT lifting the traditional bans on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Research published by Easynet earlier this month showed that in a year, the number of CIOs and IT directors blocking Facebook on behalf of their companies dropped by 15%.
The survey gives an interesting overall look at the current state of enterprise mobility, and according to Chandra Sekar, director of product marketing, the results were roughly what Citrix was expecting.
"We noticed that mobility is an 'I don't know what I don't know'-type situation with a lot of organisations. They are doing mobile in somewhat of an ad-hoc way," he said.
"What we were surprised by is a lot of times organisations talk about mobile strategies and the importance of mobile, but we found that a lot of companies were hampered by legacy systems, in terms of thinking about mobile," he added.

bsminfo.com - Advances in consumer mobile technology have made it easier than ever for users to access enterprise IT resources from personal devices - both at work and elsewhere. This trend towards mobility is eroding the line between business and personal computing, sparking a dramatic shift in the way users think about on-the-job technology. Today's mobile workforce expects to use personal devices to access business data and applications, and they expect the same on-demand, anytime, anywhere experience that they get every day from their favorite websites, apps, and services. Industry analysts have named this "the consumerization of IT," recognizing that employees want to utilize enterprise IT resources in a manner consistent with their experience of consumer electronics.
In response, organizations of all sizes have begun to sanction the use of employee-owned laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other devices in the workplace. This phenomenon, known as "Bring Your Own Device" or BYOD, is one of the fastest growing IT trends in business and beyond. Nonprofit groups, educational institutions, and other organizations are all implementing BYOD policies in response to employee demand to use personal devices at work.
Meanwhile, software development within organizations is evolving to meet the needs of a mobile-centric business environment. Cloud-based applications and web apps and services are replacing traditional client-server architectures as the preferred computing model of the future. Consumers are readily adopting and adapting to the convenience of new mobile devices and apps, unconsciously embracing cloud computing at the same time. Users are often unaware that they are migrating to an entirely new paradigm of application delivery, one which today's business climate is just starting to reflect.

digitaljournal.com - ICREATE Technologies launches Mobile Commerce Consulting Services with their core methodology - 'mPEARL' geared specifically to assist small and medium sized businesses incorporate Mobile Commerce as an additional channel to Acquire new customers, Retain existing customers, Engage both new and existing customers in promotions and business intelligence, Leverage the power of Word Of Mouth 'CrowdMarketing' and Present a new brand in the Mobile Commerce market - all through the most ubiquitous and literally omnipresent device of all time - the cellphone.
ICREATE Technologies has registered this methodology - 'mPEARL' as a servicemark with the USPTO to promote brand recognition of this Mobile Commerce enablement methodology.
"With readership of print and audience of radio and television declining faster and faster, small and medium sized businesses are literally throwing their marketing budget on channels that are no longer cost effective," said Neeta Ghosh, Managing Partner at ICREATE Technologies. "Businesses need to focus on a channel where the customer base has shifted to - mobile phones. Coupled with Social Media and Word Of Mouth Crowdmarketing, adopting Mobile Marketing and a Mobile Internet Presence is no longer an option to consider on a lazy afternoon, but an inevitable business decision to be taken now."
'mPEARL' combines strategies followed by leading companies worldwide, integrates Six Sigma principles and leverages latest technologies of Mobile Websites and Mobile Marketing to deliver an effective actionable methodology for small and medium businesses to rapidly enter, thrive and expand their business through Mobile Commerce. 'mPEARL' can be deployed standalone or may be plugged into any prevailing methodology that may already be in place for business process re-engineering for overhead cost reduction and revenue growth for maximizing the ROI of the cost of doing business.
ICREATE Technologies LLC based in Carlsbad, CA is focused entirely on enabling Mobile Commerce in small and medium sized businesses. We offer Mobile Commerce Consulting, design Mobile Websites duly optimized for Mobile Search Engines and also offer a feature rich Mobile Marketing platform that enables our clients to reach 100% opt-in subscribers directly on their cellphones with marketing and information messages and leverage the Voice of the Customer to derive intelligence for making dynamic and better business decisions. We combine our 'mPEARL ' Mobile Commerce methodology with our technology to offer an effective and viable strategy for small and medium sized businesses to significantly reduce costs, increase brand awareness and increase revenues, consequently improving their bottomline.

wickedlocal.com - School Committee members want more individualized technology for students than a current plan by the technology department presents.
Thomas Plati, Lexington Public School's director of technology education and assessment, addressed the committee during its meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 22, requesting it include $1.2 million for equipment, such as mobile workstations, tablets and interactive white boards, in the school district's fiscal year 2015 budget.
Plati said the plan puts a special emphasis on mobile technology, such as iPads, noting that tablets and laptops continue to replace traditional desktop computer stations in the classrooms. He also emphasized the increased use of whiteboard technology, which allows teachers to write on a board and also use it in conjunction with interactive software.
"We must close the gap between how today's students learn and how they live," said Plati.
School Committee member Jessie Steigerwald was supportive of the technological initiative, but said she is concerned not enough students are receiving the individual perks of the technology.
She cited a one-on-one pilot program, where 50 Lexington High School sophomores received iPads in the classrooms for the 12-13 school year. The pilot program continues this year, however, Steigerwald wants more students to have access to their own iPads.
"All the taxpayers contribute and in the passed we've authorized $1 million for technology for children who don't touch the technology," said Steigerwald. "I'd like for us to talk to department heads so that all departments have a meaningful way to [technology] exposure."
Plati defended the tablet system, stating that all teachers access to iPad carts teachers, which means they can bring in a classroom set of iPads for students to use at specific times. The carts are shared among a group of teachers.
But Steigerwald said the carts are just an optional feature, and not as affective as a one-on-one program.
The committee did not make any decision on Plati's requests.
FY 15 capital budget
Director of Public Facilities Patrick Goddard also rolled out his fiscal year 2015 for capital improvement projects.
Fourteen projects, including continued upgrades to the high school heating system, upgrading the flooring at select locations througout the district building and renovations at Hastings Elementary School will make up a $10.3 million budget he is setting for th schools in FY15, said Goddard.
Goddard's FY15 prposed is the first in a five-year program totaling $63.2 million. The bulk of the five-year capital plan comes in FY17 when roughly $40 million will be dedicated to a Hastings School renovation or replacement project.

qrcodepress.com - The world is changing and must of this change is being born from technology. Mobile technology, in particular, has lead to a veritable revolution in the way people interact with each other and with businesses. Smartphones and tablets have become much more than simple communication devices and have begun providing people around the world with access to powerful social and commerce platforms. The emergence of mobile commerce has highlighted the need for retailers, in particular, to adapt to the growing importance of technology or risk losing touch with consumers.
Retailers throughout the world have witnessed the rise of mobile commerce in recent years, but relatively few of them have taken aggressive measures to make themselves more accommodating to mobile consumers. Most retailers boast of a simple website where people can find products they are interested in, but the majority of these sites are not optimized to be used on a mobile device. Moreover, most retail sites lack support for mobile payments. Some retailers have been showing resistance to the concept of mobile commerce because it runs parallel to the concept of e-commerce.
Some retailers express concern over mobile's impact on physical stores
In the advent of e-commerce, retailers expressed fear that consumers would stop coming to physical stores in favor of shopping online. Much of this fear had proven benign, however, as consumers still made trips to physical stores on a regular basis to purchase products. For specialty stores, such as those dealing in a certain kind of clothing or those selling electronics, e-commerce did, indeed, have an impact. These stores saw traffic drop significantly as more consumers shopped via their computers. Many retailers believe that the same trend will emerge with the rise of mobile commerce, claiming that specialty stores will see more traffic fall away because of their inability to embrace new technology.Mobile Commerce Small Business Owner
A recent report from research firm eMarketer shows that mobile commerce is making strong progress around the world. The report notes that mobile sales in the U.S. alone are expected to reach $41 billion by the end of this year, and $133 billion by 2017. Similar trends are being seen in Japan, China, Australia, and throughout much of Europe. The problem, however, is that many retailers may be missing out on the benefits that come with consumers spending more money through their mobile devices.
Though mobile sales are on the rise around the world, a relatively small number of retailers account for these sales.
Companies like eBay and Amazon lead the charge when it comes to mobile sales due to the focus they have put on embracing mobile commerce. Both retailers have been working to bolster their mobile presence after seeing a spike in revenue from the 2012 holiday season. This spike in revenue was largely due to an increase in mobile sales. Though both eBay and Amazon have found some success in the mobile commerce sector, these companies have had to make changes to their infrastructure in order to support mobile payments, a process that is both expensive and time consuming.
If retailers are unable or unwilling to embrace mobile technology in the way that consumers do, they may be missing out on significant business opportunities. Mobile commerce has become much more than a simple trend and is growing into something that could define the future of retail as a whole. There is a great deal of revenue potential in the mobile sector, but it can only be tapped by companies that take mobile commerce seriously.

qrcodepress.com - The world is changing and must of this change is being born from technology. Mobile technology, in particular, has lead to a veritable revolution in the way people interact with each other and with businesses. Smartphones and tablets have become much more than simple communication devices and have begun providing people around the world with access to powerful social and commerce platforms. The emergence of mobile commerce has highlighted the need for retailers, in particular, to adapt to the growing importance of technology or risk losing touch with consumers.
Retailers throughout the world have witnessed the rise of mobile commerce in recent years, but relatively few of them have taken aggressive measures to make themselves more accommodating to mobile consumers. Most retailers boast of a simple website where people can find products they are interested in, but the majority of these sites are not optimized to be used on a mobile device. Moreover, most retail sites lack support for mobile payments. Some retailers have been showing resistance to the concept of mobile commerce because it runs parallel to the concept of e-commerce.
Some retailers express concern over mobile's impact on physical stores
In the advent of e-commerce, retailers expressed fear that consumers would stop coming to physical stores in favor of shopping online. Much of this fear had proven benign, however, as consumers still made trips to physical stores on a regular basis to purchase products. For specialty stores, such as those dealing in a certain kind of clothing or those selling electronics, e-commerce did, indeed, have an impact. These stores saw traffic drop significantly as more consumers shopped via their computers. Many retailers believe that the same trend will emerge with the rise of mobile commerce, claiming that specialty stores will see more traffic fall away because of their inability to embrace new technology.Mobile Commerce Small Business Owner
A recent report from research firm eMarketer shows that mobile commerce is making strong progress around the world. The report notes that mobile sales in the U.S. alone are expected to reach $41 billion by the end of this year, and $133 billion by 2017. Similar trends are being seen in Japan, China, Australia, and throughout much of Europe. The problem, however, is that many retailers may be missing out on the benefits that come with consumers spending more money through their mobile devices.
Though mobile sales are on the rise around the world, a relatively small number of retailers account for these sales.
Companies like eBay and Amazon lead the charge when it comes to mobile sales due to the focus they have put on embracing mobile commerce. Both retailers have been working to bolster their mobile presence after seeing a spike in revenue from the 2012 holiday season. This spike in revenue was largely due to an increase in mobile sales. Though both eBay and Amazon have found some success in the mobile commerce sector, these companies have had to make changes to their infrastructure in order to support mobile payments, a process that is both expensive and time consuming.
If retailers are unable or unwilling to embrace mobile technology in the way that consumers do, they may be missing out on significant business opportunities. Mobile commerce has become much more than a simple trend and is growing into something that could define the future of retail as a whole. There is a great deal of revenue potential in the mobile sector, but it can only be tapped by companies that take mobile commerce seriously.