The Knowledge to Decide

As tech-savvy Indian tourists travel more, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) connectivity has become a “must-have.” According to a global survey, 33% of Indian respondents want free Wi-Fi as a standard service across hotels. A majority of Indians are avid smartphone users, which makes it important to have Wi-Fi accessibility while travelling. However back home, free public Wi-Fi hotspots are not available in India unlike other countries. This is a golden opportunity for Wi-Fi service providers. For instance, the Netherlands-based Nimbuzz – a cross platform aggregator for smartphones, tablets and personal computers – is eyeing India’s untapped public Wi-Fi domain. Moreover, some state governments are set to roll out more Wi-Fi hotspots to serve as a plus point for Wi-Fi service providers. Can India become Wi-Fi enabled across public hotspots? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/indians-demand-more-public-wi-fi-hotspots/

Has China’s smartphone market reached its saturation point? As more consumers switch to touchscreen smartphones, growth in the market is becoming upgrade-oriented. Shipment volumes to China fell by 4% during the first quarter of 2015 with a total of 98.8 million devices shipped – the lowest in six years. This drop reflects the changing nature of the country’s smartphone market – most consumers already own a smartphone and will switch only if there is an upgrade. Industry players now rely on tech-savvy consumers who hit the stores right after an upgrade is launched. They must now focus on innovative ways of locking in their consumer pool to maintain sales figures. Will China’s smartphone market bounce back? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/chinas-smartphone-market-reaches-saturation-mode/

Voice-activated applications continue to gain popularity in Vietnam as the younger generation becomes more tech-savvy due to increased smartphone usage. How will such applications grow? Spire Research and Consulting shared its insights, published on the US Consumer Electronics Association’s blog. Mobile phones are continually being revolutionized by new features and technologies – witness hands free features and navigation tools. The latest is speech recognition apps. Apple first explored this feature by introducing Siri – a voice-activated assistant – as a built-in feature in iPhone 4S mobile devices in 2011. Smartphone usage in Vietnam rose from 20% in 2013 to 36% in 2014, which, together with its population of 90 million, has helped place Vietnam on the global map for new mobile app launches. The growing popularity of Voice-activated apps in Vietnam is visible from a survey conducted in 2014 among 1,168 respondents, where 46% used voice-activated apps as a virtual assi

In spite of attracting 8.8 million international tourists in 2013, Indonesia has the lowest tourism rating in the region – 17th in Asia and 70th worldwide. As more hotels and resorts start to integrate social media and mobile technology into their operations, what untapped opportunities lie in Indonesia’s hospitality sector? Taking that as the keynote, the Bali Technology Conference, Indonesia 2014 brought together professionals from the hospitality industry to discuss technology trends and potential business opportunities. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, was amongst the prestigious list of speakers at the Bali Technology Conference 2014 held in Bali, Indonesia. In his presentation, Bahar emphasized the vital importance of hotels integrating mobile technology and social media to reach out to tech-savvy tourists who are increasingly making decisions using online content. He opined that the rise in domestic trips and increased spe

With a fast-growing population of internet subscribers and Android smartphone users, India is now seen as an Android country. Leading smartphone players in India have adopted Android, including local players such as Karbonn and Micromax, as well as Chinese players such as Huawei and ZTE. Saurabh Sharma, India Country Manager for Spire Research and Consulting, shared his views on the outlook for Android in CXOToday. With 40 million smartphones in the country, 91% of India’s market share belongs to devices using Google’s mobile operating system, Android. Sharma commented that the rise of Android can be attributed to the accessibility of low-priced Android-based smartphones which come with an array of features, as well as the cheaper data plans for these phones offered by telco carriers. The availability of diverse Android-based applications has also swayed consumer preferences. Sharma opined that smartphone marketers in India are planning to introduce additional value-added fea