Android

Google Shopper for iPhone is Now Available in the App Store

Alex Heath ∙ Updated February 17, 2018

Google has released their popular Android shopping app in the App Store. Shopping results have been part of Google's web search for a long time, and the Android app is used by millions of people for mobile shopping.

Google Shopper for the iPhone delivers shopping results through text, image and voice search. If you've ever used Google shopping results on the web, you'll immediately understand how to use Google Shopper on the iPhone. Instead of restricting your results to, for example, Amazon's catalog (Price Check for iPhone), Google Shopper will present you with compared results from various vendors on the internet.

The goal with Google Shopper is to give you more informed and objective results from various product vendors. The app is simple and effective at searching for products you encounter on the go with your iPhone...

Is Sprint the Next Carrier to Get The iPhone?

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

The iPhone from Apple, after being locked to one U.S. GSM carrier (AT&T) for close to four years, was announced Tuesday to be coming to Verizon Wireless. This will greatly even the playing field between Apple iOS and Google Android as the two mobile platforms battle for most units sold here in the states on a quarterly basis. The question is will Sprint, as the 3rd largest U.S. wireless carrier, be the next to pick the iPhone up?

This is a valid question for a few reasons. The first is similar technologies. The new Verizon Wireless iPhone has CDMA chipset inside, the same technology Sprint uses. Also, when asked if the deal was exclusive, Tim Cook, the COO of Apple, said "the deal with Verizon was multi year but not exclusive."

The iPhone is Leading the American Smartphone Race

Alex Heath ∙ Updated November 12, 2019

Apple and Android always duke it out in smartphone statistics. The latest Nielsen market share data says no differently.

From a poll conducted in November of 2010, U.S. smartphone market share is dominated by iOS at 28.6%. iOS is followed by Blackberry at 26.1%, and Android at 25.8%. These numbers are U.S. only, but it is interesting to see how iOS and Android are battling for smartphone dominance.

Depending on how you look at things, the iPhone retains the lead in smartphone market share. However, Android is having greater growth with new smartphone adopters. This means that more people are buying an Android for their next smartphone, and not the iPhone...

Apple Sued Amidst Privacy Concerns Regarding App Tracking

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

A little over a week ago, we reported on a Wall Street Journal article that revealed an eye-opening investigation into how apps share your personal data; without your consent.

Needless to say it was bit shocking to us, our readers, and apparently a lot of other people concerned over their personal privacy, or lack thereof.

Now the fallout from the privacy scandal is beginning to rear its head, and it ain't pretty...

Skype Video Chat is Finally iPhone Bound

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Either the guys at Skype got the memo, or this was in the works all along, and they're just a bit slow going about their business. Better late than never, right?

Just as Apple is gaining steam with its relatively new FaceTime video chat, here comes the blue elephant in the room. While I didn't hesitate to give Skype a needed shellacking in a previous article, one thing's for sure, if they get on the ball with mobile video chat, it could be a hard ball to stop.

Even with FaceTime continuing to gain footprint in various other areas with the upcoming iPad, and the recent desktop Beta release; all it would take is for Skype to release a decent competitor to make things interesting...

How An iPhone App Can See Your Location Without Asking

Alex Heath ∙ Updated February 16, 2018

Lately, there have been some serious privacy concerns about how apps are tracking user's location and personal information. The Wall Street Journal performed a survey of multiple, various applications on both Android and iOS and discovered that many apps are sending information (like the device's location) without explicit permission from the user.

In particular, an app called "Pumpkin Maker" traced the general location of a device without requesting any type of permission from its user. The Journal contacted the app's develepor and gained some valuable knowledge on how, and why, the stealthy tracking of app users is taking place...

Your iPhone Apps Know A Lot About You

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 17, 2018

The Wall Street Journal has shared the results of an eye-opening investigation on how apps share personal data. Since the success of the App Store, apps have become the backbone of what makes or breaks a successful, mobile device.

The Journal looked into how some apps (both iOS and Android) actually behave with your phone's information, and examined the personal data that most don't know is shared through apps. The results were a little disturbing...

The iPhone Becomes the #1 and Most Desired Smartphone in the US

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 12, 2019

We already knew that iPhone users are the most loyal to their dear smartphone of choice. Now we know the iPhone is the #1 smartphone in the US as it just passed RIM by a slim 0.5%. Android, is a not-too-distant third.

This survey by Nielsen also confirms that the iPhone is the "most desired" smartphone among people likely to upgrade to a new device. An interesting fact is that women planning to get a smartphone are more likely to get an iPhone, while males are more likely to choose Android...

How to Install Android on Your iPhone [No Computer Required]

Sébastien Page ∙ November 9, 2010

We've seen our share of guides on how to install Android on the iPhone before. They're not terribly complicated, but they're not that straightforward either. Most importantly, they aren't as easy as installing an app as they usually require a computer to complete the install process.

This is now a thing of the past. With the release of Bootlace 2.1, you can now install iDroid on your iPhone without the need of a computer! All you need is a jailbroken iPhone and a couple minutes of your time...

Saurik’s TED Talk, “Even Software Should Have Screws”

Alex Heath ∙ November 9, 2010

Jay Freeman, better known as saurik, recently gave a TED talk on the philosophy of mobile software. He compared the iPhone's App Store and the jailbreak mentality to how consumers buy and modify cars. He made the case for what he has based his career on: that consumers do not want the software limitations that Apple maintains on iOS.

The first half of saurik's TED talk explains the state of the car industry, and the consumer approach to buying and modifying cars. His comparison is interesting, and it definitely merits his point about Apple's App Store philosophy...

Over 50% of Developers Prefer iOS, but Android is Closing Fast

Alex Heath ∙ November 6, 2010

A recent study has shown that over 50% of mobile developers prefer the iOS platform. Millennial Media surveyed over 500 mobile developers and advertisers and asked them what their current and future plans were in terms of mobile application development. The survey complied a pie chart of the responses, and iOS is still on top.

Factoring iPhone and iPad, iOS made up 51% of the current development support. Android is currently being supported by less than half of the respondents. However, when asked about their development plans in 2011, mobile developers favored the Google Android platform...

The Likelihood of the iPhone Appearing on T-Mobile Just Decreased With This Video

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

With the release of an advertisement dissing the iPhone 4 and AT&T's network, you can pretty much squash any idea of the iPhone appearing on T-Mobile's network anytime soon.

The video clip purposely takes Apple's infamous "Mac versus PC" ads, and flips the script. It features an attractive female claiming to be a MyTouch4G, while a guy struggling to support another guy on piggyback claims to be an iPhone 4. Let the hilarity ensure...

Of course the guy riding piggyback is the AT&T network, which is putting a burden on Mr. iPhone, hence slowing him down. Brilliant! The woman then touts the MyTouch's video-chat-anywhere capabilities -- courtesy of T-Mobile's 4G network -- all the while poking fun at the fact that FaceTime for the iPhone 4 only works while connected to Wi-Fi.

Obviously, all of that means nothing to us here at iDB, seeing as a simple jailbreak will allow you to use FaceTime anywhere you receive a cellular signal. Still, the ad is quite amusing, and gives Apple a nice dose of their own medicine.

Slower network or not though, at the end of the day, the MyTouch4G is still, unfortunately, a MyTouch4G.

What did you think about the ad?