Posts Tagged ‘Blackberry’

Research in Motion (RIM) today launched a new smartphone, a device that is one of the most significant launches in the company’s history, according to RIM. The Torch carries the hopes of the entire company to give consumers a choice next to the iPhone and a wave of Android phones. It will be available on August 12 and ask you to shell out $200 for it. Will it succeed?

Given the hype that surrounds the most recent iPhone launch, Comscore’s latest market share numbers surely come as a surprise. The company found that Apple, RIM, Microsoft and Palm have lost market share in the three month period ending in May. Google was the only platform that gained – by more than 44%.

Apple’s iPhone is not the most popular handheld device for mobile web browsing in the U.S. anymore, according to one Internet analysis firm. As of June 10, RIM’s Blackberry has surpassed the iPhone in market share, says StatCounter. The trend appears to be limited to North America and especially to the U.S., where Blackberrys already hold a commanding lead over the iPhone.

Opera today said that Opera Mini for the iPhone is now being used by 2.6 million users. The browser was launched on April 14 of this year and scored the first million downloads within the first day of availability, and another 1.6 million in the following two weeks.

Apple outpaced every other smartphone manufacturer in the first quarter of this year. According to IDC, Apple sold 8.8 million iPhones during Q1, handing the company a 16.1% market share, up from 10.9% in the same quarter last year. Nokia remains in the top spot with stable market share, while RIM surrendered share.