Whether it is an Apple iPhone or RIM’s Blackberry, 2010 is undoubtedly the year of the smartphone. As it received undulating attention from both users and critics alike, the smartphone has become a very significant battleground in the mobile industry. With various innovations and release of updated versions, these devices have sought unparalleled growth and at the same time fought critical issues as well. In line with this, eWeek has published an article noting the ten flaws on smartphone and tablets that must disappear come 2011.

Enveloped in the report are some recommendations and predictions from both a consumer and corporate standpoint. Flaws falling short on aspects like small displays on either a smartphone or tablet, lack of multitasking on certain platforms, poor app support that leaves much to be desired, lack of printer support, sub-par browsing, consumer-only focus for Motorola Droid X and Samsung Galaxy Tab and the very obvious enterprise-only focus of Blackberry.

However, the three most notable changes that the world would like to see according to this article are the following: security ambivalence that will be very critical as hackers are foreseen to gravely attack the booming mobile market, lack of 3G that will leave consumers clamoring for better internet browsing experience, and obsolete OS designs. The last of the three was particularly directed to RIM’s incremental upgrade since Blackberry OS 5.

Along the lines of updates and scrutiny, RIM defended accusation of Shaw Wu that Playbook, an iPad competitor, has a battery life of just a “few hours” compared to the iPad’s 10 hours or Samsung’s 6. In a statement to contradict Wu’s claim, the Ontario based company said that “Industry and supply chain sources was likely based on “pre-beta” units that did not include power management. “RIM is on track with its schedule to optimize the BlackBerry PlayBook’s battery life and looks forward to providing customers with a professional grade tablet that offers superior performance with comparable battery life.”

Another device cluttered with issues and complaints lately was Viewsonic’s Tablet G. The company is in damage control right now following distasteful PR releases when Staples labeled manufacturing issues on the device. In an interview by Jeff Volpe, VP and GM for ViewSonic Americas, stressed how the organization is keen in responding to customer demands and grumbles. He said, “We always listen to customers; while they love the hardware, they raised several issues about the user interface. As a result, our software partner is releasing an upgrade that will address customer concerns. Along with great performance improvements, customers will have the flexibility to use both a standard Android interface as well as a user-customizable interface which has been significantly enhanced since the product launch. ViewSonic is committed to its tablet endeavors and will continue with new announcements at CES in January.”

These issues are expected to surface and be discussed during the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. HTC expressed high hopes and great expectations for this event. But, they too are experiencing scrutiny with reported issues on their headsets and HTC EVO 4G. “The phone was a big seller this year, but a recent update reportedly caused a decrease in battery life and issues with Wi-Fi connection”, according to a SiliconAngle article.

In 2011, the demand for smartphones and tablets will undoubtedly be bigger and keeping up with the fast-paced world will push the companies to implement upgrades and updates. They should, however, be mindful of the devices that they will introduce to the market as consumers are will be more critical and mindful in their purchases.