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Tag: android-market

  • Google Launches Chrome for Android

    Google announced the development of Chrome browser for the Android platform. Chrome Beta will be available in Android Market in the next few days for the phones and tablets running the Ice Cream Sandwich version of the Android OS. For now, Chrome for Android Beta will be available in English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

    Like the desktop version, Chrome for Android Beta is based on speed and simplicity. The browser includes connection and synchronization functions in order to have the same personalized experience of browsing the Internet wherever you go, on any device.

    When initiating a new search, the main results are loaded in the background as you type; in this way, results are displayed more quickly. Of course, both searching and browsing can be done quickly from the address bar too, as in the desktop version.

    The tabs have also been redesigned and they are well suited to a phone or tablet with both small and large screen. User can now make the transition between an unlimited number of pages, with a very simple movement.

    Chrome for Android Beta is said to solve one of the most unpleasant things in mobile browsing: selecting the correct link between multiple links on a small screen device. User will no longer have to select links on a website, because Link Preview automatically zooms on links, becoming easy to select a particular link.

    Like the desktop version, Chrome for Android Beta includes incognito browsing mode and advanced privacy settings.

    Google has not announced if and when will adjust Chrome for other versions of Android.

    More details can be found here.

  • HTC Explorer: Smartphone For Masses

    HTC launched HTC Explorer, one of the most affordable smartphones on the market (around $290) and the most recent completion of the global portfolio of devices. HTC Explorer thus proposes a complex smartphone experience for users having a smartphone for the first time. Having a curved and compact design, a 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen, a 3-megapixel camera, HTC Explorer provides specific performance through a model attractive and affordable.

    According to the company, users of the new smartphone will be enjoying a well-defined graphics, exciting animations and a variety of widgets and video clips. HTC Explorer offers a customizable lock screen that allows users to access by a simple touch the most used applications and content such as updates from social networks, weather or stock market evolution.

    The screen lock allows direct access to camera functions in order to capture important moments immediately. Also, it is included a new Smart Dialer, which displays a menu with fast one-touch access to speed dial contacts.

    Using the “People” widget, users can follow updates from social networks, which display this information in a single stream of conversation, easy to follow. Also, the user can send quick messages that contain a photo, video or details of an area, all of them with one touch.

    Fast and intuitive online navigation
    HTC Explorer comes with Adobe Flash plug-in, useful for web and being the first in its class with HVGA screen. The plug-in will allow users to run almost all applications in the Android Market. Smart URL prediction provides easy access to 100 of the most popular websites, while the automatic URL correction is filtering the online browsing.

    Users can make reservations at the restaurant or can connect to customer service by simply dialing the numbers listed on any website. And if has forgotten to print the map of its destination, the user can access the address and it will be displayed in real time a map of the area.

    Availability
    HTC Explorer comes in three versions of colors: Metallic Black, Active Black and Metallic Navi. There are also available few colors for customization: Metallic Blue, Metallic Orange, Metallic White and Metallic Purple.

    "HTC Explorer is simply a smarter phone for anyone and it represents another clear demonstration of HTC's global commitment to expanding the market for advanced smartphones," said Jason Mackenzie from HTC.

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  • Google Mobilize Comes To Help Small Businesses

    Google takes initiative and wants to help the small and medium businesses to create websites for mobile phones. The project is called Google Mobilize and it was launched at a conference held in London. The concept involves converting web pages in order to be accessed through mobile phones.

    This is the first time when Google choose to launch an application in the United Kingdom before the United States, the impulse for this being given by a research project made by the company, which revealed that 28% of Britons are using their mobile phone when making a purchase online.

    "Many people are making purchases by using their smartphones, but what we do not know is that there are many sites adapted to the mobile phones, enabling them to order directly from the phone",briefs us Ian Carrington, successful sales manager of Google in Eastern and Northern Europe.

    He has also announced some official statistics registered in the UK. From these, it results that 36% of the population are using a smartphone, and 20 million people are connected to the Web by phone, compared to 14 million, in 2010. Also, the number of those who once saw an ad on TV, are using their smartphone or tablet for searching additional details about the product or about the brand.

    Android Market has reached 4.5 billion for the downloaded applications and games. "A year ago the figure was one billion, and it took two years to get here," said Carrington. Now, it reached one billion in 60 days. If this number will continue to grow in direct proportion to the number of daily active devices, the figure will explode by the end of the year.

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  • New Mobile Malware Droid Dream Affected around 120,000 Android Users Badly

    It is informed that approximately from 30,000 to 120,000 Android smartphone users are recently affected by a malware named as Droid Dream. It is believed that this malware is not a new thing and it is the same one that affected 50 applications earlier in March. According to Lookout Security, the latest malware was found in 25 and above mobile applications, which were removed earlier from Android Market by Google.

    Lookout Security also informed that this Droid Dream variant is a naked version of the original Droid Dream. This malware will be automatically active whenever user invokes the receipt of “android,intent.action.PHONE_STATE intent” like an incoming call. This is indicating that this variant doesn’t need any manual response in order get triggered into action. This malware is more malicious and requires no user actions to launch.

    The malware was seen light through a tip informed by a developer. This tip enabled security team of Lookout to verify instantly and found the malicious code which is almost as same earlier Droid Dream sample. It is identified that this malware was distributed from four different developers’ accounts. Some of apps that were affected due to this malware are below:

    Magic Photo Studio:
    • Sexy Girls: Hot Japanese.
    • Sexy Legs.
    • Hot Girls 4.
    • Beauty Breasts.
    • Sex Sound.
    • Sex Sound: Japanese.
    • HOT Girls 1.
    • HOT Girls 2.
    • HOT Girls 3.

    Mango Studio:
    • Floating Image Free
    • System Monitor
    • Super StopWatch and Timer
    • System Info Manager.

    E.T Tean:
    • Call End Vibrate.

    BeeGoo:
    • Quick Photo Grid.
    • Delete Contacts.
    • Quick Uninstaller.
    • Contact Master.
    • Brightness Settings.
    • Volume Manager.
    • Super Photo Enhance.
    • Super Color Flashlight.
    • Paint master.

    As a precautionary measure, it is suggested every Android smartphone user to consider installation of apps from trusted source and it is essential to verify the reviews and developer name. It is essential to give more concern towards the permissions that are prompted by the app during its installation process. It is also vital to observe the unusual behavior of the phone and keep the device well equipped with a mobile security app.

    The latest situations with Android Market is clearly informing all the Android smartphone users the necessity of a mobile security app. Definitely end user is suffering a lot though the situation is affecting badly the developers too. Developers are automatically kept at responsibility when their apps’ were ripped off and used for the malware distribution.

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  • Discover More Easily The Best Apps In Android Market

    Google continues its string of good news for Android fans, revealing the new Android Market, in the second day of the Google I/O conference in Moscone Center, San Francisco.

    Google’s application store has always been criticized for its cumbersome and obscure system of presenting the applications, in contrast with Apple’s App Store, so the IT giant has decided to take action.

    Android Market has now five new functions that will help any user find games and applications more easily. First is Top Apps that comes in a more complex shape, with recommendations by country, a top of both free and paid applications, and also a top of applications with the highest revenues.

    The second novelty is the Editor’s Choice, which contains a collection of the best applications at the moment, carefully selected by the Android Market’s reps.

    Next is Top Developers that will reward the best designers of applications with a special icon, which will ensure quality, they also being present in a special list in the Android Market. Currently the list contains 150 companies.

    Another innovation will give the user a recommendation of any downloaded software by other users who have also viewed the same program analyzed at that time. For example, if you’re using ScoreMobile, an application that gives you the latest scores in sports, you will be advised of other similar applications that sports fans have downloaded.

    The last section introduced is Trending Apps and will contain the applications and the games that are recording an upward trend in terms of download, in other words, the most promising titles of the moment.

    The new features of the Android Market are currently available only for the online version, but Google promises that the mobile version will be upgraded pretty soon.

  • Google Ice Cream Sandwich, Android 3.1, Movies and Music, Announced At Google I/O

    Google moves on with their global domination plans, announcing a lot of operating systems and services from the Google Ice Cream Sandwich to the new Android 3.1, Google Music and the possibility of renting movies on Android Market, all in one single day at the Google I/O 2011 event held at Moscone Center, San Francisco.

    Although it is difficult to say that a story would be more important than another, the operating system called Google Ice Cream Sandwich is certainly a highly awaited announcement. A combination between the Android software for tablets, Honeycomb and for smartphones, Gingerbread, the new Sandwich will be a universal version that will run on smart gadgets, from the smallest cell phones to the most generous tablets. It will offer a series of revolutionary features and is scheduled for the end of 2011.

    Google has decided that it’s time to enter the game of emphasizing the multimedia content and has launched Google Music service, which allows a server to store up to 20,000 songs, from its own collection, which will be played then by streaming on notebook, smartphone or other device. Google Music Beta is already live.

    The video part could not be absent from the equation, Google being able to offer us a service that allows users to rent movies directly from Android Market, at very good prices.

    Another thing that deserves to be noted from the Google I/O conference, which is still ongoing, is the launch of Android 3.1, the new version of the most popular operating system, which brings, among others, the possibility to resize the widgets and to import photos from digital cameras via USB host.

    Stay tuned for more details and fresh news from the Google I/O conference.

  • Fring Launches Dynamic Video Quality Mobile Calling

    fring announced the rollout of its network-optimized DVQ mobile video calling technology. The company’s proprietary DVQ (dynamic video quality) technology adjusts video bit rate and frame rate according to the specific device to match current network bandwidth during a call, delivering the best possible video picture quality for available bandwidth between call peers.

    Where network capacity is constrained, fring’s DVQ technology dynamically adapts the video picture quality, rather than losing the video call while providing the best possible audio quality. In addition, with an integrated DVQ indicator, fring intelligently notifies users of changes in their network strength in real time.

    According to fring, mobile eco-system resources are "core" to the company’s product’s design and its use: DVQ technology adjusts to match bandwidth at every point of every call. This adaptive nature allows for changing call conditions and network availability which translates into more connected calls and fewer dropped calls. Importantly, users enjoy rich video calling according to network congestion and in step with operator’s bandwidth availability – at all traffic hours.

    “In the year since pioneering mobile video calls, we’ve seen that users network conditions change dramatically during and between video calls. That’s the nature of mobile experiences in heterogeneous networks,” said Alex Nerst, Co-Founder & CTO of fring.

    "DVQ lets users make the best use of the peer- to- peer network capacity available at any moment during a video call, regardless of if they’re stepping into an elevator, commuting on a train or simply walking away from their WiFi hub," he added.

    DVQ technology is compatible with all mobile data bearers: 3G, 4G, WIMax and WiFi and is currently available from the iPhone App Store and the Android market.

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  • Vonage Mobile App Provides Free Wi-Fi / 3G Calling For Facebook Users Worldwide

    Vonage has just introduced the Vonage Mobile application for Facebook, a new service that allows users to make free mobile calls to all of their Facebook friends who have the app, anywhere in the world, directly from their friends list.

    The downloadable application is free to get and free to use. According to Vonage, the new service enhances the ability to connect with Facebook friends through the addition of voice calling.

    It is available for iPhone, iPod touch and Android devices and works over Wi-Fi and 3G /4G networks in most countries.

    “The new service is easy to use,” says Vonage. The app works with a user’s existing community of Facebook friends, so there’s no need to remember screen names or to input numbers. The application eliminates dialing – users can just click on a friend and start talking. When placing a call, the friend’s profile picture and status update display on the screen.

    "The Vonage Mobile app for Facebook is a tangible example of our commitment to deliver extraordinary value and a better communications experience for individuals and their social networks, across broadband-enabled devices, around the world," said Marc Lefar, Chief Executive Officer of Vonage.

    "This is just the start. In the future we will expand on this service to include a wide range of integrated voice and messaging services that change the way people communicate," he added.

    The application can be downloaded from the Android Market in 48 countries and from the iTunes Store in 87 countries. Users who don’t have an unlimited data plan should check with their carrier to see if any charges apply.

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  • Gartner: Consumers Will Spend $6.2 Billion in Mobile Application Stores in 2010

    Consumers will spend $6.2 billion in 2010 in mobile application stores while advertising revenue is expected to generate $0.6 billion worldwide, according to market research firm Gartner.

    Analysts said mobile application stores will exceed 4.5 billion downloads in 2010, eight out of ten of which will be free to end users.

    Gartner forecasts worldwide downloads in mobile application stores to surpass 21.6 billion by 2013. Free downloads will account for 82 per cent of all downloads in 2010, and will account for 87 per cent of downloads in 2013.

    “As smartphones grow in popularity and application stores become the focus for several players in the value chain, more consumers will experiment with application downloads,” said Stephanie Baghdassarian, research director at Gartner.

    “Games remain the No. 1 application, and mobile shopping, social networking, utilities and productivity tools continue to grow and attract increasing amounts of money.”

    The research shows worldwide mobile application stores’ download revenue exceeded $4.2 billion in 2009 and will grow to $29.5 billion by the end of 2013.

    This revenue forecast includes end-user spending on paid-for applications and advertising-sponsored free applications. Advertising-sponsored mobile applications will generate almost 25 per cent of mobile application stores revenue by 2013.

    According to Carolina Milanesi, research director at Gartner, application stores will be a core focus throughout 2010 for the mobile industry and applications themselves will help determine the winner among mobile devices platforms.

    “Consumers will have a wide choice of stores and will seek the ones that make it easy for them to discover applications they are interested in and make it easy to pay for them when they have to. Developers will have to consider carefully not only which platform to support but also which store to promote their applications in,” she said.

    High-end smartphone users today tend to be early adopters of new mobile applications and more trustful of billing mechanisms, so they will pay for applications that can meet their needs, as Gartner claims.

    Analysts think average smartphone users will become less tech-savvy as smartphones come down in price to have a mass market appeal and these users will be more reluctant to pay for applications.

  • HTC opens Android Market in South Africa


     

    Leaf International Communications, the sole distributor of HTC in South Africa launched three phones, Touch Pro2, Touch Diamond2 and the Snap for the local market.

    The Leaf team presented their new offerings to the media at Central Grill in Fourways. The company also confirmed the Android Market, Google’s mobile application directory, will be available to South African users from August 2009.

    “HTC was the first to launch Android-based handsets in South Africa during May 2009,” said Stephen Strachan, marketing director at Leaf. “At the time, the Android Market was unavailable to local users and, while we have developed a local application portal, it is great that consumer demand has resulted in Google allowing local users to access this popular global portal. Leaf, together with HTC is exceptionally proud to bring the Android market to the South African consumer”.

    For the first time, HTC Magic and HTC Dream handset owners have access to literally thousands of free applications. They can download a complete spectrum of apps, ranging from functional downloads to those designed purely for fun. The assortment is limitless and consumers can choose between a variety of gaming applications, business & social networking tools and a multitude of other exciting content for download direct to their HTC Android handsets.

    HTC Pro2

    The new HTC Pro2 runs off the windows Mobile 6.1 professional operating system and will be upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.5 when released. The phones features 3.6-inch touch-sensitive screen with ultra sharp WVGA resolution, an internal GPS antenna, Bluetooth 2.1 stereo that has enhanced data rate and a micro SD card slot which offers expandable storage. The PRO2 makes communication more natural thanks to HTC’s new Straight Talk technology.

    Touch Diamond2

    The slim 13.7mm handset features a 3.2-inch touch sensitive screen with ultra sharp WVGA resolution. The Touch diamond 2 also has an internal GPS antenna which is GPS and A-GPS ready, Bluetooth 2.0 with enhanced Data rate and micro SD card for storage. The Touch Diamond2 runs off Windows 6.1 which will like the PRO2 be upgraded to Windows 6.5 operating system once it’s released.

    HTC Snap

    The New Snap seamlessly integrates the familiar features of Microsoft windows and an exceptional mobile web experience. The HTC Snap operates the flexible Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 standard platform. The HTC Snap also includes an internal GPS antenna that is GPS and A-GPS ready, Bluetooth 2.0 with enhanced Data Rate, Wi-Fi and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets.