The iPhone 5 is a few weeks old but according to one mobile advertiser, it’s already getting more mobile web traffic from the iPhone 5 versus Samsung’s Galaxy S III, which launched in June. There’s still an Android win here if you look deep enough. Read more »
App developers tired of testing their software on multiple Android apps have long used emulators to simulate an Android device. Now they can do that right in the browser: Manymo offers 42 various online emulators for different screen sizes, display resolutions and Android versions. Read more »
Those hoping Samsung’s Galaxy S III Mini was simply a smaller version of the company’s flagship phone may be disappointed: This is for the budget market. But that’s not a bad thing for Samsung, which can leverage branding and design cues from its GSIII. Read more »
Google is rolling out Android 4.1.2 to Nexus 7 tablets around the world, but it could take time before your slate sees it. Here’s how to get it now along with a video of the updates to notifications that Google included in the software. Read more »
Analyst reports on PC sales are hitting the wire and they’re not good. Should this surprise? Not really when you consider how more capable and cheaper mobile devices are selling like hotcakes. The PC certainly isn’t dead, but it is dying a slow painful death. Read more »
Smartphones and tablets are getting more complex while folks new to this market are jumping in. How do you stay informed of news, tips and tricks for your device? Try Drippler. It’s like a Flipboard edition for your mobile device and 2.5 million have downloaded it. Read more »
On Tuesday, Google announced Android 4.1.2 for the Android Open Source Project, which brings home screen rotation to Android devices. Third-party apps have supported this feature in the past, but Google needed to add it and avoid new users from having a bad experience. Read more »
Opera Mobile for Android gets speedy — or should I say SPDY — with version 12.1 of the browser, now available for free in the Google Play store. The popular mobile browser also gains some web fraud detection features and wider support for HTML 5 standards Read more »
On this week’s audio podcast, Matt shares two weeks of using an iPhone 5 while Kevin tries to sway Matt to buy a Galaxy Note 2, a high performing 5.5-inch Android phone that runs all day (and more!) on a single charge. Read more »
My Samsung Galaxy Note 2 arrived and so did an update that adds the ability to run two apps on the screen at the same time. Atooma, a free beta app, is making all of my Androids smarter and Sony launched PlayStation Mobile this week. Read more »
The next Nexus phone may be based on the LG Optimus G, a 4-7-inch high-resolution handset with a quad-core processor and an ample 2 GB of memory. Leaked specs line up with recent chatter, indicating that this new Nexus could be announced next month. Read more »
The Galaxy Note 2 model for the Korean market has a nifty multi-window feature, but my international version of the 5.5-inch Android phone didn’t have it. Now it does thanks to a software update and this nifty functionality is quite useful on a larger display. Read more »
It’s hard to classify what Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 is because it mostly requires two hands to use and has a 5.5-inch display. But it fits in a front pocket and makes voice calls. Here’s our first look at Samsung’s latest and greatest Android device. Read more »
Both iOS and Android use is growing, but app developers are adopting Android at a faster rate, according to a recent GigaOM Pro survey. See our chart for more details. Read more »
One benefit of Android phones is the ability for users and apps to access the phone’s sensors and controls to make things automatically happen. Apps to help with this automation can be complex and intimidating. Not Atooma: I had it making magic in just five minutes. Read more »
Sony is taking games beyond its own hardware with the Sony PlayStation Mobile platform. The game store opens today for Sony and Sony Xperia Android phones and tablets, with three HTC models to have access soon. Purchased games also run on Sony’s PS Vita. Read more »
One of Google’s biggest Android challenges has been devices running various versions of the software. But two things have happened that are helping the issue disappear as 1 in 4 Android devices now run the Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean versions of Android. Read more »
The Nokia spin-off is solidifying its strategy of focusing on China first. The alliance around its mobile OS will be based in Hong Kong and take in major industry players from chipset vendors and OEMs to retailers and operators. Read more »
When HTC said it was changing strategies and cutting back on phone models, it never said anything about refreshing existing handsets. That’s precisely what it has in the HTC One X+: Same on the outside, but better performance and battery life with new internal hardware. Read more »
After buying webOS and Palm for $1.2 billion, HP pulled the plug and open-sourced the platform. The first fruits of that labor are appearing as multiple devices are getting ports of the new Open webOS, keeping Palm’s excellent mobile operating system alive for many fans. Read more »
So I broke down and ordered a Galaxy Note 2 from overseas. Why spend the money when I have a Galaxy Nexus phone and Nexus 7 tablet? A video demo shows how Samsung is further bridging the mobile and traditional computing space and I bought in. Read more »
It’s day two of Google’s 25 billion app download celebration and that means more twenty-five cent apps. My picks today include two fun puzzle games, a super-looking alarm clock and one of the most amazing camera apps that I’ve seen yet for any smartphone. Read more »
Chartboost has released some comparative data on cost-per-installs and cost-per-clicks in 18 markets around the world. It’s helpful in seeing where developers might want to look to expand as they go global. Read more »
Got an AMD chip in your Windows PC? Then you just gained access to more than half a million Google Android apps thanks to an AMD partnership with Bluestacks. A virtualization app and website filled with Android titles can help bridge your mobile and desktop world. Read more »
App developers are the cornerstones of the multibillion-dollar app market, but the overall community remains largely unknown. As app downloads increase, organizations that can bring tools, resources, and a collective voice to this group will be an important factor in the evolution of mobile-app development. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google is celebrating 25 billion app downloads from its Google Play store with twenty-five cent apps. There are a number to choose from, but these four stood out for me and earned my buck: Two for productivity and two fun games for after work. Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy Note II launched in Korea with sales over the next three months expected to be triple that of the original Galaxy Note. The 5.5-inch phone / tablet is following Apple’s iPhone 5 launch as Samsung tries to stay in the smartphone spotlight. Read more »
Samsung is working fast to close a hole in its Touch Wiz software for Android phones. The exploit uses HTML and phone diagnostic codes to automatically dial a number that can either wipe the data from or hard reset a Samsung phone. Read more »
Google Play is now up to 25 billion app downloads, a little behind the pace of Apple’s App Store which hit that mark in March of this year. Google Play also has 675,000 apps overall compared to 700,000 for the App Store. Read more »
Apple finally released the 4-inch handset I’ve been waiting nearly two years for. But the new iPod touch has the larger screen too, plus other key upgrades that got me to swap my iPhone 4S for a new iPod touch that complements my Android phone. Read more »
Welcome to the fast-growing world of work media, a class of social tools oriented toward the needs of enterprises. Their emergence is due to the shifting expectations of an increasingly social workforce and the sense that older approaches to work like email are arguably approaching obsolescence. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google added new Japanese reading features to its ebooks app yesterday and is now selling the Nexus 7, ebooks and movies through the Google Play store in Japan. Kobo expanded to Japan in July, and Kindle is expected to launch there in October. Read more at paidContent »
The ex-Nokians are almost ready to reveal their MeeGo-based smartphone, but how are they planning to break into the two-horse mobile race? According to CEO Jussi Hurmola, Jolla has a plan for getting operators and other co-branding partners on board. Read more »
At a security conference a scary demonstration showed that a single line of HTML code can remotely wipe out a Samsung Galaxy S III handset. Worse: It appears to work on many Samsung smartphones that run TouchWiz, which is most of Samsung’s line of handsets. Read more »
Google is adding some new features to its Android ebooks app, including highlighting and annotation, translation, dictionary definitions and geographic information. Google Play Books for iOS lacks these features for now. Read more at paidContent »
Should the same app have a different interface on different devices? Netflix doesn’t think so, updating its Android app for smartphones to replicate the tablet interface found on Android slates and on Apple’s iPad. The improvements make it easier to find and watch content. Read more »
With multiple Amazon Kindle Fire tablets that differ in screen size, display resolution and even hardware capabilities, how will developers manage their mobile apps across the platform? A new “device targeting” feature will help and it supports Android devices through Amazon’s app store as well. Read more »
For a long time iOS app monetization was far and away better than on Android. But as monetization strategies change in the app world, the statistics are changing. Android is no longer as far behind. Read more »
Rich Miner isn’t a huge fan of Apple Maps. The co-founder of Android, who is now a partner at Google Ventures, had that to say, as well as that carriers just keep on conceding and RIM’s market share loss is an opportunity for startups. Read more »
Whether it’s the iPhone 5, the importance of LTE, or BYOD trends disrupting the enterprise, there are always technologies, trends, and companies changing the way we define mobile. Here are some noteworthy segments to watch in the coming months, from location-based shopping to apps to wireless networks. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
