Google recently announced its second-quarter results. Total revenue grew 24 percent over the year to $6.82 billion, with 23 percent growth from each of the two largest businesses — Google Web sites ($4.5 billion) and AdSense ($2.1 billion). Other sources of revenue, which include Android, grew 39 percent year-on-year to $258 million. This was lower [...]

On 1 July Google announced that it intends to buy flight search provider ITA Software for $700 million in cash. ITA is one of the leading providers of flight search information and bookings, competing with Amadeus, Sabre, Expedia and others. It has agreements with a large number of airlines and travel search sites including Fly.com, [...]

In our preview of this year’s Mobile World Congress, we predicted there would be 50 Android devices on the show floor. In my spare moments, I’ve been taking pictures of as many of them as I can. The results are shown below. As you can see, the prediction was pretty accurate. There are 48 Android [...]

I recently attended a very interesting debate about whether Google or Rupert Murdoch had more influence in the UK today. Speakers also considered who would have more influence in ten years’ time. During the debate one of the protagonists refrained from calling Google the Antichrist, but only just. Similar things have been said about Mr [...]

We’ve just put the finishing touches on our predictions for next year. The full set is available to our clients here, but I thought I’d share my favourite eight predictions in a blog posting.

Here’s what we think will the next 12 months (and more) will bring the mobile industry.

Motorola will be acquired by Google. Although [...]

Imagine a world where you were charged for every e-mail, voice call, every instant message, every Web page. Or a world where you had a set limit for these things, and each item counted against this limit. This is what happens with your mobile phone. You’re charged in one way or another for every action, [...]

While I was glued to the TV, following the coverage of the inauguration of the new US president, I couldn’t help wondering about a slightly more mundane story, namely, which mobile device Barrack Obama would use. I was less interested in what kind of device he would actually get (though I’m sure everyone at CCS [...]

Looking at the list of the 14 new members that joined the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) this month, what struck me was the speed at which the OHA’s Android platform has gathered support since the launch of the T-Mobile G1 phone in October 2008. Although the OHA announced a wide range of members when it [...]

Over the past year, we’ve seen an explosion in SIM-only deals for contract and prepaid customers in Europe. Such deals offer just a SIM (and some minutes for contract subscribers), but come without the subsidised — or free — phone that’s attached to other plans. I’ve read that SIM-only deals now account for over 15 [...]