Google flatly denies claims that Android has hurt competition -- quite the reverse
Google's battle with the European Commission has raged on for many years, and the company has faced frequent accusations of anti-competitive behavior for one reason or another. Today the Android producer has hit back at the European claims, saying that the existence of iOS is proof that its own mobile operating system is not anti-competitive.
Senior vice president of Google, Kent Walker, writes on the company blog that "Android is not a 'one way street'; it's a multi-lane highway of choice". He also points to the fact that the cost of smartphones running Android has dropped dramatically over the years, but one of his primary arguments against the anti-competitive claims is that phone manufacturers are free to use Android in whatever way they want.
LG rolls out Android 7.0 Nougat for G5 flagship
Just over two months after its release, Google reports that Nougat is running on 0.3 percent of Android devices. That is a far cry from the 24 percent share that Marshmallow enjoys, but it should not really surprise anyone considering that the most popular Android devices are rocking an older distribution.
Things will improve as more players release Android 7.0 updates, and the latest to make a move in the right direction is LG. The South Korean maker just announced that it is now rolling out Nougat for its G5 flagship.
Samsung uses full-page newspaper ads to say it is 'truly sorry' for the Note7 fiasco
Just when you thought the Samsung Galaxy Note7 saga was over, there's a new twist. The Korean smartphone manufacturer placed a full-page ad in US newspapers yesterday, apologizing to customers for the problematic handset.
The ad appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Washington Post and the company says it is "truly sorry" for failing to deliver "best-in-class safety and quality".
Android Auto can now be used on your phone in any car, regardless of age
It's quite some time since Google launched Android Auto -- around two years, in fact -- but adoption has been hampered by one little niggle: you needed a compatible car to take advantage of it. Today that changes.
Starting today, Android Auto is available as a stand-alone phone app that can be used to bring the tool to any car via an Android device. This means that older vehicles can now feel the benefits of Android Auto and use it to get directions, listen to music, and much more.
Samsung forcing out software update to render Galaxy Note7 batteries rubbish
Samsung's Galaxy Note7 fiasco has been in headline for some weeks now, most recently when it emerged that the company was working with telecoms companies to cut off the phones from networks in New Zealand. Now Samsung has announced that it is pushing out an update to US users that will limit how much the battery can be charged.
This is not so much a case of limiting the charge to make the phone safer, rather an attempt to annoy Galaxy Note7 owners who have not yet taken advantage of the 'refund and exchange' program to do just that. The hope is that by limiting phone charge to 60 percent, and showing a popup, stubborn Galaxy Note7 owners will give in and relinquish their handsets.
Telecomms companies blacklist Samsung Galaxy Note7s to prevent people using dangerous phones
The Samsung Galaxy Note7 was one of the -- if not the -- most disastrous phone launches of all time. After numerous reports of handsets catching fire or exploding, Samsung was forced to recall the device -- but some people have been reluctant to give theirs up.
The phone may have been banned from planes, and Samsung has even offered a financial incentive to hand over the Galaxy Note7, but despite the potential danger many users are hanging onto their phones. In a drastic move to prevent them from being used, some mobile providers -- incoordination with Samsung -- are disconnecting Galaxy Note7s, rendering them all but useless.
How to remove unused Android phones and tablets from your Google Play account
If you visit Google Play on your computer, you can install apps to any of the Android devices you own. All you need to do is click the Install button and you'll then be presented with a list of your phones and tablets to choose from.
Over the years, you've probably owed a number of Android devices, and it's possible that this list has become a bit unwieldy. Why should you be forced to make a selection when you only have one phone? Here's how to clear up the list and make your life a little easier.
Huawei unveils 'Mate 9' and 'Porsche Design Mate 9' Android 7.0 Nougat smartphones
While the Android smartphone market was starting to feel stale, there have been many great offerings lately, such as LG V20, Google Pixel, and the LeEco Le Pro3. In other words, it is a great time to be buying an Android handset.
Today, Huawei adds another remarkable-looking Android smartphone to the list -- the much-anticipated 'Mate 9'. The 5.9-inch 1080p screen should look great, and the company promises two days of use from the 4,000mAh battery -- plus fast-charging, of course. It even has 4GB of RAM standard, plus 64GB of storage. Will consumers embrace the premium dual-sim device?
Microsoft's Windows is one of the 'other' smartphone platforms, says Strategy Analytics
Windows does not seem to have a future in the smartphone market, as the vast majority of consumers opt for either Android or iPhone. It is a sad state of affairs, but there is little that Microsoft and its partners can do now to turn things around. Judging by the software giant's most-recent press events, it seems that it has stopped trying to compete.
And this is reflected in the latest quarterly figures from Strategy Analytics. The report, which analyzes smartphone shipments in Q3 2016, puts Windows under the "Others" category, a place reserved for the least-popular platforms that only a handful of consumers are invested in.
Alcatel IDOL 4S is a VR-ready Windows 10 Mobile smartphone you might actually want
Windows 10 Mobile is a solid smartphone operating system with two big flaws -- lack of both apps and developers. This has lead to such low market share, that many consider Microsoft's mobile operating system to be irrelevant. With that said, not everyone needs a lot of apps. If you mostly do things like text messaging, surfing the web, and accessing email on the go, a Windows 10 device is a brilliantly secure way to do so.
Today, Alcatel officially announces the previously leaked IDOL 4S with Windows 10 (there is an Android version too). Not only is the inexpensive device beautiful, but chocked full of solid specs and wonderful features too. Best of all, it comes with a virtual reality headset in the box!
Tinder has spoken -- Hillary Clinton will beat Donald Trump
There's now just a week to go in the battle between Trump and Clinton. The race to the White House is nearly over and as revelation after revelation sways polls this way and that way, voters and pundits alike are asking: just who will win this election?
Dating app Tinder thinks it knows the answer. Working in conjunction with Rock the Vote, Tinder users were invited to Swipe the Vote to see not only who they would vote for, but also which candidate they most closely matched. Around the world -- with the exception of Russia -- Clinton came out on top.
Twitter shuts down Vine
Twitter today announced that it was doing everything it could to bring in some profit, and this was swiftly followed by the announcement that the company is to close down Vine.
Vines that have already been created will live on via the website, but the mobile apps will be shuttered, and no more Vines can be created. The precise date of the closure has not been revealed, but it is some time in the coming months.
Smartphone shipments rise despite Samsung Galaxy Note7 recall
Smartphone shipments have increased in the third quarter of the year, even when Samsung's recalled Galaxy Note7 flagship is taken out of the equation. How much they rose depends on which analyst company you choose to believe. IDC is the most conservative, announcing a growth of one percent bump year-over-year, while Canalys is more optimistic, claiming a six percent bump.
Both Canalys and IDC exclude the Galaxy Note7 because Samsung stopped sales of its latest flagship and wants every unit it shipped to be returned by its customers. The smartphone performed well in the short time it was available, which is why the two companies specifically mention it in their reports -- though it did not dramatically affect Samsung's status as a market leader.
Emoji are works of modern art
The headline is not a personal opinion -- it's the view of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Just around the corner from Trump Tower, MoMA is home to works by the likes of Dali, Lichtenstein and Warhol. Now they have been joined by the original emoji designs from the 1990s.
The 176 emoji are the handiwork of Shigetaka Kurita, and the "12 x 12 pixel humble masterpieces" are now on display alongside the works of other great artists. Emoji changed the landscape of communication, and their addition to MoMA recognizes this.
Vodafone hit with record fine for 'serious and sustained' breaches of consumer protection rules
The world's second-largest mobile operator, Vodafone, has been handed a £4.76 million ($5.60 million) fine by industry regulator Ofcom. The fine -- the largest ever for a telecoms company -- was a result of Vodafone's "serious and sustained" failings.
The company failed to top-up customers' accounts when they bought credit, and failed to act quickly enough to rectify the problem. The failings cost customers £150,000, and it is now going to cost Vodafone £3.7 million; the remaining £925,000 of the fine is for failures with complaint handling.
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