How a Non-Tablet Changed the Tablet Market PCWorld By Kevin Fogarty, ITworld What does it say about the market for tablet computers that the best-selling tab running Android is not really a tablet. It's an e-reader that was invented to help sell the public on e-books, whose components don't have to be ... See all stories on this topic »
Five Best Android Phones Lifehacker There are dozens—probably hundreds—of Android phones on the market today. Some of them are exclusive to specific carriers, some of them are available around the world, but only a few of them are at the head of their class. This week we wanted to know ... See all stories on this topic »
Google has lost control of Android BetaNews By Joe Wilcox There was great news on the Android front this week. Samsung reported blow-out earnings, with smartphones -- the majority running Android -- accounting for nearly three-quarters of profits. Meanwhile comScore data spotlights the growing ... See all stories on this topic »
Woz: Microsoft might have reincarnated Steve Jobs CNET Apple's co-founder says there's "no contest" between the prettiness of Windows Phones interfaces and those of Android phones. Indeed, he says Microsoft, to make them so pretty, might have had help from above. by Chris Matyszczyk April 28, 2012 11:50 AM ... See all stories on this topic »
Google Drive Competitors Upgrade Their Offerings eWeek Its local folder syncing is available for PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, Android and BlackBerry devices. Dropbox offers 2Gb free, and then 50Gb of storage for $99 a year. Also in an effort to cut Google off at the pass, Microsoft updated its SkyDrive cloud ... See all stories on this topic »
Verizon Android update schedule leaked By Dan Graziano A Reddit user by the name of DroidTosser claims to have the inside scoop on Verizon's Android update schedule, and has posted the images to back their st. BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech
Apple removes Android app searches from Chomp | TUAW - The ... By Michael Grothaus Just over two months after Apple acquired the app discovery service Chomp, the company has removed features that allowed users to search for Android. TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog
Mark Finkle's Weblog » Firefox for Android: Fx & Mobile Work Week By Mark Finkle The Mobile team spent last week in not-so-sunny Toronto, pushing Firefox for Android closer to beta-level release criteria. We are getting very close. There is a lot of amazing work landing, especially in graphics. The Graphics team is working ... Mark Finkle's Weblog
GameStop to begin trade-in program for Android tablets and ... By Raveesh Bhalla According to Gadget Experts, you could soon be able to trade-in your old Android devices at your nearest GameStop. Not much is known about the program, Android Phone Fans
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With the specs mobile device cameras are packing nowadays, people can travel light and leave the clunky digital camera at home. The best camera, after all, is the camera with us. There’s certainly no shortage of camera applications on the Google Play Store, but for the discerning photographer, only the best gets to take their shots.
We’ve put together a list of some of the most loved camera and photo-editing apps so you won’t have to wait to get on your computer to augment and adjust your shots.
It’s hard to capture the beauty of a sprawling cityscape or beach if you’ve got to take several pictures and stitch them together on a laptop. Panoramic shots are most often made by high-end cameras, leaving cameras on mobile devices in the dust. But, not anymore, thanks to Photaf Panorama. You’ll be able to create beautiful, seamless 360-degree panoramic photos by utilizing your phone’s orientation sensor to know the exact angle each picture was taken.
When you’re done, you can move your phone around to see the complete panoramic view by using your phone’s compass or touch screen. You won’t have to wait to get to a computer because Photaf Panorama automatically stitches your pictures together for you. For best results, of course, keep your hand steady and take your panoramic shot in a location with consistent lighting. If you want to make your friends green with envy, upload your gorgeous panoramic shot to Facebook.
Photoaf Panorama has been optimized for Honeycomb devices, such as the Motorola Xoom, Asus Transformer Prime, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. If you’d like to unlock more features, you can purchase Photaf Panorama’s pro version.
PRO Zoom Camera 5x is a great way for users to control their device’s camera. Even before you snap a picture, white balance your photo, or use one or more of the 8 filters provided. If you want to illustrate something on your photo, PRO Zoom Camera 5x allows you to draw or paint on the image. The app comes with 53 clipart images, 21 fonts, 23 hipstamatic effects, brightness and contrast control, and time delay for your camera.
There’s no limit to what you can do to your photos. If your device camera comes with a flash, PRO Zoom Camera 5x gives you flash control. Avoid ruining that perfect candid shot by turning on PRO Zoom Camera 5x’s silent no-sounds mode and if you want to let your friends know just where you were when you snapped a picture, you can geotag your image. The best part yet, you’re not limited to editing pictures you took with PRO Zoom Camera 5x but you can even load existing photos to edit them.
Instead of having to wait until you’ve snapped a photo to edit it, Camera Illusion switches things around, and in fact, lets you view the filter in real time. Switch on any of the filters and watch the world look completely different through your Android device. You can process photos in real time, knowing exactly what effect you want to achieve even before you’ve snapped the shot. Camera Illusion is easy to use for the casual shutterbug who likes snapping funny pictures but also useful for professional photographers and artists.
Up to 3 modifications can be applied to your image simultaneously for an extra customized touch, with one each from Camera Illusion’s list of filters, effects and masks. Camera Illusion’s 17 filters include the usual fare like color management, and some more-complicated ones like pencil, chalk, and emboss. You’ve also got 12 more localized image distortions, like mirroring, pixelization, twirl, and fish eye. Finish it all off with a mask. Unfortunately, Camera Illusion doesn’t allow you to apply these awesome effects on pictures already taken.
If you’d like to unlock more of Camera Illusion’s options, you can purchase the pro version.
Snap Photo Pro, hailed as the winner of the Android Network Awards, definitely made it on this list. The app comes with a variety of options such as a Timer for when you want to get into shots but have no one around to hold the camera for you, Multishot which is perfect for kids and pets, and Stability mode.
If you snapped a photo that’s way too bright or way too dark, Snap Photo Pro allows you to adjust the image brightness. Of course, like most photo editing apps, you can apply filters to images. If you hate having to rummage through folders to find the right images, you can date and name folders through the Snap Photo Pro app. When you’re on vacation and you’re snapping shot after shot, it can get a little difficult to tell what photos were taken when. Snap Photo Pro creates folders for specific days for when photos were taken. It certainly makes dating photos and finding them easier.
Camera ZOOM FX turns your phone’s camera into a powerhouse by giving you the option to zoom up to 5x and to take up to 10 shots per second. Camera ZOOM FX also utilizes your Android device’s front facing camera, if you’ve got one.
To make your shutterbug experience comfortable for you, you can customize your hardware buttons to your liking. Assign the Volume Up button to Zoom In for example. You don’t have to wait to take the picture to see the effects because Camera ZOOM FX allows you to live preview them.
Keep your social networks updated and all in one click, too. Select a photo and it’ll be uploaded to your Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, all at once.
Camera ZOOM FX uses your device’s camera flash to light up those dark shots. You can choose to snap your shot now and edit when you get bored, but you can also import your existing photos from your phone’s gallery. Some camera apps end up degrading your image quality the more effects you add to your image but with Camera ZOOM FX, you can combine effects using non-destructive editing. You can even process at full camera resolution and apply any of the ten ready-made presets. Camera ZOOM FX is also packed with a wide array of color FX, frames, vignette surrounds, distortion FX, mirror FX and much more.
Vignette may have a simple name but it is packed with features to keep you entertained. We’re talking about 76 customizable photo effects and 57 frames that you can put together in any combination to create retro or vintage styles. If that isn’t enough for you, Vignette comes with LOMO, Diana, and Holga toy camera styles, as well as Polaroid or instant camera styles. That’s practically all the effects photo editors could ever dream of.
With the number of effects that are being offered to you, it can get a little confusing which effect to choose from. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with Vignette, however, the variety of pictures you can snap are endless.
But, what of the score of filters and effects that Vignette packs, we were most impressed with one little feature. For shutterbugs who are concerned with privacy, Vignette doesn’t require an Internet connection to process pictures, and unlike other apps, Vignette does not upload your pictures to a central server. Your photos only leave your device when you choose to share them.
If you’ve been editing your photos, you’ve no doubt heard of Photoshop. For every artist, photographer and graphic designer, Adobe Photoshop on the computer is a must-have and for good reason. It’s brimming with tools to help you greatly improve your craft.
If you’ve been snapping shots with your mobile device, you’re in luck because Adobe Photoshop Express promises that you won’t have to wait to get home or to open your laptop to improve your pictures. Simply tweak your image’s look right from the palm of your hand. Though not as powerful as its computer counterpart, Adobe Photoshop Express allows you to crop, rotate, adjust color, and add artistic effects with a tap of your finger.
Add borders to your image to personalize it or if an image is too bright, adjust the saturation by swiping your finger across the screen. Once you’ve got the look that you want, quickly share your photo with friends and family through e-mail, Facebook, Flickr, or even the Photoshop Express website. Adobe Photoshop Express requires an SD card.
If the regular shot bores you, try FxCamera. Aptly named, this app enables shutterbugs to take pictures with various effects. Launch FxCamera when you’re hanging out with your friends and utilize any of its filters.
Though it’s a lot simpler than other camera apps, FxCamera is nonetheless handy to have on your device. Choose from ToyCam, Polandroid, Fisheye, SymmetriCam, Warhol and, of course, Normal modes to produce a variety of fun pictures.
FxCamera also comes with AutoFocus and Config, which allows users to customize each effect. The Polaroid filter, for example, gives you the options for faded or mono colors as well as a film type option. Symmetricam lets users alter a symmetrical pattern from landscape to portrait, multireflection, or inverted, as well as switch the color to either sepia, negative, posterize, or solarize.
FxCamera is free but ad-supported. If you want to try out this app’s filters, and you’re on a tight budget, we highly recommend downloading FxCamera for your Android device today.
Take photo editing a step further by adding a little extra touch. Not only can you color correct your images but you can also add touches like word balloons, titles, and graphics. PicSay Pro also allows you to add effects like distortion with a fun and easy-to-use interface. If you’ve got an image with an unfortunate case of red-eye, PicSay Pro gives you the power to remove that before you share the picture with your friends. Blurry photos can be sharpened and black and white photos can receive a splash of color. For a more customized look, you can insert cutouts from other pictures and apply effects like Cross Process, Lomo, Vignette, faux HDR, Tilt-shift, and Pencil Sketch.
If you’re worried about your Android tablet getting left out, have no fear because PicSay Pro has been optimized for devices such as the Xoom, Asus Transformer, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Acer Iconia and other Android Honeycomb tablets.
Lightbox Photos makes photo viewing easy and convenient. You won’t have to log on several devices to view photos your friends have uploaded across several social networks when you can do it from your mobile device.
Lightbox Photos runs in the background and constantly searches for any new pictures your friends uploaded. It then downloads the most recent 200 pictures for you to view offline. Gone are the days when you’d have to wait until you get home to view your friend’s latest adventure on Facebook. You won’t need to feel hassled to upload your pictures to your other Android devices because Lightbox will wirelessly sync your photos across all your Android devices.
But, that’s not all Lightbox Photos can do. Even without an Internet connection, you can retweet a friend’s photo or even Like a friend’s photo and Lightbox Photos will queue up these actions for you. When you’re connected to the Internet again, Lightbox will perform these actions on your behalf. You can share not just to Facebook but to Tumblr and Foursquare, as well.
This is by no means a definitive list of the best photographer kit Android apps. If your favorite camera app didn’t make it on the list, feel free to share it with us in the comments below.
"This is Android, after all, and Android is about having options." This is how the post on XDA-Developers from where I picked this story ends. To this I add – Amen! Android is all about options, the freedom of choice, the freedom to fiddle with everything, until everything is just right.
On the same lines, Android is about being able to customize your browser so it bares your name of choice, your own custom icon, or your hand-picked splash screen. Gimmicky? Maybe, but cool all the same.
Actually, we are talking about the Maxthon Android browser, a solid alternative to both the stock browser and worthier contenders such as Dolphin. We reviewed Maxthon for Android just last month and we found it to be quite a decent offering, with plenty of features and snappy loading times.
Now, Maxthon is giving everyone the chance to personalize their web browser. More precisely, you can choose the name of the app, the icon of the app, a homepage, a theme/skin (you get to choose from ten predefined skins), and a splash screen. To get started, just go here and follow the easy steps. It's all very simple, and once you're done you can click Create APK to get the app. It will take a while for the file to be compiled, so be patient.
Once you get the APK, you can load it to your Android phone or, if you are up to it, you can even get it on the Play Store. In fact, it's possible that some less scrupulous developers will use Maxthon's tool to churn out dozens of self-branded versions. That however, doesn't seem to concern Maxthon, at least for now, as we didn't see any limitation or terms of use that specifies what you can and can't do with "your own browser".
In terms of the usefulness of Maxthon's tool, I can't think of too many use cases, besides providing the obvious bragging rights. The developers promise that more customization options will be added in the future, so maybe in time, we'll get to tailor the functionality of the browser too, and not just it appearance.
With the notable exception of HTC, the start of the year has brought nothing but good news for many tech companies. Following this positive trend is Zynga, the leading game development company, which posted a record-breaking $321 million revenue in the first quarter of 2012, for a year-on-year improvement of 32%.
Zynga has other reasons to celebrate, as well – the number of daily active users across all the company's games (games on Facebook included) increased by 6% to 65 million. Compared to Q1 2011, the number of monthly unique users has increased by 25% to 146 million. As for the number of monthly unique paying users, 3.5 million people didn’t mind paying for Zynga’s casual games in Q1 2012.
Added to the company's roster of games in the first quarter of the year are six new titles, including Hidden Chronicles, Zynga Slingo, Scramble with Friends, Dream PetHousse, Dream Heights, and the highly addictive and hugely popular Draw Something.
Zynga also reported that the company had 21 million mobile daily active users in Q1 2012, a significant improvement over the 12 million mobile daily active users reached in previous quarter. Unsurprisingly, the bulk of the growth was supplied by Zynga Poker, Scramble with Friends, and Words with Friends. If you're wondering why Draw Something isn't on the list, it's because the doodling game wasn't part of Zynga’s lineup until quite late in the first quarter.
In a strategic shift, Zynga plans to increase monetization by introducing more in-app purchases, which have proven to be quite the money maker. The gaming company also plans to release more mobile games in 2012 to maintain its healthy growth, the latest one being ZombieSmash, which finally got ported to the Android platform.
Our Android phones are equipped with cameras and come pre-loaded with a default camera app. But, with the presence of Google Play Store, there are third-party applications that can boost your camera’s performance. With these third-party application installed, you can do some neat stuff that a default camera app can’t offer. These apps can let you make a collage, edit your photos, add some neat stuff, and many more.
In this app list, we will be listing the top 10 best free photography apps for your Android phone. The listed apps are ranked according to their star rating and user reviews. What’s best is that these apps are all free. So, without any further ado, let’s begin the countdown for the best photography apps for Android. Let’s begin with number 10.
The Photo Grid app makes it to the top 10, garnering a star rating of 4.3 and 37,521 reviews. Unlike the usual photo apps that transform and edit a single photo, the Photo Grid app combines your pictures and turns them into a beautiful collage. The app contains different collage formats to choose from. Pick a format and choose what pictures to add.
You can also choose different set of modes that suites your style. High mode lets you arrange your pictures in a list. Wide mode allows you to display your pictures in a row. Multi Mode lets you add as many pictures as you like.
All your collages can also be shared to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The Photo Grid also supports different languages such as English, Chinese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese.
Creatively combine your pictures into a collage with Photo Grid app on your Android phone. Download the Photo Grid app for free from Google Play Store.
Bearing a star rating of 4.3 and 43,000 reviews, Camera360 Ultimate falls to our number 9 spot. Now, with its updated and enhanced user interfaces, Camera360 Ultimate is your easy-to-use photography app on your Android phone. Some of its notable features are the Funny Effects, Smart Scene Camera, Colorful Sketch, HDR (High Dynamic Range of Rendering), and Magic Colors.
The camera app has this cool effect called Huge Head. As the name suggests, it magically transforms the head on your pictures into a huge head, bringing more fun and laughter on your photo album. You can also use scene templates to easily capture edited photos with a tap of a button. And if you want to transform your world into one full of fun and colors, use the Colorful Sketch feature and instantly transform your photos into the world of cartoons. Other options includes shooting pictures with the Volume button and pictures sorted by date to facilitate easier searching.
Transform reality with your Android phone. Download the Camera360 Ultimate for free from the Google Play Store.
It’s time to visit the lab at the number 8 spot with the Pho.to Lab photography app. With a star rating of 4.4 and 33,142 reviews, the Pho.to Lab app is one of the best photography apps for your Android phone. With this photography app, you can experiment and mix unique effects on your photos. You can put frames into your pictures, make wanted banners of your friends, make yourself a celebrity, and even transform your picture into one of the blue creatures from Avatar.
With about 450 effects under the hood, you can transform your pictures any way you desire. The Photo Montages option auto-detects your face and transform them into known characters from the movies. You can instantly transform your face pic into Darth Vader, Rambo, an astronaut, or a pirate from the Caribbean Seas.
What's even cooler is that you can easily share your pictures to Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites. You can even set your edited images to your contact list. There are still more features and effects waiting to be discovered with this app.
Try out the Pho.to Lab app for free from Google Play Store.
Simplicity is the key to how this photography app made it to our number 7 spot. Earning a star rating of 4.5 and 36,087 user reviews, Little Photo is our next top photography app for our Android phone.
If you have a built-in photo editor for your phone's default camera, Little Photo works just the same way. You can use the app to takes pictures and select a list of effects to edit your image. It's easy to use, isn't it? But, don't underestimate the Little Photo’s size, because this app offers tons of effects that makes your pictures look like they were taken by a high-end camera.
To start taking pictures, tap the screen to capture your photos. You can also use the Volume keys or the dedicated button for taking pictures if you’ve got one. Once done, you can easily edit your photos by selecting the desired effects from the list. You can also try mixing effects by selecting Half Apply. For more effects, download the Little Photo Plugin for a price from the Google Play Store.
If you can't take the complexities of high-end cameras, download the Little Photo for free from the Google Play Store.
If you have a rich imagination and a high vanity level, the PhotoFunia app is the perfect photography app for you. The PhotoFunia makes it to our number 6 spot with a star rating of 4.5 and 54,514 reviews.
This photography app can help you nurture your creativity and be anyone you want to be. You can be an angel, a famous movie star on a billboard, a portrait painted on canvas, an astronaut, a star on a movie poster, and much more. You can also edit your photos and enhance them by adding cool clip art.
The PhotoFunia photography app can creatively transform your pictures. With about 150 scenes to play with, your creativity and imagination are the only limit to using this app.
One big disadvantage with this app is you need an active Internet connection or 3G connection for it to work. Image manipulations are performed in the cloud, thus the need for an Internet connection.
Transform your pictures with PhotoFunia for free from the Google Play Store.
Garnering a star rating of 4.5 and 66,375 user reviews, the Cartoon Camera makes it to the number 5 spot on our list. If you had enough of the busy city scene, why not try to make life easier and put more color and fun in your pictures. The Cartoon Camera app brings out the kid in you by making your everyday scene into colorful cartoon pictures.
The app also has its own effects that will enhance your pictures. You can choose from up to 6 effects: Cartoon, Color Drawing, Sepia, White Strokes, Dark Strokes, and Colored Edges. The app also supports auto focus, is compatible with front cameras and camera flash, and can quickly save images with a tap of a button. You can also adjust the edge strength and color sensitivity in the app.
Cartoon Camera is a fun way to take your photos, however, there are some Android devices that face some issues with this app. Android devices such as the Motorola Droid RAZR and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus face issues regarding the use of the front-camera with this app. Nevertheless, we can still try out and see for ourselves how the Cartoon Camera app can change your pictures.
Cartoonify your pictures with Cartoon Camera for free from the Google Play Store.
Moving on to our number 4 spot, garnering a 4.5 star rating with 79,024 user reviews is the PicSay – Photo Editor app for your Android phone. They say a picture can speak a thousand words. With PicSay, you can instantly relay your message by adding some text to your pictures.
Send out party invitations to your friends by putting an invitation message on your birthday picture. Send out a post-card to your friends from your vacation trip in Paris. Make a love card and send it to your loved ones. There are hundreds of possible ways you can use the PicSay app.
Aside from adding text, you can also add some cool clip art. Add a kiss mark on your photos. Put some balloons on your invitation card. Twist and turn objects on your photos to make your friends laugh. Bring out the creative side of you and use the PicSay app.
Sorry folks, but the famous Instagram is stuck at number 3 spot with a star rating of 4.6 and 455,263 reviews. Instagram was only available to Apple smartphones but the app’s popularity rose skyward when a version was made for Android.
As the name suggests, Instagram lets you choose from a variety of filters and posts them instantly to its online stream of photos. It's like a social network site but news streams are filled with Instagram pictures of you, your friends, and/or relatives. With Instagram, you can easily share your life by taking pictures.
In the same manner, you can also get in touch with friends and relatives by viewing their Instagram photos. You can also post your Instagram pictures to other social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Foursquare. Share your life story by capturing every moment with Instagram.
Instantly edit and share your pictures with Instagram for free from the Google Play Store.
Our second top app accumulated a star rating of 4.7 and 37,270 reviews. The Pixlr-o-matic photography app lets you instantly edit your photos with just a single swipe.
One notable feature of this app is the Randomizer. Some photography apps for your Android phone carry tons of awesome effects and features. We sometimes find it hard to decide which effects to choose and which can match your pics. But, with Pixlr-o-matic, you can easily edit your photos with just a single swipe. Swipe and the app will automatically choose the proper lighting, effects, and borders that suit your pictures.
You can now save your time from editing your photos. The Pixlr-o-matic has about 100 effects, 280 overlays, and 200 different borders to choose from. With hundred of effects and combinations to choose from, you can transform your photos in a variety of ways. You can also instantly post your created masterpiece on Facebook or imm.io.
Swipe your way to a perfect picture with Pixlr-o-matic for free from the Google Play Store.
We have reached our number one spot for the top photography app for your Android phone. We proudly crowned PicsArt – Photo Studio for achieving a star rating of 4.7 and 119,649 user reviews. PicsArt – Photo Studio is the perfect app for those who have a creative mind and want to make a canvas out of their own photos.
Like other photo apps, PicsArt includes a variety of effects such as Stenciler, Sketcher, Cartoonizer, Lomo, Orton, Vintage, Cross Process, HDR, Pencil, Fattal, Watercolor, Holgaart, Old Paper, Pastel, Color Splash, and many more. What's more is that you can make a canvas from your own photos. You heard it right. The app has these cool drawing features so you can add some personal touches to your photos. You can add stickers, brush some paint onto your face, and add some personalize text on your edited pictures.
When you’re done, share your masterpiece to social networking sites such as Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, Dropbox, Foursquare, Tumblr, Blogger, and WordPress.
Splash some vibrant colors onto your photos with PicsArt – Photo Studio. Download the PicsArt – Photo Studio for free from the Google Play Store.
What do your think of our top 10 photography apps for Android? Do you have your own list of photography apps? What’s the best free photography app for your Android?
Ouch… 54% of all Android tablets in the US have little to do with Android, or at least, to Google's vision for Android.
According to a comScore report released this week, Amazon's wildly successful tablet accounts for more than half of the web traffic generated by Americans that tout an Android tablet. On a distant second place, comes the Samsung Galaxy Tab family (yes, the whole family), which accrued a little over 15% of the market. The Motorola Xoom comes third, with 7%, while the rest of the manufacturers boast figures that are close to being statistically insignificant.
Here's the table if you care to analyze it.
U.S. Market Share of Android Tablets by Unique Devices Dec-2011, Jan-2012, Feb-2012 Total U.S. Source: comScore Device Essentials*
% Share of Android Tablets
Dec-11
Jan-12
Feb-12
Amazon Kindle Fire
29.4%
41.8%
54.4%
Samsung Galaxy Tab Family
23.8%
19.1%
15.4%
Motorola Xoom
11.8%
9.0%
7.0%
Asus Transformer
6.4%
6.2%
6.3%
Toshiba AT100
7.1%
7.0%
5.7%
Acer Picasso
6.0%
5.2%
4.3%
Acer Iconia
2.8%
2.6%
2.1%
Dell Streak
2.2%
1.7%
1.3%
Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet K1
0.7%
0.9%
1.2%
Sony Tablet S
0.9%
0.8%
0.7%
Other
8.9%
5.6%
1.6%
As you can see, the Kindle Fire took the States by storm (uh, firestorm?) at the end of last year and in the first quarter of 2012, taking the crown in the most categorical manner possible.
If I read the figures correctly, only Lenovo was able to increase its market share, going from a tiny 0.7% to a puny 1.2%. Interestingly, we also see a crystallization of the market – if in December 2011, the Other category accounted for almost nine percent of the market, in February, the collective share of all other tablets has plummeted to 1.6%. This probably because the Other category comprises the cheapest slates, the price range where the Kindle Fire is the uncontested (yet) king of the hill.
comScore's survey brings us to one of Google's biggest problems these days – it doesn't control (and it makes virtually no money from) the hottest Android tablet on the market. Amazon's heavily modded Android is nothing like Google's Android, and most worrying for Page and Co, it doesn't integrate Google's money-making products.
This essentially has Google playing the role of a benefactor that kindly gives away his (hers, its?) time away for the sake of the community at large, without any profit. A nice story, yes, but little to show to the investors.
This is precisely the reason why Google is so keen to come with an amazingly cheap tablet of its own, this summer. As many have speculated, Google's Nexus tablet (or whatever it will be called) has little to do with the towering giant that is the iPad. It's rather a weapon meant to be used in a civil war, against the Android-running Kindle Fire and the slew of new slates that Jeff Bezos is planning for this summer.
You might know that Microsoft is the owner of several important mobile-related patents, and that the Redmond giant has never been afraid to use said patents to squeeze some bucks from… well, everyone in sight. That's the bad news.
The good news is Microsoft, unlike another iconic company, is willing to talk before shooting, although some would replace "talk" with "extort the living daylights". As a result, many Android manufacturers (supposedly infringing MS' patents) have entered licensing agreements with Steve Ballmer's company, which sees them paying a fixed amount per device sold, in exchange for some legal peace of mind. Among the notable exceptions, we have Barnes & Noble and Motorola (close to be owned by Google now), who preferred to take it to court rather than to give in to Microsoft's demands.
On the other hand, other major Android OEMs, including the mother-of-all-Android-manufacturers, Samsung, have accepted Microsoft's indecent proposal.
Microsoft's chief legal head, Horacio Gutierrez has bragged that the tech mammoth now has licensing agreements covering 70% of all devices sold in the US. It looks that Microsoft can add other notch to its list, as the Taiwanese electronics maker Pegatron has announced that it settled its legal business with the software maker.
In line with the agreement, Pegatron will pay MS an undisclosed fee for every tablet, smartphone, e-reader, Chromebook, or game console it sells. Importantly, Pegatron also makes computers running Windows 7, so the Taiwanese had all the interest to maintain their good standing with MS.
With this new addition to its collection of Android licensees (which is in the dozens now), Microsoft has agreements with four out of the top five Taiwanese ODMs. Just imagine the amount of cash flowing towards MS from the bustling Taiwanese tech sector, which churns millions of devices out every week.
It's no wonder that Microsoft is so serious about its patent peddling operation – on a side note, a few weeks ago, Microsoft agreed to buy $1 billion worth of patents from struggling web giant AOL, only to sell the same patents to Facebook (who's engaged in an arms race to protect itself against Yahoo and others) about a week later.
Just a couple of days ago, we reported a rumor about Sprint's kickstand-touting, drool-inducing EVO 4G LTE becoming available from May 18. When we brought you the rumor, it was just that – an unconfirmed piece of gossip, albeit coming from a supposedly reliable source.
But if you're eager to get your hands on Sprint's new EVO, you'll be happy to know that we now have another source confirming the May 18 launch date. Even better, we have some hard evidence, in the form of some leaked shots of the promotional material that will adorn Sprint's stores for the EVO 4G LTE debut.
The leak comes from the EVO enthusiasts at GoodandEVO.com, who claim that they received the tip from a reliable insider. Supposedly, the marketing materials you can see in the pics below will hit the stores by May 14, giving Sprint personnel plenty of time to prepare for the May 18 release. The report doesn’t offer much else in terms of info, but hey, the release date was pretty much the last unknown about the new EVO.
In case you need a refresher, Sprint's custom-made version of the HTC One X will come with all the goodies found in the other versions – a dual-core Snapdragon S4 proc, 1GB of RAM, 16GB storage, HTC's cool new camera tech, and Beats Audio (no headphones, though). In addition, the EVO 4G LTE sports a kickstand, a sweet dual color scheme, and an SD card slot, which make Sprint's device stand out as arguably the best version of the HTC One X yet.
The pre-order page for the EVO 4G LTE is already alive and kicking, although the actual pre-ordering will start on May 5. Nevertheless, if you are in the mood for some teasing or if you want to sign up for a reminder, you can visit it here. Oh, the device will cost $199 on a contract, but make sure to check for better deals from the usual culprits, like Amazon or Best Buy.
Which one's the best, in your view? Sprint's EVO 4G LTE, AT&T's One XL, or the international version of the HTC One X? Let us know!
To tackle the problem of the sluggish Android rollouts that cause so much grief to users from around the world, Google came with the idea of "Google Experience" devices – the Nexus series. But like most things, theory doesn't always translate well into real life. The release of Ice Cream Sandwich put the spotlight on Google's inability to bring the latest version of Android to its own flagship tablets and phones in a timely manner. But does the blame lie solely on Google?
Understanding the frustration felt by some owners of pure Google devices, (including the Nexus S, Motorola Xoom, or the Galaxy Nexus), Google's Jean-Baptiste Queru took to Google Plus to explain the situation.
"Writing the software doesn’t mean that Google can deploy it immediately, there are operator approvals for devices that are sold and/or supported by operators. Look at the US WiFi Xoom: obviously no operator approval, upgraded to 4.0.3 back in December (the first version of ICS that ran on anything other than Galaxy Nexus) and now running 4.0.4."
In other words, Queru (the head of the AOSP program) laments the fact that it takes so long for carriers to approve new versions of Android OS, which ultimately delays the rollout of the upgrade.
If you pointed fingers at Google for its apparent inability to quickly update its own devices, you should know that the reality is a bit more complicated than that. This was made clear by another of Queru's statement:
"The part that blows my mind is that some variants of the Google-engineered flagship devices still haven’t received Ice Cream Sandwich (or are stuck with older versions of Ice Cream Sandwich) because of delays introduced by operator approvals.”
Queru’s explanation shatters any illusion that Google has real full control over the "Google Experience" devices they sell through carriers. This lack of control is one of the motives behind Google's decision to open its hardware selling channel once more. Since last Tuesday, customers can buy phones (and in the future, tablets) directly from the Play Store. It's something that Queru can get on board with as well, since he stated that
"I’m very glad that Google is back in the business of selling phones directly without any middlemen to interfere, and I’ll be even happier when I see that program expanded to more countries."
We're not sure that this will be a wake-up call for carriers, pushing them to speed up rollouts. Ok, we know that it’s like talking to walls. But at least now you know who’s to blame.
The more advanced our gadgets, the more features they pack. Unfortunately, the more features they pack, the more we have to rummage through icon upon icon just to get to the one we want. Wouldn’t it just be easier to have our favorite apps and settings right on your notification area?
You’re definitely not one of the first to think of it, that’s why the Google Play Store’s practically bursting with apps that allow you to customize your notifications bar. There has been one special app that’s caught our attention though. It’s called Notification Toggle and it lets you toggle your phone’s settings, add app shortcuts, and add custom shortcuts to your phone’s notification bar. Read on to learn more about this app.
The functionality and customizability that an Android phone’s status bar brings can be a huge advantage to users. It’s also the reason why quite a number of developers spend time exploring this aspect of the Android device. In turn, several notification bar tweaking apps have sprouted all over the Android community. Joining the growing list of apps of this sort is Notification Toggle. This app allows you to add shortcuts and toggles the apps or settings that you often change.
Features
Notification Toggle lets you add over 20 toggles and shortcuts to your status bar for easy access. If you want to turn Bluetooth on without having to rummage through menus, add it to Notification Toggle. You can even make it easy to access your Music, Camera, and Wi-Fi settings. If you’re the type of person who frequently needs to toggle the phone’s brightness settings, make it accessible with Notification Toggle. Next time you’ll have to fiddle with any of your settings, you can do it from the convenience of your notification area.
Notification Toggle’s main feature gives you the power of customization, but Notification Toggle has other features, as well. Most users don’t really mind how the default icons on their phones look but some are conscious about it. If you belong to the latter, this app fits your needs because it allows you to use customized icons.
That’s not all that Notification Toggle has for you. Notification Toggle has a premium feature which lets users add a custom shortcut to the notification bar of their phone. For example, you can create a shortcut which will directly call a contact. How great is that? Add your boss, your spouse or lover, or even your friends’ numbers to Notification Toggle so they’re just a tap away.
Issues
Alas, Notification Toggle is not perfect. Although this app is expected to work on any Android device, there is no guarantee that every toggle will actually work. Some settings cannot be changed by the app and in effect, the app will bring you directly to the settings menu instead where you’ll have to change something yourself. Also, just like other Android Apps, Notification Toggle should be excluded from task killers because it may not work properly.
Apart from those issues, Notification Toggle is working just fine, giving users easy access to their apps and settings. You can download Notification Toggle, free of charge, from the Google Play Store.
Looking for a fast, stable, and fully customizable ROM for your Samsung Galaxy Nexus? Let the LiquidSmooth v1.35 ROM transform your phone into a beastly example of what one can do with a rooted Android! Running Android 4.0.4, LiquidSmooth v1.35 unlocks the latest features available on the Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. When using this ROM, users can effortlessly tweak every feature of their phone, including some that were recently fenced off.
So, let's dive into the Liquidsmooth goodness!
Features
Extremely responsive, slim, resource friendly UI
Backup/Restore Liquid Control configurations
Liquid Control allows for the manipulation, customization, and optimization of nearly every area of the ROM.
Full screen mode
Incremental Navbar Heights to tweak the size just to your liking!
From this impressive list of features, which one puts LiquidSmooth ahead of other ROM’s?
Let’s start with the ability to assign custom navigation bar icons/actions. This is a feature that has been untouched through many months of Ice Cream Sandwich development. This new ability is a real breakthrough, and will leave other ROMs scrambling to add its functionality.
Like videos? Then you will love the fullscreen capabilities that LiquidSmooth can offer. Want to create different profiles to suit your needs? It’s just a tap away.
Video
Quite simply, the bottom line is: if you have a Galaxy Nexus, you love customizing your phone’s UI, and need a ROM that is quick, clean, and easy to install, check out and download the LiquidSmooth 1.35 ROM from the source link below!
