AT&T hopes for single smartphone OS

by Stephen Lawson
AT&T hopes to standardize on a single operating system for AT&T-branded smartphones as part of a "dramatic consolidation" of its mobile platforms over the next few years, a company executive said Thursday.
The mobile operator believes smartphones will make up the largest portion of devices connecting to its network by about 2014, and it wants to avoid the fragmentation of platforms that has made it hard to develop mobile applications, said Roger Smith, director of next generation services, data product realization at AT&T. Speaking at the Symbian Partner Event in San Francisco, he said Symbian is "a very credible and likely candidate" to become that one operating system.
The consolidation effort is focused on a completely AT&T-branded smartphone, distinct from the iPhone and other products that may use AT&T's network, Smith said in an interview following his speech. The iPhone is actually a third-party device that takes advantage of AT&T services, such as voice, voicemail and SMS (Short Message Service), he said.
If there are AT&T-branded smartphones on many different platforms, "Whose support nightmare is that? It's ours," Smith said.
The event is taking place at a time of transition for Symbian and the whole mobile industry. On Tuesday, Nokia completed its acquisition of Symbian, the latest step in a process that eventually will make Symbian an open-source operating system under the planned Symbian Foundation. That foundation can now enter operational mode, beginning efforts such as recruitment, and Thursday's event probably is the last one put on by Symbian itself, said Jorgen Behrens, Symbian's executive vice president of marketing. The consortium, of which Nokia has been the largest shareholder, has been overseeing the operating system since 1998.
The mobile industry hasn't been effective at offering compelling user experiences, and one key problem has been fragmentation, AT&T's Smith said. AT&T has placed a lot of emphasis on Java as a platform for mobile applications but has ended up with a fragmented platform, he said, adding that the carrier hasn't managed Java well. There are many more operating systems for mobile phones than for PCs, even within a single manufacturer or carrier, and Java was once seen as a tool to simplify developing applications for all those platforms. But as in the PC universe, it has come under criticism for not fulfilling that promise.
In addition, Java doesn't allow developers to go deeply enough into a phone's software stack to deliver the kinds of experiences customers want, Smith said. So instead of trying to solve Java's fragmentation, AT&T will try to standardize on as few operating systems as possible, and preferably open platforms, he said. That will give third-party developers more opportunity to reach AT&T subscribers with mobile applications, he said.
Mobile data services could "out-value" the Web by adding location awareness and personalized search, Smith said. But as the economy sags and subscriber growth in the U.S. slows, carriers can't keep relying on pulling more revenue out of subscribers to pay for it, he said. AT&T will push for many more advertising-based services over the next year or two, he said. Other possibilities include mobile banking and shopping services that generate transaction fees, and business-to-consumer or business-to-business applications in areas such as health care or transportation. Businesses themselves would pay for those in order to realize greater efficiencies, he said.

BlackBerry Storm bridges business and lifestyle

by Tom Yager
The new BlackBerry 9530, sold in the United States as the Verizon Storm, has the familiar fingertip navigation and flick-to-scroll gesture common to most widescreen phones. Apart from that, the Verizon Storm is very much its own device, unmistakably a BlackBerry in its strong messaging, connectivity, and extensibility, but carried to a new level of usability by a touchscreen display and a redesigned GUI.
The iPhone, T-Mobile G1, and Touch Diamond have Wi-Fi; Verizon Storm does not. For some readers, the absence of Wi-Fi and the inferior Web browser (RIM's is barely serviceable) will add up to a showstopper. I can't keep you from blowing off the Storm for the lack of WLAN, but I'd advise that you'd be making a mistake to do it without at least looking at the smartphone yourself.
[ Competition among business smartphones is heating up. See InfoWorld's guide to next-gen mobile and Test Center reviews of iPhone 3G, T-Mobile G1, Palm Treo Pro, and HP iPaq 910c. ]
RIM had to make some sacrifices to bring the 9530 to Verizon for less than US$200. This isn't a device that RIM could stamp out from its standard QWERTY template. Everything is new, and until the R&D is paid down by volume, something had to give. In the Verizon Storm, Wi-Fi got the chop. If this inclines you to blow off this handset, I suggest you take a beat. Omitting Wi-Fi made room for an enormous combination of features you don't find in sub-$200 devices. It's a matter of balance, and I consider the scales tipped decisively in the buyer's favor.
Getting past Wi-Fi
For file transfers, Verizon Storm works as a mountable USB Storage Class device; no drivers or proprietary client software is required. Storm operates on CDMA/EvDO and GSM/UMTS 3G networks, so it's global without caveats; plus, once you've paid your debt to Verizon, it will jump with you to any carrier you choose. Verizon bundles a removable 8GB SD (Secure Digital) card, and its data plan supports tethering, so you can use the phone to connect your notebook to Verizon's network with functionality identical to Verizon's very popular cell data access dongles/cards. Verizon client software for Macs and PCs configures the Storm as a modem automatically, but even that utility is optional.
Verizon Storm's tower-triangulation-assisted GPS powers Google Maps, E-911, location-aware Java and JavaScript applications, and VZ Nav, a very cool voice-enabled turn-by-turn navigator. VZ Nav gets a fast fix on your location down to the street address, and if someone wonders where you are, you can e-mail or text them your whereabouts from within the navigator. I have yet to determine whether VZ Nav is trialware, as Sprint Navigator is on Touch Diamond, but with Verizon Storm's loudspeaker and big display, I'd pay for it or my prevailing BlackBerry turn-by-turn favorite, TeleNav.