Showing posts with label android. Show all posts
Showing posts with label android. Show all posts

Monday, April 20, 2015

Sony Reveals The Xperia Z4, Its Latest Flagship Smartphone

Sony has revealed the Xperia Z4, its latest flagship smartphone, today. The device was made public in an announcement in Japanese, and, at this point, there is neither an international launch date nor an accompanying ‘Compact’ version. The Xperia Z4 is much like its Z3 predecessor, with the same 5.2-inch screen, a thinner 6.9mm form, and a Snapdragon 810 processor which clocks a more modest 2GHz but is eight-core and 64-bit. The rear-facing camera has the same eye-popping 20.7-megapixels, the...

Thursday, February 26, 2015

iOS and Android dominate latest smartphone share stats

Latest figures from market research firm IDC reveal that Google Android and Apple’s iOS continued to dominate the smartphone scene in 2014. Microsoft and BlackBerry, however, both showed marked declines.Android enjoyed an 81.5% share of the market over the whole year, up from 78.7% in 2013. Apple slipped slightly to 14.8% from 15.1%.Windows, however, saw a 0.6% drop from 3.3% to 2.7%, while BlackBerry managed to take a mere 0.4% of the market, down from 1.9%.The figures for the last quarter of 2014 show a similar picture, with Apple enjoying...

Microsoft’s latest app is a new Android keyboard

Microsoft has been churning out new apps at an impressive speed, putting the best it has to offer on competing platforms like Android and iOS along with its own Windows devices. Now there’s one more new app from the company to check out, an Android keyboard meant for getting work done.The new keyboard is designed specifically to work with Microsoft’s Excel app, and comes from the company’s experimental Garage incubator project. It’s a pretty simple keyboard, but adds a 10-key number layout on the left side like you’ve probably...

Pebble SDK 3.0 developer preview released with support for Pebble Time features

The new SDK allows developers to craft and update their Pebble apps with the new features of the Pebble Time, such as the color screen and built-in microphone, in mind. Pebble gave a rundown some of the more notable features in version 3.0: Support for 64 colors which all have a name! A brand new animation framework PNG and Animated PNG support in the SDK Detecting which platforms you are building for at compile time Much more to come! Pebble notes that apps that were built for the current version of the wearable are compatible with the...

Google to show sponsored apps on Play Store search results

The search giant has looked at how sponsored advertisements have performed on organic search results and now Google will be introducing a similar system for developers to take advantage of. In the coming weeks, a limited selection of consumers will see adverts from a pilot group of advertisers running the new system for their apps.There's a reason a developer might want to promote their app on Google Play: there's good money to be made. Says Google: In fact, in the past year, we paid more than $7 billion to developers distributing...

YouTube reportedly considering new ad-targeting system after failing to post profit in 2014

According to a new report today, Google is looking at implementing a new ad targeting-system for YouTube. The new system would seek to make YouTube more profitable after years of struggling to generate significant revenues.Citing unnamed sources, The Wall Street Journal says that YouTube managed to pull in $4 billion in revenue last year. While this is up from $3 billion the year before, the service only managed to break even after accounting for content and equipment costs.In light of the lack of profits, the Wall...

Google Play Music expands storage limit to 50,000 songs

You don't really need to do anything to claim the extra storage space. When you open up the Settings section of the Play Music site, Uploaded Songs should now reflect that you can store a maximum of 50,000 songs.So how does Google Play Music stack up with the competition for storing your music library in the cloud? Well, Apple's iTunes Match service will store 25,000 songs, half of what Google now offers, and iTunes Match will run you $24.99 a year. Amazon, meanwhile, will let you upload just 250 songs for free, though a $24.99 annual subscription...

Authy snapped up by Twilio for two-factor authentication

Authy, a company that specializes in security through two-factor authentication, has been purchased by cloud communication services company Twilio. The two companies have been working together since 2012, with Authy using Twilio's technology to deliver authentication codes through SMS and phone calls. For the time being, Authy will continue to function as it always has, though certain parts of the company will expand with the acquisition, according to fonder Daniel Palacio: First, our R&D team we'll be significantly expanding in...

Google officially launches Android for Work to make enterprise push

Google has announced today the official launch of an initiative called Android for Work. Through the program, Google has teamed up with several partners to integrate enterprise-level security into the Android platform. Google originally announced and previewed Android for Work back in 2014 at Google I/O. The main idea behind the program is to allow workers to use their personal phones for work tasks, but keep work and personal content and data separate. Google gave the following breakdown of what users can expect...

LG G Pad F 7.0 coming to Sprint on March 17; free on contract

The main features of the LG G Pad F 7 include a 7-inch display, a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage. On the camera front, the device packs a 5MP rear camera, along with a 1.2MP front-facing shooter. Finally, all of this runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop and comes in your choice of white or black versions — though the black option won't hit stores until April 10. Along with the announcement of the G Pad 7 tablet, Sprint also says that it is running a limited promotion whereby customers...

Google's Sundar Pichai talks Google Wallet, China, and Google+ in new interview

One of the more interesting tidbits to come out of the interview were Pichai's comments on Google Wallet, particularly amid recent rumors that the Google may be gearing up to launch a new payments API called Android Pay at this year's I/O developer conference: For people who use Google Wallet, the experience works. [The question is] how do you get Google Wallet present and how do you get all the point of sale terminals and the end-of-end ecosystem, the banks, the issuers. For me there's been a lot of progress in the last few months....

Samsung's latest 128GB UFS 2.0 storage is all set to power next-generation flagships

The highlight of the new modules is that they offer SSD-levels of read and write performance while consuming 50 percent less energy.With read and write speeds of 19,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second), Samsung claims that its UFS 2.0 flash storage is 2.7 times faster than what is currently available in embedded memory solutions that utilize the eMMC 5.0 standard. As to when we'll see the latest flash modules, it is possible they'll be in launching with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge next week at Mobile...

Visa announces partnerships for new mobile payment services on Android devices

These services will be enabled on through apps from banks and other financial institutions on the Google Play Store. The apps will enable you to pay with your Visa account from your phone: Following a one-time enrollment process, customers of participating financial institutions who download and install the application will be able to pay in-store with their Visa accounts by waving their Android mobile phone in front of a contactless reader. These capabilities are an integral part of Visa Digital Solutions, a comprehensive suite of offerings...

Qualcomm introduces first LTE chips to take advantage of unlicensed 5GHz spectrum

The new technology, called LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U), works by taking advantage of unlicensed spectrum on the 5GHz band instead of licensed and controlled spectrum — typically in lower frequencies — traditionally used by phones. One of the main concerns some may have with this technology is how it will affect current Wi-Fi networks that run on the 5GHz band. Qualcomm says:  In order for LTE-U to provide maximum benefit, it must operate harmoniously alongside billions of existing Wi-Fi devices. Qualcomm Technologies is working to...

Don't Trust Case Manufacturers For Device Leaks: HTC One M9 Edition

We are rapidly approaching that fun time of year when the largest Android smartphone manufacturers unveil their newest flagships. That means we're already in the silly season of rumors and leaks. Isn't it interesting to follow all the developments on, say, the HTC One M9? The M7 was great, the M8 was better...it's understandably hard to wait for official information about the 2015 iteration. However, whatever you do, do not look at product images from case manufacturers like Spigen to learn what the next phone will look lik...

Google Releases Work Tools Designed for Android Phones

Google is releasing a set of tools designed for businesses and employees who want to get work done on Android-powered smartphones, setting up a skirmish on another key front of mobile computing.The technology unveiled Wednesday launches Google's attempt to turn Android phones into the digital hub of people's personal and professional lives. The expansion will pit Google Inc. against Microsoft Corp. and BlackBerry Inc., which have been focusing on the corporate market for years. Google will also be dueling its biggest rival in mobile...

Samsung Galaxy S Edge release date, news and rumors

We all know Samsung will shortly be announcing the Galaxy S6, but with various rumors flooding in and even Samsung itself accidentally leaking it, it's looking increasingly likely that it will also unveil the Galaxy S Edge, a variant of its flagship with one or possibly even two curved edges.Those might not be the only differences either and we've collected together all the latest rumors to get a straight image of Samsung's bendy handset, which rather than being called the Galaxy S6 Edge is likely to be called the Galaxy S Edge,...

The Galaxy S6's wireless charger pops up again

Samsung hasn't officially announced that the Galaxy S6 will come with a wireless charger - heck, it hasn't technically confirmed the Galaxy S6 at all - but as usual that hasn't stopped the FCC from letting the cat out of the bag. The US Federal Communications Commission has published its approval of the Samsung wireless charger, which could also support Samsung's rumored upcoming "Orbis" smartwatch. In the FCC's documents the Samsung wireless charger appears round, a decent hint that it might support...

Android is ready for work

Over a billion people today carry Android smartphones—devices that are more powerful than the computers we used just a few years ago.For many, these phones have become essential tools to help us complete important work tasks like checking email, editing documents, reviewing sales pipelines and approving deals. But for the majority of workers, smartphones and tablets are underutilized in the workplace. Their business and innovation potential remain largely untapped.Today we're announcing the Android for Work program to tap into that potential....

Apple Took 89% Of Q4 Smartphone Profits With Android OEMs In A Race To The Bottom

Google’s Android has gobbled up market share world wide, now accounting for over 80% of all smartphone shipped globally. But when it comes to actually making money, Apple is eating all the profits as it continues its focus on premium devices. Today Strategy Analytics said that Apple in Q4 last year accounted for 89% of all smartphone profits, equating to $18.8 billion, with Android taking only 11%, or $2.4 billion. The...