MobileOs
Latest
Android 2.x now accounts for 83 percent of all active Googlephones
We're not totally sure that Android 2.1 users will be happy to be bundled in with 2.2 consumers -- after all, there's plenty in Froyo that's not available on Eclair -- but the fact remains that a cool 83 percent of actively used Android phones right now run one of the two latest iterations. A reminder is merited to say that by "active" we mean those that accessed the Android Market over the foregoing two weeks -- which might have a slight bias toward over-representing the newer phones with folks either abandoning their Cupcake and Donut handsets or simply not searching for new apps for them. Either way, we reckon it's good to see such nice big slices taken up by Android's most advanced versions, it seems almost a shame that Gingerbread's arrival will soon disrupt things all over again. For now, we're off to our delicatessen, all this food talk's given us the munchies. [Thanks, Dan]
Rovio feels the burn of Android fragmentation, plans 'light' version of Angry Birds
So, it's real after all, huh? Android fragmentation is making its way into the news again, and this time it counts. Rovio, developer of a little-known title called "Angry Birds," has just penned a new blog post detailing the night terrors that have come with coding a single program to work on a cornucopia of platforms. In the weeks since Angry Birds was released to Android users everywhere, the company has been inundated with performance complaints, mostly from users with older / underpowered Android devices or phones using Android 1.6 or earlier. A laundry list of smartphones have now been added to the "unsupported" list (shown in full after the break), but thankfully for you, a "lightweight" version of the game is in the works. According to Rovio, that build won't reduce the number of levels (or amount of fun / frustration, for that matter), but will instead be optimized for dawdling processors and Android versions that have been helplessly malformed by carriers. Nice going, guys. [Thanks, Justin]
Editorial: Should your next mobile OS update cost you?
Will that fancy new smartphone you're looking at buying run a version of Android that hasn't even been announced yet? Or that Nokia 5800 -- where's the Symbian^3 upgrade? Has the lack of commitment on a launch date for the webOS 2.0 upgrade stopped you from buying a Pre on Sprint? The balance between the relative importance of hardware and software in the smartphone industry is definitely teetering toward the software side these days for a number of reasons: screens have no need to get any bigger or higher-resolution, processors likely can't get much faster without a significant advance in battery technology, and we're reaching a point where we're all going to have HD camcorders in our pockets capable of taking still shots that'll put even higher-end point-and-shoots to shame. So when you stabilize the hardware like that -- that is, you get to the point where manufacturers are iterating essentially the same large slate over and over again with marginally better specs -- the spotlight starts to fix squarely on the software underneath. That is to say, whether a phone receives "good" operating system builds (and receives them on a timely basis) really makes or breaks its retail success now more than ever before. All too often, the question isn't whether a particular device is great, it's whether the manufacturer and carrier have committed to upgrading it -- quite often to a version of its operating system that hasn't officially been announced. It's a recipe for confusion and paralysis among consumers that really don't have a great reason to be putting off their purchases -- they just want a reasonable assurance that their new phones aren't going to be regarded as "obsolete" in six or nine months. And why shouldn't they?
AT&T clarifies Windows Phone 7 launch parameters: no pre-orders, online sales are a go
November 8th is creeping ever closer, and aside from it marking the beginning of yet another long, drawn-out week in the working world, it's also the first day you can get your paws around a Windows Phone 7 device from AT&T. Much in the same way that it did before subsequent iPhone launches, the carrier has come forward with a few vital pieces of information to chew on before making any incorrect assumptions. Company representative Warner May confirmed to Phone Scoop that online sales for Windows Phone 7 devices (the Samsung Focus and HTC Surround) would indeed go live on launch day, debunking rumors that the phones would only be available for the grabbing in retail locations. Furthermore, we're told that no pre-orders are being accepted via B&M / online -- a logical move given the chaos that ensued from the iPhone 4 pre-order rush. More on the launch as we get it.
Microsoft loosens up, enables Windows Phone 7 apps to run beneath screen lock
We felt that Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 was a product that would be perpetually evaluated, tweaked and overhauled as time went on, and sure enough, we're already seeing those winds of change blow yonder. Reportedly, Microsoft has now removed the restriction that prevented developers from writing applications that would continue to operate behind a locked screen (without a user's explicit permission, anyway), enabling a whole host of apps to breathe in a manner in which they simply should. Audio apps, for example, will now be able to run in the background without yet another layer of pointless Vista-esque permissions, and Microsoft's Charlie Kindel said in an interview at its Professional Developer Conference that this move "is an example of us continuing to listen to customers." Frankly, it's just more fair -- Microsoft's own ingrained applications could already do this sans user permission (email, Zune playback, downloads, etc.), so it makes sense to give loyal developers that same opportunity. Of course, devs will have to prove that background apps won't burn up an absurd amount of battery life, but that's definitely not an unexpected qualification.
HTC 7 Mozart and Samsung Omnia 7 on sale tomorrow at 7am on Orange UK
We knew Windows Phone 7 was scheduled to land first internationally, but it's always a treat to hear the particulars. Orange UK has just (re)revealed that it'll be the exclusive carrier of HTC's 7 Mozart across the pond, and it'll be joined by Samsung's Omnia 7 as both go on sale tomorrow morning in Orange's Oxford Street shop -- fittingly, at 7am local time. Naturally, the carrier is going to blow out the launch, with each customer buying a WP7 handset to receive a complimentary Bluetooth headset... while supplies last, anyway. You'll also get a stockpile of Orange applications and services (like it or not), and we're told that each phone will be offered for zilch with a fresh contract starting at £35 per month (7 Mozart) / £40 per month (Omnia 7). Jealous, North America?
Visualized: TweetDeck Beta usage chart beautifully showcases Android diversity
Some, like our own Paul Miller, call it "Android fragmentation." Some call it downright gorgeous. The hard-working developers behind TweetDeck call it "extreme fragmentation." The chart shown above demonstrates the breakdown of the 36,427 beta users of the outfit's famed Twitter application for Android, and the company confessed that they were "shocked [in a good way] to see the number of custom ROMs, crazy phones and general level of customization / hackalicious nature of Android." Hit the source link for the full spread, and be sure to holler if you're included somewhere in the mix. [Thanks, Heath]
Copy and paste coming to Windows Phone 7 in 'early 2011' (update)
So, maybe Microsoft meant "people don't do that in 2010." At the mega-corp's UK-based Windows Phone 7 launch event, we were just informed that its hot-off-the-presses mobile OS will be blessed with a software update that'll add copy and paste functionality in "early 2011." That's according to one Andy Lees, and while details beyond that are scant, it's possible that said update will also bring other magical makeovers into the fold. We're still a little baffled that the company would leave such a seemingly vital part of the software out at launch, but we guess certain corners always have to be cut in order to get something out before a sure-to-be-profitable holiday quarter. And hey, it's not like we haven't seen another major mobile OS player pull this same stunt before. Update: CNET's Ina Fried got a quick look at an early implementation of copy and paste in Windows Phone 7, and says it works fairly well: You start by clicking on a single word, then drag your finger across the rest of the passage you'd like to transmit to expand your highlighted selection. When you let go, a paste button appears. Sound about right to you?
Android is number one OS among US phone buyers over the last six months
BlackBerry OS? Dead! iOS? Dead! Symbian? Never stood a chance. Android's exponential growth has today been illustrated by Nielsen's statisticians who present us with the above chart of recent US smartphone purchases. It shows that over the six months leading up to August 2010, 32 percent of American new phone buyers had grabbed themselves a device with Google's OS on board, which is comfortably ahead of RIM at 26 percent and Apple at 25 percent. These results corroborate NPD's figures on the matter -- which peg Android at 33 percent of new US purchases -- and reiterate the idea that Android is headed to a place whose name starts with D and ends with omination. One more chart showing total market share can be found after the break (hint: BlackBerry still reigns supreme overall).
Palm webOS 2.0 preview video hits the wilds
First things first -- before you jump on past the break and mash play, mute your speakers. Mute. As in, off. Alrighty, now that you're prepared, you've got two minutes and 14 seconds of teasing just a click away, as some sure-to-be-yelled-at developer has leaked a sneak peak into the wide, mysterious world of webOS 2.0. Not that we haven't seen a cornucopia of screenshots already, but at least this emulation vid gives you a better idea of how things will actually flow once it gets released to end users. Oh, and as for those DropBox and MobileMe integration rumors? Looks like that's just QuickOffice being QuickOffice. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Droid Does website points to imminent Froyo update for Droid X... but what does it mean?
Just as Paul Vasquez would have us do, we're questioning the true meaning behind a curious page that has popped up over at the Droid Does website -- a very authentic portal that Verizon Wireless itself has been pushing for nearly a year. Put simply, the splash page details "great news!" surrounding a heretofore unannounced Android 2.2 update for the arguably gigantic Droid X. In fact, we're even told about all the amazing features that Froyo brings, but alas, our own X has yet to get any sort of notification from Big Red. The image you're peering at above was purportedly texted to a tipster from VZW, but unfortunately, the links led to the previously referenced splash page rather than a download. Still, we're guessing that this means a bona fide release is just around the corner -- Verizon's already a few weeks late at this point, so hopefully the finishing touches are nearly done. [Thanks, Kellen]
Nokia's treatment of MeeGo smartphone UI revealed?
We've already gotten a glimpse at MeeGo's prerelease stock UI for handsets, but just like Symbian, there's no guarantee that the experience is going to be consistent across manufacturers -- and a new video apparently captured from an online survey makes it seem like Nokia might be looking to go in a slightly different direction. The one minute, twenty-nine seconds of footage walks us through five parts -- starting up, the "powerful multitasking UI," getting connected, the Ovi Store experience, and the music player -- and as you might imagine, it's the Ovi Store portion that has us feeling like this is a thoroughly Nokia-customized experience (not to mention the copyright in the lower left). It generally looks richer and more functional than what we've seen before, and parts -- like the webOS-esque multitasking -- remind us of Maemo 5's thumbnails, which makes perfect sense considering MeeGo's roots. Follow the break for the full video. [Thanks, MTA] Update: The video has since been removed from YouTube. New embed posted.
Windows Phone 7 coming to Europe in October, US in November, according to Microsoft COO (video)
Here's something that seems to have slipped the net from Kevin Turner's recent presentation on Windows Phone 7 devices. While discussing the move to Microsoft's next great hope in the mobile space, the Redmond COO told the world that the transition is expected to happen in the October timeframe across Europe, and in the November timeframe in the US. This is the most explicit anyone from Microsoft has been about the likely launch date for Windows Phone 7, and sets up the intriguing potentiality of Europeans getting to savor the goodness of the brand new OS ahead of their US brethren. See Kevin dishing the info on video after the break. [Thanks, Abed]
HTC will ship all Android phones in China with Froyo on board, fuels fire for immediate update closer to home
A wordy headline, to be sure, but a pleasing one nonetheless. We came across HTC's Chinese web portal listing the Desire as coming with Android 2.2 (with Sense!) and simply had to ping the official source for confirmation. It turns out the info up there is no mistake: all HTC Android handsets shipping to China -- which includes the Wildfire and Tianyi -- will do so with Froyo preloaded, cutting down on your upgrade angst at least until the Gingerbread man comes a'knocking. HTC has also reiterated that a 2.2 update for its phones already on the market will be delivered "very soon," so if all goes well, we should be looking at a Froyo-dominated August in the land of High Tech Computers. [Thanks, Christian]
New 'licensing service' replacing existing copy protection method in Android Market
Copy protection has always been a concern in the Android Market, primarily because applications can be sideloaded onto phones without a root or other modification from the end user. In a brief announcement made today, Eric Chu has made clear that a new method for protecting the work of paid app creators will be implemented long-term, with the plan being to "replace the current Android Market copy-protection mechanism over the next few months." This new "licensing service" is available now for those that want in, providing developers with a secure mechanism that can ping a Market License Server upon launch in order to see if a particular app was indeed purchased legitimately. It's hard to say how exactly this will affect usability (specifically in offline scenarios), but it's certainly an interesting twist to the whole situation. Expect to hear lots of growling on both sides as more and more apps opt to take advantage. [Thanks, Jonathan]
Tweaker ports Samsung's TouchWIz UI onto non-rooted Nexus One for reasons unknown
This one's been kicking around the interwebs for a few weeks now, but it has managed to grow into something of a beast during that period. Frankly, we couldn't think of less fitting way to send the glorious Nexus One out than to completely deface it and ruin what Google has worked so hard to perfect. But regardless of what we think, that's exactly what has happened here. One rolle3k over at xda developers clearly has a masochistic gene or two planted inside of his skull, but at least his APK doesn't require your N1 to be rooted before providing you access to a TouchWiz user interface. Feel free to hit the source if you're up for seeing what you've been missing out on, but only if you literally cannot think of a single better thing to do with your time.
Gartner: Symbian is 're-arranging the deck chairs,' losing buoyancy fast
We all know that Symbian is still holding the fort as the globe's most widely used mobile OS, but anyone interested in criticizing it nowadays will have to get into a queue. Nick Jones from Gartner is latest to launch a broadside against the apparently complacent market leader, opining that its user experience has been surpassed by iOS and Android, and arguing that future iterations do not promise enough innovation to make the platform stand out. He underpins these observations with his firm's latest estimates, which indicate Symbian's decline in share is accelerating, before positing the idea that the Foundation sets aside some talent for skunkworks projects in order to give itself fallback options should Symbian^4 not be blindingly marvelous. Nick might be going a little overboard with the bleakness of his outlook, but there's no questioning his "Android iceberg" analogy -- if Symbian doesn't find the right course soon, Google might well end up collecting a big chunk of its exasperated users.
iOS has a bigger dev army than Android, but will cross-platform apps rule the day?
We oftentimes hear raw numbers of apps bandied about in mobile OS comparisons, but we rarely get any idea of just how many developers are behind the scenes working for each platform. This is the void of knowledge filled by AppStore HQ today, who have gone to their dev directory -- claimed to be a complete listing of all 55,000+ coders whose work is currently available for consumption in the Apple App Store or Android Market -- and stacked them into neat piles of Apple, Google and Gapple programmers. It's immediately apparent that single-platform development is the norm (with Apple holding the predictable edge), but AppStore HQ also provides a list of some of the most well known (and well funded) apps doing the cross-platform dance, and suggests that a movement is afoot toward making software available for both sets of users. Then again, the BNET article below points out the difficulties faced by smaller outfits, who might struggle to find the resources required to port their content over and maintain the skills required to be multi-platform, resulting in them sticking to one environment, irrespective of what allures others might throw their way. Give them both a read, we say.
Sprint: EVO 4G users getting Android 2.2 'in the near future' (Update: No upgrade for Moment, Hero)
It looks like EVO 4G users will soon have one more thing to smile about, as Sprint has just announced that an Android 2.2 (aka Froyo) upgrade will indeed be coming to the "superphone." With the Android 2.2 upgrade, customers can expect improvements to include the following benefits: updates to user interface, improved EAS Support, improved browser performance, including Flash 10x Support, voice dialing over Bluetooth and application storage on external memory. No word on a timeframe yet, but you'll know as soon as we do -- promise. Update: According to this tweet from the carrier: "HTC EVO will be updated to Android 2.2; Samsung Moment & HTC Hero will not. Future devices launching w/ 2.1 will be also be updated to 2.2."
Android 2.2 coming to Droid in 'late July,' Droid X in 'late August?'
Care for some more specificity on when exactly to expect the Droid X to become even awesomer? Well, according to one "very reliable" source over at Droid Forums, we can look forward to a late August landing for Android 2.2 on the X, which will be preceded by a late July delivery on the venerable Droid. Both dates are caveated with an ominous "currently planned" proviso, so don't consider them carved in (Mile)stone, but we're liking the idea of Motorola having both its flagship devices tasting of Froyo by summer's end. There's no mention of the Droid 2, however, which may mean nothing or might suggest that handset's still a fair way away from its release. We shall see.
