Android

Google+ notifications will soon sync across devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

One of the annoyances about notifications in today's multi-platform world is the alert conundrum. We've all been there: an alert comes in, you act on it on one device and yet it doesn't clear on the other. And with apps constantly producing all sorts of notifications, managing these things across our gadgets is tricky, to put it mildly.

Matter of fact, you'd be right to argue that notifications tend to get a little out of hand, up to the point where they turn your daily computing into a nightmare.

Apple feels your pain: that's why it gave iOS 7 a new Notification Sync feature where reading a notification on your iPad automatically marks it as read on your iPhone, and vice versa, courtesy of iCloud. Google isn't standing still either: today, the search monster started rolling Google+ notification sync across the web, Android and iOS...

Apple devices top Android on 3G networks

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated December 2, 2016

We've always contended that while Android has a numerical advantage over Apple's iOS, the iPhone and iPad see much greater usage.

More evidence of that belief: more than half of all 3G cellular traffic comes from Apple devices.

When combined, the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 account for about 53 percent of all 3G cellular traffic. Adding the iPad boosts the number to nearly 60 percent, according to a firm that analyzes cell network traffic. Where is Android? Samsung's Galaxy S, S2 and S3 combined make up a bit over eighteen percent of 3G traffic...

Gameloft teases Asphalt 8: Airborne

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 11, 2013

French games maker Gameloft is on a roll lately. Hot on the heels of teasing its upcoming Modern Combat 5 for iOS and Android and releasing Gangstar Vegas on the App Store, just a few hours ago it posted the first Asphalt 8: Airborne teaser.

Yup, the next installment in the Asphalt franchise promises to up the ante with high-octane action.

This usually entails smashing vehicles into each other and taking control of crazy fast racing cars that defy gravity and fly all over the place, almost as if someone's watched a tad too many Fast and Furious movies. We're not complaining, though. Asphalt 8: Airborne looks business and we can't wait to get our hands on it. Your action-packed trailer is right after the break...

Samsung’s Galaxy S4 dead in the water

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 7, 2013

Following clickbait dead-in-the-water headlines which spelled doom for Apple on overzealous analysts projecting overly optimistic iPhone sales, it's now Samsung's turn to feel Wall Street's wrath. So, is Samsung's smartphone business running out of steam?

That's the question Wall Street is pondering as investors punish the South Korean firm after orders for its flagship Galaxy S4 had supposedly dropped by as much as thirty percent.

Friday, Samsung shares slid by more than six percent after more than $12 billion was sliced from the Android maker's market capitalization. Can Samsung stop the downward spiral, perhaps offering a stock buyback as Apple did? Or are we seeing only the latest signs of an industry-wide slowdown in demand?

Either way, the old saying about people living in glass houses seems all the more pertinent...

BlackBerry Messenger reportedly landing on iOS June 27 [updated]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Last month, BlackBerry caused a lot of commotion in the tech word when it announced that BBM would be coming to Android and iOS this summer. The popular messaging app has always been exclusive to BlackBerry.

The Canadian-based handset maker didn't offer up any further details at the time on when the app would be available on the two platforms. But according to T-Mobile UK, it's going to be landing on them later this month...

Aping Apple…

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 5, 2013

In an irony likely not lost on executives in Cupertino, at a time when China is becoming Apple's chief market, a Chinese smartphone maker is earning the reputation as the 'Apple of the East.'

Xiaomi, which makes Android-powered lookalikes of the iPhone, is led by a young, brash and wealthy CEO who appears to be the second-coming of Steve Jobs.

From his jeans and dark shirt wardrobe to his company's $1 billion balance sheet, Xiaomi's Lei Jun, sees Apple as the template for moving China from the cheap rip-offs of yesterday to the Fortune 500 of tomorrow, according to a New York Times profile published Wednesday...

comScore: Apple increases lead as top US smartphone maker

Cody Lee ∙ June 4, 2013

While Wall Street analysts and investors seem pretty content with the 'Apple is doomed' meme, the numbers continue to fall in Apple's favor. The company's mobile devices are still wildly popular and selling out in droves— particularly here in the US.

Market research firm comScore published a new report today regarding the state of the US smartphone market. And not only does it show that Apple is leading in smartphone marketshare in the country, but it's growing faster than the competition...

Apple patents S Beam-like device transfers

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 4, 2013

A 2009 Apple patent application is gaining renewed attention, not only because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today issued a patent to the iPhone maker, but how the technology could keep pace with smartphone rival Samsung.

At issue is finding a way to easily transfer data between handsets and desktop computers. The patent, titled "System and method for simplified data transfer" describes how two Apple devices could wirelessly sync data using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, a system as yet unavailable in Apple products but part of Samsung's S Beam feature on select NFC-enabled Galaxy devices...

Twitter’s Vine reaches 13 million users on iPhone, lands on Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 9, 2018

Twitter's Vine debuted in late-January exclusively on Apple's iPhone so you could easily spam the web with a few seconds worth of "viral" clips. While we knew it would eventually land on Android, its somewhat slow adoption had prompted Twitter to go back to the drawing board and add more features.

Less then five months later, Vine for Android is a reality. And reminding us that Vine still exists, Twitter has proudly announced that the iPhone edition now has thirteen million users - hardly what you'd call a successful iPhone app.

Perhaps a bit unsurprisingly, many features from the iOS app are currently missing in the initial Android release. On the other hand, the Android version happens to include a feature Twitter says isn't possible on the iPhone...

Chrome rises as Android loses ground in mobile web usage

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 3, 2013

Next to email, a mobile browser is often the most-used app on a smartphone or tablet. Although Safari still rules the iPhone and iPad crowd, there is a bit of internecine warfare within the Android camp. Google's Chrome is increasingly the default browser on Android mobile devices as usage declines for the stock Android browser.

The gains in May by Chrome against the stock Android mobile browser coincide with Google's decision last year to replace the stock Android browser with Chrome on all Android devices...

Why budget iPhone doesn’t mean lower profits

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated November 29, 2016

Android smartphone makers have been doing it for years: controlling a market using inexpensive handsets to outnumber the more expensive iPhone. But when the idea that Apple should also produce a more affordable and contract-free device first appeared, a hue-and-cry erupted as if the next MacBook was to be powered by Windows 8.

Now comes calmer heads - ironically from Wall Street - showing Apple's gross profit margin would increase by six percent because more people will buy the Apple smartphone if the company lowers the cost of owning an iPhone.

That's right, all the hand-wringing going on about a less-pricey iPhone being suicide for Apple's bottom-line could be all wrong...

Apple retains mobile ad lead, but Samsung getting more clicks

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

A mixed-message on the state of mobile advertising is out today. In an announcement expected to hearten both the iOS and Android camps, a UK ad firm reports Apple retains its lead in mobile ad share, while mobile ads rendered on devices by rival Samsung are increasingly being clicked.

Combined, Apple's iPhone and iPod touch account for more than a third of all ad requests handled by the UK-based Adfonic. However, Samsung - with just twelve percent of the mobile ad share - finds the first quarter 2013 click-through-rate on ads served by its Android devices increasingly stronger than Apple...