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Android Market to Offer Phone Billing
In an effort to make the Android Market more flexible and payment friendly, Google has decided to add new payment options. Android customers are currently forced to use their credit card with Google Checkout in order to purchase applications. The new payment option, set to come into effect in 30 days, will allow users to charge their phone bill instead of using a credit card. At this time, only T-Mobile users enjoy this option. While Google is offering the phone billing option to one and all, it remains to be seen if all carriers take Google up on their offer. On the surface, no carrier should oppose such an idea, but there are obviously pitfalls when it comes to legal arrangements and revenue sharing agreements. It is unclear if this service will be available only in…
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App Inventor Now Available for Android
If you thought that Google used an open source mentality when creating its business agenda, then you will be shocked to learn that they have taken ‘open’ to a whole new level. Introducing the new App Inventor tool which allows anyone to create a simple application for an Android device. How’s that for being open and encouraging creativity? I wonder what Steve Jobs thinks about all this. I’m sure he hasn’t noticed because of his busy schedule which involves reception issues and iPhone bonfires. App Inventor is designed for the student and youth market, but will also appeal to adults without the technical knowledge required to create an app via the normal methods. There is only one requirement for using App Inventor and that is having a Gmail account. That’s the only…
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Where Can You Find Free Applications?
An interesting study revealed some key facts regarding app services and their percentage of free applications. The variance was surprising to say the least. Android by far offers the highest percentage of free applications with 57%. The App Store on the other hand, offers only 23% of it applications without charge. There is the argument that Apple applications are required to obtain a higher standard than their Android counterparts due to Apple’s tyrannical app approval process. However, Apple is notorious for blocking more free applications than paid applications. The reason being is that there is no cut for Apple from free apps. Google has taken a different approach to their Android market. Google will basically allow any type of app, paid or free, and while this…
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Google Discontinues the Nexus Line
It looks like the Nexus One will remain unique. In a recent interview, Google CEO Eric Schmidt announced that the company has decided to give the Nexus line the axe and instead concentrate on its highly successfully mobile operating system known as the Android. Schmidt claimed that the Nexus One was so ‘successful’ that Google does not need to create a follow up device. Of course, this comment is filled with cow dung. The Nexus One has been a major disappointment and sales have reflected the public’s distaste with the device. However, one of the major goals of the Nexus One was to help the launch of the Android operating system. Whether or not the phone was influential in obtaining that goal is debatable, yet Android devices now outsell the iPhone and rank only second…
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160,000 Android Units Sold Daily
It is getting more and more difficult to dispute that fact that Google will soon become king and undisputed ruler of the mobile industry. Google has reported that it is selling more than 160,000 Android powered devices everyday, a figure that is not only impressive, but expected to increase over the coming months. Despite amazing sales in North America, Android phones have not caught the eye of the average consumer in Europe and Asia. Mobile chieftain at Google, Andy Rubin, is keeping his sights firmly on the Chinese market where he believes there is strong market potential for smartphones located at the lower end of the price spectrum. The latest Android device that is hitting the market is the Motorola Droid X. The Droid X is being offered by Verizon and is scheduled…
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Apple Sets Sights on Mobile Advertising
His highness, Lord Steve Jobs, has promised that Apple will control 48% of the mobile advertising market by the end of the year. How exactly? The iPhone HD comes with a built in advertising program called iAd. This is an advertising tool that will allow Apple and app developers to earn money from advertisements inside applications. Apple is offering developers a modest 60% of the earnings they generate from iAd. In a sense, iAd appears to be a glorified affiliate program, but as long as Apple and app developers are making money, it is doubtful that anyone will care. How Jobs came up with a figure of 48% isn’t exactly clear, but we can all assume that he isn’t blowing smoke out of his Apple. (Or can we?) Google has also announced that it plans to increase its presence in…
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Google to Release less Android Updates
Over the last year, Google has been releasing updates for the Android mobile operating system at an alarming rate. The recent release of the Android 2.2 Froyo however, could be the last update we will see for the Android for quite a while. Andy Rubin, vice president of all things mobile at Google, stated that he was inclined to slow down the pace of new Android releases to two per year in order for developers to better leverage the Android. "Our product cycle is now, basically twice a year, and it will probably end up being once a year when things start settling down, because a platform that's moving--it's hard for developers to keep up. I want developers to basically leverage the innovation. I don't want developers to have to predict the innovation," Rubin…
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Woman Suing Google for Bad Directions
There is no accounting for the stupidity of some people. An ignoramus named Lauren Rosenberg is suing Google for bad directions on Google Maps. Apparently the woman took walking directions from Google Maps which sent her to walk on a busy highway. The woman was struck by car and is seeking damages for her injuries. This is just another example of the horrendous and almost criminal lawsuits that have been running rampant in the United States like a plague for many years. If after plotting the route, Google Maps would have said ‘go to this bridge and jump’, would Lauren Rosenberg have done so? Common sense is a severely lacking trait in this day and age. People who choose to behave like lemmings and drones in day to day life and then expect us to bail them out should be…
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Google Drops Nexus One from Online Retail
Google has declared that it wills stop selling the Nexus One online immidiatly. "While the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the web store has not," blogged head of mobile Andy Rubin last week."It's remained a niche channel for early adopters, but it's clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to chose from." It is unclear where Google plans on heading after closing the book on their online service. Sprint and Verizon has already passed on the Nexus One, due to the nearing release dates of more superior Android powered phones. While Google’s online venture has been rather disappointing, the Android mobile operating system has not.…
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Froyo Turns Nexus One into Speed Demon
Speedy Gonzalez would be proud. The results from the new Android 2.2 operating system are staggering. Reports have come in that the Nexus One 450% faster when using the updated version of the operating system. Android 2.2, or Froyo, will allow users to install applications on their MicroSD and comes with Flash 10.1. Android 2.2 should be released on May 19th, but it is not clear regarding the geographical availability and which devices will enjoy the Froyo and which devices would be best suited for a more specific device related upgrade, such as the HTC Desire. In any case, Android users are licking their chops over the new OS updated. The Google Nexus one is now apparently a speed demon and warrants some consideration when making a purchase. While this burst of speed…
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