By RyanKamauff
Here are the top mobile news and stories of the day.
- Pebble smartwatches begin shipping to backers this afternoon, iOS app still pending – The Pebble smartwatch was a huge Kickstarter success story, so much so that they did not know how to deal with the popularity. They are manufacturing 500 units a day, with the desired outcome to be 2,400 units a day. While I’m a big proponent of smartwatches, I will be interested to check out this device and see how it compares to my MOTOACTV. Via Engadget, more here.
- Gartner: Samsung top chip buyer last year, surpasses Apple – Samsung spent more money buying silicon during 2012 than any other manufacturer, outstripping Apple (number 1 last year). Samsung also produces a lot of their own silicon. Additionally, Apple has dropped Samsung as a manufacturer (which might drop or raise) their total costs for 2013. Via Phone Arena, more here.
- Android vs iOS by the numbers as 2013 kicks off – IDC’s 2012 Q3 stats put Android at 75% of marketshare, compared to iOS’ 14.9%. While most indications show iOS had a strong Q4, those stats are not yet available. There were over 180M total smartphones sold in the year. It looks like the standard Android device will be a quad-core, 5″ 1080p screen with 1GB+ of RAM. Via Android Community, more here.
- Facebook tops Google Maps for #1 spot in used mobile apps list, but Google retains 5 of top 6 spots – The Facebook app has topped Google Maps for the most used mobile app of 2012. Most analysts believe this is due to the roll out of iOS 6, which removed Google Maps as the default mapping application. When it was re-released, it was downloaded over 1M times in the first day. The next 5 top apps used were; Google Maps, Play, Search, Gmail and You Tube. Via 9to5Mac, more here.
- Look Out Apple, The Samsung Galaxy S IV Display Is Rumored To Blow Past Retina Quality – Rumors and reports suggest that the Galaxy S4 will have a 4.99″ 1080p Super AMOLED display. It will be 440ppi, which top any other screen on a device. It is said that the eye cannot discern more than 300ppi anyways, so only time will tell if the screen is noticeably better than others. Via TechCrunch, more here.
- As BlackBerry 10 phones near, hopes send RIM stock rising – The stock of RIM has almost doubled since one analyst upgraded his recommendation to hold instead of sell on the Canadian tech company. Previews of BB10 have been well received, and some believe RIM may once again take a hold of the enterprise market (this analyst does not). Via ComputerWorld, more here.
- How Verizon Almost Put Siri On Every Android Phone Back In 2009 – Before Siri was purchased by Apple, the application had entered into a deal to put the application exclusively on Verizon Android devices. Of course, Apple put the kibosh on this deal, and the rest is history. Via Cult of Mac, more here.
- Nexus 4 arrives back in stock with T-Mobile – The unicorn of smartphones, the Nexus 4 is now back in stock at T-Mobile online. While T-Mobile offers the smartphone only on contracts, or for a lot more than Google does, if you are okay with your T-Mobile account, sign away. Via Android Community, more here.
- New stunning 3D game for Android will let you fight for all the oil you can get – A new game is coming out for Android, and it looks amazing. Oil Rush 3D allows you to compete in a strategic naval game focused on a lengthy campaign with many capabilities. Via Phone Arena, more here.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.