On this week’s audio podcast, Kevin shares hands on impressions of the iPad mini: he likes it better than iPad 3. Meanwhile, Matt explains what Microsoft announced at the Windows 8 launch event and recaps his usage of Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet. Read more »
This week was huge for Android devices. The Nexus 7 gained a 3G model and more storage for less money. LG’s Nexus 4 launched with a low no-contract price of $299 while for $100 more you can get a Nexus 10 tablet with outstanding screen. Read more »
Although Hurricane Sandy put the kibosh on Google’s Android event this week, the company still introduced the Nexus 4 smartphone. My first impressions show some nice evolution from last year’s Galaxy Nexus, including more memory and a slimmer form-factor at the same price or lower. Read more »
Smartphones are from Mars, tablets are from Venus. Well, not exactly. But new data from Flurry shows how usage differs between the two devices and how consumers turn to them for different needs. Read more »
Google’s Android platform now comes in three sizes, available directly from the company’s store. The Nexus 4 smartphone, built by LG, is an unlocked GSM handset while the Nexus 7 gains storage and mobile broadband. And Google’s high-res Nexus 10 tablet launches for $399. Read more »
Verizon Wireless traditionally hasn’t been a huge Windows Phone supporter, but it has added a new exclusive Microsoft handset to its lineup on Monday. Nokia’s Lumia 822 with LTE support will sell for $99 with contract and is aimed at first time smartphone owners. Read more »
This week in Android seemed more a precursor to next week than anything else. This coming Monday’s Google event isn’t likely to hold many surprises as the result of various leaks such as the Nexus 10 tablet and more details of the Nexus 4 smartphone. Read more »
AT&T’s version of the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 2 arrives in stores on November 8 with pre-orders expected to begin this week. The phone will use Samsung’s 1.6 GHz quad-core chip, promising speedy performance on the device, supplemented with AT&T’s LTE network for fast mobile broadband. Read more »
Even with new devices announced, the Galaxy Note 2 continues to impress. This week, I spent more time learning about the useful S-Pen. Meanwhile, Google’s mobile revenues are app; could content for the Nexus 7 be helping? Acer’s new small slate cuts a few corners. Read more »
Nokia sold a quarter fewer of its flagship smartphones last quarter, as retailers and carriers shied away from Lumia’s current generation, leaving Nokia with €120 million in spare parts. Shifting to new Lumias with the Windows Phone 8 software has hurt any momentum Nokia had. Read more »
Google sent out a cryptic invite to media and press on Wednesday, with a New York City event taking place on Oct. 29. The focus will definitely be on Android, but will it be new hardware — the next Nexus, perhaps — new software, or both? Read more »
It’s not often I buy a mobile gadget and get a bonus, but that’s how I feel about the S-Pen in Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2. I never thought I’d use the digital pen, but I’m finding more uses for it every day; here are a few. Read more »
Apple stole the spotlight in the third quarter with the release of its iPhone 5, Amazon pursued the tablet market aggressively with a new line of tablets, and Microsoft prepped to launch Windows 8 and the highly anticipated Surface tablet. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Tired of synchronizing data, media and apps between a phone and a tablet? Asus is hoping so; the company introduced the PadFone 2, a powerful Google Android phone that docks into a thin 10.1-inch tablet shell and powers the slate for dozens of hours. Read more »
AT&T is launching a new smartphone powerhouse on Nov. 2: The Optimus G pairs a quad-core chip with 2 GB of memory and a high-resolution IPS display sized a 4.7-inches. Of course, the new Optimus supports AT&T’s LTE network as well. Pre-orders start tomorrow. 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 »
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 »
The PaaS market is predicted to reach $20.1 billion in 2014. Huge brands occupy this space, including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Salesforce.com, as well as newer startups. As the market grows, watch for more consolidation, tighter integration with IaaS services, and more features. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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 »
HTC reported a 79 drop in profit in the third quarter as it continued to struggle in the face of competition from Apple and Samsung. The once high-flying smartphone maker has been plotting a comeback but the prospects look dim. 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 »
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 »
Last week Snappli, a data compression app, found that among 5,000 of its iOS users, many quickly began using Apple Maps only to see 1 in 25 such users keep using it. Some questioned the data and today Snappli explains the methodology it used. 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 »
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 »
Sharp has started production of a 5-inch smartphone screen with the same resolution as top-end HDTVs, 1920 x 1080, which is a whopping 443 pixels per inch. What’s driving the trend for larger displays with more clarity? Thank mobile app maturity and online video content. 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 »
Any excitement Nokia generated with its “floating lens” technology in the Lumia 920 smartphone was quickly squashed thanks to a video demo that didn’t use the Lumia to capture footage. This hands on video, however, shows that Nokia’s stabilization technology is the one to beat. 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 »
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 »
Is it possible to build a better smartphone for consumers that costs less to produce? Apparently so, if you’re Apple. A preliminary teardown of the iPhone 5 shows that the most expensive iPhone this year is cheaper for Apple to make than the iPhone 4S. 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 »
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 »
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 »
