The big boys of the cellphone world will work toward one mobile platform to rule them all. An alliance of 24 cellphone operators, including Vodafone, China Mobile and Sprint, wants to make it easier for developers to build and sell apps irrespective of device or technology. The group has a pool of over three billion customers.
Handset makers such as LG electronics, Samsung and Sony Ericsson as well as the industry body, GSM Association, are also in the band.
There are two reasons for this move. First, the apps world is lucrative. Research firm Gartner predicts that apps spending will hit US$6.2 billion this year with the number of downloads rising to 4.5 billion from 2.5 billion last years.
A common set of tools will challenge Apple’s dominance, with three billion apps downloads in 18 months. Currently, cellphone owners must jump through hoops to get different apps for different platforms – Symbian, Windows Mobile, iPhone, BlackBerry and Android.
With a common platform, handset owners will get myriad apps at their fingertips without the hassles of fragmentation. Whether Apple will agree, remain to be seen.
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Common platform for easier downloads
Handset makers such as LG electronics, Samsung and Sony Ericsson as well as the industry body, GSM Association, are also in the band.
There are two reasons for this move. First, the apps world is lucrative. Research firm Gartner predicts that apps spending will hit US$6.2 billion this year with the number of downloads rising to 4.5 billion from 2.5 billion last years.
A common set of tools will challenge Apple’s dominance, with three billion apps downloads in 18 months. Currently, cellphone owners must jump through hoops to get different apps for different platforms – Symbian, Windows Mobile, iPhone, BlackBerry and Android.
With a common platform, handset owners will get myriad apps at their fingertips without the hassles of fragmentation. Whether Apple will agree, remain to be seen.
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