You can finally buy an HP Slate 7 in the U.S. for $169.99, but will you? I think it’s a tough sell for HP when the Nexus 7 is priced just $30 more and has a better screen. Read more »
My pick for a must-have Android app in 2013 was AirDroid, but now I have to update that selection. It was just displaced with AirDroid 2 which adds remote phone access over 3G/4G and more features. Read more »
Google continues to make it easier for developers to improve the Android app experience on tablets. When submitting apps to Google Play, a new optimization tip tool alerts developers when they’re missing out on tablet support. Read more »
The team-oriented version of the Wunderlist task manager has finally arrived for the iPhone, iPad, OS X and the web. Android and Windows versions will follow in a week’s time. Read more »
Nokia’s latest Series 40 handset represents a welcome boost for WhatsApp in emerging markets, and a useful reminder of how Nokia continues to eke relevance out of its ageing platform. Read more »
The Samsung Galaxy S 4 looks a lot like last year’s model; until you turn it on. The improved screen is crisp and the device is filled with software improvements. Are there too many for the casual smartphone user? Read more »
Produced by the obscure Spanish outfit Geeksphone, the Keon and Peak are the first devices to ship bearing Mozilla’s HTML5-centric operating system. Prices start at $119 before taxes. Read more »
HTC’s flagship phone is here for some, but not for the most passionate consumers that would likely provide the company free marketing. TweetDeck is getting pulled from Google Play soon and I’m still debating my Galaxy Note 8.0 purchase. Read more »
The HTC One is available today, but only from two U.S. carriers: AT&T and Sprint. T-Mobile announced price plans and availability while those who pre-ordered the $649 HTC One Developer Edition only got an email: Their phones are delayed. Read more »
After selling low-cost tablets for a half-dozen years, French company Archos is shrinking down its mobile device expertise into a trio of Google Android smartphones ranging in price from $99 to $249 without a contract. Read more »
MoPub’s report says the share of ad buying on Apple phones increase 12 percent between January and March. Android tablets saw less than 1 percent of money spent on ads for the quarter. Read more »
The newest Weather app for iPhone and iPod touch to hit the market uses gorgeous photography, well-designed informational icons and simple navigation. And it’s from Yahoo. Really! The company also has a new take on email for tablets. Read more »
Content owners, whether they are publishers, retailers, or marketers, are always looking for new ways to deliver a unique experience to their customers. We call this content personalization. Key trends in this area are led by a collection of technologies that we call post-programming curation. These technologies use the best of behavioral tracking, collaborative filtering, audience targeting, and dynamic content presentation. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Eric Schmidt also suggested the Android OS and the Chrome OS won’t be merging: “Don’t confuse organization design and product design.” Read more »
Being a sucker for small slates, I dropped $399 on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 this weekend. How is it? Not bad, but not ground-breaking either. Here are my first impressions. Read more »
A quick tour of Facebook Home leads to a positive experience. When it comes to tablets, watch the small slate space targeted: it’s a growing market. And the new $399 Galaxy Note 8.0 looks good on video. Read more »
Facebook Home arrived in the Google Play store as planned. What wasn’t planned however, was the surprisingly good experience and well designed software. Here’s my first look and impressions. Read more »
Good news for those that want a better Facebook experience on their Android, but don’t want to give Facebook full control of their home screen. Chat Heads is available in Messenger for devices Android 2.2 and up. Read more »
With data gathered from nearly a million of its users, Animoca’s information shows that five of the top six Android tablets are small slates. That’s good for Microsoft, if it is indeed planning a smaller Surface tablet. Read more »
With the new Galaxy Mega 5.8 and 6.3 smartphones, Samsung continues its quest to offer a phone for every sized hand. In fact, it’s mimicking the Android market itself with an array of choices; a clever strategy. Read more »
The trend of larger screens on flagship Android phones shows no signs of stopping. At some point, however, one has to wonder how big “too big” is. At this rate, could Android smartphones outgrow their user base as one-handed phone use disappears? Read more »
Intel and ZTE announced a strategic collaboration last month and already have a new product. The ZTE Geek smartphone uses Intel’s latest Atom chip promising more speeds and better battery life. With a foothold in China, Intel isn’t out of the mobile game yet. Read more »
The mobile platform wars escalated once again in the first quarter of 2012 as BlackBerry finally took the wraps off its much-anticipated new operating system. Meanwhile Android continued to build on its dominance both worldwide and in the U.S., cementing a two-horse race with Apple. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Launchers are nothing new to Android, having been around for a few years now. That’s why I’m not surprised a Facebook Home style launcher is already available in the Google Play store. Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8.0 Android tablet arrives in the US on April 11. The slate is poised to compete against Apple’s iPad mini and includes Samsung’s digital S-Pen. Early reviews suggest, however, that $399 is too much, even with the note-taking feature. Read more »
Not satisfied with targeting Google over its search practices, Microsoft and its allies have complained to EU competition authorities over the way Google services are bundled with Android. Read more »
HTC has had another rough quarter financially, but the delayed HTC One isn’t the problem. HTC hasn’t been a shining star for months; it’s now just a dim light in Samsung’s galaxy. Read more »
This week Facebook became the next tech giant to build upon Google Android. That raises quite a few questions — and some potential answers — about privacy, control over Android and who might use Facebook Home as their full-time Android launcher. Read more »
How exactly will Facebook be using your data if you download the new Home launcher on Android or buy the HTC First phone? Facebook says it won’t be collecting your data any differently than it does with the traditional app. Read more »
Its a unicorn. No it’s a phone. Actually it is Facebook Home, for now; Apple’s China Syndrome is making it think different; The Bit coin boom (& bust); Chrome & WebKit go to war and did Vdio really kill the Rdio star? Read more »
Developers can now sink their teeth into the smartphone OS that picks up where MeeGo left off. However, the operating system will struggle to make its voice heard in a turbulent year for mobile. Read more »
Starting April 12, you can get the HTC First from AT&T: An LTE, Android 4.1 phone with Facebook Home as your launcher. AT&T hasn’t provided many specs, but some nosing around on the HTC site yielded quite a few. Read more »
Facebook didn’t quite unveil its own phone, but you can make your Android phone a Facebook phone with a custom launcher. The question now is: will you? Read more »
We’ll have live coverage of Facebook’s Android event here, with a new Facebook-centered experience expected running on an HTC smartphone. Read more »
We’re covering Facebook’s Android event live here, with a new Facebook-centered experience expected running on an HTC smartphone. Read more »
A new software update for Jawbone’s Big Jambox brings several performance improvements. Only iOS 6.1 devices will get one of the biggest though: two extra hours of battery life on the wireless speaker. Read more »
It’s about time Google’s Nexus 7 tablet gets a refresh and sources tell Reuters it will happen in July. Here’s what to expect in terms of pricing and hardware changes. Read more »
In October, I suggested that more than half of all Android devices would run Android 4.0 or better within four to six months. My time was just about up, but it happened as planned. That’s good for developers and for end users. Read more »
There’s little doubt that Facebook will unveil a new phone on Thursday, but the star of the show will be software, not hardware, in this battle between Facebook and Google for user engagement. Read more »
AT&T does have an exclusive, at least at time of launch, on the 64 GB HTC One smartphone. The carrier announced a contract price of $299 for that model, while $199 buys a 32 GB version. Pre-ordering earns a free wireless HDMI adapter. Read more »
