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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
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'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot

By | January 3, 2012, 4:44am PST

Summary: Android shoved into #3 slot by Java ME again

If I asked you for the top three mobile operating systems as measured by usage share chances are you’d say iOS, Android and Symbian - and you’d be wrong!

In fact, according to NetMarketShare, the #2 spot doesn’t belong to Android but to a lesser-known and far less sexy platform - Oracle’s Java ME (the ME stands for Micro Edition). A few months back Java ME was pushed into the #3 spot by Android, but it’s now retaken the #2 spot and is the fastest-growing mobile platform when measured in terms of usage share.

So what does Java ME power? It’s the platform of choice for low-cost ‘dumbphones’ and is installed on some 3 billion mobile phones and PDAs. According to Oracle 31 times more Java phones ship every year than Apple and Android combined … that’s a massive number of devices. Well, it seems that  owners of these handsets are going online with them in increasing numbers.

NetMarketShare uses data captured from the 160 million unique visitors browsing some 40,000 Web sites it monitors for clients.

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Topics

Mobile, Android, Symbian Inc., Mobile Operating Systems Chance, Operating Systems Chance, Apple iOS, Mobile Operating Systems, Programming Languages, Java, Operating Systems, Software Development, Software/Web Development, Software, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
james.vandamme 16th Jan
@Return_of_the_jedi Always glad to help drain the WP7 ad budget.
View in thread
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
marbo100 Updated - 3rd Jan
I get the feeling you really don't like Android. Android and Java ME really serve different types of users don't they? Why compare them unless you're trying to cast Android in a bad light?
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
Return_of_the_jedi Updated - 3rd Jan
@marbo100
"I get the feeling you really don't like Android ..."

It can't be that obvious. Is it really that obvious? That's a rhetorical question.

PS. He is only doing what he gets paid to do (propaganda).
Brought to you by wp7 ad budget.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
billtech66 3rd Jan
I don't want to address the main topic, but can't help but comment.

"lesser-known and far less sexy platform - Oracle???s??Java ME (the ME stands for Micro Edition)."
" 'According to Oracle'??31 times more Java phones ship every year than Apple and Android combined ???"

Personally, I don't trust ANYTHING a corporation or politician says.

as they are closely linked.

RE: Politicians spending MILLIONS of their own dollars to get a job that pays in the hundred thousands a year and is limited to FOUR years.
They KNOW that they will get many MILLIONS from CORPORATE lobbyists.

Corporations CAN NOT BE TRUSTED.
They care NOT one bit about the health of any society.
They are GLOBAL entities with all the rights of each human being, with NONE of the humanity, compassion, or any feelings at all.

Corporations control the world with their money, deceptive brain washing advertising, and endless greed.

MY opinion.
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The headline generates hits
dcolbert@... 3rd Jan
@Return_of_the_jedi and the hits generate the ad revenue that allow ZDNet to keep bringing you free content.

So it is an interesting topic that brought both you and I here to see what it was all about - and now we know and we're free to make our own conclusions. To me, it is interesting. It could predict lots of things - one of which could be a stabilizing smart-phone market and/or some users rejecting expensive smart-phones to return to less expensive feature-phones. Feature-phones are getting more Smart-phone LIKE in their interfaces, as well, and that may eventually erode sales of Smart-phones. If a feature phone can give you a GREAT web browsing experience, a great e-mail client, and you don't care about apps that much - a Feature (dumb) phone suddenly becomes - well, it becomes what Microsoft WANTED the KIN to be - and that could crack open a huge Tween and Teen market.

Anyhow... READERS determine the topics the writers write about. Trust me - if he was writing about Microsoft or Intel products, there would be crickets in this forum. You want to know the reason the author is focusing on this topic, look in the mirror.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
james.vandamme 16th Jan
@Return_of_the_jedi Always glad to help drain the WP7 ad budget.
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maybe he's just trying to show..
theFunkDoctorSpoc 3rd Jan
@marbo100 ..the real current landscape...
a) still A LOT of non-techy people that don't care at all about smartphones..
b) installed base is different than marketshare.. iOS installed base is still much larger than Android..
c) Android is non-existant outside of phones.. iOS still dominates tablets and PMP's.. making iOS the larger mobile platform..
d) most studies show that iOS users go online WAY more than Android users... which accounts for some of the disparity when using web access to assess usage..
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
marbo100 3rd Jan
@theFunkDoctorSpoc

Kool-Aid anyone?
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
Peter Perry 3rd Jan
@theFunkDoctorSpoc no it doesn't! It shows that iOS users access larger files as they download more data to their iOS devices... Of course that fats was before pretty much every Android device got the likes of Netflix and Amazon Cloud Player.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
Champ_Kind 4th Jan
@marbo100 While there are 25 or 30 kinds of Android-based PMPs out there, the iPhone 4 outsells all of them at least 3:1 if not more.

Remember ZuneHD? Also a victim.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
non-biased 5th Jan
@theFunkDoctorSpoc
d) most studies show that iOS users go online WAY more than Android users... which accounts for some of the disparity when using web access to assess usage..
Funny how these studies always show this yet according to all the Apple haters out there iOS devices are useless online due to the lack of Flash wink
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
wright_is Updated - 3rd Jan
@marbo100 Maybe because everybody is going on about Android overtaking iOS, but they are both chicken feed numbers, compared to the overall global market for mobile phones.

Although the graph and the figures don't match up...

I know, that among my friends, less than 30% have smartphones, and that is up around 80% over a year ago.
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It's charting web access ("usage"), not ownership numbers
daboochmeister 3rd Jan
.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
wright_is 3rd Jan
@daboochmeister Thanks, missed that.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
symbolset 3rd Jan
@marbo100 Adrian was going on a tour of Mountain View and Larry Page backed over his teacup chihuahua. It was an accident, but he just can't let it go. Such was his love for Mookie Wigglepants - it was like losing a child.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
jabster17 3rd Jan
@marbo100 : I have a hard time believing anything that says that Symbian and BlackBerry have gained share over the last 2 months.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
techenduser 4th Jan
@marbo100 None of these tech sites ending in net with a c, zd or whatever before it does. They are on Apple's payroll it is obvious. As dated as iOS is 2008 and as juvenile as it looks. Considering your app drawer is your homescreen which is ridiculous, they should be running to embrace 21st century Android. Let these relics stay in the past where they belong. Every time they print one of these articles they lose more credibility.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
non-biased 5th Jan
@techenduser Biased much? You claim they are on Apple's payroll but were you claiming that in 2010 where 8 out of 10 Apple stories were from a negative twist? Sure they got a lot of good press here in 2011 but they earned it as well. If you can't handle it when they get good press you better complain as much when it's bad.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
non-biased 5th Jan
@marbo100 No they really are not comparable but does that stop you from using all Android phones lumped together when comparing number with the iPhone? Are all Android phones made to serve the same client??le as the iPhone or high end Android phones? Of course they aren't but you are more than happy to include them when it makes you look good aren't you?
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
owlnet 3rd Jan
Live and Let Live.... there is a place for all.... Just don't do evil like google
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
Champ_Kind 4th Jan
@owlnet Guess a fanboi didn't like what you had to say.

Silly fanbois.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
wendellgee@... 3rd Jan
"According to Oracle 31 times more Java phones ship every year than Apple and Android combined."

Not sure how this is possible given the above chart. 31 times? Fact checking would be nice instead of throwing out meaningless quotes.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
rphunter42 3rd Jan
@wendellgee@... I agree. If 31 times more are in use than IOS and Android combined, they WHY aren't they shown as Number 1? Guess, people aren't USING THEM.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
aep528 3rd Jan
@rphunter42

Exactly! Those are all of the people who haven't drunk the smartphone Kool-aid.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
non-biased 5th Jan
You guys do realize what the stats are don't you? Just because people have the phones doesn't automatically put them on the list. Most people that use dumb phones would number use them in a way that they would show in these stats. Maybe you should go back a read the article until you understand it.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
aep528 3rd Jan
@wendellgee@...

The chart shows USAGE, not ownership. Reading comprehension would be nice instead of throwing out meaningless comments.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
quakeguy 3rd Jan
@aep528
And writing a clear article would also be nice - why make a statement about "31 times" and then show a graph that shows nothing of the kind? If the author wants to let Oracle write half the article, why not just let oracle write ALL the article?
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
non-biased 5th Jan
@quakeguy Apparently for those with reading comprehension the article was very clearly written, what's your excuse?
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
ssaha 4th Jan
@wendellgee@... And reading comprehension would be nice for readers. But I'm a teacher, and know how difficult that is to try to get in some people. If you noticed that the graph was by NetMarketShare, you'd assume that the graph was about Internet access share between devices. Just because JavaME-powered phones ship 31 times more than iOS and Android combined doesn't mean that all of their users actually use them to get to the Internet. My mother has a JavaME phone and it's excruciating to try to get on the web on that P.O.S., but she's a Luddite and doesn't care about going on the Internet herself- she just gets me to do it for her whenever she wants anything from it.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
TsarNikky 3rd Jan
Whatever happened to a cellphone that is just a phone? It only makes and received phone calls? Clearly, the beauty of simplicity has become corrupted.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
rwwff 3rd Jan
@TsarNikky
Yeah, going back to a flip-phone, a garmin gps, a sony walkman, wired headphones, pda, and a laptop in a shoulder bag, with cables for tethering, and mapping... thats a sure winner.

lol

I for one ain't ever going back to that. As much as Apple repulses me, if they were the only game in town, I'd buy their dang phone. Thankfully Android and WP are there to defend me from Apple!
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
jgm@... 3rd Jan
@rwwff I have a flip phone with Java ME, a Garmin GPS, a Creative Zen MP3 player, wired headphones, a 6+ pound HP laptop from 2006 (got it for free because someone else didn't want it anymore and now looking to replace that with HP's "what netbooks should have been", the DM1-Z)... and yes, it is a sure winner.

I get to read posts here about "My phone doesn't last a day between charges!" and laugh, as mine lasts several. I use a real watch rather than a phone as a clock, and given my watch is both solar-powered and sets itself to the U.S. atomic clock radio signal, I haven't had to worry about not knowing what time it is in the seven years I've had it (my watch doesn't lock up or have software bugs either). My Zen can play music for dozens of hours between charges and my high-end headphones do a great job of blocking outside sound and aren't subject to interference or needing to be charged. My GPS has a bigger screen than I'd want in a phone and does a better job as a dedicated device with better reception and I don't have to be attaching/detaching it all the time.

I'm also probably going to be able to pay for the DM1-Z just from what I save from not having a phone contract.

Maybe the fact that I don't feel the need to let everyone know what I'm doing or eating on Facebook or Twitter makes it a lot easier for me. happy

If I were going to go for an all-in-one device it would have to be something like Nokia's old N900 with a keyboard, a full OS that you can easily port desktop programs to with full root access and lots of useful hardware (N900 ran Linux, had 32GB plus micro SD slot, keyboard, then hi-res 800x480 display, FM radio, FM *transmitter*, infrared, bluetooth, wifi, front and rear cameras, etc.) In short... something that could be used as a real computer and not a toy for running widgets that might also make phone calls (poorly).
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Trump & Ellison - separated at birth?
kchieff 3rd Jan
Both are blowhards cut from the same cloth.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
Elihion 3rd Jan
Oh... finally someone's starting to twig that nobody -really- gives a
monkeys about IOS or Android, or Smartphones. As long as the message gets
through, be it a phone call or text, people will use that technology.

So most of us (and I include myself, with 22+ years in I.T, and using a Nokia,
(scuse me while I look at the model number, it's really that unimportant)... 2323C-2)... couldn't really give a damn. Seriously, how delusional are the big
players in thinking we all want all the whistles & bell, 'me me me, now now now'... We don't. We just want it to work, and if it does, we're unlikely to
want to change it. Sorry to blow the marketing strategy's wide open, and the statistic's to pot... quite simply... we don't care.

The only people who do, are tech journo's, and those few people out there who
are defined by the labels/tech they carry. For most of us, it makes no odds.
Really. Seriously.
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Depending on what you are rating!
Laurentian Enterprises Updated - 3rd Jan
If you are giving statistics on all phones, why specify portables, landlines too, maybe walky-talkies as well. I think most people who read Tech news like this are mainly interested in Smart Cell Phones, the rest is trivial (noise). Even in that area there seems to be something wrong with these stats, because I have seen figures that put IOS at about 19% and Android at 53%. It's because he is including tablets and Apple has at this time dominated (at least temporarily) this market. Why would you bundle tablets into smartphones? Because it suits the writer I guess, but it's irrelevant data.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
rjm56 3rd Jan
Amazing how many people do not need to be connected 24x7 to everything so they can feel important. These folks use a phone mostly as a phone and feel ripped off spending $80 a month for a plan. The dumb phones save them nearly $70 a month and they are a bigger global pie slice than most realize.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
jgm@... 3rd Jan
@rjm56 I paid $100 for 1000 minutes the start of last year and didn't use them all by the end of the year. happy I could buy a new laptop with what I saved.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
ssaha 4th Jan
@jgm@... Unfortunately all that proves is that nobody wants to talk to you. I try to avoid voice conversations (prefer asynchronous communications like email and SMS) but still burn through an average of 400 minutes per month.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
Patrick Neylan 3rd Jan
The graph seems to show a blip in the October data, with iOS up and Java ME down, before returning to their September positions in November. That looks more like a statistical anomaly than anything else.

Ignoring October, it looks like iOS has hit a ceiling. In fact there seems to have been little change at all since April, except that Android and iOS have each taken a tiny nibble out of Symbian.
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Think about it
Rabid Howler Monkey 3rd Jan
Smartphones are highly subsidized by the associated data plans offered by the carriers. The price of an unlocked smartphone can be as high as $900. This for a device that most toss into the trash after 2 years.

In this economy, most people don't have the money to spare for smartphones. And the so-called 'dumbphones' adequately meet their needs.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
tradergeorge 3rd Jan
Why are they including PDAs in these stats? And how could they measure "Usage Hits" on a PDA anyway? And with 3 billion devices, why are they at such a minuscule percentage. I am sure there are not 3 billion IOS devices out there, although they claim the lion's share. Android devices outnumber IOS devices, but have a much lower "usage" share?...........These numbers are emitting a sort of odor, don't you think?
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
aep528 3rd Jan
@tradergeorge

Because they can surf the web? Remember, iOS data includes iPod Touches and iPads, so all web-capable mobile devices need to be included for the other OS's as well.
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Re: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
wholeness 3rd Jan
Yeah, my cell phone company just had a promotion to give me unlimited data, text and voice across the Canada and the USA for a cheap monthly rate, as a result I've started browsing the Internet on my "dumb" phone just because I can! Popular sites like Google work fine. Ironically, I went to the web site of a local cable ISP and cell phone provider and their web site is not viewable on my phone even though they sell cell phone service, seems like they are behind the times.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
neil.postlethwaite@... 3rd Jan
Where do you get this rubbish data from.

Considering Android outsells IOS phones nigh on 2:1, according to the sage adrian Kingsley-Hughes of ZDNet, how come you have IOS at the top of the pile.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/ios-and-android-dominate-smartphone-market-but-how-long-until-apple-feels-the-pinch/17132

I think a clearer interpretation of the stats and what is a device, tablet, phone, PDA, micro-controllers, set-top box or a 'Java enabled Devices' is needed.
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It is called utilization.
Bruizer 4th Jan
@neil.postlethwaite@...

And it is the failing of Android. The data shows mobile web page views on PMPs, smartphones and tablets. That is Netmarketshare's definition of "mobile".

In that light, Android is far from outselling iOS 2:1. it is closer to 14:13 or so. In short, you can't compare Android the platform (PMP's smartphones Tablets) to iOS iPhones. You compare Android the platform (PMPs smartphones tablets) to iOS the platform (PMPs smartphones tablets). It just so happens iOS has a healthy eco-system with solid PMP and tablet sales. Android does not.

Likewise, iPhones are hired by their users to do more tasks on average when compared to Android phones. This results in similar App Download rates (even with less new phones) and substantially higher web browsing on iOS devices compared to Android devices. Add in the iPad that encourages heavier browser usage and it is little wonder Google gets 2/3 of its mobile revenue from iOS and about 1/6 or so from Android.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
MidnightRain38 3rd Jan
@billtech66 but when your term is over as president you keep getting that paycheck for life
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
tracer1024 3rd Jan
J2ME is not an OS. And you left out BREW (likely #2 or #3 if you include all of asia)
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BREW is not even within the top 5 with less than 1%.
Bruizer 4th Jan
@tracer1024

That that is looking at only Asia. The data presented includes the entire planet and the feature phone uptake is a result of them ruling Africa. Remember, this is page views and not mbytes served or unique devices. Just page views.

Asia data:
-----------------
iOS 55.00%
Android 16.14%
BlackBerry 1.08%
Java ME 18.77%
Symbian 8.22%
other 0.79%

Africa:
----------
iOS 10.14%
Android 2.06%
BlackBerry 1.09%
Java ME 75.74%
Symbian 10.05%
other 0.92%

Australia
-------------
iOS 85.39%
Android 11.93%
BlackBerry 0.31%
Java ME 0.58%
Symbian 1.20%
other 0.59%
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
jkohut 4th Jan
Is there not some overlap in Java ME and Symbian (i.e. I believe my Nokia E71 Symbian smartphone has Java on it). Do we know what criteria is used to determine which bit bucket a phone falls into. Also, does Opera Mobile/Opera Mini factor into the equation here (does the Opera Browser in Mobile or Mini properly allow the browser to be identified).
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
opcom 4th Jan
I never looked at what o/s is on my phone. That phone is dumb as a rock, and I like it that way. No annoying ads or texts or e-mails or internet charges. Just a phone. dial it and speak. Perfection.
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RE: 'Dumbphones' oust Android into #3 spot
aiellenon 15th Jan
I still find it interesting that I never seem to think the same as everyone else when I read these article...

I run my Android phone on "desktop" mode when web browsing, so I don't have to see the crappy mobile versions of webpages. Who knows how many other people do the same, I have even used "iPhone" mode from time to time to see what those poor schmucks have to put up with.

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