Want to know how the iOS and Android battle is playing out around the world?
Mobile technology firm dotMobi has created an infographic dividing 101 countries around the world into either the Apple (black) or Google (green) camp, based on device browsing. (Grey countries are not included in the dataset.)
Apple didn’t infringe on Samsung patents, and therefore won’t have to pay any damages, a Tokyo District Court said Tuesday.
Apple had been accused of infringing on data communication patents belonging to Samsung, which featured in Apple’s iPhone 4s, iPhone 4 and iPad 2.
The announcement of Android Wear, and smartwatches from LG and Motorola, was greeted by the public as: “Oh, look — a new kind of gadget!”
But the wearable revolution in general and Google’s Android Wear initiative in particular, is barely even about gadgets.
The smartwatch revolution is about three things: devices, smartphone apps and cloud services.
You’ll note, however, that these are listed in order from least to most important. Here’s why Google’s total dominance of the third aspect of the smartwatch revolution will make them unbeatable.
Unlike iOS and Windows Phone, Android devices don’t have an iTunes or Zune alternative that helps them manage all their data in one place. But that doesn’t mean it’s not easy to sync your music, photos, and videos with your Android smartphone.
In the previous edition of our iPhone to Android switching guide, we explained how to transfer your contacts, messages, and calendar entries. In this one, we show you how to sync your iTunes music library, along with your photo and videos, the right way.
Jumping from one mobile platform to another can lead to a lot of headaches initially — especially with respect to all your personal data. You won’t want to lose your contacts, calendar entries, and other important information, so it’s important that you transfer them properly.
If you’re thinking about dropping your iPhone for an Android — maybe because you realized you could pick up a flagship Android for less than the 8GB iPhone 5c — then our switching guides can help.
In this one, we’ll show you how to transfer your messages, contacts, and calendars from your old handset to your new one. On Friday, we’ll follow it up with a simple how-to on syncing your Android with your iTunes library, and how to transfer your photos and videos.
Creator of Flappy Bird found and he told me he is going to repost it to the App Store!!! pic.twitter.com/odmKbWaTw8
— Todd Moore (@toddmoore) March 19, 2014
Thanks to the strange demise of Flappy Bird the App Store and Google Play are rampant with flappy knock-offs, but after a period of silence game developer Dong Nguyen confirmed that his life destroying game is making a comeback, but you’ll have to wait a while.
Like every software platform, Android Wear’s future success will hinge on how it’s supported by third-party developers. But there’s one thing we can be absolutely sure of at this stage — and that is that Google has at least got the basics right.
The search giant’s promotional video, which was published on Tuesday alongside its Android Wear announcement, shows how it has optimized Android — or Google Now — to work seamlessly and elegantly on a tiny touchscreen that fits on your wrist.
But we get an even better look at some of Android Wear’s basic features in the overview video below.
The iWatch hasn’t been announced. We haven’t seen any leaked hardware, but that’s not stopping every major tech company in the world from rushing out their smartwatch designs, including Motorola which just announced its beautiful answer to iWatch, the Moto 360.
Rather than utilizing a square display Motorola ambitiously decided to give the Moto 360 watch face a round display, which is trickier to manufacture and code for, but it looks gorgeous. Moto 360 is powered by Google Wear, features Google Now voice inputs, has built in support for Maps, Email, Texting and calls, plus it doubles as a pretty nice timepiece.
Here’s the Moto 360 teaser video:
Google today announced Android Wear, a new version of its popular mobile operating system that’s designed exclusively for wearables. The search giant says it is working with consumer electronics manufacturers, chipmakers, and fashion brands to bring the technology to life in “an ecosystem of watches in a variety of styles, shapes, and sizes.”
An open letter to the minority of people who oppose the wearing of Google Glass in public.
Dear waiter, Costco cashier, random Whole Foods shopper and angry man on the street and everyone else with the gall to ask me and Glass wearers I know to approach a stranger and insist that we not wear Glass because you don’t want to be photographed:
Hi.
Apple launched its new 8GB iPhone 5c in Europe this morning in an effort to boost disappointing sales figures — but there’s just one problem. At £429 ($712) in the United Kingdom, it’s still far too expensive for budget-conscious smartphone consumers.
In fact, there are a whole bunch of flagship Android-powered handsets with bigger displays and better specifications that you can get significantly cheaper. Here are six of the best.
Amazon’s much-anticipated Apple TV competitor will finally launch next month, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The device will offer incentives to members of the Amazon Prime subscription service, sources claim, and it will be powered by a custom version of Android.
Ahead of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco this week, Google has announced a number of changes and improvements it is making to Google Play Games. In addition to adding support for cross-platform multiplayer gaming with iOS, the search giant will also offer virtual gifting and support for multiplayer game invites.
Can you solve the Rubik Cube? As an 80s child, I can, but I can’t do it in anywhere near as fast as a robot. David Gilday and Mike Dobson’s Cubestormer 3 can take the puzzle from haphazard mess to ADD-friendly uniformity in just 3.253 seconds, powered by the brain of an Android phone.
Google has settled on the specs of its first Android-powered smartwatch, and could be preparing to launch it in June… around the same time rumors suggest Apple might announce the iWatch.
For the first time since it was introduced nine years ago, the cost of Amazon Prime is going up. According to Amazon, existing Prime members will pay $99 per year on their annual renewal date, while Amazon Student members will now pay $49.
The Prime Fresh membership fee will remain unchanged at $299.
Microsoft has reportedly made its Windows Phone operating system free to select handset manufacturers in an effort to gain ground on Android and iOS.
Both Xolo and Karbonn — two smartphone makers based in India — recently signed deals with Microsoft that will allow them to launch Windows Phone devices free from license fees, according to sources speaking to The Times of India.
Starbucks has confirmed that it will be revamping its mobile app to add digital tipping and a new user interface later this month. The update will also bring a new “shake to pay” feature that will provide quick and easy access to your Starbucks Card barcode.
Apple wants Samsung to pay a $40 license fee for every smartphone and tablet it sells after the South Korean company infringed five patents with a number of Galaxy-branded devices.
That’s right… just five patents, $40 for every device. It’s a pretty surprising demand — especially after Apple recently stated that monetary damages were “not an adequate remedy” for Samsung’s patent infringing ways.
Three new security phones have come into the spotlight recently: The Geeksphone Blackphone, the Boeing Black, and FreedomPop’s Privacy phone.
These phones take similar routes to security, from what we know so far. They’re loaded with encryption, security apps and other features.
But there are two feature on at least one of these phones that should be a standard part of Android.
The $629 Geeksphone Blackphone, made in partnership with Silent Circle, uses a forked version of Android called the PrivatOS. First, the system confronts you with choices when you install an app, enabling you to choose exactly what personal information is available to each app — individual permissions on each source of data that each app requests. And second, after apps have been installed, a “Security Center” lets users enable or disable specific permissions for each app.
Why aren’t these two features built into standard Android?
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment have just disclosed that mobile superhero fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us has gotten a big bad exclusively to the Android and iOS versions of the game: Darkseid.
To celebrate, the game will have a special challenge event taking place in game, giving you a chance to compete in battles that will reward you with an exclusive Gold character card. The challenge will run from March 6 through the 24th.
The Plinth isn’t just a super-compact tablet stand — it’s an amusing party trick.
Slide the sleek accessory out of your pocket or purse and into the hands of a friend and you’ll likely be met with a quizzical stare as they try to figure out what, exactly, the flat plastic object is. Thin, feather-light and somewhat curiously shaped, the Plinth — which currently exists only as a 3-D prototype, although if you’re quick you can get in on the Kickstarter campaign — looks something like a Chinese puzzle box or a Transformer in stealth mode.
It’s obviously composed of multiple parts that fit together seamlessly, and a couple of buttons look like they might do something. But let a friend fondle the plastic object, and they’ll likely fiddle with it for a while before they discover the Plinth’s awesome secret.
Apple has today had its request for a permanent injunction on Samsung’s patent-infringing products denied. The Cupertino company was awarded $929 million in damages, but it argued that the monetary sum was insufficient, and that a number of Samsung products should be banned.
Twitch, the hugely popular video streaming service for gamers, today announced a new SDK that will allow Android and iOS developers to integrate Twitch into their games. It will give users the ability to broadcast, capture, and archive their gaming sessions on their smartphones and tablets.
Flipboard has today confirmed its acquisition of rival news reader Zite from CNN. The company plans to integrate Zite’s technology into its existing service, while Zite as we know it will be killed off.