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TECHNOLOGY

Mobile computing... changing preferences

Top three mobile computing trends in 2015

MANAMA, November 16, 2014

Larger displays, higher ingress protection and an increasing interest for Android are among the top trends that will drive the mobile computing scene in 2015, predicts Jerker Hellström, CEO of leading rugged computer maker Handheld.

Three key trends in mobile computing in 2015 according to Hellström:

1. Larger displays even for rugged mobile computers

Rugged laptops, tablets, PDAs and smartphones continue to be the fastest growing market mobile computer segment, and just like the screen size of smartphones for the mass market has increased, so will the displays of rugged computers.

Screen size is the “$64,000 question” in the rugged computer segment – it is a major consideration for all users but it is also linked to the application and how data and information are presented, both in terms of how it is captured and how it is communicated to the end user.

“I foresee a stronger demand for maximum screen real-estate in the smallest, lightest possible form factor,” said Hellström.

2. Higher IP ratings

Mobile computers across all market segments are increasingly being manufactured, and marketed, as more durable, more rugged and with higher IP ratings (ingress protection against water and dust).

“This is a function of computers, tablets and smartphones being with us all the time, everywhere. The consumers demand durable devices that can be "knocked around" a bit!” said Hellström.

But it has also become a marketing gimmick. Some devices are now advertised as having the previously unattainable IP68 rating. But do the customers actually understand it? It actually means nothing unless the manufacturer informs us of the submerged time and depth, Hellström explained.

“I expect a continued upwards ‘IP rating creep’ but also an invigorating discussion about the definition and value of IP ratings and the tests carried out on mobile computers,’ he said.

 3. Increasing interest for Android

Microsoft Windows Mobile or Windows Embedded has for a long time been the operative system of choice for rugged mobile devices, albeit with increasingly stronger competition from Android. The year 2015 will be the year when the industry truly embraces Android, Hellström said.

The rapid growing of Android consumer phones has standardized the Android user behaviour and generated a spillover effect to the industrial sector. There is an increase of industrial software being developed for Android, boosted by the first generation industrial Android devices.

Also, Android can take advantage of powerful multi-core CPUs in a way Windows Embedded Handheld has not been able to, concluded Hellström. – TradeArabia News Service




Tags: Android | Mobile computing | Screen size |

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