- of
10 Smartphone, Tablet Flaws That Must Disappear In 2011
by Don Reisinger
Small Displays
The last thing that consumers will want to see next year is a small display on either their smartphone or tablet. Devices such as the Dell Streak, which boasts a 5-inch display, won’t cut it in the tablet market. Products such as the BlackBerry Tour and its sub-3-inch display won’t work in the smartphone space. Screen size matters. In 2011, consumers are going to look for larger displays, around four inches on smartphones and 7 to 10 inches on tablets. They won’t like anything smaller.
Lack of Multitasking
The past year was an important one for iPhone owners, thanks to Apple’s decision to finally bring multitasking to its platform. Multitasking was also made available on Apple’s iPad. However, full multitasking isn’t available on Windows Phone 7 devices. In 2011, every device must have the ability to multitask or consumers and enterprise customers will take their cash elsewhere.
Poor App Support
Applications are extremely important in the mobile market. In the iPhone App Store and Android Market, consumers will find an ample supply of programs. But the same can’t be said in the BlackBerry App World and Microsoft’s mobile app store. Even the number of apps available to the iPad leaves much to be desired. Next year, consumer will expect see a slew of effective apps on all platforms.
Poor Printer Support
Right now, trying to find easy ways to print documents from a smartphone and tablet can be difficult, to say the least. Mobile devices simply don’t have enough support to appeal to customers. That needs to be addressed by next year. Tablets and smartphones are quickly becoming mobile-computing companions for people around the globe. If they lack the ability to connect to just about any relatively new printer, they won’t be as valuable to customers as they could be.
Consumer-Only Focus
There are some devices on the market, most notably the Motorola Droid X and the Samsung Galaxy Tab on the tablet side, that fail to appeal to enterprise customers. They focus solely on the consumer market to the detriment of their sales on the corporate side. For now, that might not matter to vendors. But in 2011, every company will be forced to bridge that gap whether they want to or not as the enterprise becomes more willing than ever to break away from RIM’s BlackBerry.
Enterprise-Only Focus
As damaging as a consumer-only focus can be, it’s important to note that companies that cater only to corporate customers could be in for trouble in 2011, as well. RIM is arguably the most obvious company engaging in that strategy. Although the company’s BlackBerry Storm is more consumer-focused than the rest of its products, it still has a corporate feel to it. That’s a problem. Focusing only on the enterprise will turn consumers away and negatively impact market share.
Security Ambivalence
The mobile market is an interesting space when it comes to security. On one hand, consumers and enterprise customers are potentially less at risk for having a security issue on mobile platforms than they are on a Windows desktop installation. But on the other hand, it’s important to note that malicious hackers haven’t turned much of their attention toward the mobile market just yet. In 2011, they will. And vendors will need to spend more of their time focusing on security.
Sub-Par Browsing
Anyone who picks up a BlackBerry OS-based device or even a Windows Phone 7 product quickly realizes that the browsing experience leaves much to be desired. That’s a problem. Smartphones and tablets are quickly becoming the go-to devices for customers that want to search the Web away from home or the office. In the new year, consumers aren’t going to tolerate a sub-par browsing experience.
Lack of 3G (at Least)
Although most smartphones feature access to 3G networks nowadays, Apple is still selling versions of its iPad that are WiFi-only. The HP Slate 500 also lacks 3G. RIM will not ship its BlackBerry PlayBook in 2011 with 3G connectivity built-in. That’s a problem. Consumers expect to have the ability to surf the Web while they’re away from a WiFi connection. No having 3G connectivity built into every single device a vendor makes would be an absolute mistake in 2011.
Obsolete Operating System Designs
The last thing consumers and enterprise customers want to see next year is an obsolete operating system design. That’s precisely why Microsoft finally brought Windows Phone 7 to the market to replace Windows Mobile. However, RIM wasn’t so forward-thinking. With the company’s BlackBerry OS 6 release in 2010, it provided incremental updates to BlackBerry OS 5. It was a disappointment for consumers and even some enterprise customers that were hoping for something more iOS-like. As popular as RIM’s phones might be, it can’t expect its operating system to carry it through 2011.
Enterprise Mobility News & Reviews 
Cloud Data Backup Now Makes Sense for SMBs: 10 Reasons Why 
HP, Lenovo, Asus Laptops, Desktops Offer Consumer Style for Busin[..]
Microsoft`s F#: 10 Reasons Why It`s a Hot Programming Language fo[..]
Data Center Efficiency: 10 Tips to Boost Productivity, Reduce Pow[..]
iPhone Apps to Kick Off the 2012 Summer Season 
Email Security: 10 Steps for Dealing With Dangerous Messages
See All Slideshows
Never before has so much attention been placed on the smartphone market. Whether it’s Apple’s iPhone, RIM’s BlackBerry or countless devices from so many other vendors, the smartphone space is a critical battleground for a slew of companies. The same can be said for the tablet space. Although Apple’s iPad dominates that market, several competitors are vying for attention. But the chances of 2011 becoming a banner year for both smartphones and tablets will rely upon the ability of vendors to deliver products with features that consumers and enterprise customers really want. The only way to achieve that goal will be to find the issues that those customers are experiencing now with smartphones and tablets, and address them. Of course, some companies will be more likely to do that better than others. But the firm that eliminates the following features will be most likely to see success with smartphone or tablet designs. Read on to find out which shortcomings in tablet or smartphone designs must be banished in 2011.