financial excesses

MIXED PICKLES
Wirtschaftskrise schwach
blieb, wuchsen die Verkäufe
der Computer-Telefone weiter.
2009 war etwa jedes siebte
verkaufte Handy ein
Smartphone, in drei Jahren
soll ihr Marktanteil bei rund 40
Prozent liegen. Voraussetzung
dafür wären allerdings
vor allem günstige Datentarife.
In Barcelona bekam die
Although Apple coldshoulders
trade fairs, the
iPhone is omnipresent. The
entire exhibition centre is
plastered with advertisements
for the best mobile
apps. Be it social networking,
multimedia or office applications,
there is always more
than just one app available.
Like the stationary computers
of yore, programmers have
now discovered mobile devices
for their own ends. The
small programmes – ranging
from games through image
processing to navigation –
transform the smartphones
into mobile all-rounders.
Meanwhile, though, it is evident
that the era of small
phones with conventional
Welt allerdings nicht nur neue
Geräte und Entwicklungen zu
sehen, die revolutionär, sondern
auch kurios sind.
Bob Plaschke gehörte deshalb
zu den beliebten Gesprächspartnern
auf der Messe.
Denn welcher Firmenchef
gibt einem schon die Gelegenheit
oder fordert geradezu
dazu auf, seine Produkte zu
ten-key number pads is probably
already over. Going forward,
even cell phones for
novices will evolve into touchscreen
smartphones. For
content providers loss of the
keypad has the advantage
that advertisements can be
better placed on the bigger
display. Besides putting content
on-screen, Google and
Apple, the two major players
in the smartphone market, also
own the most important
mobile ad marketers. And Nokia,
the leading mobile phone
manufacturer in the world no
less, is now also looking to
location-aware advertising
services, towards which end
it is turning all its new smartphones
into fully-fledged navigation
devices.
But going forward, users reluctant
to give up their customary
keypad will at least be
able to fall back on a Morph-
zerstören? Sonim-Chef
Plaschke tut es. Mit Kalkül.
Denn nur so kann er beweisen,
dass seine Produkte halten,
was er verspricht: fast
vollkommene Unzerstörbarkeit.
Gehärtetes Spezialglas, Gummiarmierungen
und ein Korpus
aus einer Magnesiumlegierung
sollen das Sonim-
Pad, a physical keypad and
touchpad in one.
Manufacturer Pelikon does
not plan to produce mobile
phones of its own with this
feature. The company has already
signed up at least one
customer, with Toshiba using
the MorphPad in a reasonably
priced smartphone – which,
however, is only on sale in
Asia at present.
While the market for mobiles
last year languished under the
economic crisis, sales of
computer telephones continued
to grow. In 2009 roughly
one in every seven mobiles
sold was a smartphone, but in
three years’ time their market
share is targeted at around 40
percent. This, of course, presupposes
affordable data
prices.
Meanwhile, in Barcelona the
world was presented with
new devices and develop-
Handy gegen jegliche Außeneinflüsse
absichern.
Und tatsächlich: Versuche,
das Gerät mit Hammer und
Nagel zu malträtieren, hinterlassen
nicht einmal Schrammen
auf Gehäuse und Display.
Selbst wenn man das
Handy als Hammer benutzt,
sind keine Kratzer zu sehen.
DM
The whole world in their users’
trouser pockets
This February’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona showed that mobile all-rounder phones are
now delivering higher performance than fully-fledged computers were capable of only a few years ago.
They earn money with apps and advertising – anywhere and anyplace.
Users have the whole world in their trouser pockets, right next to their wallet.
Apps and
advertising
Mobile World Congress
ments that are curious as well
as revolutionary.
Bob Plaschke was one of the
people very much in demand
at the fair. After all, what company
boss gives his audience
an opportunity – or indeed encourages
people – to destroy
his products? Sonim CEO
Plaschke does. But there’s
method to his madness. It’s
the only way to prove that his
products deliver on his promise
of almost complete indestructibility.
Special tempered glass, rubber
arming and a magnesium
alloy case are designed to protect
the Sonim phone from
exposure to all the elements.
And it really works.
Attempts to maltre at the device
with a hammer and nails
do not even scrape the case
or display. Even if the mobile
is used as a hammer, no
scratches are to be seen. DM
132 2/2010