| Samsung's ChatON hits milestone of 100 million users Sep 30th 2013, 02:35, by Juan Carlos Torres Samsung Electronics has just released a statement boasting of their achievement of reaching 100 million users for its ChatON messaging service. The question is whether those figures will be enough for the service to secure a top spot in an already saturated market. 
According to Samsung, ChatON has enjoyed steady growth in countries such as India, China, and the US, although it is also probably experiencing tough competition from the top service providers in those regions. The company says that one of ChatON’s winning features is its internationalization, supporting 63 languages all over the world. It cites India as an example, where the service supports 10 regional dialects, with 13 more coming before the year ends. It is not that the messaging service doesn’t have desirable features. ChatON features easy drag and drop of images and links, which is especially useful when using multi-window capable devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S 4 or the newly released Galaxy Note 3. And, probably unknown to many, the app isn’t limited to just Samsung devices, as ChatON is also available on any Android, iOS, Blackberry or Windows Phone device, and even on the PC. However, compared to other service providers, ChatON is still probably lagging behind a bit. The instant messaging market is probably already bursting at the seams, with one more late player probably coming soon. So it remains to be seen if ChatON will catch on and become a top name that is both associated with Samsung but at the same time not perceived as limited to it. SOURCE: Samsung |  | Galaxy S 4, S III, Note II Android 4.3 schedule confirmed by French carrier Sep 30th 2013, 01:59, by Juan Carlos Torres As we keep on the lookout for the upcoming Android 4.4 KitKat reveal next month, we’re still keeping an eye on Android 4.3, which seems to be slowly but surely rolling out to devices. Now we’re receiving confirmation that next in line to get the updates will not only be Samsung’s current Galaxy S 4 flagship but even last year’s Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II models as well. 
It’s probably not that easy to get excited about Android 4.3, as it is practically an incremental upgrade to the Jelly Bean line, aside probably from the introduction of new security features such as SELinux and restricted profiles. However, it is always a good thing when the latest generation of devices get updated to the latest Android version. Even better when year-old devices are also thrown into the mix. Fench carrier SFR has just released a timetable that details when various smartphones will be receiving which updates. The Samsung Galaxy S 4 is schedule to receive Android 4.3 in October. And, as earlier reported, the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note II will also be receiving the update sometime around late November or possibly extending even to December. All Samsung updates will be delivered via KIES or OTA. 
Also included in the schedule is the HTC One, which is scheduled to be updated to Android 4.3 in October as well. Unlike the Samsung smartphones, however, the HTC update will only be available over the air. SOURCE: SFR
VIA: GSMArena | | Gmail app update paves the way for ads Sep 30th 2013, 01:32, by Juan Carlos Torres Last week, Google rolled out a bevy of updates to its Android apps, most likely in preparation for the arrival of Android 4.4 KitKat. One update in particular was apparently more than what it seemed . The Gmail app might soon be getting a probably controversial feature in the form of advertisements. 
The Gmail app for Android was updated last week which introduced a more Card-centric look, bringing it in line with Google’s apparent efforts to push the card metaphor across its services and apps. However, based on an APK teardown, it seems that the update also included a feature hiding in the shadows, waiting to be activated. In the near future, Gmail users will be seeing ads in the Android app, with options not only to dismiss ads, but also to save them as an email. It’s not all bad news, however. The Gmail app update also added something useful for users. When navigating to the Sent section of the app, users will be reminded if they have an unsent email sitting in Drafts. The email notification has also been revamped, featuring a box containing the initial of the sender in case there is no photo associated with the sender. This matches the behavior already implemented within the app itself. It’s still unknown when Google will activate ads in the Gmail app or what form it will take. The move, while probably disappointing to a number of users, is not entirely surprising as the Gmail web interface already sports ads and it is no secret that advertisements play a major role in Google‘s income. It makes us wonder though, if Google will start putting ads in its other Android apps as well in the near future. VIA: Android Police | |
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