Smartphone Video Conferencing Not Happening Just Yet

Recently, smartphone vendors have been enhancing their devices' video capabilities, but Juniper Research projects that only a small percentage of users will take advantage of the new functionality.The market research company issued a report "Next Generation Smartphones, Strategic Opportunities and Markets, 2010-2015" that forecast that 29 million smartphone video users (less than 10% of customers) will be using such services in 2015. A lack of interoperability among different devices will stymie use of video conferencing on smartphones. The firm expects that the service will be popular for international consumer calls, especially for individuals living away from their families, but will have minimal impact on businesses.

On another front, the future seems bright for Google's Android operating system. Recently, Samsung and Sony Ericsson have both decided to abandon the Symbian operating system in favor of Android, which has rapidly become the industry's top OS. Moving forward, Juniper expects market competition to continue to be intense. One reason is a new set of players, consumer electronics players, is expected to emerge. They can deliver low cost devices because operating systems have moved to an open source model and the component market has become increasingly standardized.

Application stores have become popular lately. The market research firm expects that they will be used by 84% of handsets shipped in the US in 2015. 3D functionality and dual core processors are other technical developments that will drive the market forward over the next five years.

Smartphones have quickly become a key computing element in many small and medium businesses. In the coming years, this sector is expected to continue to undergo significant changes.