Android

Why Google Should be Nervous About Android’s Future

Google's Android operating system has certainly rocked the mobile industry over the last three years. With multiple manufacturers offering hundreds of feature-packed handsets around the world, the little green robot certainly has a lot going for it.

However, stiff competition from Apple and Microsoft, along with dozens of lawsuits coming from seemingly every direction, look to stop Android's explosive growth dead in it's tracks. How long can the mobile OS survive in this hostile industry?

Steve Jobs Patent Helps Apple Score Major Legal Win in Australia

Popular tech patent-analyst Florian Mueller is reporting that Apple has just scored a major legal win in Australia. The Cupertino company has been battling Samsung all over the globe, and it just scored a major victory in Sydney.

On Mueller's blog, FOSSPatents, he discusses the importance of a recent decision by the Federal Court of Australia in the Apple vs. Samsung patent dispute. The court has just ordered an interim injunction over Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1...

Microsoft: The iPhone Doesn’t Give Enough Choice and Android is Chaotic

Those crazy folks at Microsoft seem quite keen on this new release of Windows Phone 7 they've been working on, and with good reason. Windows Phone 7.5, or "Mango," is starting to find its way onto new and old handsets alike, and people seem rather taken with the changes the Microsoft has made.

With that success behind him, Windows Phone boss Andy Lees spoke to The Seattle Times, and he couldn't help dissing Apple and Google while upholding Windows Phone as the best option out there for consumers...

Android Users Still Don’t Get It

For years, skeptics have viewed Apple enthusiasts in a prejudice light. Dubbed "fan boys," this herd of sheep would throw down money for any product bearing the fruit-shaped logo, and would defend the company to the death if necessary.

And it seems like the more successful Apple has gotten, the more vocal the cynics have become — especially in the mobile phone space. And I don't think that there is any group louder than the Android users...

Android Apps Running On an iPad, World Doesn’t Implode

Great news for the two of you that want to run Android apps on your iPad!

Alien Dalvik, the software layer that allows all Android apps to run on the Android platform, is being ported to various different platforms, including BlackBerry's PlayBook. More importantly, and certainly more interestingly, Apple's iPad is also on the list of devices that will soon support Android apps...

One Thing Apple Could Learn From Amazon’s Kindle Fire

The entire web was set 'on fire' this morning by Amazon's tablet announcement (no pun intended). After months and months of rumors, the online retailer finally unveiled its Android slate: the Kindle Fire.

Sure, the tablet may be one of the best Android-based offerings we've ever seen, but it's still no iPad. However, there is one thing that I believe the Cupertino company could learn from Amazon and its new device...

Twice As Many New Smartphone Buyers Choose Android Over iOS

A new survey by Nielsen shows that Android has been comforting its lead in smartphone market shares. According to the survey, within the last 3 months of the year, 56% of new smartphone buyers turned to Android, while only 28% chose an iOS device.

As the report notes, the preference of these new buyers are important because they often highlight a future trend in where the market is going...

Android and iOS are Still Dominating the Mobile OS Market

The debate between Apple's iOS and Android can get heated pretty quickly. I (in some cases) would rank someone's mobile OS preference right up there with their political views. It can get that serious.

But whether you prefer Google's open platform, or Apple's more fenced-off approach, you have to agree with one thing: Both OSes are killing it. The proof is in the numbers, as 9to5Mac points out in Millennial Media's Mobile Mix report...

9 Out of 10 iPhone Owners Will Never Buy Another Brand of Smartphone

iPhone owners are the most loyal smartphone users around, according to a new survey by UBS Research. Apple's iPhone boasts a 89% retention rate, indicating that nearly 9 out 10 iPhone owners will never buy another brand of smartphone.

Surprisingly, the company with the second highest retention rate is actually HTC, with 39% of its customers sticking around for the long haul. Apple claims a 50% retention rate lead over all other smartphone makers in terms of customer loyalty...

iPad Set to Rule the Tablet Market Until 2014

Research firm Gartner issued a special report today that basically concludes that Apple will have a free run at the tablet market this holiday season, just like they did last year, due to competitors lagging far behind.

According to Gartner, the iPad is projected to account for 73.4% of the worldwide tablet market in 2011, compared to only 17.3% for Android. Though they note the iPad's share is slightly down from last year, while Android's slightly up...

Google Confesses That 2/3 of Mobile Searches Happen on iOS Devices

Former FTC official and new Google employee Suzanne Michel testified today before the Senate Judiciary Committee that all three major search engines had to submit a bid to Apple for becoming the default search engine in iOS.

During her testimony, she confessed that two thirds of all Google mobile searches are made from iOS devices, be it an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch...