Smartphones - Beyond Voice to Information and Entertainment

Investments in shares of wireless technology companies and wireless service providers have been particularly profitable in the post-dot com era. The wireless industry is in a sweet spot of the technology space. Bountiful business opportunities exist as wireless usage continues to increase in both developed and emerging markets. And driving this usage higher are new products such as smartphones whose capabilities are being augmented by the deployment of third generation (3G) wireless networks.

Feature-Rich Smartphones.

Smartphones are more than mobile phones. A smartphone is a mobile phone with built-in functions of a personal digital assistant. Smartphones pack a diverse range of features and functionalities into the handset that makes them a mobile information center and entertainment device for the user.

Smartphones commonly include features such as web browsing, e-mail, and multimedia capabilities. Certain models have enough horse power to run complex software applications such as enterprise customer relationship software and car navigation programs.

A full-featured QWERTY-type keyboard, MP3 player, and Geo Positioning Systems capability are becoming common among higher-end smartphones. Instant messaging is a cool feature making its way into the mainstream.

Smartphones, A Growing Segment of the Handset Market.

Smartphones represent a small, yet rapidly growing, segment of the handset market. According to Strategy Analytics, smartphone sales at 17.5 million units in 2004 accounted for 3% of the worldwide sales of 684 million handsets. However, this represents a significant jump from the 8.2 million units sold in 2003.

The demand for smartphones is projected to grow rapidly in the coming years. By 2009, the number of smartphone units sold is estimated to reach 125 million or 16% of total handset sales worldwide. This implies a 48% compound annual growth rate in smartphone unit shipments over the 2004-2009 period.

Smartphone Early Adoption Led by Asia and Europe.

Adoption of smartphones has been particularly rapid in Asia and Europe. The aggressive deployment of advanced wireless networks in these regions has encouraged early adoption of smartphones.

The Asia Pacific region currently accounts for about 37% of global smartphone sales with South Korea and Japan being leaders in smartphone usage. The European market accounts for 27% of global smartphone sales. Analysts expect smartphone sales in Europe to exceed sales in the Asian market in the coming years. North America’s market share in smartphone sales was expected to reach 25% by the end of 2004.

Nokia, the 800 lb. Gorilla of Smartphones.

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is by far the dominant global smartphone manufacturer. The Finnish company is currently estimated to command half to two-thirds share of the global smartphone market.

Nokia recently introduced its feature-rich Nokia 7710 smartphone in Europe and Africa. The wide-screen Nokia 7710 smartphone includes a full Internet browser, an integrated music player, a camera with 2x digital zoom, and a FM radio. One of the nifty features of the Nokia 7710 smartphone is its ability to make weblogging mobile. Users can post pictures and text from the Nokia 7710 smartphone directly to the web through the ‘moblog’ client.

Nokia is also expected to introduce the Nokia 3230 smartphone in the first quarter of 2005. The Nokia 3230 smartphone features a video recorder and ‘Movie Director’ that will allow 1 hour of video to be captured.

Nokia is now increasingly looking at software licensing deals to help differentiate itself from its competitors. Nokia has recently signed licensing deals with Macromedia and RealNetworks. Nokia is also said to be working on handsets that will receive wireless television feeds.

Smartphone Investment Implications.

The increasing adoption of smartphones augurs well not only for Nokia but also for other smartphone manufacturers like palmOne (Nasdaq: PLMO) and Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM). palmOne recently introduced the GSM edition of its Treo 650 smartphone. Research in Motion recently released the latest model in its BlackBerry 7100 series, the 7100g.

The incorporation of additional features and functionalities that make smartphones the portable information center and entertainment device of choice has bullish implications beyond just manufacturers of smartphones.

Wireless service providers like Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) should see their average revenue per user being buffeted with increasing use of value-added services that smartphones enable.

Then too, the increasing adoption and usage of smartphones will require the rollout of 3G wireless networks in earnest, translating into business opportunities for wireless network equipment providers such as Ericsson (Nasdaq: ERICY).

Notes: This report is for information purposes only. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer to buy or sell securities or to give individual investment advice. This report does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs of any specific person who may receive this report. The information contained in this report is obtained from various sources believed to be accurate and is provided without warranties of any kind. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC does not represent that this information, including any third party information, is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC is not responsible for any errors or omissions herein. Opinions expressed herein reflect the opinion of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC and are subject to change without notice. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC disclaims any liability for any direct or incidental loss incurred by applying any of the information in this report. The third-party trademarks or service marks appearing within this report are the property of their respective owners. All other trademarks appearing herein are the property of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. Copyright © 2005 AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. All rights reserved.

Sam Subramanian, PhD, MBA is Managing Principal of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. He edits the AlphaProfit Sector Investors’ Newsletter?, a publication that discusses investments using Fidelity mutual funds. For the 5 year period ending December 31, 2004, during which the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index declined 6.9%, the AlphaProfit model portfolios increased by up to 186.2%, an average annual return of 23.4%. To learn more about AlphaProfit and to subscribe to the FREE newsletter, visit http://www.alphaprofit.com .

Your Company and Your Office Phone System

The telephone is an extremely important piece of equipment and a good office phone system is at the centre of any smoothly run company. In today’s modern corporate environment it is impossible to do business without them. A good office phone system enables you to stay in touch with your staff and your customers at all times, helping to improve the profitability and efficiency of your company.

By using your office phone system to take advantage of features such as voice mail and call forwarding. You will be able manage all incoming calls and direct callers to the correct department. By implementing a multi line office phone system, your customers will be able to call on more than one line, increasing the efficiency of your office. You can even set up some office phone systems with distinctive ring tones, again allowing you to direct certain callers to other departments within your company.

Some handsets for your office phone system can be easily programmed to suit the individual needs of a user. You will be able to make use of speed dialling by programming frequently used telephone numbers into the handset, thus increasing the efficiency of your office phone system.

If you search the internet there are many different types of office phone systems available. You need to do your research thoroughly and take great care on deliberating which office phone system to purchase. The internet is a great source of information on different types of office phone system. There are many suppliers out there, be sure to choose a reputable one that will supply you with a system that fulfils your requirements and allows for future growth. Be wary of companies trying to sell you a product that you will never make full use of. A good supplier/ installer will work with you on deciding which features you require from your office phone system.

Thanks for reading,

Jason

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Jason Morris is co-author of Business Phone Systems Direct. An established communications company, offering advice and implementation of high quality business phone systems.
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The Convenience Of Prepaid Wireless Service And Phone Cards

Prepaid wireless service and phone cards are a convenient, reliable way to make prepaid local, long distance and international calls. In the old days it was very expensive and almost prohibitive to make a call overseas, especially to countries like Germany, France, Russia or Taiwan; never mind just to the next state.

Today however, rates have dropped dramatically. Simply buy minutes in advance and use your prepaid wireless service and phone cares whenever you want to make a call.

Use it for business or pleasure.

Prepaid Wireless Service and phone cards are a very convenient and cost effective.

If you’re away from home and need to make a call you simply run down the minutes on your card.

Looking for the right gift? Sending kids off to school? Need to call in an emergency? Prepaid wireless service can be the solution.

In choosing the best prepaid wireless service it’s best to analyze your calling pattern and whether you primarily call long distance within the U.S. or overseas. Knowing your calling habits will allow you to save even more money.

About The Author

Mike Yeager, Publisher

http://www.a1-longdistance-4u.com/

mjy610@hotmail.com

New Tips For Shopping Cellular Services

The best money saving practice for buying new cellular phones and service plans is to buy from a dealer, not through the cellular provider directly. Dealers compete against each other with lower prices than the actual cellular providers do.

The reason for this is that dealers are much smaller and rely solely on cell phone revenues. The actual cellular providers themselves have many other fronts, battles, and sources of revenue, so price satisfaction in any one sector is not always available.

For Example: AT&T or Verizon has cellular, but also have local phone service, long distance, satellite, and so forth. A dealer only sells cellular; that’s it. Dealers usually will offer just about every existing cellular provider’s services so the convenience of one stop shopping is an additional feature.

Online dealers are the most convenient source for shopping and comparing plans. You can shop low dealer priced plans from online and save even more.

A great and smart idea, before you buy into any cellular service plan, is to have a friend or family member let you borrow their phone(s) for a day at the least. By doing this you can travel to all of your frequent hotspots to make sure you will receive decent signaling with that cellular provider on a regular basis. Just taking someone’s word for it is not good enough, especially if they are trying to sell you the service. Try a test drive; it’s your smartest bet. Remember, purchasing the best plan will be worthless if you can never use your phone. Coverage is the first factor to any cellular plan ? period.

If you have friends with a diverse set of cellular providers, try each one out to determine which one is most reliable for your daily activities. Take your friends feedback as well; they will be very helpful on subjects of billing, quality of service, and other important consumer information.

This article was written by Aaron Siegel of TopSavings.Net which offers residential, business, and governments voice and Internet communications. Cell Phones

Services available at the site include VoIP, Internet Access, Long Distance, Local Phone Services, Toll-Free Services, Intranet Access, Cellular Services, and more.