Matchbox Mobile » Industry News

Gartner: Android Outsells Apple’s IPhone in the U.S.

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:26:28 +0000

Google Inc.’s Android platform is the most popular smartphone software in the U.S., overtaking Apple Inc.’s iPhone and the BlackBerry from Research In Motion Ltd., according to Gartner Inc.

Worldwide, Android became the third-best-selling operating system in the second quarter, with 17.2 percent of sales compared with 1.8 percent a year earlier, the Stamford, Connecticut-based market researcher said in a note today. It trails Nokia Oyj’s Symbian and RIM, Gartner said.

The Android operating system has outpaced sales of Apple software in the U.S. and abroad this year because it’s available on a wider array of phones and carriers, analysts have said. The two operating systems are competing for share of smartphone sales, which gained 50.5 percent in the quarter. That’s more than three times the growth for the market as a whole.

Read more here.

Android attacks uncovered

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:16:16 +0000

Two new attacks on Android mobile phones and other devices have been uncovered by security firms.

One, a piece of malware posing as a movie player, sends text messages to premium-rate numbers, collecting charges applied to the user. Kaspersky Labs, which found the program, claims it is the first SMS-based malware attack on mobiles running Google’s Android operating system. It is thought to be most prevalent among Russian users; the threat to worldwide users is said to be low.

Vodafone reverses 360 strategy – cloud not devices

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:03:53 +0000

One of the biggest dilemmas facing operators, as they seek to keep their brands foremost in users’ minds despite the sparkle of Android and Apple, is where they can best achieve this. Should they take on Nokia in branding the devices, create their own user interface to rival HTC Sense – or, and perhaps more realistically, draw their power from the capabilities of their networks and servers? Some carriers are admitting defeat at the smartphone end and looking to attract customers and new revenues by harnessing network features like location, and the growing importance of the mobile cloud.

Vodafone seems to be going in this direction with a rethink of its 360 web services strategy, launched last year but delivering mixed results so far. The cellco now plans to give up on own-branded handsets for 360, reports Total Telecom, and focus instead on expanding the mobile back-up and other cloud services under the brand.

Read more here.

Microsoft confirms that everything is done to get developers to support Windows Phone 7

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:34:47 +0000

Microsoft’s Senior Director, Todd Brix, has told Bloomberg today that the company is providing financial incentives ranging from free tools and test handsets to funds for software development and marketing to developers to build Windows Phone 7 applications. Microsoft is in some cases providing revenue guarantees.

“We are investing a lot to attract developers big and small to Windows Phone 7 to let them understand what the opportunity is and provide as many resources as we can to help them be successful on our platform,” Brix said. “We’re open for business and we want to work with them.”

It seems that the majority of the commenters and bloggers are getting things twisted a little bit here. No where did Microsoft confirm that they are “throwing loads of cash” at iPhone devs to switch to Windows Phone 7, like it has been rumored before. People need to understand that this is called developer relation and that it has always excited on the console market (MS is doing exactly the same thing with XBOX for example) and any other Software sector. One thing you have to realise is that applications like the official Facebook app for Windows Mobile and Zune HD or the Twitter application for the Zune HD aren’t even developed by MS! They are developed by a software company named Matchbox Mobile who also develop Symbian, Android and Brew applications. Microsoft isn’t making it rain on iPhone devs folks, this is just standard developer relation.

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ComScore: Android grows US smartphone market share as all others decline

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:54:14 +0000

The latest comScore numbers are out for the three-month period ending in May 2010. The most notable trend spotted was a 4 point (up from 9.0% to 13.0%) quarterly increase in Google’s Android market share as all other smartphone OS subscribers declined. ComScore also saw Motorola’s slide continue, slipping behind LG now for a third place US finish as Samsung continued to bolster its dominant position. Expect the numbers to be jostled a bit next quarter when Apple’s iPhone 4 numbers are factored in. Just don’t expect to see the Android numbers suffer, especially with the Samsung Galaxy S launching on all the major US carriers before the quarter is done.

Read more here.

Apple officially announce iPhone 4 and iOS 4

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 10:10:52 +0000

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has officially announced the iPhone 4, the next-generation smartphone from this company. This will thinner than the current model, but offer a much better screen, faster processor, and other enhancements. It lines up with the information and images that leaked out of Apple in recent months, stealing much of the thunder from Jobs’ announcement.

Read more here.

Yahoo and Nokia Join Forces for E-mail and Maps

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 08:32:44 +0000

Nokia and Yahoo announced a partnership today that will meld the companies’ e-mail, chat and mapping services across their respective platforms. In addition to sharing services with one another, Nokia and Yahoo will be working on making the login process more seamless.

Nokia currently offers mapping and navigation tools for its phones under its Ovi brand; with the new partnership, Yahoo Maps will now be “powered by Ovi.” In exchange, Yahoo will become the exclusive provider for Nokia’s Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat services, which will be branded with a “powered by Yahoo” message.

Read more here.

Mobile market up, smartphones up, Android and iPhone way up

admin — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:05:32 +0000

The mobile phone market is up big for the first quarter of 2010 after sales declines during 2009, according to the latest sales figures released by market research firm Gartner. Smartphones are also growing faster each quarter as they continue to replace feature phones for many users. No surprise that the iPhone and Android-based phones saw the biggest gains, as the two platforms were the only two in the top five to gain market share year-over-year.

Read more here.

HP to buy Palm

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:54:41 +0000

HP is going to acquire Palm in a deal worth about $1.2 billion. HP, which has a long history of making smartphones using Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system, will switch to Palm’s webOS.

Palm is going to be run as a separate business unit inside of HP. Palm is going to contribute its expertise in developing what HP describes as a ”world-class mobile operating system and platform” while HP is going to give Palm the financial backing the company needs to compete successfully with larger rivals like Microsoft and Google.

Read more here.

Intel runs Android on Atom chips

admin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:52:47 +0000

Chip giant Intel has revealed that it can run Google’s Android operating system on its Atom chips. The low-powered chips are designed specifically for portable devices such as smartphones and netbooks. The move is significant because before now Android has most often been found on mobile phones based around chips designed by UK firm Arm.

Read more here.