With the news that Microsoft acquired Nokia’s Devices & Services division earlier this week, not all of the 32,000 employees expected to join Microsoft may actually want to do so. In fact, the same day that Microsoft announced its acquisition, former employee, Thomas Zilliacus, who once led the group’s Asia-Pacific team, formed a new company called Newkia. Its objective is […]
Android
Android Jelly Bean now on 45% of Android devices
Google has once again updated its ‘Platform Versions’ chat showing the current distribution of Android versions across devices accessing the Google Play store. There are a few notable changes in this latest edition. Android Jelly Bean (versions 4.1.x and 4.2.x) has jumped forward again, increasing its share from 40.5% last month to 45.1%. Missing is the latest version of Jelly […]
Nokia pokes a bit of fun at Android KitKat and Samsung
Let’s kick the day off with a bit of fun! Nokia Germany is having a chuckle or two at the expense of Google and also taking a small swipe at Samsung in passing. Following Google’s recent announcement that the next version of Android will be called KitKat, the German side of the Finnish manufacturer sent out a tweet with an […]
BBM for Android caught on video
BlackBerry plans to launch BBM for Android and iPhone by the end of the summer. A beta version of the Android version made its way to the BlackBerry Beta Zone last month and even then the app was described as “not bad.” Now a video has surfaced showing BBM in operation on an Android device. In fact, this is a […]
Android mobile app revenues to hit US$6.8 billion in 2013
Android mobile app revenues are expected to nearly double this year from last year. ABI Research expects that they will reach almost US$6.8 billion by the end of the year. While iOS still dominates this space, estimated to be worth US$27 billion in 2013, Android is catching up quickly thanks in large part to dominant smartphone sales. For example, Android accounted […]
Jean-Baptiste Quéru leaves AOSP
Jean-Baptiste Quéru, the voice behind the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) program, today announced his departure from the group. The move appears to be tied to the fact that factory images or driver binaries for the Google Nexus 7 (2013) may never be posted on the Google Developers website due to legal concerns. JBQ as many call him does not […]
Android Key Lime Pie spotted running on Nexus 4 and Nexus 7?
The last major update to Android was last year’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean release. Smaller updates have followed since, including the recent Android 4.3 Jelly Bean release. At the same time, signs that Google is readying the next major Android version keep popping up. One such sign is a set of tests logged in the Chromium bug tracker that show […]
Google granted USPTO patent for Android app launch pattern unlock feature
A new patent granted by the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) may have just given us some hints at some future functionality Google has planned for its Android pattern unlock security feature. Today, the unlock pattern helps protect your device and your data but it also prevents you from quickly accessing an app. Security at the price of […]