Peter King, Director at Strategy Analytics, said, “Global tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 26.8 million units in Q4 2011, surging 150 percent from 10.7 1000000 in Q4 2010. Demand for tablets among consumer, business and education users remains strong. Apple shipped a robust 15.4 million iPads worldwide and maintained its strong market leadership with 58 percent share during the fourth quarter of 2011. Apple shrugged off the much-hyped terror from entrance-floor Android models this quarter.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Android captured a record 39 percent share of global tablet shipments in Q4 2011, rising from 29 percent a year earlier. Global Android tablet shipments tripled annually to 10.5 1000000 units. Dozens of Android models distributed across multiple countries by numerous brands such as Amazon, Samsung, Asus and others have been driving volumes. Android is so far proving relatively popular with tablet manufacturers despite nagging concerns about fragmentation of Android’s operating system, user-port and app store ecosystem.”

Other findings from the research include:

* Global pill shipments hit 66.9 million units in full-class 2011, surging 260 percent from 18.6 million in full-class 2010. Consumers are increasingly buying tablets in preference to netbooks and even entry-level notebooks or desktops;

* Microsoft captured a niche 1 percent global tablet contribution in Q4 2011. The upcoming liberation of Windows 8 this year cannot come quickly enough for Microsoft, so its hardware partners can start competing more effectively in the tablet space.

Mike Lazaridis, former Co-Chair and Co-CEO, has become Vice Chair of RIM’s Board and Chair of the Board’s new Innovation Committee. As Vice Chair, he will work closely with Mr. Heins to offer strategic counsel, provide a smooth passage and continue to promote the BlackBerry brand worldwide.

Mr. Heins said he looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Lazaridis, globally recognized as a technology pioneer. He said, “Mike created a whole new way of communicating and I look forward to continuing our close collaboration.”

On the transition to CEO by Mr. Heins, Mr. Lazaridis said, “There comes a time in the growth of every successful troupe when the founders recognize the need to pass the baton to new leadership. Jim and I went to the Board and told them that we thought that time was now. With BlackBerry 7 now out, PlayBook 2.0 shipping in February and BlackBerry 10 expected to ship later this year, the company is entering a new phase, and we felt it was time for a new leader to return it through that phase and beyond. Jim, the Board and I all agreed that leader should be Thorsten Heins.”

Jim Balsillie remains a member of the Board. “I agree this is the right time to pass the baton to new leadership, and I rich person complete confidence in Thorsten, the management team and the troupe,” he said. “I remain a significant shareholder and a Director and, of course, they will have my full support.”

Mr. Lazaridis said that he decided to move from Co-Chair to Vice Chair of the Board in order to return the public’s focus to what is most important: “the great company we have built, its iconic products, global brand and its talented employees.” Mr. Lazaridis added, “Thorsten has demonstrated throughout his tenure at RIM that he has the right mix of leadership, relevant industry experience and skills to take the company forward. We have been impressed with his operational skills at both RIM and Siemens. I am so confident in RIM’s future tense that I intend to purchase an additional $50 million of the company’s shares, as permitted, in the open market.”

Mr. Heins said he believes that RIM has tremendous electric potential. He joined RIM from Siemens Communications Group in December 2007 as Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering and became Chief Operating Officer for Product and Sales in August 2011.

“Mike and Jim took a bold measure 18 months ago when RIM purchased QNX to shepherd the transformation of the BlackBerry platform for the next decade,” Mr. Heins said. “We are more confident than ever that was the right way. It is Mike and Jim’s continued unwillingness to sacrifice long-term value for short-term gain which has made RIM the great company that it is today. I share that philosophy and am very excited about the company’s future.”

Mr. Heins said that RIM has a strong foundation on which to physique. “We have a strong balance sail with approximately $1.5 billion in cash at the end of the last quarter and negligible debt. We reported revenue of $5.2 billion in our last quarter, up 24% from the prior quarter, and a 35% year-to-year increase in the BlackBerry subscriber pedestal, which is now over 75 million.”

Mr. Heins said, “BlackBerry 7 has been well received. We are very excited about PlayBook 2.0 and BlackBerry 10. The reception of our products at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show was encouraging.”

He continued, “RIM earned its reputation by focusing relentlessly on the customer and delivering unique mobile communication theory solutions. We intend to build on this heritage to expand BlackBerry’s leadership position.”

Mr. Heins said that RIM has grown quickly. “As with any company that has grown as fast as we have, there have been inevitable growing pains,” he said. “We have learned from those challenges and, I believe, we have and will become a stronger company as a result.

“Going forward, we will continue to focus both on short-term and long-term growth, strategic planning, a customer- and market-based product approach, and flawless execution. We are in the process of recruiting a new Chief Marketing Officer to work closely with our merchandise and sales teams to deliver the most compelling products and services.”

Barbara Stymiest, who formerly served as a member of Royal Bank of Canada’s Group Executive and has been a member of RIM’s Board since 2007, has been named the independent Board Chair. John Richardson, formerly Lead Director, will remain on the Board. Prem Watsa, Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings, also was named to the Board, expanding it to 11 members.

Speaking on behalf of the Board, Ms. Stymiest said: “We believe that Thorsten is the right administrator to succeed Mike and Jim. He has 27 years of telecommunications experience, including four years at RIM in senior direction positions. As a Board, we have been impressed with his outstanding management skills, his leadership and his accomplishments within the company.”

Ms. Stymiest also expressed the Board’s respect and admiration for Messrs. Lazaridis and Balsillie, the troupe they built, and the steps they have taken to post RIM for the future.

“They created RIM, nurtured it, and in the process not only built an iconic brand, but literally pioneered the smartphone industry,” she said. “It is Canada’s largest tech company and one of the largest in the world.”

“We are pleased to have built upon our longstanding relationship with LG to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. Together with our ten previous agreements with Android and Chrome OS device manufacturers, including HTC, Samsung and Acer, this agreement with LG agency that more than seventy percent of all Android smartphones sold in the U.S. are now receiving coverage under Microsoft’s patent of invention portfolio,” said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counselling, Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft. “We are proud of the continued success of our program in resolving the IP issues surrounding Android and Chrome OS.”

On the other hand, if you are curios regarding the Daily Steals. It’s a “one sale a day” website which means you have 24hours to hurry up and purchased the device. Unfortunately, since its the unlocked version, you won’t be able to use it on Verizon’s 4G LTE network and it only available on 16GB version. However, it would work perfectly fine via both AT&T and T-Mobile.

[via google_buys_1_023_ibm_patents_to_bolster_defense_of_android.html' title='Google Buys 1,023 IBM Patents to Bolster Defense of Android'>ANdroidCommunity]

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The Ascend II will runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. Aside from that, it supports a 3.5-inch display and powered with a 600 Mhz C.P.U.. As for photographic camera, the Ascend II can offer you at least a 5 megapixel rear camera with 720p video recording.

You can get the device for free, to top it, you will get a $100 mail in rebate. Not only that, U.S Cellular will inlcudes a 2GB micro-SD for extra storage with support for 32GB sd cards and the Ascend II comes pre-installed with Swype.

[via AndroidCommunity]

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“We are pleased to introduce BlackBerry Mobile Fusion – RIM’s next generation enterprise mobility solution – to make it easier for our business and government customers to manage the multifariousness of devices in their operations today,” said Alan Panezic, Vice President, Enterprise Product Management and Marketing at Research In Motion. “BlackBerry Mobile Fusion brings together our industry-leading BlackBerry Enterprise Server technology for BlackBerry devices with mobile device management capabilities for iOS and Android devices, all managed from one web-based console. It provides the necessary management capabilities to allow IT departments to confidently oversee the use of both company-owned and employee-owned mobile devices within their organizations.”

RIM is the leading provider of enterprise mobility solutions with over 90 percent of the Fortune five hundred provisioning BlackBerry devices today. The enterprise market for smartphones and tablets continues to grow in both the company-provisioned and employee-owned (Bring Your Own Device or BYOD) categories. BYOD in specific has led to an increase in the diversity of mobile devices in manipulation in the enterprise and new challenges for CIOs and IT departments as they struggle to manage and controller wireless access to confidential company selective information on the corporate network. This has resulted in increased demand for mobile device management solutions.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion brings together the market-leadership BlackBerry® Enterprise Server (version 5.0.3) for BlackBerry smartphones; new management capabilities for BlackBerry PlayBook tablets built on BlackBerry Enterprise Server technology; and mobile device management for smartphones and tablets running Android and iOS operating systems.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will provide the following mobile twist management capabilities for all supported mobile devices(i):

– Asset management — Configuration management — Security and policy definition and management — Secure and protect lost or stolen devices (remote lock, wipe) — User- and group-based administration — Multiple twist per user capable — Application and software system management — Connectivity management (Wi-Fi®, VPN, certificate) — Centralized console — High scalability

BlackBerry smartphones will continue to welfare from the many advantages of the oddment-to-end BlackBerry solution including the same advanced IT management, security and controller available with BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.3, which is part of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. These advanced features include BlackBerry® Balance™ technology supporting the use of a single device for both employment and personal purposes without compromising the organization’s need to secure, manage and control confidential information; over 500 IT policies; over-the-air app and software installation and management; high handiness; and much more. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will also introduce new self-service functionality for employees to secure lost or stolen BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is currently in early beta testing with select endeavour customers. RIM is now accepting customer nominations for the closed beta program which will start in January, and general availability is expected in late March.

For more information, visit www.blackberry.com/mobilefusion.

(i) Device security, manageability and controls will continue to vary according to the inherent capabilities of the individual device operating systems.

Linda Sui, Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “Smartphone shipments grew 58 percent sequentially to reach a track record 23.9 million units in China during Q3 2011. In contrast, smartphone shipments fell 7 percent sequentially to reach 23.3 million units in the United States. China has overtaken the United States for the first time to become the world’s largest smartphone market by volume.”

Tom Kang, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “China’s rapid outgrowth has been driven by an increasing availability of smartphones in retail channels, aggressive subsidizing by operators of high-remnant models like the Apple iPhone, and an emerging wave of low-cost Android models from local Chinese brands such as ZTE. Nokia currently leads China’s smartphone market with 28 percent part, while HTC heads the United States smartphone marketplace with 24 percent share.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “The United States corpse the world’s largest smartphone market by revenue, but China has overtaken the United States in terms of volume. China is now at the forefront of the worldwide mobile computing microphone boom. China has become a large and maturation smartphone market that no hardware vendor, component maker or content developer can afford to ignore.”

The Exhibit II 4G sports 3.7″ display, access to T-Mobile TV, 1GHz mainframe, 3MP camera, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), and Swype technology. Check out the press released.

T-Mobile Introduces the Samsung Exhibit™ II 4G

An affordable 4G smartphone with rich entertainment features, the Samsung Exhibit II 4G will be available via no annual contract and two-year contract options start Oct. 27

Bellevue, Wash. and Dallas, Texas — Oct. 26, 2011

2011-10-26 00:34:32

T-Mobile USA, Inc. and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S. 1, today announced the handiness of the latest budget-friendly, feature-rich 4G smartphone: the Samsung Exhibit™ II 4G. The Samsung Exhibit II 4G will be the first no yearbook contract 4G smartphone to be sold at most Walmart stores, available starting Oct. 27. The Samsung Exhibit II 4G is also planned for nationwide availability with no yearbook contract plans as well as two-year contract bridge plans starting Nov. 2.

“T-Mobile offers a variety of low-cost service plans that, paired with America’s largest 4G network, provide a compelling reason for consumers to step up to the benefits of 4G smartphones,” said Andrew Morrison, vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA. “The Samsung Exhibit II 4G is the perfect device for consumers desiring a smartphone with robust 4G entertainment and Web browsing experiences – at a monetary value they can afford.”

Featuring a 3.7-inch WVGA TFT touchscreen and a 1 GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processor, the Samsung Exhibit II 4G provides a variety of entertainment capabilities and Web browse experiences on America’s largest 4G network®. The Samsung Exhibit II 4G offers access to thousands of popular TV shows and movies through T-Mobile® TV in mobile HD and Samsung Media Hub. Powered by Android™ 2.3 Gingerbread, the device features some of Google’s most popular applications and services such as Google Maps™ and Gmail™, plus thousands of others via Android Market™.

Offered in a stylish marine blue color, the Samsung Exhibit II 4G makes it easy to share and take photos and videos via its 3-megapixel rear-facing camera with flash and video capture capabilities. The front-facing camera also makes it easy to connect with friends and family via video chat through T-Mobile’s 4G network or Wi-Fi. Additionally, the device enables consumers to organize personal and business electronic mail accounts, as well as sync with Microsoft® Exchange and Google calendar and contacts.

Availability

The Samsung Exhibit II 4G, exclusively from T-Mobile, volition be available at most Walmart stores start Oct. 27 and is planned to be available nationwide at T-Mobile retail stores, online via www.T-Mobile.com and at select dealers beginning Nov. 2. The Samsung Exhibit II 4G will be offered through no annual contract bridge and two-year contract plan options, and is expected to cost $29.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate card with a two-year service agreement and qualifying Classic voice and data plan, and $199.99 via no annual contract.

1 No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S claim for Samsung Mobile based upon reported shipment data, according to Strategy Analytics Q2 2011 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Report.

[via PhoneDog]

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