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Smart connected devices surpassed 1 billion units for 2012 worldwide, smartphones and tablets grew exponentially

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by Jared Peters on
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smartphones

These numbers shouldn’t really surprise anyone, but a ton of people bought smart devices in 2012, according to IDC. They bought over 1 billion of those devices, actually. That includes, desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. The leaders there were (obviously) Samsung and Apple, with Apple accounting for 20.3% and Samsung accounting for 21.2%. Pretty impressive for just two companies.

IDC also expects smartphone and tablet sales to surpass PC sales in 2013, which, considering how fast new phones and tabs seem to sell, isn’t all that surprising. They’re predicting PC sales will actually stall to no growth whatsoever by 2017. Four years is a long time, and things can change, but if the market continues on the trend it’s going now, I think that’s a very realistic result.

What do you guys think? Are you surprised that portable devices are eating into traditional PC market share? Do you think that’ll turn around in a year or two? Let us know in the comments. » Read the rest

Updates to Google+ and Google Wallet hit Android Market

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by Chris Stewart on
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Whilst the Google Execs were busy strutting their stuff at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the Google Developers were beavering away in the labs to bring you some updates. If you head on over to the Android Market you’ll find updates to both Google Wallet and Google+ waiting for you. The excitement stops there I’m afraid folks as both updates are minor bug fixes and process enhancements.

Still it’s good to know that the Google Developers are always working on improving their already great applications. Bug fixes and stability improvements can only be a good thing so why not check out the links below and get yourself updated!

 

Google+ Market Link

Google Wallet Market Link

 

 

Google’s Eric Schmidt: “If Google Gets It Right, There Will Be An Android In Every Pocket”

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by Roy Alugbue on
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Google envisions bigger and brighter things for the future of its Android platform. We recently saw how 850,000 Android devices are being activated every day, but that’s not stopping Google from believing it can get everyone on the planet having an Android device. This is significant too because while the use of mobile devices has increased, not everyone uses a smartphone– let alone a device connected to the internet. Google believes having a smartphone connected to the internet will play a major role in the advancement of our society. At Google’s keynote address at MWC, Google Chair Eric Schmidt highlights:

“We talk about how everyone has a cellphone, but only about one billion have a phone. For most people, the digital revolution has not arrived yet.”

What does this mean for Google? This simply means that the Android platform has the potential to reach literally billions of people. It’s no secret the Android platform is fragmented, which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. Despite the fragmentation, the variation in devices means there will be plenty of choices which fit a certain consumer or demographic’s lifestyle (think of all the budget to premium devices out there!)— especially as our society continues to evolve in this digital age. Realizing this, Schmidt adds:

“The smartphone revolution will be universal and a mobile experience to be available to almost everyone at a fraction of the price. If Google gets it right, there will be an Android in every pocket, and at the current growth rate, it is certainly possible.”

Moral of the story: while there are other competitors out there in the world, it would be wise not to bet against Google. Especially since the platform continues to grow at a tremendous pace.

source: NY Times Blog

Samsung Makes It Clear: “We’re Not Doing Very Well In The Tablet Market”

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by Roy Alugbue on
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Samsung is dominating smartphone sales, it’s not doing as well in the tablet market. While participating at a discussion at MWC, Product Strategy Executive Hankil Yoon offered a blunt and straightforward summary of Sammy’s products in the tablet market:

“Honestly, we’re not doing very well in the tablet market.”

We don’t have the numbers to verify Yoon’s comments, but there are a few reasons why he would make that statement. Perhaps it may be the industry-leading iPad or the lackluster, yet popular Kindle Fire which has found the way into consumers’ hearts and wallets. Whatever the reason may be, Samsung just has not been able to distinguish its tablets from Apple and Amazon’s offerings, despite having several Galaxy Tab models.

Despite Yoon’s comments, there’s reason for optimism for Samsung’s future direction. For starters, it has the intriguing Galaxy Note, which can be considered the most popular “phablet” to date. 10 million Galaxy Note units are expected to ship and Yoon believes the S-Pen (Stylus pen) “allows users to more easily create content, rather than consume it.” In addition, there is the newly introduced Galaxy Note 10.1 which brings you a bigger tablet, but with an S-Pen. This is something that much of the competition cannot claim at this time. Yoon sums it up best:

“Samsung wanted to do something different in the category… Even if the design is similar, how you use the Note is totally different.”
Expect Samsung to make a continued push into the tablet market by continuing to introduce unique and innovative features.
 
(Photo courtesy of C Net)
 
source: C Net

Updated Android Market with Google Music Already Rolling Out

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by Stacy Bruce on
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Last night during my usual late night Android Market browsing session I surprisingly experienced a sudden force close – the app suddenly went dark for a moment and took me back to my home screen. After I reopened it I was delighted to see that I had just witnessed a quick refresh of the Market app that now features the new “Music” section. I have also been hearing from a couple of friends that they too are seeing the new music store so it looks like Google has begun to push the update to many devices.

Once you receive the new Music store you will notice the added orange “Music” section amidst the usual suspects, apps, games, movies and books. Once you open the section you see the featured page which highlights various artists and recommendations, this is also where you will find the free song of the day. If you scroll the page to the left you are presented with over 20 genres and to the right you will find the top songs and albums. You can even go directly to the music app right from within the stores menu by pressing “My Music”. Pretty fancy Google!

If you are not seeing the updated market (version number hasn’t changed) you can try clearing the app’s cache and data by going to: Settings–> Applications–> Manage Applications–> Android Market–> Clear Data. Try rebooting and see if that helps any, if not I’m sure it will only be a short while until all devices get the update.

Android Overtakes Apple In Mobile Apps Downloaded; Still Behind On Downloads Per Device

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by Andrew Greenfield on
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The research folks over at ABI have some interesting news to report for Q2 2011. It appears that Android has officially passed Apple in the worldwide share of mobile apps. As of now, 44% of mobile apps belong to an Android device, while only 31% belong to an iOS device. However, ABI also made sure to point out that while Android now has a bigger market for app developers, iOS users on average actually double the amount of apps per device when compared to Android. The question I have for this study is if they considered iOS to be simply the iPhone or all iOS devices (so including the iPad and the iPod). Something tells me they only included the former, as I can’t imagine that Android is selling better than all iOS devices by a combined 2:1, but I have been wrong before. What are your thoughts on this?

[via ABIresearch]

Google Looking to Kickoff MP3 Store Afterall?

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by Mitch Wright on
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Hopping into the Android Market nowadays is a good bit different than it was when in it was in its early stages. Casting aside the massive UI changes that the Market has undertaken, the main difference is what’s available. Users are greeted no more by just apps installable on their Android devices, but also by movie rentals and downloadable books and periodicals. Google is striving to make their devices not just functional PDAs, but portable entertainment hubs, and it shows. Noticeably missing from this destiny of media kingship however is an integrated music store, and Google is apparently looking to change this.
Readers with long memories and keen eyes may remember similar Google cloud-based music store rumblings beginning around the end of last year, rumblings that ultimately ended in the culmination of Google Music Beta. Unfortunately, while Google Music Beta is a great experience, it’s less than the full service that Google had intended, and relies on users already having their own music at the ready. From what it seems, this was mostly due to negotiations with music labels falling through.  In comparison, competitors Amazon and Apple offer seamless experiences in music storage and an easy place to get said music. Why are you going to download music from Amazon, then deal with the time-consuning process of uploading that music to Google, when you can just purchase the music from Amazon and listen to it on their servers directly without ever having to leave the app? According to several unnamed music executives, Google is still trying to get the store side of their music offering off the ground, and supposedly before Apple launches their new iTunes Match, set to debut at the end of October. While such a near date seems a bit too much to hope for, we can indeed hope. With the infrastructure for Google Music Beta already in place, a store added to the product would be a huge boon.

What do you guys think? If Google offered a store, would you use it, or would you stick to Amazon or less legal methods? Let us know in the comments!

[via new york times]

Superuser version 3.0 – NFC, PINs, & Backup, Oh My! [Download]

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by Jim Farmer on
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This morning I woke up to the “updates available” notification on my Android devices. Among them was an update for Superuser, bringing the version number to 3.0. Now I couldn’t even remember the last time Superuser had an update  so I took a moment to check the change log. To my delight, this update packed a handful of great new features in addition to the usual bug fixes. What’s in the new update you ask? Straight from the changelog:

  • Fixed layout on non-Honeycomb tablets
  • Better handling of fragments on tablets
  • Compatibility for Donut restored
  • Fixed bug that caused unpredictable results when an app is remembered that was previously allowed
  • Backup/restore of apps and preferences
  • Fix for Superuser thinking the binary is outdated when it’s not
  • Major speed increase for notifications and logging
  • Show seconds in log defaults to off now
  • Fix FC when trying to swipe left/right in HomeActivity
  • Fix changelog version tracking, only show what’s changed since the last time the changelog was displayed on launch

» Read the rest

Samsung Pure Breeze Launcher Available In The Android Market

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by Justin Routhier on
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The vast number of possible Android launchers has increased by yet another as Samsung has released their own UI rendition called Pure Breeze from Samsung San Jose Mobile Lab. The launcher replaces the standard Android Home layout (for any Android device 2.1 or greater) in the hopes of giving users custom options, better organization and simplified navigation to apps and files. The twist? It works around a unique grouping system with a floating “Kite” that holds those groups and acts as your home screen. Whether or not this is a recipe for success remains questionable however.

Here’s what they say:

Pure Breeze is a customizable user interface that lets you easily organize your apps, groups, and tasks, and create shortcuts. Pure Breeze replaces your default home screen and allows you to enhance navigation by organizing your applications into groups. The “Kite”, a customizable floating window is always available with one touch to access your phone’s widgets and shortcuts. The “Kite” becomes your new launcher and home screen.

The full version of Pure Breeze in available in the Android Market for £1.23 ($1.74US), or you can snag a free trial before you make any commitments.

[via market]

Protect Your Accounts With PassLock, Now Available In The Android Market

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by Justin Routhier on
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How many different passwords are you juggling for your online accounts? For many, it can be an overwhelming feat just keeping them all straight and chances are, if you connect to multiple online outlets, you have turned to a password manager for assistance. These mangers promise secure software to record and protect your seemingly endless list of account passwords, but have you considered that several keep a cloud-based backup of the password database?

Allow me to introduce you to PassLock, created by an XDA forum member with the promise of storing all your passwords on a purely local password manager. It offers AES-256 bit encryption, the ability to group passwords, change/edit your records, change your master password and even import / export your database.

Let us know what you think of the app via the comments below.

Android Market Link

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