The Android app ecosystem is getting stronger and stronger as more and more developers realize that, despite its fragmentation issues, Android is a platform that is worth developing for because of ever increasing market share. We’ve seen big name iOS apps like Instagram and Instapaper release on Android; a trend that was initiated by games when titles Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds made the jump.
The smartphone sales war is definitely heating up. While Apple set the tone of the modern smartphone market when they released the iPhone - which was essentially the first "modern" smartphone - back in 2007, Google were quick to release Android, which would eventually overtake the iPhone in market share. Speaking of overtaking, should a Reuters poll prove to be accurate, it would appear that premier Android OEM Samsung may have overtaken Apple in smartphone sales in Q2 of this year.
Announced at Google I/O last month alongside Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and the Nexus 7 tablet, the Nexus Q is the sort of gadgetry that has, so far, left most of us wondering, “Why, Google?” It has the innards of an Android smartphone, and strictly requires an Android device to work. All it does is stream TV shows, movies and music from the Google Play Store and videos from YouTube. It doesn’t even work on its own as you need an Android smartphone / tablet to control it. To top it off, it costs $299 which is simply unreasonable for a device with such a limited feature set.
As well as acquainting herself with many an iPhone 4S user over the past nine months, Siri has yielded much additional airtime as the stare of many a parody video. Whether it's been in solving a domestic argument or testing the sensibilities of a rather irate Scotsman, Siri has starred in all manner of viral clips.
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was announced late last month at the Google I/O 2012 keynote to much fanfare. It introduced some long-wanted features like a significantly faster and smoother user interface and a Siri-like* voice assistant, and natural evolutionary features like more powerful notifications, offline voice typing, improved keyboard. Jelly Bean also made plenty of smaller changes to pre-existing features. One such tweak was made in the how the lock screen looks.
Have I told you about the sheer variety of launchers available on Android? If you’ve read previous posts by yours truly, I’m sure you’ve already hear me this. There are all sorts of launchers that cater to different user needs. You’ve got ones that promise the best performance, ones that offer the best set of features and ones that claim to offer the best of both. Other launchers are usually ports of customized launchers from OEMs like Samsung, HTC, LG and Motorola.
The fact our mobile devices offer various types of connectivity is a wonderful thing, since it allows us to connect to the web with relative ease, lessening the need to open a notebook or fire-up a desktop computer. The convenience doesn't come without its drawbacks, however, and if, for example, you leave Wi-Fi connected indefinitely, you'll find your battery isn't as accommodating as it perhaps should be.
XBMC, the free, open source cross-platform media player extraordinaire, will soon be arriving at the Google Play Store, the company has confirmed in a blog post on its site. Although mobile iterations of software tend to be considerably watered-down, XBMC is said to be a fully-fledged, feature-rich port, and will be available for Android tablets, smartphones, or set-top boxes.
Google has been branching out beyond its famed Maps app for the past couple of years in order to offer its customers a more well-rounded and feature-rich navigation experience. With Apple ousting Google Maps from iOS - a large source of the Web company's revenue - the work Google has put into enhancing its own services has been evident.
Apple has been without relent in its pursuit of Google and Samsung, claiming patent infringements on a grand scale. Judge Lucy Koh last week dished out a ban on Galaxy Nexus sales to the Big G, and the web company duly obliged, removing the device from its Play Store. Earlier this week, the device returned, packing in Android Jelly Bean 4.1, a move which is said to amend any issues with regards to the claims Apple made in court, but having followed this Apple vs. Anybody debacle for quite a great deal of time, it should be of no surprise that the Cupertino company has not quite finished yet.
