Apple study reveals carrier loyalty to be main reason for Android buys

Apple study reveals carrier loyalty to be main reason for Android buys

By Chris Burns

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There's an Apple internal study out there, and revealed today by Samsung, that says your choice of an Android smartphone was likely made because you're loyal to your mobile carrier. In this study, Apple asked consumers back in 2010 why they purchase an Android device. One of the least chosen answers, believe it or not, was that these Android lovers wanted "the latest technology."

Also near the bottom for consumers in this Apple-run study was that people chose Android because it had turn-by-turn GPS navigation. This study very well may have been part of the reason why Apple's version of Maps (Google Maps powered though it was) has thus far not had turn-by-turn navigation onboard. Another of the least-chosen answers to the question was that people "wanted the latest and greatest smartphone."

Up near the top you'll see that this study found - far and away, actually - that consumers purchasing Android devices did so because they "wanted to stay with [their] current wireless service provider." This answer had 48% of those surveyed answering that yes, this was a reason why they chose an Android smartphone or tablet - more likely a smartphone is what they were speaking about given the year, but the iPad was certainly right at the back of their minds as well.

* Wanted to stay with current wireless service provider: 48%
* Trusted the Google brand: 36%
* Preferred larger screen: 30%
* Preferred the Android market for apps (Gmail, Google Docs, Google-Voice): 27%
* Wanted better integration with google services: 26%
* Wanted the latest and greatest smartphone: 26%
* Wanted turn by turn GPS navigation: 25%
* Wanted the latest technology: 25%

Those who trusted Google's brand were next with a 36% agreement rate and 30% of responders said they preferred a larger screen, and that this was why they chose Android. Right in the middle of this list was the question of whether their choice of Android was due to them preferring the Android Market (now called Google Play) for apps, these including Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Voice as examples - this answer has a 27% share.

Keep in mind again that this study was done internally at Apple in 2010, while the original iPhone was released in 2007. The first Verizon iPhone wasn't released until 2011 - this being the first non-AT&T version of an iPhone here in the United States. Take from that what you will!

Apple vs. Samsung trial reveals sales numbers

By Ben Kersey

Apple and Samsung are currently duking it out in court over various patent infringement allegations, and as part of the proceedings the two companies have had to submit detailed sales numbers for their smartphones and tablets. Apple normally reveals how many iPhones and iPads it has shipped during its quarterly earnings results, but this is the first time we're getting a closer look at some of Samsung's sales numbers along with detailed breakdowns in the United States.

Information submitted by Samsung indicates that between June 2010 and June 2012, 21.25 million phones were sold in the United States, generating a total revenue of $7.5 billion. The best selling Samsung smartphone is the Galaxy Prevail, a prepaid device available on Boost Mobile, shifting a total of 2.25 million units. Samsung's range of Galaxy S II devices across all the US carriers sold 4.1 million units combined.

Samsung's range of Galaxy Tabs didn't seem to do nearly as well. They sold 1.4 million in total, generating a much lower revenue of $644 million. That contrasts sharply with Apple, with the company selling 34 million iPads in the United States since 2010, generating $19 billion in revenue. The company also managed to shift 85 million iPhones and 46 million iPod touches for a combined revenue of $60.3 billion.

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The thrust of Apple's legal argument is that Samsung directly copied elements from the iPhone for its range of Galaxy smartphones, from the design of the handset to the app icons. Apple argues that consumers are confused as a result, with previous evidence suggesting a large number of Samsung Galaxy Tab returns at Best Buy stores were a result of customers not being able to distinguish the product from an iPad.

Apple offered licensing deal to Samsung, wanted $30 per phone

By Eric Abent

Apple and Samsung may currently be duking it out in the court room, but a freshly-surfaced Apple presentation from 2010 shows that the iPhone maker tried to strike a licensing deal with Samsung long before the jury became involved. Apple, as many of you already know, is taking Samsung to court over allegedly copying the iPhone in its own devices, but this new presentation shows that Apple tried to resolve the dispute by offering to license its patents to Samsung. Given the fact that Apple is currently suing Samsung for $2.5 billion, it seems that negotiations didn't go so well.

AllThingsD reports that Apple patent licensing director Boris Teksler referenced the October 2010 presentation during his testimony yesterday. The presentation shows that Apple was asking for $30 on each Samsung smartphone sold (dubbed "advanced mobile computing device" in the presentation), and $40 for each Samsung tablet. If Samsung had agreed, Apple was projecting that it could have made $250 million from the licensing deal in 2010, a figure which can hardly be considered chump change.

Apple was willing to give Samsung discounts on royalties too, seeing as how it considered Samsung a "strategic supplier." For instance, Samsung could have enjoyed a 20% discount if it chose to cross-license its own patent portfolio to Apple. Phones using an Apple-licensed OS were good for a 40% discount, and phones that didn't use proprietary features - Apple references the Samsung Blackjack II in its presentation, which has a physical QWERTY keyboard - would have qualified for another 20% off.

Samsung, obviously, wanted nothing to do with this licensing deal, and Teksler said in his testimony that none other than Steve Jobs and Tim Cook were driven to confront Samsung executives about the similarities between the Galaxy S and the iPhone. Hopefully Samsung made the right choice in turning down that licensing deal, because if it loses this case, it could end up owing Apple a lot more than it would have been paying in royalties. Samsung is set to begin calling its own witnesses to the stand on Monday, so keep an ear to SlashGear for more information on this high-profile trial.

Apple patents licensed to Microsoft while Samsung declined

By Chris Burns

It seems that one of the bigger stories to come out of the Apple vs Samsung trail over the past few days has gotten just a bit more complicated, as the patents Apple offered to Samsung several years ago - the same that are on trial now - were also offered to Microsoft. As Apple's director of patent licensing and strategy Boris Teksler noted in the case, Microsoft and Apple have had a long-running cross-licensing deal going in which all of the patents in the case at hand were and are included. With that deal came "specific rules" in which both companies are not allowed to make "clone" products.

In this Microsoft / Apple licensing deal, Teksler notes that "there's a clear acknowledgment that there's no cloning", this same sort of deal having been offered to Samsung some years ago. Samsung objected noting that Apple had made no mention of their design patents when they met with them at this licensing deal several years ago. Apple responded with the idea that some of those patents were still pending at the time, with several having only been granted years later.

Teksler also noted that Apple never planned on offering up everything they had, "clone" clause or not.

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"We were clear we weren't offering a license to everything. We had yet to discuss some what we termed 'untouchables,' if you will. … We wanted to get properly compensated for that which was infringed, and with respect to our unique user experience. That's exactly what we were trying to do with this presentation." - Teksler

This is one of the last points of "attack" Apple will be able to go on as Samsung's side of the trial, if you will, begins this week. Apple's segment was essentially played out throughout the week previous to this one, while Samsung will call witnesses and experts to the stand Monday through Friday. Stay tuned as it all goes down right here on SlashGear!

Windows Phone 8 hardware to compete with Android's best. Maybe

By Marco Chiappetta

Images and specifications of the supposed successor to Nokia's Lumia 800 suggest that the initial batch of Windows Phone 8 devices are going to go head-to-head with some of the more powerful Android-based smartphones on the market.

Microsoft has already disclosed quite a few details regarding Windows Phone 8. The biggest news was that Windows Phone 8 would use the NT Kernel, but Microsoft also disclosed that its upcoming mobile OS will support multi-core processors, higher resolutions, NFC, customizable home screen tiles, and sport seamless SkyDrive integration, among a number of other details. The first device shown publicly running Windows Phone 8, however, was clearly a prototype design vehicle that would never hit retail. It was thick and bulky, with sharp edges and a relatively large bezel.

Some details of a reported Nokia-built device have recently emerged, though, that shed more light on the direction Windows Phone 8-based hardware is headed.

The leaked pictures of Nokia's supposed first Windows Phone 8 device seems to show a smartphone with a 4.5-inch to 4.65-inch screen. It's difficult to say for sure, but holding a sampling of smartphones in my own hand, with my fingers in the exact same position as the person in the leaked image, lead me to believe the phone is similar in size to the HTC One X, which has a 4.7-inch screen. The amount of overhang over the pinky is the clearest indicator of the phone's size.

Based on my highly scientific hand-modeling method, I estimate that the Nokia device in the picture appears to be much bigger than either the HTC Touch Pro 2 (3.6-inch screen) or HTC Inspire 4G (4.3-inch screen), and somewhat larger than a Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket (4.6-inch screen). Unless the person in the photo has tiny hands, the phone in the image is likely much larger than the Lumia 800 (3.5-inch screen), which the upcoming Windows Phone 8 device is obviously modeled after. The resolution of the screen hasn't been reported, but in light of competing offerings with similar screen sizes, a 720P resolution is a possibility.

Other leaked details suggest the phone will have a Qualcomm dual-core SoC, an external MicrsoSD card slot, and support for NFC and LTE. Based on those details, the phone is most likely powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, which also happens to be used in the two most powerful Android-based devices currently on the market in the U.S.: the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X. Clock speeds and memory capacity weren't reported either, but I suspect Microsoft and its partners are going to make the spec sheets for the initial batch of Windows Phone 8-based devices comparable to anything the competition has to offer. Speeds of 1.5GHz+ and at least 1GB of memory are safe bets.

Although Windows Phone 7 didn't need (or even support) multi-core processors and performed very well with only 512MB of RAM, I had suggested in this very blog that Microsoft's hardware partners would want to bolster the specifications of their next-gen devices to make them appear more competitive, at least on paper. If these initial indicators hold true, it seems Microsoft partners - or at least Nokia - are going to do just that. We'll all know for sure in a few more weeks.

I can't help but miss Google Now on the HTC One X

By Taylor Martin

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If you've been following my weekly Official Smartphone Rankings(TM) each week, you've likely discovered that I absolutely love the HTC One X. It has been my #1 choice since it launched back in May, and not even the Samsung Galaxy S III has been enough to sway me in any other direction. It is my top choice in phone, and it's there to stay for the foreseeable future.

From the inside out, I love what HTC has done with the One series; they dug deep to get back to their roots and focus more on what matters, quality over quantity, performance and durability.

Granted, there are some aspects of each One device that could definitely be improved upon (like the cameras, for instance). I explained back in June that there is no perfect 10 consumer device … and there may never be one, for all we know. In my opinion, however, the HTC One X is the closest thing to perfect for me and my needs. I prefer its S-LCD2 720p display over the HD Super AMOLED on the Galaxy S III. I prefer the unibody design over a cheap, lightweight and flimsy plastic chassis. And I can live with Sense UI, whereas TouchWiz has always been one of my least favorite Android customizations.

While I could definitely go for some more storage space and battery life at times, I thoroughly enjoy the One X and have been, for the most part, content with it since day one. (I say "for the most part" because the first unit I received had a dud battery. Ever since replacing it, I have been thoroughly happy with it and its battery life.)

That said, last month, I asked whether software or hardware is more important. I explained that I have had a terrible time choosing between the Galaxy Nexus with Jelly Bean and the One X with Ice Cream Sandwich, Sense-flavored. The consensus I came to back then was that software ultimately won. While I would much rather choose the hardware on the One X, I found myself erring on the side of the Nexus due to its stock Android 4.1 software.

When I started the Voice Input Challenge, though, I chose to carry three handsets: an iPhone 4S, One X and a Galaxy Nexus. I typically only carry two phones with me every day. But I wanted to actively try the two different Android phones since there were some pretty significant changes in dictation software between Android 4.0 and 4.1. After the challenge, I kept my primary AT&T SIM in the One X and started leaving the Galaxy Nexus at home when I set out for the day. (There is simply no need for a third line. A second line is excessive, I will admit. But a third? That's above and beyond, and it's not even convenient.)

Almost immediately, I started to miss one feature of the Galaxy Nexus and Jelly Bean: Google Now.

To be fair, the One X has voice search, which I have been using quite often. But that's not the problem. The problem is that it's not as easily accessible from anywhere within the operating system (a la slide gesture up from the home button), and it's not as feature-packed as the automated personal assistant service dubbed Google Now.

To quickly access Google Now on the Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 7, you simply slide your finger up from the home button. Google Now appears and immediately gives you any pertinent information based on time, location, any of your upcoming appointments and the other various things it has learned about you. I don't get that on my One X. I don't get automatic traffic reports for my commute home every day. I don't get weather updates each time I go for a Google search. And I don't get results nearly as fast or in such a consumable, easy-to-understand (card) format.

It may seem like a petty complaint. But I seriously miss Google Now when I'm using my One X. I have become attached to how quick and painless Google Now and the Google voice search in Android 4.1 are. Over the weekend, Evan asked, "If you had to choose, would you pick Google Now or Siri?" The fact that I'm consistently switching back to an older phone to continue using Google Now while I have had Siri at my side all along and haven't cared to use it is a pretty clear testament to where I stand. And it should serve well as a testament to the power of Google Now.

To be clear, I could hack and mod my One X to retrofit it with Google Now. But that's neither the point or something I'm willing to do at this time. The point is: I have one of the newest Android smartphones available and there will likely be another four or so months before the One X (or any other high-end Android phone, for that matter) officially receives the Jelly Bean update. And thus, it will be the same amount of time before I have Google Now officially on my One X. That's a shame considering the usefulness and potential of Google Now.

I'm not sure what I will end up doing in the end, but I still find myself trying to balance the two devices on a single line. Carrying three devices every day is not the answer and neither is switching back and forth every couple days. But I'm having trouble coping without Google Now. And likewise, I'm having trouble settling with the hardware of the Galaxy Nexus.

Google Now may not be one of my favorite Android features … yet. But the power of voice input is definitely one that is continually growing in importance, and Google Now is undoubtedly one of the more impressive context aware voice search utilities to surface of late.

Tell me, ladies and gentlemen. Is voice search all that important to you? Do you find yourself growing attached to Google's voice search? Siri? Google Now? Do you miss your voice search of choice when it's unavailable? Have you changed phones (or respective software) just to get a taste of the latest voice input tech?

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Will Apple's new iPad be called 'HD'?

Will Apple's new iPad be called 'HD'?

By Matthew Panzarino.

So there have now been two recent reports that the new Apple tablet being introduced on Wednesday won't be called the 'iPad 3'. Instead, both Cnet and Venturebeat are claiming that their sources are telling them that it will be called iPad HD.

A rumor that the next iPad would feature the 'HD' signifier actually began circulating back in July of last year. Joshua Topolsky of The Verge posted information from a source about a new tablet featuring a double-resolution screen was about to be announced in the fall, to be called the iPad HD. The timing turned out to be incorrect, but now the naming rumors have been resurrected.

Just how likely is it that we'll be seeing the name iPad HD displayed on a keynote slide next Wednesday? Lets chat a bit.

Yes, definitely iPad HD

First, lets play devil's advocate and talk about some ways that a name change like this makes sense for Apple.

It describes the defining feature of the device. As far as we (think) we know today, the biggest new feature of the next iPad will be its Retina display. Packing a resolution of 2048x1536 pixels, it will be far crisper than the screen on the last two iPads. It's likely to be the biggest bullet point on any list of 'reasons to buy the new iPad.' Emphasizing the defining feature of a device right in the name of a device is a trick that Apple has used in the past with the iPhone 3G (3G connectivity) and iPhone 3GS (S for speed) most recently. Arguably, the iPhone 4S used the same trick, but the S was for 'Siri,' although that's debatable.

HD is easily relatable for the common consumer. Apple has its own nomenclature for its super-high-resolution screens. It calls them 'Retina displays'. For the average consumer, however, the yardstick of display quality is HD. The difference between standard definition and high definition has been drilled into consumers by the television industry over the last 10 years. People are conditioned to see HD as 'sharper and better,' two things that Apple will doubtless want customers to think about the iPad. Everyone knows 'HD' is better.

It makes sense if they keep the iPad 2 around as a low end option. If the iPad 2 sticks around, as at least one of its models is rumored to be doing at this point, then having a clear differentiator may be useful. It may also help the iPad 2 not feel 'old' but instead 'cheaper'. If its offered at $399 as a 'current but less full-featured' model, it could sell better than if it was positioned as the older '2' to the brand new iPad 3.

No, absolutely not. iPad or iPad 3, but no 'HD'

Now lets flip the argument, what reasons are there for Apple not to call it the 'iPad HD'?

Other manufacturers, lots of them, already use HD. There are a ton of smartphone and technology manufacturers that use the term HD and they do so willfully and with abandon. Many times it's used to merely indicate a newer model with a slightly higher quality display or perhaps even just a bigger one. This is a far cry from the immense improvement that a Retina display signifies over the older iPad. Why would Apple associate itself with this hackneyed and overused term?

It actually devalues what is the defining feature of the device. If you're convinced that the Retina display will be the single biggest new feature, why would you crap all over it by calling it 'HD'? True 'full HD' resolution is 1920x1080 for televisions, where the descriptor is most often used. this is well below the iPad 3's 2048x1536 resolution, which at 9.7 inches is going to absolutely blow away the pixel density of a regular old HDTV. Which brings us to our next point, that Apple has already done the work to cement a new identifier for its super-high resolution screen ...

Apple already has a name for the iPad 3's screen. It's Retina, not HD. Apple has spent two years pounding the term Retina into the collective tech consciousness. While it didn't invent high-resolution screens that moved above the '36 arcsecond per pixel' threshold, it did popularize the term Retina for use with displays and has spent a lot of marketing money and effort to make it the term by which people referred to Apple's displays particularly. It wants people to think of the iPad 3's display as Retina, not HD, like every other TV or poorly named smartphone.

Numbers say 'better' more effectively than 'HD.' Apple doesn't need an 'HD' to convince people that the latest iPad is better than the older version. A numeric scheme is just effective, if not more effective at communicating that the latest version is better. It's the same reason that you see camera boxes emblazoned with huge 'X Megapixels' labels, when the amount of raw pixels now means next to nothing in the world of digital photography. They're easy for customers to pick out as better and easy for sales associates to shrug and point at the one with the highest number in big box stores. Slap a '3' on the end and call it a day, people will get the message.

It may detract from other new features of the next iPad. As a converse argument to the one about emphasizing the best new feature of the iPad 3, what if there are features yet to be revealed that Apple feels are just as big a selling point? It's likely that these would be software or internal-hardware related, because there's not a lot of room on the exterior of the iPad for new widgets. But emphasizing the higher resolution display as the primary selling point may minimize whatever other features Apple has lined up. A recent survey put the want for better battery life, a better camera, a faster processor and wireless syncing above a fancy new display for some consumers.

So which is it?

We have no information about the new iPad being called '3' or 'HD' so there is no way to tell whether Apple has settled on iPad HD or iPad 3 at this point. The speculation above is completely a matter of opinion. Having three separate publications chime in with the iPad HD name at this point seems to indicate that this may be more of a sure thing than not.

But there is always a possibility that both Cnet and Venturebeat heard the information from sources which are not as well informed as they think they are. Or sources that have been provided with information that isn't accurate purposefully by Apple, a tactic that they have been known to use in the past in order to suss out leaks.

We presented both sides of the argument above as there is no way to tell for sure at this point. But if we had to simply guess based on our gut, we'd say no to 'HD'.

We'd love to hear your thoughts, please use the comments section below to tell us why we're wrong about this, or so very right.

 

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Why Androids eat Apples for breakfast

Why Androids eat Apples for breakfast

By Shawn Dobbs.

Contributor

Before the criticism begins, let's give credit where credit is due. The iPhone is a good product. In terms of functionality, user-friendliness, and cohesiveness of vision and implementation, the iPhone (especially the iPhone 4S) is ideal for many people. But, as Samsung has recently tried to point out through their Galaxy ad campaign, it is by no means the only thing out there.

In fact, the biggest reason that Apple is such a powerhouse today is because they were first out of the gate, releasing the first iPhone in July 2007, over a year before the first Android device (HTC's G1) was released. Since the G1, it's been an ugly battle, with both companies viciously competing for market share and driving the technology in the field to dizzying new heights.

Despite Apple's significant lead (a year is a lifetime in the smartphone industry), Android has taken massive strides to catch up and surpass Apple in almost every respect. So before you run out the door to buy a new iPhone, consider a few things first.

Open Source

As mobile technology advances more quickly than any other industry, and Apple had such a huge head start, how is it that in just over three years Android has been able to overtake Apple in such a significant way? Within the answer lies what is the most crucial difference between Android and Apple. That reason is "open source."

Put simply, anyone can do anything with their Android phone. In contrast, the user can't even take the battery out of the iPhone. This represents a stark contrast in company philosophy. Android is an open source code. The developer codes for Android software are available for free to anyone who cares to mess with it.

You can "unlock" your Android phone and rewrite the very code that it runs on to make it do what you want it to. This is far more advanced than the average user is capable of, but there are plenty of people out there who love doing exactly this, and they make the results of their work available for free to the rest of us on the Android platform.

Apple, on the other hand, charges $99/year for access to their code, and developers can do only one thing with it: create apps for the Apple AppStore. Any attempt to rewrite the iPhone code would be immediately rejected, and those caught modifying and distributing modified codes would be prosecuted.

In the long run, it is this philosophy that will be the death knell for iPhone. There is an active community of thousands of Android enthusiasts working tirelessly to make the platform the very best that it can be. The open source nature of Android encourages this. Apple retains such tight control over every aspect of its product that it simply cannot utilize the resources of the developer community in the same way that Android can.

Hardware & Software

There is one final, crucial aspect to consider when purchasing your new phone, and that is the hardware and software it is running. In this area, Apple at least gets kudos for keeping things simple and reliable. There is only one iPhone every year, and it comes straight from Apple. Every new iPhone is guaranteed to feature significant improvements over the previous generation of iPhone. Not so with Android.

Android manufacturers have recently stated that beginning this year they will focus on quality rather than quantity and the general concensus is that this is a welcome trend. For the last two years, Android handsets have been flooding the market faster than anyone could keep up with. The high-end and some mid-range Android phones have always been superior to iPhone (and any other phone on the market), but the low-end and certain other mid-range phones have tarnished the platform and left many consumers feeling that deciding which Android phone to get is just too much trouble. Many simply believe all Android devices are the same.

In order to give an accurate comparison, we will focus only on the high-end phones (generally called "flagship devices") of the various carriers, which represent the best of Android, and compare them to the iPhone 4S, the best of Apple.

Droid Does

Motorola uses the slogan "Droid Does" in their marketing campaigns. This accurately sums up the difference between Android and Apple devices. Android does, and Apple does not.

What does Apple not do? Several things, including but not limited to- NFC chips (Near Field Communication, used for such services as mobile banking), AM/FM radio; widgets (extensions of apps that update automatically on the phone's home screen), 4G network speeds (that's right- the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are NOT 4G phones), and memory cards/SD cards/SIM cards.

In addition to lacking several software features found in nearly every Android phone, the iPhone 4S falls short in the hardware department too. Without getting overly technical, the biggest problem with the iPhone's hardware is that it is outdated and overpriced. The just-released iPhone 4S is powered by the 1Ghz Apple A5 dual-core processor. The A5 chip is based on Cortex 9 technology, which is almost three years old.

Samsung has been able to use Cortex 9 technology to produce 1.5Ghz processors. Why did Apple choose not to utilize the technology to its full capability? Even the upcoming iPhone 5, with an updated Apple A6 processor is based on Cortex 9 and expected to run at only around 1.2Ghz, while Samsung's highly anticipated Galaxy S3 is expected to be running on Cortex 15 technology, boosting performance to 2Ghz and providing up to 75% more speed and power than Cortex 9-based chips.

Even with inferior hardware, the iPhone 4S retails at $400, and that is WITH a 2 year contract. In contrast, flagship devices from LG, Motorola, Samsung, and HTC (the major Android manufacturers) have never topped $299, and most go for $199.

Another major disappointment is that the iPhone 5 will not be a quad-core device, meaning Apple users will have to wait at least another full year before they can hope to see a quad-core iPhone.

Dual core devices were introduced for the first time last year (making their debut on Android, incidentally) and provided twice the speed, computing, and processing power of any handset released prior. Dual core has now become the industry standard. Quad core devices take it still further, promising a 5x performance improvement.

Essentially making mobile devices capable of running at speeds equal to or faster than a desktop PC with high-speed internet access.

Quad core technology is already in use in some Android tablets, and at the Mobile World Congress at the end of February, quad core phones will be premiered for the first time, yet again exclusively on Android.

In the last three years, Android has come from being the dark horse of the mobile arena to the fore runner. In the coming years Android's expertise and superiority will only become more pronounced as they continue to deliver cutting edge technology with the best hardware and software at the best prices on the market. Unfortunately for Apple, their reign of smartphone dominance is already on the decline, and they will continue to be outpaced and outdone as Android delivers what consumers expect out of their products.

APPS, APPS, APPS

While it is true that the Apple AppStore still contains more apps than the Android Marketplace (459,000 for Apple compared to 319,000 for Android, as of October 2011) there are three things to keep in mind here.

(1) Apple has a 16-month head start on Android. Considering that in just the last three months of 2011 there were over 100,000 apps added to each platform, 16 months is a tremendous lead, and for Android to close the gap this quickly is an impressive feat.

(2) Android is catching up fast. October's numbers were the latest exact figures available, but Android boasts on its website that the Marketplace now contains over 400,000 apps, and Apple claims to have over 500,000. Regardless of claims and speculations, one thing is clear- Android is catching up. Keep in mind that because of the open source nature of Android, apps can be downloaded from other sources as well, including the Amazon AppStore, the AppBrain market, AppPlanet, and countless others. Including these third party sources, Android far surpasses Apple in sheer numbers of apps.

(3) Android offers more free apps than Apple. 70% of Android apps are free, compared with just 35% of Apple apps. From a developer standpoint, this could be a disappointment, but for the end user it is extremely satisfying knowing you got the same app for free that your iPhone carrying friends coughed up $3-$5 or more for.

 

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A Closer Look: Comparing Apple's iPhone 4S and Samsung's Galaxy Nexus

A Closer Look: Comparing Apple's iPhone 4S and Samsung's Galaxy Nexus

By Michael J. Miller.

For the past couple of months, I've been walking around with both an iPhone 4S and a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, with the former running iOS 5 and the latter running Google's Android 4.0, known as Ice Cream Sandwich. I posted my initial impressions a while back, after having used both devices for a week or two, but now that I've gotten used to both, I thought I'd reevaluate how they compare in several categories.

Size: Of course, the Galaxy Nexus, with its 4.65-inch display, is a lot larger than the iPhone 4S, which has a 3.5-inch display. The Nexus measures 5.3-by-2.7-by-0.4 inches, while the iPhone measures 4.5-by-2.31-by-.37 inches. Initially, I thought the size would make carrying the Nexus more difficult, but both fit into my pocket. The Nexus's size makes it better for reading lots of text on a page and for viewing videos, but the iPhone's smaller size means it's easier to carry and to use single-handedly because you can reach all the controls. Let's call it a wash.

Display: The Nexus display is not only physically bigger, but it also offers higher 1280-by-720-pixel resolution, compared with the iPhone's 960-by-480. That means you can see more on a webpage, for instance. The Nexus display uses Samsung's "Super AMOLED" organic LED display, but uses Samsung's PenTile technology (which has two subpixels per dot, not three); the iPhone uses an IPS LCD display. The basic technology-OLED versus LCD-means that the Nexus has really dark blacks (since it doesn't use backlighting), and thus better contrast. In practice, though, the iPhone looks quite good and is typically brighter. There are pros and cons, but overall I'd give the advantage to the Nexus, mostly because I do a fair amount of browsing and email, and the larger, higher-resolution screen matters. Advantage: Galaxy Nexus

Camera: The iPhone 4S has an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera; the Nexus has a 5-megapixel one. The iPhone has a VGA resolution front-facing camera; the Nexus has a 1.3MP one. Ice Cream Sandwich gives you a lot more control over the camera settings, with more screen modes and more control over exposure and white balance. But forget the specs; I've now used both, in a variety of situations, and the iPhone 4S simply takes better pictures. Advantage: iPhone

Network: This is going to vary a lot depending on which carrier you choose, and where you live and travel. The Galaxy Nexus is currently only available in the U.S. as a Verizon LTE phone, whereas iPhones are available on multiple networks. Mine uses AT&T's HSPA+ network. As someone who works in New York but travels to the West Coast pretty often, there's just no question: Verizon's LTE network is faster. I've been particularly happy using it with a hotspot feature (and have stopped using a separate mobile hotspot as a result). For voice calls, Verizon seems to be a bit more reliable than AT&T, but I find that varies a lot by location. I still get no service from Verizon when I'm on the train tracks at Grand Central Terminal, for instance, but AT&T works fine there. At my home, both are fine; at my office, both are horrible. (I thought midtown Manhattan was getting better for a while, but it's gotten worse again.) Traveling, I've seen lots of variability. On balance, I'll give this to LTE. Advantage: Galaxy Nexus

Battery Life: In part, it may be the LTE support, but this really isn't a competition. I almost always can get through a day with the iPhone 4S without concern but I'm always worried about battery life with the Nexus, and often drain it. Third-party apps to better manage the battery have helped, as has an extended life battery, but it's just not as good. Advantage: iPhone

Browser: I like the iPhone browser, which is quite fast, but the Nexus's has more features. Sure, everyone talks about the ability to run Flash on Android, but actually, the feature I found most useful was the ability to request the desktop site instead of the mobile one. Advantage: Galaxy Nexus

Apps: There are plenty of great Android applications, and you will probably be very happy with the selection on either platform. There are a few more iPhone apps, and in some cases, they are a bit more polished, but Android is catching up. Advantage: iPhone

Voice recognition: Apple has given Siri a lot of attention. There's no question that its ability to query multiple databases simultaneously and generate an answer is more advanced than the relatively straightforward Google Voice Search on Android. Still, other than as I demo, I don't find myself using voice very much; most of the time, I can get what I want a lot faster through a browser. Apple has a noticeable lead here, though I really can't say it matters much to me yet. Advantage: iPhone

Operating System/Stability: Overall, I've found many reasons to applaud the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android. I really like the way it handles multitasking; a single button that shows you thumbnails of all your loaded applications, making the switch among applications faster and easier. I've seen crashes on both systems (not to mention on Windows and Mac OS X), but in general, the iPhone has been more reliable. As a result, I'm giving Apple the point here, but minor tweaks to Android could change things. Advantage: iPhone

Reviewing this list, the iPhone wins in more categories. For the most part, that comes down to software; Apple's iOS 5 is just a bit more refined, and a bit easier to use. Make no mistake, though, Android 4.0 is narrowing the gap quickly. From a hardware perspective, the Android ecosystem just gives you more choices. Users can get a larger display on the Galaxy Nexus, a keyboard on the Droid 4, or a much less expensive Android model. That diversity is a major strength of the Android platform, and Apple can't really compete with that. If I had to pick just one, though, I'd still choose the iPhone 4S today.

By the way, in addition to the iPhone 4S and the Galaxy Nexus, I always have my BlackBerry Bold 9810, which still has the best corporate mail solution, even if it lacks the application array of the other two. Carrying three phones all the time probably makes me look like a nerd, but that's not really new news.

 

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