Posts filed under ‘Android’
Android Smartphone Shipments to Grow Faster Than Apple’s iPhone
According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global Android smartphone shipments will grow 900 percent in 2009. Healthy support from operators, vendors and developers is driving adoption. Apple iPhone OS will be the next fastest-growing smartphone operating system in 2009, with a 79 percent growth rate. Tom Kang, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “We forecast global Android smartphone shipments to grow an impressive 900 percent annually during 2009. The Android mobile operating system from Google gained early traction in the United States in the second half of 2008 and it is gradually spreading its presence into Europe and Asia during 2009. Android is expanding from a low base and it is consequently outgrowing the iPhone OS from Apple, which we estimate will grow at a relatively lower 79 percent annually in 2009.”Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Android has fast been winning healthy support among operators, vendors and developers. A relatively low-cost licensing model, its semi-open-source structure and Google’s support for cloud services have encouraged companies such as HTC, Motorola, Samsung, T Mobile, Vodafone and others to support the Android operating system. Android is now in a good position to become a top-tier player in smartphones over the next two to three years.”
Google brings e-books to mobiles
Google is making its vast online library of books available for mobile phones. We are excited to announce the launch of a mobile version of Google Book Search, opening up over 1.5 million mobile public domain books in the US (and over half a million outside the US) for you to browse, the company said.The Internet search giant, in a post on Thursday on the Google Book Search blog, said mobile versions of the books could be read on devices such as the Apple iPhone or T-Mobile G1, which is powered by Google’s Android software.
These new mobile editions are optimized to be read on a small screen, Google said. With this launch, we believe that we’ve taken an important step toward more universal access to books.
T-Mobile G1 launches in Germany
The T-Mobile G1 is now in Germany. It is the first mobile phone in the world with the Android operating system. Top features include the intuitive user interface and direct access to services such as Google search, Google Maps, Google Mail and numerous applications from independent providers via Android Market.
Other features include HSDPA for mobile bandwidths of up to 7.2 Mbit/s, WLAN, a built-in compass, a five-row QWERTY keyboard, the trackball, the built-in GPS receiver and the large, slide-out touch screen display with three user-friendly starting views. T-Mobile is now offering the device to consumers as part of a 24-month contract with the new Combi Flat XS, S, M and L rates. T-Mobile G1 costs just EUR 1 in conjunction with the Combi Flat S, M and L voice and data flat rates.
The T-Mobile G1 is already enjoying tremendous success in the US and the UK, and it impresses the experts: The jury of the renowned Global Mobile Awards nominated T-Mobile G1 as a finalist in the “Best Mobile Handset or Device” category. The unique Android open source software and the extremely user-friendly design were key factors in the decision. The international association of network operators (GSMA) will award the prize at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the largest event of its kind in the worldwide mobile industry, on February 17, 2009.
The T-Mobile G1 represents an exceptional mobile Internet experience: Users can access the functions or surf the Internet with a simple finger tap on the display. Google services, familiar to millions of people from their desktop PC, can now be used efficiently and conveniently on the move with the T-Mobile G1. One example is the Google search engine, where the suggest feature’s automatic term recognition allows users to find the information or entertainment content they are looking for by entering a minimum of information.
The T-Mobile G1’s browser loads Internet pages very quickly as it is constantly connected to the Internet. The navigation service on Google Maps makes it no problem for customers to find their current location and, if they wish, call up detailed directions. Google Maps also makes it possible to find individual addresses, such as restaurants or cinemas.
The T-Mobile G1 is the first cell phone in the world to enable access to Android Market with more than 700 applications from international developers already available. As a result, users can personalize their phone with just a few clicks. New services and applications constantly expand the range of programs available. The smart shopping assistant, ShopSavvy, and the Wikitude application, conveniently displaying information on numerous attractions, are two examples of the exciting and successful Android Market programs. A software update will soon allow users to access chargeable programs as well.
HTC Sapphire next Android smartphone?
The next HTC phone to be powered by the Google Android is called the HTC Sapphire. The pictures here indicated it will have a similar trackball design as T-Mobile G1 but without a hardware keyboard.The details of this supposed T-Mobile G2 is unknown yet, from the images however it’s probably a 3.2 megapixel camera module without a flash LED at the back. According to the source it will be available in mid-May.
Huawei readied itself for Android launch
We already knew Huawei’s gearing up to enter the Android smartphone market, and have confirmed plans to show its first device at Mobile World Congress which will happen on February. We haven’t seen any Huawei set as of yet, so the new phone might just stay in China. Huawei isn’t the only one with Android phones this year, Samsung is also planning a launch of their own. So stay tuned for more Android action on down the road.
Spin3 Raises the Stakes With First Mobile Casino for the Groundbreaking Android G1
Leading full service mobile gaming solutions provider Spin3, powered by Microgaming, the world’s largest online gaming software provider, has today announced the launch of web-based mobile casino games for the Android G1 phone.
Spin3’s new casino games for the Android G1 operate as web applications. The web-based games, which include Blackjack and Roulette, the progressive play slot game Major Millions and the popular Tomb Raider, eliminate the need to download and install games and enable users to play instantly. By combining the Android G1’s screen quality and touch-screen controls, Spin3’s mobile casino games offer the most advanced mobile casino experience to date.
Matti Zinder, Head of Spin3, says, “Following hot on the heels of the iPhone, the G1, which uses the Google Android operating system, is a new must-have handset for the consumer market. Around 1.5 million Android G1 phones were pre-ordered before it was even launched. That’s a phenomenal number. The launch of mobile casino games on the Android G1 is part of Spin3’s wider strategy to offer its leading games as web applications for use on web-based smartphones. The G1 offers a powerful breakthrough for the mobile world with a fast, stable, operating system which is all about connectivity, interactivity and the internet. This technology and the mobile internet combine to provide a streamlined channel on which to deliver our games, and a mobile gaming experience that is on par with online.”
Matti Zinder continues, “Our ability to provide casino games for the foremost consumer handsets — the Android G1 and the iPhone — confirms Spin3’s leadership in the mobile gaming industry and enables our clients to offer their customers casino games on the most cutting-edge mobile devices.
“Mobile internet technology represents the next step in the evolution of mobile telephony. The versatility of the Google Android operating system and the fact that it is an open source system means that it is only a matter of time before other handset manufacturers launch devices based on this platform. Spin3 already supports the first device to run on the Google Android system and as new devices are launched, we are confident our development team will continue to adapt our games to support these as well. Spin3 is committed to driving change and innovation, and we are confident that the development of our games portfolio and systems for the new generation of smartphones, including the Android G1, will win mobile gaming that mass-market appeal that it deserves.”
Motorola and Sony Ericsson continue further cost cutting
Motorola and Sony Ericsson, two of the world’s most well-known phone manufacturers, signalled more evidence of their plight last week with a raft of further cost cutting. Motorola is set to cut 4,000 jobs in addition to the 3,000 it announced in 2008, in a bid to reduce costs. The majority of cuts will come from its mobile devices division to save $700m (£481m) in 2009, in addition to the $800m (£550) it said it would save in 2009 from its restructure last year.
Motorola will now focus almost completely on phones based on the Android operating system, rather than Windows Mobile. It is also scaling back the number of new handsets it will produce.Last week, Sony Ericsson announced results that were worse than many analysts had expected, posting a £6.9m loss in 2008.
HTC projects double digit growth
HTC made a name for itself in 2008, culminating with the T-Mobile G1 launch in October. HTC’s president Peter Chou predicts that while things will be a tough in the short term, HTC is confident of double-digit growth this year. The handset maker reported that its yearly revenues for the year ending December 31, 2008 had grown 28.65 percent. The company enjoyed a sales boost in November, just after the October 22 release of the G1 on T-Mobile USA, when sales were boosted 10.76 percent. In December, it reported that G1 sales had been better than its one million unit prediction, though it did not give a specific figure.
T-Mobile to launch G1 Android Mobile in Germany from 2 February
T-Mobile will launch the G1 Android mobile phone in Germany from 2 February. Already available in the US and UK, T-Mobile is also introducing the phone from the same date in Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and the Netherlands. The touch-screen phone with slide-out qwerty keyboard features HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS, direct access to a range of Google services and push e-mail. The phone was developed by HTC and is supported by the Android Market for applications. In Germany, the phone will sell from EUR 1 with 24-month service contracts for the Combi Flat M and L plans. Customers can also pick from the Combi XS, S, M and L plans with the G1, and business users can buy the G1 with Combi Flat Business service plans. In the Netherlands, the phone is available free with a two-year Relax 300 plan at EUR 29.95 per month. Customers can also choose other Relax, Flex and MyFaves plans. Czech customers can get the phone for CZK 1 with a two-year contract and minimum monthly payment of CZK 2,300.
China Mobile Close to Launching 3G “Google Phone”
China Mobile is reported to be nearing a launch of a smartphone based on the Google backed, Android operating system – a source close the matter told the South China Morning Post. The handset, codenamed the OPhone will also run on China Mobile’s new TD-SCDMA 3G network.China Mobile has been known to be working on an Android based smartphone for some time – but reportedly was having problems developing a Chinese language version of the Operating System.The new handset is anticipated to be launched within the next three months.
Lenovo Mobile is claimed to be the handset vendor – said the source who requested anonymity ahead of the product’s official release, although previous reports had suggested that several companies are working on Android based phones for the mobile operator.The company has also been rumoured to be working on its own in-house developed OS platform for 3G phones.
Free calls from Skype could come soon to iPhones
Free calls over Skype, the Internet communications service, could be coming soon to the iPhone. Skype, a subsidiary of eBay Inc., said Thursday at the International Consumer Electronics Show that a version of its Internet calling and instant-messaging software is available for Google Inc.’s Android cell phone platform as a free download. And it indicated an iPhone Skype program isn’t far behind. Scott Durschlag, Skype’s chief operating officer, said Skype’s iPhone application is still under development. Engineers are still working on cutting the amount of power the application consumes, he said.
Skype would not be the first iPhone program that makes use of Internet calling technology to save people from having to spend their cellular minutes. But when Apple started letting outside companies make programs for the iPhone, it barred voice-over-Internet applications from connecting to the cellular network, leaving them functional only when the user is in a Wi-Fi hot spot.Apple representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Skype’s Durschlag opened his presentation on a bright note despite undercurrents of economic gloom in the tech industry.
Nokia And Motorola Dominate China’s Smartphone Sales
Apple and RIM may be eating into its share of the smart phone market in developed markets, but Nokia is still king of the smart phone in China, where its third quarter share of sales reached an overwhelmingly dominant 69.3 percent, according to a new research report from China research group CCID Consultancy.
Nokia does especially well, CCID found, as the handset maker has a product offering that spans the low, mid, and high tiers of the market. There was also good news for the embattled Motorola, which has the second largest share of the Chinese smartphone market, cornering 19.9 percent of Q3 sales. Motorola does best with the mid-range of the market. The combined share of the two companies accounts for nearly 90 percent of smartphone sales in China. In third place, was local handset maker Dopod (4.7 percent), followed by Korean electronics firm Samsung (2.5 percent).
As for the actual number of handsets sold, the figure was 7.474 million, staying mostly flat (up 0.6 percent from the second quarter). Sales revenues in the third quarter hit 18.17 billion yuan ($2.65 billion), up 4.5 percent from Q2. Smart phone sales accounted for 19.3 percent of total mobile phone sales in China.
CCID expects China’s smartphone sales to grow moderately, but may see a boost from the launch of Android-based smart phones, which the research group said has caught the attention of many phone manufacturers in China.
AIK Research 