[cgk]

Notice that both are consumer electronics companies and not just phone makers. A wide and stable base that allows them to do what they want to do.

There was a great podcast this afternoon about the economic of android, worth a listen for anyone interested in numbers and sober analysis rather than the sort of rubbish that tech journalists turn out.

The mobile sector is really interesting at the moment in that most of the players are taking a bath, we have got to start seeing some exits from the Android side and a couple of big failures (I'm not convinced Nokia has much of a future).

[omniusovermind]

There was a great podcast this afternoon about the economic of android, worth a listen for anyone interested in numbers and sober analysis rather than the sort of rubbish that tech journalists turn out.

The mobile sector is really interesting at the moment in that most of the players are taking a bath, we have got to start seeing some exits from the Android side and a couple of big failures (I'm not convinced Nokia has much of a future).

Unfortunately, the only company I'd like to see exit from the Android side is Samsung. I say unfortunately because they're the least likely to flop. They've become too big for their own good, and now all their phones are fugly, and the materials they use to house the phone's guts are really flimsy and cheap. Nowhere near as nice as the feel and appearance of the newest HTC phones, or the RAZR.

[cgk]

The Galaxy SIII is an ugly phone and while I wouldn't want it, the bottom line is that they sell millions of units.

[omniusovermind]

The Galaxy SIII is an ugly phone and while I wouldn't want it, the bottom line is that they sell millions of units.

I know and I don't get it. Is it because of Samsung's former rep in consumer electronics? I say former because I don't feel they deserve it anymore. I've been stung 3x by that company now as well, for buying based on their old rep. One phone, one TV, and a dvd player. All 3 broke down at around 18 months. The only success I still have with them are PC monitors. So far...

[ColdFistOfTruth]

> I know and I don't get it

Well, when you look at the ENTIRE Android landscape it makes a little more sense. There are tons of odd form factor devices and Samsung's designs are decent if safe/bland and Samsung has the biggest if not best phone marketing (Droid gets a lot but it's from Verizon) of the Android players.

*MY* concern is that if RIM slips to below $10/share it becomes a 'single-digit midget' and the irreversible slide to Palm's fate could begin and we may never get to see BB 10 (or at least it will never have a fighting chance).

We can already bank on Apple and Samsung selling ZILLIONS of phones but Google is not a sure thing - the original Nexus didn't do nearly as well as they expected directly. But a dead or dismembered RIM can't win.

I do agree that Apple and Samsung are the competitors RIM should aspire to; WP7 never gained traction and WP8 is an enhanced WP7 not a revolutionary replacement.

-CFOT

[omniusovermind]

> WP8 is an enhanced WP7 not a revolutionary replacement.

I'll agree with that on its own, but I think it's their approach of using Windows 8 on their already huge home PC user base to springboard WP8 that bears watching. Nobody has really done something like that to that extent before, so it's kind of unique.