{"id":4139,"date":"2011-12-29T04:28:52","date_gmt":"2011-12-29T09:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/?p=4139"},"modified":"2021-10-19T06:49:02","modified_gmt":"2021-10-19T10:49:02","slug":"top-smartphone-picks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/top-smartphone-picks\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Smartphone Picks in the Coming Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

We know, we know: This a web hosting blog at heart. So why are we talking about smartphones? Because, they\u2019re becoming a more-and-more ever-present form of communication and software development, that\u2019s why! If you dont\u2019 believe us, just take a jaunt down to your local supermarket and look at what the people there are carrying around. Nine times out of ten, we\u2019d be willing to bet they\u2019ve got a couple bags of groceries in one hand, and a smartphone in the other. If you\u2019re still not sure why this is worth talking about, consider this: All of those people at the supermarket are using their mobile devices to surf the Web. That includes your website, potentially. And with so many people browsing your site while at the supermarket from their smartphone, don\u2019t you think it\u2019s worth knowing what smartphones are popular? Knowledge is power, the old adage goes, and in this case that\u2019s entirely the case. Knowing what platforms are being used to access your content, as well as what devices are running those platforms, gives you a leg-up on your competitors, allowing you to develop and refine your Web content to a polished shine.<\/p>\n

So with all of that in mind, what are the hot ticket smartphones now, and in the coming year? Before we dive into the specifics (Which we promise we will, Cowboy, so hold your horses!) it\u2019s first worth talking a bit about market share.<\/p>\n

Market Presence and What it Tells Us<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"worldwide<\/p>\n

Using the latest information from this year (available here<\/a>) it\u2019s extremely clear that Google\u2019s Android mobile operating system has bitten a huge chunk out of the global presence. Controlling a whopping 43% of the total market share, you can safely bet that nearly half the time your website is accessed, it\u2019s being accessed from a Google-powered phone. A few reasons for Android\u2019s dominance include its proliferation amongst lower-end, or budget-minded smartphones, it\u2019s steadily increasing presence in the business world, and its near constant development and update cycle. The platform is also open source\u2014you can download it in its entirety from Google\u2019s website\u2014making it one of the more accessible operating systems for developing phone manufacturers.<\/p>\n

Looking at the market shares, it\u2019s somewhat surprising that Symbian manages to hold onto its 22% share of the industry. The unsung operating system relies on cheaper phones to drive its business, and usually garners less attention than the number three smartphone competitor, Apple. On that note, with 18% of the market share, Apple\u2019s iPhone is certainly a force to be reckoned with. If you\u2019re looking to optimize your site for mobile use, testing it on an Apple device is a nearly fail-safe plan, as the company is renowned for its highest quality productions, as well as its rock-solid performance. And, of course, there\u2019s always a level of prestige associated with the name iPhone, as the device was one of the first true smartphones to hit the scene.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, RIM holds only a 12% share of the market, whereas it was once the chief operating system for business use. As the company continues to miss the mark with its phone lines and improvements, we feel this share will only decrease, lessening the importance of Blackberry optimization in favor of Android and iOS.<\/p>\n

To summarize quickly: The coming year will likely bring an increased focus on Symbian, Android, and iOS, rapidly leaving RIM and Microsoft behind. When optimizing your site for mobile use, be sure to consider the first three companies in your design process.<\/p>\n

Top Phones for the Coming Year<\/strong><\/p>\n

So now that we\u2019ve dug into the meat and research of the field, what physical devices are likely to take center stage in the first quarter? We\u2019ve compiled a few of our choice picks below, but keep in mind that new devices are emerging constantly, and it will always be an uphill battle to fully optimize your site for popular use.<\/p>\n

HTC Rezound:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"HTC<\/p>\n

Clocking in at around $149.99 with Verizon Wireless, the HTC Rezound is likely to be one of the more prolific Android-enabled phones on the market in the next few months. The device is perfect for viewing photos and videos, offering a capacitive touch screen with unprecedented detail and performance. The phone also comes optimized for 4G speeds, and with a middle-of-the-road price tag attached, we feel its a true contender for market attention.<\/p>\n

iPhone 4S:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Apple<\/p>\n

As Apple\u2019s latest release (autumn of 2011) you can rest assured that the iPhone 4S will be the company’s flagship model for at least a year. The phone doesn\u2019t bring much in terms of physical improvements over its predecessor, but as the latest in the prestigious line of iPhone smartphones, you can bet your boots it will be out in force among the market. To cut it short, if your website isn\u2019t optimized for iOS use, you\u2019re really shooting your own foot in terms of end-user satisfaction.<\/p>\n

Samsung Galaxy S II:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen many advertisements for this phone lately, and if we have to pick another Android to take the lead, we can\u2019t help but nominate the Galaxy S II. Samsung has a particularly healthy track record, as well as a reputation for producing some of the highest quality screens and hardware sets in the industry. Not to mention the customized version of Android hidden beneath the bonnet. In conclusion, the phone really is an experience device, offering a level of shine and polish that typically isn\u2019t present in a Google-powered phone. In fact, we\u2019d even put the Galaxy S II on-par with the iPhone, in terms of production quality. All in all, it\u2019s certainly a device to keep an eye on, and if you\u2019re looking for a gold standard Android to test your site with, you could certainly do a lot worse than the Galaxy S II by Samsung.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We know, we know: This a web hosting blog at heart. So why are we talking about smartphones? Because, they\u2019re becoming a more-and-more ever-present form of communication and software development,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":3853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3557],"tags":[3611,3167,3137,3614,3610],"class_list":["post-4139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobile-world","tag-htc-rezound","tag-iphone","tag-rim","tag-samsung-galaxy-s-ii","tag-smartphone"],"views":74,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}