I just love sharing with my readers… the various product survival tests that manufacturers put their various brands through to help ensure that they live to their specified high standards.

Here we got a hold of three separate BlackBerry produced by  Ryan P.  a hardware Engineering Technician at RIM… these are the Water Test, the Drop Test and the Bend and Flex Test:

The Water Test

For the water test a BlackBerry Curve 9360 was dropped into water, or what they call the “Moisture Ingress Test”. This water contains dye so that they can tell where imperfections are in the design to “improve the device’s water seal”.

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The Durability Drop Test

The actual drop test is cool and apparently every Berry gets dropped on concrete “hundreds of times” to ensure it’s ready for a full rollout. In the video it’s never states the amount of pressure that used for the bend test, but does confirm “your BlackBerry smartphone can withstand the pressure of your posterior”.

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The Bend and Flex Test

Finally, the keys. Majority of BB users love the QWERTY keyboard – it’s one of the main reasons that makes a BlackBerry so “iconic”. The keys have been pushed, zapped and tested “literally millions of times to sure they click with the right pressure and can withstand all the e-mails, BBM messages and tweets that you type. Have you ever been shocked by a door handle… RIM zaps them with what is called an Electrostatic Discharge, or ESD, to make sure that the sensitive internal components are protected.”

For those of you loyal readers who have been following and reading my blogs…. you no doubt noticed my propensity to provide you with industry and market statistics and information.

Keeping with this tradition, I came across a study – IT in the Toilet conducted by 11 Mark “View Infographic“… according to this report, we shouldn’t be surprised if we hear a toilet flush in the background while on the phone with friends or colleagues; as a whopping 3 out 4 in America use their cell phones while in the bathroom.

Approximately the same number of men and women have used the phone in the bathroom, according to a survey of 1,000 Americans… although men seem more tethered to IT in the toilet: 30 percent of men versus 20 percent of women agreed with the statement, “I don’t go to the bathroom without my mobile phone.”

Since only 14% of respondents reportedly cleanse their phones after a toilet session…  I would highly recommend protecting both their devices and ultimately themselves with iSkin protective accessories‘ revolutionary  Microban technology.  Built-in to products during the manufacturing process, Microban antimicrobial product protection inhibits the growth of microbes such as bacteria, mold and mildew that can cause stains , embarrassing odors and deterioration of both cell phones and other mobile devices.

Check out the following video for in-depth information on Microban iSkin protective cases and skins.

More than half the surveyed users (63 percent) said they have answered a phone call in the bathroom, and almost half (41 percent) reported initiating a phone call. That’s not all, however: What goes on behind the walls of the stalls is anything a mobile phone is capable of. Sixty-seven percent said they have read a text, and 39 percent have surfed the Web. Men work more from the bathroom—20 percent said they have participated in work-related calls, versus 13 percent of their female colleagues.

As expected, Gen Y respondents are the pacesetters in the “mobile everywhere” movement, with 91 percent using their phone in the bathroom. Still, older generations are not far behind. Eighty percent of Gen X reported using the phone in the bathroom, as did 65 percent of Baby Boomers and 47 percent of the Silent Generation.

While online, they are doing more than just surfing; 16 percent of Gen Y report they have made an online purchase while in the bathroom.  The study indicates that 87% of Droid users (Motorola Droid RAZR, Samsung Galaxy S 2, HTC Amaze, LG Optimus 2X) and 84% of Blackberry users (Bold 9900 Touch, Bold 9790 , Curve 9370) followed by  77% of iPhone users are particularly likely to browse and buy in the bathroom – 22 percent have made a purchase, versus 10 percent of Americans with mobile phones overall.

“The writing is on the stall,” said 11mark principal Nicole Burdette. “This study confirms what we all know: that the last private place is no longer private.”

Now that there’s new management at the helm of Canadian BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM), the company’s future is the subject of much discussion and speculation.   I have been researching, collecting and consolidating information to our readers with an exclusive insider view of the Research In Motion’s (RIM) product and release road map strategy for 2012.

I came across the following RIM Roadmap Deck that best illustrates where the company is headed in the coming months.  The following summarizes RIM’s product launch roadmap for the next 15 months:

• Apparently two new Blackberry Curve smartphones are to be launched in short order.  the BlackBerry Curve 9230 and the BlackBerry Curve 9320. The 9230 will be an EDGE smartphone and the Curve 9320 will be an HSPA device
• Rumor has it that RIM will be launching two new Blackberry PlayBook – a 10-inch Playbooks running the latest build of RIM’s well-received Playbook OS, version 2.0. Playbook OS 2.0 with the capability to support 4G LTE is scheduled to arrive in February.  With a 7-inch 3G capable model coming by April.
• It seems that the BlackBerry London which will reportedly run RIM’s new QNX-based smartphone operating system, BlackBerry 10 is still on track for a September launch
• There is now another BlackBerry 10 smartphone in the works that will launch as part of Balackberry Bold series accessories. The phone features a touchscreen display and QWERTY keyboard, and it is planned for a December release
• A QWERTY slider running BlackBerry 10 has been talked about for the first quarter of 2013.

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With the announcements at the recent CES – one has to wonder – what is 2012 the year of?” Will it be SmartTVs?  Perhaps it’s the year of the interactive technology?  Or maybe it is 4G LTE smartphones that will steal the spotlight this year. As of this early date, it is Android devices that look to have the competitive advantage this year. It very well could be a great opportunity to win over mind and market share, but they need to leverage the lead before Research In Motion (Blackberry)  and Apple bring their own 4G LTE devices to market later this year.

What kind of growth are we looking at? According to DigiTimes who published 2012 estimates, Monday, they are anticipating between 4% and 5% of smartphones shipped this year will be 4G LTE capable. When reviewing their sources it is really clear that Android manufacturers are months ahead of the competition. Samsung, LG, Pantech, Motorola Mobility and HTC were named as industry players that will be launching 4G LTE handsets.

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Depending on how quickly Apple and RIM work and how effective their messaging is, the gap could be quickly closed and the opportunity lost. More specifically, there is buzz around Apple’s to-be-released products this year, the iPhone 5 and iPad 3, which based on rumor will be 4G LTE capable.

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One point this writer would like clarified is what the ramifications of this technology coupled with the race to get smartphones with the capability to  use it will be.   Will the current trend continue  pattern of “sign long-term contract with service provider, get free smartphone”?    Or will we be able to break free from this carrier imposed yoke with unlocked cell phones that will empower us to choose our preferred service provider and negotiate a service contract that best meets our interactive needs at the right price!

Only time will tell what the implications will be. At the moment, 4G LTE has not been well-explained to the public and is potentially cost inhibitive. So, without a little tweaking it may turn out to not be the year of the 4G LTE network after all.

The furor and fervor of CES is slowly dimming after its close and industry and consumers alike now have a moment to digest all that was seen, shown and announced in Las Vegas last week. With 2011being an incredible year of innovation and development, the question of “how will 2012 compare?” spiked the excitement of this year’s convention. The result? 2012 tech is impressive.   Get complete overview of the CES manufacturer brand announcements on the ‘All You Need to Know On CES 2012′ blog.

From very innovative protective accessories, charging solutions, power solutions, earpieces and headsets for new tablets and unlocked cell phones, and any number of apps were brought around for our perusal in this modern-day bazaar. But which innovations took home the coveted CNET award for 2012? The readers and editors of CNET granted the Research In Motion owned QNX platform for their latest Blackberry smartphones and PlayBook 2.0 as well as for the best best car tech for its QNX CAR 2 application which will has impressive implications. Tying the mobile OS into the car keeps the consumer demand for technological entertainment at their fingertips while incorporating conversational voice recognition.

The concept Porsche Carrera demonstrates how the “one-touch Bluetooth pairing using Near Field Communications (NFC) eliminates the hassle of pairing the driver’s phone to the car. And experience how conversational voice recognition and in-vehicle controls enable drivers to use the car’s infotainment system easily and conveniently.” This could be the breakthrough innovation that breathes life back into RIM and launch a myriad of car tech and mobile  accessories.

On the smartphone front, Nokia took home the Best Smartphone award for the latest Nokia cell phone release the Lumia 900 (probably for its great interaction with Microsoft technology and adaptability with other tech accessories). Another pseudo-win for Microsoft is BlueStacks recognition for its technology that gives Windows 8 products the ability to run Android apps.

Android itself was recognized for its role in the impressive quad-core Ice Cream Sandwich ASUS Memo 370T tablet. A great alternative in the tablet market, industry spectators are bound to be anxious to see what additional accessories will be forthcoming to further enhance the capabilities of this technology.

Is 2012 the year of Research In Motion? Last year was rough for the once mighty smartphone and tablet OS company, but with its recent CES recognition for the impressive QNX car technology and now the PlayBook 2.0 something tangible to review, RIM may have some more blue skies in its futures.   View this interesting video for more insight on Blackberry’s PlayBook 2.0

According to recent reports, the PlayBook 2.0 will be available in February and will make the tablet actually functional again. How? Top of the list is that native email and calendar are now included and the company has caught up with the times and integrated social media networking (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) and all of your friends posts and activities can be viewed in the Contacts Hub.

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Next, the keyboard has been drastically revamped to incorporate autocorrect and algorithmic predictive typing. That will adapt to your typing style and suggests its guess of your next typed word. Surprisingly, this tablet does feature Android apps in its App World and reviews indicate that they run as smoothly as native code.

In fact, Alec Saunders, the VP of Developer Relations, has hinted at RIM learning its mistakes from its initial PlayBook launch and are humbly making changes to bring a competitive product to market that will allow for innovation with developers, tech accessories, and other peripheral technology. This attitude change has brought valuable partnerships with EA Games and Rovio and will create a compelling story for customers.

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Added incentive for investing in RIM and the PlayBook upon its release in 2012 is its competitive pricing. At $299 it may very well be the contender it was created to be in a market dominated by Apple and to a lesser degree Android.  As more news is released on the upcoming launch, we will keep you posted on whether the body has changed drastically enough to require new protective cases purchases and how current PlayBook customers will be able to recycle their other existing  accessories.

A new report from industry luminary ABI Research indicates that more than 50% of all unlocked cell phones will be capable of running on 4G or 3G data networks.  Jake Saunders, VP of Forecasting for ABI Research suggests that . “As the festive cheer of the holiday season dies away, the mood among handset vendors remains quietly confident regarding 2012.   The outlook will yield growth in the order of 8%, netting 1.67 billion handsets shipped worldwide by the end of 2012. Particularly notable is for the first time, 3G and 4G handset shipments will capture more than 50% of total handsets shipped.”  The consumer’s appetite for  high end mobile devices will also drive the after sales cell phone and tablet accessories market.

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In an earlier report ABI Research identified the worldwide after-market wireless devices accessories sales increasing to more than $50 Billion by 2015.  Key accessory market indicators were identified as:

Protective Solutions – Bags, Sleeves, Cases and Screen Protectors – $1.2 billion

Hands Free Solution – BlueTooth Headsets and BlueTotth Car Kits – $920 million

Power Solutions – Desktop Chargers, Car Chargers, Wall Chargers, Batteries – $766 million

Memory Solutions – Micro SD Cards and Data Cables – $529 million

Personalization Solutions – Cases & Skins – $520 million

Audio Solutions – Speakers, Earpieces & Headsets – $308 million

In the second half of 2011, top tier mobile device vendors unleashed marketing promotions targeting the upward mobile market audience in emerging smartphone and table markets.   Samsung, used clever ads downgrading Apple users while extolling the benefits of the Galaxy S II X phones and Galaxy Tablet lines of business to make substantial inroads  into these market spaces. Apple is expanding sales channels in emerging markets, with greater success in China than it’s having in India, but is also targeting South American markets such as Brazil. HTC is gaining traction in China, but developed markets such as North America and Europe continue to be the mainstay of its “ship into” markets. RIM, despite its weakness in apps-capable smartphone markets, continues to do well in messaging-centric emerging markets such as Indonesia. Nokia hopes to benefit from Windows Phone 7 Lumia series launches in India (Dec-2011) and China (in 1Q-2012).

The changing of the guard from one year to the next brings inevitable changes. This is especially true with mobile technology which is arguably one of the most competitive and innovative segments of the tech industry as traditional feature phones and carriers are challenged with smartphone technologies and apps and unlocked phones.

So even if you keep half an ear to the latest happenings in this niche of the world market, there is a plethora of information, rumors, and announcements to keep track of. To help make the focus more manageable, here are a few noteworthy notices to kick off your 2012 mobile tech watch.

First, the continuing saga of the king of feature phones as it endeavors to make its mark in a smartphone world: Nokia. The mobile OS this manufacturer chose for its foray into smartphones is Symbian. Clearly this pairing didn’t fare well in the global marketplace. As a farewell gesture that is bound to drive the final nail in the coffin of Symbian, Nokia has opted to rebrand its latest smartphone as Nokia Belle. No Symbian to be mentioned in association again it seems. Perhaps the best rebranding for Nokia would be launching a new tablet featuring its next mobile OS choice.

Not to be left out, Google Android is bound to make this list. And, it is no surprise that it is causing waves with its much-buzzed-about OS upgrade: Ice Cream Sandwich. Global rollouts of this Android 4.0 update were supposed to have begun for Nexus S customers a few days ago, but according to the Google Community Manager, Paul Wilcox, announced that they are pausing updates to better monitor feedback for a while (this sounds oddly familiar to CarrierIQ scandal which highlighted the benefits of customers choosing unlocked devices).

On a more positive note for Google, they are now globally activating approximately 700,000 Android devices daily. The company’s willingness to work with many manufacturers (creating more opportunities for customers to choose carrier neutral unlocked phones), is significantly contributing to their continued growth around the world.

To follow on the heels of Google’s customer driven philosophy, carriers are having to fight the loss of their exclusivity on smartphones, tablets and accessories by dropping their prices. Recent reports show that 4G LTE pricing may drop by as 60% by 2016 as the additional speeds aren’t worth the cost for heavy users and the carrier specific devices that enable 4G are markedly more expensive than their 3G counterparts as well.

It is common knowledge that both Apple and Google are the foremost thought leaders in the technology industry and as a result have secured global dominance of the smartphone OS market space. What is surprising is reviewing the numbers and trends that show an astronomical growth for the two giants over the course of 18 months. As can be seen in chart provided by comScore – the leading provider of online digital world measurement metrics – U.S. mobile subscribers are used to demonstrate the dramatic transition in market shares in the ever growing smartphone market. Discover the benefits of online shopping…. experience the largest assortment of wireless device accessories at the lowest prices on the Internet.

In less than a year and a half (between August 2010 and November 2011), the combined U.S. market share for Google and Apple – based on the number of mobile subscribers of iPhones and Android phones – jumped from 43.8 percent to 75.6 percent! When one considers the exponential growth of the mobile market and the rapid consumer adoption of wireless devices such as unlocked cell phones and tablets as well as for the associated branded protective accessories… it becomes apparent how staggering the revenue potential of these combined markets really is.

Another drastic market shift is the fall of beleaguered Canadian high-tech giant, Research In Motion. RIM has been plagued with technology based challenges, security issues, lackluster apps, production setbacks, numerous litigations and dismal product design, which all contributed to its fall from grace. Losing subscribership in the 18 month period, RIM’s BlackBerry market share dropped from 37.6 percent to 19.7 percent. Microsoft didn’t fare any better when it’s popularity poll was cut almost in half. Lastly, market laggard, Palm who? Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool! Discover select accessories, such as stylus & pens, SD Micro memory cards, batteries, speakers and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

So how and why did Android and Apple win over so many consumers? Analysts and industry experts seem to agree that unlocked phones for carrier neutrality, provided subscribers with the freedom to break away from being tied in with long term service provider contracts and negotiate lower priced service plans that best met their lifestyle needs . Secondly, the branding of not only the device, but the wide array of innovative top brand accessories drew customers in. Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky! Discover the latest innovative protection solutions of stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specially designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes with our. Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside our brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

A classic attribute of technology is that it continuously evolving at light speed into more powerful applications and features.  In stride to technological advances, consumer’s behavior has consistently kept text messaging a repeatable revenue source and a sustainable ROI for service providers and carriers across the world. Alas, the halcyon days of text messaging may quickly be coming to a close if recent reports are any indication of trends.  Experience the convenience of online shopping for unlocked cell phones and mobile device accessories.  Discover wide selection of top quality, innovative protective bags, sleeves and cases as well as premium electronic accessories from the industry’s most leading brands.   An accessory solution for every lifestyle… this is personal. This is you.  This is shopping simplified.

A recent column in Forbes outlines that text messaging rates are declining in many countries around the world. The report metrics were based on the text messages sent this past Christmas Eve as it is one of the highest messaging days of the year.  As Tero Kuittinen, the author of the article and a senior analyst for MGI Research wrote of the Finnish wireless carrier: Sonera – ‘As the major carrier of the Scandinavian country, it is a great marker for that country’s trends. Christmas Eve of 2010, 10.9 million messages had been exchanged. The same day a year later saw a drop to 8.5 million.  This kind of decline was also seen in Hong Kong and other highly populated metropolises… with the fall off may being as high as 14%.  Get powered up for work, life and play easily and conveniently with the latest collection of desktop chargers, wall chargers and car chargers.   Get all the power and energy you need for the mobile lifestyle.

These numbers may seem contradictory considering how consumers leverage cell phones foor both communications and as a pocket PC.  Do we talk more? Nope. Traditional texting is down? Yup. Are we using our phones as a multi media tool? You betcha. So where does this equation balance? The word “traditional.” Organic Facebook and Twitter support on Apple and Google smartphones is changing how we communicate. Add in email and free messaging apps (MMS versus SMS) and there is a recipe that doesn’t bode well for carriers and cuts the bonds of contracts and messaging packages that have lined their pockets for approximately 15 years.  Discover the widest online selection of Bluetooth Headsets and BlueTooth Car Kits.  Latest technology from top brand manufacturers.  Hands free functionality is designed for the interactive ‘on the go’ lifestyle and allows safe driving

When considering the increasing popularity of unlocked phones and the growing power of mobile consumers, this news should be closely considered by US carriers like AT&T and Verizon. Kuittinen noted in the Forbes article that for these major American carriers the next few years could see their earnings growth markedly decline. No surprise when “as much as 20% of carrier earnings are derived from text messaging.”  These players will seriously have to reconsider their strategy and plans to capture the business from unlocked phone users and the continuing evolution of messaging.