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2005 Mobile Software Stats Released

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the how-many-yarks-in-a-mile dept.

An anonymous reader writes "PalmInfoCenter is reporting that Handango has released their 2005 Year End edition of the Handango Yarkstick. This is a general report on the mobile content industry including specifics from five of the top mobile operating systems; Blackberry, Palm OS, Symbian OS, Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone. The site also offers a comparison and look back at 2004's numbers for comparison. A copy of the original report [PDF] can be found on Handago's website."

45 comments

  1. Yarkstick? by mrseigen · · Score: 0, Troll

    Way to copy the first couple sentences of the article there, submitter.

  2. This has gone almost too far by Tim_F · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yarkstick?

    Excuse me?

    Editors?

    Could you please at lest proofread the submission? If you aren't going to change the spelling and put an "edited by" addition could you please at least put "(sic)" after the mistake?

    Thanks.

    1. Re:This has gone almost too far by crazed · · Score: 1

      That might require them to actually expend energy! Shh!

    2. Re:This has gone almost too far by Tim_F · · Score: 1

      I know I misspelled "least" in one of the sentences above.

    3. Re:This has gone almost too far by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Well, in ScuttleMonkey's defense, the typo was present in the original article (such as it was).
      --
      perl -e '$??s:;s:s;;$?::s;;=]=>%-{<-|}<&|`{;;y; -/:-@[-`{-};`-{~" -;;s;;$_;see'

    4. Re:This has gone almost too far by Potato+Battery · · Score: 3, Funny

      Plus, it is a rare day when I do not need to measure my yark.

    5. Re:This has gone almost too far by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      YOU BASTARD,
      i ran that sig as root.

    6. Re:This has gone almost too far by FireIron · · Score: 1

      Which of the following was a villain on Airwolf? * Geronimo Quark * Handango Yarkstick * Bodhai Thung

  3. My Picks by rimu+guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I manage a bunch of Linux servers. When out and about I've had to just rely on whomever else was on call to respond whenever there is a problem. Or I've had to lug around my 12kg Athlon 64 notebook then head for the nearest phone plug and desk whenever there was a page.

    Recently, (ok it was an xmas present to myself) I picked up a PPC HTC Apache. It runs WM5.

    I've loaded it up with a few choice pieces of software to help get me the tools I need to manage or assist with pretty much any issue that would arise. Those apps include:

    • Pocketty for ssh2 (twisted their arm to give me a beta, I wish they'd take my money...)
    • agile messenger for IM (we co-ordinate between staff and communicate with customers via IM). IM beats sms for brief conversations any day.
    • an imap client - using the one provided with WM5 for now. It handles the inbox and sending. I haven't managed to get it to display the contents of other folders yet.
    • sms alerts (using the standard messaging software on the phone)
    • IE for browsing - but no tabs (in fact only one open page at a time), and poor enough javascript support that ajax-based websites aren't a happening thing.

    With these tools I'm often sorely tempted to leave behind my shoulder breaking laptop in favor of slipping the 200g HTC into my pocket when day tripping somewhere.

    Now if only I could get tabbed web browsing, a 1024x768 screen, and a touch typable keyboard that then laptop could be relegated to being a dedicated Age of Mythology client for the kids.

    --
    Got yourself your own Linux server yet?

    1. Re:My Picks by donutface · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Opera supports multiple tabs on windows mobile
      http://www.opera.com/download/mobile/?man=Windows+ Mobile

    2. Re:My Picks by CockMonster · · Score: 0

      "IM beats sms for brief conversations any day." Of course it does, unless you're doing it over WAP dial-up. Not everyone has GPRS yet

    3. Re:My Picks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wouldn't something like a Nokia Communicator 9500 have been more suitable for your requirements?

      Hell, even an old Psion 5mx :p

      They have better format screens for SSH sessions, and keyboards.

      Also you should have got a better laptop for your requirements - a 10.6" or 12.1" widescreen system that weighs a couple of pounds...

    4. Re:My Picks by agallagh42 · · Score: 1

      "Wouldn't something like a Nokia Communicator 9500 have been more suitable for your requirements?

      Hell, even an old Psion 5mx :p

      They have better format screens for SSH sessions, and keyboards.

      Also you should have got a better laptop for your requirements - a 10.6" or 12.1" widescreen system that weighs a couple of pounds..."

      Did you even follow his link to the HTC Apache? It has a full keyboard that slides out from behind the device, and switches from portrait to landscape mode when the keyboard is out. I don't see how an old Psion or Nokia would beat that.

      --
      Carpe Cerevisi - Seize the Beer
    5. Re:My Picks by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 1

      "...I've had to lug around my 12kg Athlon 64 notebook..."

      "With these tools I'm often sorely tempted to leave behind my shoulder breaking laptop..."

      Wow, I know Slashdotters don't have any muscle mass, but you have to be especially noodly armed :)

      --
      I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
  4. A bit misleading by Wulfstan · · Score: 1

    Yeah "mobile software stats" that only includes PDA-like platforms. No mention of the billions of handsets out there which are running MIDP, BREW or similar - surely MIDP platforms are more popular than Palm?

    --
    --- Nick, hard at work :->
    1. Re:A bit misleading by Troed · · Score: 1

      Exactly. Modern mobile phones are very capable as application and gaming platforms using Java ME as the API towards third party applications. The operating systems mentioned in the article are in a minority.

      --
      it's in my head
  5. Slashdot Effect Protection by DamnedNice · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'll assume everyone here saw the "Welcome Slashdot Visitor!" message. I've never seen an auto-redirect designed to lessen the effect of being Slashdotted. Perhaps we'll see more of this in the future? I tried to copy the URL, close the browsers, flush the cache, and re-open the URL in a different browser (Firefox vs IE) but got the same thing. They're not using the HTTP header info, possibly cookies?

    --
    Slackmaster K Proprietor, DamnedNice Blog
    1. Re:Slashdot Effect Protection by gregduffy · · Score: 0, Informative

      Just remove the "&s=1" ... or click the full version link under the title.

    2. Re:Slashdot Effect Protection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      My slashdot load balancing code is really simple, I just check the referrer. It's saved the server a few times in the past.

      sorry its ASP...
      If Instr(Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER"),"sla shdot") <> 0 Then
          Response.Redirect("http://www.palminfocenter.com/p rint.asp?ID="&sID&"&s=1")
      End If
      -Ryan
      http://www.palminfoenter.com/
  6. Again we are seeing the same thing... by Critical_ · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's funny because every time I look at these sorts of stats, it leads me to conclude that PDA users want more multimedia and productivity applications while laptops users want smaller and longer lasting systems. It seems like everyone is pushing towards items like the OQO, CPC, and Flipstart since they can run the big software applications people are accustomed. The problem seems to be the interface. The miniaturized PC-to-the-size-of-a-PDA concept is flawed because most programs these days are optimized for usability studies conducted with the mindset of the HIDs being keyboards and mice. This is one of the many reasons sales of the OQO haven't skyrocketed and tablet PCs really haven't taken off. So why can't we get software design houses revamp their application interfaces? Maybe the CPC guys have the right idea for the software and battery technology available when they want a tiny system with both the ability to run XP and Windows Mobile. Personally, I think the idea is a clunky hack until developers start designing interfaces for both keyboard/mouse and pen input. Maybe by then we'll have great battery technology that will give us a days worth of power on a single charge.

  7. Good year for Handango by BenjyD · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Another good year for Handango, raking in their 40% commision.

    I wish they would give a little more detail on the OS breakdown: in my experience, the PalmOS market is still many times larger than the Symbian market, despite the presence of the p910 at number 2 in the revenue table.

    1. Re:Good year for Handango by Fred_A · · Score: 1

      Palm OS is presumably larger because of the large number of PDA units. Apparently the "study" only targets cellphones (or a subset of the available cellphones rather), not all handheld units.

      I know that when the time came a couple months ago to replace my PalmIIIx that suddenly died, I considered a Treo but settled on a Tungsten T|X since I already had a basic Sharp S25 that was plenty enough for my needs. And the WiFi and large screen were more attractive than having an integrated unit (I'm not much of a cell phone user anyway, I'm sick of having people calling at a whim so mine is off most of the time).

      So called "smartphones" won't necessarily hit home with PDA users. With the ones I've played with, usability certainly was an afterthought. At the moment a lot of the people I know will rather have a properly designed PDA and a plain but usable phone than a poor mix of both. Besides it's simpler to upgrade/fix that way (think TVs with integrated DVD or tape players).

      Anyway that's offtopic so I'll stop there :)

      --

      May contain traces of nut.
      Made from the freshest electrons.
    2. Re:Good year for Handango by BenjyD · · Score: 1

      Given the increasing usability of smartphones, I can't see seperate PDAs surviving all that long without some major changes. The main usage of PDA-like devices seems to be mobile email and some document viewing, which are easier on a smartphone - receive email with attachment, open attachment, read, reply.

      It's a long time since I've seen any business type with anything other than a Blackberry, Treo or a UIQ phone of some kind. A few years ago I would see a lot of Palms and PocketPCs, but not any more. This is in the UK, though, so possibly other regions are different.

      The advantage of the smartphone approach is that virtually everyone already has a mobile and carries it with them all the time, so they are more likely to upgrade to a smartphone at the end of their contract than they are to buy a seperate PDA. The Treo 650 seems to be selling very well and is a very nice PDA/phone: I have no reason to carry around my Tungsten now I have one. Something like a Nokia N70 will do most of what people want from a PDA, is still a decent phone and is available virtually free on many tariffs.

    3. Re:Good year for Handango by Fred_A · · Score: 1

      I might be weird in my use of handheld devices but my use is for dayplanning (in sync with my desktop machines), addressbook, and a lot of note taking. The selling point for me in a handheld, as opposed to paper is in backups.

      I absolutely don't want to use it for email or IM because this would lead to the same kind of thing I dislike with the cell phone, i.e. feeling like I'm on a leash.

      I did this years ago for the novelty value of it, but I soon stopped because there was no point. The palm's mail client was quite crappy at the time and the connection via an IR link through my cell phone wasn't very practical but it mostly worked. Of course I expect things have improved nowadays.

      It seems to be that with the businesspeople, the mobile email thing is mostly meant as a status symbol. Much as early cell phones were. I'm not sure it will propagate to the general population. Although the SMS fad did endure, so who am I to tell...

      Maybe I should point out I'm not a luddite, I've been online for the best part of 20 years, run my domains from home with my own mail servers/DNS, etc. have run Unix for ages...

      It's just that I'm sick of people never planning anything anymore because they know that everyone else is just a phone call away. So unless it's a billable call, my cellphone is rarely answered nowadays.

      --

      May contain traces of nut.
      Made from the freshest electrons.
    4. Re:Good year for Handango by BenjyD · · Score: 1

      Indeed, calendaring probably is the main usage. Again, though, that's something that can be done pretty easily with a smartphone and Outlook sync.

      At present, I agree that there is a place for separate PDAs, but that market is going to continue to dwindle as the smartphone market grows.

    5. Re:Good year for Handango by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The advantage of the smartphone approach is that virtually everyone already has a mobile and carries it with them all the time, so they are more likely to upgrade to a smartphone at the end of their contract than they are to buy a seperate PDA. The Treo 650 seems to be selling very well and is a very nice PDA/phone: I have no reason to carry around my Tungsten now I have one. Something like a Nokia N70 will do most of what people want from a PDA, is still a decent phone and is available virtually free on many tariffs.

      I'm willing to carry two mobile devices. To get a simple bluetooth-enabled phone and a Palm TX would cost me less money than a Treo 650, and the combination of two devices is much more capable.

      The TX is better than the Treo at being a PDA. It has a much better screen, faster CPU, more memory, wifi, and longer battery life. The phone is better than the Treo at being a phone: better form factor, longer battery life, probably even better reception.

      The advantages that the Treo 650 has are: a crappy camera, about 1 ounce less in total weight, and the fact that it's a single device. I actually prefer not to have a camera on my phone or PDA. The others advantages are real, but to me they don't overcome the real disadvantages.

      I might still get a Treo 650 anyway. If I get an iPod (or equivalent MP3 player), then it would be worthwhile going with a Treo. I'm not willing to carry around three handheld devices.

      But at the moment, I'm more leaning toward the TX. I don't think I can justify to myself spending $200 on an iPod.

    6. Re:Good year for Handango by BenjyD · · Score: 1

      The major advantage of the Treo is that it is always there. Like many people, I never go out without a mobile, so all my information, videos, pictures etc are right there all the time. Memory isn't an issue: 512Mb SD cards are like £15 these days. I wish they hadn't put the camera in, but that's not a major problem. WiFi would be nice, but I have reasonably cheap GPRS so email and web is feasible on it.

      A TX isn't really pocket sized, given that my inner pocket will already be carrying my mobile, so unless I want to take a bag I couldn't take a TX as well.

  8. None are top mobile OSes by m_member · · Score: 1

    Uhh, this is nonsense. None of those are the "top mobile operating systems" as the vast majority of phones run on a very slim RTOS with custom MMI. These are the top 'smartphone' OSes, but who cares about smartphones?

    1. Re:None are top mobile OSes by TwoScoopsOfPig · · Score: 1

      I care, you insensitive clod!

      I happen to own an MPx200 Smartphone. It has been one of the best purchases I've ever made, with another being the 1GB SD card for it. Evar had a 1GB MP3 player you can use as a phone, too? Or (if your wallet is so inclined) a mobile that will stream music from the Net? These things are hugely underrated.

      This Has Not Been an Advertisement.

      --
      #include <disclaimer.h>
      #include <beer.h>
    2. Re:None are top mobile OSes by m_member · · Score: 1

      Evar had a 1GB MP3 player you can use as a phone, too? Or (if your wallet is so inclined) a mobile that will stream music from the Net? These things are hugely underrated.
      Well i can watch TV on my phone which is slightly cool but not in its current implementation. It is such a waste of resource to stream it over a packet switched network, the sooner proper broadcast decoders get into mainstream handsets the better.

    3. Re:None are top mobile OSes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your wish is about to come true. Qualcomm will be rolling out their own broadcast network on BEHALF of carriers(Verizon Wireless soon) on CDMA networks called MediaFLO:
      http://www.qualcomm.com/mediaflo/index.shtml

      It will allow CDMA operators to use Qualcomm's spectrum for forward-link-only broadcast media channels such as TV and radio. Also remember that Qualcomm's chips power half of America's cell phones on CDMA networks(Verizon, Sprint, Alltel).

  9. Cool sig! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How'd you do that?

  10. uh ? No GPS by stud9920 · · Score: 1

    I find it hard to believe GPS Navigation software is nowhere in the top 30 list of Symbian of Windows Mobile.

    1. Re:uh ? No GPS by CockMonster · · Score: 0

      How many phones have a GPS receiver?

    2. Re:uh ? No GPS by stud9920 · · Score: 1

      how many smartphones (smart enough to have something that qualifies as a GUI) don't have bluetooth ?

    3. Re:uh ? No GPS by CockMonster · · Score: 0

      Not a lot

  11. ScuttleMonkey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What the fuck is a "Yarkstick" you dumbass?

  12. Windows Mobile Pocket PC? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Windows Mobile Pocket PC

    Surely that's "Windows Mobile Pocket PC CE to Go"?

  13. Handango are spammers by Matt+Perry · · Score: 1

    I get spam from this Handango place all the time even though I don't own any kind of mobile device. Is slashdot catering to spammers on their front page now?

    --
    Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
    1. Re:Handango are spammers by Timothy+Chu · · Score: 1

      Unsubscribe. It worked for me. In my case, I was legitimately on their mailing list.

    2. Re:Handango are spammers by Matt+Perry · · Score: 1

      Why should I unsubscribe from something I've never subscribed to? I'd rather expose them as spammers and keep emailing their ISP. I never heard of them until they started spamming me.

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.