| Galaxy S4 still tops in sales, but slumping amidst strong competition Oct 18th 2013, 21:47, by Nate Swanner With the Galaxy S3, Samsung was quick to point out how well it was selling. The same can't be said for the Galaxy S4, which Samsung has been very, very quiet about. While they keep pushing out devices like the Note 3 and Galaxy Gear, we've become accustomed to the Galaxy S devices as their flagship. 
So, what gives? Why aren't they talking? If a new survey regarding device sales can be believed, they may not have much to discuss. Research firm Counterpoint notes that the device is still the worldwide sales leader, but that sales have slumped. More to the point, sales are not meeting expectations at all.
Counterpoint says the annual high of seven million phones sold in June has quickly slid. Samsung sold 5 million Galaxy S4 devices in August, which is a historically slim month for everyone. As new phones come out, Samsung's market share is poached. While that will always be the case, Samsung may be seeing stronger domestic competition from the likes of Motorola and LG now. It could also be due to Samsung's market saturation. In the top 10, Samsung owns half of the spots. The list, according to Counterpoint, is as follows: - Samsung Galaxy S4 International version
- Apple iPhone 5-16GB
- Apple iPhone 5-32GB
- Nokia Asha 501
- Samsung Galaxy Note II
- Samsung Galaxy S III mini
- Samsung Galaxy S III
- Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini I9190
- Nokia Asha 205
- Nokia 105
While Nokia's Asha devices always sell well outside of the US, we're curious why the market research splits Apple's iPhone offerings. Keep in mind, this data was compiled at the end of August, well before the iPhone 5S and 5C came out. It's also worth noting that the Galaxy S3, which the S4 was supposed to supplant, still holds a strong spot at #7.
VIA: Android Authority
|  | Google's newest strategy: an app for businesses and partnership with Facebook Oct 18th 2013, 21:13, by Nate Swanner Google's goal is to drive traffic to businesses. A large part of that strategy is ads, but they're also focussed on making it easy to get businesses interacting with their customers; both current and potential. It seems Google has found common ground with a competitor, and may be picking a fight with another. 
Today, Google has announced a partnership with Facebook to sell ads through their Doubleclick bid manager service. By offering clients the ability to use FBX, Facebook's ad placement service, via Doubleclick, potential advertisers get a very robust avenue for their ads to be seen. For the unfamiliar, FBX offers an oddly intuitive way to track your browsing history and offer ads based on your web traffic once you visit Facebook.
Another means for Google to engage businesses is via their new Google Places for Business app, which is now available on the Play Store. That app provides a very intuitive, simple way for businesses to interact with customers via Google+. It also allows for tracking of metrics like impressions or actions, giving business owners a real-time idea of just how well they're performing in a mobile environment. The new business app makes sense, and seems as though google is keen to take some of the thunder away from Yelp. By offering businesses a really easy way to interact and notify customers of their goings-on, Google+ becomes a much more visceral service for everyone. Google City Experts give a much needed boost to the Google+ business review database as the service becomes increasingly centric to all things Google. Facebook ads make sense for everyone, as Doubleclick will undoubtedly see a surge in activity and Facebook will reap benefits as well. Ads targeting consumers work well, and business interaction only strengthens the bond they have with Google.
VIA: Social News Daily, Android Mixer
| | Pebble Locker app: PIN locks your phone upon Pebble disconnect Oct 18th 2013, 20:52, by Robert Nelson The Pebble smartwatch has a decent amount of functionality straight out of the box, however there are more than a handful of apps available by way of the Play Store to expand upon that. We have taken a look at some of these in the past. One app was Canvas for Pebble which allows users to create dynamic watchfaces. Today though, we are looking at an app called Pebble Locker. And as the name implies, this deals with locks. In this case, the lockscreen of your phone. 
The app is simple and basically uses the connection between your phone and your Pebble to keep your phone unlocked. Once the app is installed, as long as your Pebble is connected and in range to your phone, it will remain unlocked (with no PIN lockscreen). On the flip side, once your smartphone disconnects (or goes away from your Pebble), the PIN lockscreen will be needed to open and use your phone. In theory, this means you could leave your phone on the tablet in a restaurant and go off somewhere else. Once you leave the phone, the Pebble will disconnect and anyone that tries to hijack your phone (and likely your social media accounts) will be locked out. Well, that is unless they know the PIN code. Then, once you return, the Pebble will re-pair and you will once again have access without needing a PIN on the lockscreen. The app is simple to setup and takes just about a minute to get going with. In fact, there are just a few taps to get going. As you will see in the three-image gallery below, you need to check the “Enable Device Admin” box. From here you click “Activate” to allow the Pebble Locker app to act as a device administrator. Once that it done, you check the boxes for Enable Pebble Locker and Force lock on disconnect and set your PIN.    That said, you will need to make sure you remember your PIN. And to drive that point home, the developer makes it clear that if you forget — he cannot help you and you will need to uninstall the app or reset your phone. Otherwise, those looking to reverse the process would need only to deactivate the Pebble Locker device admin setting and then reboot the phone. Anyway, the Pebble Locker app is free and currently available by way of the Google Play Store. | | Amazon phone could be limited to Prime members Oct 18th 2013, 20:17, by Nate Swanner Bloomberg is reporting that those rumored HTC Amazon devices we've heard so much about lately may come with heavy strings attached. The news agency is saying that the devices (plural) could be sold to Prime members only. It may sound limiting, but could be a winning strategy for Amazon moving forward. 
While we've long heard Amazon is working on some form of smartphone, but often have little more to go on after that fact. Wild rumors fo a 3D device pop up now and again, though nobody is willing to comment or relay info regarding specs aside from things like eye tracking cameras or the 3D display. Amazon is said to be working with HTC, though that poses a question regarding HTC's involvement in the OHA.
While the Amazon Kindle family of tablets definitely works best with a Prime membership, it's not mandatory. Bloomberg didn't note whether the rumored smartphones would be sold only to existing Prime members, or require a Prime membership. While it's still only rumor, we find it plausible that Amazon would insist on a Prime membership for a free smartphone — or even a series of membership options for multiple devices. Much like Google sells the Nexus devices at near-cost, so does Amazon with their Kindle tablets. At the end of the day, smartphones and tablets are conduits to consumption, and Amazon's marketplace is hard to beat for media. Something like a prepaid, two to five year Prime membership for this "free phone" scheme sounds interesting. While we get a free phone, we'd be tied into Amazon for five years or so. If we dislike the device, we don't even have to use or keep it — we'd be tied to Amazon, not a device or rate plan. If the real endgame is consumption, that could be a winning strategy for Amazon.
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