BII MOBILE INSIGHTS: The U.S. Smartphone Market Is In The Late Majority Stage Of Adoption

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How The U.S. Smartphone Market Has Changed (comScore via iDownloadBlog)
comScore remarks that the U.S. smartphone market “finally surpassed 50 percent market penetration and now enters the ‘late majority’ stage of the technology adoption curve.” Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS now dominate the U.S. smartphone landscape and have guzzled an astounding 90 percent share. But that wasn't always the case. Just 7 years ago the market was dominated by RIM, Palm and Nokia. Read >>

Startups That Are Reshaping Mobile Enterprise (VentureBeat)
The mobile device field is wide open. Whether the concern is making BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) actually work, beefing up security, or taking business intelligence mobile, these six startups are reshaping the landscape of mobile enterprise:

Armor5: a different solution for BYOD
Domo: a business intelligence dashboard that can be viewed from any device
Enterproid: a rather literal approach to BYOD in that it “divides” your personal and business life
MobileSpaces: another approach to BYOD by placing a strong emphasis on employee privacy
Mocana: mobile enterprise security
Roambi: trying to solve the business intelligence problem on mobile

Powerful mobile devices have swarmed into workplaces, and they’re not going away. Read >>

Google Is Making A Smartwatch Too (The Financial Times via Gizmodo)
The Financial Times is reporting that Google is making its own version of a smartwatch. What's interesting is that it's not Google's experimental arm X Labs developing the watch but rather Google's Android unit. Google's version of the smartwatch is rumored to be an extension of Android on the wrist. There aren't any reports of when the smart watch will launch but with Apple and Samsung supposedly developing their own smartwatches, the Android and iPhone wars might morph into an Android watch and iWatch battle. Read >>

Google Glass And The Future Of Head-Mounted Displays (Mashable)
Google Glass is arguably the most exciting innovation in mobile technology since the iPhone — and not just because Google hyped it with a spectacular skydiving stunt. Certainly, the field of wearable technology has been around for decades (remember calculator watches?), but with the backing of a multibillion-dollar company and state-of-the-art wireless tech, Google looks to really take it to the next level. There's a reason, however, that the device, which Google officially unveiled about a year ago, probably won't reach consumer hands until 2014. Creating a head-mounted display that's reliable, useful and not-ridiculous-looking is hard. Read >>

Is NFC Finally Mobile's Next Big Thing? (WSJ)
It was hard to avoid the message at the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The GSMA, the organizing body, was keen for everyone to believe that Near Field Communication (NFC) might finally be about to have its day. NFC has been a decade in the making, and has always been about to be "The Next Big Thing." It is a contact-less radio technology that can transmit data between two devices within a few centimeters of each other. Coupled with a security chip to encrypt data, it promises to transform a wide range of consumer experiences from simple ticketing to the Holy Grail of replacing your cash and payment cards with just your smartphone. The key word there is "promise." Read >>

HBO Mulling Partnering With Broadband For HBO GO (Reuters)
HBO could widen access to its HBO GO online streaming service by teaming up with broadband Internet providers for customers who do not subscribe to a cable TV service, according to HBO's Chief Executive Richard Plepler. "Right now we have the right model," Plepler told Reuters. "Maybe HBO GO, with our broadband partners, could evolve." HBO launched HBO GO in 2010 to let subscribers view its shows over the Internet on devices such as Apple's iPads. The service has about 6.5 million registered users, compared with about 29 million for HBO's main service. However, HBO GO is only accessible for viewers who pay for cable TV service, plus an extra fee for HBO. This means monthly bills of $100 or more typically. Read >>

The Future Of Mobile (BI Intelligence)
We hosted our IGNITION: Mobile conference yesterday in San Francisco. To kick off the conference, the BI Intelligence team put together a deck on the current trends in mobile. We looked closely at the growth of smartphone and tablet adoption, the platform wars, and how consumers are actually using their devices. We've posted the deck here. We hope you enjoy it. Read >>