2007 In Review

2007 is coming to an end (or maybe it already has for some of our readers) and there’s no better time to look back at the happenings and talk about it. I’m not a nostalgic kind of person, just one who likes to look at history and see where we are headed. With that, I bring you what I think were the 5 biggest moments in the smartphone industry for 2007.

5) BlackBerry Blackout

For a company that thrives to bring you your emails as they coming in, having a service blackout is just unimaginable. First, there was the potential of it when they got served. Then on April 18th 2007, the service literally went down due to a glitch. After that, there were still reports of BlackBerry service problems though not as big as the one on the 18th.

4) Windows Mobile 6

When Microsoft announced Windows Mobile 6, everybody was pretty excited because of the changes that it brought but I can’t say that I was overwhelmed when it was finally released. While it does have its good points (such as providing a faster performance than WM5 and support for HTML emails), it had bad ones as well such as poor integration of VoIP. WM6 should instead be called WM5.1 or WM5SE when you think about it.

3) Windows Mobile Development

I would say this has to take the cake in the Windows Mobile world for 2007. There were so many developments this year than in the last several years from what I can remember. More and more individual developers came out to share with us their great applications like S2U2 and IPSMS.

And who can forget about the browser wars heating up? It started with Opera releasing their commercial version for Pocket PC In October 2007 followed by the free Mini version shortly after. And then we hear news that FireFox is going to create a browser for WM and so is Wake3, the makers of Safari on the iPhone. There were also other attempts at gaining browser share such as Zumobi and with such intense competition, things can only get better for us Pocket PC users.

2) Google Android

Ever since Google said that they were entering the mobile industry, not a day went by without people contemplating what exactly Google was planning. From suggesting that they were releasing handsets dubbed the gPhone to a totally new mobile OS, the rumor mills were definitely working overtime on this one.

But when it finally became official, I don’t think anyone expected it to come out as strong as it did. With the forming of the Open Handset Alliance, Google does have some really strong backings for this project. It’s still too early to say if it’s ready or will be successful but it sure looks promising with so many big names on board.

1) iPhone

I don’t know about you but I think this has got to be the biggest happening for 2007. From it’s announcement in January to its sale in the US over the summer till now, the iPhone is still a hot piece of hardware. And it does not just affect its users but everyone around it as well.

Developments in the Windows Mobile world started to create applications that mimicked those on the iPhone for the sake of user-friendliness. Even a software developer, VITO Technologies, went ahead and created iwindowsmobile.com which aims to bring you the next generation of Windows Mobile application.

There are those who hate it and those who love it. But one thing is for certain, the iPhone has impacted a lot of industries and indirectly made life better for a lot of us. And with that, it deserves the #1 spot from me.

2007 was really an eventful year that was just as exciting. I can’t wait for 2008 and what it will bring with it. What are some your thoughts on 2007?