Welcome to Kevin's M2M News Weekly. This is an online newsletter that consists of the most interesting news and articles related to M2M (machine to machine) and embedded mobile devices that I read each week. I aggregate the information, include the original links and add a synopsis of each article. I also search for the latest market numbers such as market size, growth and trends in and around the M2M market.
I believe that enterprise mobility and the M2M markets are converging. Both areas exchange wireless data with the enterprise. Both play important roles in enterprise asset management, fleet management and field services.
You can read archived editions of Kevin's M2M News Weekly at http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/m2m.html.
Also check out Kevin’s Mobility News Weekly and Kevin’s Enterprise Mobility Blog.
Please send me any interesting M2M news links, market numbers, events, case studies, analyst reports or whitepapers that you come across and I will include in my newsletter. Enjoy!
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Gemalto announced on the 29th of June that it had acquired Cinterion Wireless Modules GmbH for a total cash price of €163 million. Cinterion Wireless Modules is a leader in intelligent cellular M2M communication. Frost & Sullivan believes that the M2M market will move from being a niche market to becoming a part of the mass market in the next few years. However, the M2M Average Revenue Per User will make sense only if providers are able to sell services and/or integration and maintenance.
http://www.bi-me.com/main.php?id=46788&t=1&c=33&cg=4&mset=
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Satellite and cellular communications firm, Orbcomc, is to build a gateway earth station in Hartebeesthoek, South Africa. Orbcomm maintains its own low-earth-orbit satellite network, which provides two-way M2M communication from virtually anywhere in the world on a near real-time basis. The Orbcomm network provides near real-time messaging, tracking and monitoring, and the new facility is expected to significantly boost the M2M market in the greater Southern African region.
http://www.africanbusinessreview.co.za/sectors/other-construction/new-satellite-gateway-sa
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On July 1, 2010, Chang'an Automobile Co. Ltd signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China Mobile to jointly develop 3G cars and apply M2M communication technology to the cars. This technology can conduct remote monitoring and management of the car by downloading 3G network to collect the vehicle operating data, and then deliver it through China Mobile's wireless network.
http://autonews.gasgoo.com/auto-news/1015836/changan-auto-to-develop-3g-car-with-china-mobile.html
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AT&T reached an agreement with the Current Group that will allow it to extend its reach with smart-grid solutions for utilities. AT&T will offer Current Smart Grid Distribution Solutions, which help utilities increase grid efficiency and system capacity by managing demand dynamically and reducing power delivery losses.
http://urgentcomm.com/networks_and_systems/briefs/att-current-partner-20100701/
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Everything Everywhere is aiming to increase business customers' productivity by up to 15 percent over the next three years. Four areas of focus have been identified by Everything Everywhere: M2M, healthcare, 'information everywhere' and HD Voice.
http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/News/529447/everything_everywhere_b2b_vow.html
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Numerex Corp. , a provider of M2M products and services announced that it has been recognized by Everything Channel as one of North America's top M2M technology integrators. This recognition is the result of Numerex's strategy of offering an integrated suite of products and services in support of its customers' M2M solutions.
http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=221133&Itemid=58
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AT&T’s wholesale business continues to shrink. Using their sequential (Q4 to Q1) figures, they are headed for a double digit annual revenue decline in 2010. Wholesale revenues for Verizon are trending toward a double-digit decline as well. Android will need to morph into something “Incredible” to replace business and wholesale losses at Verizon. ARPU (average revenue per user) will rise, as will prepaid customers and M2M connected devices.
http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20100629/REALITY_CHECK/100629954/reality-check-earnings-spotlight-on-consumer-data-and-enterprise
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Bluetooth Low Energy is forecasted to dominate wireless sensor network (M2M) market. Wireless Sensor Networks are all still in an emergent state, however, they are projected to grow rapidly in home and building applications. While the usual listing of home security, entertainment and lighting control, automated fire containment and alarm, burglar deterrence, etc. are all important, the application in energy use monitoring and utility management will be immense. Nearly 70% of the average household utility bill could be influenced by WSN applications.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-bluetooth-low-energy-forecast-dominate-wireless-sensor-network-/2010/07/01/4880244.htm
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Cybercom has initiated a strategic partnership with Wireless Maingate, a leading supplier of M2M solutions. The partnership entails outsourcing of application management to Cybercom in China. Wireless Maingate works on the development of M2M wireless technology so that products can be online no matter where they are.
http://www.cisionwire.com/cybercom-group/cybercom-and-wireless-maingate-form-strategic-partnership23388
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Hans Dahlberg, head of industrial services at TeliaSonera says, "Machine-to-Machine communications represents an opportunity that is potentially larger than the either the mobile or Internet revolutions.”
http://m2m.tmcnet.com/topics/m2mevolution/articles/90536-smarttrust-collaborates-with-teliasonera-advances-m2m-market-applications.htm
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A good friend sent me an article over the holiday weekend about a tomato watering system that was set up to tweet whenever it needed more water. I like it! It contains a moisture sensor connected to an embedded M2M wireless device. It is a silly little proof of concept, but it helps us to understand how many unique applications there are for M2M systems.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/07/m2m-tomatoes-fisherman-and-drug-addicts.html
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BSQUARE Corporation and the Ford Motor Company have jointly setup a Telematics Competency Center. The agreement which was signed on June 29, 2010 stipulates that the Competency Center will be staffed by BSQUARE and will focus on development and deployment of the next generation Sync in-dashboard information and infotainment system (M2M or embedded mobile devices).
http://m2m.tmcnet.com/topics/m2mevolution/articles/90890-bsquare-inks-deal-with-ford-launch-telematics-competency.htm
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Wireless M2M telemonitoring devices are increasingly being used to offer assistance to diabetes patients who must manage vital blood sugar parameters at all times.
http://dataweek.co.za/news.aspx?pklNewsId=36068&pklCategoryID=42
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An ECG, which can detect abnormal heart rhythms, is usually carried out at a hospital or clinic, but Chow U-Jin, medical director at Ephone International, which developed the EPI Life, said the device is able to condense the whole ECG process onto a mobile platform, making it a life-saving gadget.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iSC36tk1MqPREb3isxLd4kd7Y9qw
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President Obama announced Friday a $795 million government program to develop broadband access in rural parts of the country. Among the beneficiaries will be 900 healthcare facilities. The FCC's National Broadband Plan estimates $700 billion in savings over 15-25 years from teleHealth initiatives. Telehealth is likely to get a boost from greater access to broadband, the FCC plan notes.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/broadband-investments-boost-900-healthcare-facilities
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Swedish telecoms equipment manufacturer Ericsson expects that backhaul capacity in Latin America will have to increase 100 times if the region is to support what it predicts will be 5 billion M2M connected devices operating in the region in 2020.
http://www.bnamericas.com/news/telecommunications/Backhaul_must_increase_100_times_to_support_5bn_devices_in_2020_-_Ericsson
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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles. ***************************************************
Microsoft, Free Software and Enterprise Mobility
Three years ago, Microsoft's Windows Mobile dominated the world of mobility. Thirty-six months later they have disappeared from consumer mobility and are fighting to defend their last foothold in enterprise mobility. How could a company as successful and technologically astute as Microsoft fail so completely in a market as large and important as mobility? They roared right past Palm with their marketing power a few years ago but then they seem to have taken a sabbatical.
In the July 5th edition of The New York Times, Ashlee Vance wrote an article entitled, Microsoft Calling. Anyone There? In this article she writes that one of the key challenges Microsoft faces is attracting young developers. Vance writes that young cash strapped entrepreneurs are working with free or low cost software from places like Google's Android and Apple. They are avoiding expensive developer licenses that Microsoft often requires. The hip young developer community doesn't even consider Microsoft when looking to develop cool new mobile software applications. They don't believe it has market potential worth pursuing.
Microsoft is striking out on just about every attempt in mobility. Not only have they lost incredible market share, but they bought mobile phone designer, Danger, released a mobile phone designed for social networking called Kin, and then canceled it after only eight weeks.
Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, "A problem cannot be solved with the same thinking that created it." I think Microsoft needs a new spin-off company that focuses on mobility. It is painfully clear that the Microsoft of old is struggling in the mobility arena. It is not just their mobile technology but their business model. If young developers are focusing on developing applications with free software from Apple and Android and looking to make innovative applications for tens of millions of users, then Microsoft must have a solution for them if they want to be a contender.
A spin-off strategy is not new for technology companies. Motorola announced this week that they are splitting their company into two separate entities the first quarter of 2011. They are splitting the company into a consumer company and a company focused on enterprise mobility. The purpose is to focus. Focus on what it takes for each group to be successful.
Organizational changes are very interesting to me. I have seen market leaders like Palm, Microsoft, GM and others simply lose their ability to compete. Today, a company can go from market leader to after thought in a few months. What makes the difference? Is it luck or strategy?
Microsoft is making another attempt to jump back into mobility now with their new strategy that is summarized nicely in Gil Bouhnick's blog article:
http://clicksoftware-mobilefever.blogspot.com/2010/06/microsoft-announces-windows-embedded.html. It will be very interesting to see if they can right the ship.
I am serious when I say that the chaos therory, and the study of how ice crystals grow may be useful in understanding how to manage and build a mobile technology company nowadays. Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, physics, economics and philosophy studying the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. This sensitivity is popularly referred to as the butterfly effect.
The phrase, butterfly effect, refers to the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location. The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events (compare: domino effect). Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different. While the butterfly does not "cause" the tornado in the sense of providing the energy for the tornado, it does "cause" it in the sense that the flap of its wings is an essential part of the initial conditions resulting in a tornado, and without that flap that particular tornado would not have existed (source Wikipedia).
Read the latest enterprise mobility news at http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html.
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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
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In the July 5th edition of The New York Times, Ashlee Vance wrote an article entitled, Microsoft Calling. Anyone There? In this article she writes that one of the key challenges Microsoft faces is attracting young developers. Vance writes that young cash strapped entrepreneurs are working with free or low cost software from places like Google's Android and Apple. They are avoiding expensive developer licenses that Microsoft often requires. The hip young developer community doesn't even consider Microsoft when looking to develop cool new mobile software applications. They don't believe it has market potential worth pursuing.
Microsoft is striking out on just about every attempt in mobility. Not only have they lost incredible market share, but they bought mobile phone designer, Danger, released a mobile phone designed for social networking called Kin, and then canceled it after only eight weeks.
Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, "A problem cannot be solved with the same thinking that created it." I think Microsoft needs a new spin-off company that focuses on mobility. It is painfully clear that the Microsoft of old is struggling in the mobility arena. It is not just their mobile technology but their business model. If young developers are focusing on developing applications with free software from Apple and Android and looking to make innovative applications for tens of millions of users, then Microsoft must have a solution for them if they want to be a contender.
A spin-off strategy is not new for technology companies. Motorola announced this week that they are splitting their company into two separate entities the first quarter of 2011. They are splitting the company into a consumer company and a company focused on enterprise mobility. The purpose is to focus. Focus on what it takes for each group to be successful.
Organizational changes are very interesting to me. I have seen market leaders like Palm, Microsoft, GM and others simply lose their ability to compete. Today, a company can go from market leader to after thought in a few months. What makes the difference? Is it luck or strategy?
Microsoft is making another attempt to jump back into mobility now with their new strategy that is summarized nicely in Gil Bouhnick's blog article:
http://clicksoftware-mobilefever.blogspot.com/2010/06/microsoft-announces-windows-embedded.html. It will be very interesting to see if they can right the ship.
The phrase, butterfly effect, refers to the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location. The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events (compare: domino effect). Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different. While the butterfly does not "cause" the tornado in the sense of providing the energy for the tornado, it does "cause" it in the sense that the flap of its wings is an essential part of the initial conditions resulting in a tornado, and without that flap that particular tornado would not have existed (source Wikipedia).
Read the latest enterprise mobility news at http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
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M2M - Tomatoes, Fisherman and Drug Addicts
In the July 5th edition of the New York Times there is an article, Circuitry With a Feel for Humanity by Amy Harmon. The article states that doctors at the University of Massachusetts are testing a wearable sensor designed to be worn by drug addicts. The wearable sensor discerns drug cravings in addicts and sends, using an M2M system, text messages with just the right blend of tough love.
I read another article a few weeks ago about students at a school in Africa who developed an M2M system to help local fisherman know when there were fish available to catch. Sensors, connected to simple M2M systems sent text messages to all subscribed fisherman.
All of these articles demonstrate innovative thinking in the M2M arena. The uses for M2M systems are nearly unlimited. It will be fascinating to watch how this market develops.
- Read Kevin's M2M News Weekly for a summary of events and market numbers in the M2M market.
- Read Kevin's Mobility News Weekly for a summary of events and market numbers in the enterprise mobility market.
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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
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The Stylus, Proof of Delivery and Windows Embedded Mobile
I was interviewing Gil Bouhnick, Director of Mobile Solutions with ClickSoftware, an SAP mobility partner, today about their new version of ClickMobile 8.1.1. In the course of our interview he mentioned the stylus. Remember the stylus? The handy little hard plastic faux pen used to write on the screen of PDAs, handheld computers and smartphones. They remain important to many field service processes today as we will discuss in a moment.
Gil and I were discussing the differences between mobile consumer and industrial grade devices. He mentioned that in most mobile proof-of-delivery projects that he works on, the customer requires a signature from the recipient. The signature is often captured as a digital signature by using a stylus and writing on the screen. It occurred to me that most smartphones no longer have this feature. As a result, smartphones without styluses will not be used in these business processes.
Windows Mobile (and the next Windows Embedded Handheld OS) lets you capture a digital signature, draw on the screen, use radio buttons, check boxes and other onscreen tools to input data. Not being able to use these features would be a big problem for many service technicians and delivery folks that use rugged handhelds in their work today. That is why I am so interested in Microsoft's recent announcement regarding their Windows Phone 7 and Windows Embedded Handheld strategy. Gil wrote an article summarizing many of the recent announcements by Microsoft on their mobility strategy, http://clicksoftware-mobilefever.blogspot.com/2010/06/microsoft-announces-windows-embedded.html.Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
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Kevin's Mobility News Weekly - July 1, 2010
Kevin's Mobility News Weekly is an online newsletter that is made up of the most interesting news and articles related to enterprise mobility that I run across each week. I aggregate the information, include the original links and add a synopsis of each article. I also search for the latest market numbers such as market size, growth and trends in and around enterprise mobility.
You can read archived newsletters here - http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html
Also you may find Kevin’s M2M News Weekly on the subjects of M2M (machine-to-machine) and the mobile embedded device market of interest.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/m2m.html
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One hundred and fifty million is the number of Windows 7 licenses sold, making Windows 7 by far the fastest growing operating system in history. What Microsoft really means is while their rivals are getting all the hype in the press, and people keep blogging about them “dying”, they are selling 7 copies of their OS every second.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/26/microsoft-numbers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29
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According to VDC Research's latest report, the market for mobility solutions for national government applications (in military and national/federal programs) is expected to rebound modestly through 2010, despite the growing pressures from budget cuts and restraints.
http://www.fieldtechnologiesonline.com/article.mvc/Market-For-Mobility-Solutions-For-National-0001?user=2373698&source=nl:27924&VNETCOOKIE=NO
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Twitter COO Dick Costolo said they are currently at 190 million users, who are collectively posting some 65 million tweets per day. And last April, Twitter’s lead engineer for its International team, Matt Sanford, said over 60% of registered Twitter accounts were already coming from outside U.S. borders.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/23/twitter-international-growth/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29
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iPhone App Store economics analysis - in the calendar year 2008 the total downloads were 600 million and revenues of $172 million. In calendar year 2009 the total downloads were 2.4 billion and total revenues of $686 million. In calendar year 2010 so far (half year) we've seen 2 billion downloads and $542 million in revenues.
http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/brands/2010/06/full-analysis-of-iphone-economics-its-bad-news-and-then-it-gets-worse.html
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ClickSoftware is an SAP mobility partner and the leading provider of automated workforce management and optimization solutions for every size of service business. This newsletter is sponsored in part by ClickSoftware.
http://www.clicksoftware.com/
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Apple said it sold 1.7 million iPhone 4s in the first three days of its launch.
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/apple-blows-past-record-sells-1-7-million-iphone-4s-debut/2010-06-28?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
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Analyst Avi Greengart recently stated, “The scale of the content ecosystem Apple has created, coupled with the functionality, style and buzz of the iPhone, has sparked a virtuous cycle for application developers, customers and, ultimately, Apple.” Just witness the 1.7 million iPhone 4s Apple sold at launch.
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/android-iphone-and-coming-smartphone-shakeout/2010-06-25?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal#ixzz0sGVlhj4H
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Speculation on a Verizon iPhone has been rampant in the tech blogosphere. If the reports are true (about a January date for Verizon selling the iPhone), then it will give Verizon a boost in its smartphone competition, UBS analyst John Hodulik says. Verizon customers, who numbered 92.8 million at the end of the first quarter, may buy 3 million iPhones a quarter, he says.
http://iphone.usatoday.com/News/1835712/full/
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Cisco announced that in 2011 it will launch an Android-based tablet, named the Cius, aimed squarely at the business market.
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/06/cisco-announces-the-cius-the-blackberry-of-tablets/
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Gil Bouhnick, Director of Mobile Solutions at ClickSoftware, updates us all on the new Windows Phone 7 and Windows Embedded Handheld operating systems.
http://clicksoftware-mobilefever.blogspot.com/2010/06/microsoft-announces-windows-embedded.html
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60% of iPads are used by business professionals for both work and home use. Thus, Cius could easily eat up iPad market share. With the Cius sporting the front-facing camera, which the iPad doesn't, the Cius could easily crack into that 60% market share due to the telepresence / HD video capabilities. Add in the growing popularity of the Android community and apps, and Cisco could have a winner on its hands.
http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/cisco/cisco-cius-hd-android-tablet.asp
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Want to locate the nearest U.S. embassy, send an e-greeting or retrieve federal disaster information on your iPhone, BlackBerry or Android mobile device? The White House has published a list of 111 mobile applications sponsored by government agencies.
http://fcw.com/blogs/gov-2/2010/06/usagov-publishes-government-mobile-apps-list.aspx
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Gartner's new and complete 2010 Gartner Field Service Management Magic Quadrant report can be found, compliments of ClickSoftware, at the following URL – http://www.clicksoftware.com/Gartner.
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The Western European mobile phone market grew 8.1% year on year to 42.7 million units in 1Q10, according to IDC's European Mobile Phone Tracker. Shipments of smartphones surged in the quarter to 12 million units, 57% higher than in last year's first quarter, to represent 28% of total shipments. Traditional mobile phones (TMPs) declined 4% year on year to 30.7 million units, showing the continuous trend toward smartphones.
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/44052.php?source=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cellular-news%2FLmiX+%28cellular-news%29
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A new report from ABI Research indicates that by the end of 2010, there will be 5 billion mobile subscribers worldwide. By the end of first quarter there were around 4.8 billion connections worldwide. Much of this growth will come from developing markets in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/abi-5-billion-mobile-subscribers-end-year/2010-06-30
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Following last week's release of the new iPhone 4, Apple quietly added a new section to its App Store virtual storefront reserved exclusively for iPhone and iPod touch applications powered by the new iOS 4 operating system. As of 5 a.m. ET Tuesday, there are 48 applications featured under the heading Awesome iOS 4 Apps, including social networking services Twitter and Loopt, navigation solution TomTom USA and music app Pandora Radio.
http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/story/apple-adds-ios-4-application-section-app-store/2010-06-28
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90 percent of developers say they are very interested in creating applications for the iPhone, 84 percent express comparable enthusiasm for the iPad and 81 percent are casting their lot with Android. What is surprising is just how little interest developers express for rival smartphone platforms like BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7, Symbian, webOS and MeeGo.
http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/story/iphone-still-dominates-developer-focus-android-gaining-fast/2010-06-28
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The following three articles that I wrote this week discuss what I learned about mobility at Sapphire 2010 and what I think it means to enterprise mobility vendors and SAP customers.
What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire, Part 1
What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire, Part 2
What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire, Part 3
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To attract programmers to its Android operating system, Google may offer tools that help them sell subscriptions, virtual goods, and other items from within applications on mobile phones, Andy Rubin, vice-president of engineering at Google, says in an interview.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2010/tc20100629_585738.htm
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The following links are interviews that I have conducted over the past few months with enterprise mobility experts and CEOs.
Mobile Expert Interview Series:
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-interview-series.html
Mobile Expert Video Series:
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-video-series.html
Kevin’s Mobility News Weekly archives can be found at:
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html.
I would invite those interested in enterprise mobility to join the Linkedin Group SAP Enterprise Mobility, http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro.
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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
You can read archived newsletters here - http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html
Also you may find Kevin’s M2M News Weekly on the subjects of M2M (machine-to-machine) and the mobile embedded device market of interest.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/m2m.html
********
One hundred and fifty million is the number of Windows 7 licenses sold, making Windows 7 by far the fastest growing operating system in history. What Microsoft really means is while their rivals are getting all the hype in the press, and people keep blogging about them “dying”, they are selling 7 copies of their OS every second.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/26/microsoft-numbers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29
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According to VDC Research's latest report, the market for mobility solutions for national government applications (in military and national/federal programs) is expected to rebound modestly through 2010, despite the growing pressures from budget cuts and restraints.
http://www.fieldtechnologiesonline.com/article.mvc/Market-For-Mobility-Solutions-For-National-0001?user=2373698&source=nl:27924&VNETCOOKIE=NO
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Twitter COO Dick Costolo said they are currently at 190 million users, who are collectively posting some 65 million tweets per day. And last April, Twitter’s lead engineer for its International team, Matt Sanford, said over 60% of registered Twitter accounts were already coming from outside U.S. borders.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/23/twitter-international-growth/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29
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iPhone App Store economics analysis - in the calendar year 2008 the total downloads were 600 million and revenues of $172 million. In calendar year 2009 the total downloads were 2.4 billion and total revenues of $686 million. In calendar year 2010 so far (half year) we've seen 2 billion downloads and $542 million in revenues.
http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/brands/2010/06/full-analysis-of-iphone-economics-its-bad-news-and-then-it-gets-worse.html
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ClickSoftware is an SAP mobility partner and the leading provider of automated workforce management and optimization solutions for every size of service business. This newsletter is sponsored in part by ClickSoftware.
http://www.clicksoftware.com/
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Apple said it sold 1.7 million iPhone 4s in the first three days of its launch.
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/apple-blows-past-record-sells-1-7-million-iphone-4s-debut/2010-06-28?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
********
Analyst Avi Greengart recently stated, “The scale of the content ecosystem Apple has created, coupled with the functionality, style and buzz of the iPhone, has sparked a virtuous cycle for application developers, customers and, ultimately, Apple.” Just witness the 1.7 million iPhone 4s Apple sold at launch.
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/android-iphone-and-coming-smartphone-shakeout/2010-06-25?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal#ixzz0sGVlhj4H
********
Speculation on a Verizon iPhone has been rampant in the tech blogosphere. If the reports are true (about a January date for Verizon selling the iPhone), then it will give Verizon a boost in its smartphone competition, UBS analyst John Hodulik says. Verizon customers, who numbered 92.8 million at the end of the first quarter, may buy 3 million iPhones a quarter, he says.
http://iphone.usatoday.com/News/1835712/full/
********
Cisco announced that in 2011 it will launch an Android-based tablet, named the Cius, aimed squarely at the business market.
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/06/cisco-announces-the-cius-the-blackberry-of-tablets/
********
Gil Bouhnick, Director of Mobile Solutions at ClickSoftware, updates us all on the new Windows Phone 7 and Windows Embedded Handheld operating systems.
http://clicksoftware-mobilefever.blogspot.com/2010/06/microsoft-announces-windows-embedded.html
********
60% of iPads are used by business professionals for both work and home use. Thus, Cius could easily eat up iPad market share. With the Cius sporting the front-facing camera, which the iPad doesn't, the Cius could easily crack into that 60% market share due to the telepresence / HD video capabilities. Add in the growing popularity of the Android community and apps, and Cisco could have a winner on its hands.
http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/cisco/cisco-cius-hd-android-tablet.asp
********
Want to locate the nearest U.S. embassy, send an e-greeting or retrieve federal disaster information on your iPhone, BlackBerry or Android mobile device? The White House has published a list of 111 mobile applications sponsored by government agencies.
http://fcw.com/blogs/gov-2/2010/06/usagov-publishes-government-mobile-apps-list.aspx
********
Gartner's new and complete 2010 Gartner Field Service Management Magic Quadrant report can be found, compliments of ClickSoftware, at the following URL – http://www.clicksoftware.com/Gartner.
********
The Western European mobile phone market grew 8.1% year on year to 42.7 million units in 1Q10, according to IDC's European Mobile Phone Tracker. Shipments of smartphones surged in the quarter to 12 million units, 57% higher than in last year's first quarter, to represent 28% of total shipments. Traditional mobile phones (TMPs) declined 4% year on year to 30.7 million units, showing the continuous trend toward smartphones.
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/44052.php?source=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cellular-news%2FLmiX+%28cellular-news%29
********
A new report from ABI Research indicates that by the end of 2010, there will be 5 billion mobile subscribers worldwide. By the end of first quarter there were around 4.8 billion connections worldwide. Much of this growth will come from developing markets in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/abi-5-billion-mobile-subscribers-end-year/2010-06-30
********
Following last week's release of the new iPhone 4, Apple quietly added a new section to its App Store virtual storefront reserved exclusively for iPhone and iPod touch applications powered by the new iOS 4 operating system. As of 5 a.m. ET Tuesday, there are 48 applications featured under the heading Awesome iOS 4 Apps, including social networking services Twitter and Loopt, navigation solution TomTom USA and music app Pandora Radio.
http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/story/apple-adds-ios-4-application-section-app-store/2010-06-28
********
90 percent of developers say they are very interested in creating applications for the iPhone, 84 percent express comparable enthusiasm for the iPad and 81 percent are casting their lot with Android. What is surprising is just how little interest developers express for rival smartphone platforms like BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7, Symbian, webOS and MeeGo.
http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/story/iphone-still-dominates-developer-focus-android-gaining-fast/2010-06-28
********
The following three articles that I wrote this week discuss what I learned about mobility at Sapphire 2010 and what I think it means to enterprise mobility vendors and SAP customers.
What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire, Part 1
What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire, Part 2
What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire, Part 3
********
To attract programmers to its Android operating system, Google may offer tools that help them sell subscriptions, virtual goods, and other items from within applications on mobile phones, Andy Rubin, vice-president of engineering at Google, says in an interview.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2010/tc20100629_585738.htm
********
The following links are interviews that I have conducted over the past few months with enterprise mobility experts and CEOs.
Mobile Expert Interview Series:
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-interview-series.html
Mobile Expert Video Series:
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-video-series.html
Kevin’s Mobility News Weekly archives can be found at:
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html.
I would invite those interested in enterprise mobility to join the Linkedin Group SAP Enterprise Mobility, http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
What I Learned about Mobility at Sapphire 2010, Part 3
I expect to see a lot of battles between mobility vendors and Sybase. Although mobility vendors publicly play nice, there is a lot of competition for this fast growing market. Sybase brings a lot of capabilities to the table. They will not be satisfied being a mobile middleware player (see Sybase and Field Services). I expect them to start releasing their own libraries of mobile applications for the largest markets, and use their inside knowledge of SAP sales leads and accounts to aggressively go after them.
Having Sybase develop and sell mobile applications has always been a problem. Sybase OEMs (used as a verb) their middleware to hundreds of software companies, and they have always hesitated to compete with their customers. It will be interesting to see if they can resist this temptation when the entire SAP user base is available to them. My guess is Sybase will not resist. As a result, SAP mobility partners will need to dig deeper into industries and niche markets to defend and grow their positions.
How does the SAP mobility partner trust partnering with Sybase on mobile middleware, when they are also competing on mobile applications? It will be interesting.
I believe Sybase will be swamped with sales leads for custom mobile applications. There is a backlog of demand. The problem, however, is that Sybase has traditionally staffed a very small professional services group that has little industry knowledge. That should mean more work for trained systems integrators. Pay attention SIs!!!
Now that the mobile integration strategy for working in SAP environments is becoming clearer, mobile application vendors need to start developing rapid application development tools specifically for mobilizing SAP. Seriously! You should be able to develop screen layouts for the various mobile OS environments, and drag and drop database fields from SAP into the mobile client. All the coding behind the scenes should be automated. Vendors should have a one year grace period and then no excuses.
I have a lot of experience in the mobile software development tools area and can say with authority that developing RAD (rapid application development tools) is difficult. However, if you already know the data source and the required fields for a business process, then it can be a lot easier. Simplicity is good. I challenged Sybase for years to develop a RAD tool and have yet to see one that a business analyst can use.
The bottom line - SAP mobility partners can stop focusing on mobile middleware (leave it to SAP/Sybase) and focus more on becoming industry and business process experts. Increasingly, the value they offer will be in developing mobile applications with deep industry and process expertise. They should be looking at all the various business processes and SAP industry business units (around 28 the last I checked) and identify the verticals where there are the most opportunities and where deep industry knowledge can help them develop defensible market positions.
Here are a few examples:
* What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire 2010, Part 1
* What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire 2010, Part 2
*Read the latest news and market numbers on enterprise mobility at Mobility News Weekly.
*Join the Linkedin Group, SAP Enterprise Mobility, it has over 750 members now.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
Having Sybase develop and sell mobile applications has always been a problem. Sybase OEMs (used as a verb) their middleware to hundreds of software companies, and they have always hesitated to compete with their customers. It will be interesting to see if they can resist this temptation when the entire SAP user base is available to them. My guess is Sybase will not resist. As a result, SAP mobility partners will need to dig deeper into industries and niche markets to defend and grow their positions.
How does the SAP mobility partner trust partnering with Sybase on mobile middleware, when they are also competing on mobile applications? It will be interesting.
I believe Sybase will be swamped with sales leads for custom mobile applications. There is a backlog of demand. The problem, however, is that Sybase has traditionally staffed a very small professional services group that has little industry knowledge. That should mean more work for trained systems integrators. Pay attention SIs!!!
Now that the mobile integration strategy for working in SAP environments is becoming clearer, mobile application vendors need to start developing rapid application development tools specifically for mobilizing SAP. Seriously! You should be able to develop screen layouts for the various mobile OS environments, and drag and drop database fields from SAP into the mobile client. All the coding behind the scenes should be automated. Vendors should have a one year grace period and then no excuses.
I have a lot of experience in the mobile software development tools area and can say with authority that developing RAD (rapid application development tools) is difficult. However, if you already know the data source and the required fields for a business process, then it can be a lot easier. Simplicity is good. I challenged Sybase for years to develop a RAD tool and have yet to see one that a business analyst can use.
The bottom line - SAP mobility partners can stop focusing on mobile middleware (leave it to SAP/Sybase) and focus more on becoming industry and business process experts. Increasingly, the value they offer will be in developing mobile applications with deep industry and process expertise. They should be looking at all the various business processes and SAP industry business units (around 28 the last I checked) and identify the verticals where there are the most opportunities and where deep industry knowledge can help them develop defensible market positions.
Here are a few examples:
- Hazardous waste and chemical management
- CPG food/meat processing inspections
- Mobile animal lifecycle tracking applications (beef, dairy, chicken, hog, etc)
- Mobile insurance claims
- Mobile healthcare applications
- Mobile eldercare applications
- Mobile chronic disease management applications
- Mobile oil and gas pipeline inspections
- Mobile disaster relief applications
- Mobile damage assessment applications
- Mobile facility and security management applications
- Mobile applications for customers of SAP customers and their markets (retail apps, marketing apps, etc.)
- etc.
* What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire 2010, Part 1
* What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire 2010, Part 2
*Read the latest news and market numbers on enterprise mobility at Mobility News Weekly.
*Join the Linkedin Group, SAP Enterprise Mobility, it has over 750 members now.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
Kevin’s M2M News Weekly – June 30, 2010
You are reading the first edition of "Kevin's M2M News Weekly." This is an online newsletter that is made up of the most interesting news and articles related to M2M (machine to machine) and embedded mobile devices that I run across each week. I aggregate the information, include the original links and add a synopsis of each article. I also search for the latest market numbers such as market size, growth and trends in and around the M2M market.
I believe that enterprise mobility and the M2M markets are converging. Both areas exchange wireless data with the enterprise. Both play important roles in enterprise asset management, fleet management and field services.
You can read archived editions of Kevin's M2M News Weekly at http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/m2m.html.
Please send me any interesting M2M news links, market numbers, events, case studies, analyst reports or whitepapers that you come across and I will include in my newsletter. Enjoy!
********
ABI Research forecasts that Wi-Fi-enabled health care products will hit sales of nearly $5 billion globally in 2014, up 70% from 2009. The increase is expected partly because of the need to provide wireless networks to support improved asset management, mobile workers, standard administration of medications and digitized records, said Stan Schatt, an ABI analyst.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135412/Wi_Fi_enabled_health_care_products_to_surge_with_electronic_medical_records?taxonomyId=1
********
If you are interested in the M2M or embedded mobile devices market for consumer electronics, you may want to watch this short video on the consumer electronics segment of M2M.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/06/m2m-market-overview-part-2-consumer.html
********
Vodafone’s machine-to-machine business has taken 40 percent of the market since it launched the M2M division last year, it said last week.
http://it.tmcnet.com/news/2010/06/25/4869524.htm
********
TMC and Crossfire Media announced that their M2M Evolution Conference will once again be collocated with TMC's ITExpo, October 4-6, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
http://it.tmcnet.com/news/2010/06/24/4866658.htm
********
In emerging markets, “device” was almost synonymous with “smartphone,” while in mature markets the “device” focus went beyond smartphones and into other devices, such as machine-to-machine readers, netbooks, e-readers and tablets.
http://connectedplanetonline.com/mobile-apps/news/amdocs-sp-role-study-062410/
********
A new M2M analyst report is available on the Maximizing Wireless Profits website. M2M is a very intriguing market. It is closely related to enterprise mobility in that mobile devices (embedded mobile devices, remote sensors and monitors) are collecting and sending data back to a central server. The audiences for this report are mobile network operators (MNOs), M2M and mobile enterprise software companies.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/06/m2m-growth-opportunities-for-mnos-in.html
********
Gemalto is looking to insert SIM cards into mobile devices. Today the identity module–maker announced it is purchasing Cinterion Wireless, the world’s largest manufacturer of GSM machine-to-machine wireless communications modules. The combination will put under a single umbrella the two technologies necessary to make an M2M solution work: the radio module that physically connects a device to the network and the authentication and security software that allows it to transmit.
http://connectedplanetonline.com/3g4g/news/gemalto-buys-cinterion-062910/
********
M2M, or machine-to-machine communication, is fast becoming a market-changing force for a wide spectrum of entrepreneurial businesses. Since launching its Emerging Solutions Group in October 2009, Sprint has worked with solutions partners to help a growing number of businesses serve customers -- and in some cases outflank their competitors -- with M2M innovation.
********
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/machines-talk-together-and-transform-business-operations-with-sprints-m2m-wireless-mobility-solutions-2010-06-16?reflink=MW_news_stmp
********
Machine-to-machine communications is emerging as an important growth area in wireless, but there's a battle underway over which network is best suited to accommodate the expected onslaught of connected devices.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=193336&f_src=lightreading_gnews
********
Now that SAP has enterprise mobility all figured out, it is time to explore opportunities in the M2M marketplace. M2M is a vision of connecting physical things through a network that will let them take an active part in exchanging information about themselves and their surroundings over the Internet.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/05/m2m-market-opportunities-introduction.html
********
Over the next five years the market for wearable wireless sensors is set to grow to more than 400 million devices by 2014. Demand will come from the professional healthcare, home healthcare and sports and fitness markets, but these markets will develop at different speeds and will support different applications. The sports and fitness market represents more than 90 percent of the market today.
http://www.abiresearch.com/press/1460-Market+for+Wearable+Wireless+Sensors+to+Grow+to+More+than+400+Million+Devices+by+2014
********
Sprint plans to open up a center to help foster the development of embedded mobile devices using a cellular connection later this year, according to a company executive. As the traditional business of providing cellphone voice and data services begins to peak, carriers are racing to stake a claim in a new area commonly known as connected devices. Sprint, which moved early in the area and pioneered a wholesale business model with Amazon’s Kindle, has since fallen behind its larger peers Verizon Wireless and AT&T.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100616-710644.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
I believe that enterprise mobility and the M2M markets are converging. Both areas exchange wireless data with the enterprise. Both play important roles in enterprise asset management, fleet management and field services.
You can read archived editions of Kevin's M2M News Weekly at http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/m2m.html.
Please send me any interesting M2M news links, market numbers, events, case studies, analyst reports or whitepapers that you come across and I will include in my newsletter. Enjoy!
********
ABI Research forecasts that Wi-Fi-enabled health care products will hit sales of nearly $5 billion globally in 2014, up 70% from 2009. The increase is expected partly because of the need to provide wireless networks to support improved asset management, mobile workers, standard administration of medications and digitized records, said Stan Schatt, an ABI analyst.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135412/Wi_Fi_enabled_health_care_products_to_surge_with_electronic_medical_records?taxonomyId=1
********
If you are interested in the M2M or embedded mobile devices market for consumer electronics, you may want to watch this short video on the consumer electronics segment of M2M.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/06/m2m-market-overview-part-2-consumer.html
********
Vodafone’s machine-to-machine business has taken 40 percent of the market since it launched the M2M division last year, it said last week.
http://it.tmcnet.com/news/2010/06/25/4869524.htm
********
TMC and Crossfire Media announced that their M2M Evolution Conference will once again be collocated with TMC's ITExpo, October 4-6, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
http://it.tmcnet.com/news/2010/06/24/4866658.htm
********
In emerging markets, “device” was almost synonymous with “smartphone,” while in mature markets the “device” focus went beyond smartphones and into other devices, such as machine-to-machine readers, netbooks, e-readers and tablets.
http://connectedplanetonline.com/mobile-apps/news/amdocs-sp-role-study-062410/
********
A new M2M analyst report is available on the Maximizing Wireless Profits website. M2M is a very intriguing market. It is closely related to enterprise mobility in that mobile devices (embedded mobile devices, remote sensors and monitors) are collecting and sending data back to a central server. The audiences for this report are mobile network operators (MNOs), M2M and mobile enterprise software companies.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/06/m2m-growth-opportunities-for-mnos-in.html
********
Gemalto is looking to insert SIM cards into mobile devices. Today the identity module–maker announced it is purchasing Cinterion Wireless, the world’s largest manufacturer of GSM machine-to-machine wireless communications modules. The combination will put under a single umbrella the two technologies necessary to make an M2M solution work: the radio module that physically connects a device to the network and the authentication and security software that allows it to transmit.
http://connectedplanetonline.com/3g4g/news/gemalto-buys-cinterion-062910/
********
M2M, or machine-to-machine communication, is fast becoming a market-changing force for a wide spectrum of entrepreneurial businesses. Since launching its Emerging Solutions Group in October 2009, Sprint has worked with solutions partners to help a growing number of businesses serve customers -- and in some cases outflank their competitors -- with M2M innovation.
********
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/machines-talk-together-and-transform-business-operations-with-sprints-m2m-wireless-mobility-solutions-2010-06-16?reflink=MW_news_stmp
********
Machine-to-machine communications is emerging as an important growth area in wireless, but there's a battle underway over which network is best suited to accommodate the expected onslaught of connected devices.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=193336&f_src=lightreading_gnews
********
Now that SAP has enterprise mobility all figured out, it is time to explore opportunities in the M2M marketplace. M2M is a vision of connecting physical things through a network that will let them take an active part in exchanging information about themselves and their surroundings over the Internet.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/05/m2m-market-opportunities-introduction.html
********
Over the next five years the market for wearable wireless sensors is set to grow to more than 400 million devices by 2014. Demand will come from the professional healthcare, home healthcare and sports and fitness markets, but these markets will develop at different speeds and will support different applications. The sports and fitness market represents more than 90 percent of the market today.
http://www.abiresearch.com/press/1460-Market+for+Wearable+Wireless+Sensors+to+Grow+to+More+than+400+Million+Devices+by+2014
********
Sprint plans to open up a center to help foster the development of embedded mobile devices using a cellular connection later this year, according to a company executive. As the traditional business of providing cellphone voice and data services begins to peak, carriers are racing to stake a claim in a new area commonly known as connected devices. Sprint, which moved early in the area and pioneered a wholesale business model with Amazon’s Kindle, has since fallen behind its larger peers Verizon Wireless and AT&T.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100616-710644.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
What I Learned about Mobility at Sapphire 2010, Part 2
At Sapphire 2010, not only did SAP discuss their intent to acquire Sybase, but they also announced Project Gateway. Project Gateway is an API layer (gateway) that is designed for simple mobile applications and M2M (machine to machine) integrations with SAP. The intent as I understand it is for SUP (Sybase Unwired Platform) to be the integration layer for complex mobile applications (rich/thick clients) that require advanced synchronization technologies, and Project Gateway for lightweight iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and other micro applications.
SAP was quick to add that mobility partners can develop and use their own integration methodologies as well. They espoused the virtues of choice. As a result, I see the following integration options:
Mobile enterprise application vendors often support many ERPs and business applications. Their current inventory of mobile middleware and integration tools may continue to be needed in these non-SAP environments. It seems it will be up to the end customer to choose their favorite flavor of integration and middleware. This will be an important decision for the end customer that will impact TCO (total cost of ownership).
Some of the SAP mobility partners have already decided to consolidate all of their middleware needs on the SUP. They don't want the expense of developing and supporting two different integration and middleware technology platforms and like the idea of leaving middleware issues to someone else. If more vendors follow this move, Sybase will generate more sales and profits as a result of this trend. SAP has said they intend to operate Sybase as an independent business unit and I believe SAP can generate "new money" as a result of influencing vendors to adopt SUP.
* What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire 2010, Part 1
*YouTube - Kevin's Video Comments
*Read the latest news and market numbers on enterprise mobility at Mobility News Weekly.
*Join the Linkedin Group, SAP Enterprise Mobility, it has over 750 members now.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
SAP was quick to add that mobility partners can develop and use their own integration methodologies as well. They espoused the virtues of choice. As a result, I see the following integration options:
- SAP's strategy for integrating advanced rich or thick client mobile applications will be SUP.
- SAP's strategy for integrating lightweight mobile applications will be Project Gateway.
- SAP also certifies a variety of integration strategies specific to various mobility partners.
- Customized integrations.
Mobile enterprise application vendors often support many ERPs and business applications. Their current inventory of mobile middleware and integration tools may continue to be needed in these non-SAP environments. It seems it will be up to the end customer to choose their favorite flavor of integration and middleware. This will be an important decision for the end customer that will impact TCO (total cost of ownership).
Some of the SAP mobility partners have already decided to consolidate all of their middleware needs on the SUP. They don't want the expense of developing and supporting two different integration and middleware technology platforms and like the idea of leaving middleware issues to someone else. If more vendors follow this move, Sybase will generate more sales and profits as a result of this trend. SAP has said they intend to operate Sybase as an independent business unit and I believe SAP can generate "new money" as a result of influencing vendors to adopt SUP.
* What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire 2010, Part 1
*YouTube - Kevin's Video Comments
*Read the latest news and market numbers on enterprise mobility at Mobility News Weekly.
*Join the Linkedin Group, SAP Enterprise Mobility, it has over 750 members now.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
Shift Gears Now!!! An iPhone Application That Tells You How to Drive
It works with any petrol or diesel car with a manual transmission and features a database of over 8,400 European and 8,500 North American cars to choose from.
Verbal instructions given by the iPhone app range from general advice such as “try reducing your acceleration!!!!!”, to specific gear changes. While on the visual side, DriveGain provides more detailed information including current speed, level of acceleration or braking and the affect this has on fuel consumption, a smoothness score, average fuel economy reading and other eco-related statistics. I wonder how much sarcasm is built into the app?
Is this supposed to make my driving experience more pleasurable? "Turn left, SLOW DOWN, not third gear stupid, BRAKE NOW, do you know how much you are spending on fuel at this speed, recalcuating directions, stop hitting me."
Read more about DriveGain:
http://eu.techcrunch.com/2010/06/30/drivegain-launches-with-an-iphone-app-to-make-you-drive-more-efficiently/
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
What I Learned about Mobility at Sapphire, Part 1
It has been about six weeks since Sapphire, and it is about time I consolidate and share my thoughts on what I learned. I tracked down and interviewed (text interviews | video interviews) just about every management team of every mobile enterprise company that was present at Sapphire - with the notable exception of ClickSoftware, which is an SAP mobility partner and the leading provider of automated workforce management and optimization solutions for every size of service business. I will catch them next time.
SAP's announced intent to acquire Sybase in the weeks before Sapphire forced all the mobile enterprise application vendors to quickly consider the impact on their strategies, solutions and marketing messages. There was a bit of "testing the waters" with various marketing messages at Sapphire. I think most of them were able to come up with an adequate marketing message. The messages were uniformly, "We understand why SAP did it, and we plan to support the SUP (Sybase Unwired Platform) in the near future. It will not be a problem for us. It will give our customers more options and let us continue to focus on the business processes and mobile applications where customers get the most value."
I think some of the mobile enterprise vendors believed their messages more than others. I think once Sapphire was over, a number of the companies went back to the whiteboard to really understand their next steps and role in the world.
What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire, Part 2
Stay tuned for Part 3.
Read the latest news and market numbers on enterprise mobility at Mobility News Weekly.
Join the Linkedin Group, SAP Enterprise Mobility is has over 750 members now.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
SAP's announced intent to acquire Sybase in the weeks before Sapphire forced all the mobile enterprise application vendors to quickly consider the impact on their strategies, solutions and marketing messages. There was a bit of "testing the waters" with various marketing messages at Sapphire. I think most of them were able to come up with an adequate marketing message. The messages were uniformly, "We understand why SAP did it, and we plan to support the SUP (Sybase Unwired Platform) in the near future. It will not be a problem for us. It will give our customers more options and let us continue to focus on the business processes and mobile applications where customers get the most value."
I think some of the mobile enterprise vendors believed their messages more than others. I think once Sapphire was over, a number of the companies went back to the whiteboard to really understand their next steps and role in the world.
What I Learned About Mobility at Sapphire, Part 2
Stay tuned for Part 3.
Read the latest news and market numbers on enterprise mobility at Mobility News Weekly.
Join the Linkedin Group, SAP Enterprise Mobility is has over 750 members now.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
Mobile Enterprise Users Need Simplicity
SAP has a section of their SDN/SCN portal for enterprise mobility. On this site they have a diagram depicting an end-to-end mobile solution. This diagram does a good job of causing fear in just about everyone. The diagram shows a deep stack of technology components, each with their own complex technical design and functionality. I can just imagine an enterprise IT team gasping in distress at this diagram. However, understanding how everything in your car works is not necessary in order to drive it.
Let me give you an example. ClickSoftware is an SAP mobility partner and the developer of a host of workforce automation and service chain optimization applications. They have already mobilized field services applications and implemented them with SAP. It is now available out-of-the-box. The complexity of the implementation has largely been removed.
If the backend business application and database is a known entity, and is already mobilized, then implementing mobile enterprise applications can be fairly simple for the end user. SAP partners like ClickSoftware have already managed the complexity and developed applications for end users that are already integrated with SAP.
SAP's acquisition of Sybase and SAP's announced Project Gateway (an API layer for simple mobile applications) will make integrating with SAP even easier. SAP's strategy for supporting mobile applications is clearer and vendors can focus on it.
Complexity in enterprise mobility is directly related to flexibility. The more flexible the application the more complex. If the developer must design and program an application to support an infinite number of different backend databases and business processes, then the solution code can be enormously complex. If the backend business application and business processes are known in advance, and the integration strategy defined, then much of the complexity and risk can be removed.
The bottomline, there is a good reason to work with SAP mobility partners that are experienced and support specific business processes of interest to you. You will have removed much of the complexity and risk from the project. Look for mobility vendors that are SAP certified and have SAP customers in production environments using the business processes you want mobilized.
If you would like to discuss enterprise mobility in more depth, and/or your specific project please contact me.
If you are interested in news about the mobile industry read - Kevin's Mobility News Weekly. This is a weekly update of the most interesting industry numbers, news and developments.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
Let me give you an example. ClickSoftware is an SAP mobility partner and the developer of a host of workforce automation and service chain optimization applications. They have already mobilized field services applications and implemented them with SAP. It is now available out-of-the-box. The complexity of the implementation has largely been removed.
If the backend business application and database is a known entity, and is already mobilized, then implementing mobile enterprise applications can be fairly simple for the end user. SAP partners like ClickSoftware have already managed the complexity and developed applications for end users that are already integrated with SAP.
SAP's acquisition of Sybase and SAP's announced Project Gateway (an API layer for simple mobile applications) will make integrating with SAP even easier. SAP's strategy for supporting mobile applications is clearer and vendors can focus on it.
Complexity in enterprise mobility is directly related to flexibility. The more flexible the application the more complex. If the developer must design and program an application to support an infinite number of different backend databases and business processes, then the solution code can be enormously complex. If the backend business application and business processes are known in advance, and the integration strategy defined, then much of the complexity and risk can be removed.
The bottomline, there is a good reason to work with SAP mobility partners that are experienced and support specific business processes of interest to you. You will have removed much of the complexity and risk from the project. Look for mobility vendors that are SAP certified and have SAP customers in production environments using the business processes you want mobilized.
If you would like to discuss enterprise mobility in more depth, and/or your specific project please contact me.
If you are interested in news about the mobile industry read - Kevin's Mobility News Weekly. This is a weekly update of the most interesting industry numbers, news and developments.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
Mobile Applications for Knowledge Management, Collaboration and Human Progress
I am very interested in mobile enterprise applications that deliver collaboration and knowledge management functionality. I believe these solutions will revolutionize businesses that use them. I saw three of these applications at Sapphire this year that I describe later in this article.
First let me share a very interesting article by Matt Ridley that was recently published in the Wall Street Journal on May 22-23, 2010, Humans: Why They Triumphed. Here are some excerpts:
The mobile collaboration and knowledge management tools that I saw at Sapphire were:
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
First let me share a very interesting article by Matt Ridley that was recently published in the Wall Street Journal on May 22-23, 2010, Humans: Why They Triumphed. Here are some excerpts:
- Collective intelligence is the notion that what determines the inventiveness and rate of cultural progress or change in a population is the amount of interaction between individuals.
- The sophistication of the modern world lies not in individual intelligence or imagination, rather, it is a collective enterprise.
- Exchange stimulated innovation by bringing together different ideas. Exchange and collective intelligence is the key to human progress.
- Once human beings started swapping things and thoughts they stumbled upon divisions of labor, in which specialization led to mutually beneficial collective knowledge. Specialization encourages and promotes innovation.
- The process of cumulative innovation that has doubled life span, cut child mortality by three-quarters and multiplied per capita income nine-fold-world-wide in little more that a century is driven by the exchange of ideas.
The mobile collaboration and knowledge management tools that I saw at Sapphire were:
- SAP's Expert Link (a proof-of-concept for internal use only developed by Leapfactor)
- SAP's Streamworks - SAP StreamWork brings together people inside or outside your organization with information for fact-based decision-making and interactive business tools for collecting feedback, strategizing, and brainstorming.
- Open Text Everywhere - As the enterprise moves away from a fixed and location-centric work setting to a dispersed mobile world; the ability to interconnect people, the processes and the core content regardless of where and when becomes a necessity and a competitive differentiator.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
Kevin’s Mobility News Weekly – June 24, 2010
You are reading the second edition of "Kevin's Mobility News Weekly." This is an online newsletter that is made up of the most interesting news and articles related to enterprise mobility that I run across each week. I aggregate the information, include the original links and add a synopsis of each article. I also search for the latest market numbers such as market size, growth and trends in and around enterprise mobility.
You can read archived newsletters here - http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html
Please send me any interesting mobility news links, market numbers, events, case studies, analyst reports or whitepapers you think I should include in my newsletter. Enjoy!
********
A recent analysis from Frost & Sullivan, finds that the new mobile office market earned revenues of roughly $1.7 billion in 2009. This is predicted to reach $6.8 billion in 2015.
http://hosted-exchange.tmcnet.com/topics/mobility/articles/88847-mobile-office-market-reach-68-billion-2015-report.htm
********
Internet advertising will join television in 2014 as the only media with spending in excess of $100 billion. Internet access is a key driver of spending in most segments. Increased broadband penetration will boost wired access while growing smartphone penetration and wireless network upgrades will drive mobile access. Spending on wired and mobile Internet access will rise from $228 billion in 2009 to $351 billion in 2014. Globally, the online and wireless video game market will grow from $52.5 billion in 2009 to $86.8 billion in 2014, a compound growth rate of 10.6%. This will make it the second fastest-growing segment of E&M behind wired/mobile Internet advertising, yet ahead of TV subscriptions and license fees.
http://www.socialtimes.com/2010/06/pwc-outlook-entertainment-and-media-growth/
********
Sprint-Nextel reports they may open a center in the San Francisco area to foster the development of the M2M ecosystem. Meanwhile, AT&T recently reported that it had 5.8 million M2M connected devices on its network and added 1.1 million in the first quarter. Verizon said that it has 7.3 million M2M connected devices on its network. Sprint hasn't disclosed specific connected device numbers, but Bowman estimated that the company has "a couple million" devices on its network.
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-may-open-m2m-collaboration-center-san-fran/2010-06-17?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal#ixzz0r8jFxDJ5
********
ClickSoftware is an SAP mobility partner and the leading provider of automated workforce management and optimization solutions for every size of service business. This newsletter is sponsored in part by ClickSoftware.
http://www.clicksoftware.com/
********
BlackBerry App World launched in April 2009. A year later RIM said the store offers about 6,000 applications, far behind rivals like Apple's iTunes App store, which now boasts about 225,000 apps for iPhone and iPod touch devices. BlackBerry App World currently has roughly 25 million active users, with nearly 1 million app downloads per day, according to RIM.
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/blackberry-app-world-makeover-adds-carrier-billing/2010-06-17?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
********
Mobile ad network Millennial Media is reporting that iPad ad requests grew 160 percent from April to May. RIM’s BlackBerry remained the second largest OS on Millennial’s network for the tenth consecutive month. Android’s share rose by 5 percent to a 15 percent share of impressions for the month of May.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/18/millennial-media-apple-os-drops-by-33-percent-in-may-but-ipad-impressions-grow-160-percent/
********
In this 4 minute YouTube video from this week’s Video Comments, I discuss the value of mobile micro apps for businesses.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwjaGDvThLg&feature=channel
********
Analytics firm Distimo reported that 80 percent of all iPad applications fall into the Paid Apps segment. By comparison, 73 percent of iPhone and iPod touch applications carry premium price tags, while the average iPad app costs $4.67, as opposed to $3.82 on iPhone. Medical apps for iPad lead the way at an average price of $42.11, followed by Finance apps at $18.48; on the iPhone, Medical apps average $10.74, and Finance apps average $5.74.
http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/story/apps-ipad-surpass-5-000-device-sales-top-2-million/2010-05-31#ixzz0rVZLbpmW
********
With the iPad, Apple has laid down yet another challenge to the wireless industry's incumbents. The book-sized gizmo, now past 2 million shipments in just two months, represents a new device category for consumers, a chance for additional data revenues for carriers and a slap in the face to handset makers already struggling to stanch the rise of the iPhone.
http://www.fiercewireless.com/special-reports/temperature-tablets-how-mobile-industry-responding-ipad?utm_source=FWhomepage#ixzz0rVYdS700
********
The Global Mobile Applications Market (2010 – 2015) report published by Markets and Markets reveals that around 7 billion free and paid applications were downloaded in 2009 alone from native as well as third party stores. The downloaded applications were responsible for generating revenues worth $3.9 billion in the same year. Unsurprisingly, Apple dominated the market with 4 billion downloads to date grabbing 90% of the application market share in 2009. New players in the industry are fast catching up and with super growth in smartphones, the mobile application market is likely to expand exponentially. Estimates by the same firm reveal that the global mobile application market is likely to reach $24.4 billion in 2015 growing at 64 percent CAGR.
http://apps4mobile.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/most-preferred-mobile-applications/
********
In this video on YouTube I discuss mobile collaboration and knowledge management applications for businesses.
http://www.youtube.com/sapmentors#p/u/5/1OlokRKoOgE
********
Smartphone market estimates are increasing, and growth in the hand held industry should grow at approximately 45% in 2010 and 31% in 2011. RIM should maintain a global share of 20% in 2010 and 2011.
http://newsystocks.com/news/3557593
********
Munster is raising his estimate for iPads for 2010 and 2011. He originally estimated that Apple would sell 6.2 million iPads in 2010 and 8.2 million in 2011, giving Apple 14.4 million iPads by 2012. Munster now says Apple will sell 7.5 million in 2010 and 9 million in 2011 for a total of 16.5 million iPads by 2012.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20008462-37.html
********
According to Millennial Media, 90 percent of U.S. developers are focusing their efforts solely on one mobile platform, with just 10 percent pursuing multi-platform strategies. Among developers dedicated to a single platform, 56 percent are focusing on iPhone and 29 percent are targeting Android. Just 5 percent are building for Symbian, with 4 percent working on BlackBerry--the remaining 6 percent of developers are focused on "Other" platforms, and it speaks volumes about the sorry state of both Windows Mobile and webOS that the report doesn't even break them out into their own separate pie-chart slices.
http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/story/ios-4-arrives-bringing-changes-it/2010-06-21
********
"IBM, except for its professional services side, has lost its way in mobile," said Jack Gold, an analyst at J.Gold Associates. “IBM does not have a strong presence in mobility on a standardized product basis and must modernize to support multiple [mobile] platforms to gain share. It has to be seen as offering a compelling solution to the market at a reasonable cost.”
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9178051/IBM_to_set_new_mobility_strategy_with_launch_of_software_development_lab
*******
Machine to machine or embedded mobile devices and applications are an area of wireless data usage with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 25% per year through 2014 and a projected need for up to 50 billion M2M devices by 2025.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/06/m2m-growth-opportunities-for-mnos-in.html
*****
IBM announced new mobile software, services and research projects at the opening of their new software development lab in Massachusetts. Mail Triage, a research prototype was shown as an iPhone application that can help workers inundated with e-mails more quickly assess which ones need immediate action and which can be deleted or handled later.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9178141/IBM_launches_software_lab_in_Massachusetts_announces_mobile_products?taxonomyId=16
********
Piper Jaffray reports that free apps account for about 4 billion total App Store downloads or 81% of all downloads. iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users presently download over 16.6 million applications each day, almost double the 8.9 million daily downloads via Apple's iTunes multimedia storefront. The average selling price among the top 50 premium App Store applications for iPhone and iPod touch is $1.49. Among the top 30 paid iPad apps, the average price jumps to $4.66.
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/study-free-applications-make-81-app-store-downloads/2010-06-23?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal#ixzz0rh8nzN8L
********
Kevin’s Video Comments on mobile applications for collaboration, knowledge management and human progress.
http://www.youtube.com/sapmentors#p/u/5/1OlokRKoOgE
********
Research in Motion confirmed it will finally unveil its long-awaited BlackBerry OS 6.0 update during the third quarter. Specifics remain scarce but include an improved WebKit-based browser, a customizable homescreen, a revamped media player and a more intuitive user experience.
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/rim-launch-blackberry-os-6-0-q3/2010-04-27#ixzz0rh6A8Pgm
********
Robust earnings for Research in Motion, growth and solid sales of more than 11 million devices are unlikely to impress analysts. Both are expected, along with further declines in average selling prices, as overseas sales of lower-end devices grow. RIM's share of the more lucrative North American market, meanwhile, is expected to have eroded further as the iPhone and a slew of smartphones that use Google's Android operating system eat into the BlackBerry's market share.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65L3FG20100622
********
Barnes & Noble and Amazon cut the prices of their electronic-book reader tablets. Barnes & Noble dropped the price of its Nook device from $259 to $199 while introducing a WiFi-only model selling for $149. Amazon dropped the Kindle's price from $259 to $189.
http://mobile.washingtonpost.com/rss.jsp?rssid=597&item=+http%3a%2f%2fwww.washingtonpost.com%2fwp-syndication%2farticle%2f2010%2f06%2f22%2fAR2010062201954_mobile.xml+&cid=4007073&spf=1
********
Kevin’s Video Comments on different mobile application categories.
http://www.youtube.com/sapmentors#p/u/7/AMyOAo8YNUA
********
Apple announced that it sold its three millionth iPad™ just 80 days after its introduction in the US.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/06/22ipad.html
********
The following links are interviews that I have conducted over the past few months with enterprise mobility experts and CEOs.
Mobile Expert Interview Series
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-interview-series.html
Mobile Expert Video Series
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-video-series.html
Kevin’s Mobility News Weekly archives can be found at:
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html
I would invite those interested in enterprise mobility to join the Linkedin Group SAP Enterprise Mobility, http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC www.netcentric-strategies.com www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict http://twitter.com/krbenedict ***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles. ***************************************************
You can read archived newsletters here - http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html
Please send me any interesting mobility news links, market numbers, events, case studies, analyst reports or whitepapers you think I should include in my newsletter. Enjoy!
********
A recent analysis from Frost & Sullivan, finds that the new mobile office market earned revenues of roughly $1.7 billion in 2009. This is predicted to reach $6.8 billion in 2015.
http://hosted-exchange.tmcnet.com/topics/mobility/articles/88847-mobile-office-market-reach-68-billion-2015-report.htm
********
Internet advertising will join television in 2014 as the only media with spending in excess of $100 billion. Internet access is a key driver of spending in most segments. Increased broadband penetration will boost wired access while growing smartphone penetration and wireless network upgrades will drive mobile access. Spending on wired and mobile Internet access will rise from $228 billion in 2009 to $351 billion in 2014. Globally, the online and wireless video game market will grow from $52.5 billion in 2009 to $86.8 billion in 2014, a compound growth rate of 10.6%. This will make it the second fastest-growing segment of E&M behind wired/mobile Internet advertising, yet ahead of TV subscriptions and license fees.
http://www.socialtimes.com/2010/06/pwc-outlook-entertainment-and-media-growth/
********
Sprint-Nextel reports they may open a center in the San Francisco area to foster the development of the M2M ecosystem. Meanwhile, AT&T recently reported that it had 5.8 million M2M connected devices on its network and added 1.1 million in the first quarter. Verizon said that it has 7.3 million M2M connected devices on its network. Sprint hasn't disclosed specific connected device numbers, but Bowman estimated that the company has "a couple million" devices on its network.
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-may-open-m2m-collaboration-center-san-fran/2010-06-17?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal#ixzz0r8jFxDJ5
********
ClickSoftware is an SAP mobility partner and the leading provider of automated workforce management and optimization solutions for every size of service business. This newsletter is sponsored in part by ClickSoftware.
http://www.clicksoftware.com/
********
BlackBerry App World launched in April 2009. A year later RIM said the store offers about 6,000 applications, far behind rivals like Apple's iTunes App store, which now boasts about 225,000 apps for iPhone and iPod touch devices. BlackBerry App World currently has roughly 25 million active users, with nearly 1 million app downloads per day, according to RIM.
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/blackberry-app-world-makeover-adds-carrier-billing/2010-06-17?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
********
Mobile ad network Millennial Media is reporting that iPad ad requests grew 160 percent from April to May. RIM’s BlackBerry remained the second largest OS on Millennial’s network for the tenth consecutive month. Android’s share rose by 5 percent to a 15 percent share of impressions for the month of May.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/18/millennial-media-apple-os-drops-by-33-percent-in-may-but-ipad-impressions-grow-160-percent/
********
In this 4 minute YouTube video from this week’s Video Comments, I discuss the value of mobile micro apps for businesses.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwjaGDvThLg&feature=channel
********
Analytics firm Distimo reported that 80 percent of all iPad applications fall into the Paid Apps segment. By comparison, 73 percent of iPhone and iPod touch applications carry premium price tags, while the average iPad app costs $4.67, as opposed to $3.82 on iPhone. Medical apps for iPad lead the way at an average price of $42.11, followed by Finance apps at $18.48; on the iPhone, Medical apps average $10.74, and Finance apps average $5.74.
http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/story/apps-ipad-surpass-5-000-device-sales-top-2-million/2010-05-31#ixzz0rVZLbpmW
********
With the iPad, Apple has laid down yet another challenge to the wireless industry's incumbents. The book-sized gizmo, now past 2 million shipments in just two months, represents a new device category for consumers, a chance for additional data revenues for carriers and a slap in the face to handset makers already struggling to stanch the rise of the iPhone.
http://www.fiercewireless.com/special-reports/temperature-tablets-how-mobile-industry-responding-ipad?utm_source=FWhomepage#ixzz0rVYdS700
********
The Global Mobile Applications Market (2010 – 2015) report published by Markets and Markets reveals that around 7 billion free and paid applications were downloaded in 2009 alone from native as well as third party stores. The downloaded applications were responsible for generating revenues worth $3.9 billion in the same year. Unsurprisingly, Apple dominated the market with 4 billion downloads to date grabbing 90% of the application market share in 2009. New players in the industry are fast catching up and with super growth in smartphones, the mobile application market is likely to expand exponentially. Estimates by the same firm reveal that the global mobile application market is likely to reach $24.4 billion in 2015 growing at 64 percent CAGR.
http://apps4mobile.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/most-preferred-mobile-applications/
********
In this video on YouTube I discuss mobile collaboration and knowledge management applications for businesses.
http://www.youtube.com/sapmentors#p/u/5/1OlokRKoOgE
********
Smartphone market estimates are increasing, and growth in the hand held industry should grow at approximately 45% in 2010 and 31% in 2011. RIM should maintain a global share of 20% in 2010 and 2011.
http://newsystocks.com/news/3557593
********
Munster is raising his estimate for iPads for 2010 and 2011. He originally estimated that Apple would sell 6.2 million iPads in 2010 and 8.2 million in 2011, giving Apple 14.4 million iPads by 2012. Munster now says Apple will sell 7.5 million in 2010 and 9 million in 2011 for a total of 16.5 million iPads by 2012.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20008462-37.html
********
According to Millennial Media, 90 percent of U.S. developers are focusing their efforts solely on one mobile platform, with just 10 percent pursuing multi-platform strategies. Among developers dedicated to a single platform, 56 percent are focusing on iPhone and 29 percent are targeting Android. Just 5 percent are building for Symbian, with 4 percent working on BlackBerry--the remaining 6 percent of developers are focused on "Other" platforms, and it speaks volumes about the sorry state of both Windows Mobile and webOS that the report doesn't even break them out into their own separate pie-chart slices.
http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/story/ios-4-arrives-bringing-changes-it/2010-06-21
********
"IBM, except for its professional services side, has lost its way in mobile," said Jack Gold, an analyst at J.Gold Associates. “IBM does not have a strong presence in mobility on a standardized product basis and must modernize to support multiple [mobile] platforms to gain share. It has to be seen as offering a compelling solution to the market at a reasonable cost.”
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9178051/IBM_to_set_new_mobility_strategy_with_launch_of_software_development_lab
*******
Machine to machine or embedded mobile devices and applications are an area of wireless data usage with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 25% per year through 2014 and a projected need for up to 50 billion M2M devices by 2025.
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/06/m2m-growth-opportunities-for-mnos-in.html
*****
IBM announced new mobile software, services and research projects at the opening of their new software development lab in Massachusetts. Mail Triage, a research prototype was shown as an iPhone application that can help workers inundated with e-mails more quickly assess which ones need immediate action and which can be deleted or handled later.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9178141/IBM_launches_software_lab_in_Massachusetts_announces_mobile_products?taxonomyId=16
********
Piper Jaffray reports that free apps account for about 4 billion total App Store downloads or 81% of all downloads. iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users presently download over 16.6 million applications each day, almost double the 8.9 million daily downloads via Apple's iTunes multimedia storefront. The average selling price among the top 50 premium App Store applications for iPhone and iPod touch is $1.49. Among the top 30 paid iPad apps, the average price jumps to $4.66.
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/study-free-applications-make-81-app-store-downloads/2010-06-23?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal#ixzz0rh8nzN8L
********
Kevin’s Video Comments on mobile applications for collaboration, knowledge management and human progress.
http://www.youtube.com/sapmentors#p/u/5/1OlokRKoOgE
********
Research in Motion confirmed it will finally unveil its long-awaited BlackBerry OS 6.0 update during the third quarter. Specifics remain scarce but include an improved WebKit-based browser, a customizable homescreen, a revamped media player and a more intuitive user experience.
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/rim-launch-blackberry-os-6-0-q3/2010-04-27#ixzz0rh6A8Pgm
********
Robust earnings for Research in Motion, growth and solid sales of more than 11 million devices are unlikely to impress analysts. Both are expected, along with further declines in average selling prices, as overseas sales of lower-end devices grow. RIM's share of the more lucrative North American market, meanwhile, is expected to have eroded further as the iPhone and a slew of smartphones that use Google's Android operating system eat into the BlackBerry's market share.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65L3FG20100622
********
Barnes & Noble and Amazon cut the prices of their electronic-book reader tablets. Barnes & Noble dropped the price of its Nook device from $259 to $199 while introducing a WiFi-only model selling for $149. Amazon dropped the Kindle's price from $259 to $189.
http://mobile.washingtonpost.com/rss.jsp?rssid=597&item=+http%3a%2f%2fwww.washingtonpost.com%2fwp-syndication%2farticle%2f2010%2f06%2f22%2fAR2010062201954_mobile.xml+&cid=4007073&spf=1
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Kevin’s Video Comments on different mobile application categories.
http://www.youtube.com/sapmentors#p/u/7/AMyOAo8YNUA
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Apple announced that it sold its three millionth iPad™ just 80 days after its introduction in the US.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/06/22ipad.html
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The following links are interviews that I have conducted over the past few months with enterprise mobility experts and CEOs.
Mobile Expert Interview Series
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-interview-series.html
Mobile Expert Video Series
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-video-series.html
Kevin’s Mobility News Weekly archives can be found at:
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html
I would invite those interested in enterprise mobility to join the Linkedin Group SAP Enterprise Mobility, http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC www.netcentric-strategies.com www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict http://twitter.com/krbenedict ***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles. ***************************************************
Mobile Expert Interview Series: Pyxis Mobile's EVP Christopher Willis
Pyxis Mobile is one of those companies that accomplishes great things, but moves under the radar. Gartner recently highlighted Pyxis Mobile in their Magic Quadrant report so moving under the radar may be over. Pyxis Mobile has over 500,000 mobile clients in the field. Most of their traditional customers are in the financial services industry, but they have been rapidly expanding into higher education, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals. I had the opportunity recently to interview Chris Willis, Pyxis Mobile's EVP of Marketing and Strategy.
Chris joined Pyxis in 1998. In 2001 the company became 100% focused on enterprise mobility.
Chris what mobile device do you carry?
I carry two mobile devices, the iPhone for personal use, and the BlackBerry Bold for professional use. I have always used BlackBerrys professionally and am just used to it. I know how to get what I need from it. I use the iPhone as a large iPod.
What is your favorite mobile application?
A CRM application built by Pyxis Mobile. It is connected to our expense management system and enables me to complete my expense reports while on the road. On the personal side I love MLB at Bat. When you see MLB at Bat on an iPad it is amazing. It is better than the programs you get at the game.
What industries do you see adopting mobility?
Financial services is big for us. Seventy percent of our business is still in financial services. We have developed complete trading systems on mobile devices for some customers. Higher education is big for us. We have developed all kinds of mobile applications for universities that show class schedules, grades, etc. Emerging markets for us are in manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.
What business processes do you see companies mobilizing first?
Sales and field services to start, however, nowadays we are seeing a lot of B2C (business to consumer) application demand. Companies want to give mobile applications to their customers for product sales, branding, marketing and customer support.
What are some of the most surprising trends that you saw in mobility over the past 12 months?
B2C is the biggest trend - "There's an App for that!" Companies wanting to provide their customers with mobile applications.
What do you see happening in the near future, say 2010-2011?
Mobility vendors delivering on their promises and filling the missing "app gaps." Companies are now educated on mobility. They are now looking for complete solutions and mobility platforms to execute a full enterprise mobility strategy.
Tell me about some of the most interesting mobile applications you have seen in the market.
We have developed a mobile laundry application. It is a M2M (machine-to-machine) application. Laundry machines text students in the dorms when there is a machine available and when it is finished. Another application I love is from Concur Mobile. It helps you book travel, manage travel expenses, call taxis and have it all paid for by the credit card they have on file. No cash needed. You can also use it to photograph receipts and turn them in as well. Nice!
What are some of the most unusual mobile applications you have seen?
There is an application that consists of a website and a mobile application. The website shows a 2D barcode on the screen, and your iPhone captures the barcode and activates various games that use the accelerometer on the iPhone to control various objects in races. Very interesting!
When is a consumer oriented mobile device sufficient, and when do you need a ruggedized industrial grade device?
Consumer devices (smartphones) are capturing market share from industrial grade mobile handhelds. There is less interest in expensive rugged devices, because the service technician is carrying a smartphone anyway. If you buy expensive rugged devices, they will now have two devices to break. Many companies are simply buying rugged cases for smartphones.
What is the most complex mobile application that you have seen?
We developed entire mobile trading systems for use by companies in the financial services industry. Very complex! We developed a very sophisticated mobile application for Thomas Reuters that pulled data from dozens of different sources.
What are some of the biggest challenges you see in the mobile industry today?
Rapid changes to mobile operating systems and new mobile devices. Today Samsung announced a new mobile OS. Today enterprises use the same mobile OS as consumer devices so we need to stay on top of all of them.
What do you see from ERP vendors in mobility?
All ERPs have to mobilize their solutions. Pyxis Mobile is supporting all the majors, and we believe this is a competitive advantage.
What is still missing from MEAPs (mobile enterprise application platforms)?
I think MEAP vendors are simply taking different approaches. Some try to be ERP agnostic. Others focused on specific markets. I think the differences will be how effective you are with partners. Are you systems integrator friendly? Pyxis Mobile provides tools for SIs to develop and support new mobile applications. This is important!
How important is mobile device management to your customers?
It isn't. Our customers don't ask for it. Smartphones and online app stores seem to have resolved many of the earlier issues. Perhaps in the future our customers will ask for it.
How is Pyxis Mobile positioned?
We are the one mobility platform that enables all of a company's mobility needs including B2B and B2C. We cover mobile enterprise and consumer applications.
What are your thoughts on when thick/rich mobile clients are needed and when micro-apps or browser apps are needed?
We like rich native apps that optimize what you can do on each OS and mobile device.
Do your customers want to develop their own mobile applications using your Application Studio, or do they want you to develop it?
About 80% of our customers want us, or one of our systems integrator partners to develop the mobile application for them. They are not experienced, but we are.
Thanks for your time Chris!!!
To read more interviews in the Mobile Expert Interview series, visit:
- http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-interview-series.html
To watch videos of mobile expert interviews, visit:
- http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-video-series.html
For a weekly recap of mobility news, analysis and market numbers read:
- http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
Chris joined Pyxis in 1998. In 2001 the company became 100% focused on enterprise mobility.
What are some of the most surprising trends that you saw in mobility over the past 12 months?
What are some of the most unusual mobile applications you have seen?
Thanks for your time Chris!!!
To read more interviews in the Mobile Expert Interview series, visit:
- http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-interview-series.html
To watch videos of mobile expert interviews, visit:
- http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-video-series.html
For a weekly recap of mobility news, analysis and market numbers read:
- http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
New Research Shows the Importance of Mobility to SAP Customers
I received an email today from a firm that just completed face to face meetings with over 100 SAP customers. In these meetings the SAP customers identified the SAP solutions they would like to learn more about and then prioritized them. The fifth hottest topic among these SAP customers was SAP enterprise mobility. NICE!
SAP, systems integrators and enterprise mobility vendors should all take note of this research. SAP's customers are wanting to learn more about enterprise mobility. SAP's SDN site, this blog, the SAP Enterprise Mobility group on Linkedin, and Kevin's Mobility News Weekly are all sites dedicated to sharing information on enterprise mobility.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
SAP, systems integrators and enterprise mobility vendors should all take note of this research. SAP's customers are wanting to learn more about enterprise mobility. SAP's SDN site, this blog, the SAP Enterprise Mobility group on Linkedin, and Kevin's Mobility News Weekly are all sites dedicated to sharing information on enterprise mobility.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
M2M - Growth Opportunities for MNOs in Developed Markets
The new M2M analyst report that I just finished has now been uploaded and is available on the Maximizing Wireless Profits website. M2M, machine-to-machine communications, is a very intriguing market. It is closely related to enterprise mobility in that mobile devices (embedded mobile devices, remote sensors and monitors) are collecting and sending data back to a central server. The audiences for this report are mobile network operators (MNOs), M2M and mobile enterprise software companies.
Handset driven customer growth has reached the saturation point in many regions of the world and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are looking for new applications, new markets and new technologies for their next phase of growth. Machine to machine (M2M) devices and applications are an area of wireless data usage with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 25% per year through 2014 and a projected need for up to 50 billion M2M devices by 2025. In addition, low churn rates, low acquisition and operational costs, expected long product lifecycles, and a market that needs many additional value added services makes this a compelling market opportunity for many MNOs.
Why is the M2M market interesting for enterprises? Nearly all high value assets and equipment that are remote or mobile could benefit from having an embedded mobile device in sensors and monitors that provide information wirelessly back to the asset management and tracking system at the office. Pressure gauges, measurements, volumes, temperatures, operating hours, mileage, etc., can all be collected and wirelessly sent to the central management system.
When a piece of remote equipment begins having problems, an alert can be wirelessly sent to the asset management and work order management system so repairs can be scheduled. Maintenance schedules can also be set based upon data collected by remote monitors.
Embedded mobile devices can also be implemented to both send and receive data. Some M2M systems provide the capability for instructions to be sent to remote monitors that will change settings on equipment. I have read about large trucks having their engines adjusted remotely to improve performance or fuel mileage.
I believe that mobile enterprise application platforms (MEAPs) may expand to support M2M data integration that will be used by enterprise asset management systems and service optimization solutions like SAP's mobility partner ClickSoftware at some point. The data, whether coming from a smartphone or a remote sensor, looks the same to the platform. It is just data coming in wirelessly to the system.
There are some very interesting M2M companies like Enfora that are offering a wide range of specialized M2M devices, services and systems. Enfora is a provider of wireless networking solutions that enable enterprises to access, analyze and leverage information from their geographically dispersed assets. It is interesting to read about how their solutions are being implemented and the ROIs their customers are experiencing.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile & M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
Handset driven customer growth has reached the saturation point in many regions of the world and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are looking for new applications, new markets and new technologies for their next phase of growth. Machine to machine (M2M) devices and applications are an area of wireless data usage with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 25% per year through 2014 and a projected need for up to 50 billion M2M devices by 2025. In addition, low churn rates, low acquisition and operational costs, expected long product lifecycles, and a market that needs many additional value added services makes this a compelling market opportunity for many MNOs.
Why is the M2M market interesting for enterprises? Nearly all high value assets and equipment that are remote or mobile could benefit from having an embedded mobile device in sensors and monitors that provide information wirelessly back to the asset management and tracking system at the office. Pressure gauges, measurements, volumes, temperatures, operating hours, mileage, etc., can all be collected and wirelessly sent to the central management system.
When a piece of remote equipment begins having problems, an alert can be wirelessly sent to the asset management and work order management system so repairs can be scheduled. Maintenance schedules can also be set based upon data collected by remote monitors.
Embedded mobile devices can also be implemented to both send and receive data. Some M2M systems provide the capability for instructions to be sent to remote monitors that will change settings on equipment. I have read about large trucks having their engines adjusted remotely to improve performance or fuel mileage.
I believe that mobile enterprise application platforms (MEAPs) may expand to support M2M data integration that will be used by enterprise asset management systems and service optimization solutions like SAP's mobility partner ClickSoftware at some point. The data, whether coming from a smartphone or a remote sensor, looks the same to the platform. It is just data coming in wirelessly to the system.
There are some very interesting M2M companies like Enfora that are offering a wide range of specialized M2M devices, services and systems. Enfora is a provider of wireless networking solutions that enable enterprises to access, analyze and leverage information from their geographically dispersed assets. It is interesting to read about how their solutions are being implemented and the ROIs their customers are experiencing.
***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile & M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
***************************************************
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