Android’s open ecosystem has helped to make it the most popular mobile operating system in the world but, according to a new report from the US Department of Homeland Security, it also makes it the most vulnerable to dangerous malware.
Plex iOS and Android Apps on Sale for $1.99 Until Wednesday
Plex, the incredibly powerful and flexible home media server, is running a “back to school” sale on its mobile apps for iOS and Android. Both are available for $1.99 until Wednesday, a significant discount over the apps’ standard price of $4.99.
More Than Half of Android Phones Sold in Q2 Had 4.5-Inch+ Screens
New data shows that consumers’ interest in large smartphones continues to grow, with 55 percent of Android phones sold in the second quarter packing a screen larger than 4.5 inches. In light of this, will Apple’s insistence on sticking to a 4-inch display harm the company’s chances?
Lack of New iPad Sinks Apple Shipment Share; Android Leads 2Q13
A lack of product launches and the continued improvement of competing products has led to a complete flip in worldwide tablet shipments between Apple and its Android foes in the past year, according to data released Monday by research firm IDC. Although still the number one tablet manufacturer, Apple’s shipment market share declined year-over-year while rival Samsung’s tablet shipments soared. Worldwide Tablet Shipments by Vendor (Millions of Units) Source: IDC Q2 2013 Q2 2013 Market Share Q2 2012 Q2 2012…
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NVIDIA Shield Now Available for Pre-Order with Late June Launch
NVIDIA’s ambitious plan to carve out a slice of dedicated Android-based mobile gaming is now ready for consumer consumption. The NVIDIA Shield handheld console is available for pre-order today for $349.00, with an expected shipping date in late June. NVIDIA first unveiled the console, then called “Project Shield,” at CES in January. It was designed only as a proof-of-concept but, after initial reactions were positive, the company decided to produce the device for sale, shortening its name to simply “Shield.”…
Android Dominates, Windows Phone Surges in Q1 2013
Expanding on an April report that showed smartphones outselling feature phones worldwide for the first time, research firm IDC released a new look at global shipments and market share of smartphone operating systems. Top Worldwide Smartphone OS (Shipments in Millions) Source: IDC Q1 2013 Q1 2013 Market Share Q1 2012 Q1 2012 Market Share Year-Over-Year Change Android 162.1 75.0% 90.3 59.1% 79.5% iOS 37.4 17.3% 35.1 23.0% 6.6% Windows Phone 7.0 3.2% 3.0 2.0% 133.3% BlackBerry 6.3 2.9% 9.7 6.4%…
Google I/O 2013 Overview
Google held its annual I/O Conference today in San Francisco. The company made a number of major announcements related to its services, products, and Android. Here’s an overview of the latest news from Mountain View. Android Activations Google started the day with some positive news for Android. The free and open mobile OS has been activated on 900 million devices to date, and Android users have installed more than 48 billion apps. In comparison, Apple has sold over 500 million…
Android Dominates Q1 2013 with 74% of Smartphone Shipments
Samsung hardware and the Android mobile operating system dominated the first quarter of 2013, according to new data released Tuesday by research firm Gartner. The Korean electronics giant shipped 64.7 million smartphones during the quarter for 30.8 percent of worldwide market share while Google’s Android was found on 156 million devices shipped during the quarter, for a commanding 74.4 percent market share. Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner, explained the results: There are two clear leaders in the OS…
Social Gaming Features Coming to Android with Google Play Games
Apple’s Game Center, the social iOS gaming service introduced as part of iOS 4.1 in September 2010, is about to get a doppelgänger in the form of “Google Play Games,” a new feature coming soon to Android. According to Android Police, which obtained an early build of the service, Google Play Games will likely feature syncing saved games between devices, shared game lobbies for chatting and matchmaking, invites and challenges, icon badges and notifications, score leaderboards, and achievements. The service…
Apple’s iPhone Widens Lead as Most-Owned U.S. Smartphone
Apple’s iPhone reached record high usage share in U.S. during the first quarter, according to the latest MobiLens survey from research firm comScore. The iPhone achieved 39 percent usage share among U.S. smartphone subscribers as of the end of March, up 2.7 percent from December 2012. U.S. Smartphone OEM Usage Share Source: comScore December 2012 March 2013 Point Change Apple 36.3% 39.0% 2.7 Samsung 21.0% 21.7% 0.7 HTC 10.2% 9.0% -1.2 Motorola 9.1% 8.5% -0.6 LG 7.1% 6.8% -0.3 Usage…