IPhone

Google updated its Shopping Express app for iPhone today with support for loyalty cards from “lots of stores,” and other improvements. Among the enhancements are a faster method of adding items to your shopping cart and the ability to zoom in on product photos.

The update also adds support for autocorrect in the search bar, which should help people who suck at typing (like me) find what they’re looking for much more easily. Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper app update without a miscellaneous collection of unnamed “bug fixes,” so that’s included as well.

The update is available for free on the iPhone App Store.

The LG Nexus 5 review: Are the downgraded G2 specs offset by pure Kit Kat? (Spoiler: Yes!)

Seth Weintraub Nov 11 2013 - 11:31 am PT

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As I come up on a week of use with the LG Nexus 5, a few things become clear:

Tradeoffs were made to get this phone to $349. After some thought, I probably would have made the same decisions if $349 was my target price.
I hate carrier and manufacturer ‘improvements’ more than ever. Having a ‘pure Google‘ phone is liberating.
This will likely be my main Android phone for the next the year.
This won’t be a best seller, even if it should be because it is the best value phone we’ll see all year.

How did I draw these conclusions? Start the week ago flashback sequence…

Results on Nexus 5 camera poll: Perhaps not as bad as (over 20,000) people thought

Seth Weintraub Nov 7 2013 - 11:06 am PT

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The results from our Nexus 5 vs. iPhone 5s photo quality survey are in. The winner is probably not a surprise (the iPhone 5s) but the margin may have been a bit of a surprise after so many people rated the Nexus 5 camera so poorly (and Google subsequently offered promises of fixes).

At the time we turned on the answers, the iPhone won about 55% of the votes overall from over 200,000 votes placed.

Nexus 5 − 89724 (45%)

iPhone 5S – 110828 (55%)

After testing the Nexus 5 camera for a few days, it is pretty clear that it isn’t the best shooter out there, and even the best Android shooter. But it also isn’t that bad. In fact, I think it might be a bit better than other high profile phones like the MotoX. The weaknesses in the survey and in my own testing is in speed (it is slow, especially in low light), Low light images in general weren’t great and paradoxically over-exposure outside in well lit situations (though people in the survey seemed to appreciate that bias) seemed to happen frequently with the Nexus 5.

The bottom line however is that the Nexus 5 camera isn’t the best but it really isn’t that bad – especially for a $350 phone. Full results before we turned on the labels below:
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Google Drive for iOS updated with multiple account support, printing

Mark Gurman Nov 7 2013 - 9:23 am PT

Following the significant revamp of Google’s iOS Search app earlier this week, the search company updated its Google Drive application for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with several new features.

What’s New in Version 2.1.0

– Multiple Account Support. You can now switch between personal, work, or any other Google account
– Single Sign In: Sign in once to Google Drive and you’ll automatically be signed in to apps like YouTube, Google Maps, Chrome, and G+
– Print your files now with Google Cloud Print or AirPrint
– iOS 7 Support

Notably, users can now have multiple accounts on Drive for iOS and the app supports single-sign-on across Google apps on iOS. Also new is increased compatibility for iOS 7 and printing either via AirPrint or Google Cloud Print.

Samsung S4 retains best battery-life title in rigorous consumer association tests

Ben Lovejoy Nov 5 2013 - 6:03 am PT

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The Samsung Galaxy S4 has retained its title as winner of the highly-regarded Which? UK consumer association battery-life tests, despite competition from newer handsets. The S4 achieved call times 37 percent greater than its nearest rival, the HTC One. The results in web use were far closer, but the Samsung S4 took the lead there too.

The Galaxy S4 also won back in June, but retained its title in the face of new competition from the latest iPhones and an updated Nokia Lumia. Android handsets took the top three slots in call times, and the top four in web use …

Motorola makes a play for iPhone users with one-step iCloud migration tool

Ben Lovejoy Oct 17 2013 - 6:10 am PT

Motorola appears to be making a play for iPhone users, launching a tool yesterday to allow an iPhone user to easily transfer their contacts and calendars from iCloud to a Google account, ready for use on an Android phone.

The option has been added to the Moto Maker customization tool for the Moto X handset, which allows buyers to choose from 32 color combinations.

Transferring contacts and calendar appointments between platforms is, of course, nothing new: both Samsung and HTC offer tools to help import data from an iPhone. We also doubt too many iPhone users will be tempted to switch to a mid-range Android handset, even if it does come with many more color options than the iPhone 5c.

But the wording of Google’s announcement suggests it may be the first step in a more aggressive move on the iOS market by parent company Google. In his Google+ post, Motorola Mobility VP Punit Soni commented:

We added the ability to migrate your iPhone contacts and calendar to the Moto X (from Motomaker.com). There is a long way to go, but its a start…

The tool was created by Mark/Space, a company with a lengthy track-record in mobile synchronization, dating back to 2001.

Via GigaOM

Cheeky but clever LG phone ads auto-target Samsung, HTC & Apple handsets

Ben Lovejoy Oct 16 2013 - 6:04 am PT

Advertising Age reports on a clever mobile ad campaign by LG, in which browser identifiers are used to display an ad targeted directly at the handset being used.

To promote the brand’s G2 smartphone, [ad agency M&C Saatchi] created a series of banners that recognized — and responded snarkily — to the competitor phones on which they appeared.

In the example above, the ad seen by owners of the Samsung Galaxy S4 promotes the faster processor speed of the LG G2. See the HTC and Apple versions below …
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Google’s Sparrow mail app updated for the first time in months with new icon, iOS 7 fixes

Benjamin Mayo Oct 15 2013 - 8:14 am PT

Despite being bought out by Google, the replacement mail app Sparrow has now been updated for iOS 7. Whilst the developers behind Sparrow never said that work on the app had ceased, this was the implied meaning of Sparrow’s thank you letter still visible on the Sparrow website. Until today, the app had not been updated since December 2012, nearly a year ago.

This update brings compatibility bug fixes for iOS 7 as well as a new flatter icon, shown above. Even so, work on Sparrow is obviously not a priority for the team. Apart from a new icon, the point-fix update brings no new visual appearance to the app’s interface or any new features for users.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Mega – Carrying around a 6.3-inch tablet as your phone isn’t as crazy as it seems

Seth Weintraub Oct 5 2013 - 7:53 am PT

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Size comparison between Nexus 7, iPhone 5s and Galaxy Note 2 and S4

“Is that a Samsung Galaxy Mega in your pocket?”, is how the joke usually starts. Samsung, never content with having the biggest phone out there, released its crazy ‘Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3‘ contraption with a whopping 6.3″ display on AT&T customers in the US recently and I wanted to see if I could actually get by with it, and it alone, as not only my “Internet Communicator” but also my phone.

I should probably preface this with the fact that I’m a very sparse phone user. I rarely give my number out and even when I get a call, I rarely answer it. When I’m at my desk, I use Google Voice, Hangouts, Skype and iChat for voice communications. When I’m on the road, I’m on a cheap unlimited data plan which affords me 100 minutes of talk time a month. I usually use about half of that IYSWIM.

So with that in mind, how were my few weeks with the Mega?

Google Play Music ‘All Access’ for iOS reportedly landing this month following internal beta

Jordan Kahn Oct 3 2013 - 9:06 am PT

Since first announcing its Google Play Music ‘All Access’ streaming service earlier this year on Android, Google has been delaying the release of an official Google Play Music app for iOS for unknown reasons. Android chief Sundar Pichai originally said the app would be out in “the next few weeks” in May, but four months later we’ve yet to get an iOS app or access to the $9.99 month streaming service on iOS. Today, Engadget reports that Google is continuing to test the app internally and will launch it later this month:

Sources aware of Google’s plans have let slip to Engadget that not only is the company currently testing a native Google Music iOS app internally, but that it’ll launch later this month. We’re told that while employees have been invited to test the app, Google still needs to fix a few bugs before it’s ready for release… The company had previously closed the door on iOS users because Flash was needed to enforce DRM restrictions set by music labels. Now, Google appears to have overcome that issue and is nearly ready to launch.

Until the official app from Google launches, popular third-party clients like the gMusic app have been updated to support the “All Access” streaming service.
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Nexus 5 to “match or beat” iPhone 5s graphics performance – preliminary benchmarks

Ben Lovejoy Sep 26 2013 - 6:23 am PT

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The Nexus 5 appears set to match or beat the iPhone 5s in graphics performance, according to benchmark data posted on the the GFXBench website, achieving 23.1 frames per second in a key test.

The GFXBench T-Rex tests are one of the most demanding tests of the graphics performance of a phone, and provide a particularly good guide to how well a handset is likely to fare when paying graphics-intensive games. The just-released iPhone currently tops the T-Rex scores, but one of the four tests appears to show that the Adreno 330 expected to be used in the Nexus 5 will at least equal that performance …
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As Apple launches plastic phone, Samsung plans metal one?

Ben Lovejoy Sep 24 2013 - 6:42 am PT

Just as Apple launched a plastic iPhone, Samsung is reputedly planning a switch to a metal case for the Samsung S5 due to replace the S4 next year.

Taiwan’s Taipei Times cites supply-chain sources as saying that Samsung has been making enquiries about an order for up to 30 million metal cases for the 2014 version of its flagship handset. To add to the irony, Barclays analysts suggested that one of the manufacturers which may be in line for the contract is the same one that makes metal cases for both iPad and MacBook Pro.

Our checks suggest Catcher has been qualified as one of the major sources on the total metal casing smartphone volumes at 10 [million to] 30 million next year from Samsung. The final order allocation is to be confirmed in early first quarter 2014, subject to price bids by approved vendors.

Interestingly, a metal case would seem to rule out any plans by Samsung to take full advantage of its flexible display.

Via Gizmodo

BlackBerry announces BBM for Android arriving on September 21

Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2013 - 11:41 am PT

BBM-for-all

After first announcing that its popular BBM messaging service would be arriving on iOS and Android sometime during the summer, BlackBerry finally confirmed in a blog post today that the app would be released on Sept. 21 for Android followed by a release on iOS on Sept. 22.

BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean (Android 4.x) beginning at 7AM EDT on September 21. BBM for iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 will become available for each market on the App Store schedule of 12:01 AM local time on September 22. For more information, or to download BBM for Android or iPhone, visit www.BBM.com.

BBM for iPhone and Android will initially include chat, photo and voice note sharing, multi-person chats with up to 30 people, and the ability to post status updates and personal messages. However, BlackBerry says the apps will get BBM Channels in a future updates:

BBM will continue to evolve quickly. Later this year, BBM Channels will provide a forum for active, real conversations between you and the people, brands, celebrities, artists, service providers, communities and more, that matter to you. By creating a Channel, individuals and brands can engage their friends and communities in conversations sparked by their thoughts, ideas and passions. Subscribing to a Channel will let you join conversations with people who share your interests. In addition, BBM Video calling and BBM Voice calling are planned for availability for Android and iPhone in a future version.

The smartphone gold rush is underway: gold HTC one coming soon

Ben Lovejoy Sep 13 2013 - 4:58 am PT

With the gold iPhone 5s a very poorly-kept secret, it’s no surprise to see other brands getting in on the action. Engadget has received photos from a previously-reliable source (Sina Weibo, who leaked the blue model) of a gold-colored HTC One.

HTC could use a bit of a boost after a series of unhappy experiences.

It’s always next to impossible to judge the shade of a color from a photo, as angle and lighting can dramatically change the appearance, so we’ll have to wait to see whether this is something close to Apple’s champagne color or something more gaudy.

While many supposed parts leaks are fake, this one looks credible, and we suspect it won’t be the last gold smartphone we’ll see by the end of the year.

Samsung responds to new iPhones: will focus on China, says 64-bit chips coming for Galaxy phones

Benjamin Mayo Sep 12 2013 - 7:09 am PT

In an interview with the Korea Times, Samsung executives respond to Apple’s recent announcements in typical Samsung fashion. In order to better compete with Apple in China, Samsung confirmed that it would focus more on the huge Mainland market.

For example, the company says it has received clearance from Chinese authorities to sell TDD-LTE devices, to enable Samsung to offer phones that work on the world’s largest carrier, China Mobile. As a result of “changing market situations” (i.e. Apple), Samsung is accelerating its schedule for releasing these Chinese-friendly devices. Apple is expected to announce a partnership with China Mobile to sell the iPhone before the end of the year.

In addition, Shin, Samsung’s co-CEO announced that Samsung’s next Galaxy phones will feature 64-bit architectures, to rival the A7 in the iPhone 5s.

“Not in the shortest time. But yes, our next smartphones will have 64-bit processing functionality,” Shin said, adding he followed the media coverage of Apple’s new iPhone.

Shin’s noncommittal reply indicates that although 64-bit chips are on the roadmap, they will not arrive this year. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5s ships on September 20th.

While it is easy to make fun of Samsung for stereotypically copying everything Apple, it is important to remember that they are also likely making Apple’s 64-bit A7 processors.

Apple built Google Glass-like prototypes, says former Senior VP of iPod division

Ben Lovejoy Sep 10 2013 - 5:50 am PT

Tony Fadell, the Nest CEO who was Senior VP of Apple’s division from 2006 to 2008, says that Apple built prototypes of a similar device to Google Glass but “didn’t have time” to turn them into actual products.

Interviewed as part of Fast Company‘s Oral History of Apple Design series, Fadell said:

At Apple, we were always asking, What else can we revolutionize? We looked at video cameras and remote controls. The craziest thing we talked about was something like Google Glass. We said, “What if we make visors, so it’s like you’re sitting in a theater?” I built a bunch of those prototypes. But we had such success with the things we were already doing that we didn’t have time.

From the description, the prototypes sound rather more like virtual reality headsets than Google Glass, so there may be some exaggeration going on here. But it wouldn’t be a tremendous surprise to find that Apple has toyed with almost every tech idea under the sun: it has the resources needed to experiment at will.

The notion that Apple didn’t pursue the concept for lack of time seems rather more fanciful: it’s not like the company couldn’t have run out and hired a complete team for the project had it wished to do so.

Apple has always had a philosophy of focusing all its efforts on a very small number of products. Back in 2011, iPod, iPhone and iOS product marketing head Greg Joswiak described “saying no” as one of Apple’s four keys to success.

It means saying no, not saying yes. We do very few things at Apple. We are $100bn in revenue with very few products. There are only so many grade A players. If you spread yourself out over too many things, none of them will be great.

Tim Cook said in May of this year that broad range appeal for Google Glass was “tough to see.”

Google Maps for iOS adds ability to share locations to Google+

Jordan Kahn Aug 28 2013 - 11:41 am PT

Google updated its Google Maps app today for iPhone and iPad with one new feature on top of the usual bug fixes. With version 2.2.0, users can now share their locations directly to Google+ from within the Google Maps iOS app. Tapping the the share button will now provide a “Google +” option and users can also select specific circles to share with before posting. Previously users could only mail, message, or copy a location to the clipboard.

What’s New in Version 2.2.0

● Share your favorite places with friends via Google+
● Bug fixes

HTC thinks China is the way out of its troubles, with custom OS

Ben Lovejoy Aug 28 2013 - 5:52 am PT

Photo: foreignaffairs.com

The WSJ reports that HTC is now working on a custom smartphone operating system designed specifically for the Chinese market.

HTC Corp is developing a mobile software system specifically for Chinese consumers, people familiar with the project say, as part of a big China bet that the Taiwanese smartphone maker hopes will help revive sliding sales.

While the reality is likely to be some kind of Android variant, rather than a completely new OS like Samsung’s Tizen, it does have all the hallmarks of a somewhat desperate move by a company which somehow manages to combine a superb flagship handset with less than stellar financial performance. With morale faring no better, it had even been briefly suggested that HTC might have been planning to exit the smartphone market.

China is a juicy target for all smartphone manufacturers, as China’s emerging middle-class create a market beyond the largely budget handsets that currently make up the bulk of sales in what is now the world’s largest smartphone market. Even Apple, which has so far been content to operate exclusively at the top end of the market, appears to be eyeing China in particular with the iPhone 5C it is expected to announce on 10th September.

But it would be a gamble for HTC, ploughing resources into a country in which it is currently nowhere. A recent Canalys report into smartphone market shares in China showed that HTC was buried somewhere in ‘Other’.

The WSJ suggests thatHTC may be playing the long game, viewing the move as a diplomatic one rather than hoping for short-term financial benefit.

The project is seen by HTC insiders partly as an effort to forge political and business ties in China, since third-party operating systems have little chance of actually competing against the dominance of Android and Apple’s iOS. In the second quarter, Android held 79% of the global smartphone market, while iOS snagged 14.2%, according to market research firm Gartner. No other operating system captured more than 4%.

If so, the question remains what HTC’s strategy is to ensure that it has a long-term.

Samsung announces ‘Galaxy Golden’, a $700 dual-screen flip-phone for Korea

Jordan Kahn Aug 21 2013 - 7:18 am PT

Fit for a Saudi prince, Samsung today made things official for another new flip-phone for the Korean market. While it’s unlikely to steal any of Apple’s thunder ahead of the launch of the much rumored gold iPhone expected early next month, Samsung is branding the dual-screen device as the “Samsung Galaxy Golden.” For what it’s worth, the exterior of the device appears to be closer to bronze in color than gold. It appears Samsung plans on having some success with the clamshell design in markets outside the US, as the announcement follows the launch of another new Android based flip-phone earlier this month and rumors of the ‘Galaxy Folder’ arriving soon. Specs include two 3.7-inch Super AMOLED screens, a 1.7GHz dual-core CPU, 8 megapixel camera, FM radio, and Android 4.2. The Galaxy Golden will sell for around 790,000 won, which equals approximately $700 US.

Google ‘Helpouts’ are a Hangout-based tutoring and learning ecosystem

Seth Weintraub Aug 21 2013 - 1:02 am PT

Google now has a landing page of a closed beta of a novel new system of monetizing tutoring over Google+’s Hangouts conveniently called Helpouts. The service was first reported a month ago. The idea is pretty simple. If you have a skill area that you think other people can benefit from, you sign up as an expert. Then on the other end, people who need tutoring in that area find an expert in that area that is online for the right price. Google takes care of the transactions. IT will be

I know people who do their counseling and tutoring over Skype or iChat already, so there is certainly a need in this area.

But the devil will be in the details. Reputation building and scoring will be important as well as keeping it clean from porn (or segregated if that’s what Google wants). Right now Google is inviting people who might be interested. I’m keeping an eye on this one – I hope it makes it through Google Purgatory.
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Google adds Waze’s real-time incident reporting to Maps on iOS & Android, integrates search/StreetView into Waze apps

Jordan Kahn Aug 20 2013 - 6:35 am PT

Real-time-waze-reporting-google-maps Google announced today on its Google Maps blog that it’s finally tapping into the talent and technology it picked up with its acquisition of Waze back in June to integrate real time incident reports from Waze into Google Maps. The new integration means that when Waze users report incidents for everything from accidents to road closures, Google Maps users on both iOS and Android will now be able to benefit:

Users of Google Maps for Mobile will now benefit from real time incident reports from Waze users. This means when Wazers report accidents, construction, road closures and more on Waze, the updates will also appear on the Google Maps app for Android and iOS.

The features will initially be limited to users in certain locations, including: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Switzerland, UK and the US. In addition, as Google first hinted back in June, the company will also be integrating Google Search into the Waze apps on iOS and Android, while the Waze Map Editor now has access to Google Street View imagery:
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Samsung beats Apple in acquiring first-time smartphone owners, while Apple wins in conversions

Ben Lovejoy Aug 19 2013 - 6:49 am PT

New figures from CIRP reported in Fortune show that both Samsung and Apple get the bulk of their smartphone sales from existing users of their respective platforms, but Samsung does better at attracting featurephone buyers while Apple does better at converting Samsung owners.

Samsung gets 43 percent of its customers from existing Android users (a mix of Samsung loyalists and customer acquisitions from HTC and Motorola), virtually identical to Apple’s figure of 42 percent for existing iPhone users.

Samsung’s low-end Android handsets helped it acquire 37 percent of its customers from featurephone owners, against 26 percent for Apple. The bad news for the company was that Apple wins three times as many smartphone customers from Samsung as Samsung does from Apple: 20 percent switched from a Samsung handset to an iPhone, while only 7 percent switched in the opposite direction.

Samsung’s Next Big Thing ad campaign, aimed specifically at younger users, also hasn’t been as successful as the company might have hoped, with Apple maintaining its younger age-profile.

Smart finally beats dumb, smartphones hitting 51.8 percent of global sales in Q2

Ben Lovejoy Aug 14 2013 - 4:37 am PT