Hasta La Gadget!

Half a million Android activations per day is impressive, however you look at it

According to Google’s Android boss Andy Rubin, half a million new Android devices are being activated daily. Not only that, the the numbers are growing by over four percent every week. Those numbers are frankly astonishing.

Back in January, Apple announced (in a roundabout way) over 360,000 daily iOS activations, and at that time Google was seeing 300,000 activations. It’s certain that Apple’s numbers have jumped significantly since then, especially considering the launches of both the Verizon iPhone and the iPad 2 in the meantime, but have they yet reached the 500,000 mark?

It’s impossible to know. Surely Rubin’s announcement via Twitter will set “analysts” a-shaking their magic 8-balls to help them pluck another made-up number from the air (possible answer: “Reply hazy, try again”), but until Apple makes an official announcement, we won’t know.

My own guess is that either Apple hasn’t reached 500,000 yet, or has already jumped so far past it that it is waiting to hit the magic million mark before saying anything. I’m no analyst, though, so what could I possibly know?

Also, Steve Jobs has in the past accused Google of juicing the Android activation numbers by including updates and reinstalls. Given that Rubin’s last Tweet before today’s announcement was 82 days ago, I don’t expect clarification soon, at least not via that channel.

However you slice it, though, those are big — and very impressive — numbers.

Andy Rubin’s Tweet [Twitter]

See Also:

• How the Android Ecosystem Threatens the iPhone
• Verizon iPhone's Impact on Google's Android: How Bad?

Hate gridlock? We’d surmise you aren’t alone, so pardon our excitement surrounding the latest addition to TomTom’s longstanding iPhone app. New in version 1.8 is the addition of HD Traffic, which extends congestion data to both “major” and “secondary” US roads. Existing TomTom Traffic subscribers get the functionality gratis, with the rest of us dishing out $20 via an in-app purchase. Free for all who upgrade are multi-stop routes, allowing one to tweak excursions to your heart’s content — provided you can count those diversions on one hand. The updated app is already live in the App Store, but please, pull over before downloading — cool?

Continue reading TomTom’s iPhone App gets updated, brings HD traffic updates along for the ride

TomTom’s iPhone App gets updated, brings HD traffic updates along for the ride originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s only been a few days since Apple released iOS 5 beta 2, but we’ve already received a bevy of tips from developers who’ve spent some quality time with the update and uncovered a few of its more salient features. Here are some highlights.

• It looks like Apple has blocked Applenberry’s Gevey SIM software, which allowed users to unlock devices running iOS 4.3 or iOS 5 beta 1 without having to jailbreak. (Read)
• According to Dev Team member MuscleNerd, iOS 5 beta 2 can still be jailbroken using the RedSn0w 0.9.8b1 tethering tool, released earlier this month. (Read)
• The beta refresh also brings a few tweaks to iOS 5’s notifications system. Traditional alerts and reminders now pop up on the lock screen in larger typeface, alongside their appropriate icon. If left unattended, the notifications will eventually be added to the Android-like banner menu, at the top of the lock screen. (Read)
• Users can now create and curate photo albums directly from their iDevices, though the feature isn’t without its quirks. A tipster informs us that photos added to new albums remain in the original collection, as well. If you migrate an image from one album to another and delete the original, both pics will disappear.
• The next beta release might be issued over the air. When a tipster checked for updates on an iPad running beta 2, he received a “No updates were found” message, suggesting that users may be able to find future refreshes without syncing their devices with iTunes. (Screenshot after the break.)

Update: We’re hearing from many of you that the gallery functionality was actually a part of beta 1. But, you’re encouraged to continue enjoying it here, in beta 2.

[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]

Continue reading iOS 5 beta 2 blocks Gevey SIM Unlock, brings photo album curation to iDevices

iOS 5 beta 2 blocks Gevey SIM Unlock, brings photo album curation to iDevices originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 06:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey iOS developers, guess what? iOS 5 beta 2 is now available for your downloading pleasure, and from what we understand, it ushers in wireless syncing for Macs running iTunes 10.5 beta 2. So hop on over and download it already, and don’t hesitate to tell us how it’s treating you in the comments below. We’ll return the favor if we find anything remarkable — we promise.

[Thanks, Haseeb]

iOS 5 beta 2 now available for developers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As if Apple and Samsung’s patent infringement catfight weren’t distracting enough, Apple is recreating the legal spectacle in Samsung’s home country of South Korea. Apple just filed a suit against Samsung Electronics in Seoul Central District Court, with Cupertino alleging that the Samsung Galaxy S copies the third-generation iPhone, according to a report from the online news site, MoneyToday. That closely matches the claims Apple made when it it sued Samsung back in April for “slavishly” copying the iPhone and iPad. Since then, Apple’s expanded its case to include additional Samsung devices, including the Droid Charge, Infuse 4G, Nexus S 4G, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy S II, and a handful of others. Meanwhile, Samsung has attempted (in vain) to subpoena prototypes of Apple’s next-gen iPhone and iPad. We wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung abandoned its efforts to peek Apple’s forthcoming products, but if this is, indeed, destined to be a case of déjà vu, Samsung might well strike back with a suit of its own.

Apple sues Samsung again for copying the iPhone’s design, this time in South Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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