Recent study shows Android phone repair cost telcos billions

Fitting older versions of Google's Inc popular Android software to cheaper cellphones could send the repair costs of global telecoms operators up as much as $2 billion, a study by wireless services firm WDS showed. Costly hardware failures are more common on Android devices than on Apple Inc iPhones and Research In Motion Inc BlackBerry phones, which have strict control over the components used in their devices, WDS data showed.

Cheaper Android models, costing as little as $100 to make, have helped Android emerge as the dominant platform in smartphones, attracting dozens of manufacturers ranging from Samsung Electronics Co Ltd to no-brand Asian vendors. "While this price point sounds very attractive, when you look at a total cost of ownership its a different story," said Tim Deluca-Smith, Vice President of Marketing at WDS, which offers device management and call centre services to operators.

Proving to be a bit expensive for the telcos

Android's share of the global smartphone market rose to 57 percent in the third quarter from 25 percent a year earlier and just 3 percent two years earlier, boosted by the success of models from Samsung, HTC Corp and Sony Ericsson, according to research firm Canalys. Deluca-Smith said that, while Android has helped take smartphones to masses of people, it has come at a cost, especially when telecommunications operators roll out cheaper devices from less-known brands. "At the moment, Android is a bit of the Wild West," he said. He said returning a device costs an operator on average 80 British pounds in service costs, transport fees or in the costs of replacing of the device. The study covered 600,000 technical support calls taken by WDS across Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia.

source:    http://tech2.in.com/news/smartphones/recent-study-shows-android-phone-repair-cost-telcos-billions/254152

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Android Devices , Android hardware , Android OS , Android Platform , Android Repair , Android Smartphones , Google Android , Google Inc

Google to gain from growing mobile focus: analysts

Analysts cheered Google Inc's quarterly results and set a target of as much as $720 on the stock - suggesting a near 30 percent rise from current levels - and said the Internet search giant could emerge a "top mobile play." On Thursday, Google reported a 26-percent rise in third-quarter earnings - ahead of market estimates - helped by growing online ad market and sharper research focus. Accelerating revenue growth in Google's international business, particularly from emerging markets, and its mobile business contributed to the 28-percent increase in paid click growth, according to analysts.

Riding strong

BofA Merrill Lynch analysts see Google's third-quarter results signaling a positive trend for the sector and said they continue to expect a strong third quarter for eCommerce companies. They maintained a positive stance on eBay Inc and Amazon.com Inc. BofA Merrill Lynch maintained a "buy" rating on Google's stock, but lowered their price target to $720 from $740. Analysts at J.P. Morgan Securities, however, raised their price target on the stock to $705 from $685, and believe mobile was the biggest factor in Google's sharp acceleration in paid clicks growth. The revenue run rate for Google's mobile business is more than $2.5 billion, a significant leap from $1 billion just a year ago. It is plowing money into its fast-growing mobile business which competes with iPhone maker Apple Inc. The strong mobile revenue highlights the importance of Google's Android mobile software - already the world's most-used smartphone platform - and supports the rationale for its Motorola Mobility Holdings deal, the analysts said.

In August, Google announced plans to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. The deal will give Google access to one of the largest patent libraries in the wireless industry as well as hardware manufacturing operations that will allow it to develop its own line of smartphones. The increasing usage of tablets in a manner more similar to PCs than phones is helping drive incremental queries and paid clicks to Google, even if they are coming at a lower price for now, JP Morgan analysts, who rate the stock "overweight," said in a note to clients. "We expect this trend to continue, and for Google to be the primary beneficiary as it likely has 90 percent plus share of mobile search - even higher than on the desktop," they added. Google's Frankfurt-listed shares were trading up 8 percent on Friday. On Thursday, Google shares closed at $558.9 on Nasdaq.

source:  http://tech2.in.com/news/mobile-phones/google-to-gain-from-growing-mobile-focus-analysts/249042

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Google , Google Android , Google Mobile , Google Mobile App , Google Mobile Blog , Google Mobile Phone Tracking , Google Mobile Sync , Google mobiles , Motorola Mobility