Android

Can a bigger iPhone stop the march of jumbo-sized Androids?

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 3, 2012

Unless you've been sleeping under a rock for months, you're aware that Android handsets have been gobbling up market share just about everywhere.

Everywhere except in the United States, that is, where Android phones declined by 4.5 percent as iOS grew by nearly nine percent year-to-year, per latest data from market research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, the WPP-owned market analysts.

Android is big in Europe and has been growing its share steadily in other markets over the past three months, mostly exceeding the fifty percent share mark and in some countries even approaching total domination.

This surge in Android's popularity has been seemingly led by jumbo-sized devices with screens sizes measuring four and a half inches diagonally and up. Considering that market share appears to favor the trend toward bigger smartphones, Apple has no doubt chosen the right time to release an iPhone with a bigger screen. Or has it?

Report: Apple using MacBook supplier AU Optronics and LG Display for iPad mini display

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

As we get closer to the expected October launch of Apple's "iPad mini," details are emerging about how the Cupertino, Calif. company is reshaping its supplier base in the face of growing demand for handheld devices. AU Optronics, which made MacBook displays, is now building parts for the smaller iPad, Bloomberg reports Friday.

LG Display is also among the suppliers for the smaller tablet, according to Bloomberg.

Amazon: Kindle Fire owns 22% of US tablet sales

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Amazon's Kindle Fire owns 22 percent of the US tablet market, the online retail giant announced Thursday. The figure comes as Amazon preps to likely announce a new tablet next week, along with girding to take-on Google's $199 Nexus 7 device.

According to Amazon, "in just nine months, Kindle Fire has captured 22 percent of sales in the US," PaidContent reports. Accustomed to being fed amorphous Kindle marketing stats like "a lot" and "most in our history," the concreteness of the announcement was surprising. However, after the initial shock, there began questions, like 22 percent of what?

Apple victory already seen affecting Samsung devices resale value

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

While everyone is trying to figure out how Apple's recent court victory over Samsung will affect the smartphone market, the ruling is already making a fairly significant impact in the resell space.

The folks over at Gazelle, a popular gadget reseller, say they've noticed a a 50% increase in Samsung handsets since the ruling. And the surge in availability has negatively affected their resell price....

Samsung unveils new Galaxy Note 2 phablet, Android camera

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Samsung took the stage today at the annual IFA show in Berlin, Germany to unveil a slew of new devices. The keynote was the first in a long line of scheduled product announcements leading up to Apple's September 12 iPhone event.

Among the new gadgets Samsung debuted this morning was the long-rumored Galaxy Note II. The device follows up a fairly successful Galaxy Note, which had the internals of a smartphone and the form factor of a mini tablet.

And now, it's even bigger...

Beats rumored to be working on its own smartphone and iTunes competitor

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

It seems like building your own smartphone is the "in" thing to do these days. Amazon is said to be working on its own handset, as are Facebook and Mozilla. And now apparently Beats Electronics is too.

If you're not familiar with Beats, you should probably get out more. It's been leading the high-end headphone market for a couple years. And now it's reportedly looking to duplicate that success in cell phones...

Apple Jury Foreman: Judge ‘probably’ will ban Samsung phones

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated March 12, 2018

Some U.S. sales of Samsung smartphones will "probably be" banned, said Vel Hogan, the Foreman of the California jury in Apple's successful patent-infringement lawsuit against its South Korean rival. On Friday, the U.S. District Court awarded $1.05 billion in damages.

Although at first the jury was "inundated with evidence" and faced a stalemate, Hogan told Bloomberg TV momentum swung toward Apple after he had an "ah-ha" moment while considering the case at home.

Motorola and Apple reach patent licensing agreement in Germany

Cody Lee ∙ August 28, 2012

In addition to its worldwide patent battle with Samsung, Apple has also locked horns with Motorola in courtrooms around the globe. It's a familiar scenario: Apple has accused Motorola of stealing its innovations, and Motorola has used its large collection of wireless patents to fight back.

Motorola has actually won a handful of notable victories in the battle, mostly in Germany, successfully winning bans on products and knocking iCloud email push offline. But it looks like the two sides have called a ceasefire, as they've just reached a major patent license agreement...

Is Google Apple’s next courtroom sparring partner?

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Samsung's $1 billion loss to Apple last week may have widespread repercussions, including Google's Android software. What previously was a proxy cold war with cell phone makers, the stand-in soldiers, could heat up dramatically and place the Mountain View, Calif. firm squarely in the middle of Apple's legal radar and making Steve Jobs' threatened "thermonuclear war" over Android a reality.

That legal war "is drawing closer to Google's doorstep," reports the New York Times. The court ruling that Samsung violated Apple patents related to changing a screen's view or tapping to zoom closer are all part of Android. Indeed, Google just recently removed from Android a feature that bounces your iOS screen to indicate you've reached the bottom. Dumping that feature from Android was more out of "design reasons" than Samsung's courtroom defeat, a source told the Times.

NASA builds Android-based satellite

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

If Google wants to find somewhere not dominated by Apple's iPhone, they'll have to leave planet Earth -- which is exactly what's being planned. NASA will launch the Android-powered Nexus One smartphone this fall as the brains of a tiny nano-satellite.

The Android phone will be at the heart of PhoneSat, a 4-inch cube space agency engineers are building using off-the-shelf parts with a $3,500 budget. Turns out, the Android phone has all of the basic features to power what NASA hopes will be an orbiting ring of tiny satellites. Along with the Android operating system, the Nexus One has a fast processor, communications gear and a nifty camera with which to snap photos of Earth from space.

China is fastest-growing iOS and Android market

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated March 12, 2018

China has the big mo when it comes to smartphones. Although the US still leads with 165 million active iOS and Android devices, China is the fastest-growing market, according to analytics firm Flurry. Demand for smart devices in China grew 400 percent between July 2012 and the same period last year.

The nation far outpaced other countries, with Chile in second place at 279 percent year-over-year smart device growth. Brazil ranked next with 220 percent as Russia registered 179 percent growth and India's smart device growth rose by 171 percent.

Wall Street: Injunction or not, Apple wins fight against Samsung

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Whether or not Apple is granted an injunction preventing Samsung sales in the U.S. doesn't concern Wall Street. Following the iPhone maker's patent-infringement win against the South Korean company, the real question is whether this causes consumers to pause.

"The key question is whether operators/customers will be willing to buy infringing Samsung handsets/tablets if there is risk they may have to stop selling them in the future," writes Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um. Indeed, Um sees the only risk now facing Apple is whether they'll have enough iPhone 5 handsets to meet "unprecedented demand."