IOS

Android's one killer feature that trumps the iPhone

At Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC 2012) next week in San Francisco we expect to see the latest iteration of iOS unveiled with a laundry list of updates to extend the growing appeal of the iPhone. But, there's still one key feature that Apple isn't likely to improve enough to catch up with Android.

While iOS 6 will reportedly include Apple's new 3D Maps app, Facebook integration, an update to Siri, and a revamped mobile iTunes store, the platform still has one big weak spot: Alerts.

It's hard to argue that Android is more usable … Read more

Android updates embarrassing, but do users notice?

It was big news this week that most Android phones haven't yet been upgraded to the latest Android operating system. Developers also seem to still prefer writing apps for Apple devices, despite Google's predictions. That's sure embarrassing for Google. But does it make that much of a difference to the Android user? I'll offer myself up as a reality check.

The statistics on the sorry situation come from Google itself. Only 7.1 percent of devices that have recently accessed Google Play are listed as using the latest Android 4 "Ice Cream Sandwich" version … Read more

Facebook App Center has its kinks (First Take)

Facebook's App Center has arrived, and it's got more than 600 apps in tow, including big hitters like Pinterest, Draw Something, Nike+, Path, and Ghost Recon. Let's take a look at how it all works.

The first thing you should know is that App Center is not a Facebook marketplace akin to Google Play or Apple's App Store. Rather, it's a hub for discovering new and interesting apps based on your Facebook activity and your friends' activity. In fact, whenever App Center recommends a mobile app, it actually links out to Google Play and iTunes … Read more

T-Mobile to offer iPhone-compatible '4G' at WWDC

During Apple's WWDC at Moscone West next week, T-Mobile has said that it will have an iPhone-compatible 4G network on hand for attendees, according to the Apple news blog 9to5Mac.

The carrier just announced last month that it's network would be compatible with the iPhone later this year, but few expected it to happen so soon.

Here's what a T-Mobile spokesperson told 9to5Mac:

While upgrading coverage inside the West side of the Moscone Center, T-Mobile has also deployed 4G HSPA+ service in the 1900 MHz band to test the live network on a small scale. As part … Read more

What I want to see in iOS 6

As is always the case with every Apple event, there's really no way we can know what the company will announce at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on Monday. I'm personally hoping Tim Cook will walk out there with the iPhone 5 (my iPhone 4 is getting a little rough around the edges), but others are saying that won't come until fall. We're probably about due for a Mountain Lion update as well, but many are saying that won't be here until later in the summer.

Tune in Monday anytime after 8 a.m. PT for our Apple WWDC keynote live blog.

Of course that leaves a ton of possibilities, from new laptop refreshes to Apple TVs, and who knows what else Apple has up its sleeve. But most people agree that an announcement about iOS 6 will probably be a major part of the presentation this Monday.

With that in mind, I've got a few things on my personal wish list for iOS 6.… Read more

Windows Phone to outshine Apple's iOS by 2016, says report

Microsoft has gotten off to a slow start in the mobile world -- but a new analysis suggests it could edge its way into second place within four years.

Windows Phone will capture a market share of 19.2 percent in 2016, up from just 5.2 percent this year, projects market-research firm IDC. That number will inch past the 19 percent share garnered by Apple's iOS, down slightly from 20.5 percent this year. The surge in Microsoft's mobile share will receive a big boost from demand for Nokia's Lumia phones, especially in key emerging markets, … Read more

Windows Phone Marketplace hits the 100K app milestone

In just 20 months, more than 100,000 apps have been published to the Windows Phone Marketplace. That means 313 apps per day, according to the blog All About Windows Phone.

Not bad for an apps store playing catch up with Apple's iTunes and Google's Play. According to All About Windows Phone, Microsoft's mobile-app marketplace hit the 100,000 benchmark faster than Android, which took 24 months, but slower than iOS, which hit the mark in 16 months.

Last July Microsoft's store reached 25,000 apps and by December it had 50,000 apps, making it … Read more

How Microsoft might counter Google's Quickoffice move

Google Docs has made some inroads against Microsoft Office, but not nearly enough.

That's no doubt a big reason for Google's latest acquisition, Quickoffice, announced today. Now the question becomes will the cross-mobile-platform productivity suite Quickoffice give Google a better leg up against Microsoft's Office?

Quickoffice runs on iPhones, iPad, Android, Android tablets and Symbian devices. And Office 15, the coming version of Microsoft's productivity app suite, will run on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows Phone and, perhaps soon the iPad and Android, too. The one-two punch of Office 15 (aka Office 2013, the … Read more

Latest iPhone 5 leak teases more RAM, map tweaks

While Apple's next iPhone isn't expected to arrive until later this year, details of what the device will look like and how Apple might change some of its key software features continue to trickle out.

The latest comes from 9to5Mac, which earlier this week posted purported photos of the front and back of upcoming iPhone models. Today the blog has a follow-up with details of a development version of the hardware, and iOS 6 -- the next major version of iOS Apple is expected to debut at the company's developer conference in a few weeks.

Citing an … Read more