The latest numbers from Strategy Analytics reveal that Android was installed on over 8 of 10 smartphones worldwide in the third quarter, as the mobile operating system captured 84% global market share for the three-month period ending September. That figure arrives just one day after the research firm reported that Chinese company Xiaomi has become the third-largest smartphone maker in the world.
Android continued to be a dominant player in global smartphone operating system market share, increasing its lead over iOS by three percentage points compared to the year-ago quarter. Apple’s mobile operating system held 12.3% market share during the third quarter, trailed by Windows Phone (3.3%) and BlackBerry (0.7%). Other mobile platforms accounted for less than 0.1% market share. Expand Expanding Close
Google announced today that it’s rolling out an updated version of its Google Drive interface on the web for mobile devices. That means if you visit Google Drive from a browser on your device (instead of using the native Google Drive apps), you’ll now arrive at a refreshed user interface specifically optimized for the web on smartphones and tablets. Google still recommends you go with its native Drive apps, but if you have to visit the mobile version, you’ll now have a much improved experience.
Starting today, you’ll find a much improved mobile web version of Drive that’s faster and easier to use. The apps are still the most optimized experience, but if you find that isn’t an option, the mobile web will do the job better than ever.
The new UI is rolling out starting today and should become available to all in the coming days at http://drive.google.com.
Analyst Alex Barredo today tweeted a photo today depicting the size of the app stores on all major mobile platforms. According to the chart, Android’s Play Store has the most apps, with iOS’ App Store not too far behind it. Both are growing rapidly, and both are approaching the 1.4 billion mark.
Crowdfunding service Indiegogo is finally going mobile alongside the launch of a new look for its main website and a recent $40 million Series B funding round in January. While noting the platform’s traffic has doubled international on mobile over the last year, the company today launched its first mobile app for iPhone and iPod touch. Android users don’t get to join in on the fun today, but the company did sneak in a mention that an Android app is indeed in the queue:
Android App Is In Flight!.. We know that many of our funders and campaigners are on Android – ourselves included! We’re excited to bring our platform to Android devices everywhere… Sign up below and we’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready for you.
Those interested in learning more when the Android app is available can sign up here. We imagine the app will have many of the same features of the iOS version launched today, which includes the ability to both discover and support projects and manage campaigns you’ve launched.
AMC announced today that it will release a new mobile game for The Walking Dead early next year alongside season 5 of the hit TV show. The TV network is teaming up with Next Games to develop the title and today shared the first trailer for the game that it plans to show off at Comic Con International later this month.
The game, titled The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land, will allow players to experience the world of the iconic show through gameplay exclusively developed for smartphones and tablet devices. Developed by Next Games in close collaboration with AMC, the game will feature themes familiar to the TV series, where characters fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic, walker-infested world. A recurring theme of choosing the right survival strategy and making the most human choices possible is at the heart of the first-of-its-kind game.
Telltale games already publishes a game for Android based on universe of The Walking Dead comic book series, but this is AMC’s first official game based on its TV show version of the franchise. It isn’t, however, sharing many details on what we can expect from gameplay other than the description above or specifics on platforms.
The Walking Dead Season 5 is coming this October and the game, The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land, will hit smartphones and tablets early next year when the mid-season premiere of Season 5 airs.
Chang Dong-hoon, Samsung’s head of mobile design, has stepped down from his position due to criticism of the Galaxy S5, according to Reuters. Chang will be replaced by the company’s current vice president of mobile design, Lee Min-hyouk. Lee joined Samsung’s executive team in 2010 after helping design the company’s Galaxy lineup.
Samsung is the largest manufacturer of Android devices in the world, and recently wrapped up a software patent lawsuit brought by Apple in which the Korean company was ordered to pay out just under $120 million for in which several Galaxy devices were found to infringe on Apple’s intellectual property.
Matias Duarte — the man behind the design of every version of Android since Ice Cream Sandwich — recently took the stage with Joshua Topolsky of The Verge at the Accel Design Conference in San Francisco to participate in a fireside chat on topics ranging from Android, the future of mobile, design methodology, and wearables.
The video is available on Vimeo (via AndroidPolice), and includes 37 minutes of talk between the two. The beginning covers Duarte’s thoughts on design methodology, and he stresses that good design is always a middle ground between appearance, emotional appeal, and usability — perhaps a shot at iOS 7’s stark interface. Expand Expanding Close
Microsoft didn’t make dedicated apps for Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, but the company did make Office Mobile for Android free for all users. Previously, Office Mobile for Android required an active subscription to Office 365.
Just like Office Mobile for Windows Phone, we are making Office Mobile for iPhone and Android phones free for everyone. With Office Mobile, you have the ability to view and edit your Office content on the go. Office Mobile is available in the App Store and Google Play.
Now that Microsoft has moved that requirement to its dedicated iPad apps, Android and iPhone users can now enjoy Office Mobile’s full feature set without any limitations and not subscribe to the membership.
Office Mobile for Android is available for free on the Google Play Store.
Google today announced some nice additions to its Google Shopping service available to users browsing for products in Google search and directly through the Google Shopping site on desktop and mobile. In addition to new curated shopping lists from some of its partners (note: These are Google’s partners buying paid product listing ads), Google Shopping also receives an updated look and feel, part of an ongoing update that Google started rolling out back in October with an updated storefront and improved local listings.
One new feature in the redesigned shopping experience pictured above is the ability create your own shortlists that are easily accessible from the top of each page while browsing: Expand Expanding Close
Google today announced it’s adding a handy new feature to its Google Flight Search tool that allows users to find and book flights. Now, when viewing a flight on Google Flight Search on the web or your mobile device, you’ll be able to hit a small star icon that will save your flight to a “Save Flights” section. The tool will be nice for times when you don’t want to immediately book a flight but might want to view or book it at a later time. Saving the flight will make sure you can easily do so from a new Saved Flights section on any device:
When I’m signed in to my Google account on my mobile phone or tablet, and find a flight option I’m interested in I click the star button to add it to my saved flights list… I can then access my saved flights on any device at any time by clicking the star icon on the Flight Search home page.
Your saved results won’t be static either. That means when returning Google will make sure your save flights have up to date pricing and any changes that might have occurred to the flight itinerary. You’ll notice the new save button in Flight Search on both the desktop and mobile starting today. Expand Expanding Close
Google updated its Google Earth app for iOS and Android today with a few new features including a revamped interface that includes the left side panel it has been bringing to lots of its mobile apps.
Also new in version 7.1.1 of Earth is Google’s Street View feature, as well as improved directions and search with the ability to “visualize transit, walk, bike and drive directions in 3D while update search result list will let you browse search results quickly.” Google also announced that it is now making Google Earth available in over 100 countries worldwide:
Also with this release, we’re making Google Earth for mobile available in more than 100 countries worldwide, so you can start their virtual journey in Google Earth from almost anywhere on Earth. To unleash your inner explorer, check out your local Google Play store or iTunes to download the latest version of Earth for Android and iOS.
Verizon announced today that its Verizon FiOS app, previously only available for iOS devices, is now available for Android users through an app on Google Play. Like the iOS version, the free Verizon FiOS Mobile Android app brings live streaming to subscribers as well as a ton of on-demand content. The app will allow you to “watch up to 75 channels of Live TV at home, manage your DVRs remotely as well as browse and watch FiOS video-on-demand (VOD) anywhere you want“:
• Watch select live streaming TV channels from your device, anywhere in your home (* requires both FiOS TV and FiOS Internet service, as well as subscription to any of the channels you wish to watch)
• Access your Flex View content from anywhere, and browse over 40,000 titles in the Flex View On Demand library for great movie deals and exciting new TV programs
• Manage your DVR recordings, check the status of your DVR, and schedule new recordings from anywhere (* requires a DVR)
• Use your mobile or tablet device as a remote control while in your home (*requires an HD set-top box)
Samsung has received criticism for the amount of storage its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone allows users to access out of the box, but CNET reports that Samsung may be considering ways it could optimize the operating system and free up more space for users.
Samsung’s Galaxy S4 smartphone runs a custom variant of Android, which allows the company to include features not on other Android phones including Google’s own Nexus phones, but the feature-heavy OS comes at the cost of using half the capacity on a 16GB device.
Mother’s Day is right around the corner and AT&T is celebrating moms with a fun, shareable video e-card for a special edition of the popular “It’s Not Complicated” campaign. In a new rendition of the commercial that will air Friday through Sunday, mediator Beck Bennett strays from his usual, “what’s better, bigger or smaller?” and instead asks, “who gives the best hugs?” to a unanimous response – mom does! The video e-card can be personalized, offering consumers a simple Mother’s Day themed e-card video, with Beck and the kids, to share with mom via social media (Twitter, Facebook, email). Make your own personalized version of the “It’s Not Complicated, Moms are the Best” video e-card atATTMothersDay.com.
You know the rules: To enter, simply follow @9to5Google and retweet this post telling us why your mom would love an HTC First Facebook phone.
Notably, Google’s consolidated revenues increased 31% over Q1 2013 with $14 billion gross income.
“We had a very strong start to 2013, with $14.0 billion in revenue, up 31% year-on-year,” said Larry Page, CEO of Google. “We are working hard and investing in our products that aim to improve billions of people’s lives all around the world.”
Google reported $3.35 billion net revenue, which is nearly half a billion up from $2.89 billion during the same quarter last year.
The company reports $50 billion in the back at the end of Q1 2013.
Cash – As of March 31, 2013, cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities were $50.1 billion.
The company’s effective tax rate came in low at 8% following a tax credit mandated by legislature in Congress.
Income Taxes – Our effective tax rate was 8% for the first quarter of 2013.
Google CEO Larry Page mentioned during the conference call to investors that the company’s opportunities primarily exist in Chrome, YouTube, and Android, in that order. It believes more “connected TV’s” will allow the company to directly connect with consumers via relevant advertising more easily.
The company had praise for its marketing team, citing doubling its retail foot print thanks to more availability of its Chromebook in Best Buy.
Google discussed its success with commercial advertising via YouTube, announcing 325,000 Super Bowls worth of ads have been consumed.
When asked about Andy Rubin’s responsibilities after being pulled from heading Android, Larry Page reiterated that the company has yet to make that announcement and had no plans to make news in that regard today.
Regarding Glass, Larry Page admitted the price tag for early adopters is certainly high, but stepped short of calling it a luxury price and stated the company wasn’t prepared to announce a consumer price tag.
Since we first heard rumors that Microsoft was working on Office for iOS and Android as far back as 2011 and got a look at alleged leaked images of an iPad app that Microsoft later denied were real, every couple of months we’ve seen reports that say the app is coming soon. First it was November 2012, then early 2013, and others claimed “sometime after” March 2013. Along the way The latest rumor: Microsoft has Office for iPhone and Android is scheduled for fall 2014.
Zdnet claims to have got its hands on Microsoft roadmap for next year and says on it is “iOS/Android support for Office”: Expand Expanding Close
If Nuance gets its way with the just announced ‘Voice Ads’ mobile advertising platform, soon every mobile ad could include Siri-like functionality that lets you communicate with and ask questions about the product being advertised.
Nuance, the company behind the voice recognition module now used in Apple’s Siri, today announced a new project to bring its voice recognition technology to the mobile advertising world. The basic concept of the new platform, which Nuance made available through an SDK for advertising companies, is to bring a two-way, interactive conversation to mobile ads. As highlighted by Nuance in the video above, ads that implement the Voice Ads platform will allow users to engage in a Siri-like conversation with an advertisement:
Nuance Voice Ads gives mobile advertisers and creative agencies an opportunity to go beyond the limitations of the four-inch mobile device screen and create a conversation with consumers through the power of voice recognition. Voice Ads finally creates an opportunity for brands to deepen the relationship with their consumers, with targeted interactive ads that deeply engage their core audience – much in the way that the world’s most popular mobile personal assistants have deepened consumers’ relationship with their mobile phones.
In the demo above, Nuance shows an advertisement for a fictional deodorant brand that uses a magic 8-ball theme to answer any question that users might have. The ad of course ends in a pitch for the product in question, as you might expect. Other ads could allow users to ask specific questions about a product’s release date or specs…
As Google has done with past updates to its products, it appears to be testing a redesigned version of its mobile homepage with a small group of users. A 9to5Google reader noticed the change on Android. There were also reports of iOS users noticing a new UI. As highlighted in the image above, the updated Google mobile website includes a redesigned top toolbar that looks similar to the desktop version. The redesigned toolbar also provides access to a slide-out sidebar that contains quick links to all of Google’s services as opposed to a top bar containing just a few tabs for “Images”, Maps”, “Places”, “more”, etc. The toolbar provides links to the “Web” and “Images”, as well as Google+ notifications and profile information. It is possible Google will push the redesigned UI to all users soon.
Google acquired 217 patents from IBM, according toSEO by the Sea. Google’s most recent acquisition of patents from IBM, completed in the last week of December, comes after acquiring patents last summer. SEO by the Sea discovered the acquisition from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and we do not know the exact details currently. Google will most likely send out a letter giving exact figures soon.
Last summer, Google acquired Motorola Mobility for its 17,000 published patents and almost 7,500 pending patents. The acquisition is still going through, but Google put up $12.5 billion for the company. Google continues to strengthen its patent portfolio to protect itself from lawsuits.
Google will be holding a new event known as “Mobilizing Mobile” on November 14th (via Alabama Live) where they will open a storefront in downtown Mobile, Alabama and offer free developer services to build mobile (Android) optimized websites for businesses. Google will also cover hosting costs of the mobile websites for one year.
President of Red Square Agency Rich Sullivan (who organized the event on behalf of Goog) says the event kicks off Google’s larger “mobile-website initiative” known as “GoMo”. As noticed byFusible, Google today made the Howtogomo.com website live, which provides the following description of the mobile-website development resource on its About page:
GoMo is a Google-led initiative dedicated to helping businesses “Go Mobile” by providing them with the tools and resources they need to make their websites more mobile-friendly. On the GoMo website, businesses can see how their sites look on a mobile device using the GoMoMeter tool and get personalized recommendations for creating a more mobile-friendly experience. The site also has information on current mobile trends and mobile site best practices, as well as a list of developers ready to help companies build their mobile sites.
The site is essentially a huge resource for businesses, organizations, and developers interested in learning more about optimizing their content for mobile. This includes Mobile Best Practices, Case Studies, and the Get Started tool for finding an agency you can hire to build your mobile site. There is also a GoMo Meter tool that lets you enter the URL of your site and test its mobile browser compatibility (a full PDF report can also be downloaded). Agencies interested in signing up to be listed as a vendor can do so here. Expand Expanding Close
HTC will debut the Titan, a Windows Phone 7 ‘Mango’ device, on AT&T this Fall.
A rather curious message comes from the HTC camp, with chairwoman Cher Wang confirming her company has given the notion of buying its own mobile operating system “a thought”, according to a report by Focus Taiwan.
We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform. Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS.
WebOS? Don’t count on it, although any purchase is possible these days with the mobile space turned upside down. The HTC Sense user interface is seen by the company as a compatibility layer which can hide the underlying OS from the user, at least from the usability standpoint. In the larger scheme of things, the very public mention of buying its own mobile software should not be interpreted as a voice of support for non-Google software, at least for now.
After all, the vast majority of the handsets HTC is selling today run Google’s Android software. That being said, there’s nothing unusual with HTC seeking alternative solutions for the future. The company used patents Google obtained from its Motorola acquisition to sue Apple and gain some leverage in its ongoing litigation with the iPhone maker. If Apple prevails in court, HTC’s Android strategy could come into question as the royalties will likely hurt profits and slim margins.
