Humans are never going to stop touching each other naked, and we’re almost certainly never going to stop touching our phones. If anything, the latter is eclipsing the former. But can you do both at once? Forget what you’ve heard. Yes you can. More »
There’s no arguing that the mobile market is here for the duration and that it’s Android and Apple’s iOS that are dominating the field – this three-month-average comScore report shows that much clearly. What’s not quite as clear is how two major manufacturers – Apple and Samsung – are swallowing up the market while LG, Motorola, and HTC (the other top three manufacturers in the market today) are dropping down. Oddly enough, it’s not more than a point difference between months that’ve changed this month other than Apple – they being the only manufacturer to gain more than a single point of the % of mobile subscribers.
The charts this month show Samsung up top with an absolutely dominating 26.3% of the OEM market share, that being part of this study that’s a 3 month average ending in October 2012. The chart you’re seeing compares to a 3-month average ending in July of 2012, the point changes being compared therein. Also of note is the fact that this study is done on US Mobile Subscribers working not just with smartphones, but feature phones as well, and all of them 13 years of age or older. Not that there’s a gigantic amount of 8 year old smartphone users out there, but still – keep that in mind.
The Samsung share here went up between periods just under 1 percentage point at 0.7 while Apple went up 1.5 points. Apple’s share here sits at 17.8% and it’s quite likely that their percentage went up largely because of the launch of the iPhone 5, but it’s not entirely clear if those questioned were asked if they’d actually had their iPhone in-hand when asked – that could have a small but significant effect on the outcome of this test because of the amount of people that ordered the iPhone 5 at launch and had a brief waiting period in the three months this study takes place in (if they didn’t have an iPhone before now, that is).
Meanwhile the LG, Motorola, and HTC shares have been going down, with LG in the lead for loss as well as market share at 17.6% after a loss of -0.8 points. Motorola’s share this period sits at11% and HTC exists at the end of the list with 6%. Not included due to what we must assume is extremely low numbers is Nokia and RIM with BlackBerry.
Interestingly it does seem that RIM does exist in a low bot not nearly so insignificant place in the Top Smartphone Platforms list with 9.5% of the market to their name. Apple and Google (with Android) sit up top with a total 87.9% of the market to themselves, with 53.6% of the market belonging to Google and 34.3% of the market belonging to Apple. Meanwhile Microsoft is in 4th place with a tiny 3.2% of the market and Symbian (believe it or not) still exists on the list with a fabulous 0.6% of the market.
In the Smartphone Platform Market Share list it’s also Apple and Google that are devouring the market bit by bit with Google going up by 1.4 points and Apple heading upward by 0.9 points. Meanwhile RIM took the biggest dive with a loss of 1.7 points and Microsoft and Symbian slipped by 0.4 points and 0.2 points respectively.
[via ComScore]
comScore: Samsung and Apple syphon mobile market is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
It wasn’t so long ago that Facebook and Zynga were making beautiful music (and money) together, but it seems that each is now looking for a bit of fresh air in the relationship, according to Reuters. A new agreement will give Zynga more freedom to offer games on its own website, while also allowing Facebook to develop its own — though for now, the social network said it “was not in the business of building games and we have no plans to do so.” For its part, Zynga now has the option of opting out of Facebook’s payment mechanism and display ads, according to a recent filing by the Farmville maker. Both companies have seen their share of foibles, lately, but Facebook would perhaps be wise to not let its main dance partner too far out of sight — Zynga still kicks in more than 15 percent of the now-public company’s revenue.
Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Facebook
Via: Joystiq
Source: Reuters
You don’t actually need anything that Thinkgeek sells. But it’s really easy to feel like there’s a novelty-size hole in your life that can only be filled by Thinkgeek swag. Stuff like this impossibly clever Lightsaber Popsicle Maker, or the iCade cabinet that turns your iPad into an arcade machine, that’s the kind of gadget you see and you’ve just got to have it. Thinkgeek stuff is objectively cool, and it also makes for really memorable, excellent gifts. More »
If you’re into retro style beep and bleeps and beats, then here’s a fun way to discover lots of cool chiptune acts – many of whom you’ve never heard of before. A group of chiptune artists and fans has compiled the Chiptastic Chipmusic List, or as I like to call it The Ultimate Chiptune List.
The Facebook-compiled list currently showcases over 360 different chiptune performers, including links to their websites, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, or Facebook pages, as well as links to a number of streaming chipmusic radio stations. Whether you’re into chiptunes or just like retro gaming, you’ll discover all kinds of sweet new electronic music by clicking around to the artists on the list. Some of my faves: Abducted by Sharks, Mario Frog Suit, I Set My Pixels on Fire, Solarbear and PandaSTAR.
And while we’re on the subject of chiptunes, here’s some cool sounds from the monthly Philadelphia chipmusic showcase show 8static:
After you’re done listening to the concert footage above, head on over to the Chiptastic Chipmusic List on Facebook. Be sure to post a comment below and us know who your favorites are!
[Thanks for the tip, Jesse!]
It seems the rumors of e-ink based displays’ imminent death at the hands of tablets were greatly exaggerated. Despite a glut of portable color screen devices now on the market, e-book readers are more popular than ever, and a company called ZBD Solutions now wants to use the e-ink technology as easily updateable store signage. More »
Developer kits for the Ouya were given a ship date of December 28th today, alongside news that the system’s software development kit (“ODK”) will be available that same day. In case it wasn’t already clear how small the Android-powered console is, the folks at Ouya included the picture you see above to further illustrate that point — the thing is really small. Ouya expects the dev kits to get into backers’ hands “within a couple days” of the 28th. Final units are still intended to ship some time in March 2013, though no final date is available just yet.
How different are these dev units from the final run, though? Not that different, we’d guess, considering the company’s continued promise that “every Ouya will be a dev console.” The only hint given of their difference is a note in today’s update calling them, “pretty special.” Beyond just getting a jump on game development with the Ouya in mind, dev unit buyers will also be the first to try out Jelly Bean gaming. Of course, if you’re a dev unit-level backer and you’d like to share your thoughts with us, we’re all ears.
Source: Kickstarter
While I’m still waiting for that killer app before I run out an purchase a Wii U for myself, you still have to hand it to Nintendo for the innovative thinking with their dual-screen gaming console and controller combo. If you’ve already got a Wii U or expect one under the tree this year, then here’s a fun way to adorn your controller.
I spotted these cool New Super Mario Bros. U skins over on Japanese game import site NCSX, and they look great. They really add life and color to the otherwise bland white or black Wii U GamePad. They’re made by Hori, and come in a set that includes both the Wii U controller decal and a decal for your regular Wii remote. They also come with a protective overlay for the LCD screen on the Wii U controller. I especially like the red/yellow/green/blue design – it reminds me of that old electronic game Simon.
You can pre-order these decals over at NCSX for $13.90 a set, and they expect to start shipping them around December 8th.
Dropping two grandon a high-end television simply isn’t possible for most households. Does that mean you should suffer with some $100 off-brand Fony set. No way. As Panasonic’s second-best option in plasma reminds us that even if you can’t get the VT50 you want, you can still go for the ST50 you need. More »
A couple weeks ago, Facebook began rolling out a new feature on iOS called Photo Sync for a select number of users. It essentially is a service that automatically uploads photos that you take on your phone to a private web album. From there, you can select what photos you want to share with friends and family quickly and easily. Facebook is announcing that the feature will be rolling out to everyone.
The feature will begin rolling out today, so you may not see it right away, but possibly within the next few days. The new service is essentially like Apple’s Photo Stream, where it automatically sends images from your smartphone to a private album in the cloud. Then, you can simply tick a box on each image to make it public and share with friends and family.
The feature will be compatible with both iOS and Android, so most smartphone owners will have access to the new service. However, we’re interested in seeing how popular it’ll get. For those who use Facebook often and enjoy sharing photos on the social network, the new feature will no doubt be of good use.
However, for those who just want a service that automatically uploads photos from your smartphone to the cloud will most likely look elsewhere. Most iOS users will no doubt lean towards iCloud‘s Photo Stream while avid Dropbox users will spring for the could service’s own automatic uploading feature.
Facebook rolls out Photo Sync to easily share photos over the web is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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