Nielsen released a report on US smartphone sales that show Android taking the lead over the past six months.

The report found that 32% of new smartphone sales during that period were handsets powered by Android, with Blackberry at 26% and Apple’s iPhone close behind at 25%.

Considering the embedded base, Blackberry remains the leader at 31% followed by iPhone at 28% and Android at 19%, an increase from 8% of the market as recently as January. Blackberry fell from 36% in that period.

The Android operating system is embedded in devices made by a number of manufacturers, including HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG. The multiple-supplier approach allows the device makers to differentiate based on various consumer electronics features, whether it is a slider keyboard or enhanced camera.

While many commentators have focussed on Apple versus RIM, Google’s Android OS has moved into first place for new phone shipments.

Will Microsoft’s upcoming launch of Windows Phone 7 provide a new challenger for smartphone OS supremacy?

Microsoft will be launching Windows Phone 7 next week in New York; signals are strong that Canadians won’t be waiting very long.

I like Microsoft’s chances in this category. Despite the almost religious fervour that surrounds nearly everything that Apple touches [could any other company have survived the iPhone 4 antenna?], it is important to bring perspective to overall market share – what would be the impact of Microsoft in bringing its share of the personal computer market into the smartphone business? Will Microsoft Office – the real thing, not a “compatible” viewer/editor  – help attract more of the business market? Will Outlook Mobile and Exchange integration compete effectively with Blackberry Enterprise Server? Can Microsoft deliver its Xbox LIVE users to the mobile gaming market?

Will Microsoft’s strategy of powering a wide array of device manufacturers win out over the Apple, Blackberry and Nokia sole-sourcing approach?

Regardless, it comes down to a lot more choice for consumers this holiday season – a lot more toys for Santa to choose from.

Watch for news coming from analyst and media briefings over the next week, culminating with a launch in New York next Monday.

A report with recommendations to drive universal broadband service was released by Blair Levin last week.

Levin was the former FCC insider – chief of staff for Chairman Reed Hundt in the 1990’s. The report, Universal Broadband: Targeting Investments to Deliver Broadband Services to All Americans [pdf, 1.96MB]was written with the perspective that “all Americans will need access to broadband networks and public policy should encourage broadband adoption.”

   

The report envisages repurposing the Universal Service Fund to flow towards filling service voids in a technology and company agnostic manner.

The report acknowledges that satellite is part of the universal broadband solution, although there is no information provided as to how it developed the estimate of only 0.2% of households being un-reachable by terrestrial services.

Ultimately, it will be too expensive to provide service to the last .2 percent of homes, so those homes should be served by satellite broadband.

But the paper goes further than supply-side.

Numerous surveys show that low-income Americans adopt broadband at less than half the rate of wealthier Americans. Cost is the biggest factor, but it is not the only factor. Digital literacy and relevance also loom large as factors affecting adoption.

There are a number of recommendations to increase demand among those who are economically disadvantaged. To what extent will Canada look at these kinds of programs?

The Globe and Mail has launched a new look today for its print edition as well as its award winning website.

In an editorial introducing the new Globe, the paper explains the investment at a time when many are forecasting a bleak future for for old media. “Globe journalism relies upon its authority and credibility.”

This echos an observation I made more than 4 years ago:

To get back to the future of newspapers: the challenge in a fully democratized publishing universe, with no barriers to entry enabled by a global broadband distribution network, is for the voices of trust, authority and depth of knowledge to not only float to the top, but to be recognized and valued.

The new look of The Globe and Mail is an investment from which all of us will benefit. We look forward to continuing to access news and commentary presented with the recognition of our trust in the Globe’s authority and credibility.

On Tuesday, a report from an insurance industry funded Highway Loss Data Institute caught my eye.

I saw a quote that mirrors language that I used 2 years ago. Adrian Lund, president of both HLDI and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said HLDI’s new findings about texting, together with the organization’s previous finding that hand-held phone bans didn’t reduce crashes,

call into question the way policymakers are trying to address the problem of distracted driving crashes. They’re focusing on a single manifestation of distracted driving and banning it. This ignores the endless sources of distraction and relies on banning one source or another to solve the whole problem.

In October 2008, I wrote:

The body of literature really seems to be pointing to a broader problem: driving while distracted – distractions coming from many sources. Some papers (for example and this example) refer to distractions caused by being engaged in conversations – even those with someone else in the car.

… Does this raise questions about whether legislation that targets only mobile phone use is missing the mark?

Driving while texting legislation may be popular with voters, but did it really accomplish what was promised?

Along these same lines, I continue to question the efficacy of the current anti-spam legislation. Will it really stop the garbage coming from bad guys, or simply increase costs for legitimate business?