Android

AT&T launches Locker app with 5GB of free cloud storage

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Carrier AT&T today launched an interesting cloud-storage app for iOS and Android devices, similar to the likes of SugarSync, Dropbox and Google Drive. It's called Locker and you can use it to safely store, sync and share your photos, videos and documents to the AT&T cloud, the promo page says. The program can also automatically back up every photo or video, if that's how you roll. AT&T Locker comes with 5GB of free storage, with upgrades to 30GB for $3.99 per month or 100GB for $9.99 per month...

Amazon releases its first (and free) mobile game

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2017

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Dxy-gOQUE

This above is a trailer for Air Patriots from the recently launched Amazon Game Studios, the online retailer's first foray into the mobile gaming space. The game is available on Kindle, iOS and Android devices via Google's Play Store, Amazon's own Appstore and Apple's App Store (aren't you getting tired of so many unimaginative monikers already?).

The iOS version is provided free of charge as a 83MB universal binary download with native support for all iOS form factors and Retina graphics. Though the Play Store page originally suggested that Air Patriots couldn't run on the Nexus 7 tablet, Google said it was a "minor hiccup" and has updated the entry...

iOS devices account for 65% of US mobile web traffic

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Chitika summoned the data from its 200,000 mobile websites and some 4 billion ads to bring you its latest report on mobile web traffic. The advertisement firm does this every couple of months to give some insight on which mobile devices folks are using to browse the web.

Surprise. According to the latest numbers, which come from data pulled between September and October, Apple's iOS devices are still very much ahead of Samsung and other competitors. In fact, they account for more than 65% of the mobile web traffic in North America...

Apple puts a price tag on Motorola’s wireless patents: $1 per iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 31, 2012

In a response to Motorola's motion from yesterday seeking clarification on essential wireless patents (which include both cellular and WiFi standards), Apple has formally acknowledged its willingness to accept a license at a court-determined rate of up to $1 per iPhone through a license agreement on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms.

The figure entails worldwide sales of covered products, the iPhone maker said. Apple's position on FRAND licensing is that the industry should set FRAND rates in order to prevent companies asserting wireless standards-essential patents against its rivals by jacking up prices.

Motorola, which is now a wholly-owned Google subsidiary, wrote in the filing that Microsoft's FRAND contract case had explicitly committed to the conclusion of a license agreement on court-ordered terms. Is there finally an end in sight to this patent mess?

Apple’s green ranking drops to 118 in US

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Despite recently obtaining a green apple logo, the iPhone maker's ranking when it comes to green issues took a beating. The consumer tech giant ranks 118 among U.S. companies, a 68-point drop from a year ago. According to one report, Apple failing to answer a survey on greenhouse gas emissions from its American facilities via the Carbon Disclosure Project in both 2012 and 2011 was the chief reason for the poor showing...

Need for Speed: Most Wanted is here, get downloading

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 30, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpGS1K9mLPQ

Electronic Arts today in North America released Need for Speed: Most Wanted on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and Xbox 360 consoles, as well as on Windows PCs and Apple's iOS and Google's Android mobile platforms. The game is available now for seven bucks both over at the App Store and Play Store. Need for Speed: Most Wanted rolls out in Australia on November 1 and in Europe the following day.

A version for Nintendo's new Wii U console is slated to hit North American shores, Europe and Australia some time next year. The game invites you to drive "the world's hottest cars ripping through the open world, screwing with the cops and get away in style". In addition to the above launch trailer, I've also included several nice videos below the fold...

Google matches Apple with 700,000 mobile apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Because Google's free Android software is available in many shapes, price points and across a variety of carriers and manufacturers, the search giant has relatively easy and early on taken the lead in terms of device activations. But even with its clear lead in terms of unit sales, Android has always lagged behind iOS in terms of quantity of the apps found on its store, dubbed the Google Play Store. Today, Google has announced that its store now carries 700,000 third-party apps, which means that the Play Store has officially matched the App Store in sheer number of apps available...

Roundup of Google’s new Nexus phone and tablet, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

It doesn't hurt to keep tabs on what competition is doing. Hurricane Sandy may have spoiled Google's media event planned for today, but that didn't stop the search giant from launching two new Nexus devices today along an Android software update. The company announced a new four-inch Nexus smartphone, made by LG, that provides pure Android experience free of carrier junkware and user interface skins.

In addition, Google also launched a rumored ten-inch iPad contender with the world's highest-resolution mobile display. Both devices run Android version 4.2, which still carries the Jelly Bean code-name. Here's a full breakdown of Nexus news from today...

The Pentagon plans to deploy iOS and Android devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 29, 2012

In a new report from The Washington Post based on a document by the Defense Department, the Pentagon is reported as tapping contractors as it preps to deploy at least 162,500 iOS and Android devices, potentially expanding to up to eight million devices. It's another blow to Canada-based Research In Motion, which despite its single-digit smartphone share in the United States still enjoys a relatively large, albeit diminishing following amongst governmental agencies. This would mark the first time the Pentagon opened its network to iPhones and Android devices...

Hurricane Sandy: Apple closes up to 50 stores, Google cancels Nexus media event, crisis maps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 2, 2016

Hurricane Sandy is piling up the water as it's on track for a historic hit on the East Coast of the United States. President Obama has declared state of emergency in New York, suspending subway and bus service, closing schools on Monday and scheduling the Holland and Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to also close at 2pm today.

When it became clear that Sandy would make landfall on the East Coast, Google cancelled its previously scheduled October 29 press conference, postponing the launch of promising new Nexus smartphones and tablets. Dozens of Apple Stores along the East Coast will likely be affected, with many outlets taking precautionary measures in order to protect the products, store space itself and staffers. Several Apple Stores have also been spotted using sandbags as a precaution to protect their storefront from damage...

Android grabs 41 percent of tablet market as Apple’s share falls

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

Can the iPad mini save Apple's slipping lead in tablet sales? The could be the question of the day as researchers announce Apple's share of the tablet market dropped to 56.7 percent while Android tablets now account for 41 percent of the worldwide market.

According to Strategy Analytics, the iPad's lead eroded from the 64.5 percent it held during the third quarter of 2011. Meanwhile, an army of Android tablets, helped by Apple losses, rose to 41.3 percent of the market, up from 29.2 percent during the same period last year...

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City due on iOS and Android later this fall

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Rockstar Games is celebrating tenth year of its Grand Theft Auto series and said it will be releasing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on iOS and Android platforms later this fall. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City debuted on October 29, 2002 on the PlayStation 2 and I've had lots of fun playing the various installments in the series throughout the years.

The new game should arrive approximately a year following the release of Grand Theft Auto III for iOS (still not updated for the iPhone 5 and Retina graphics). An Anniversary Edition of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for iOS and Android devices "will bring the full experience to mobile devices", Rockstar said. They are mentioning native high-resolution graphics and several enhancements that will be unique to the iOS and Android platforms...