Category: Mobile

Carriers’ data revenue rose 22 percent to $12.5 billion in the first quarter of 2010 over the same period a year ago, according to the latest data from Chetan Sharma, a wireless analyst. However, while data now contributes slightly more than 30 percent to the total average revenue per user (ARPU), it also uses 70 percent of network capacity. Sharma estimates that by the end of 2010, data will contribute more than 35 percent to ARPU and devour 85 percent of network capacity.

So even as data revenue and traffic rises, carriers face two key challenges: One, the handset market is saturated; and two, users on smartphones are boosting their consumption of data at a far faster rate than carriers are boosting their data revenue. The answer to these challenges is selling data plans for your car. Your kitchen. And even your electric meter.

Wireless providers are recognizing that the smartphone isn’t where the profits are going to lie, especially if they don’t reign in all-you-can-eat mobile data plans as Kevin laid out last week. Sharma’s data around how deeply voice subsidizes data is grim, but he predicts that it will only last through 2013, at which point things will even out. Then carriers will have to deal with a decline in overall ARPU.

Obviously ARPU isn’t the only metric that carriers pay attention to, and selling data by the megabyte isn’t the only option available to carriers. For example, texts are a low-data, high-dollar and high-margin service, a trifecta that leads to profits without overburdening the network. Carriers are hoping to find other data services (GigaOM Pro sub req’d) that offer these characteristics.

That’s why the promise of machine-to-machine communications is so important to the likes of AT&T and Verizon. Sharma notes that U.S. subscription penetration was at about 94 percent at the end of the first quarter, and if one eliminates children 5 or younger, past 100 percent. He writes that AT&T and Verizon added more connected devices than postpaid subs in the January through March time frame. Postpaid cell plans (even with data) just aren’t a growth area — unless we’re talking about using up network resources.

That’s why AT&T is betting big on the Internet of things, providing service for the Kindle, pill bottles and dog collars. It’s why Verizon has a joint venture with Qualcomm for machine-to-machine connectivity. For industry watchers the question to ask is not why carriers are rushing to provide connectivity, but how it will happen.

I think the business model questions have to be addressed before my fridge gets a wireless connection from one of the top carriers. For example, does the manufacturer of the appliance pay for the connection as Amazon does with its Kindle? Plus, bigger issues are at stake, such as why use cellular when Wi-Fi might suffice? For example, a connected appliance in the home doesn’t need to use a cellular network since it’s likely going to be part of a Wi-Fi network. As consumer electronics makers and automotive executives choose which cellular connection to put in a product, what attributes matter in terms of coverage, cost and contracts? Ironically, as carriers pursue this strategy they may find themselves at the mercy of their customers, providing the dumb pipe.

Even the most powerful Mercedes-Benz, the SL65 AMG Black Series, can’t escape the hands of German tuner Brabus. Feeling that the stock car’s outputs of 661 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque were merely a good starting point, Brabus upped the ante to 789 hp and 811 lb-ft on this T65 RS.

To make the power, Brabus bolts more powerful turbochargers and new exhaust manifolds to the Black Series’s 6.0-liter V-12 engine. There are four intercoolers, which require the addition of a carbon-fiber hood scoop to fit under the hood and allow them breathe properly. A reprogrammed engine computer and stainless-steel exhaust system round out the changes. Oh, and the modified engine still passes Euro IV emissions standards.

Performance? Brabus predicts a 0–62 mph run of 3.6 seconds, identical to our 0–60 run in a stock Black Series. Top speed is capped at 200 mph, although the company says an unrestricted model could run north of 206 mph.

The car seen here is unique and was special-ordered by a longtime Brabus customer. It’s customized with matte-black paint and a mix of red-stitched leather and Alcantara on the inside. If you like what you see, Brabus will sell you all the parts to turn your own Black Series into a T65 RS.

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Is anyone making money from all these apps? That’s the big question that Alex Ahlund, the former CEO of AppVee and AndroidApps, which was recently acquired by mobile app directory Appolicious, tried to answer in a guest column for TechCrunch.

Ahlund asked for sales data from developers to provide some overall metrics. He said of the 96 respondents, the range included everything from blockbusters to stragglers. He said the takeaways should be considered informational, and not true averages because of the variance involved:

—The average total number of units sold was 101,024 within a period of 261 days.
—The average number of units sold per day was 387.
—The average price was $5.49, although the data skews due to the $49.99 outlier. In most cases, the price point was $0.99.
—The average total development cost amounted to $6,453, including 3.89 updates.
—On average, iPhone developers are seeing a return of more than 15 times their initial, albeit small, development costs.

For comparison purposes, he also ran the numbers after removing the top 10 percent most successful applications—which brings everything back down to earth. In that scenario, 23 percent of the apps sold less than 1,000 units since their launch (ranging from 12 to 370 days), and only 10 percent achieved sales of 127,000 to 3 million units.

Research In Motion today announced a partnership with China Telecom to sell the BlackBerry Storm handset to enterprise customers in 16 provinces. As part of the deal, China Telecom will also offer RIM’s BlackBerry Enterprise Server for integrated messaging and communications. The move is seen by some as aimed at upending China Telecom’s rival, China Unicom, which has carried the Apple iPhone since October of last year, but these two phones — and the target audiences — couldn’t be more different.

When RIM introduced the touchscreen BlackBerry Storm in 2008, many suggested it was the device to dethrone Apple’s iPhone. But it was plagued by poor reviews and a buggy implementation. As Om noted in January 2009, with the Storm, RIM didn’t play to its strengths; instead, it attempted to create an iPhone-like experience and fell far short of the mark. I remember the Storm hype back then, but I also remember how quickly it dissipated not long after launch — and therein lies the other challenge.

Why is China Telecom trying to sell enterprises a BlackBerry handset without a hardware keyboard when mobile workers are primarily using handsets to communicate via text message and email? When it comes to enterprise mobility, RIM’s products and solutions are typically high up on the list, and for good reason. But that reason doesn’t include touchscreen devices — the workhorses in RIM’s enterprise stables are keyboard devices such as the Bold and Tour. Is this a case of the wrong device for the wrong market? It seems to me that RIM would do better in an enterprise market with a keyboard device better suited to productivity. Especially if RIM wants to compete with the iPhone in China, it should be targeting consumers with the Storm.

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Intel, the PC chip giant, in its efforts to aggressively diversify into the mobile semiconductor business is looking at acquiring German chip maker Infineon’s mobile chip division, according to the German edition of the Financial Times.

Infineon, which supplies chips to Nokia, RIM and Apple, among others, is one of the smaller players in the industry dominated by the likes of ST Ericsson, Texas Instruments and Qualcomm. By selling the unit to Intel, it’s being given a chance to scale up, especially as Intel looks to diversify its business beyond PC-centric x86 chips.

I have been very critical of Intel’s foray into the mobile chip industry. Buying this Infineon division would be the right move, but as to whether it’s enough, I’m not so sure. The company in the past has tried to buy its way into new markets such as optical and wireless but failed and was forced to retreat. However, the current shift to the Mobile Internet is too disruptive for Intel to ignore, so it has to do something. It might as well start by buying Infineon’s mobile chip business.

Worldwide handset shipments rose 13.8 percent in the first quarter of 2010 over the same period a year ago, but the rising tide isn’t lifting all boats, according to the most recent iSupply report, titled ”Mobile Handset Industry Foresees End of the Recession.” Motorola continues to leak market share, dropping to the eighth spot from sixth in the span of 12 months — the handset maker sold 8.5 million phones during the first quarter of 2010 vs. 14.7 million in the comparable three months of 2009, a decline of 42.2 percent. Research In Motion, Apple and ZTE all leapt past Motorola in terms of sales in the most recent quarter.

Sales in thousands. Source: iSupply

The data reflects all types of handsets, but the numbers show the growing importance of the smartphone, sales of which is expected to surpass feature phones in the U.S. by the end of 2011. And that trend is both hurting and helping Motorola. On the one hand, the company hit a home run with its Motorola Droid handset that debuted on Verizon’s network in October of last year, with nearly a million units sold, or 8.33 percent of all Motorola sales, according to iSupply’s fourth-quarter 2009 data. But other recent at-bats have been singles at best. The Cliq, Backflip, and Devour aren’t selling like the Droid has, perhaps because they lack the advertising push it received.

It has to be tough for the Devour (see our video review here) to compete with the Droid on the same network — Verizon customers can purchase the Droid right now for $199 and get a second one free. Priced at $149, the Devour only saves customers $50, uses the older Google Android 1.6 software and doesn’t net you a second, free Devour, though Verizon will throw in up to three free feature phones. The Backflip faces similar challenges on AT&T’s network: it runs the much older Android 1.5 software and is priced at $99, for which a customer could grab an 8GB iPhone 3G. For Motorola to reverse momentum, it needs to find another Droid.

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Ford has finally released EPA-certified fuel economy numbers for the 2011 Fiesta, and as expected they’ve bested the competition. When equipped with its optional six-speed PowerShift dual-clutch automated manual, the Fiesta is rated at 29 mpg city and 40 highway. Equipped with the standard five-speed manual, the ratings are 28/37 mpg. That means the Fiesta tops both the Toyota Yaris’s best rating of 29/36 mpg and Honda Fit’s best of 28/35 mpg.

The official numbers are pretty close to Ford’s earlier predictions of 30/40 mpg with the PowerShift and 29/38 mpg equipped with the manual. Even though it’s a fuel sipper, the Fiesta is still fun to drive, like its Euro forebears.

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Until now, BMW only offered parts from its Motorsport catalog to people (and maybe even entities) in Europe. Not so any longer; professional and amateur racers in the U.S. will now be able to buy parts for select vehicles.

The initial limited release will include catalogs for the 2008 Z4, the current 3-series, and 1995–present M3s, including the parts necessary to build and maintain an M3 GT4 like the one shown above. More cars should be added in the future. The parts will only be available through four BMW stores: Laurel BMW in Westmont, Illinois; Global Imports in Atlanta, Georgia; BMW of Stratham in Stratham, New Hampshire; and BMW of Cleveland in Solon, Ohio.

You can take a look at the catalogs here.

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Buick’s competitive new products—starting with the Enclave and now the LaCrosse and brand-new Regal—far exceed the brand’s former perception of building roly-poly barges for the retiree crowd. Speaking of the age thing, this recent product push has helped; Buick’s average customer in the U.S. is now 65 years old versus 72 just a short while ago. This may sound ancient compared to the usual marketing spiel about appealing to the young, hip, active-lifestyle crowd (never mind that these people don’t tend to have the money to actually buy a new car). But as the director of Buick marketing, Craig Bierley, points out, the average age of any U.S. new-car buyer is 54, due to an aging population of boomers; in fact, this number has steadily increased over the past five years.

By the way, the situation couldn’t be more different than in Buick’s largest market, China, where the brand is perceived as fashionable and the average age of its customers is an enviable 32.

The Buick team wisely acknowledges that product is king—of which substantially more will be coming in the near future—but is also continuing a significant and sustained advertising budget to help people see the light. The plan appears to be working, too, as focus groups are showing a much-improved view of the latest cars. A series of questions that marketers refer to as the “purchase funnel” starts out by asking broad questions such as, “Have you ever heard of Buick?”, followed up with more and more detailed queries leading to “Would you rate the LaCrosse as excellent?” (that is, if they already have first-hand experience with the product). The previous LaCrosse received “excellent” ratings just eight percent of the time versus well over 20 percent for the new car (for reference, the best brands receive “excellent” ratings from about 40 percent of respondents). This tripling in the past year is an all-time record among GM brands.

Interestingly, Bierley says that it was more than simply Buick’s importance in China that kept it alive post-bankruptcy, whereas Pontiac was dropped. He explains that consumer data shows that Buick doesn’t, in fact, have a negative brand perspective. It’s simply that most people believe the brand’s cars are appropriate for their parents or grandparents and not for them. This perception, he says, is far easier to fix than Pontiac’s predicament. It turns out the excitement division often received such glamorous feedback from clinics as being thought of as cars for “white trash.” We’re no marketing experts, but that does sound pretty dire.

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TeliaSonera, which deployed the first 4G network in the world last December, has released data showing that once users have the faster Long Term Evolution service (GigaOM Pro sub req’d), more than half won’t go back to slower 3G. The Nordic carrier conducted the survey among its 4G customers after they had used 4G for 100 days, and 54 percent said they would never go back to 3G.

Sure, these customers were already well versed in mobile technology — more than 90 percent had upgraded from an existing 3G connection and 43 percent had an iPhone. But if more than half are willing to stick around even as the price increases (TeliaSonera had a sweet deal for the first customers), that’s pretty awesome. Other results included a change in surfing habits, which makes sense given that 65 percent are relying on that 4G as a supplement to fixed-line broadband (in other words, it’s not a replacement), and now they can do even more. From the report:

• 26 percent say they are working more on a mobile basis
• 23 percent say they are downloading larger files
• 19 percent say they watch online TV/stream movies
• 16 percent say they began surfing the web more

Carriers have to be thrilled with such data, as it shows that faster broadband speeds can make customers spend more time online and view 3G as something subpar. I imagine I’ll be paying a pretty penny for my LTE connection once Verizon upgrades its network by the end of this year. But I have a feeling it will be worth it.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Panoramas

So much for Google’s grand bid to reinvent the mobile sales channel.

Mountain View on Friday morning emailed people who had expressed an interest, to say its Nexus One is now available to buy in the UK – over on Vodafone.co.uk, in its high street Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) stores or through its sales phone line.

We had expected customers could take out a mobile carrier contract whilst buying the handset from Google’s own google.com/phone. But, just as happened with Verizon in the States last week, that website now directs customers to the carrier’s website.

In the U.S., customers can still buy a new T-Mobile USA contract with the phone from Google’s site. And, on both sides of the pond, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) will still sell you the phone only for $529 – but UK retail for that is still priced in dollars, so Google clearly hasn’t got its distribution chain in order elsewhere yet.

The Vodafone/Verizon drop-outs are a blow to Google but a boon to consumers because the deal is cheap. On a standard £35-a-month, 24-month contract, the Nexus One comes free.

Google says Nexus One will soon be available in France via Voda’s SFR JV, and then in Germany, Italy, Holland and Spain.

The global smartphone market saw its best quarter for the first time in almost three years, according to Strategy Analytics, a research firm.

It found that global smartphone shipments jumped by a gigantic 50 percent to 54 million in Q1 from 36 million in the year-ago period. Smartphones accounted for 18 percent of all smartphones shipped. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) shipped a record 21.5 million smartphones to have a leading market share of 40 percent. RIM (NSDQ: RIMM) shipped the second-most handsets to beat Apple (NSDQ: AAPL). The BlackBerry-maker’s market share stands at 20 percent, while Apple’s is at 16.4 percent.

Separately, IDC also released its first-quarter report today, which looks at the overall market for mobile phones—not just the upper echelon. It said that the broader market grew by 21.7 percent to 294.9 million compared to 242.4 million units in the first quarter of 2009. That’s a drastic change in a year ago period when the market declined 16.6 percent.

This quarter’s growth was fueled by smartphones, and for the first time ever, RIM moved into the top five vendor rankings to replace Motorola (NYSE: MOT).

IDC’s Top Five Mobile Phone Vendors:

1. Nokia
2. Samsung
3. LG
4. Research In Motion
5. Sony (NYSE: SNE) Ericsson

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion broke into the top five handset vendors during the first quarter of this year, according to numbers released by research firm IDC. It attributed the success of RIM’s smartphones in part to “text-crazy teens” and strong demand for the BlackBerry Curve 8520 and BlackBerry Bold 9700.

Growth in the handsets many of us think of when it comes to smartphones — Apple’s iPhone and the HTC phones for Android, which are found in IDC’s chart under the “others” category and RIM’s devices — are growing faster than the handset market overall, the data shows. in other words, the global rise of the smartphone is upon us.

In the U.S. and in the tech community, we may take it for granted that the phone and the web should blaze along at 3G (and soon 4G speeds) with user-friendly interfaces, touchscreens and an app market, but the rest of the world — and even large portions of North America — has been moving at a slower pace. A whopping 83 percent of Americans have a feature phone while there are only 400 million smartphones in a world with 4.6 billion mobile subscribers. But the smartphones are coming, as IDC noted with regards to handset maker LG’s success:

The abundance of feature phones at varying price points kept the company in good stead with carriers and customers, particularly within emerging markets where LG reaped triple-digit growth. Still, the lack of a broad and deep smartphone portfolio made it vulnerable to competitor share gains, particularly within North America.

This matters because in the debate over Apple vs. Android, and whether or not HP can save Palm’s webOS, it appears that the battle lines are drawn and that the market dynamics are already set. But clearly the rest of the world, and the large portion of people toting feature phones, are not the dregs of the market but the massive middle, and the opportunity to reach them with compelling products that are differentiated — perhaps cheaper or tailored to their circumstances (text-crazy teens perhaps) — is still one worth chasing. Just ask Nokia. It’s moving slowly, but it isn’t ready to hang up on the opportunity.

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We took a look through GM’s 2011 online order guide, which highlights scores of minor equipment changes across the General’s brands. Most of them are boring—do you really care that order codes for certain metallic paints have changed?—so we picked out the interesting and important changes for 2011 vehicles.

Chevrolet Camaro

GM has already announced some of the Camaro’s main changes, notably a fake power increase for V-6 models and the addition of an optional head-up display. Buyers also are now be able to specify factory-installed hood and hockey-stick stripes in black, white, or gray (pictured above) as part of a mid-2010 running change. Bad news for Transformers fans: picking Rally Yellow paint now costs extra.

Chevrolet Corvette

The Z06 Carbon Limited Edition, at right, is new for 2011 and slots between the regular Z06 and ZR1. Among other things, it includes the Z06 Ultimate Performance Package and Z06 Carbon-Fiber Package, which are also available separately on the middle Vette. The new model year also brings improved synchronizers for all manual-transmission Vettes, new five-spoke wheel designs for base Corvettes, and a retuned exhaust for the Z06.

Chevrolet HHR

As we reported last year when GM shut down its High-Performance Vehicle Operations group, the turbocharged HHR SS is dead for 2011, leaving just naturally aspirated engines in its wake. (Chevy’s SS lineup is now limited to just the V-8 Camaro.) HHR buyers also lose the ability to order chrome exterior trim or to delete the rear seat.

Chevrolet Malibu

Six-speed automatic transmissions become standard across the board for the Malibu; a four-speed auto had previously been included with the base LS four-cylinder model.

Cadillac STS

For 2011, the STS V-8 dies, leaving just the V-6 model with either rear- or all-wheel-drive. (It’s really no big loss since the aging 4.6-liter Northstar eight made only 18 hp more than the 3.6-liter V-6.) Adaptive cruise control, four-wheel active steering, real-time adaptive damping, and magnetic ride control were all only offered with a V-8 and thus vanish from the STS order form.

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Wade Roush wrote:

If you’re interested in the electronic book craze, but you don’t yet own an e-book reading device, your options just got a lot more complicated. Not only are there a handful of great devices that use electrophoretic screens from Cambridge, MA-based E Ink, such as the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes & Noble Nook, and the Sony Reader Daily Edition; now there’s also the Apple iPad, for which there are at least 400 book-related apps, notably Apple’s own iBooks and a superb Kindle app from Amazon. What’s a reader to do?

I could go on for screens and screens about the relative merits of the iPad and the E Ink devices—and I will. But let me cut to the chase. It pains me a little to say it—and it will certainly pain Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Sony—but if you haven’t already bought a Kindle-style device, don’t. You’d be far better off saving up your cash and buying an iPad, even though the low-end iPad, at $499, is almost twice as expensive as the Kindle and the Nook, which cost $259.

Why? Because the iPad offers not only the best e-book reading experience available, but can do thousands of other amazing things too. The Kindle, even if it does connect with Facebook and Twitter now, is just a Kindle.

Now, I’m still a devoted Kindle fan. And even though my own Kindle has probably been feeling neglected since I brought home my iPad on April 3, I want to make it clear that I don’t think current Kindle owners should feel remorseful about their purchases. The Kindle has its advantages and may still be the better choice for some people.

But the simple fact is that the iPad really is almost as magical as Steve Jobs promised it would be, at least in my opinion. It accomplishes the main goal of any handheld e-book device—breaking digital text free of its former imprisonment on the screens of desktop and laptop PCs and presenting it in a more portable, book-like form—while performing quite a few other tricks in the bargain. I don’t think the iPad and the other tablet devices coming behind it will completely kill off the E Ink devices, but it will severely limit their market.

I’m going to run through the a list of areas where the iPad clearly outshines the Kindle, and then I’m going to talk about a couple of ways in which the Kindle still beats the iPad. I think that most of what I’m going to say about the Kindle applies to the other E Ink devices too, but I haven’t spent as much time with the Sony or Barnes & Noble e-readers, so I won’t make any strong claims about them. The bottom line is that Amazon should probably concentrate on marketing e-book content, because there’s no way it can compete with Apple’s hardware.

1. The Screen.

No contest here. The iPad’s screen is obviously larger than the Kindle’s—45 square inches for Apple’s gadget, compared to 17 square inches for Amazon’s—but it’s also got a) color b) animation c) multi-touch. When you download Apple’s iBooks app, you get a free copy of A.A. Milne’s 1926 classic Winnie-the-Pooh, including Ernest H. Shepherd’s original color illustrations, which is quite canny of Apple, because the book shows off the brilliant LCD screen (and is also sure to prompt the children of iPad owners to demand more e-books). Placed next to an iPad, the Kindle looks rather sad. It’s just fine for monochrome graphics—in fact, its electronic-ink screen has a higher effective resolution than the iPad’s—but let’s face it, even the New York Times gave up on black-and-white back in the ’90s.

If your platform has a color screen powered by a speedy graphics chip, that means you can enhance your e-books with video and animation (more on that below). And when you combine animation with a touchscreen, the reading interface itself can be brought to life. On a Kindle, you advance through a book by clicking a physical “next page” button. But on the iPad, you sweep your finger across the page, in a motion that’s pretty much the same as …Next Page »

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UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS

HP’s proposed $1.2 billion acquisition of Palm, is so far being lauded as a win-win: HP, which had only ever dipped a toe in the smartphone space with a few “me-too” devices, will now be able to jump into the deep end of the handset pool. And based on comments from HP executives, Palm will continue to mature the webOS platform it built from the ground up for the Pre and Pixi handsets. But this deal is about more than just smartphones — it’s about multiple devices on a “mobile computing platform”, according to Tom Bradley, EVP of HP’s Personal Systems Group. Such a statement spells trouble for the mobile ambitions of two of computing’s largest incumbents: Microsoft and Intel.

Both are on the outside looking in when it comes to mobile computing. Microsoft had and then lost its smartphone lead when it failed to adapt its Windows Mobile platform to meet the needs of the mobile Internet, allowing younger, more nimble upstarts to create brand-new mobile platforms from scratch and snap up market share. Intel, meanwhile, realizing that its power-hungry processors weren’t equipped to run handheld devices all day long, created the low-voltage Atom CPU in 2008. It’s been tweaking the Atom for use in phones ever since, but few smartphone manufacturers have abandoned power-efficient ARM chips to use Intel’s Atom. Ironically, Intel once powered early Windows Mobile devices with its Xscale ARM chips, but sold that division in 2006 to Marvell for $600 million. So what are Microsoft and Intel doing about slowly getting brushed aside in the mobile space and how will the HP-Palm deal hamper those efforts?

Microsoft is taking a fresh new approach with its mobile operating system for smartphones. Early looks at Windows Phone 7, due out on devices this holiday season, show a clean, touch-friendly user interface that focuses on the mobile activities people engage in most on a phone — social networking updates, email, media consumption and creation, and web browsing. We’ll never know if HP had planned any new smartphones built on Windows Phone 7 — if it did, you can rest assured those plans are already in the trash can.

That’s just one minor way Microsoft is potentially losing out. The bigger elephant in the room is that HP Slate shown off by Steve Ballmer at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. This marks the fourth year that Microsoft has partnered with hardware makers to create a consumer market for a slate device running Windows. The past three years didn’t see many of the UMPCs, or ultra-mobile personal computers, be sold, however, and the few that were bought were created by brands that most consumers here wouldn’t recognize — Samsung being a notable exception. But with the HP name, a Windows-powered slate has instant brand recognition that might get more people to consider such a device. Unfortunately, mobile devices don’t work well with desktop operating systems —  a lesson that wasn’t lost on Apple, which uses the iPhone OS on its iPad tablet.

The burning question now is: Will HP even go forward with the Slate? I suspect it will, only because it’s already invested time, effort and other resources in the device. And trying to quickly re-jigger webOS in the existing slate design would be a challenge due to chip architecture differences — the Slate is powered by an Intel Atom chip — and a screen resolution for which webOS isn’t equipped. But now that HP has its own mobile platform in webOS  it can create a different slate tablet without having to pay anyone else licensing fees. Bradley made this point clear in yesterday’s conference call, saying, “HP plans to release smartphones, tablets and maybe even netbooks using webOS.” And therein lies the rub for Intel.

WebOS isn’t made to run on Intel’s chips that use the x86 architecture, so unless HP decides to port the operating system to run on x86 chips — and I see no good reason why it would — webOS devices will continue to run on ARM chips. That slams the door on a major mobile hardware partner for Intel. Other popular mobile platforms all run on non-Intel chips — Apple, Google, Research in Motion and Symbian all work with the ARM architecture, not with Intel’s. And this isn’t news to Intel; in order to carve out it’s own niche in the mobile space, Intel has partnered with Nokia on the MeeGo operating system for handhelds and netbooks.

With the mobile space already crowded, there may not be room for a MeeGo to save Intel and a lackluster HP Slate effort isn’t what Intel needs right now. And HP certainly won’t be helping Microsoft with its big Windows Phone 7 launch. The way I see it, HP’s gain from the Palm deal is mainly Microsoft’s and Intel’s loss.

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Following the LaCrosse and brand-new, not-even-quite-on-sale-yet Regal, Buick is planning a slew of new products, far more than ever before. On the recent Regal launch—which, incidentally, involved flying to China to witness its impressive presence there and then on to Germany, where the car was developed—we got the Buick team to talk a bit about future product (hey, we had plenty of time, after all). According to Buick marketing director Craig Bierley, the goal going forward is the “timeless proposition of understated luxury.” This means Lexus-like interiors and execution with Acura-grade driving dynamics. Well, with “a little less harshness” than Acura, says Bierley.

First on the list is a compact sedan, ostensibly built on the Chevy Cruze platform, although the Buick guys promise unique styling and a different powertrain, as well. Bierley promises that “you’d be hard pressed to know they’re on the same architecture.” We’ve heard this kind of talk before and have been thoroughly underwhelmed by the subsequent badge-engineering, but we hope he’s right. It will also receive an all-new name, not one from the brand’s past (Skylark was considered, we’re told, but the last one was so ugly and forgettable that the company is hesitant to employ the name again). Bierley also states—and we agree—that the LaCrosse is skewed more towards ride while the Regal leans toward handling, and continues by saying that the new small sedan will be even more sporty and handling-oriented. Call us intrigued, particularly considering how competent the Regal is. Expect Buick’s third sedan to be on sale sometime next year.

Next is a compact crossover, likely due in 2012. Less was divulged about the SUV, but it will be smaller than, and will therefore not share a platform with, the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain. Buick points out that its current lineup of two large sedans (Lucerne and LaCrosse) and a large SUV (Enclave) technically only competes with 14 percent of the new-car market in the U.S. By 2012, after the mid-size Regal and the new compact sedan and crossover, they estimate that Buick will compete with 46 percent of the market. Then, in the 2014–2015 timeframe, after various other unnamed products are launched, Buick expects to be present in some 60 percent of segments by sales.

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1. Buick Confirms Regal as Next Mid-Size Sedan – Car News
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3. Buick to Launch Four New Models in 24 Months