Archive for July, 2011

Google Maps 5.8 for Android

A new version of Google Maps is available from Android Market. The official update from Google takes the app to the version 5.8 adding a list of new features. Most of them are related to the Google Place. And now you can even upload pics straight within the application. The update brings in the following enhancements:

  • Upload photos for a Place
  • My Places as a simple way to manage the Places you’ve starred and recently viewed
  • Descriptive terms for Places in search results
  • Add a new Place on-the-go when checking in

    Photo upload for a Place is going to be a user-contributed feature. This means that each of the users can upload a picture of the place, so that the rest of the users will also get a chance to see the place in combination with the ratings and reviews. Descriptive terms can be used for those users of Google Places who are looking for the best things to do at the specific places. This means that each of the places can be described as “providing best banana splash” or something like that.

    Via

    July 28, 2011 | 0 Comments More

    Say Hello to New Android Market 3.0.27!

    A few weeks ago a new Android Market (version 3.0.26) with updated movie and book rentals and a number of other improvements was leaked. The user interface in the leaked version was also different, as if it was designed for Honeycomb or even for the upcoming Ice-Cream Sandwich.

    That time we couldn’t find anyone who actually received that update, but now the next (3.0.27) version of Android Market is being rolled out, and at least the guys from Android Community have already upgraded the Android Market on their devices running Android 2.2. Here’s what they write:

    “I manually installed the original leak on another phone and it was almost instantly upgraded without notice or user action to 3.0.27 so this is most likely the official version.”

    The update isn’t being rolled out as fast as we would like it to, but if you don’t want to wait any longer, you can install in manually. Don’t hesitate to follow this link to download it!

    g2x root
    July 27, 2011 | 0 Comments More

    AT&T Updates All Postpaid Handsets of 2011 to Gingerbread

    Yesterday AT&T made an amazing announcement. According to it, all postpaid Android-powered smartphones of the carrier will get Gingerbread soon. The list is full of awesome handsets, and this must be one of the best presents AT&T.

    The update will bring the phones to a new level, and as there are different devices designed by different manufacturers, they will get the update in different ways and time. Though the carrier prefers to push out the Android 2.3 update for most handsets over-the-air, we all understand not all smartphones will be updated by this way — some people will need to connect their phones to PCs.

    First of all, the Gingerbread update will bring a new user interface, a copy/paste functionality and speed improvements. Moreover, it brings an improved on-screen keyboard with multi-touch support that is more comfortable for typing.

    The list includes:

    Moreover, the owners of the Motorola Atrix 4G can already update their devices. The next one probably will be the HTC Inspire 4G that will get Gingerbread on its board in coming weeks.

    Source

    July 26, 2011 | 0 Comments More

    Android is Second Popular OS in UK

    The number of smartphone users is increasing in the UK: If back in 2010 only 27 percent of mobile users had smartphones, now two time more people own smartphones — 42 percent.

    The number of Android fans in the world is also increasing, and the UK is no exception. Only a year ago there weren’t many people who had Android smartphones in the UK, but now Google’s platform has grabbed 26.7 percent of the OS market in the UK, showing a ridiculously huge 634 percent increase. So now Android is the second popular OS in the UK, while the first place belongs to Apple’s iOS (27.1 percent).

    In May 2010 Nokia’s Symbian was the most popular OS in the UK, but things change, and now Symbian has fallen to the third place with a 10 percent market share decrease (only 22.5 percent now). As for the other platforms, RIM’s OS is on the fourth place, even though its market share had a 59 percent increase, and Microsoft’s Windows Phone had a 32 percent decrease, so it’s only the fifth now.

    The difference between iOS and Android is tiny now – only 0.4 percent, and we think very soon Android will gain more users and will become the most popular OS in the UK, leaving iOS and Symbian far behind.

    July 25, 2011 | 0 Comments More

    Android Tablets Getting 30% Market Share

    Android OS seems to be a lucky clover not only for smartphones but for tablets, too. In Q2, 2011, the share of Android-based tablets grew and made up 30 percent. This is a great progress, since in Q2 2010 Android’s share in the tablet market was only 2.9 percent.

    However, we should note that in back in Q2 2010 there weren’t many famous tablets based on Android, even the Samsung Galaxy Tab that started the Android boom was released in November 2010. And the tablets that had no access to Google Apps or Android Market could barely have any success… So no wonder Android has only 2.9 percent of the market!

    By the way, there is one bad thing in these statistics — there is no distinction between the smartphone version of Android and the special tablet version (Honeycomb). Some sources claim that the tablets running Honeycomb make up only 1 percent (or even less) of all Android tablets, which is very bad.

    Will the numbers change in Q3, 2011? We’ll see.

    Via

    July 22, 2011 | 0 Comments More
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