Perhaps in fear of Samsung forking Android for its own use, Google is reportedly working with its Motorola resources on an “X Phone” with unique features. Flipboard finally debuts on Android tablets while Samsung continues to leverage large phone screens with its Galaxy Grand. Read more »
As the year comes to a close, its time to look back at predictions for 2012. I made 16 of them last December and while I got a fair number right, there were a few clunkers. It’s time to dust off the crystal ball for 2013. Read more »
The year 2013 may bring real disruption to the mobile industry. Upstart carriers are embracing noncellular technologies to provide cut-rate services, third-party developers are gaining traction with cheap (or free) alternatives to SMS, and a major U.S. operator is preparing to drop handset subsidies. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Android users of Flipboard have a tablet-optimized version of the popular newsreader now. Instead of a scaled-up version of the popular news reader, Android tablet owners get a magazine-like experience similar to that of Flipboard’s 2010 debut on the Apple iPad. Read more »
A flaw in certain Samsung Exynos chips has been verified by Samsung, which is taking corrective action to fix the problem. It’s not likely that many devices have been affected, but the company is taking no chances and plans to close the security hole quickly. Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy Grand looks like a large Galaxy S III, but the 5-inch display uses a low 800 x 480 resolution. Still, the Grand may be a smart strategy thanks to other decent specs and dual-SIM support which should generate interest in China, India and Africa. Read more »
Current Windows Phone 8 and upcoming BlackBerry 10 handsets look great, but will people switch? Not likely, and even first-time smartphone owners may balk. It’s a perfect example of old phrase, “timing is everything” as most smartphone innovation has already taken place. Read more »
It looks like AT&T’s Galaxy Note 2 will be the last to get the unique multi-window feature in the U.S. Sprint and Verizon devices already have it and T-Mobile announced that its version will see it become available starting this week, if all goes to plan. Read more »
Amazon’s Kindle Fire makes for a great tablet, so long as you don’t mind the custom user interface and lack of supported Google services. A new custom software installation turns the Kindle Fire into a fully functional Android 4.2.1 tablet and it looks great. Read more »
HTC is scrapping plans for a Windows Phone with large display due to the limited platform resolution. That could be a mistake as it’s difficult for Windows Phone handset makers to stand out from the crowd and a large screen paired with Beats Audio could appeal. Read more »
Looking to cut down or measure the energy usage of an appliance? MeterPlug is one option. This small pass-through device watches electricity consumption in real-time to a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone. It also cuts power when an appliance isn’t in use, helping to save electricity. Read more »
Verizon’s flagship Android phone, the Galaxy S III, will be getting a software upgrade starting later this week. It’s Android 4.1, not 4.2, but will add a number of key features to the handset including Google Now, ISIS mobile payment support and improved notifications. Read more »
Berlin’s highly successful games studio is moving into Android, starting off with a new version of the hit Diamond Dash. It seemed like a good time to get a snapshot developer perspective on coding for the big two mobile platforms. Read more »
First smartphones overtook traditional computer sales and now tablets are on track to outsell laptops, according to IDC, which predicts more tablets will be sold than laptops by 2015. Computer makers should be looking to where the growth is as tablets replace laptops for many. Read more »
Snapseed, the hottest photo editing iOS app, arrived on Android this week; the free download is a must-try. Galaxy S III owners are about to get the ability to run two apps on one screen while the Samsung Muse MP3 player has a unique feature. Read more »
Most MP3 players share a common denominator: Unless they have a Wi-Fi radio, you have to connect them to a computer to get your music on them. Not so with the Samsung Muse a $50 pebble-shaped device that syncs music from a smartphone. Read more »
Samsung’s best selling Galaxy S III is about to get even better based on what the Premium Suite software suite will bring. The multi-window feature I like on my Galaxy Note 2 is in there as are several other useful functions as shown in this video. Read more »
Now that Amazon has its own devices in the Kindle Fire lineup, downloads from the Appstore are on the rise: up 500% in the past year. It doesn’t hurt that Amazon has added a number of developer-friendly features over the past 20 months, either. Read more »
The mobile-messaging value chain is changing as OTT players upend mobile operators’ SMS business. There will be 27.7 trillion messages by 2016, and most of the growth in traffic will come from IP-based services. Successful carriers will use this new technology to extend reliability and scalability. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple’s iPad app of the year in 2011 lands on Android in 2012 and if you take pictures with your Android smartphone or tablet, you’re going to want it. Snapseed uses a slick touch interface for photo edits and also integrates with Google+ for picture sharing. Read more »
The larger a smartphone screen is, the harder it becomes to use one-handed. Keyboard application Tyype for Android helps solve this problem because it adds a useful trackpad to the on-screen keyboard. However, it still needs to add more features for me to switch. Read more »
Nokia is hitting both the high- and low-end markets with two new handsets. The Lumia 620 is $249 before subsidies and are smartly aimed at new smartphone owners. The full-featured Lumia 920T comes to China Mobile, the largest operator in world, which has no iPhone. Read more »
In his latest book, The Human Face of Big Data, photojournalist Rick Smolan depicts the many ways big data is transforming the world. On Tuesday, he and his team released an iPad app that puts an interactive twist on many of the book’s examples. Read more »
Gmail for Android gains some great enhancements that everyone will likely want, but only devices running Android 4.0 or better can get right now. Pinch to zoom in email, swipe to archive and fit to screen are some of the more impressive features. Read more »
The company announced several other updates to the Google Maps for Android API on Monday, including vector-based maps, better 2D and 3D maps, as well as indoor mapping. Read more »
The week started with a nifty wireless NFC experiment but not ever Android phone has NFC. Free software accomplishes the same task of toggling Wi-Fi based on location. The Nexus 7 dock makes an appearance as does Xbox SmartGlass for Google’s 7-inch Nexus tablet. Read more »
The photo and video app market is a sizable one undergoing rapid changes right now. With low barriers to entry, this is a market that also consists of a large number of developers and is certainly not limited to a handful of well-financed startups. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
I’m not one to waste battery power on my devices, so I often shut radios off when not in use. Smart WiFi Toggler for Android does this automatically when moving in or out of preferred network range. Best of all: It doesn’t use a GPS radio. Read more »
The SDK makes it relatively simple for Android apps to stream content to any DLNA-enabled device, from TV sets to stereos. Next up? Similar SDKs for Windows Phone 8 and iOS. Read more »
At long last, Google has added spreadsheet editing features to its Google Drive mobile applications. The updated software is available for both Android and iOS devices. You can’t get too fancy in your spreadsheets just yet, but this is a step in the right direction. Read more »
The only thing preventing this from happening sooner is the upcoming gift-giving frenzy of iPad minis, Nexus 7 and Kindle Fires in the U.S. China still doesn’t have the iPhone 5 or new iPad mini, but some carriers will start carrying the new iPhone next month. Read more »
Do you miss webOS as much as I do? If so and you use Android today, you’ll be happy to see webOS running as an Android app. The project isn’t ready for prime-time use, but it’s making progress. Practical? No. Geeky and nostalgic? You bet! Read more »
Don’t think that wireless NFC tags are just for mobile payments. You can do practically anything with them if you know how to program them with small bits of data. Some free apps make this easy and I’m already on the NFC bandwagon at home. Read more »
Cumulative Android sales started surpassing that of iPhones in 2010, but as Apple improves its handset, it often gets a sales boost following each model launch. Thanks to iPhone 5, that boost was enough to beat out Android sales in the U.S., but not overseas. Read more »
If you missed out on the first run of Nexus 4 smartphones from Google, you get a second chance on Tuesday, provided you live in the U.S. Google notified potential customers of new stock available, but still needs to improve the direct to consumer buying experience. Read more »
Android shopping traffic over the holiday lagged iOS even though there are more Android smartphones. We look at why Android still produces far less engagement than iOS and what might be contributing to the gap. Read more »
Most people today wouldn’t think of replacing their PC with a smartphone, but that future may not be far off. Amazing advances in hardware and software show this becoming a real possibility as shown in this fantastic video demonstration with a Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Read more »
About that Nexus 4 with no LTE. Turns out it has LTE, but only on a single band. Android owners got a Skype update this week and can expect to see more AirPlay-like features in the future from Google for media and apps. Read more »
Backed by Skype co-founder Janus Friis, Futureful is a content discovery tool that’s not dissimilar to StumbleUpon, only more heavily based on semantic tagging and machine learning. It’s due to launch in the U.S. in January. Read more »
Skype 3.0 for Android is here, boasting improved audio quality thanks to Skype’s own SILK codec. After testing the new client on both Android phones and tablets, I can hear a bit of a difference, but some key flaws remain for video calls. Read more »
