Jul 15

Android Market now has 100,000 apps, passes 1 billion download mark (update: Google says 70K)

Posted in: Android, app, apps, Google, market, statistics, stats, Today's Chili

Well, it may not come as a huge surprise considering all the steam Android‘s picked up over the past few years, but it’s a landmark nonetheless: according to AndroLib’s data, the Market now has 100,000 apps available for download. It’s also interesting to note that it took just under three months to get from 50,000 to the 100,000 mark. An even more impressive number, however, is the fact that over one billion applications have been downloaded. While it’s not clear if this number includes app updates or not, the number is massive either way, and they’re growing pretty steeply each month. AndroLib’s data also notes that over 14,000 applications became available during the month of June, and over 10,000 have appeared already in July. Hit up the source links for more stats, and a chance to see the numbers update in real time.

[Thanks, Eggo]

Update: By Google’s official count, they’ve only just passed 70,000; this isn’t the first time AndroLib and Google have had different numbers, so we’re figuring the discrepancy might be thanks to the international Markets. More on this as we get it.

Android Market now has 100,000 apps, passes 1 billion download mark (update: Google says 70K) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 14

Premium Shazam App Hits Android

Posted in: Android, app, iPhone, market, Phones, Today's Chili

Shazam, an amazing app that lets you identify any song by just holding your phone up to it, has turned off the tap for its free users.

It has introduced a premium version of its app called Shazam Encore for $5 on the Android Market. The paid version of the app went live Tuesday evening.

That means Android users who now download the free version will get a seven-day premium trial, and if they don’t upgrade at the end of that they will  be limited to identifying and tagging just five songs a month.

Shazam hit prime time when it launched its app on the Apple App store in 2008. Since then it has gained 15 million users on the iPhone aone and has 75 million users overall.

In November 2009, Shazam introduced the paid version of its app for iPhone users. The premium version offers unlimited tagging of music and recommendations that suggest other music similar to the track that’s been tagged.

Users who downloaded and used the free app before the introduction of the paid version will continue to get all the features they had, including unlimited access. It’s a smart move on Shazam’s part to keep its existing users happy, while trying to make money off its product.

Photo: (Htwo/Flickr)




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Jul 08

Android Grows at a Blistering Pace

Posted in: Android, Apple, Google, market, Microsoft, Phones, RIM, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile

Google’s open source Android operating system ranks fourth in terms of market share among smartphone platforms in the U.S. but is growing at a faster pace than its rivals.

About 13 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers used an Android phone in the quarter that ended May, up 4 percent from the previous quarter, according to comScore’s Mobilens service.

Research In Motion’s BlackBerry remained the number one smartphone platform with 41.7 percent share among consumers.

Apple ranked number two with 24.4 percent share and Microsoft third with 13.2 percent, while Palm rounded out the top five with 4.8 percent.

Android’s growth should come as no surprise to mobile enthusiasts. More than 20 Android phones are available in the U.S. currently. Handset makers such as LG and Samsung that have been slower than rivals Motorola and HTC in adopting Android are now planning to launch new Android devices.

Earlier this week, LG said it will have two Android smartphones and an Android-based tablet available by the end of the year. Samsung has already announced that its first 4G Android phone on Sprint will be available this summer.

This focus on Android has taken its toll on other mobile operating systems. Almost all platforms, with the exception of Android, lost some market share in the quarter. BlackBerry market share was down 0.4 percent, while Apple lost about 1 percent. The data does not include the iPhone 4, which launched in June.

Android’s growth doesn’t mean other smartphone systems are losing ground, says comScore. The number of people who own a smartphone in the U.S. grew 8.1 percent last quarter to 9.1 million people, which indicates that the overall pie is growing.

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Photo: (bump/Flickr)




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Jul 02

Motorola Droid Rules Android

Posted in: Android, droid, hero, HTC, market, motorola, nexus one, Phones, sales, Today's Chili

Motorola’s Droid is the most popular phone among Android users, followed by HTC Hero, while Google’s Nexus One ranks tenth on the list, according to a monthly metrics report from mobile advertising firm AdMob. AdMob has ranked the top ten Android smartphones by market share.

The data is based on 12.7 million Android phones in the AdMob network in May. It’s also why the HTC Evo, released in the first week of June, is missing from the mix.

About 21 percent Android users have the Droid, while 16 percent users own the HTC Hero. Just 2 percent of Android phone users have Google’s Nexus One phone, says AdMob.

Motorola launched the Droid in November 2009 and made it available exclusively on Verizon Wireless. And despite the gaggle of Android phones launched every month, the Droid has been holding strong.

The only Android phone that could challenge the Droid’s position is the HTC Evo, which is available exclusively on Sprint. It will be interesting to see if the Evo can beat the Droid, though Sprint has a smaller marketing budget and fewer subscribers than Verizon.

Here’s a chart that shows the popularity of different Android smarpthones.

About 67 percent of Android users are in North America while China is the second largest market for Android with 13 percent of Android users coming from the country, says AdMob.

Combined HTC and Motorola have 83 percent share among Android devices. Since the Android OS debuted in 2008, the two companies have been on a roll, churning out phones faster than consumers can keep up with.

Last week, Motorola introduced its eleventh Android phone, the Droid X. It was also a big month for HTC, whose Evo phone is the first and only 4G device available currently.

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Data: AdMob




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Jun 23

Android Market is down, showing zero apps (update: fixed)

Posted in: Android, android market, AndroidMarket, Google, market, Today's Chili

Look, we know that checking the Android Market for updates its a nervous habit during brief periods of downtime for many of us — but for now, you’re going to have to go back to chewing your nails or tapping your fingers on the table, because the Market’s down. Well, that’s only partially true — you can still get into the Market app on your phone without any errors, you just won’t see any apps in there, which renders it pretty useless by our estimation. Hang on, don’t panic — we imagine this won’t last long.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: It’s still down for us on a Froyo Nexus One, but if you take a gander through our comments section, you’ll see that a lot of folks are having no trouble at all — so it’s probably based on your location, your devices, and your operating system. As far as we can tell, it’s not restricted to Froyo since we’ve received a number of tips on the issue and we’re hearing of some Droids that can’t see apps. Keep the observations coming, folks!

Update 2: Google just reached out to us to let us know that it should be fixed and that the total outage was somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 minutes. They’re apologizing for the inconvenience — but with the Droid X being announced today, can you really hold a grudge?

Android Market is down, showing zero apps (update: fixed) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 17

Half of All Android Phones Now Sport Android 2.1

Posted in: Android, Google, market, os, Phones, Today's Chili

Android 2.1 aka Eclair is eclipsing other flavors of the Google-designed operating system to become the dominant version on Android phones.

50 percent of Android phones now run Android 2.1, compared to about 37 percent a month ago and 27 percent in April. The rest of Android devices are split between almost evenly between Android 1.5, aka Cupcake, and Android 1.6, or Donut.

The data comes from Android Developers, the official Android developers’ community website, and is based on operating system data reported by devices accessing the Android Market during a 2-week period ending June 16.

The rapid rise of the Android 2.1 indicates that the fractured nature of the platform–a major concern among Android developers and users–may no longer be an issue by the end of the year. In the 16 months since the first Android phone hit the market, Google has made four major upgrades to the operating system.

So far, smartphone makers seemed to be unable to keep up with that pace. Android smartphones running different versions of the OS also make it more expensive for developers to create apps since they have to ensure it runs on multiple versions.

But in the last few months, companies such as Motorola and HTC have been steadily updating the operating systems on their older phones. For instance, HTC confirmed Thursday that it will upgrade the Android 1.5-powered HTC Hero to 2.1 by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Google Nexus One, Motorola Droid and HTC Incredible users among others can look forward to the next Android update called Android 2.2 or FroYo. FroYo updates will flow this summer.

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Data: Android Developers




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May 20

Google adding over-the-air app installation and iTunes streaming to Android

Posted in: android market, AndroidMarket, application, breaking news, BreakingNews, froyo, Google, itunes, market, Music, ota, streaming, Today's Chili

Sure sure, Froyo is great and all, but Google just blew our minds with two previews of upcoming Android features at I/O: OTA application installation and remote music streaming. OTA installation is just as simple as you’d expect — after browsing to an app on your desktop, you can push it to your phone and install it with just a single click, all done over the air. Interestingly, Google also showed music being purchased and transferred from Android Marketplace in the same way, which could indicate a deeper push towards music integration, or just be a nice demo. Either way, it’s pretty slick stuff — the fewer wires we have to carry, the better.

The remote music streaming is a little crazier: Google bought a company called Simplify Media, which makes a bit of desktop software that can stream all your music directly from iTunes to your phone. The demo was quite slick — you just open the app and push “all,” and all your music is instantly available. Whether or not this’ll work over 3G or be limited to the local network is still up in the air, but we’re dying to try it out.

Google adding over-the-air app installation and iTunes streaming to Android originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 12:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 30

BlackBerry Breaks Into Worldwide Phone Bestseller List

Posted in: BlackBerry, LG, market, nokia, Phones, research in motion, RIM, sales, samsung, Today's Chili

smartphones-vendors-q1-idc

BlackBerry fans can break out the bubbly. Growing demand for its phones has helped Research In Motion move into the top five mobile phone companies worldwide in sales during the first quarter, says research firm IDC.

RIM replaced Motorola in the Top 5 chart and tied with Sony Ericsson for the No. 4 position. RIM shipped 10.6 million phones in the first quarter, while Motorola, which had been a fixture in the top-five ranking since 2004, shipped 8.5 million phones.

“This is also the first time a vendor has dropped out of the top five since the second quarter of 2005, when Sony Ericsson grabbed the number five spot from BenQ Siemens,” says Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker.

Apple doesn’t feature in the Top 5 chart because the company shipped 8.75 million phones worldwide in the first quarter, says IDC. Next week, IDC will release data on the top five mobile phone makers in the United States.

However, Apple has taken the top spot among U.S. phone makers, a rather small group that includes Motorola, Apple, Palm and a handful of minor players.

The worldwide rankings take into account both smartphones and feature phones. Though feature phones (cheaper, simpler devices) are still a big percentage of phones sold worldwide, low-cost smartphones are picking up in sales, says IDC.

Nokia, whose devices don’t get much love in the United States, held on to its No. 1 position worldwide, shipping 107.8 million phones in the first quarter of the year. That’s up 16 percent from the same quarter year before.

Samsung ranked second with 64.3 million phones sold, and LG shipped 27.1 million phones to bag the third place. RIM, which ranks fourth, sold nearly 2 million more phones than Motorola, says IDC.

“Key to its success in the first quarter was the popularity of its BlackBerry Curve 8520 and BlackBerry Bold 9700 across multiple markets, as well as its global prepaid offerings,” says IDC. “Strong consumer adoption, particularly among text-crazy teens, has also fueled demand for BlackBerry devices.”

Here’s a look at the top five companies worldwide by their market share:

marketshare-mobile-phone-co

See Also:

Charts data supplied by IDC


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Apr 22

Nokia delays Symbian^3, investors not impressed

Posted in: delay, market, nokia, symbian, Today's Chili
Nokia delays Symbian^3, investors not impressed

As in any business, in the world of the smartphone there are winners and there are losers. Earlier this week Apple blew away market expectations and posted a $3 billion profit thanks largely to increased popularity of the iPhone. For the competition news is not so good, and while Nokia did manage to boost earnings per share 40 percent this year, it missed analyst expectations and, more importantly, is having to delay the release of Symbian^3 until sometime in the third quarter. The release was initially due in the first half of the year, then became a little more specific as a Q2 release. These factors have sent share prices dropping 12 percent and leaves Nokia fans waiting another few months for a taste of something fresh — not good when there are so many other delectable options up for the taking.

Nokia delays Symbian^3, investors not impressed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 16

The Engadget Show: Inside the gadget markets of China, part one – Hong Kong

Posted in: engadget show, EngadgetShow, kirf, market, the engadget show, TheEngadgetShow, Today's Chili, Travel, video

China may have its ups and downs, but there’s no denying that it’s a geeky wonderland for Engadget advocates. Oh, and we’re not just talking about KIRFs either — this country of 1.3 billion people has a lot more tech love to offer. In this first episode of a two-part series, we’ll be showing you around the two hottest gadget districts of Hong Kong — Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po. By the end of this you’ll probably be sick of cramped street markets and computer shopping malls, but hey, just be thankful that you weren’t the one who went through all that trouble and jet lag.

Host: Richard Lai
Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm, Richard Lai
Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger
Filmed by: Omar Rabbolini, Wai-Tai Li, Richard Lai
Edited by: Richard Lai
Music by: Pieces of Eight, Sabrepulse, Maxo 01
Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec

Download the Show: The Engadget Show – Segment 007 (HD) / The Engadget Show – Segment 007 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted)

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See our other Engadget Show short features:

The Engadget Show: Inside the mind of Yves Behar
The Engadget Show: Inside chiptunes and 8-bit visuals
The Engadget Show: Kindle etching and DIY adventures with Adafruit Industries
The Engadget Show: Inside the mind of designer Philippe Starck
The Engadget Show: Philippe Starck Q&A bonus round
The Engadget Show: Inside Ben Heck’s magic kingdom
The Engadget Show: Hands-on with Times Square

Continue reading The Engadget Show: Inside the gadget markets of China, part one – Hong Kong

The Engadget Show: Inside the gadget markets of China, part one – Hong Kong originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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