"..... thinnest .... lightest .... slimmest ..... best display .... "

The eagled eyed among you may have already spotted the *s on Sony’s recent high profile Xperia Z advertising campaign which quote Strategy Analytics research to verify product claims.

The analysis we provided can be examined in detail on Sony’s website HERE

Verifying manufacturers' assertions for their products is something that Strategy Analytics is often asked to do, and which we are uniquely qualified to perform.  Our SpecTRAX cellular devices database of 300 item specifications for around 15,000 devices represents an extremely powerful magnifying glass with which to focus on product claims.  Further, where an existing device comes close to the test product we can increase the focus for a more detailed analysis.

Over the years, we have spotted a number of manufacturers' claims which we felt were invalid and while some of these may be seen as innocuous, it takes just one eagle-eyed blogger or journalist to spot the faux-pas and wreck an expensive marketing campaign.

To find out more about our proprietary research methodologies and how we may be able to help you, please feel free to contact me directly or CONTACT THE TEAM to arrange a SpecTRAX demo.

Steve Entwistle

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SpecTRAX, a comparison tool from Strategy Analytics, records the specifications of new cellphone handsets and tablets as they are announced; tracking availability through over 300 carrier and retail channels. 

Click here to try the SpecTRAX for yourself

With all eyes on smartphones, the latest SpecTRAX insight report reveals the impact of miniaturisation of components. Out of the 70 new handsets launched in September internationally, an increasing number of new models are thinner yet heavier as OEMs cram more hardware into thinner cases.  This makes smartphones denser :-)

You can read Stuart's Insight in full by clicking HERE.

Out of these 70 new handsets, ten were 10mm or thinner with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S at 8.7mm and the Samsung Focus S at 8.5mm in both 16GB and 32GB versions.  Despite the presence of the bulkier handsets for rugged environments from Sonim and Huawei, the average thickness of models announced in September throughout 30 countries was down to 12.9mm.

Meanwhile September’s average new handset weight rose somewhat affected by the LG Esteem MS910 at 172g and the Motorola 3 at 184g.

What other trends are highlighted by Stuart in the 70 new handsets? 

The following picture of tables and charts showing the latest trends is compiled directly from this Insight and of course include Stuart's analytical comments.  You can gain access to this data by clicking HERE. 

Strategy Analytics maintains a finger on the pulse of mobile handset data by closely tracking the portfolios of 140 mobile network operators in 30 countries worldwide using SpecTRAX, Strategy Analytics' mobile handset tracking tool.

If you want to find out more about SpecTRAX, just click HERE.

The latest report from our SpecTRAX service reveals that Research in Motion (RIM) achieved high shelf share among mobile network operators during Q3 2009, with the BlackBerry Bold 9000 appearing on the product portfolios of more carriers than any other handset model, ousting the Nokia E71 from top spot. The BlackBerry BOLD 9000 appeared in the portfolios of 60 mobile network operators from the 145 that we track in 29 countries around the world. Also included in the report is a summary of the key specifications of the new handset announcements. Some of the highlights from September’s 59 new handset announcements include: · Average thickness of 15.16 mm, reversing the downward trend over the last few months; · Display size of 2.85 inches, boosted by some LG models, and setting a new all-time high this month; · Memory card slot inclusion in 95% of new phone models, another record high; · A Touchscreen in 58% of new models, yet another record high for one month. A further 47 new handset models were announced during September but have been excluded from this analysis due to a lack of detailed specifications. They will be included in future reports as and when specs become available. Read the full 12 page report here: BlackBerry Bold Knocks Nokia E71 off Carriers' Shelves Stuart Robinson Follow me on Twitter: @Stuart_Robinson

A total of 109 new handsets were announced globally by 27 vendors. Our report summarises the key features and trends of the 53 handsets for which detailed specifications were available. Only limited details were available for the other 56 handsets. Of the 53 new handsets, 9 were from LG and 11 were from Samsung, including the new Android-based GT-i7500L. Some of the highlights from July's 53 new handset announcements include: · Average thickness of 13.96 mm, the lowest figure on record; · USB support in 85% of all new handsets, another high, and up from 60% two years ago; · Memory card slot in 87% of new phones, up from 71% two years ago; · Average talk time of 343 minutes, up from 271 minutes two years ago, despite the shift to 3G networks. Feature penetration continues to grow, while size and weight continue to decline, due in part to advancements in semiconductor integration and packaging techniques. The trend towards thinner handsets may slow down soon as the compromise between small size and robustness becomes more of a factor. Find out more insights from this database here  http://tiny.cc/spectrax378 Steve Entwistle Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/sentwistle1419