The major issue is still battery life, or rather the poor performance of the battery used to power these mobile devices.  And the new features of Android 5 (Jelly Bean), iOS 6, and Windows 8 Mobile  makes it necessary for the next Steve Jobs (please announce yourself) to make a revolutionary battery that can keep up with the features.

It is difficult to imagine that iOS 6 will be a disappointment, but one wonders that without Steve Jobs if it will be rolled out too soon or missing features.  I mean above all Steve had the pulse of the market like no one else.

Let’s look at what we do know.  Google is making a very smart play.  First they acquired Motorola Mobility and with those contacts and knowledge under their belt, is now one of four major smartphone manufacturers to work on the next generation Nexus.  The other three are LG, Samsung, and HTC.  Plus Jellybean will combine the features of a full touchscreen user interface, social networking past the widgets, video streaming, and mobile payments.

Windows 8 is a very interesting gamble.  The truth for the partnership between Intel and Microsoft is this is a make or break moment for both.  With live tile style apps and the faster mobile chipsets, there is no need to port for Android Apps.   If aspects of Windows 8 are not quickly adopted by the finicky US based mobile operators and their consumers, chalk it up that Bill Gates retired too early and forgot to read the tea leaves that Steve Jobs clearly had written.  Is innovation a thing of the past for Microsoft?

As for Blackberry, what can I say?  Dead!  Sorry guys, but even the government does not want to buy anything running your OS anymore.    Notice how Crackberry is being replaced in social networks, by industry analysts, and Blackberry users with the terms Crapberry and Deadberry? 

Project Description:  Performed mobile device due diligence on a national US mobile operator to determine its competitiveness as an acquisition target including the strengths and weaknesses in the operator’s smartphones, handsets, and devices eco-system; analyze the mobile operator’s portfolio, its market competitiveness, and risk analysis of the client’s target acquisition.

Recent Project case study of  performing due diligence of national US based mobile operator and their device portfolio for potential acquisition led by Moe Tanabian, Practice Lead for NextGen TechDNA Engineering Services Smartphone and Wireless Consulting

Project Description: Benchmark customers navigation application again competitors’ navigation apps and against Google Maps; benchmark usability, battery consumption, and data usage.

Recent Project case study of mobile OS navigation application by testing and benchmarking smartphones using Android, Blackberry, and iOS.

Project Description:  Compare user experience of 5 Android devices from different OEMs to Google Nexus by benchmark all five Android devices devices across usability dimensions and smartphone battery life.  Design and run test cases for 4 user segments

Recent Project case study to benchmark Android devices for User Experience and smartphone battery life led by Moe Tanabian, Practice Lead for NextGen TechDNA Engineering Services Smartphone and Wireless Consulting

Project Description:  Developing Hybrid client application under iOS for a VoD site with engineering the main UI, user management in HTML5, content navigation (image carousel) in native code, and media player in native code.

Project:  iPhone and iPad Hybrid iOS application for Video on Demand portal

Recent Project case study of  Apple iPhone and iPad iOS hybrid application for VoD (video-on-demand) portal led by Moe Tanabian, Practice Lead for NextGen TechDNA Engineering Services Smartphone and Wireless Consulting

Project Description: Assist a regional operator to develop internal Android testing capabilities.  Develop testing process, test management tools, and comprehensive Android Test Plan.

Recent Project case study of Android testing for mobile operator led by Moe Tanabian, Practice Lead for NextGen TechDNA Engineering Services Smartphone and Wireless Consulting

Search Strategy: Our nationwide search began with meeting the client and developing both performance objectives and sourcing strategy, which revealed 7 target competitors.  After initial screening and interviewing 18  potential candidates, we settled on 3 candidates we liked.  We then began extensive interviewing using hypothetical situations the candidates could face, gauging their leadership capabilities, customer-facing aptitudes, and business acumen to speak with customers and internal management at the highest levels.  We dropped one candidate in the assessments and presented two candidates on the short list.

Results: The CTO, who was also involved in the search, felt very comfortable and confident in both candidates capabilities and the candidate they decided to tender the offer to would not be easy to close.  We negotiated a goof offer that addressed the client;s concern of the compensation by making much of the package performance driven and profit driven MBO bonuses.  We were able to fend off a counter-offer that was unusually high from the candidate’s current employer and the candidate signed the offer.  The client has called us several times over the last seven months expressing the new hire has exceeded the objectives.  The client has also given us an additional search for a Sr. Director Business Development.

Practice Area: Aerospace & Defense

Position: Chief Systems Engineer – Battle Command Solutions

Case study of retained search for defense systems vendor led by Craig Hufford, Practice Lead for Aerospace and Defense at NextGen Global Executive Search in recruiting a Chief Engineer.

Objective

 Search Strategy: NextGen GES conducted a thorough search for candidates in the geographical areas stated by the customer which included key competitors and parallel industries. Our focus was on candidates that were currently employed making significant contributions to their companies. We interviewed more than 20 candidates in an industry where candidates at this level must possess high level clearance in an effort to find the one individual who would meet or exceed the skill level, culture and leadership fit.

Results: The search resulted in NextGen GES finding four candidates from the client’s direct competitors who were performing similar responsibilities and ready for a new challenge. Feedback from the client showed that the chosen candidate had not only met but exceeded their own expectation. The client was particularly pleased with our search method and immediately moved to make an offer of employment.  In addition, they were quite satisfied with how our team kept them informed throughout the process, the speed in which we executed, and the quality of the selected candidates.

Client: Defense Systems Subcontractor

Case study of retained search led by Craig Hufford, Practice Lead for NextGen Global Executive Search in recruiting a Director of Network Systems Software for Future Battle Management Applications for a major defense subcontractor.

Search Strategy: NextGen GES conducted a thorough search for candidates throughout United States and Canada which included key competitors in parallel and similar industries. Our customer had instructed NextGen start our search at the local level before standing nationally. Our focus was on candidates that were currently employed making significant contributions to their companies. Having interviewed more than 12 candidates at the local level, NextGen GES was able to distill those candidate profiles into 3 outstanding candidates presented in a “short list” to the overwhelming satisfaction of the customer. All candidates presented on the short list were local to the area.

Results: The search resulted in NextGen GES finding a candidate from one of the client’s direct competitors who were performing similar responsibilities and ready for a new challenge. Feedback from the client showed that the candidate had not only met but exceeded their own expectation. The client was particularly pleased with our search methods and exhaustive research and immediately moved to make an offer of employment. In addition, they were quite satisfied with how our team kept them informed throughout the process, the speed in which we executed, the quality of the selected candidates and the fact that NextGen had saved them considerable relocation costs by finding a local candidate. This client continues to use us for many additional and ongoing high level searches.

Client: Major Medical Device Manufacturer of surgical plasma devices for Director Product Portfolio Management

Case study of retained search

Objective:

Search Strategy: NextGen GES conducted a thorough search for candidates throughout the contiguous United States and Canada which included key competitors in parallel and similar industries. Our focus was on candidates that were currently employed making significant contributions to their companies. Having interviewed more than 45 candidates in an industry known to have an extraordinary amount of mid and upper level executives, NextGen GES was able to distill 45 candidate profiles into 3 outstanding candidates presented in a “short list” to the overwhelming satisfaction of the customer.

Results: The search resulted in NextGen GES finding a candidate from one of the client’s direct competitors who were performing similar responsibilities and ready for a new challenge. Feedback from the client showed that the candidate had not only met but exceeded their own expectation. The client was particularly pleased with our search methods and exhaustive research and immediately moved to make an offer of employment. In addition, they were quite satisfied with how our team kept them informed throughout the process, the speed in which we executed, and the quality of the selected candidates. This client continues to use us for many additional and ongoing high level searches.

Client: Manufacturer of portable ultrasound medical devices for diagnostic and monitoring of the heart

Case Study retained search for portable ultrasound medical devices Director Systems Engineering