Tag: mobile devices

Mobile devices now used by 94.5 percent of Chinese population

| July 23, 2015

According to some of the recent statistics from the country, this figure had been reached by the end of June.

A statement that was released by the Ministry of Industry in China has revealed that a massive 94.5 percent of people across the country were equipped with mobile devices – primarily phones – by the close of June, this year.

That is considered to be an official data report within the country and the stats will be those used by the government.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the statement based on the mobile devices data from the first half of this year. It revealed that this year, there were an additional 6.88 million new mobile phone users on top of the previous figure, which brought the total of users across the country to an estimated 1.29 billion. There was a 100 percent ownership penetration recorded for cell phone users 9 different provincial-level regions, which included the provinces of Zhejiang and of Guangdong, as well as in the cities of Beijing and Shanghai.

The mobile devices are seen as contributors to the spread of internet access in China.

Mobile Devices - People Shopping in ChinaFurthermore, the number of Chinese users who opted for broadband mobile internet services (including 3G and 4G) rose to the level of 674 million by the close of the first half of the year. It included 52.1 percent of all smartphone users.

That said, when it came to 4G mobile network, specifically, which is the internet service that is currently the fastest in the country and that is above and beyond other methods previously available in the country, has spiked to reach notably higher levels than in previous data collection. By the end of June, the recorded total had reached 24.69 million more than the figure that was recorded only one month beforehand.

This brought the total number of mobile devices connecting to 4G internet to 225 million. In a country in which home computers that were connected to the internet did not reach the levels that were recorded in many western nations such as those in Europe and the United States, this is clearly showing a rapid expansion of faster internet services to people who may not previously have had regular access to them.

BlackBerry smartphones could roll out with Android OS, this year

| July 14, 2015

The second half of 2015 may see a new device from the handset maker, based on Google’s mobile operating system.

The rumors are flying and reports are coming from every direction, suggesting that BlackBerry smartphones will soon have Android operating systems, despite the fact that at the time that this article was written, the company and its CEO have, so far, not confirmed any of the speculations.

The reports have now indicated that multiple smartphone models will be rolled out this year, using Android.

Though officially unconfirmed, virtually every sign is now indicating that BlackBerry smartphones will soon be produced based on the Android operating system. The company has even gone to the extent of purchasing two domain names “AndroidSecured.com” and “AndroidSecured.net”, which have to do with a statement that CEO John Chen had previously made on the subject. When asked if his company would be making mobile devices based on Android, his reply was that it would happen only if Google’s mobile operating system could be made to be far more secure.

BlackBerry smartphones operating on Android would still maintain some of the company’s own software functions.

Blackberry Smartphones & AndroidEven though it would have a different operating system, there would still be signs of the BlackBerry OS in terms of the software functions as well as the applications services, for example: BBM, BES12, and BlackBerry Blend. This according to a number of sources that have been reported by the media, but who have remained unnamed. They are, supposedly, from Foxconn, the manufacturer of the devices.

In order to boost the hardware’s competitive edge, BlackBerry has also broadened its hardware partnerships in order to include Wistron and Compal Electronics, in addition to the partner that it already has, Foxconn.

Many analysts in the industry feel that if Blackberry smartphones are rolled out with Android, it is very unlikely that the company will face losses as a result. The company does still maintain a strong brand image in a range of different markets. Moreover, its reputation in terms of security – particularly from its enterprise side – is essentially unparalleled. However, it is more than evident that changes need to be made in order to boost the value of the hardware business unit at BlackBerry, and to many, it feels as though this could be the move that would make that difference.