Weekend Reading: HTC One, 31 years of cell phones, smartphones vs. PC’s, and business mobile trends

It’s been another exciting week for mobile tech with the announcement and preview of the upcoming HTC One, plus we take a visual look at the last three decades of cell phones, speculation on smartphones overtaking traditional PC hardware, and mobile’s effect on business. All ahead in this week’s edition of Weekend Reading. 

Hands on with the HTC One

This week HTC unveiled what is being hailed as one of the must-have devices for 2013 – the HTC One.

Earlier this week the device was showcased at an HTC event in New York City, where our friends at Connected Rogers were lucky enough to get a sneak peek. You can get all the details on the design, camera, and specs in their post here, plus a few other top industry sources including CNET, Network World, and iClarified (with video).

The HTC One will be available at Rogers this spring – stay tuned for more details! 

Infographic: 3 decades of cell phones

Can you believe cell phones have been around for a whopping three decades already? It’s true! The Next Web posted a fantastic cell phone timeline infographic this week showcasing just how far cell phones have come over the last 31 years. A few personal faves from the infographic include the Dynatac 8000x (aka Zack Morris’ phone on Saved by the Bell), and my very own first cell phone, the Nokia 5110.

Which blast from the past makes you most appreciative of today’s tech? Alternately, is there anything you miss about them or see a comeback for?

Smartphones to replace PC’s?

After seeing how far smartphones have come, how long do you think it will be until they fulfill all our tech needs and take over completely?

Writer Eliot Van Buskirk provided some insight in his latest article for The Huffington Post. After accurately predicting the success of the iPod before others saw its value, he’s fairly certain that his hunch on hardware peripherals will be next. His article outlines six things that point to smartphones becoming “the center of our digital lives,” including tablet keyboards, and The Cloud. Check out the full post and let us know your own predictions in the comments below.

Adopting your business to 2013 mobile trends

It may only be the second month into the New Year, but analysts are already making predictions about the effects on mobile tech on businesses. The Telecom Blog explored various reports recently suggesting that a mobile transition is happening amazingly quickly and if your business isn’t quick to adapt to mobile trends as are their customers, it could represent some challenges for them in 2013. Now, how is this this reflected on Canadian soil? A quick example could be how mobile is changing television. Canadians don’t limit their tablet or smartphone usage to browsing the Web. Turns out mobile devices are also great for watching TV, and especially for watching shows on demand.

One of our recent Rogers Innovation Reports also suggested an increase in mobile trends, with 80% believing more people will be connected to the web via mobile devices than desktop computers in 2013. I’m definitely one of the 80% using my smartphone for everything I can these days because it’s so convenient! It’s always on me, has instant LTE internet access, and a world of apps at my disposal.

Is your business ahead of the game when it comes to mobile tech? If not, are you shifting your plans for 2013 in that direction? Let us know in the comments below – we’d love to know where you’re at.