Season's greetings...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our valued readership (you know who you are) from the editors and contributors to AndroidNZ. We're having a well-earned break over the next few days, so you might find the place a little echoey, but we'll be back bigger, brighter and better than ever.

All the best from the Team. :-)

Apple's attempt to force ban on Galaxy Tab 10.1N in Germany fails

The same Dusseldorf court that enforced the sales ban on Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany has rejected Apple's bid to have its successor, the 10.1N, banned in the German market. The presiding judge has found in Samsung's favour that the Germany-specific model doesn't infringe on Apple's design patents and Samsung will continue to sell the 10.1N in the country.

While the final ruling will have to wait until February 9th, the decision has effectively been made and Apple has lost its latest attempt at marketing by litigation, another high profile setback for the Cupertino based consumer electronics giant. However, Apple has ongoing court cases in other countries besides Germany, and this latest reversal is unlikely to dampen the company's enthusiasm for suing its competitors out of markets across the globe.

Recently Apple succeeded in having the US ITC impose a ban on certain HTC handset sales in the country, a rather thin victory as it transpires with HTC announcing yesterday that there is already a workaround for the alleged patent infringing processes flagged by the ITC. The ban wouldn't be applied until April and would also only apply to new imports at that time, so is unlikely to have any effect on HTC at all.

Apple is in turn being sued by HTC, Samsung, Motorola and others in various world courts, some of which are considered likely to enforce bans on the iGadgets targeted by those court cases.

Source: Bloomberg

Android activations exceed 700k per day

A few hours ago, Android’s Andy Rubin rocked the blogosphere with the announcement that more than seven hundred thousand Android devices are activated each day, up from the previous paltry daily count of 550,000, reported in late July. Well, ‘paltry’ might be a slight misnomer, but 700k+ is one heck of a jump from there. This latest information effectively scotches the speculation that Android's growth had peaked, and opens up the probability that one million activations a day will be announced within weeks.


Rubin also took the opportunity in a tweet to put the anti-Android brigade in their place with the confirmation that Google’s activation measurement is based on unique first-time connections, and doesn't include any refurbishment repeat activation, or OS upgrades as earlier claimed by Apple’s Steve Jobs and continually repeated by the Cupertino iGadget maker's supporters since.


This new figure is a revealing insight into how popular the Android platform has become relative to its closest competitor, Apple’s iOS, which was last reported as being activated at ~230,000 per day in September 2010. Since Android’s stunning growth saw it pass the iOS activation rate, somewhat tellingly Apple has stopped publishing its own activation information.


In the US, where Apple traditionally enjoys a ‘home ground’ advantage in market share, iOS share is roughly half that of Android, and in Australasia, where iOS has enjoyed a serious dominance in the past, Android is now the leading platform by a small margin. The trend though, is for Android ascendency in this region much as it is globally.


Source: Twitter, Google+

Amazon: Kindle topping 1 million sales a week

The Kindle family of devices, started in 2007 with the introduction of the original Kindle, has always been a popular electronic and shown good sales numbers due to its ease of use, portability and price. The Kindle's foundation was built upon offering a simple device that allowed users to read at an affordable price. Through it's success, Amazon has now expanded the family to several models which include the Touch, FIre and Original.

Just recently, Amazon announced that the sales of Kindle devices has been topping 1 million weekly, consistent for 3 weeks. The most recent addition, the Fire, is marketed as an iPad alternative that matches several features with some omissions that lead to a 199$ pricetag. Currently, Amazon is losing money on each Fire sold, but with these increasing sales numbers, they could soon be making a profit as component prices decrease.

As we approach the holiday season, a Kindle would be a terrific gift to give a relative or friend that is into reading, whether it be books or news. I still believe the Kindle is the way to go for as authentic and reliable a reading experience on an electronic device. As far as accessories go, US users can pick them up directly on the Amazon website, European based users should take a look at the products offered by MobileFun, such as their Kindle covers and Kindle cases.

The success of the Kindle should continue to grow as users find the benefits of owning such as functional device. In the tablet market, Amazon has managed to penetrate greatly while only being in the market for a little over a month. Maybe other manufacturers should focus on their own approach and style rather than trying to be as similar to the iPad.

American Airlines chooses Galaxy Tab for elite passenger entertainment

Say goodbye to the rubbish in-seat entertainment devices you've been suffering - American Airlines has chosen the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to revolutionise its in-flight offering.

In a move that sets the standard for competing airlines, Samsung's flagship device will be the Premium Class offering going forward. The initial release features more than seventy movies and a number of TV series, a huge range of individual television programmes, plus musical channels to meet every taste. Or so their marketing spokes-captain claims. He adds: "Today's news is the latest in a series of investments we've made in our focus on product and service enhancements for our premium customers, and we know they will be delighted with the contemporary entertainment experience of the tablet."

Which may even be true.

The Tab is likely to feature an American Airlines-specific interface and will get additional content such as games, access to social networking and e-reader publications, courtesy of AA.

That is, if Apple doesn't get a tame judge to award an injunction against them in the meantime.

Source: American Airlines PR

Apple's failed ban attempt in Oz helps Samsung

Samsung Australia's spokesman says Apple's court case against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has made the product a "household name", a bonus for the Korean phone maker obviously unintended by the Cupertino tech giant. The Tab is already being sold following a ruling that finally legitimized its sales in Oz. Now, Samsung is reportedly experiencing a stellar sales period, the Galaxy Tab and the Galaxy Nexus both appearing in store for the first time in Australia.

The intense media coverage generated by the Apple-instigated court battle has made the Galaxy Tab a "household name", according to Samsung's Tyler McGee, exceeding the buzz that their normal marketing effort would have achieved. So much so, the spokesman stated, that "there will probably be short supply against the demand". Not a terrible position to be in, one would imagine.

Foad Fadaghi, Telsyte telecomms specialist, expects that Samsung will take the number two spot in the Australian tablet market. Apple, the current leader, has seen its position in the worldwide market drop heavily from virtually pwning it a year ago, to its current 50%. While that's still an enormous lead over its nearest manufacturer competitor, the trend certainly looks ominous for the iPad creator.

In addition to the Tab 10.1, Samsung intends to market the 7.7" version alongside its larger sibling in the lead-up to Christmas, and the 8.9" variant will appear on the shelves in Q1 of the new year.

McGee also confirmed that from August 2011, "the number one overall brand in mobile phones in Australia and also the number one brand in smartphones" was Samsung, effectively demoting Apple's iPhone to also-ran status. Which helps explain Apple's willingness to court criticism (excuse the pun) over its propensity for litigation instead of competition. They have a great deal to lose.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

NPD research shows tablet users avoiding cellular data connection

At least in the Yoo Ess of Eh, the proportion of cellular-connected tablets, already a minority, is trending even lower.

Between April and October this year, the percentage of "WiFi-only" tablet connections increased from 60% to 65%, at the expense of the "WiFi plus cellular" and "cellular-only" segments. As you'd expect with a device that relies on connectivity to function as intended, the percentage of "no connectivity" users basically halved - although you have to wonder what on earth that latter group actually uses their tablet for at all.

Graphic courtesy of NPD

Video Review: SGP Flex Screenshield for Galaxy Nexus

On my previous SGP screenshield review, the Ultra Oleophobic, several viewers complained about the lack of screen coverage of the protector - due in part to the curved glass display on your beloved Galaxy Nexus. Since the Ultra Oleophobic is a Dry-apply screen protector, any sort of curvature would cause bubbling, so SGP was confined to keep the screenshield coverage on flatter areas of the display.

For those users that weren't fans of the exposed glass, the SGP Flex is the screenshield for you. This is an ultra clear, wet-apply screenshield made to offer maximum protection and coverage on your display. The packaging comes with 2 protector, a squeegee, microfiber cloth and the install solution.

Below I've posted a video showcasing both the installation and a review of the protector;

The Galaxy Nexus "Real-user" Review: Part 1 - Initial impressions, design/build quality, benchmarks, software and user experience

Image courtesy of GalaxyNexus.com

Sometimes being a gadget loving geek can be tough. I have to manage two Android phones, an Android tablet, play with accessories like the Breffo SpiderPodium and sometimes NZtechfreak even has the audacity to send me new devices! I mean who wants to test out a cutting edge devices all the time?

Well, actually I do! And that’s why I’m now writing a review for the official Google handset of 2011, the Galaxy Nexus. While you poor sots are stuck with devices running Gingerbread (or earlier), I’m being treated to a much tastier morsel – Ice Cream Sandwich, with a pretty sweet piece of hardware to boot.

If you’re interested in finding out what I thought then keep reading after the jump:

Tech Crunch outs Apple as feeding a patent troll

In keeping with its strategy for world domination in consumer electronics, (and more relevant to AndroidNZ, the world of mobile devices), Apple has surreptitiously transferred a dozen patents that it previously "owned" to a non-existent corporate entity called Cliff Island LLC.

Tech crunch have done a little digging and it appears that Cliff Island is a shell company, sharing a physical address with Altitude Capital, the main investor behind patent trolling company Digitude Innovations (ironic name, n'est pas?).

Cliff Island then transferred those same patents to Digitude who have now filed a suit with the ITC (International Trade Commission) in the US against basically all the smartphone and tablet makers selling in America - except Apple, that is. How mysterious.

So what we're seeing here is Apple suing its competitors out of the market, yet again, but this time by proxy. And it's interesting that the patent transfers have taken place under some sneaky back-room sleight of hand.

The whole article and its links to a Forbes piece on Digitude can be read at the Tech Crunch site. It's worth a look at just how out of control Apple has become, and the folks at TC deserve the clicks for their excellent effort in bringing this to light.

This seems to be a case where the US DOJ may yet be involved. Interesting times.

Source: Tech Crunch

EU-wide sales ban on 3G iPhone and iPad awarded by German Court

In another reversal for litigation-happy Apple, Motorola Mobility has succeeded in obtaining a ruling banning 3G enabled iOS powered devices across the EU. The preliminary injunction, awarded Friday in the Mannheim regional court, is subject to appeal - something that Apple is certain to do.

Their first act will be to request a stay of the injunction in order to prepare their appeal, an act which will allow the iPhones and iPads affected to remain on the market until the results of the appeal are heard. However, the findings by the court are such that a stay is not automatic and should the preliminary injunction be enforced, Motorola Mobility will be required to pay a 100 million Euro bond as a hedge against harm to Apple should their appeal succeed later. Apple's request for the bond to be set at €2 billion was rejected by the court as manifestly excessive.

Apple fails to re-establish Galaxy Tab 10.1 ban in Oz

The contenders face off in the stores for a change

Despite Apple gaining a further week's continuance of the injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to plead their case for an appeal hearing, the Australian Federal Court has today denied that plea. As a result, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be on sale in time for Christmas. A week ago, the Court found that in granting the temporary ban in the first place, the original judge hadn't properly considered the evidence, however Apple's lawyers used the legal system to extend the injunction for a further week, supposedly seeking "special leave" to appeal the appeal, and in doing so surely caused more financial harm to Samsung in the lead up to Christmas.

Hardware Comparison Video: Galaxy Nexus vs Nexus S

With the recent release of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, my Nexus S no longer became my daily driver device. It served me very well during the 8 month span that I used it and I am eager to try out Ice Cream Sandwich on it once officially released. As bad a phone as people may think it to be, I loved my Nexus S due to a combination of battery life, performance and design. While the back cover was so annoyingly glossy, it added a certain characteristic to the device.

So today I wanted to bring you guys a quick comparison video on aspects that I thought were important such as Displays, Processors and Cameras. You'll see a lot of the Nexus S' shortcomings were greatly improved with the release of the Galaxy Nexus, and while it may be a terrific handset, I still believe it should have set the bar for future android devices in a more noticeable way.

Below you'll find the video comparison - enjoy!

10c Android deals continue with another 10 apps!

Yesterday we announced that Google is celebrating its 10 billionth app download by giving away 10 apps at 10c each.

If you missed out on those deals don't despair, according to Android on Google+ there are now another 10 Apps available for 10c to continue celebrating (and that's NZD too!).

Here's what's up for grabs

• AirSync by DoubleTwist: http://goo.gl/EFPYE
• Beautiful Widgets: http://goo.gl/nLllP
• Bernstein Bears Bedtime Battle: http://goo.gl/OrkLr
• Christmas HD: http://goo.gl/bVZ06
• Flick Golf: http://goo.gl/Yo9T0
• Fruit Ninja: http://goo.gl/Zp9Jx
• NFL Rivals: http://goo.gl/dnSE8
• Read it Later Pro: http://goo.gl/TrMz1
• Reckless Racing: http://goo.gl/jQSU8
• Star Chart: http://goo.gl/IsRyY

You'd best get in quick as these deals only last for 24hrs

Sources:
Android Market
Android on Google+

Bargain budget phone: $150 Telecom LG P500

If you're curious about Android or have a family member who is then you definitely need to check out this deal going on over at Harvey Norman. $150 for a phone that is the Android equivalent of an iPhone 3GS is a pretty great deal. This version even comes upgraded to Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread so should be fairly up to date in the software department.

The only potential downside here is that the device is Telecom XT compatible meaning if you use it on Vodafone/2Degrees you won't get 3G outside of metro areas.

Tablet wars heat up: Fire to grab big market share...

Canaccord Genuity analyst Walkley predicts Amazon's tablet share will grab 15.3% from a standing start in Q4 of 2011, an absolutely stunning result for the company in getting its trojan horse loss-leader in the hands of their clients.


Amazon expects to make up any short term loss on the hardware from the increased sales it'll achieve through use of the device. And given the popularity of the Fire already, it looks to be a dead cert that they're right.


In what is increasingly seen as a blow to Apple's quest for world domination in the tablet sector, the iPad maker's share of the pie continues to shrink, even more rapidly now that the Fire has inflamed the public's imagination (forgive the bad pun), every Android tablet sale being potentially a lost iPad one.

Unannounced promo - top titles for 10c on the Market! Looks like the Android Market has crossed 10 billion downloads!

I woke up this morning this morning to see an intriguing news piece spilling on what looked initially like a glitch in the Android Market - certain top apps were suddenly available to purchase for 10c in whatever your local currency is. Naturally I jumped straight in and by the time I looked I was greeted with the screen you see on your right.

Hitting up the link to the premium apps link takes you to a page titled the 10 Billion Promo, which presumably means the Market has recently crossed a momentous threshold for app downloads and Google wants to celebrate.

Currently the following titles can be had for just 10c:

• Great Little War Game
• Asphalt 6
• Sketchbook Mobile
• Minecraft
• Soundhound
• Endomondo Pro
• Swiftkey X
• Paper Camera
• Fieldrunners HD
• Colour and Draw for Kids

I already owned half of these excellent titles, and just now purchased the other half for the paltry sum of $0.50NZD.

If you look at some of the icons in the promo banner you can see many apps like Read it Later and Fruut Ninja that don't appear in the current selection of apps, so it looks like there is more to come!

What are waiting for? Jump in and grab some of the Market's best titles at prices that feel like theft!

Via Droidgamers

The Fortnight in Android news for 7th December

Due to the hectic Christmas schedules we plucky editors are currently fending off with pointy objects, we’ve been a wee bit swamped here at Android NZ, so consider this a bumper NOTW post – we’ve got a bit of catching up to do, but there’s loads more great content coming your way very soon, folks. Stay tuned, and in the meantime, here’s what we’ve been up to:

[Review] Three days with Windows Phone 7

Put phones seventh?

Windows Phone 7, Microsoft’s current foray into the wonderful world of smartphones, has just gotten a three-day run-down by yours truly in the form of the Dell Venue Pro. Can it stand in for a top of the line Android handset? Is it worth your time? Why is a site about Android devoting space to a competing OS? All these questions and more will be answered – read on, if you dare.


[Note from the Editor in Chief: I firmly believe this is a must-read. Even though we're obviously Android fans here, I think having an open mind to what else is out there is a great attribute to foster. Regardless of how you feel about competing OS, there is no doubt that we're all better off for competition and innovation - if you want the best from Android then I think you should also be wishing success to it's competitors. I was actually going to write a piece like this, but my colleague has beaten me to the punch (probably for the best, he's a better writer than me). Enjoy this one, for me it's one of the best articles I've seen all year at an Android site, and do try keep an open mind people!]

Video Review: SGP Ultra Oleophobic Screenshield for Samsung Galaxy Nexus

A lot of people think it isn't necessary to use a screen protector on a device with either Corning or 'fortified' glass, as we find on the Galaxy Nexus. These materials aren't scratch proof, they are more scratch resistant, but not scratch proof. For this reason I take the precaution of always installing a screen protector.

The folks over at SGP were kind enough to send out a couple of new products for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and I'll be taking a look at their Ultra Oleophobic screenshield first. I've used this screenshield countless times in the past and have been nothing short of pleased. It maintains great screen clarity and feel, while adding a coating of oil repellence.

Below you'll find a quick video showing how I install these screen protectors and some added thoughts about the product:

Google blocks Market account of popular video player developer Inisoft without notice; needs to up it's game

Readers here are probably familiar the name Dice Player. It's one of my favourite Android apps, and an absolute must for anyone who likes to watch HD video on their Android phone or tablet - if it supports your device then there is no better video player for your device. Period.

You can imagine then my shock when I received this Tweet from Inisoft, the developers of Dice Player:

@NZtechfreak Google block our market account without any notice.

Whoa, what?!

Sure enough I dove straight into the Market and searching for Dice Player brings up only the free trial version of the app. There are already reviews on the free trial from other concerned users unable to install the paid version [Aside: I absolutely hate undeserved one-star reviews, don't give Dice Player one-star reviews for this, and to those who did - please stop rating apps in the Market, you make it a worse place for all of us you jackasses].

I clarified some more with Inisoft, and at this stage they have not been supplied any reason from Google (and won't be able to get any answers from El Goog until Monday, way to leave us all in the lurch good n proper Google).

Maybe I'm alone here, but this strikes me as terrible. Google is hurting a not only a good developer with a great product, but also the end user here. If they'd just given a reason then I'd feel more inclined to cut them a little slack, but they didn't manage even that small courtesy.

It's not good enough Google. Get your house in order.

Kindle Fire takes tablet second place in just two weeks!

Practically two years following the launch of the original iPad, a competitor has finally emerged to take on Apple's “post-PC” gizmo. Sales so far suggest the Kindle Fire offers an appealing blend of pricing, marketing and ecosystem, certainly enough to capture tablet buyers not already wedded to Apple's own closed model. 

Amazon is predicted to ship 3.9 million Kindle Fire tablets during Q4 2011, as reported by iSuppli, giving the company 13.8% of global tablet shipments. Samsung will occupy the #3 spot with an estimated 4.8%. Market leader Apple will drop its share from 69.7% to 65.6%, its fourth consecutive drop, according to the tracking company. 

At $US199, Kindle Fire just ignited the Android tablet market. Amazon plans to use its new device to help sell its other inventory, the company’s core business, so it has no hesitation in selling the Fire as a loss-leader, something most other competitors can't mimic.

With every Kindle Fire, US owners receive a free one-month membership to Amazon Prime, free access to movies and TV, and access to the Kindle ebook lending library. It's not clear what additional benefits Fire owners outside the US will be eligible for, but each market will undoubtedly get its own market-specific perks.

Source: iSuppli

Apple fails to halt Samsung Galaxy sales in US

A District Court judge in the US on Friday refused a preliminary injunction request by Apple to halt sales of three Galaxy S based smartphones and its Tab 10.1 tablet, stating that the Cupertino gadgeteer had failed to convince her that it was likely to succeed in achieving a permanent ban.

Without such likelihood, the judge found that there was a possibility that a wrongful market withdrawal would result. The upshot is that Samsung would be disadvantaged in the market, something she was apparently reluctant to countenance. She also found that Apple had failed to convince her that it would be “irreparably harmed” if a preliminary injunction were not granted. 

The iPad patents she believed to be such that they were likely to be found obvious, and Samsung's case that the patents were invalid, had merit.

Adding weight to the increasing realisation that lawsuits are now a defacto part of Apple's standard marketing operation, self-styled IP guru Florian Mueller was moved to pronounce “If Apple wants to defend market share against Samsung... it really needs to focus on solid technical patents instead”, something that will be less attractive than the “look and feel” suits the iPhone maker has preferred up to now.

It's said that there would be less likelihood of Apple achieving preliminary injunction bans on its competitors without the "irreparable harm" claim being accepted, a hard row for Apple to hoe when technical infringement is the point of argument. Apple might have to resort to actual advertising. Quelle horreur!


The full case between Apple and Samsung is docketed to begin July 30 2012.

Source: PC World

Video Review: Diztronic Matte Black TPU case for Samsung Galaxy Nexus

With my recent acquisition of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, I'm eager to start reviewing cases and accessories for the device here on the AndroidNZ site, unfortunately these products take time to make so I'm left waiting as manufacturers slowly release their products to the market. I did however manage to get my hands on the Diztronic (formerly known as TPU-cases) Matte Black TPU case for my beloved Nexus.

Surprisingly enough, these cases were actually released previous to the device, which at first made me hesitant to try them out. The fit and finish on these is spectacular though, they fit snug on your device and the soft touch backing is both comfortable and clean looking. As a TPU case, you'll receive an average level of protection from bumps, drops and scratches - which is more than enough for the average user.

The cutouts on the case are precise and spot-on, the exception being the volume rocker cover which seems to be offset, causing some issues when pressing down on the button. Apart from that, the case looks great with the smooth black backing and the glossy front lip that matches the screen.

Below you can find the full review;

Samsung Galaxy Note: Complete review

Well, for ease of navigation I thought I'd aggregate all my Galaxy Note review instalments into one mega-review for your reading pleasure.

Before embarking on a mission to read the full review please take some time to put the kettle on, make a couple of plungers of coffee, or start pre-warming your espresso machine; this one goes LOOOONG.

If you've already taken the plunge and pulled the trigger on the Note, and want to know how to Root your Galaxy Note head here.

[Download] Sony Ericsson TrackID now available for all Android devices...in Sweden

Thanks, Sweden!

Sony Ericsson's music identification and sharing application, TrackID, is one of the more widely appreciated features of the Xperia line, and it's just been made available to all and sundry on the Android Market - providing you're running Froyo or above. Also providing you live in Sweden. Hmm.

Well, the global village has struck again, and thanks to user lastword112 over at XDA, the app is now available to download and sideload. Naturally, we've provided a mirror below. Click through to get your download on.

Aussie court overturns Galaxy Tab 10.1 ban...

The Australian Federal Court today reversed Justice Annabelle Bennett's decision to block sales of Samsung's flagship Android-powered tablet. While the court decision has gone Samsung's way, Apple has, as expected, requested leave to appeal the decision. Invoking something called a "stay of orders", the court has decided to retain the original injunction until Apple presents its appeal on Friday afternoon.

The reversed decision announced today effectively found errors in fact or in law that Justice Bennett made during the original case, and will mean that Samsung will be able to sell the Tab 10.1 in spite of Apple's attempt to prevent it. Had the injunction not been overturned, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 would have been dead in the water, missing the Christmas shopping season and its best opportunity to garner sales prior to being replaced in the new year by its successor.

Apple tries to get Galaxy Tab 10.1N banned now...

In an apparent case of déja vu, Apple has applied for and been granted a hearing at the Duesseldorf Regional Court on a preliminary injunction to prevent sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N, just introduced on the German market.

The banned Galaxy Tab 10.1

Having succeeded in having the Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned the first time around, Apple's legal eagles are apprently feeling confident that the modified tablet will also suffer the same fate, and Samsung will be forced to stop selling the new hardware in Germany. It doesn't stop there though. There's a probability that Apple will demand a ruling that prevents the 10.1N being sold anywhere in the European Union.

Although Apple would obviously prefer the ban to be immediate, the hearing has been set down for December 22, too late to stop sales prior to the important Christmas shopping season. In the meantime, the pending hearing will have "no effect on sales and distribution of the product" according to an oddly optimistic Samsung.

Android leads smartphone share in the US. Again...

In case you can't be bothered decoding the chart below, here's a summary of the third quarter US smartphone market action.

Hot on the heels of the report on the state of the UK smartphone platform market, comes Nielsen's take on Q3 in the good ol' You Ess of Eh. Unsurprisingly, Android continues to gain share with its 42.8% while its nearest competitor Apple scores 28.3%. For comparison, the figures for the previous quarter show Android with 39% OS share while iOS had 28.0%. In Q3, RIM managed a creditable 17.8%, WinMobile 7.3% (all versions combined), WebOS 2.2% and Symbian a quite appalling 1.7%.

The US market contains some interesting quirks with Nokia's presence being absent for all practical purposes and Apple enjoying the home team iFan advantage. Neither of those factors appears to have had much, if any, influence on Android's Q3 US market performance though.

Surprisingly perhaps, HTC is still the biggest Android handset seller in the US and second handset seller overall with 20.3%, followed by the ever-improving Samsung with a total of 11%. Local lads Motorola sold 10.6% and the rest ran last-ish. Apple still leads the handset manufacturer stakes in its home country with 28.3%, while RIM's Blackberry commands a decent 17.8% for third place still, despite the doom prognoses it gets in the blogosphere on an almost daily basis. Go figure...

While the US market continues trends seen over recent quarters, this report obviously cannot reflect the launch of the iPhone 4S so there will be a shift in relative share reported in Q4. Rest assured, we'll be covering that news when it appears in January.

 Source: Nielsen

The Galaxy Note "Real-user" Review: Part 4 - the "ABCs of smartphone review" - Addendums, bugs, battery, camera, conclusion... and S-Pen!

It's a little bit late, but then the end is a little bit
early - forgive me?

OK, so the title for this piece is a little long-winded. I can't argue with that. I kinda assume that if you're still with me after the nearly 10,000 words I've already expended in this review, you'll probably forgive me the title.

You see, I was starting to ready my piece on the S-Pen when the thought occurred to me that I'd had enough time with the Note to cover things like battery life and bugs too. At that point the best way forward seemed to be just including the S-Pen material in the wrap-up (not to mention it fit my ABC acronym, and really, who can resist an ABC acronym right?). I should point out that although I've used the term 'wrap-up' just now, which implies some kind of to-the-point brevity, this piece will in fact live up to the epic length of the preceding parts, as befits a review of the behemoth that is the Galaxy Note.

So, what am I covering after the break? Obviously the S-Pen is a major focus of discussion, but that is far from everything that needs attention before we lay this review to rest. I'm also going to cover the Note's camera, it's stability in day-to-day use and any Note-worthy bugs (ba-dum-cha!), provide some updates/corrections/ addenda about various things that have come to light with more time with the device, and then (finally!) conclude the review.

Oh, and disregard all the mentions of the video in the review - that's actually going to follow shortly afterward.

All this awaits after one final jump...

iOS demand pips UK Android sales in October

As anybody paying attention could (and did) predict, Apple's latest iGadget has helped iOS to take top honours in the smartphone segment in the UK. Reported by obscure market tracker, the intriguingly-named Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, iOS totted up 42.8% market share for the week ending october 30, while the UK's Android sales for that week managed a relatively lacklustre 35%.

So, as expected, the much-speculated mega-hit generated by the iP4S's pent-up demand arrived in the UK at least, and for a week the Cupertino phone maker got to bask in some good market share news for a change. The fly in the ointment is that across the quarter ending on that same October 30, Android devices still sold to the smartphone-buying Brits faster than than iOS iDevices did - Android scoring 46% to Apple's 27.8%.

But the iPhone maker will be sighing with relief at the cessation, however temporary, of its continually poor showing versus Google's efforts.

Note also that this result is for the UK only, and covered the week of the iPhone 4S's launch. It also occurred in a climate where Apple has finally made its phones available to any carrier that can afford the meaty subsidy the company demands for the priviledge of becoming an iPhone reseller, and the new gizmo is a world phone which means it's able to run on any network on the good Earth.

Still, expect the news to be trumpeted from the rooftops in Cupertino for the next 30 days.

Graphic courtesy of Kantar Worldpanel ComTech - note the comparitive growth figures...

Brief announcement: The Galaxy Nexus has arrived!

Just a quick heads-up that the blogs Galaxy Nexus has arrived, so expect our coverage on it to start shortly. If you haven't already thrown your questions about the Nexus our way, now is your chance - use the comments section below!

In other matters: the final part of the Note review is just getting a couple of finishing tweaks and will go out later today, the video that accompanies that will be delayed slightly but we didn't want to hold up the epic conclusion to the Note review any longer.

A Brief History Of Android - Part 4: Crossroads

Ice Cream Sandwich. Sweeeet...

In this series so far, we've looked at the modest beginnings of Android through its various iterations, with our last chapter focusing on the explosive growth of the platform in the last year. To the makers of competitive platforms, Android's rise to dominance has been a serious impediment to their own good fortune. And they haven't been shy in roundly criticising Google's effort whenever the opportunity arises either.

Although Android's perceived weaknesses have been the subject of regular negative commentary from the opposition camps, the spectacular performance of the little green robot has continued unabated. So what's going on here? If Android is the disaster that its opponents claim it to be, shouldn't it be failing miserably? Is it failing at all? Let's have a peek after the jump.

Ice Cream Sandwich spotted on the ASUS Transformer Prime

With the impending release of the ASUS Transformer Prime, I can definitely say it is up there on my christmas list. The Tegra 3 processor, ultra-thin design and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich are all features that I've been longing for.

The original Transformer was notable for its keyboard docking station which essentially turned the tablet into a netbook, whilst also adding extra battery life.

To quench some of your Prime thirst, NVIDIA has released a video showing off the power of the Tegra 3 processor in gaming, video and overall usage. Check out the video below and if you're anything like me, you'll agree the performance looks buttery smooth.

The Android NZ Apps of the Week 21/11/2011 [AOTW]

A big part of the joy of having a smartphone is apps, am I right? I'm sure many are nodding their heads to that assertion, if that's you then make the jump to check out the apps the AndroidNZ editors are enjoying this week. If you weren't nodding your head in agreement then you'd better make the jump to see what you're missing out on, in addition to making the even bigger jump into smartphone use for 2011!

AndroidNZ’s week in Android news for 21th November

Another week gone by and it's my turn to fill you in with notable news of the past week and what we can expect to see later this week. Last week was jam packed with Galaxy Nexus coverage, information, releases, you name it! Tegra 3 rumors are starting to unfold & the Kindle Fire was released in the United States. With so much to go through, let's get started now;

[App Review] RunKeeper

Here's the third app review of an Android workout application.  This time it's RunKeeper.


As you can see, the application is pretty bland. But for all that, it's got some rather cool features.

Before we get into those goodies let me explain how I review these workout applications.  I've reviewed the Cardio Trainer and Endomondo applications and all including RunKeeper are compared to data collected on my Garmin 310XT watch. Fair is fair, they are all subjected to a bike and run session which I then compare to the Garmin.  And in case you're mildly interested, I import the Garmin *.FIT file into SportTracks. Now that we've established the way in which I rate my findings, lets get on with it.

“Everything iDon’t, Droid Does” – a history of Verizon's "Droid" brand, Part One

Droid Does origin stories.

Hello there, friends. As some of you may be aware, I’m lucky enough to have had a brand spanking new Motorola RAZR to play around with since Tuesday. I’ve been putting it through its paces, and am about to start spouting out in-depth review content from a real-world day-to-day usage context – unlike those one-day review devices other sites rush to push out impressions on, I’m taking the time to make the RAZR my daily driver, and it’s for this reason that I want to write lots of filler articles tell you where I and the phone am coming from, before I begin.

You see, I’ve not had a chance to play with one of Motorola’s high-end Android devices with their own flavour of the operating system before. Here in little old New Zealand, the most exciting Moto device on the market is the Defy+. What have Moto been up to for the past two years? Well, that’s where this article comes in: I want to talk about the history of the Droid series of devices.

A comment on our aptly-named editor ArtooDeetoo’s excellent History of Android series asking why the original Motorola Droid was omitted inspired me to research it and its ilk in a little more depth than I had previously. This was quite the worthwhile venture, as the Droid reversed Android, Motorola, and Verizon's fortunes. I have quite a lot to say about these devices, so we’ll call this the first instalment – I also want to look in-detail at several key television advertisements, as well as the full device range, not to mention a few ways to get a taste of the Droid branding on your Android phone or tablet right now. Without further ado, let’s jump into onslaught86’s A Brief History of Droids.

Spotify streaming music service coming to New Zealand next year

Streaming music services have become incredibly popular in the US and UK, with the likes of Pandora, Microsoft's Zune (Which recently launched in Australia), and of course Google's own Google Music service showing the potential of data-enabled devices to use 'the cloud' to overcome their limited local storage. Here in little ol' NZ, however, we've been largely left behind, with only Sony's Qriocity "Music Unlimited" service available to date.

Thankfully, that looks ready to change as early as February next year. With a well-reviewed Android app, this looks like it could be worthwhile, although I have reservations about the potential data cost, not to mention the monthly costs. Sony has set the bar at $5.99 NZD for its basic service, and $13.99 NZD for premium content, so one can only imagine pricing will be similar for Spotify. Will you be giving it a try? Hit up the comments after the jump and let us know.

A Brief History Of Android Part 3: Rise Of The Robot

Recently Android founder and Google VP Andy Rubin tweeted that Android's growth was a credibility-straining 4.4% week on week. Think about that for a second – it's not just 4.4 times 52, it's compounding. He's talking activations here and those activations are one-off events, tied to the unique hardware serial in every cellphone built.

That's a very big claim, and would seem to suggest that Android will become the Windows of the smartphone world. For those unfamiliar with Windows in PC land, firstly welcome to Earth, and second, Windows has more than 90% of the personal computer marketplace. Huge! So is Android really headed for such domination? Let's take a look.

Android's Growth Continues Unabated

Gartner's figures are in and the news is all good for Android - not so good for most everybody else. The little green robot's share of the smartphone market has rocketed to 52.2% and I use the word "rocketed" without hint of exaggeration. Just one paltry year ago, its market share stood at 25.3%. That, for the mathematically-challenged among us, is a more than doubling of market share, something that even the most critical of pundits can but regard with something approaching awe.

The Galaxy Note "Real-user" Review: Part 3 - GPS and Telephony

Here we are, part three of the Galaxy Note review to rule them all. This time I'm covering GPS and 'Reception', which covers not only WiFi and network reception, but also telephony aspects since they are inextricably linked to the signal strength attained by the Note.

You might recall that Samsung's flagship device of last year was lambasted for serious GPS issues - here is what I had to say of these previously at the Clove Blog: "You see, the first Galaxy S had problems with its GPS, rather large problems as it happens. While it could get a lock in an adequate timeframe, albeit slower than nearly every GPS-enabled handset I’ve owned since the N95, it just couldn’t hold it well enough to be relied upon. As a consequence, navigation was a rather painful experience at times. This was particularly evident in areas with densely packed and winding streets – your position would jump from street to neighbouring street continuously, triggering route recalculations each time. The result? Garbage voice guidance, confusion, frustration. Trying to do GPS-based tasks like sports-tracking, or geocaching that require even more accuracy? Forget about it." 

When I reviewed the Galaxy S II earlier this year for the Clove Blog, questions regarding it's GPS performance were far and away the most prominent question in the minds of prospective buyers. With the Galaxy S II things were a definite improvement, and for navigation at least I adjudicated it adequate for most users needs. Not exactly a ringing endorsement is it? Certainly the S II's GPS performance was not enough in the minds of many to cast the spectre of the Galaxy S's dreadful GPS firmly into the past. 

So then, is the Note the device that will finally put paid to Samsung's GPS shame, or will it yet again draw the ire of buyers? Answers after the break...

Can the Galaxy Note reproduce this kind of accuracy regularly???

Samsung Galaxy Note: GPS video demonstration

Ok, this is just a teaser of the full written review on GPS to come, but since that piece will be delayed until tomorrow now I thought this might help tide you over:

The Android NZ Apps of the Week 14/11/2011 [AOTW]

Wow, I am so snowed under with content I need to be producing it's insane - I'll barely have time to finish my Galaxy Note review before the Galaxy Nexus arrives!

Some things are important though, you just make the time. Things like posting up our editors hand-picked app recommendations, for example. 

To see what made our list this week, just make a wee jump over the break. You'll be glad you made the time.

AndroidNZ's Week in Android News for 13 November 2011

Welcome to another Week in Android News. I just want to start off by saying that we are lucky to be living in such exciting times. The mobile industry is advancing at an incredible pace and we have innovative new ideas and products constantly being announced.

While we are currently reviewing the Galaxy Note fairly extensively you can expect things to ramp up in the coming weeks with the Motorola Razr arriving this week and hopefully the Galaxy Nexus in a few weeks.

On that note catch us after the jump for news, reviews and how to's for the week ending 13 November, 2011

Motorola Razr: Unboxing video - first impressions, size comparison to the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note

Quick heads up that the first of our Motorola Razr coverage is out on YouTube now for your viewing pleasure. Of course it's the obligatory unboxing video, replete with a size comparison to some of the other mobile hotness living at my place right now.

Naturally lots more content will be following, so keep it locked here to catch our incoming and indepth "real-user" review, this time coming courtesy of editor extraordinaire Onslaught86. Make sure to give him a follow in Twitter @onslaught86 if you just have to have his up-to-the-minute impressions and experiences with the device. I've been posting to my Twitter account (@NZtechfreak) with some insights of my own from the brief play I'm having with the device before shipping it off to Nik.

[At Your Own Risk] How to Root your Galaxy Note

[UPDATED GUIDE 11/11/2011]

You know one thing I really love about Samsung Android devices? They never really lock the bootloaders. Why do I love that? Because Root usually comes very soon after release of the device, or in the case of the Note pretty much at release. 


I just got my Galaxy Note, so naturally the first thing I wanted to do to my my brand new handset was invalidate it's minty-fresh warranty.

Now that I've done that, and can live up to our guarantee that we only do guides for things we've done to our own devices, here are the spoils for you: a guide on how to violate the conditions of your minty-fresh warranty Root your Galaxy Note.

...also we also have video guides to supplement these written ones on our YouTube channel!

[At Your Own Risk] Video guide for NEW recommended Root method for the Galaxy Note

Hi everyone, quick heads-up that there is now a superior Root method available for the Galaxy Note - one that doesn't increase the binary flash counter, meaning you can return your Note to stock for warranty purposes. I will re-jig the Root guide tomorrow to cover this new method in detail, but for now I have put together this video guide to the process. This method is courtesy of the Zergrush exploit and the inimicable Chainfire, please consider donating to this great developer to keep his efforts alive!

The Galaxy Note "Real-user" Review: Part 2 - Entertainment and media - Music and video playback, gaming, browser

When all is said and done, can the
Note be the handset to cover all
your entertainment needs? Make
the jump for your answer!

Asus officially announces the Transformer Prime

Image courtesy of Engadget.com

While previously seen at AsiaD the Transformer Prime had yet to have an official announcement. Well suffice to say now there has been one. The Transformer Prime is officially being released Worldwide in December 2011.

As a sequel to the popular Asus Eee Pad Transformer, the Prime has some rather large shoes to fill as a hybrid tablet computing device. Thankfully it appears to have some pretty amazing specs that include a Tegra 3 processor and a slim Zenbook-esque design to boot. 

You can check out the specs and what we think after the jump

HTC Edge bringing Kal-El love?

Image courtesy of pocketnow.com

According to pocketnow.com the first Kal-El Tegra 3 bearing HD handset is going to be the HTC Edge. Coming in Q1/Q2 2012 this device has some astonishing specs and a fairly typical, yet attractive HTC designed unibody shell. 

While pocketnow reported a 10mm thickness, BGR’s source says that the Edge is more likely to be a far more svelte 8.8mm thick (or is that thin?)

If you want to see the rest of the specs, continue reading after the jump 

Nook Tablet announced - do we have a Kindle Fire competitor?

Image courtesy of Barnes & Noble

Earlier today Barnes & Noble announced a sequel to the Nook Color, the Nook Tablet.

Obviously intended to compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire, the Nook Tablet appears to have quite a lot going for it and really only loses out to the Kindle Fire on price. The announcement included a release date of 18 November 2011; just 3 days after the Kindle Fire is released. 

Unfortunately there is no word on when this is coming to New Zealand, if at all (much like the Kindle Fire in that regard).

Here's a quick run down of the specs in comparison:

Device Name	Nook Tablet	Kindle Fire
Who makes it?	Barnes & Noble	Amazon
Connectivity	Wi-Fi Only (Wireless N)	Wi-Fi Only (Wireless N)
OS	Android 2.3	Android based (2.1 or earlier)
Dimensions (HxWxD)	206 mm x 127 mm x 12 mm	190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm
Weight	400g	414g
Processor	1GHz OMAP 4	1GHz OMAP4
RAM	1GB	1GB
Storage	16GB	8GB
Android Market?	No – proprietary app store	No – proprietary app store
Expandable	Yes – Micro SD	No
Screen	7” multi-touch IPS Display	7” multi-touch IPS Display
Resolution	1024x600	1024x600
Cameras?	None	None
Microphone	Yes	No
USB	Yes – probably Micro USB	USB 2.0 (micro-B connector)
Quoted Battery Life	11.5hrs reading 9hrs watching video	8hrs reading 7.5hrs watching video
File Formats Supported	Document Formats EPUB ,PDF ,XLS, DOC, PPT, TXT, DOCM, XLSM, PPTM, PPSX, PPSM, DOCX, XLX, PPTX Audio Formats MP3, MP4, AAC, AMR, WAV, OGG (Audio Codecs MP3, AAC, AMR, LPCM, OGG Vorbis)  Image Formats JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP Video Formats MP4, or Adobe Flash Player format, 3GP, 3G2 MKV, WEBM (Video Codecs: H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, VP8)	Document Formats Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively,), DOC, DOCX Audio Formats non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX) Image Formats JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP Video Formats MP4, VP8.
Charging Time	3hrs	4hrs
Price	$249 USD (~$313 NZD)	$199 USD (~$250 NZD)

So, will the Nook Tablet be able to compete with the Kindle Fire? - let us know what you think in the comments. 

Sources:
Barnes & Noble
Amazon