Google

Skyhook says Google bad-mouthed its Wi-Fi location tech to Apple

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 3, 2013

It's nearly unthinkable: a technology firm bad-talking a rival to a prospective customer. That's the heart of the latest claim by a location services company suing Internet giant Google for alleged patent infringement.

Skyhook Wireless is asking a court to compel Google to turn over documents showing co-founder Sergey Brin spoke badly of SkyHook's GPS location technology. As part of a recent court filing, Skyhook charges Brin told Apple co-founder Steve Jobs that the iPhone maker could do better if it went with Google...

iOS apparently grabbed nearly 75 percent of mobile ad market in May

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated May 3, 2017

As we've noted in the past, Apple has the unique ability to have products outnumbered by Android, yet excel in areas which count - like advertising. The latest case in point is a study finding nearly 75 percent of mobile ads are served to Apple's iDevices.

By contrast, Android's share of the mobile ad market is decreasing with Samsung's Galaxy S smartphones delivering barely any ad impressions, according to figures released by a mobile ad company...

iPhone leads customer satisfaction in Samsung’s home turf of South Korea

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 2, 2013

There's nothing like winning over your competitor's hometown audience. Apple, accustomed to topping nearly every customer satisfaction survey, must take particular pleasure in being named best by smartphone owners in South Korea, home of rival Samsung.

The survey found even a year after purchase, iPhone owners were more satisfied overall, as well as happy with the repair experience. Customer satisfaction is an often-cited metric by Apple CEO Tim Cook, a quality in which some see him well-suited...

Almost half of European smartphones bear Samsung label

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 1, 2013

We've known Samsung is the leading Android brand, but now comes word handsets from the South Korean firm account for almost half of the smartphones sold in Europe, where handsets are typically sold separate of wireless contracts. Even more striking, Samsung boosted Google's mobile operating system to the point it where seven out of each ten smartphones are Android-based in Europe, according to new research.

Of course, this isn't surprising knowing Android serves a multitude of price points and form factors whereas Apple is content (for now) milking the high-end. So, where's Apple? Although European market share for the iPhone maker's iOS is a distant second-place to Android, loyalty to the Apple brand outshines Samsung, the Monday report found...

Google Reader shuts down tomorrow, here’s everything you need to know

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 12, 2018

In case it's somehow skipped your mind, Google is going to be turning off Google Reader, it's popular RSS aggregating service, on July 1st. That's tomorrow. And if you haven't taken the proper steps, such as backing up your feeds or syncing them with a suitable replacement, you're going to lose them.

But never fear, as usual, iDB has you covered. Here's everything you need to know about this week's Reader shutdown...

It takes 72,000 downloads a day for an app to reach top 10 spot in the App Store

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 12, 2018

You have a whiz-bang idea for an iOS app, but want to know how much effort it will take to get into the top 10 list? On general, it requires 4,000 daily downloads for an app to reach the top 10 paid apps, and it requires earning $47,000 per day for paid apps to reach rank 10 in the grossing charts, a new study finds. For the bean-counters in the audience, that translates to $32 in purchases per minute or $1,920 per hour.

Another tip: never try to break into the top 10 during weekends. Instead, you'll have better luck on Thursdays. If you want little competition, try Google or Amazon, where all you hear are crickets chirping, according to an app analytics firm...

Google Now and rich notifications spotted in Chrome browser

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2013

After being caught on the wrong foot following Apple's introduction of the Siri personal digital assistant in October 2011, the Internet giant Google responded by launching Google Now. Mostly owing to a series of missteps, controversial advertising and ongoing reliability issues with Siri, Google has managed to rapidly leapfrog Siri.

But the search monster isn't stopping there, it wants people to use Google Now no matter the device or platform. After adding Google Now features to its native Search iOS app, Google Now cards are coming to a desktop near you via the Chrome browser...

WSJ: Google working on Android game console, smartwatch and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

This is kind of interesting. Hot on the heels of reports that iOS 7 contains proper third-party support for physical game controllers comes word that Google is hard at work building a full-fledged gaming console and smartwatch based on its Android operating system.

The story comes from The Wall Street Journal, who reported last night that the Mountain View-based company is looking to expand its mobile platform beyond smartphones and tablets, and is hoping to combat similar devices that Apple may release in the future...

First Google Hangouts update brings new features

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 27, 2013

In the first major update since its release back in May, Google's cross-platform unified messaging software Hangouts has just enhanced your chatting experience with a couple new additions. Addressing some of the top requests, Google Hangouts versions 1.1.1 features improved iOS 6 support and now finally lets you send URLs, as well as and click on links received in chat messages. I've included more information about this update after the break...

Major Google Earth update brings revamped UI, Street View and more

Cody Lee ∙ June 26, 2013

Google has posted a significant update for the iOS version of its Google Earth app today, bringing it to version 7.1.1. The update features a number of enhancements, including a revamped UI, improved directions and Street View.

The overhauled UI brings the application in line with Google's other iOS offerings, with a new left hand menu panel that makes navigating the app easier than ever, and improved search that lets you browse through results faster...

Malware infestation running amok on Android

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

It's not the sort of recognition any smartphone maker wants, but Android appears to be the platform of choice for nine out of ten mobile malware authors. The growth of malware apps targeting users of Google's mobile operating system rose an unbeliavable 614 percent in just the last year, author's of a new study found.

Perhaps even more discouraging is three-quarters of the mobile malware could easily be eliminated through software updates, yet ignored by 96 percent of Android owners. As for Apple's iOS, it's nowhere to be found on the malware hit-list, an area in which Apple is happy to hand to rivals...

In May, iPad recorded utter domination in web usage

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 26, 2013

Apple appears to have stemmed any loss of iPad usage online detected in April, roaring back to continue its utter domination of tablet web traffic in May. The iPad in May accounted for 82.4 percent of tablet web traffic within North America, according to the Chitika ad network. Amazon's Kindle Fire registering the next best at just 6.5 percent of North American tablet web traffic May 15 to May 21...