The latest edition of the Google Android Platform Versions report is now available. Recent trends continued in the latest report period which ended today. KitKat adoption continues to climb as its predecessor Jelly Bean continued its steady decline. But there was some drama as well: The aging Gingerbread release showed that it’s not quite ready to exit the stage gracefully. KitKat jumped another […]
Android
Android Device Manager updated with “Call me back” feature
Google today released an update to Android Device Manager that a new feature to make it easier to recover a lost or stolen smartphone. The service already lets you locate your device, reset your device’s screen lock PIN and remotely wipe it if it cannot be recovered. With version 1.3.8, it adds an option to set up a “Call me […]
Android accounts for nearly 85% of smartphone shipments in Q2 2014
From humble beginnings in 2008 with the T-Mobile G1, Android has quickly established itself as the most popular mobile operating system in the world. It accounted for 80% of all smartphones shipped in Q2 2013. Many wondered whether Android could go much further. A year later, the latest Strategy Analytics numbers show Android continuing to grow. For Q2 2014, Android […]
Google Android enterprise security suite coming as Samsung drops Knox
A lot of eyebrows went up at Google I/O 2014 when Google announced that Samsung had turned over its Knox enterprise security suite in a bid to help improve the overall security of Android. It turns out that the move may have been an early sign that the company was getting out of the mobile security space. Forbes today reported that […]
Android factory reset feature leaves data recoverable?
Anyone who has sold a smartphone has (hopefully) used the Factory Reset feature to wipe all personal data before handing their old device to a complete stranger. Security firm Avast has found that this may not enough when it comes to Android devices. The firm bought 20 Android devices from eBay and used “simple and easily available recovery software” in […]
Android KitKat jumps to 18% in latest Android platform versions data
What a difference a month can make. Google today published the latest edition of the Google Android Platform Versions report and Android KitKat has jumped from 13.6% to 17.9%. As impressive as the jump is, there is even better news. KitKat is finally on more devices than the aging Gingerbread release which now stands at 13.5%. Not only are new […]
Microsoft readying Android-powered Lumia smartphone and Surface Mini tablet?
The week kicks off with a couple of interesting rumours courtesy of @evleaks. The first suggests that Microsoft could soon release an Android-powered Lumia smartphone while the second indicates that Microsoft will release the Surface Mini tablet after all. Should Microsoft release an Android-powered Lumia device, it could represent a seismic shift at Microsoft. The Lumia brand has been used […]
“Ok Google” reaches deeper into Android with latest update
The latest version of Google Search is spreading the reach of the “Ok Google” voice command deeper into Android and its apps. In versions before 3.5.14, the voice command only worked on the home screen but the latest version makes it possible to use it wherever you are and that even includes the lock screen. Note that the new setting […]