2011 Mobile World Congress Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
Outline 1. MWC 2011 – Week in brief
2. Key announcements at MWC 2011 • • • • • • • • • • •
Samsung Galaxy S II Sony Ericsson Xperia Play LG Optimus 3D HTC Desire S Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 LG Optimus Pad HTC Incredible S Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro HTC ChaCha and Salsa Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo Motorola Droid Pro
3. Other devices at MWC 2011 • Motorola Atrix • Motorola Xoom
1. MWC 2011 – Week in brief
MWC – key handset and tablet highlights •
The Samsung Galaxy S II has so far been the announcement that has attracted the most attention in Social Media, generating almost 50% of the 'buzz' for handsets announced during the congress. The overall sentiment regarding the handset is very positive, largely due to its impressive hardware spec. Some negative comments are associated with its non-innovative design
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Initial reactions to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play have been largely positive and consumers are excited about the concept of bringing real gaming capabilities to the Android platform
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In general, Android's Honeycomb OS has been at the centre of consumer conversations this week – devices being announced with older versions of the OS received lukewarm response from consumers in social media
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The HTC Flyer, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and LG Optimus Pad all receive a significant amount of buzz in Social Media, with the HTC Flyer being the one that has attracted the most attention from consumers
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Although announced prior to the conference, the Motorola Atrix has been well received in consumer discussions in Social Media, with its innovative design and powerful hardware at the centre of the conversations
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The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa with their dedicated “Facebook button” receive largely negative feedback by Social Media users – potential customers are not buying the Facebook-centric idea which these handsets prioritise since the majority find it unnecessary to have a fully dedicated Facebook phone as most phones already have apps to access the key social networking sites
MWC Announcements – Social Media Buzz Volumes
Total mentions in Social Media from February 11 to February 18
MWC Announcements – Share of Social Media Buzz 13% 8% 5%
5% 46%
4% 3% 3%
Total mentions in Social Media from February 11 to February 18
MWC Announcements – Social Media Buzz Volumes
MWC Announcements – Social Media Buzz Volume Trends
MWC Announcements – Twitter Volume – (1 of 2)
Twitter statistics by trendistic.com
MWC Announcements – Twitter Volume – (2 of 2)
Twitter statistics by trendistic.com
2. Key announcements at MWC 2011
Samsung Galaxy S II Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
Samsung Galaxy S II
Top Positive Comments • Outstanding hardware spec • Release due soon in Europe and Asia
Top Negative Comments • Slow update support from Samsung • Appearance is boring and ugly • No release date for North America
Executive Summary > The Samsung Galaxy S II surely 'dropped a bomb' within Social Media. The overall sentiment is very positive > Over half of the discussions are about this phone's top-notch hardware. Customers are excited about the first dual core CPU phone and the 1GB RAM. They are also curious about the GPU performance compared to phones with Tegra 2 chips > The 'due soon in Europe and Asia' release date is also driving positive buzz > However, customers are not showing confidence in Samsung's support on this phone. Negative sentiment was expressed because they think Samsung builds phones with great hardware without supporting them well or speedily > Another negative sentiment aspect is the phone's appearance. Some customers think it's boring and ugly > While European and Asian users are happy because the phone will be released soon in those regions, customers in North America are not so lucky. There is currently no release date for NA, and it is driving negative sentiment
Samsung Galaxy S II – Buzz Cloud
Samsung Galaxy S II – Verbatims
"Samsung is now the official owner of Android :) I bet with with the Galaxy series Samsung becomes the most powerful company in the Android ecosystem given that they are by far the largest in terms of $ earned from Android. Google's gonna have to suck up to Samsung now :)"
"This is how you announce a device. Make it available within 30 days of announcement. HP & Sony Ericsson, take notice."
"Yep. This is Samsung, so the Galaxy S 2 won't be getting any post-Gingerbread updates until late 2012 if that."
"Samsung always bring the best hardware! Even though i have the Galaxy S, I have no complaints"
"Could Samsung phones get any uglier?"
"hm. I swore to never buy another Samsung phone after the internal SD died on my Bell i9000M, but this is just to damn tempting!"
"Unless samsung have hired new and skilled developers and have restructured their mobile dev management - no thanks. Not buying another samsung product until they realize that you can't make a great phone just by beefing up the hardware ... Updates and support are just ad important, if not moreso -- and currently, samsung SUCKS in this area."
"This month?? Gents, I believe I have found my next phone."
"it looks so ugly and cheap. WHY PLASTIC? WHY DO THEY HAVE THAT "bump" on the bottom of the back"
"Welcome to the world SGS2. Sorry that you'll be an orphan. Samsung will forget about you (software updates), as soon you are out in the world:((."
"Launching this month in the Europe and Asia means JulySeptember in North America because carriers want to add crapware onto a perfectly good phone."
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
Top Positive Comments • Pre-loaded games, like Crash Bandicoot • Physical gaming console
Top Negative Comments • Lack of new PSP games • Battery life • Verizon contract only
Executive Summary >The announcement of the Sony Ericsson Play at MWC 2011 has caught the attention of the public and aroused the interest of hardcore gamers. It will be the first phone with PlayStation games and running Android 3.0 OS, codenamed Honeycomb >Generally, customers have shown positive sentiment within Social Media – they are quite excited to experience the first PlayStation phone, aka 'PSP'. Consumers like the pre-loaded games, such as Crash Bandicoot, which are provided free >With the physical gaming console, the gaming experience will be markedly different to previous Android on-screen games >However, there is some negative sentiment since the available games are somewhat out-dated. In comparison to the Nintendo 3DS and Sony NGP, the Xperia Play is perceived to have an appealing price, although the performance needs to improve >The phone is released in the US exclusively with Verizon, which is understandably driving negative sentiment among non-Verizon customers
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play – Buzz Cloud
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play – Verbatims “I'm hoping for some new dedicated games. Playing old games I've already played, through emulators or officially through some Sony app, isn't going to convince me to buy this. I'm not talking about boring puzzle games or some object launching game. I'm talking about completely new MGS, Final Fantasy, God of War, etc. games. Otherwise, those gaming buttons aren't going to add much value.” “Sometimes when I see the Nokia N-Gage comparisons to the XPERIA Play, I just laugh. Did the N-Gage have a 1GHz CPU, Adreno GPU, Android 2.3, a 4 inch touchscreen, slide-out control pad, "Bravia Engine" display, was "PlayStation certified", and had content that Sony provided for it? No? Then the comparisons stop there. ” “I'm gettin this phone :) cant wait to play my emulators! havin actual buttons just does it for me.” “how great will it be to run snes emulator gameboy emulator THIS IS GONNA BE FUN!!!!”
“I'd rather have 50 games on this device than a billion limited by shitty iOS touchscreen controls. I hate touchscreen gaming with a passion. IMO it is only good for a few genres.” “So why not getting a NGP instead? The games will perform much much better and there will be not conflict between games and phone calls (your battery is limited).”
“I'm older than 21 and work in a way too uptight business job that involves lots of travelling, and because of that, waiting. While I'm not a huge gamer now, I was when I was a boy and PSX was the shit, and I practically was raised on SNES and Genesis, both of which have decently coded emulators for Android. This thing is perfect for guys like me.”
“The next couple of years, mobile gaming is going to b fierce and awesome. We have SE+NGP+Playstation +Android vs Nokia+Xbox Live+WP7 vs Apple+iOS. Wow. By the way, do people still want to buy the Nintendo 3DS at this point?”
“I don't think this is for hardcore-hardcore gamers, the NGP is going to suit their needs much better, but let me know, as a hardcore-hardcore gamer ... you use the iPhone just for calls, do you?”
“But if I'm reading this right it might have the controls for a playstation/psp but won't play the games....seems to indicate the games are separate (i.e. Android games only?) What is the point in having that control layout if it isn't playing PSP games at a minimum???”
“with the power of newer smartphones i dont see why they cant play ps2 games, ps1 games are announced but why nothing about ps2 games”
LG Optimus 3D Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
LG Optimus 3D
Top Positive Comments • 3D display • 4.3 inch glass screen • Dual memory
Top Negative Comments • 2.2 OS not Gingerbread
Executive Summary >The launch of the LG Optimus 3D at MWC 2011 generates a significant amount of buzz in social media and the initial sentiment towards the handset is positive. It is the first mobile phone to offer the 3D element, which is driving most of the excitement behind the handset
>The 4.3 inch glasses-free 3D display's effect on games, 5 megapixel dual-lens rear camera, dual core, dual channel, dual memory and other specs of the handset all attract positive coverage in the blogosphere. The handset is also compared to the Nintendo 3D, since it offers the same experience although the reviews state that the LG Optimus 3D experience is comparatively much better >In general, the majority of users initially express a lot of excitement about the 3D function and potentially find it to be one of the main factors behind the success of the handset; however, a few users also believe that there is no point in having 3D in a mobile >Users also express their concern about the battery life and hope that it will last longer. Some negative sentiment is associated with the announcement that it won’t arrive with Gingerbread, but will be launched with Android 2.2. However, the handset will be able to upgrade in due time
LG Optimus 3D – Buzz Cloud
LG Optimus 3D - Verbatims “I wonder what the price tag for this device will be? Much more then I can afford that's for sure. Though its nice to see a device that tries to incorporate 3D into your pocket.”
“Latest eye-popping 3D experience Would love to watch "Despicable Me" on this gorgeous LG 3D :D Awwww
“I have to say LG & Samsung are starting to make a quality product. At least this doesn't remind me of any other phones immediately when I look at it. Styling phone.
“I'd rather buy the optimus 3d than the lowly xperia play. whoa,the display luks awsum!!!”
“3D is not needed,but a strong battery is essential!”
“Honestly, I'm not sold still to this idea of 3D in handheld devices.. I think I have to actually see one and try it, to understand where the value is (if there's any apart from a nice techy addon)
“OMAP 4, flawless 3D execution..... LG, you have my money. I just need to hear a decent battery life figure.... ”
“Now that's an original, high-quality-build design, unlike galaxy's 2. Go for it LG, AWESOME PHONE!”
“Because the 3DS has some 'unique' selling points: - 3D screen (without glasses (which I understand is the case here too)) - 3D video recordings (same here)
“I super duper want this :D”
If those points are not unique, it's just a new DS. I'm not saying 3DS sales will plummet or anything, but the 'newness' of the 3DS may take a serious hit that way...”
“Honestly I wasn't expecting LG to make such an adorable device..... As technology goes on more opponents enter to the WAR ”
“it wont be symbiam...it will be android or meego...(meego is something exactly similar to android.)thats y it will be a beast”
“What a pretty piece of hardware. Too bad this doesn't run Gingerbread.”
“So whose the carrier? And why isn't their stock gingerbread?”
HTC Desire S Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
HTC Desire S
Top Positive Comments • Front camera for video calling • Good price for 1GHz CPU & nearly 800 MB internal memory
Top Negative Comments • Mid-range specification • Appearance design lack of novelty • No physical buttons
Executive Summary >The latest announced HTC Desire S, which is rumoured as HTC Desire 2, attracts buzz in Social Media where customers have shown interest towards the upgrade version of HTC Desire >The front camera for video calling is the biggest positive buzz driver for this phone, which is perceived to be a great improvement on previous HTC handsets and is generating positive sentiment towards the brand >The 1 GHz CPU and nearly 800 MB internal memory upgraded from HTC Desire, with an affordable price, also drives positive sentiment in Social Media towards the phone >Customers still perceive the Desire S to have a mid-range specification and a lack of novel improvements over the Desire and dissatisfaction is shown by consumers towards the brand >Moreover, the design of the phone has received negative comments since consumers perceive that it's more or less the same as the Desire >Some customers comment negatively towards the phone regarding the fact that it's touchscreen only, ie there are no physical buttons
HTC Desire S – Buzz Cloud
HTC Desire S – Verbatims “Glad I’m not the only one. No physical buttons = NO SALE for me too.”
“On the face of it disappointed by htc offering, desire s seems pretty underwhelming in terms of specs compared tip the galaxy s.”
“best phone of the year. go on htc..”
“For me its the Desire S for now.....I need Sense in my life. ” “Yes, Desire S is just a soft upgrade over Desire. I don't think most of the Desire owners will update their phones to Desire S”
“HTC seem to be running out of ideas on the design front, the Desire S looks just like the Nexus with the earpiece from another one of their phones. Hope they are saving themselves for the next real upgrade and not just a refresh.”
“The new Desire S looks like a new mid-range phone. So it's best to wait if you need to have the next high-end phone ”
“Build quality of the Desire S sounds nice, and i wouldn't mind having one, but it's not specced any higher than my N1 and of course is full of 'Sense' crap which i'd have to nuke from orbit before using the thing.”
“The Incredible S is just like its name, 'Incredible' , i might buy a Desire S though since it wil be cheaper ” “disappointing, nothing new here, design, specs, feel all the same.”
“Desire S for me please, that aluminium unibody is something I've lusted after since the Legend. I'm due an Orange upgrade anytime now! ”
“c'mon HTC! i know you have a great looking sense, but it's suppose to be a new phone. it should have lots of improvements over the previous gen, not just size! “after a long wait a front facing camera.. super amoled would have been. much better though...”
camera should be 8pm by now, front facing cam should be 1.3 to 2mp. no dual core is fine. needs active noise cancellation too and hdmi.”
HTC Flyer Tablet Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
HTC Flyer Tablet
Top Positive Comments • Brand Reputation – Finally a HTC Tablet • Stylus • Sense UI
Top Negative Comments • Not launched with Honeycomb
Executive Summary >The introduction of the HTC Flyer Tablet attracts lots of attention and generates a significant amount of buzz in Social Media. Customers are pleased to see HTC taking part in the tablet 'game' and have great expectations of this new product
> Generally, HTC Android products receive positive feedback from customers due to their high quality and close collaboration with the Google OS, which in turn draws positive sentiment towards the Flyer Tablet >The well-received stylus feature also generates positive comments among customers who think it will be quite useful > Despite being able to upgrade to Honeycomb OS, the Tablet will be equipped with Android 2.3 on board which attracts negative sentiment from customers > According to the consumers’ speculations, the reason that HTC decided to launch the Flyer Tablet without Honeycomb OS is that they prioritized their own Sense UI and did not have the time to develop a customised Honeycomb version – this draws negative comments from users
HTC Flyer Tablet – Buzz Cloud
HTC Flyer Tablet – Verbatims “Saving the best 4 last. and bringing the real magic....lol HTC and Google is like a candy and woman mouth, sweet and sexy....” “I like the idea of the Flyer and HTC generally supports their products very well. I just want to know price and availability and this is pretty much a done deal.”
You're dooming your product to fail if you even have any other version of Android but Honeycomb in mind when creating and launching the device. That is, if Google is actually serious about Honeycomb and works with each OEM and gets some launch apps available.
“I hope honeycomb will suite well with Flyer. HTC Flyer + Honeycomb! Voilà!”
“Wow. Android 3.0 has a perfectly fine interface/ Why do these idiots need to throw on their own UI and make it so updates aren't instantly available.”
“I'm really interested. The Flyer has some great things going for it. The stylus isn't bad idea and certainly has it use cases. I also think that Sense looks really nice on this device. Since we now know that Honeycomb will be coming I would definitely check it out. ”
“A 7" tablet with a stylus. Looks like HTC has been following my tweets! Pity it isn't dual core or Honeycomb.”
“I like it based on this video. HTC means quality. ” “I want to not like this, because it's not stock and not Honeycomb. But I just can't :/ Don't you dare hook me on your Flyer then price it at 800 bucks HTC...” “I like the idea of the Flyer and HTC generally supports their products very well. I just want to know price and availability and this is pretty much a done deal.”
“Yeah I agree the stylus could actually come in handy for a lot of different people but students certainly being a big one with taking notes, etc. I think this would be nice to have showing customers sets of plans. Then you could draw right on them if you needed to edit something like say a window or door.”
I love HTC stuff sending this post from my desire BUT to release a tablet running 2.3 the upgrade to 3.0 is a mistake. I have waited nearly a year for a decent tablet I would opt to wait a little more for HTC built for 3.0
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Top Positive Comments • Appearance • Honeycomb OS
Top Negative Comments • Size change • Proprietary charging cable • No USB extendibility
Executive Summary >The announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has captured customers’ attention and provoked widespread discussion within Social Media, whilst the stylish appearance attracts positive feedback from customers >It is another device that is equipped with the Honeycomb OS, which is the subject of positive sentiment from customers. Whilst the customisation capability of the OS is well-received, customers are concerned about the price of the Tab 10.1 and often mentioned it in relation to the XOOM in terms of price since the latter also attracts negative comment due to its high price >The new Galaxy Tab 10.1 has changed its size to 10.1”, which receives negative feedback from some customers who think the previous 7” Tab is preferable >The 'possible' proprietary charging cable is another factor that increases the buzz volume re the Tab 10.1 within Social Media; some customers have expressed negative sentiment towards the device due to the 'proprietary' charging cable while some say it is not proprietary! >Despite the large in-built memory, the lack of USB extendibility of the device certainly draws some negative sentiment
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 – Buzz Cloud
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 – Verbatims
“Yeah i liked the 7" screen as well, made it pretty portable. Definitely found the GPS very useful and it actually works, unlike my SGS which is flaky to say the least. Not impressed by the lack of SD card input, that's a bit of a fail if you ask me. Will have to wait on the price .”
“They'd be silly to make only a 10" model. Some of us think that's too big for a tablet. I think the 7" size of my Galaxy Tab 1 is perfect. More pixels and more power, sure, bring it on, but don't change the form factor.”
“I just hope it is priced more "competitively" than the Xoom. I would really like an android tablet.”
The new Tab looks pretty nice, I might upgrade in the summer after iPad 2, Touchpad and a slew of honeycomb tablets are out. Nice to have options
“Personally I think the tablets around 7" are the better size--more portable while still having enough screen real estate but I have to say the Asus Transformer looks great..”
“At least the non-Apple tablet manufacturers are giving people more choices. That is a good thing. I just hope that developers are really given the tools to scale their apps as necessary. ”
“Ok, I will admit that it looks pretty nice to have...but lets see what the price will be...so far Xoom(its main competitor) prices at $800, so I am kinda hoping samsung will price theres at $500-$600 maybe $700 even.”
“The Samsung charging cable is _not_ PDMI it's proprietary, the Dell Streak uses PDMI. The Samsung cable is just the iPod connector flipped. ”
“Apparently the new Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes _WITHOUT_ both USB and HDMI. At least according to an article in the Swedish version of IDG and some other tech outlets. How exactly will this affect the homebrew community? Doesn't lack of USB make flashing custom ROM's infinitely harder? Surprising since it's an 'with Google(tm)' machine.”
“Just noticed a major let-down - if this shows to hold true - that the new Tab 2 does not as the present Samsung Galaxy Tab have a microSD slot: " Samsung includes either 16 or 32GB of internal memory, but unfortunately no microSD slot for adding your own" Laptopmag writes. This is really a bummer, I could understand it if Samsung had increased internal memory to at least 64 GB, like the Ipad, but 16 og 32 GB is really not much without a microSD slot. If this is confirmed to me it seems like a huge, inexplicable mistake! .”
LG Optimus Pad Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
LG Optimus Pad
Top Positive Comments • Dual-core processor • 3D video
Top Negative Comments • Glossy finish • Lacks glasses-free 3D
Executive Summary >The announcement of the LG Optimus PAD at MWC 2011 catches the attention of several blogs and arouses the interest of many consumers. The initial sentiment around the buzz is mixed. Users compare it to the Apple and Samsung devices the most, and find it difficult to decide to which one to choose. Users also are keen to know the price of the tablet >The spec of the device is the subject of mixed sentiment. The glossy finish gets negative attention as the fingerprints on the device tend to be prominent and, therefore, is referred as “a real fingerprint magnet” in the reviews >Since the device is 8.9 inches, a few users find the device to be too big to be used as a camera, although the 3D capturing capability differentiates it from the likes of Samsung and Motorola. However, a few users also express disappointment over the fact that it will not allow them to experience 3D without glasses
LG Optimus Pad – Buzz Cloud
LG Optimus Pad – Verbatims “Nice try, but nothing more... The one thing most tablets miss these days is polish (Including this one).” “Whoa, Looks pretty nice...”
“I stopped reading at "Its screen cannot actually play back glasses-free 3D". This was actually the only thing I was expecting from this tablet..”
“I love all these tablets, but the front all looks the same, especially wit stock gingerbread. Say what you will about OEM skins, they still allow the uninformed consumer (which is the vast majority) to make a visual judgement on a product. When i start selling these tabs, i'll probably struggle to convey the difference or benefits of each to the customer. Especially with the Samsung and Xoom.”
“Skin=Fail.” “Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab2, LG Optimus Pad.. Which One To Choose? GOSHHHHHHHHHH!”
“Switch orientation, make cup of tea, return in time for screen to reorient. I'm sure the final version will be fine though. I can see myself buying a Honeycomb tab, whether it's Moto, LG or Sammy is going to be purely on price I guess once the software is optimized. ”
“Gaaaa, can't anyone in marketing do simple math... 15:9 screen = 5:3. It's like when I see 16:10 screens should be 8:5, drives me nuts.”
“Active or passive 3D goggles?”
“Why can't anyone tell us the price of all these new tablets!??”
“I don't understand why they keep pushing these 16:9 resolutions. They seem to think everyone is going to be endlessly watching videos on it. When in reality they will be spending most of their time on the web or reading a book.”
“Good job LG.......... They arfe really coming to the GAME or shall I say WAR .” “So glossy! Look at the fingerprints! Ugh, there's gotta be a better way! ” “And people think Apple are innovative.....”
“Long & thin does not a good tablet make.”
HTC Incredible S Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
HTC Incredible S
Top Positive Comments • Larger screen than previous Incredible
Top Negative Comments • No major improvements
Executive Summary >The announcement of Incredible S attracts customers’ attention who perceive the newly introduced handset as a possible flagship phone from HTC >This generation of Incredible has a larger screen compared to its predecessor which generates positive sentiment from customers >In spite of the larger screen, customers have shown disappointment towards the newly announced Incredible S in that it does not have major improvements in terms of performance, such as a dual-core processor, and it is perceived as the same as the Desire HD only with a larger screen
HTC Incredible S – Buzz Cloud
HTC Incredible S – Verbatims “This phone has no right to include “Incredible” in it’s branding. It’s name should be changed to the HTC “Same Old Crap”. Hopefully this summer when the other manufacturers are launching their Tegra phones, HTC will pull something innovative out from up their sleeves.”
“It probably has updated CPU, but still that's not a big leap from last years incredible. I do like the fact the screen size is larger. But design wise it looks pretty similar to the previous.”
“the look of the specs the Incredible S is equal to or better than the Desire S at just about every turn. Is the Incredible S the new flagship? But for it lacking a dual core processor, I think it's a phone I could be happy with.”
“Am I right in thinking that the Incredible S is actually the new “flagship” model? It certainly seems to pack more punches than the Desire S…” “Disappointed in the new Incredible S... too minor of a refresh.. sigh.. I want a phone that gets me excited, nothing announced at CES or MWC is doing it... f it, I'll just let my contract expire in a couple months and wait. Nothing really wrong with my DInc, but I really would like a larger screen. Minor refresh's is apples world.. I want somethign that inspires me to show off the device as when the DInc first came out. ” “The Incredible S is also nothing new under the sun. Not even a dual-core processor... No 1GB of ram. Seriously, HTC, WHAT THE FUCK?.”
“This new Incredible, which I was looking forward to, to upgrade to, is nothing but the same phone, w/ a bigger screen. Totally disappointed. Ugh.”
“That's basically the Incredible S. Not nearly enough of an improvement though, I'm sitting here with my March '10 Desire and I don't feel outdated, they needed a bigger update here. Where's the dual cores? ”
“Incredible S will be in stores in early Q2 with Froyo. the same processor as Arc and just a little bit more RAM. ”
“The Incredible S is essentially a 4inch Desire HD and the Desire S is a 3.7 inch Desire HD. In all fairness they're not really that much better than the Desire HD at all. It also seems HTC are starting to use Aluminum bodies for all their high end products.”
Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro
Top Positive Comments • QWERTY keyboard
Top Negative comments • Sluggish user interface • Unappealing design
Executive Summary >The announcement of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro at MWC 2011 has driven Social Media buzz amongst consumers. It is identical to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo other than the QWERTY keyboard that slides out (like the Xperia X10 Mini Pro) >The QWERTY keyboard has received mostly positive sentiment in discussions where consumers have tired of onscreen operations all the time, and a few customers also comment positively about the keyboard through their successful experience with the Xperia X10 Mini Pro >However, the sluggish on-screen operations in hands-on video, where the demonstrator shows the switching between screens, has generated negative sentiment >Apart from the above, customers also comment negatively towards the appearance since there’s a lack of novel design elements to differentiate the handset from other Xperia devices
Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro – Buzz Cloud
Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro – Verbatims “so I'm assuming you'd rather not have one and continue using Swype? I find the QWERTY keyboard on my X10 Mini Pro one of the big plusses, despite being a rather underwhelming device.
“Too bad the screen lags.”
This Xperia Pro seems like a good candidate for my next phone if I plan to get a replacement anytime soon.”
“This, and many many other devices that have been released lately, really start making the iphone look boring in my opinion. And anyone who says they don't want a real keyboard just isn't sane.”
“totally looks like a bunch of the other phones out there (Epic 4G, bigger version of MyTouch Slide). Not really anything too special. I was expecting a little more in looks coming from Sony.” “That looked really sluggish in the video. I think SE tries to do too much to android, mucking it up with all that timescape crap. They should just keep it simple, and if they insist, make it all blue like they seem to. But they've put way too much bloat onto their android platform. People want Google and that's it”
“It pretty disappointing to see a 3rd/4th (I lost count) iteration of Android OS that is still plagued by UI lag. I have original Droid and it appears to behave better than this new hardware superior device. I guess my disappointment is geared more toward the OS potentials and not as much to UI developers. How long should it take to make UI smooth (lag-free) and responsive? Seems like hardware is already there to do the job.”
“This video is the perfect example of everything that's wrong with Android. The phone is so unresponsive to numerous gestures... those "widgets" are just resource hogs.”
“This is the BEST Qwerty Keyboard iv seen EVER !! damn” “I'm genuinely in disbelief at how laggy SE phones are. It's a joke, I can't actually believe they would let them out the factory running like that. “hmmm.... nice keyboard.”
Imagine once it's loaded up with photo's, videos, text messages, etc....”
HTC ChaCha and Salsa Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
HTC ChaCha and Salsa
Top Positive Comments • Vertical QWERTY Android device
Top Negative Comments • Facebook button • Outdated hardware • Smaller screen • Not innovative
Executive Summary >HTC announced five new Android devices, including two handsets with dedicated Facebook buttons, during the ongoing 2011 Mobile World Congress. The announcement attracts a significant amount of attention in Social Media, as HTC has developed a healthy reputation for launching solid and stable products >The newly announced HTC ChaCha and Salsa fail to cause excitement amongst consumers and the phones receive mainly negative sentiment. The two handsets possess broadly similar specs, but the ChaCha differentiates itself from the Salsa by virtue of the vertical physical QWERTY keyboard >Potential customers are not buying the Facebook-centric idea which these handsets portray. The initial sentiment around the placement of the Facebook button on the handsets is very negative. The majority of the users find it unnecessary to have a fully dedicated Facebook phone as most phones already have apps to utilise the key social networking sites >The vertical keyboard of the ChaCha is receiving positive buzz, however the smaller screen is driving some negative sentiment >Users tend to believe that HTC has lost its momentum of bringing in the best phones. In general, the design of these two handsets is the subject of negative sentiment and most users call them “ugly”, while a few also find the names weird. However, a few users think that the target market for these phones is the teenage group
HTC ChaCha and Salsa – Buzz Cloud
HTC ChaCha and Salsa - Verbatims “Finally, we get a portrait QWERTY Android device from one of the big Android device makers and the device is a POS. The screen is waaaaaaaaaaayyyy too small.” “I'm holding out for the next version that includes a Netflix button and an Email button as well. I'm still debating on the glittery purple version or if I'll just add a Glee skin afterwards! Yay!”
“HTC Salsa: "3.4-inch, 480 x 320" Are you f*n kidding me? That screen is similar to an iPhone 3GS from 2009!! Also, the back of this is the ugliest thing I've EVER seen on a phone. WTF is this ugly bluish/greenish/greyish color combination on top of it? brrrr.. so bad, so bad.. “Hey! Looks like HTC just won the "Design an Ugly Facebook “The facebook button looks Phone" competition. Congrats like an ugly blue wart.” HTC.” “The Chacha looks so 2005....”
“the sad thing is that HTC was the best Android phone manufacturer up to the HTC Desire / Nexus One combination. Don't know what went wrong from then...seems like Motorola is doing a better job now, at least with tablets...” “I don't know what is more ugly. The dedicated facebook button, or the fact that the button isn't even centered on the device.”
“Gosh, I dont see why everyone is getting so paranoid about this phone... this phone is speciffically made for people who use facebook?! Ok the design of the ChaCha is horrendous but its a similar concept to the Motarola Droid Pro! ” “These phones will have the Android Market right? I think a lot of kids will want these type phones and this will be good for Android. It all “What i mean is that the ChaCha looks nice and all goes back to choice and openness to do but the resolution, processing power and the whatever you want..” general design isn't so nice.. If HTC would release an enterprise phone with a full qwerty and a decent screen (3" would be enough probably) with a good resolution I'd buy it the instant it would become available even though I just invested “these are the dumbest phone 530EUR in the DHD.” names I've ever heard!”
“I'd never buy this, but thousands of teens n MetroPCS and T-Mobile would. I think it's a great move. Know your target market and hit it, and they have." “The chacha makes me wanna puke! Something is seriously wrong at HTC! Their competitors are touting dual cores processors and newer Os's and they are stuck in 2010!”
“While I dont care for the facebook feature, im diggin the fact that the "ChaCha" has a portrait keyboard, answer/end buttons, and a touch screen... and runs android”
“I for one would never buy these two devices just because of their names alone! Just like I would never buy a Toshiba product ever again, for coming out with that stupid commercial where they have that thing called TPain trying to talk waving a sandwich all over the place!”
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo
Top Positive Comments • Front camera for video calling • Android feature with affordable price
Top Negative Comments • Sluggish menu/pinch zoom operation • Only 300 MB internal memory • Common design for Xperia phones
Executive Summary > The announcement of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo at MWC 2011, previously called Vivaz 2 or Hallon, has drawn the attention of the public > Generally, customers comment positively towards the Xperia Neo since the handset comes with a front camera for video calling and is cheaper than the Xperia Arc > However, different videos posted on YouTube have generated conflicting perceptions amongst consumers regarding the smoothness and speed of the operating system: > On YouTube, two demo videos received over 5,500 views and 38 'likes', which are causing a good impact amongst consumers, generating positive buzz due to its fast operating system and medium range price > On YouTube and Engadget.com, two other demo videos have driven mostly negative sentiment towards the phone since the screen switching and pinch-zooming function are sluggish > In addition, customers have shown negative sentiment due to the low internal memory (only 300 MB) and the design is perceived to be quite common for all Sony Ericsson Xperia phones
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo – Buzz Cloud
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo – Verbatims “Lady: See there is no lag at all EnGadget: Yeah Lady: you can also do this.... *doesnt work/ starts lagging* Lady: lets do that again Lady: see no lag ahhahaha”
“Is it me or,every new Sony Ericsson Android device is laggy as hell?”
“Why bother pinching the screen when it'll just give you a lump of lag.”
“WTF with the lag? I thought it has the same CPU as the smooth Arc, no?”
“First impression itself is so horrible. I don't know how the finished product will be? And there's no lag...............hahahahahahaha”
“A nice piece of technology,i cant wait to have one” “Very nice... and that's on the "low end" model
“how can a phone in 2011 still have choppy "animations" ?”
Sony Ericsson have really picked up their game” “stupid Engadget claims that the software of neo is buggy.. well they should have a look at this video then.”
“What a beast! .... beast looking that is.
“the UI is very choppy >_>”
Man that is ugly.”
“I'm all for Android, but what is with these damn unresponsive phones? Absolutely useless. It looks laggier than my old HTC Hero.
“For me, the design is brillian, i really love it. And i don't understand why people like phonce a la iPhone?
They are really going to pull away the general (read: non tech-head) iPhone market with that...yeah....”
You are saying "same design" Look at the LG, Samsung, HTC = iPhone design I am going to buy this one”
“Dear Sony, Give me some new fucking design. Same looks everytime. Ok, bye. Thx”
Motorola Droid Pro (European) Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
Motorola Droid Pro (European)
Top Positive Comments • BlackBerry-like Android phone • Screen size and keypad are well-balanced
Top Negative Comments • Keypad buttons look too small • Old version of Android
Executive Summary >In general, customers are not very excited about the announcement of the Droid Pro in Europe. Apart from the fact that Motorola is less than popular in Europe, customers think it is half a year too late, the OS is old and, therefore, not competitive for a new phone >Negative sentiment is also expressed among customers regarding the keypad buttons. Many of them say that the buttons are too small and make it difficult to send SMS and e-mails >However, some customers argue that the screen size is well-balanced with the keypad, and it is a good phone for BlackBerry users who would like a taste of Android because they both have a similar physical keypad
Motorola Droid Pro – Buzz Cloud
Motorola Droid Pro (European) – Verbatims "Damn, how small do your fingers have to be to use this or a blackberry. My thumbs mash the whole thing lol"
"I had my doubts too, I got phat fingers. but the keys require a certain amount of pressure to activate, pressure that exists at a particular point on your finger. So even if 1 finger overlaps 9 keys, only the middle generally is actuated."
"Pretty much that's a good transition phone for the BB addicts.. Now for BB messenger to be featured on all phone OS's and it'll be complete"
"Oh yeah, it´ll come to europe! A half year after the u.s market and with the old android version. If it would be already available in germany i got one. But against nexus s, galaxy s 2 etc..."
"Looks like this would be a good handset to ease Blackberry users to the world of Android. As much as I love my HTC Desire I still get the occasional bout of withdrawal at the lack of a BB style physical keyboard"
"Do people outside the US still even know what Motorola is? Their presence outside US seems to be worse than Nokia's presence inside US"
"oooo that should convert any blackberry user"
"Typing this on my Droid Pro. The keyboard is not *quite* as good as a Blackberry's, but it's very close. The only thing I miss is a navigation pad or arrow keys, but I do think Motorola has struck the perfect balance between screen size and keyboard. And this thing is a beast -- as snappy as they come."
3. Other devices at MWC 2011
Motorola Atrix Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
Motorola Atrix
Top Positive Comments • Innovative design concept • Powerful hardware • qHD screen • 1930 mAh battery
Top Negative Comments • Laptop dock is too expensive • Firefox browser but not Chrome
Executive Summary > The Atrix is regarded as a cool and refreshing device. The initial response amongst users in Social Media is very positive > The innovative concept/design is receiving major positive buzz from the consumers, who say Motorola meet their needs this time. Many of them even say the Atrix is so revolutionary that it will put an end to netbooks. In fact, a lot of discussions are about comparison with netbooks and tablets >When it comes to the design of the phone itself, there are people who say it’s pretty neat, while others find it bland, not as stylish as other Android smartphones, like for instance the Sony Ericsson Arc, but as a whole the Motorola Atrix is a device almost impossible to resist > Positive sentiment also comes from the Atrix's impressive hardware specs. The dual 1GHz CPU, Tegra 2 GPU and 1GB RAM tops in the market, makes customers eager to see the real performance > The high pixel density qHD screen is also driving positive buzz > However, the price of the accessories, especially the laptop dock is considered to be too high. Customers think the Atrix is great, but the overpriced accessories are a downside. There are people who say Motorola are simply earning extra money for the new features and expect the price to drop eventually
Motorola Atrix – Verbatims “This is quite simply one of the most amazing innovations I've seen in years..... Even if the experience with this device isn't that great [which i really hope it will be awesome], it still has just introduced a concept that is surely going to be the future of gadgets. Imagine how awesome this revolutionary concept could be with just a few years of polish and ingenuity.” “I really like it, it is fast and the new customization features are awesome... its a really good phone and it does not feel cheap!”
“This. Is. Amazing. A phone that can be turned into a computer. Wow. Just wow.” “Exactly. Phone + laptop size and keyboard = tablet replacement forever.” “Okay, I was waiting for a large phone with a high pixel density and dual core. Honestly, I didn't think that Motorola would ever provide both in a single phone. I fell in love.”
“This phone is incredible, and I'll be scooping it up as soon as it comes out. “What a shame. The Antrix has so much potential to live up but fails hard on execution. Computer and media dock are great concept but also way overpriced… The phone itself is very good, but the accessories suck, which is sad since Motorola seems to emphasis on those peripherals as a selling point.”
“I didn't realize the laptop dock costs as much as a laptop. That's...interesting...” “Love the idea of the laptop dock, but... US 300.00! Really?”
“I NEED ONE... on Sprint. With WiMAX. And an 8mp camera. Honestly those are the only improvements/changes I could suggest for this device. As long as it lives up to what we've seen here, this is going to be a phenomenal device for end users and a complete game changer for the industry!” “Honestly, this is the end of netbooks. These phones are almost as powerful as the launch netbooks (albeit running a non windows platform), and it's your phone, so you will always have it. This is better than a tablet, IMO, sometimes you need a keyboard, and to be able to just yank out my phone, throw it on a laptop dock in class would be NUTS.”
“I'm pretty impressed. I just wish they could keep the webtop app but make the rest of the phone stock android. I'm so disappointed to see this phone ruined with MotoBlur.”
“That's way too expensive. $300 for dock=fail.” “While i love the idea of it, 150-200 is definitely more reasonable, maybe 225.. For essentially a netbook with no processor, hard drive or ram they missed the mark by a bit.” “Great product and product design!! Major kudos to Motorola for getting the wheels turning on the innovation front. I'm AMAZED how polished this was considering it's a version 1.0 implementation of the concept.” “I must say.... wow!!!!! Those specs + that laptop dock or an HDMI monitor....Good lord! say bye to dedicated PC's in the next 5 years or less. Apple (God rest their soul) will have to come out with something as cool to keep me hooked. ;)” “1 it's not there yet, and 2 it won't have retina resolution.”
“This is probably the best phone announced so far for me, mostly because it's being launched with a 1930 mAh battery. That alone is worth talking about.” “With these dual core processors, I was just thinking today - "when can I replace my laptop with my phone guts?" Dock my phone to my keyboard/monitor. Awesome.”
Motorola Xoom Initial Reactions in Social Media February 2011
Motorola Xoom
Top Positive Comments • Honeycomb OS • 5MP camera & a front facing webcam • Dual-core processor
Top Negative Comments • Price • Concern about future updates
Executive Summary >The Xoom announced at CES has caught a lot of attention, thanks to the fact that it'll be the first device running Honeycomb OS and its hardware specs. In general, the sentiment for Xoom is positive >A lot of discussions are related to the Honeycomb OS and comparison with the iPad. Potential customers are excited about the new features in Honeycomb and they often compare the OS with iOS for iPad. Apple fans and detractors engage in the discussions on the Motorola Xoom in an open war to determine which of the two is the best tablet. People often point out that, when it comes to applications and games, the Apple App Store still has the lead >The price is also a hot topic – the sentiment for this negative. Before MWC, it is speculated that the price is not cheap. On 13 Feb, a leaked price on the BestBuy website showed the price tag of 1,200 USD, which is referred to as "insane" by most potential buyers. Discussions have mainly been about that sky-high price since then. However, when Motorola's CEO Sanjay Jha officially confirmed the 600/800 USD price tag on 16 Feb, many customers thought the price for the wi-fi version was reasonable, but the 3G version was still too high
Motorola Xoom – Verbatims "Even if the Xoom was $100 more than the comparable iPad. It's still a better product. Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) is probably the most polished tablet OS i've seen thus far. Rear and front facing camera with HD video recording. A speedy dual-core processor (which IMO is better for tablets, and overrated for phones). HDMI out. And tons of other goodies it's bundled with. And it's Google. So you've got open sourced good-ness along with great apps that will be developed for it. I mean if you wanna get down into a dirty dog fight between it and the iPad, the name is even better. iPod, iPhone, iPad...a bit too repetitive for me. If and when the iPad 2 comes out, then there might be a competition. But as usual Apple will hold something back till the 3rd gen and beyond that'll keep consumers wanting more. Yet at the same time introduce something "revolutionary" and "magical" that'll flock fanboys like flies to sh**. Xoom > iPad."
"High-end and Motorola do not sit well in the same sentence. This product needs to be 20% cheaper than the Apple alternative to stand a chance; it isn't. Nobody except gadget-heads are going to buy this."
"Agreed. Most consumers won't know a thing about the higher hardware specs of the Xoom. All they see is a tablet, and that the iPad, which everyone keeps raving about, costs less. Sorry, Moto."
"Sorry, I think Xoom is gonna fail to gain traction on a sustainable basis. Not because of the pricing, but because of lack of desire to get one. Honeycomb may be optimised for tablet, but it's far from being ready to deliver a compelling tablet ecosystem, the killer apps that Apple really brings the tablet experience difficult to match. "
"Not even close to competitive yet. They need to bring a 16GB version @ $450."
"The average consumer will see the iPad starting at $500... and it's the thing they've heard about for the past year. Even if the Xoom has "better" hardware... it still starts at $600 and it's unproven at this point."
"... they all start somewhere, and unlike the iPad (which really is just another iOS device with a larger display), the XOOM with Honeycomb is an entirely new tablet experience, built that way from the ground up. It'll do well, but the price might be an issue for some... We'll See."
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Aleksander M. Stensby aleksander.stensby@integrasco.com +47 41228272 Gisele O'Connor gisele.o.connor@integrasco.com
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