Android Phone Fans |
- Google Reader got you down? Feedly wants to welcome you with open arms
- Report: Samsung wont be leaving Android for Tizen anytime soon
- Official Nexus 4 Bumper no longer available for purchase from Google Play, possibly for good
- Tegra Exclusive Real Boxing is now available on Google Play and it looks gorgeous
- Google Reader being laid to rest July 1st
- Sony NSZ-GS7 gets upgraded to Google TV V3
- Andy Rubin’s heart lies with entrepreneurship
- LG announces Smart Video, Dual Camera features for LG Optimus G Pro’s “value pack” upgrade
- Android users aren’t real smartphone users, we’re just looking for freebies
- Twitter to launch music app?
- Google takes harsh stance against ad-blocking apps, removes them from Play Store
- “jimu” is a web-based WYSIWYG app builder, and it wants your dollars on Kickstarter [VIDEO]
- Want Baldur’s Gate on your device? You’ll have to put in a vote
- Top 10 games for toddlers to teens (and big kids too)
- Larry Page: 750 million Android activations to date
| Google Reader got you down? Feedly wants to welcome you with open arms Posted: 13 Mar 2013 08:22 PM PDT
For all you displaced Google Reader readers out there, we understand this is a difficult time for you. For us too. And while you desperately scour the net in hopes of finding a Google Reader replacement, the folks at Feedly want to help you during this awkward transitional phase. A minimal RSS reader for your Android and desktop, Feedly is hoping you’ll give them a shot — you know, once their server is done getting pounded like Paris Hilton at a frat party. Here’s what they had to say via their blog:
Have to admit, I totally forgot about Feedly and I’m sure there are more RSS readers out there you guys are particularly fond of. Care to make any more suggestions? Feedly for Android Thanks, Justin! [via Feedly] |
| Report: Samsung wont be leaving Android for Tizen anytime soon Posted: 13 Mar 2013 07:38 PM PDT
There’s been a lot of murmurings around the web that Samsung’s new reign as smartphone king would eventually lead them away from Android, and onto their own open sourced Linux-based OS dubbed, Tizen. The younger brother of Bada (Samsung’s first attempt at a smartphone OS), Tizen was originally scheduled for a 2012 release in Samsung’s homeland of South Korea, although the OS has yet to see the light of day on any smartphone as of yet. That should change in 2013 with a Samsung’s plans to finally release mobile devices running Tizen OS later this year.
Where Bada could more or less be described as “Android Lite,” Tizen is a more robust mobile experience. Of course there are many similarities with Android — both are open sourced and have a very similar UI — some believed that this could be the beginning of the end for Samsung and Android. But is it possible for the two to coexist and if so, how much time and effort will Samsung devote to the fledgling OS? According to one analyst, not much. Hillside Partners Rory Maher assured clients today that the chances of Samsung leaving Android in favor of Tizen are slim. Maher believes that just like Bada, Tizen will stick to the countries where Bada succeeded in its tiny 3% market share, namely, Asian markets. So, if the thought of the Samsung Galaxy S5 running Tizen OS is keeping you up at night, get some rest. Galaxy S6? That might be another story… |
| Official Nexus 4 Bumper no longer available for purchase from Google Play, possibly for good Posted: 13 Mar 2013 05:42 PM PDT
Google is on quite a roll today after the announcement that they’ll be killing off Google Reader come July, it looks like another popular item could be getting the axe as well — the official Nexus 4 bumper case. The listing on Google Play is now showing the description “Nexus 4 Bumper (Black) is no longer available for sale,” which sounds a bit ominous and has us questioning if it’ll ever come back.
Furthermore, a quick hope onto the Nexus 4 listing has removed the accessory from the page entirely, leaving the Wireless Charger as the sole Nexus 4 accessory. But just because it may have been removed forever off the Play Store doesn’t mean you wont get another chance to buy one. Official LG Nexus 4 bumper cases have been popping up at wireless retailers (even in an all new white option) and there are still these pretty snazzy Poetic bumper cases in a variety of color options from Amazon at half the price. |
| Tegra Exclusive Real Boxing is now available on Google Play and it looks gorgeous Posted: 13 Mar 2013 04:41 PM PDT We gave you guys a preview back during our hands-on with Project SHIELD at CES 2013 a few months back, now the Tegra optimized boxing title Real Boxing is finally available in the Google Play Store. Powered by the Epic’s Unreal Engine 3, Real Boxing takes mobile graphics to the next level with extremely detailed character models and gorgeous HD visuals (you can just about see the sweat dripping from every pore). This is definitely setting a benchmark for Android gaming. Unfortunately, these next-gen graphics come at a cost. Real Boxing is exclusive to Tegra devices for now, but chances are you have a Tegra 3 tablet already in your possession (Nexus 7?).
The folks at Vivid Games S.A. went through a lot of work to deliver the best possible boxing game on mobile, even going as far as motion capturing real fighters for the game. But besides a pretty face, does Real Boxing offer more depth than slugging it out against opponents across the globe? Well, the reviews have been pouring in and it looks like Real Boxing is the real deal. There’s a lot to love and here’s a taste of what Android gamers can look forward to in Real Boxing:
Real Boxing is currently available for download from the Google Play Store for $5 but remember, this beauty is Tegra-only for now. Anyone have a chance to give it a download yet? Let us know what you think. |
| Google Reader being laid to rest July 1st Posted: 13 Mar 2013 04:37 PM PDT A sad, sad day is upon us, folks. After Andy Rubin announced his departure from the Android team, something else will soon slip through our fingers. The Google Reader team announced that the service would be retiring very soon — July 1st, soon. We can’t say this is a total shocker considering rumors placed Google at odds when it came to the future of Google Reader.
According to those rumors, Google Reader was never a huge service when it came to the number of users taking advantage of it, and that it was always teetering on the chopping block. We never thought it had the same staying power as YouTube and Gmail, of course, but we never thought it was so unpopular that Google would look to retire it. Well, it looks like something finally pushed Google over the edge and convinced the company to put it down once and for all. We, at Phandroid, are especially saddened considering it’s one of our favorite tools. Google Reader has served us quite well over the years, and you can bet we’ll squeeze every last bit of use we can out of it before it’s ripped from our stubby little fingers. With the three month “sunset” period, Google is giving everyone ample time to find new services, and the Google Takeout service will allow you to download your subscription list in standard form so you can easily migrate to wherever it is you end up going. I guess now’s a good time to ask you guys what you’ll be using in the horrified anticipation of this service’s final countdown. Let us know in the comments section below. [via Google] |
| Sony NSZ-GS7 gets upgraded to Google TV V3 Posted: 13 Mar 2013 04:04 PM PDT
Just yesterday, we learned Sony would be offering a new remote for owners of its NSZ-GS7 Google TV box for $50. The remote is identical to the original save for a new microphone shoved inside for use with Google TV version 3. We didn’t know it would only take a day for people to begin receiving upgrades, though, but that’s exactly what our friends at GTVSource.com are reporting. Alongside general bug fixes and performance improvements, you can now use voice search (again, thanks to that remote), Amazon Instant Video, HBO Go, and the new PrimeTime guide feature Google introduced a while back. The upgrade should be hitting your device on its own, but users should be able to go through the usual channels to check for themselves if it hasn’t shown up yet. Let us know if you’re seeing it in the comments below. |
| Andy Rubin’s heart lies with entrepreneurship Posted: 13 Mar 2013 03:17 PM PDT It was a bit of a stunner for us all to read the news that the “godfather of Android” Andy Rubin would be leaving the Android team to assume other things within the ranks of Google. The shake-up didn’t leave us with much doubt about Android’s future or any trouble within the walls of the Mountain View fortress — after all, Android is doing better than ever with 750,000,000 activations and reports that Android tablets will overtake iOS any day now.
Indeed, Rubin reaffirmed those thoughts with a letter to the various Android partners Google deals with, otherwise known as members of the Open Handset Alliance. These members consist of the very OEMs and carriers that have helped pushed Android to where it is today. In the letter, Rubin reminded everyone that his heart is with entrepreneurship — in other words, he likes a good project. His stint with Danger to bring the legendary Sidekick OS to prominence didn’t go undocumented, and he has been with Android since the very beginning. Rubin’s track record is unmatched by many, and this is another way to say he’s bored. He wants something new to build and grow. He’s the proverbial nanny who only makes $5 an hour to take care of a crying, defecating baby, but does it out of the love of giving a baby nourishment and guidance and raising them into a fine young lad. That’s Andy’s forte, his specialty, and his knack, so to speak. His rumored departure to the Google X team definitely fits that bill. The letter is, among all things, reassuring of the strength of Android and gives no one anything to worry about. Android is fine, folks, but it’s time for another 12 rounds with the next big innovation in tech for Andy Rubin. Read the full letter below.
[via The Wall Street Journal] |
| LG announces Smart Video, Dual Camera features for LG Optimus G Pro’s “value pack” upgrade Posted: 13 Mar 2013 02:35 PM PDT It’s always a good day when we hear about new features being added to smartphones through the advent of software. LG is bringing us some new goods to look forward to in the LG Optimus G Pro with “Smart Video,” a feature that will use eye-recognition technology to automatically pause and resume video when the device’s front-facing camera notices your eyes look away and turn back.
Sticking with camera-driven features, LG is also announcing Dual Camera, a feature that will allow users to take photos with the front-facing camera and the rear camera simultaneously. It sounds like a bit of a novelty feature in practice, but the idea is that “users can now be a part of the story, not just observers.” Both of these features are going to be part of a bigger “value pack” software upgrade headed to the Optimus G Pro later on. Other features in that upgrade include the following:
It all sounds good to me. The value pack upgrade will head to the Korean version of the Optimus G Pro first starting next month, and LG has also promised other premium handsets of theirs — which we assume would include the original Optimus G — would receive much of the same. Read on for full press details.
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| Android users aren’t real smartphone users, we’re just looking for freebies Posted: 13 Mar 2013 02:20 PM PDT
Here we go again, another post on the internet talking about how Android’s market share is inflated with nothing but junk. We’ve seen inflammatory posts like this before. One of the more recent ones titled, “Android is cheap, not good.” Now comes Business Insider’s Nicholas Carlson talking about the real reason for Android’s success: free handsets. We get it, the reason why Google’s mobile OS has spread like wildfire is because — unlike iOS — Android is free and opened sourced. Anyone with a little coding know-how can throw it on anything from a smartphone, to a toaster oven. More than often, that means you can find Android running on bargain bin handsets. But what BI’s author fails to recognize are high-end superphones like last year’s Galaxy S3 that have sold upwards of 40 million handsets, Galaxy Note 2 sold 3 million units during the first 30 days of its release — numbers that keep Tim Cook up at night. Remember, these are all smartphones that are still being sold on their respective carriers for upwards of $200+ on contract (same as the iPhone 5).
The logic behind BI’s post? While Android reins supreme in overall market share, less Android users are actually doing anything “smart” with their phones or tablets. Things like watching video, shopping on Black Friday, or even browsing the internet. Of course, all these findings are anything but definitive. In most cases, this is data gathered only from specific users who visited specific website (people streaming video from OOYALA for instance). I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that maybe Android users are simply doing other things with their devices, using video streaming apps like YouTube or Netflix perhap which combined, make up for almost 42% of total web traffic in North America alone. But I guess you have to shop on Black Friday to be considered “smart,” huh? So, exactly what has been going on with all these numbers anyway? How can we explain them? Well, Business Insider hasn’t been able to figure that one out, but I’ll propose an idea. Maybe, just maybe there is a good number of iOS users who are using their iPads as laptop replacements. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this, my own grandma for instance does all her Facebooking, online shopping, etc., straight from her iPad. No need for expensive and clunky laptops, when an iPad fits snugly in your purse. Is it really too far fetched to think that Android users are multiple device consumers who, perhaps, prefer to browse the web from their laptops or home computers? It’s possible. The author also goes on to say that the real reason for Android’s success is simply because it’s cheap and more than often free (on a contract). While I believe that could be true to an extent, what about all those free iPhone 4′s currently offered by AT&T and Verizon Wireless? You know, the top 2 carriers in the US? Carlson briefly acknowledges that while it could be technically possible to get a free iPhone, “most people who get them don’t.” Because Apple shipping 17.4 million iPhone 4S’s in Q4 of 2012 is hardly worth mentioning. If Android is only popular because it’s free, I suppose the very same could be said about the iPhone, which has always had a previous model available for smartphone buyers on a budget. But let’s get back to Android. We shouldn’t forget that the only reason we’ve seen a smartphone boom these past few years is because of fierce competition between Android manufacturers using high-end hardware as their weapons. Mobile hardware is advancing at such a rate it’s hard for even Apple to keep up. Again, this is all thanks to high-end smartphones, not low-end freebies. Let’s also not forget that “feature phones” that once only had the horsepower to run a dumbed down OS, are now smart. Once again, all thanks to Android. Moving into 2013, we’re beginning to see OEM’s who gained a significant market share due to their low-end hardware, are now focusing solely on premium, flagship devices for 2013 and we expect that trend to continue. I guess it just roasts me a little bit when someone attributes Android’s success to nothing more than low-end hardware and a user base of monkey’s slapping their smartphones. Are there a lot of soccer mom’s and Joe Schmo’s using Android devices? No one can argue that. But the same could be said of iOS users (maybe even more so). Of course, until we get a whole lot more numbers, let’s not jump to any conclusions about iOS and Android users. For now, let’s just say Android’s success is due to it being a smarter mobile OS that runs on great hardware, and just so happens to provide a better value in many cases. Bygones be bygones. |
| Posted: 13 Mar 2013 02:04 PM PDT After breaking out of its straight social networking shell and diving into video with Vine, it looks like Twitter has some other multimedia interests brewing. Cnet has learned that the company would be putting music company We Are Hunted to good use in order to launch Twitter Music.
Twitter Music will apparently serve up music and artist suggestions driven by the very people you follow. For instance, being a follower of 50 Cent will get you suggestions regarding his music and others like it. The same would ring true for following the likes of Megadeth, Taylor Swift, and — dare I say it — Justin Bieber. More than just suggestions, Twitter will look to stream the music to you via SoundCloud. The service will also take a look at which artists your friends are following and suggest music based on their tastes, as well. I’m a bit iffy on that particular detail considering the music tastes of my circle of friends could be likened to the diversity of colors in a rainbow. Still, it should be an interesting service if it’s all laid out right. Unfortunately, like what happened with Vine, it looks like Twitter will skip Android for the time being. The feeling is that Twitter will get around to Android, eventually, but its focus will be on iOS to start. I know, I know: it sucks to have these big companies still treating Android like it’s 2008. But the reality is we’ll have to wait. That said, the service isn’t even official yet so we’re looking a bit too far ahead. We’ll await more details about the service before allowing true disappointment to set in. |
| Google takes harsh stance against ad-blocking apps, removes them from Play Store Posted: 13 Mar 2013 01:11 PM PDT It’s hump day, but there’s no time for middle-of-the-week celebration if you’re the developer of ad-blocking software on Android. According to several sources, Google has started sending notifications to developers with ad-blocking software in the Google Play Store regarding these apps’ removal. Players like AdBlock, AdAway, AdFree and more are being whisked away.
So why, exactly, is Google bringing the ban hammer down on these unfortunate souls? Well, they seem to violate section 4.4 of the Play Store developer agreement. Said section states:
The key language here is regarding the interference of third-party clients’ services, networks and properties. This can be interpreted to mean that ad-blocking software adversely affects applications which implement ad code they’re targeting (including, but not limited to, Google’s own AdSense ads). Google’s not in the wrong with such an interpretation, and with high stakes in the matter — it does make most of its money from advertising, after all — they stand to have a heightened degree of interest in all this. I know what you’re thinking: how can Google do this if Android is so open? Well, it’s open to a point, and it’s always been that way. There are certain rules in place that Google simply can’t bend on, whether it be to protect user information and privacy, to protect developers, and to protect the Play Store from malintent. That said, these developers are free to distribute their apps elsewhere, but Google won’t allow that bidding to be done in the Google Play Store. Here’s the message reportedly being sent out to developers:
[via Twitter, Google Code, PasteBin, thanks Russ!] |
| “jimu” is a web-based WYSIWYG app builder, and it wants your dollars on Kickstarter [VIDEO] Posted: 13 Mar 2013 12:08 PM PDT As a young pup with a computer I remember always wanting to create a game. I was quite young, and hadn’t a lick of programming experience. It was at that point that I found out about the RPG Maker software, and while my time with the software didn’t produce anything worthy of mention, it was still an interesting experience — here was a series of conditions and a pack of resources I’d brought together to create something that resembled a game. Welp, someone wants to bring you the “RPG Maker” for Android apps. It’s called “jimu,” and it only exists as a Kickstarter idea right now. The project — which seeks $50,000 by April 8th — will give people a tool to build Android apps using a WYSIWYG-style interface, allowing you to build your user interface, create your application flow and fill in your content with fast, quick, and easy methods. This tool would appear to be transparent, as well, as you’ll get to see all the code at work behind the brawn. That would make it a great learning tool for anyone looking to take up Android development, and would give you immense flexibility in taking your app further than what jimu’s tools would allow. The folks behind jimu say the tool constructs code with best-practice syntax and structure, too, so it won’t be a jumbled mess for others to look at. I remember trying to build a webpage in Dreamweaver and having to look at the vomit of code it spit out, so this is one very important factor that I’m sure many will consider when they back the project. The project — expected to deliver its earliest functional rewards by June — has a few different tiers of rewards. Access to early betas, a half-day class on Google Hangouts regarding jimu and raw Android development from a team of expert developers, and custom built apps are among the rewards users can get depending on how much money they decide to pledge. You can read more about it, and the jimu project overall, at the Kickstarter page. The video above should give you a nice primer on everything discussed so be sure to watch that, as well.
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| Want Baldur’s Gate on your device? You’ll have to put in a vote Posted: 13 Mar 2013 11:37 AM PDT If you don’t remember, Overhaul Games is looking to bring the Enhanced Edition of classic RPG Baldur’s Gate over to Android. The project has been in the making for a while, but the team suffered a few delays here and there, and won’t be promising a release date anytime soon. They do want user input on which devices should be targeted, though, so that’s where you come in.
The developers are holding a poll at their forums trying to see which devices will be worth targeting first. Some popular options in the poll include the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, the Nexus 10 and Nexus 7, the Motorola XOOM, ASUS Transformer TF300 and more. Only 10 devices are listed, but users can put votes in for other devices by responding to the thread. I should note that this doesn’t necessarily mean these will be the only devices the game is available on. It’s possible the team already has some popular devices, like the Samsung Galaxy S3, in mind, and targeting devices on this particular list might just be a way to make sure they’re targeting as many people as possible — they’re using them as reference devices, if you will. We’ve reached out to get a clearer idea on their intentions, but if you want to make sure your favorite device will have a chance to run this game whenever it launches sometime this year then be sure to sign up at their forums and let it be known. |
| Top 10 games for toddlers to teens (and big kids too) Posted: 13 Mar 2013 11:27 AM PDT When I bought my first Android tablet (the original Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1), I never guessed that my then 2-year old son would be so keen to it. Call me naive but I thought I was getting this high-powered computing device to do cool things like Skype, consume media of all types (movies, TV shows, e-books) and even play the occasional game. Instead, I found myself letting my son use it as a gaming machine more often than I used it as anything else.
Naturally, I wasn’t going to hand this full-functioning tablet over to a toddler that could get himself into all kinds of trouble. So the first thing I had to accomplish was locking the system down so that he couldn’t do any harm. This included PIN locking the Play Store (which you can do from the settings menu in the Play Store) to creating a "sandbox" on the tablet. "Sandbox" refers to the process of locking a user into a single area/app with access to limited functionality of the phone/tablet. To accomplish the "sandbox", I found an awesome app called Famigo Sandbox that was built specifically for this process and was incredibly easy to setup. Famigo sets you up with a 7-day trial and then asks $4.99 for the app. There are alternatives to Famigo out there. A quick search pulled up an app called Sandbox Kids Corner which allows a ton of features such as GPS tracking, limiting play time of an app, restricting SMS and calls to individual numbers, etc all for the awesome price of FREE. As with any sandbox app though, you need to investigate the permissions you are allowing the app to have and be comfortable giving the app/company that much control over your device. Now onto the games; a process that required careful vetting to make sure I wasn’t exposing my son to anything inappropriate for his age (in both content and ability). It didn’t take long to find a lot of great games. Over the past year and a half I’ve compiled a the list of kid friendly games from my son, as well as my 11-year old niece and 10-year old nephew, ranging from pure time-wasters to educational gems. For this article, I’ve narrowed the list down to the top 10 games for toddlers to teens (and even big kids too). Amazing Alex (#10)
This puzzle/logic-based game definitely favors the teens over toddlers as it can be quite challenging. Yet, don't discount it just because it can be a little tough. My son (almost 4 years old now) LOVES to play this game and it often provides an opportunity for me to play with him when he asks for help. The object of the game is to create different contraptions using only the parts provided to accomplish a simple task (like getting a ball into a basket). The free version is ad-supported (which I always try to avoid in the scenario of handing the device over to a toddler). The HD version is $2.99 and doesn’t have any ads. Toddler Tapping Zoo (#9)
This app is as advertised. You tap on the animal and it makes the animal noise. If you tap on the animal's name, it speaks the name for the child to learn. Great for learning and very easy to use! The app costs $.99 and has 60 animals to learn about. Subway Surfers (#8)
One of the latest crazes my niece and nephew showed their cousin. Now he can’t stop playing it. In the style of Temple Run, the game-play starts you off moving and you don’t stop “surfing” until your character runs into an obstacle. Stay away from the officer and grab those coins as you go! It’s a Google Editor’'s Choice app and is FREE. Kids Connect the Dots – (also, Kids ABC Letters, Kids Learn to Read (Preschool), Kids Number and Math) (#7)
Intellijoy should be commended for their devotion to children’s learning apps. While "Connect the Dots" was my son's favorite and really helped him learn to trace and count, their other games provide additional learning tools for young children. The free version has 25 puzzles while the paid app offers over 250 puzzles for $2.99. Each of the app lists above is free and has a corresponding paid app with additional content ranging from $2.99-$3.99. Color & Draw for Kids HD (#6)
In the early days of tablet play my son often just liked touching the screen. That’s where this app came in as a great way to “interact” without having to accomplish any specific goal. The app offers photo decorating, coloring book pages and blank canvas modes for your little van Gogh all at a reasonable price of $1.99 for the tablet version. Fruit Ninja (#5)
The ultimate time waster. The fruit flies across your screen and you use your finger to swipe and cut the fruit into pieces. My of my son’s early favorites and a time eater for long trips. There's a free version as well as a THD version that is only supported on Tegra 2 devices. Cut the Rope (#4)
Another puzzle/logic-based that relies on creative thinking. Literally you cut the rope on the candy and try and collect stars before the candy ends up in On Nom’s mouth. Honestly a toddler is going to be a little young for this game, but clever marketing and a cut little monster has my son's attention. There's a free version and an HD version for $1.99. Angry Birds – The Original, RIO, Seasons, Space, Star Wars (#3)
The original time waster(s). I’ll never forget the day my son grabbed my wife’s phone, turned it on, clicked on the Angry Birds app and shot his first bird across the screen. He was just about to turn 2 years old and no one showed him how to play Angry Birds, he just picked up the phone and did it. It wasn’t for a few more months until he learned that different birds had different “powers”. He didn’t care, he just loved flicking birds. Now, the fusion of Star Wars, Angry Birds Space style physics and a marketing machine like no other, my son's in love all over again with Angry Birds Star Wars. The free versions are all ad-supported while paid versions exist without the ads. Where’s My Perry? – (also, Where’s My Water?) (#2)
Another puzzle game. The good news is this once was geared a bit more towards children. Combine that with the love of Perry from the hit-show Phineas and Ferb and you have a real winner. It's simple, get the water to the drain by clearing a path with your finger so that Perry can complete his mission. The free version provides 80 puzzles while the $.99 app provides over 400 different puzzles. Train Conductor 2: USA (#1)
Considering the hype machine behind Angry Birds, Cut the Rope and Where's My Perry, I would call this game a dark-horse winner of the #1 spot in my Top 10 list. But it's here for one simple reason. No matter what new game I show my son, he always comes back to play this one. There are trains coming from all directions on four different tracks. Use your finger to divert the train onto the right track without having any collisions. The game actually helps toddlers learn through the matching of letters and numbers and even a bit of geography thrown in. (Yes, my son now knows where Miami, Nashville and New York on a map.) The paid app includes five additional levels. *** That’s my Top 10 apps for toddlers to teens. What’s your top 10? Hit up the comments and let me know what I missed/snubbed! |
| Larry Page: 750 million Android activations to date Posted: 13 Mar 2013 11:11 AM PDT Slipped into today’s announcement that Andy Rubin will step down as Android lead, relinquishing the position to Sundar Pichai, was some new info on device activations. According to Google CEO Larry Page, Android boasts 750 million activations to date with over 25 billion app downloads from the Android Market/Google Play Store.
Activation numbers aren’t always a solid indication of actual device circulation, as pointed out by analyst Benedict Evans. He estimates an active user base of closer to 675 million, plus or minus phones that run Android but lack access to Google services in regions such as China as well as second-hand device sales. Regardless of how you slice it, the figure is fairly staggering. In contrast, Apple’s iOS sits right around 400 million activations, nearly half that of Android. [via TechCrunch] |
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