Android

Google Announces 200 Million Android Activations, Still Trails iOS

Cody Lee ∙ November 17, 2011

In the great debate on Android vs. iOS, Android's market share is always brought up in favor of the Google-backed OS. Recent studies show that Android has a staggering lead over iOS, accounting for more than 50% of all smartphone sales.

A lot of that has to do with the spark in growth Android has experienced over the last 6 months due, at least in part, to Apple's delayed iPhone announcement. But even with its recent successes, Google's mobile platform still trails iOS in total number of devices...

Android Malware Up a Shy 472% Since Last Summer

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 25, 2016

For years, security firms have agreed that iOS is one of the most secure mobile platforms in existence. Apple's stringent app approval process and the limited API access it gives to third party developers has proven effective in keeping iOS safe from malware.

Google takes the exact opposite approach with its Android operating system. And while that's proven effective in drawing in iOS defectors who don't appreciate Apple's 'walled garden' of an operating system, it also leaves its users susceptible to malicious software...

iOS Loses Market Share to Android in Recent Quarter

Guest Author ∙ November 15, 2011

Despite the 17.3 million units pushed in the third quarter this year, Apple's iOS platform has actually lost market share to Google's Android, according to Gartner. The iOS platform made up 15% of the market, which is a 1.6% loss from last year's third quarter. This loss comes contrasts with the huge growth that Android has seen this last quarter, with the little green robot doubling its shares since last year and making up over 50% of all smartphones sold in the three-month period.

Although Apple held its ground with a significant year over year increase in sales, it's very evident that the Android platform is expanding quickly. Nokia's Symbian platform has taken a hard loss this quarter, bringing in less than half of what it did last year. RIM, also saw a 4% decrease, going from 15.4% market share to only 11% this year.

So, what does that mean for our beloved iPhone?

Do Device Specs Really Matter Anymore?

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

There has been one constant among the onslaught of Kindle Fire reviews we've seen over the last few days (it launches today): iPad comparisons. Amazon's new slate has been, and continues to be, constantly compared to Apple's iPad.

As typical with head-to-head match-ups, reviewers have broken out the spec sheets to see how each device measures up. But do specs even really matter anymore? Several tech writers have been asking this lately, and they've been making some valid points...

iOS Devices are Still the Most Desirable Among Developers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 24, 2017

With Amazon's Kindle Fire just a day away from public release, there's no shortage of news regarding the new tablet. Not only does it undercut the cost of most slate offerings by $300, it's also the first Android tablet to feature a truly cohesive user experience.

Because of that, the Kindle Fire now ranks as the top Android-based tablet among developers. But according to The Loop, Amazon's slate still has a ways to go before it reaches the programming popularity of Apple's iOS devices...

How to Enable the Hidden Autocorrect Bar in iOS 5

Alex Heath ∙ November 10, 2011

Another hidden feature has been uncovered in iOS 5. After we told you about the panorama mode in the Camera app, 9to5Mac uncovered an Android-like autocorrect keyboard bar that can be enabled without a jailbreak.

Instead of the classic method of offering corrections in iOS, this secret feature offers suggestions in a bar above the keyboard, much like the Android OS. This autocorrect bar is relatively easy to enable.

Android and iOS Gaming Now Worth More Than Sony and Nintendo’s Portable Divisions Combined

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated March 12, 2018

Just read that title again. Perhaps a third time. Ready? Let us continue.

According to new research by Flurry, a mobile analytics firm, both Sony and Nintendo's battle to own the portable gaming market may well be over sooner rather than later, and the winner might not be either of the two gaming behemoths.

See, Flurry believes that the combined pair will generate $1.4 billion in gaming revenue for the year 2011. While that's not a number to be sneezed at, it is considerably lower than the last two years. It's also lower than the revenue Flurry expects the real competition to generate, with iOS and Android gaming combined expected to rake in $1.9 billion...

Google: Android Doesn’t Copy the iPhone Because We Were First

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

And the plot thickens.

The battle between Android and the iPhone has raged for years, with it being unveiled in his recent biography that Steve Jobs was planning to wage "thermonuclear war" on Google and Android. The heat felt between the two companies stems from the fact that Apple confided in Google in the early years of the iPhone's development before Android was released. Steve Jobs felt that Google stole Apple's ideas, calling Android "grand theft."

According to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Android doesn't copy the iPhone at all. Why? Because Android was started before the iPhone...

Consumer Reports Recommends the iPhone 4S, We Do Not Recommend Consumer Reports

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

Remember how Consumer Reports refused to recommend the iPhone 4 because of its infamous reception problems? Now, the influential magazine has given the iPhone 4S a different diagnosis, coming to a rather different conclusion.

Consumer Reports is being considerably nicer to Apple's latest iPhone, saying that it does not suffer from any of the antenna-related reception issues that plagued its predecessor.

As a result of the improved antenna found in the iPhone 4S, Consumer Reports is now willing to let bygones be bygones, and is happy to list the handset as a "recommended device." But that's not all...

‘AndroidLock XT’ Ice Cream Sandwich Theme Brings Android 4.0 Lock Screen to the iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ November 7, 2011

AndroidLock XT has been out for a very long time, but for some strange reason I never got around to trying it. Recently, an Ice Cream Sandwich aka Android 4.0 theme was released for AndroidLock XT, so I was compelled to give it a go.

Check inside for a hands-on demonstration of AndroidLock XT, along with the new theme that makes your iPhone's Lock screen look and feel like Ice Cream Sandwich...

Angry Birds Reaches 500 Million Downloads Worldwide

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 3, 2011

It seems we just can't get enough of those Angry Birds, with developer Rovio announcing that the game has been downloaded a whopping 500 million times worldwide.

The half a billion downloads are made up of the three Angry Birds games currently available: Angry Birds, Angry Birds Rio, and Angry Birds Seasons.

Key to the game's success is its cross-platform nature, with Angry Birds available to download on most platforms you could care to name, with iOS, Android, web, Mac, and Windows all present, and versions also set to come to the Nokia Asha 300 and 303 phones...

Android Phones Require More Repair Costs Than iPhones

Alex Heath ∙ November 3, 2011

Android phones have been proven to break, malfunction, and require more repair costs than iPhones and even Blackberries.

The cheapness of most Android handsets is costing the telecoms a staggering $2 billion per year, according to a report from wireless services firm WDS...