Tag Archives: controls

Gartner: Android continues its reign as king of the smartphone market, now controls 75%

Android

Technology research firm Gartner has released its report on world smartphone sales for the first quarter of 2013. The report puts both Android and Samsung as leaders in their respective markets, with Android accounting for 74.4% of all smartphone units sold and Samsung controlling 30.8% of the smartphone market.

Android has continued its stratospheric rise to prominence, with its market share increasing 17.5% year on year. Every other major smartphone operating system suffered losses, except for Microsoft’s Windows Phone, although the improvement from 1.9% to 2.9% probably isn’t the result Redmond was hoping for.

 gartner-smartphone-sales-report-q1-2013-2

Google’s nearest competitor, Apple’s iOS dropped from 22.5% to 18.2%, continuing its slow decline. Blackberry’s (formerly known as Research In Motion) marketshare was cut in half and Samsung’s ill-fated Bada OS and Nokia’s decaying Symbian, both continued their trip to the operating system graveyard, as they couldn’t even muster a single percent each.

Smartphone sales increased from 147 million units sold in Q1 2012 to 210 million, however, interestingly all smartphone markets declined, with the exception of the Asia/Pacific region, which grew 6.4% year on year. Total handset sales reached 426 million in Q1 2013, an 0.7% increase compared with the same period last year.

Samsung continued its growth, albeit not as record-breaking as we have grown accustomed to, with it now controlling 30.8% of the market. Apple came in second with 18.2% of the market and LG, on the back of its successes with the Nexus 4, Optimus G and Optimus G Pro, rounded out the top 3.

gartner-smartphone-sales-report-q1-2013-1

Chinese manufacturers ZTE and Huawei completed the top 5, with device makers Nokia, HTC, Lenovo, Sony and Co. making up the “others” section. Gartner also claims that budding operating systems Tizen, Firefox OS and Ubuntu will not affect the smartphone market in any great manner.

Both Android and Samsung are at the top of their respective food chains right now and it doesn’t look like this will change anytime soon. Samsung has recently released its flagship smartphone in the Galaxy S4 and Android will be bolstered by the introduction of the S4 as well as the launch of the HTC One, meaning it would not come as a surprise if Google and Samsung can muster up even bigger numbers in the upcoming quarters.

Do you think Android can grow even larger than it is now? Will new operating systems affect the market?

    




Android Authority

Google smartwatch patent reveals touchpad controls – like Google Glass

It looks like those Googlers up in Mountain View have more than just Google Glass in the works. Today we’re seeing some evidence and patent filings that reveal some potential information about an upcoming Google smartwatch. The dive into wearable computing is about to take off full steam. More details on what makes this stand out is available after the break.

Screen-Shot-2013-04-26-at-4.28.50-PM-540x317

The newly discovered patent filed by Google has some interesting artwork (not what you see above) revealing the smartwatch, and it also mentions all the usual hardware. Things like a display, processor, wireless radios and a battery. It’s the other aspects that are interesting here. We’ve seen patents by Google of touch sensitive controls for the backs of smartphones, and they have a touchpad for controls on Google Glass. This is also coming to their watch.

If the watch is real, at least. The patent reveals that the sides of the digital clock and “watch” aspect has touch sensitive pads, and the actual wristband is also a fully functioning touchpad. This means you can input things like scrolling, selecting apps, zooming and more all with the touchpad wristband, and not the display.

patent-google-watch

That might seem backwards since we’re used to using touchscreens, but a small screen on your wrist has only so much room to share data and content. Why waste space with your fingers covering that small screen. Instead just a flick below the display and you’ll be sliding through Android menus. The idea is actually quite novel, and hopefully we learn more about Google’s potential smartwatch plans soon.

[via Engadget]

Android Community

LG Optimus G2 set to feature backside touch controls

The folks from LG have a few smartphone in the works, and today we’re getting some hints and details on what is expected to be the successor to last years popular Optimus G flagship. Yes, they’ve already announced and released the Optimus G Pro, but apparently a super-thin and impressive Optimus G2 is coming later this year to rival the Galaxy S 4 and beyond with some never seen features.

lg-sign-9723

We’re going to take this rumor with a “thin” grain of salt. Because apparently this new smartphone will be so sleek and thin LG had to rethink the design of a smartphone. In the end they decided to put the power and volume buttons on the back of the device – it’s that thin. That’s the rumor according to MyDrivers.

Apparently the Optimus G2 has been confirmed for a Q3 launch around October, which lines up nicely to replace the original G, and now these new reports have our interest piqued to say the least. We’ve seen many super-thin smartphones that still have the power and volume buttons on the side, so perhaps the lines are just getting a little blurred here. Instead we’re thinking they’ll have a capacitive touch section on back that will do these things, and not actual buttons.

Screen-Shot-2012-10-15-at-11.42.23-AM1

We’ve heard reports and rumors that Moto will have a touch-sensitive area on the back of upcoming smartphones. Google themselves even patented something called “backside touch controls” too. So, it sounds like LG might be launching an impressive next-gen Optimus G2 later this year with some never before seen features. Here’s the rumored specs.

The Optimus G was the first smartphone to ship with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core, and we’re hearing the G2 will be the first with their Snapdragon 800 series. Which is even faster than the chip in the HTC One and Galaxy S 4. Reports state the G2 will have a 5-inch 1080p display, the 2.3 Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 800 series with 2GB of RAM, 13 megapixel rear and 2MP front cameras, impressive battery life, and Android 4.2.2 (or higher) at launch.

If this launches with those specs, the latest version of Android (possibly KLP) and adds backside touch controls and wireless charging all in one package it might be quite impressive. LG Nexus 5 anyone? Stay tuned for more details.

Android Community

Touch Bionics’ latest ‘i-limb’ offers a powered rotating thumb, smartphone controls

Touch Bionics' latest 'ilimb' offers a powered rotating thumb, smartphone controls

Touch Bionics’ i-limb prosthetic hand has advanced quite a bit in recent years, adding features like Bluetooth connectivity and upgraded fingers. Now the company has made available its latest revision, the i-limb ultra revolution, which offers powered thumb rotation for some added dexterity, as well as a new “biosim” app (iOS-only for now) that gives the wearer quick access to 24 different grip patterns in addition to diagnostic and training modes. Of course, the hand isn’t only controlled using a phone; as with previous models, it relies on muscle signals to shift into different pre-set patterns, which let the wearer perform a wide variety of actions. You can get a glimpse of some of those capabilities in the video after the break.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: Touch Bionics

Engadget RSS Feed

Pandora Radio updated with lockscreen music controls, timestamps and more

I must admit, even though Rdio is pretty awesome I still find myself always running back to Pandora Radio at some point. The popular music streaming service still provides that personalized radio experience we’ve grown accustomed to. So for those Pandora fans, we have some good news. They’ve updated the app and finally added lockscreen music controls.

unnamed

It’s about time they added this highly requested feature, and has been a long time coming. Today the developers behind Pandora Radio updated the Android app with a slew of fixes, speed enhancements, and of course those lockscreen controls we just mentioned. However, it isn’t all good news because they’ve still managed to miss a few things.

I’m extremely happy to see lockscreen music controls, but with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean bringing so many additional options for a music player it’s just sad to see them not taking advantage. Pandora still cannot use the awesome and extremely useful expanded notifications on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and above for music controls. This has become a staple for most updates lately, but they still haven’t done so. Here’s the changelog though:

• Lock screen controls for devices running Ice Cream Sandwich and later
• Added elapsed and remaining timestamps to the track progress indicator
• Reduced startup time
• Bug fixes and enhancements

It’s nice they’ve finally added time elapsed and remaining timestamps, and I’m sure many of you will enjoy that. Such a simple feature should have been included two years ago. Then the update claims to reduce the startup time, and we won’t complain about the app getting faster. Now all we need is expandable notification controls and we’ll be happy. So do you guys still use Pandora Radio?

[via Play Store]

Android Community

Android controls every single major market around the world, Nexus 4 boosts LG’s UK market share

Android-world

With the year’s first fiscal quarter wrapped up less than 48 hours ago, you’d think it’s not yet time to look at market shares or analyze sales numbers. But while manufacturers will only reveal their financial reports in a couple of weeks or so, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech already has some interesting surveys for us.

The first one, which we broke down yesterday, confirmed Android’s growing trend in the US and showed exactly how big of a gap there was between T-Mobile and the leading three American carriers on the eve of the “Uncarrier era”.

As for the second Kantar report, this focuses on smartphone sales by operating system in UK, as well as other important global markets. Much to our delight, the data compiled by the market research firm shows Android has the upper hand against iOS all across the world, from London to Berlin and from Sydney to Beijing.

Even more delightful, the gap between first and second place is all around wider than in the US. And the icing on the cake is that Android has seen a boost in sales everywhere, unlike Apple, who’s had progress in some markets, while in others… not so much.

But let’s get down to the actual numbers, shall we? Starting with GB, where Android’s sales market share in the three months leading to February 2013 has been 58.3%, up 10 full points compared with the same period last year.

Android sales

Meanwhile, iOS has only grown 0.1%, from 28.9% to 29%. Windows has snatched the British bronze medal from RIM BlackBerry, despite what analysts have described as encouraging initial sales of BB’s Z10.

The status quo is similar in the other two major European countries surveyed by Kantar – Germany and Italy. Only Germans seem to love Android even more, as the market share has grown from 58.8% to a whopping 71%.

Apple is the distant second around those parts, with 18.7% (down almost three points), while in Italy the gap is much narrower, but still comfortable – 57.1% vs. 23.1%. Windows seems to be most popular in “the boot”, where it holds a steady 13.1% market share.

Moving across oceans and deserts, we arrive in Australia, where Android remains the unchallenged champion, with a 61.4% share, up 3.6% year-on-year. iOS is second, with 32.5% (up 0.6%), while Windows is third, with a measly 3.4% share.

Android has seen its biggest growth in Mexico, where the market share has more than doubled in the past year, from 25.9% to an incredible 55.8%. iOS doesn’t even have a place on the podium here, being beaten to the punch by both BlackBerry and Symbian (?!?).

Android sales-2

Finally, Android’s share in urban China is impressive as well (68.7%), while iOS places second with 25.8%.

Getting back to the UK for a second, we have to award LG with an honorable mention for leaping from a 0.3% market share in the three months to February 2012 to 4.3% a year later. That’s “almost solely” due to strong Nexus 4 sales, which is incredibly impressive given how hard it has been to score one of those in the recent past.

This kind of bump has to make you wonder if the February N4 sales estimates were accurate. According to those, the phone sold in 1 million units globally. Our guess? Not even close.

Despite the impressive growth, LG can’t reach the podium in UK sales. Samsung remains top dog, with 36.2% of the pie, Apple is second, with 29%, while HTC is third, with an on the rise 9.1% share owed to the One X+ and the Windows-based 8S.

So how about all these numbers, folks? Should they give Apple the heebie-jeebies? Should Google and Samsung pop up the champagne? How about LG, is that 4% boost in the UK a cause for celebration?

The post Android controls every single major market around the world, Nexus 4 boosts LG’s UK market share appeared first on Android Authority.

Android Authority

Pandora for Android loaded with lock screen controls

Pandora for Android loaded with lock screen controls

A fresh release of Pandora’s Android app hit Google Play, and it carries a light, but welcome changelog. New lock screen controls for hardware packing Ice Cream Sandwich or later flavors of Google’s confection-themed OS headline the update. In addition, the revamp brings shortened startup times for the application and a track progress indicator that sports elapsed and remaining timestamps. Naturally, assorted bug fixes and enhancements round out the tweaks. Click the bordering source link to snag the download.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Source: Pandora (Google Play)

Engadget RSS Feed

Pandora update adds lockscreen controls and a few visual tweaks

Pandora Lockscreen controls

Startup times also improved, along with the requisite 'bugfixes'

The latest update to Pandora brings a couple of new features that users have been wanting for some time now — lockscreen controls and improved playback display. The former is a very simple (and standard by now) set of controls consisting of play/pause and next track buttons, along with a background of the current song's album art. Inside the app proper, you also now get time elapsed and time remaining for the track along with the progress bar, which is nice.

On the performance side, Pandora claims the latest update improved startup times (something the app has struggled with before) and fixed some random bugs. You can grab a download of the latest update from the Play Store link at the top of this post.




Android Central – Android Forums, News, Reviews, Help and Android Wallpapers

NASA JPL controls rover with Leap Motion, shows faith in consumer hardware (video)

DNP Controlling a NASA rover with the Leap Motion controller and beyond video

If you think using the Leap Motion controller for playing air guitar and typing without a keyboard was cool, try using it to control a NASA rover. Victor Luo and Jeff Norris from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab got on stage at the Game Developers Conference here in San Francisco to do just that with the ATHLETE (All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer), which was located 383 miles away in Pasadena. As Luo waved his hand over the sensor, the robot moved in kind, reacting to the subtle movements of his fingers and wrists, wowing the crowd that watched it over a projected Google+ Hangout.

We spoke with Luo and Norris after the panel to gain further insight into the project. As Luo explains, one of JPL’s main goals is to build tools to control robots needed for space exploration. Seeing as the gaming industry is already rife with user-friendly controllers ripe for the plucking, it made sense to harness them for the job. “We’re very used to the bleeding edge,” he said. “From the Kinect to the PlayStation Move, they represent major investments into usability.” Hit the jump for our impressions of the simulation software, a look at JPL’s grander goal and for video clips of the demo and panel itself.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: NASA JPL

Engadget RSS Feed

Pie Controls come to CyanogenMod 10 to give you more screen real estate

The folks from CyanogenMod took to their Google+ page earlier today to announce an awesome new feature that is now available on many CM10 nightly builds. It’s called Pie Controls, and is popular with many Android ROM’s, especially Paranoid Android. We first saw Pie Controls in the now replaced stock browser in Honeycomb, but starting today they’ll be available in a completely different way.

Screen Shot 2013-03-27 at 2.19.24 PM

As you see above, Pie Controls are the navigation buttons we’re use to seeing on our Android smartphones, only they will be hiding and only appear with a swipe or gesture from the edge of your smartphone. If you’ve used Paranoid Android you know exactly what this is. For those that think on-screen navigation keys only waste screen space, this feature is completely for you.

Using Pie Controls you’ll be able to hide those pesky navigation buttons and use that entire HD display on your Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, or any other device with on-screen controls. Then when you need to navigate home simply swipe up from the bottom (like we do with Google Now) and the Pie Controls will appear for easy access. The CM crew has also added a clock, battery information and more to the pop-up keys, and you can move them to wherever you see fit too.

The controls can be on the top, bottom, left or right and obviously is highly customizable. Make sure you head into settings and enable Pie Controls, then under Power Menu enable expanded desktop. From there you’ll be able to hide the navigation on-screen keys and enjoy this new feature and that added screen real estate. It was merged last night so should be in the latest CM10.1 nightly build of choice soon. Enjoy!

Android Community