**As published in RCR Wireless News**

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. – For all the momentum Google’s Android operating system is enjoying of late, there are some key areas that many executives believe Apple has it beat on with the iPhone OS. These differentiating features – billing, user interface, development ease and scale (for at least the time being) — are nothing to scoff at either.

Now, with the iPad already surpassing 1 million units sold in as many months, there’s a reinvigorated sense of interest and easy-to-understand business reasons for placing more focus and investment in Apple’s mobile flavor.

A crowded panel of eight representing big media and publishers at Digital Hollywood yesterday spent considerable time heaping praise and wonder on Apple’s latest gadget. Later on, the OS offerings from BlackBerry, Google, Microsoft and HP-Palm got their fair shake, but Apple kept cropping up as the main draw. Read more

**As published in RCR Wireless News**

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Kicking off a panel dedicated to video on smartphones at Digital Hollywood yesterday, The Nielsen Co.’s VP of mobile media presented some astonishing statistics that frame the intense battle that’s getting underway between Google Inc.’s Android operating system and Apple Inc.’s iPhone.

Citing fresh data that the research firm put together just in time for the event, Jerry Rocha said smartphones running on the Android operating systems are beating or tying with the iPhone in many use categories. Time will tell whether Android users will maintain their high use data services, but if the trend stays on track Apple might be outdone at its own game very soon.

Android users are outperforming iPhone users on location-based services and mobile video while both user groups are in a dead heat for mobile Internet use at an overall rate of 88%, Rocha said. Data services on the Android operating system has taken off in just the past couple quarters and is currently running at a year-over-year growth rate of 352%, he added. Read more

**As published in RCR Wireless News**

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. – Throughout the LA Games Conference, two names kept resurfacing whenever the topic of mobile was broached – iPad and Android.

It should come as no surprise why the iPad is almost universally seen as an opportunity for game makers. Just look at the prices developers are charging for apps on the iPad and compare that to the so-called sweet spot app price of 99 cents on the iPhone.

From the tone of at least a few developers represented at the annual conference, the iPhone may be left behind as the path to greater profits per app gains momentum on Apple’s latest gadget. Read more

**As published in RCR Wireless News**

LAS VEGAS — In a dark, ambient-lit room with music from Blue Man Group blaring to get the crowd in the mood, Samsung Mobile today announced its latest smartphone, the Galaxy S.

The 4-inch super AMOLED touchscreen device runs on Android 2.1 and a 1 GHz processor developed by Samsung. At 9.9mm thin, the device packs all of the latest smartphone technology into the “thinnest, full-featured smartphone in the galaxy,” said Omar Khan, SVP of strategy, products and services at Samsung.

The technology juggernaut also took the opportunity to introduce S Life or Smart Life – a custom-built user experience that tweaks and improves the content and features smartphone users demand in a more cohesive environment. There’s also a Daily Briefing feature, which gathers custom information from a series of widgets and delivers them to the user on demand. Read more

**As published in RCR Wireless News**

BARCELONA – As the second day of Mobile World Congress came to a close, the chairman and CEO of the seemingly dark horse not-so-long ago, Google, presented his thesis for why he thinks the ecosystem supporting mobility is coalescing around a point that will be “fundamental to human existence.”

Eric Schmidt outlined three factors – computing, connectivity and the cloud – that will be paramount to delivering a richer, more dynamic and personally fulfilling experience on mobile.

“It’s like magic. All of a sudden there are things you can do that you never thought were possible,” he said. Read more

**As published in RCR Wireless News**

BARCELONA – HTC showed no signs of slowing today as it announced a refresh to its HTC Sense user-interface overlay and a trio of new smartphones. Indeed, CEO Peter Chou said he expects the device maker to be among the top three smartphone suppliers by 2013.

While noting the difficulties the mobile industry went through as a whole last year, Chou boasted it “was the most significant year in our history.”

After raising the brand’s profile considerably during 2009, HTC is continuing to refine Sense and pursuing smartphone market share growth even more aggressively, he said during a morning press conference. Read more

Verizon Wireless took another firm step toward opening its network today after paying lip service to the idea for more than a year. In a joint announcement featuring the top executives at the carrier and Google, Verizon announced plans to begin selling devices that run on the Android operating system.

For the time being, T-Mobile USA has had the exclusive on Android devices in the U.S., but other carriers are quickly coming to the table. After holding off since the first Google-powered device launched last October, it appears there will now be a close match to see which of the top four carriers will adopt the Android ecosystem last.

The two companies didn’t offer many details about the forthcoming Android devices, but said a pair of devices will be released in the coming weeks. Verizon and Google said they will also work together on developing a suite of Android-powered products, including phones, netbooks and other devices. Read more

** As published in RCR Wireless News **

SAN FRANCISCO – The spark that led Motorola Inc. Co-CEO Sanjay Jha to reinvigorate his company’s relationship with Google Inc. was similar to two drunks finding each other in a bar, or at least that is what Jha half-jokingly explained at this week’s Mobilize conference in San Francisco.

As was widely expected, Jha took the stage to announce Motorola’s plan for a new lineup of devices that run on Google’s Android operating system. Read more