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A shortage of electronic components is making it difficult for wireless equipment makers to meet the demands of wireless operators that are trying to upgrade their networks or sell the latest next-generation smartphone. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, component makers reduced their production during the recession, but now that demand has accelerated they are scurrying to ramp up and deliver components to their customers. Thus, equipment makers such as Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) and Alcatel-Lucent (NASDAQ:ALU) are on the hunt for new suppliers with components on hand.

The fallout from the components shortage is making it difficult for AT&T (NYSE: T), which has been trying to upgrade its network, to ease capacity issues. The company has said that it doesn’t expect the component shortage to ease before the end of the summer.

Component shortages are also impacting Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), which last month said shortages of screens produced by Samsung are making it difficult to deliver the popular HTC Incredible smartphone to consumers as quickly as desired.

In May, Alcatel-Lucent said a component shortage in the first quarter meant it was unable to fulfill some orders from customers, leading to a decline in revenue and a wider net loss.

For more:
- see this WSJ article (sub req.)

Related Articles:
Alcatel-Lucent hit by component shortage, slumps to wider loss
Verizon CEO: Component shortages hampering supply of HTC Incredible

FierceWireless

Steve Jobs is expected to announced the new iPhone 4, today at WDDC. Some analysts have compiled some factoids and opinions. His announcement will start at 10:00 PDT.

iSuppli Corp, reminded us, Apple in the first quarter shipped 8.8 million iPhones, giving it a 3.04 percent share of the market for all kinds of cell phones. Company shipments rose by 0.2 percent from 8.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2009, giving Apple the No. 6 position in the market in the first quarter, up from ninth place in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Apple’s strong iPhone sales are boosting its Macintosh sales. The company was the only U.S. PC OEM that managed to outperform the PC market in the first quarter. Apple’s PC shipments rose by 32.4 percent from a year earlier.

Adam Leach, principal analyst at Ovum, said: “In three short years the iPhone has become the industry benchmark for high-end smartphones and the fourth generation device will only reinforce this view. The success of the iPhone is down to a number of interrelated factors. First, Apple created a device with a genuinely unique user experience, one that consumers still find engaging and easy to use. Second, Apple wrapped this user experience into a well designed and sleek form factor. Third, the company created an end-to-end platform that integrates Apple’s own services (eg iTunes) as well as third party services onto the device (through the hugely successful App Store).
“But perhaps more important subsequently has been Apple’s ability to build and motivate a large and active developer community that produces content, in the form of apps, exclusively for the device. This ecosystem of developers and the value they bring to the platform, as well as to consumers, is the hardest aspect of the iPhone proposition for other companies to replicate, especially given the reluctance of developers to support multiple software platforms. It is also the reason Apple is so keen to protect this community from disintermediation by the open web and hence its rather tough stance with Adobe over Flash.

“However, the iPhone 4G faces much stiffer competition than its predecessors. The rise of Google Android over the last two years has been phenomenal and is allowing manufacturers to create appealing alternatives to the iPhone; critically at cheaper prices. These handsets are more than just iPhone clones. The risk to Apple is that these devices offer greater freedom with available content and may prove more appealing, if it offers the right user and developer experience, than a device with Apple approved content only. This may ultimately be what puts the brakes on unlimited iPhone growth.”

WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

MetroPCS (NYSE:PCS) is preparing to enter into the Android game with the launch of a smartphone made by Motorola (NYSE:MOT), according to leaked pictures and descriptions from the blog AndroidGuys.

The unnamed device is reported to run on Android 2.1 and Motorola’s MotoBLUR user interface. The device has a slide-out Qwerty keyboard and a 3-megapixel camera. There is no rumored price or release date. A MetroPCS spokesman declined to comment and a Motorola spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If confirmed, it would be the latest example of Google’s mobile platform moving to smaller, regional carriers. Last month regional wireless operator Cincinnati Bell introduced its new Android-powered Blaze smartphone for after a rebate and with a two-year service contract. Additionally, Cellular South said yesterday it will be launching the Motorola Milestone (better known as the Motorola Droid in the United States) later this summer.

MetroPCS’ chief prepaid rival, Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP), has not formally announced its first Android phone, but the carrier is expected to support the Kyocera Zio M6000 later this year.

For more:
- see this AndroidGuys post
- see this Electronista post
- see this Cellular South page

Related Articles:
Cincinnati Bell takes Android local with Blaze, Nexus One
Sprint may join Leap in offering Kyocera’s Android phone

FierceWireless

To the surprise of few, Apple Inc. unveiled its latest iPhone iteration yesterday and like every previous version of the device domestic availability will continue through AT&T Mobility.
RCR Wireless News

SAN FRANCISCO – Although millions of fanboys and industry watchers have already seen what turned out to be the new iPhone 4 today, Apple Inc.
RCR Wireless News

AT&T Mobility’s (NYSE:T) decision to move to usage-based pricing for mobile broadband has sparked a great deal of discussion and criticism around the wireless industry. It also could push smartphone owners (via WiFi) to stream more video and access more data over the wired, uncapped broadband networks of cable operators. However, Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt said it’s clear that the cable industry too will move toward usage-based pricing. Article (sub. req.)

FierceWireless

For those of you who casually follow the industry, we are entering (or in some cases, have entered) the telecom strategic planning season.
RCR Wireless News

Ground Truth, in their study of mobile media usage
in the United States by time of day, found that in the
month of April, 32 percent of daily page views occurred between 7:00
p.m. and midnight, with the highest volume occurring at 9:00 p.m., local
time.

Previous studies show similar stats, people browse the web while watching TV and the number one place for usage is of course the bathroom according to ThirdScreen Media.

From 4 a.m. onwards, Mobile Internet usage (as
measured in page view consumption) climbs steadily throughout the day,
with usage intensifying after 6:00 p.m. and peaking at 9:00 p.m., when
7.2 percent of all page views occurred. Throughout the workday (9:00
a.m. until 5:00 p.m.), an average of 54 percent of Mobile Internet users
browse content, with workday usage heaviest around 4:00 p.m.

Mobile is, indeed, an ‘always-on’ medium says Evan Neufeld, vice
president, marketing, Ground Truth.

On an
average day, more than half of all Mobile Internet users are accessing
the Mobile Internet from the moment they wake up until they put their
phone down on their bedside tables.

“Clearly, the Mobile Internet is becoming part of primetime
television whether advertisers and media companies are ready for it or
not,” observed Neufeld.

“This data reveals a new opportunity for advertisers to extend their
campaigns while viewers are simultaneously engaged with their favorite
programs and mobile devices, and for broadcasters to integrate mobile
into their viewing experience, increasing advertising inventory while
keeping viewers tuned in.”

WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

Verizon is showing continued support for Android an’ Droid smartphones which are very popular.  So popular you may have to week a few weeks before getting your HTC Droid Incredible.

Tomorrow Verizon is expected launch V CAST for Droid
Incredible, Droid
Eris, Droid,
Moto
Devour, and LG
Ally.

They often pick and pull Android Apps they think Verizon customers will like.  Here are their most recent picks.

• Qik Video 2.0 allows customers to record and
  share video with friends and family via their favorite social networks,
  including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
• Twitter, the official Android app, allows customers
  to tweet; send direct messages; share photos, videos and links; search;
  and more.
• Mint.com Personal Finance is the top financial
  management app. Customers can view all of their accounts in one place,
  set budgets, track their spending and find personalized savings.

In other realms of Android an’ Droid apps they suggest:

• Mediafly Video + Audio Podcasts offers
  high-quality
  video streams of popular channels, including NBC and ESPN, and gives
  customers a way to organize and discover their podcasts and audio, video
  and radio streams.
• TuneWiki Social Media Player
  shows subtitled lyrics
  as customers listen to music, watch music videos or stream songs.
• Dropbox
  allows customers to create a Dropbox folder
  on their Android devices, which they can sync to their computers to
  browse and share files.

Best of Android
an’ Droid Apps Page.
Top Ten (Plus) Best Coolest Free

Android an’ Droid Apps Review of Reviews.
Review of
Reviews Best

Top Free Android Apps T-Mobile G1 and T-Mobile myTouch 3G.
Top

Best Android Apps 2Day: Top

Ten Paid Android Apps Full of Tools.
Top

10 Free Android Apps 2Day: Weather, Rings and Jokes.

WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

It looks like the well-reviewed HTC EVO 4G is an overnight success, so successful, it’s stressing  the Sprint activation system and selling out in some stores

The super smartphone that is first to support 4G went on sale this morning at Sprint, Radio Shack and Best Buy. 

Our local Radio Shack Store sold-out of the HTC EVO 4G by 9:00 am this morning. Aother Radio Shack store sold out later around 11:00 pm. Some stores experienced activation problems.

There were around 30 people in line at the Pasadena Sprint Store in Old Pasadena this morning waiting for the HTC EVO 4G, a store rep told us,  by lunch time there were four people in line and that their stock wouldn’t last until the end of today.


MicroSD Glitch Fixed with OTA Update:

Users have reported
problems accessing the microSD card. HTC spokesman Keith Nowak told
Engadget that HTC identified the cause of problem of “insufficient file
permissions”  and other errors when attempting to write to the included 8
GB microSD on the HTC EVO 4G and
there’s an OTA fix coming “very shortly.

The Over the Air fix
version 1.32.651.6 is currently being pushed out to the HTC EVO 4G.
The1.32.651.6
update also fixes a potential security
vulnerability. Users can manually install he update, go to Settings >
System
Updates > HTC software update and follow the instructions.

You can read HTC EVO 4G User Guide or the  Getting Started Guide, online

.HTC EVO 4G
reviewers called the Android super phone, “everything a
geek could dream of,” “a beautiful and powerful window to the world,”
and the touchscreen “mesmerizing.” The major new features of the HTC
EVO 4G include a huge 4.3 touchscreen, 4G (WiMAX faster data
access), data and voice at the same time at 4G, and ability to work as a
Wi-Fi hotspot.

Click here for Wirefly’s HTC EVO price.

WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS