Android Market hits 10 billion downloads

Last summer, I discussed the 15 billion downloads from the iTunes App Store, and today, Google confirmed that Android Market hit the 10 billion mark. What are the chances that Android Market overtakes iTunes App Store:

• Android App downloads are growing faster than iOS' (took almost a year for Apple to double download but just over 6 months for Android)
• More Android devices activated every day than iOS'
• Open vs. Closed

but:

• Apple is delivering always innovative and flawless products and other vendors are playing catch up
• Superior user experience across all Apple's products

Big five IT trends

Very good article here. Not that the author is a visionary (he would have been if the article had been published 3 years ago), but he did good job articulating the major IT trends.

If you don't have time here are the big five IT trends:

• Smart Devices and Tablets
• Social Media
• Consumerization of IT
• Cloud Computing
• Big Data

Omnitrol introduces First M2M and RFID platform integrating Google’s JavaScript-V8 Engine

Omnitrol's EASE 4.0 extends the Google Javascript-V8 engine by encapsulating real-time event-processing complexities in M2M and sensor-driven software solutions, enabling Javascript-V8 applications to be deployed in mission-critical environments. EASE 4.0 seamlessly extends Javascript-V8 applications with hot-standby fault tolerance, hot-deployment without downtime, real-time complex event processing, priority queues and in-memory database services -all key requirements in physical-world operations.

HP to Acquire Info Management Software Firm Autonomy

I've been a little perplexed by some of the recent HP moves, but this one makes a lot of sense to me. Any large IT vendor has to provide a complete set of integrated IT management, automation and security software to its customers. The datasets generated by enterprise applications are growing so large that software built by companies like Autonomy, Vertica (acquired earlier this year by HP as well), Greenplum (acquired by EMC) is becoming mission critical.The market for unstructured data is getting bigger, and Oracle is the only one that hasn't made a move yet.

Google to Buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion

Looks like Larry Page didn't waste time since he moved to the CEO position. It is hard to believe that the acquisition was made for Motorola's hardware business. Google wouldn't risk alienating all the smart phone makers (Samsung, HTC) who are using the Android operating system. It seems to me that Google wanted to make sure that no patent lawsuit would stop Android's growth. I see a few dark clouds on the horizon for this acquisition:

• Looking at the problems AT&T is facing with the T-Mobile acquisition, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Feds looking at this transaction very closely and, despite approving other patent acquisitions, investigating the run for patents.
• Set top box, smart phone and tablet manufacturers may ask Google to reconsider the move or get guarantees from Google about the future of their relationships.
• Nearly 20,000 employees to integrate in a software, Silicon Valley culture-driven company. It will be a challenge for both sides to adjust to the new environment.

There is no doubt that there is a huge patent war going on between Google on one side and Apple and Microsoft on the other side. What will happen when they run out of patents to buy?

The future of mobile is context

Interesting blog entry from Forrester which supports the recent release of their report: "The Future of Mobile is User Context". User context is nothing new. Back in 2009, I discussed context-aware technologies. Julie Ask gives some examples of context-aware scenarios and recognizes that these are not new, and that companies are already developing them. What I found particularly interesting was her definition of user context: “the sum total of what your customer has told you and is experiencing at his moment of engagement."

This, undoubtedly, centers context-aware services around social networks content and platforms.

iTunes App Store Surpasses 15 Billion Downloads

The iTunes App Store had only 500 applications when it launched in 2008, now it has over half a million applications if you count iPad's. The 15-billion download number is staggering. Talk about a Long Tail! The App Store is reaching this milestone only one month after the iTunes Music Store reached the same number (iTunes Music Store launched in 2003, 5 years before the App Store).

I have been a strong supporter of a vibrant developer community to establish a platform, this is one of the best illustrations we've ever seen so far.

Google's Android Market is still playing catch up (Apple must be feeling them breathing over their neck though), but if you add their numbers, this truly is an incredible growth and remarkable achievement.