Smartphones: Device that is Transforming the Emerging Markets in the Globe

A smart phone is a mobile phone with   more advanced computing ability than a contemporary basic feature phone. They are handheld Computers integrated within a mobile telephone, and allows the user to install and run more applications based on a specific platform.

Growth in demand for advanced mobile devices boasting powerful processors, abundant memory, larger screens, and open operating systems has outpaced the rest of the  mobile phone market for several years.

According to a Study by ComScore, over 45.5 million people in the United States owned smart phones in 2010 and it is the fastest growing segment of the mobile phone market, which comprised 234 million subscribers in the United States.

Business and markets analysis show that the key factor to revolutionizing markets across the globe are Innovations that brings cutting-edge and inspires passion, engagement and fun for Customers or Subscribers.

As we all know we are in an information age, and   whatever enhances information is valuable. Wise investors now are putting their money in Company stocks that have relative terms with Improvised technology and device manufacturing that enhances and improves Information Gateway and connectivity.

It is amazing to see how the Mobile phone device has transformed and evolved from just normal features of making and receiving calls, sending  and receiving  sms  to becoming a smart phone with fully loaded features and add-ons that enables  browsing, synchronization of  office mails and networking via the social networks available like facebook, twitter.

The World is changing and technology is becoming rapid by the day. Even the Holy Bible Book of Daniel has an account that foretells of this time when knowledge shall increase across the Globe. So it is rather amazing to see how the Globe has transformed through the Smartphone devices.

The first set of Smartphones in the 20th Century was  Simon designed by IBM in 1992, followed by the Nokia Communicator line Nokia 9000 released in 1996 and Ericsson’s  GS88. These smartphones had the features calendar, notepad, world clock, e-mail service, open operating system, and expensive Personal Digital assistant(PDA).

In the 21st Century we have seen more improvised innovations that have positioned the Manufacturing firms as the leading and richest companies in the Globe today. The beauty is that every day it keeps improving and there is very heavy competition between key innovative companies Apple, Ericsson and RIM (Research in Motion) with every strategy employed to keep afloat and sustain their relevance in the markets.

The Three afore-mentioned companies are smart companies because they improvised the smart phone device and have profited handsomely from it, which shows that they lead customers with innovation not just responding to their current trends.

The smart phones have now generated unique value in the markets as younger people not even the elite working class want to have the smart phone device.This value has catapulted companies like Nokia, Apple, Ericsson and RIM to play dominant roles in the technology sector.

In 2000 Ericsson released the touch screen R380 the first device to use the symbian OS. Followed by P800 in 2002 the first camera smartphone. Handspring released the Palm OS Treo smart phone in 2002, utilizing a full keyboard that combined wireless web browsing, email, calendar and organizer with third party applications.

RIM released the Blackberry in 2002, LG prada and HTC touch were released in 2007, and Apple introduced the unique iphone in 2009 which has been on high demand. Nokia released this year  the Nexus One using the Android OS.

Microsoft amazingly has observed the growing trend and turnovers coming to Apple and RIM, and have decided to re-launch themselves in the smart phone market with an improvised smart phone innovation device “Microsoft 7” which is geared towards giving other Manufacturers like Apple and RIM stiff competition.

The markets now have a variety of  smart phones to choose from, with intriguing cutting edge technologies and sensation additions and features. This is bringing huge and unusual profit turnovers for the Manufacturers with accelerated revenue.

According to ABI research the emerging markets has seen the availability of more cutting edge less expensive smart phones than the past  years in diverse forms and makes. It has also brought value to telecommunications Service providers who have explored the opportunities of the smart phones offers increasing their Leverage.

So From America, Europe, Asia  to   Africa the Mobile manufacturers have shipped 55 million smart phones during the first quarter of 2010, a remarkable drive in the global markets  which has obviously engaged all the Mobile and Gadgets companies in high-level thinking and supersonic innovation to really gain relevance in this mind blowing  but money-spinning product called “smart phones’.

Whether it is the “Blackberry”, the “Iphone OS 4”, or the “Nexus one”  the smart phones have revolutionized the markets, and for this century have emerged as a products that have embraced high-level  technology and would be rated as one of “The Market Transformers” which have also served as   ‘social networking enablers’ which is unique for a globalized World .

Gartner Inc research group’s analysis for 2011 Mobile shares and market value showed that  Smartphone sales gained 72 percent last year, helping propel the world-wide mobile-phone market to 1.6 billion units. Research –in- Motion and Apple Inc became the fourth and fifth biggest mobile phone companies in the World.

The Market drive and the consumer behavior impact of smartphones in the Nigerian market is amazing as technocrats, businessmen, young workers and even students have signed for the smartphones like the Blackberries,  Apple Iphones and Motorolla C3 phones which has increased social networking in  the country and taken media convergence to another level.

Telecommunications Operators like Airtel are stepping up their game daily to ensure that the Smartphone services like the “BIS” (Blackberry Internet Solution) is constantly on the “GO” for those that love the smartphones,  even as the daily subscription has mounted  up to an unusual figure

For Distributors of the Smartphones in emerging markets like Nigeria, Singapore, Brazil, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, etc it has created a great opportunity and lucrative business venture, as sales of the smartphones have  yielded increasing profits , giving it a high profile for investments.

The Research Firm Parks Associates have by analysis predicted that the rapid demand for smartphones globally may exceed 1billion by 2014,  alluding to how the device has transformed Global markets shaping customer demands in a manner that has exceeded the projections of industry analyst and  smartphone makers, which is all about the impact of the “Smartphones’ .

Editor’s note: This guest post is written by Ottoabasi Abasiekong, a Public and International Affairs Analyst based in Lagos. Email him directly at [email protected]