Tag: android

  • Premium Android hits the wall

    Charles Arthur wrote about Premium Android hitting the wall. “Premium” Android is getting torn apart, piranha-style. Cheaper phones from Chinese companies such as Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus, and Oppo are taking away their high-end Chinese business. Slowdowns in developing countries (notably south America) are killing sales there. And in the west, there isn’t the same appetite…

  • New data uncovers the surprising predictability of Android lock patterns

    Ars Technica reported on new data that uncovered the surprising predictability of Android lock patterns. Now, Android lock patterns—the password alternative Google introduced in 2008 with the launch of its Android mobile OS—are getting the same sort of treatment. The Tic-Tac-Toe-style patterns, it turns out, frequently adhere to their own sets of predictable rules and…

  • Hackers can remotely steal fingerprints from Android phones

    ZDNet reported on how hackers can remotely steal fingerprints from Android phones. The attack, which was confirmed on the HTC One Max and Samsung’s Galaxy S5, allows a hacker to stealthily acquire a fingerprint image from an affected device because device makers don’t fully lock down the sensor. Making matters worse, the sensor on some…

  • Bubble Cloud Widget + Wear brings a stylish launcher to Android Wear

    Android Central reported on Bubble Cloud Widget + Wear. Convenience is the name of the game when it comes to Smartwatches, but at times getting to the app you need quickly can be a hassle in Android Wear. Bubble Cloud Widgets + Wear is a launcher that brings you gorgeous icons for all of your…

  • HTC trading below cash leaves smartphone brand with no value

    Bloomberg reported on HTC trading below cash leaves smartphone brand with no value. A 60 percent plunge in HTC Corp.’s stock this year pushed its market value to below its cash on hand. That means investors were effectively saying the smartphone maker’s brand, factories and buildings were worthless. HTC’s market price fell Monday to NT$47…

  • The security flaw Google built into Android

    MIT Technology Review reported on the security flaw Google built into Android. When security problems are discovered in Microsoft’s Windows operating system, or Apple’s mobile or desktop equivalents, those companies can push out an update to affected computers. You get a message telling you to install the update, direct from the company who made the…

  • Samsung glamour days over as it fights to save mobile market share

    Reuters reported on Samsung’s fight to save mobile market share. Behind Samsung’s reality-check is the fact it is stuck with the same Android operating system used by its low-cost competitors, who are producing increasingly-capable phones of their own. “The writing has long been on the wall for any premium Android maker: as soon as low…

  • Goodbye, Android

    Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai wrote on Motherboard about switching from Andoird. As security expert Cem Paya put it, that was a conscious decision Google made when it created Android. Paya called it a Faustian deal: “cede control over Android, get market-share against iPhone.” Basically, Google was happy to let carriers put their bloatware on their Android phones…

  • HTC lose half of its market cap in four months

    Ars Technica reported on how standing still caused HTC to lose half of its market cap in four months. Have you heard about HTC lately? 2015 is shaping up to be an awful year for the company. In March the company had a market cap of $4.06 billion, and today—only a few months later—it’s worth…

  • What does Android mean?

    Benedict Evans wrote about Android taxonomies. First, there are actually (at least) six types of ‘Android’ in the market today: ‘Stock’ Android, as seen on Google’s Nexus devices, complete with Google services (but with tiny unit sales) ‘Modified’ Android, as seen on phones from Samsung, Sony, LG etc, complete with Google services – generally, these…