 | Android quest for global domination continues, according to new figures Aug 14th 2013, 23:49, by Matt Swider 
Google's mobile operating system may be fragmented, but Android as a whole stills eats up the smartphone pie chart with 79 percent market share in the second quarter of 2013. "Android continues to dominate with nearly 80 percent market share," wrote market research firm Gartner in a press release today. Previously, Google-powered smartphones accounted for 64.2 percent of sales in the same quarter last year, according to Gartner. This 14.8 percent jump further distances Android from the iOS platform among smartphones. Apple's share decreased from 18.8 percent to 14.2 percent worldwide in the second quarter year-over-year. Microsoft on the marchIf you run into 10 people who bought a smartphone in the second quarter, statistically eight out of them are likely to be Android owners. But maybe, just maybe one of those people is carrying a Windows Phone handset. That's more likely now than it was last year, as Microsoft is inching its way up the mobile OS sales charts at 3.3 percent this past quarter. A year ago, Windows Phone was behind former No. 3, BlackBerry, having just 2.6 percent of the worldwide smartphone market. BlackBerry managed to capture just 2.7 percent of the market in the second quarter, down from 5.2 percent last year even with BB10 in full swing this year. Samsung still dominates devicesAmong hardware manufacturers, Samsung was in line with its software partner, Google, trumping Apple with a healthy 31.7 percent of sales. The Galaxy S4 launch was no small part of that success. Apple's hardware numbers remained the same as its software, as the company's phones and iOS platform are tied together. Rounding out the top five in today's report were LG at 5.1 percent, Lenovo at 4.7 percent and Chinese phone manufacturer ZTE charting with 4.3 percent of sales. Other vendors accounted for the remaining 40 percent of smartphone sales in the second quarter.        | | Samsung said to be Gear-ing up for a September 4 smartwatch launch Aug 14th 2013, 21:19, by Chris Smith 
Samsung will launch the heavily-tipped Galaxy Gear smartwatch during its Unpacked event early next month, according to a report today. We do recommend a shake of salt for this one. SamMobile, the often reliable independent Samsung site, claimed it received information that confirms the South Korean company will introduce the Galaxy Gear watch alongside the Galaxy Note 3 on Sept. 4. The so-called SM-V700 Galaxy Gear - a potential name that has emerged in various Samsung trademark filings - had previously been tipped to arrive at the event by sources in the company's Korean homeland. The Unpacked event will take place in Berlin, Germany on the eve of the annual IFA technology show. FutTv : 250ne4u82H5oHWristy businessPrevious rumours have pegged the device as a wearable companion for the company's popular range of Galaxy devices. It would also predate the rumored Apple iWatch if announced. In terms of specs, recent patent filings from Samsung have hinted at a flexible AMOLED screen that wraps around the wrist, along with a built-in microphone and USB charging port. However, little else is known. Should it be revealed alongside the Note 3 - which is all but confirmed for the event - it stands to reason Samsung will brief users on how the two devices would interact with each other. Right now, we'd take all talk of a Sept. 4 launch date with hefty dose of skepticism, but talk is certainly heating up ahead of one of the biggest tech events of the year.        | | Google Search to add personal touch by tapping into your Gmail, Calendar Aug 14th 2013, 21:08, by Lbrown 
As much as our smartphones have become miniature personal assistants, there's still the matter of having to dig through our calendars to find out appointment times, or scan through our emails for those pesky package tracking numbers. Ever have to dig through emails to figure out your flight info? We've been there, too. With all the buzz around the Moto X and its "always listening" capabilities, it makes sense Google is bringing some of that functionality to Google Search. Over the next week, Google will start offering personal results in Search based on information culled from your accounts in Google+, Gmail and Google Calendar. Now, no matter what kind of device your using (desktop, smartphone or tablet), you can sync your account to provide specific results based on your everyday life. Say or type in a question like, "What's my flight status?" or "When will my package arrive?" and your answers will populate in Search. Tailor madeGoogle Now already offers similar features for Android users, but now Google is opening up these kind of results to U.S., English-speaking users, no matter what their platform. There's no word yet on international availability. As long as you're using the Chrome browser or Google Search itself and you've synced your account, you can get the most recent results just by asking. Search will respond to questions about flight plans, reservations (restaurant and hotel), purchasing orders, photo and plans listed in your calendar to start. Google promised more possible query options were coming later, but these basic questions should more than suffice until a deeper set of searches comes along. The company also promised this type of personalization would be secure, and only available to you as long as you were signed in to Google. Opt outOf course, you can also choose to opt out of giving Google access to the details of your daily life with just a few clicks. 
You can opt out temporarily by clicking the little globe under your name on the search results page, but you'll have to do this every time you search for something new. The best option for more private people would be to go into your search settings (found in the gear icon beneath your name), and scroll down to Private Results section. There, you'll see a box for Google to not use private results when searching, which you can click to disable the option entirely. Privacy has become a major concern for many consumers of late, and even though Google's new Search abilities could come in handy, that's an awful lot of info to trust to a third party.        | | Blip: Samsung needs help deciding what to do with its flexible displays Aug 14th 2013, 20:30, by Michael Rougeau 
Hey, coming up with ideas is hard, especially with something as experimental "Youm" flexible displays, so why not crowdsource solutions? In the spirit of "sooo, you got anything?" Samsung launched a contest today to cull ideas and business plans related to its flexible display tech. The grand prize is $10,000 (about £6,400, AU$10,900), while a first and second prize are also up for grabs. Contestants will be judged on criteria such as the importance of the flexible display to the product, design, realistic hardware assumptions and business plan viability. Applications are due Oct. 6, but you might as well not bother - TechRadar's going to sweep the field with our plan for flexible, hi-tech slap bracelets. More blips!Need inspiration? TechRadar has plenty more blips to get your creative juices flowing.        | | Blip: Catamarans, trolls and Iron Man star in senseless HTC spot Aug 14th 2013, 20:06, by Michael Rougeau 
HTC committed to its "here's to change" ad campaign today by debuting its first full-length ad starring Iron Man himself, Mr. Robert Downey, Jr. The ad, in which RDJ attends a board meeting and explores the various meaning of the acronym "HTC," was teased earlier this month with a short clip. Contrary to popular belief, the ad has nothing to do with the rumored HTC One Max, instead focusing on the company's overall brand, and poking fun at said brand. Apparently, HTC stands for whatever you want it to - including "humongous tinfoil catamaran," "hipster troll carwash," "hot tea catapult," "Hungarian tuba concert," "hot tempered cheerleaders," "hog-tied clown," and finally, "happy telephone company." YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVE1OcfB1E4Acronym enthusiasts and the easily amused can get more with the company's acronym generator. What fun! More blips!We can't afford Robert Downey, Jr., but we do have a lot more blips to read!        | | Sony Xperia i1 'Honami' compared to iPhone in latest photo leak Aug 14th 2013, 19:41, by Michael Rougeau 
Pictures allegedly showing the white version of Sony's rumored Xperia i1 "Honami" surfaced last night, placing the leak-happy 5-incher next to the competition for comparison. In the photos, posted on the Chinese message board Digi-wo (via Xperia Blog), the Honami can be spied next to an iPhone 5, and it's both taller and wider than its Apple-made rival. The Xperia i1 also appeared next to its slightly smaller cousin, the Xperia Z. Other photos in the set show some of the phone's ports and features, as well as a shot of the phone's camera menu. Honami time!The other photos published show the Xperia i1 Honami's magnetic docking pins, port flap and top-mounted 3.5mm headphone jack. You can also spy the phone's 20.7-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch sensor G lens camera.  Another shot showing the phone's UI seemingly confirms its ability to take 20MP 5248 x 3936 photos.
Until these, photos of the black version of the Honami have been more prominent, and this is the most we've seen of the phone in white. Past leaks suggested that in addition to the device's impressive camera, it will sport a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip, Qualcomm Adreno 330 graphics, 2GB of memory, 16GB of storage, microSD, LTE and NFC support. Image credit: Digi-wo A 3000mAh battery was rumored previously as well, a spec that Xperia Blog reaffirmed in today's report. With those stats it seems Sony is vying for the camera phone throne, but with competition from the likes of Nokia's Lumia 1020 and Samsung's Galaxy S4 Zoom, it's going to be a war of at least three kings.        | | LG G Pad tablet tipped to stretch over eight inches, pack cell capabilities Aug 14th 2013, 18:46, by Michael Rougeau 
More rumors about an LG tablet, dubbed the LG G Pad, popped up again when sources came forward claiming they've held the device in their hands. According to the Greek site TechBlog (via PhoneArena), these slippery sources spilled the beans about some of the G Pad's stats. Allegedly, the LG G Pad is an 8.3-inch tablet with an impressive 1920 x 1200 display, putting it in the upper echelons of screen quality. Interestingly, the G Pad was also said to have cell capabilities with support for call-enabled SIM cards. The G reportAccording to the sources, the G Pad (please let it have a different name) is extremely thin and light, with a small side bezel, and fits easily into back pockets - which for an 8.3-inch tablet is nigh unbelievable, so take that with a side of salt. The G Pad reportedly also sports a quad-core processor and 2GB of memory, but that's where the details stop. Overall the G Pad was compared to the Nexus 7, only slightly larger. What up, GLG hasn't released a tablet since the Optimus Pad came out years ago, but it was rumored as far back as May this year that the company is getting back into the tablet game. The G Pad name first surfaced last month, when LG filed listings for "G"-branded devices like a G Watch, G Band, G Hub, G Glass, and G Link. The G Pad and G Watch are easy to figure, but whatever the rest of those products are remains a mystery. Thankfully, PhoneArena reported that the G Pad, at least, will be unveiled at IFA 2013 next month, so we may not have to wait much longer to find out.        | | iPhone 5S leaves more fingerprint evidence Aug 14th 2013, 15:07, by Hugh Langley 
It's been all about the budget iPhone 5C recently, but today we're back focusing to the iPhone 5S with a new part claiming to offer up more evidence that it could be offering up a fingerprint reader. You know, the one we keep hearing about. A component leaked by Nowhereelse.fr shows some design changes to the home button area that could indicate that it's making space for a fingerprint scanner to replace the home button we're all so used to. The supportive metal spacer cushion, as thrilling as it sounds, has also had a tweak that makes it look like it's making space for something new. Dusting for evidenceThere are also some changes in the camera area, including the all-exciting screw placements, which could have something to do with that dual flash we've also been hearing about. Some particularly compelling evidence for a fingerprint reader was found in the pre-release beta of iOS 7 where a "Biometric Kit" folder was discovered. We've no way of telling whether these pictures are real, but if all these recent 5S and 5C appearances have any truth behind them, Apple really needs to plug some leaky holes. After all, that rumoured September 10 launch is less than a month away - will there be any surprises left in store?        | |
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