While many iPhone users are reporting high satisfaction, it doesn’t matter for the long term. The Android platform will crush all other smartphones in both its sheer number of users and vendors.
Neither Apple nor RIM will give up without a fight, but the writing is on the wall for business owners who don’t want to be saddled with the 2013 version of the Sony Betamax (for those of you who can remember it).
1. Android Rules the Market by Numbers
Sure, Google CEO Eric Schmidt self-servingly told Reuters that 200,000 Android handsets were selling every day–but third-party surveys also routinely show that the platform’s momentum is steadily increasing. Thirty-three percent of all smartphones are now using Android, and the system is outstripping RIM (at 28 percent) and iPhone (22 percent), based on U.S. purchases from April to June, according to the NPD Group. In other words, the American people are voting with their wallets and choosing Android handsets.2. More Selection and Promotions
The top five Android phones–Motorola Droid, HTC Droid Incredible, HTC EVO 4G, HTC Hero, and HTC Droid Eris–have numerous carriers, including Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, according to NPD. Because of the competition among carriers, promotions like Verizon’s buy-one, get-one-free, and cut-rate prices will continue to play a significant role in the Android market. For a company having to buy a dozen or more smartphones, this means some serious savings.
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There is a growing debate among security experts about whether or not the future of data security will reside in the mobile marketplace. Some believe that desktop operating systems, like Windows or Mac OS X, will continue to be hotbeds for malware that attempts to steal sensitive data.
Those on the other side of the debate contend that the mobile marketplace will become an increasingly insecure environment with programs, created by malicious hackers, taking aim at smartphones.
Those who see rising security risks in the mobile world might win the debate. Recently, a report was released by security firm SMobile Systems, claiming as much as 20 percent of all Android Market apps pose a potential security threat.
That study came just days before news broke that Apple’s App Store was allegedly defrauded by a developer. Apple claims that no private information was stolen in the attack, but it calls into question just how secure the mobile-computing environment really is.
Realizing that, it’s time users start thinking about ways to keep their data on iPhone and Android-based devices secure. At this point, mobile apps themselves won’t typically wreak havoc on a device. But it might be easier for malicious hackers to steal data from a smartphone either through holes in apps or intentionally malicious programs than some might think.
The full article contains 10 ways to avoid personal data theft on your iPhone and Android.
Another suspected suicide has occurred at a factory in China, the latest in a string of deaths at the plant this year, state media reports.
Xinhua said the male employee jumped to his death hours after a media tour at the plant owned by Taiwan firm Foxconn.
The firm manufactures mobile phones and electronic equipment for top brands including Dell computers and Apple.
If confirmed, the death would be the twelfth attempted suicide at the plant – two people have survived such falls.
The plant employs more than 400,000 people.
One man was also reported to have killed himself at another Foxconn plant in Hebei province earlier this year.
Apple has said it is “saddened and upset” by the recent string of suicides.
Apple has banned at least two prominent iPhone hackers from accessing its App Store.
Sherif Hashim, an iPhone developer who developed a hack for the latest iPhone OS 3.1.3, and iH8Sn0w, who developed the XEMN tool designed to unlock iPhone 3.1.3 radio baseband for the 3G and 3GS, found that their Apple IDs were blocked and accounts deactivated when they tried to access the app store of Monday. Their respective reactions can be found in Twitter posts here and here.
The move sparked concerns that Apple might ban all jailbroken iPhones was accessing the App Store. However, such a move would prevent Apple’s application developers from selling to the millions of users of jailbroken devices and would be especially bad politics following the launch of the Wholesale Applications Community at the Mobile World Congress conference earlier this week.
This update for iPhone and iPod touch contains bug fixes and improvements, including the following:
• Improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
• Resolves issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances
• Fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard
Products compatible with this software update:
• iPhone (all models)
• iPod touch (all models)
For feature descriptions and complete instructions, see the user guides for iPhone and iPod touch at:
http://support.apple.com/manuals/iphone
http://support.apple.com/manuals/ipodtouch
For more information about iPhone and iPod touch, go to:
http://www.apple.com/iphone
http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch
To troubleshoot your iPhone or iPod touch, or to view additional support information go to:
http://www.apple.com/support/iphone
http://www.apple.com/support/ipodtouch
For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222
iTunes is a free application for your Mac or PC. It organizes and plays your digital music and video on your computer. It syncs all your media with your iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV. And it’s a store on your computer, iPod touch, iPhone, and Apple TV that has everything you need to be entertained. Anywhere. Anytime.
- iTunes no longer ignores your “Remember password for purchases” setting.
- Addresses problems with syncing some Smart Playlists and Podcasts with iPod.
- Resolves a problem recognizing when iPod is connected.
- Addresses issues that affect stability and performance.
We’re only hours away from Google‘s special event when the company is expected to launch the Android-based Nexus One mobile device. There has been a lot of speculation about the handset, and how it will differ from competitors like the iPhone. An early hands-on review by Engadget suggests the Nexus One will be a solid device, but not be immediate threat to the iPhone.
But that won’t stop the endless comparisons to the iPhone once the Nexus One is released later today. So why not just dive right in with several things Google needs to get right on the Nexus One, as well as the Android platform in general, to beat the iPhone.
Speed
It’s all about speed when it comes to smartphones, as users want a blazing fast connection and a device that doesn’t take forever to load a program. The Nexus One is widely believed to have a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor making it super fast, although not blazing fast according to Engadget’s review. The iPhone 3GS, where the ‘S’ stands for speed, has a 600 MHz processor, so clearly the Nexus One will have the advantage for the time being. But that could change if Apple brings out another version of the iPhone this year.
Pricing
Right now, the Nexus One looks like it will have a pretty standard pricing plan: $180 with a two-year contract with T-Mobile or $530 unlocked. If Google really wanted to shake up the system it would figure out a way to offer the Nexus One at an even cheaper price or for nothing at all.
Be Open
If Google wants the Nexus One to rival Apple then it will have to be careful not to be seen as a closed device. The Nexus One is expected to be sold unlocked for $530, meaning you should be able to use the device with the carrier of your choice. But the Nexus One is a GSM phone so only two U.S. carriers, AT&T and T-Mobile, will be able to support the phone.
The problem is early reports are saying the Nexus One’s 3G connectivity will only work on T-Mobile, not AT&T, which automatically limits how you can use the phone. If I’m paying over $500 for a phone, I want it to be as wide open as possible, and that includes being compatible with both 3G networks.
The Nexus One, thus far, doesn’t look to be an iPhone killer. It does, however, look like a great add to the marketplace as more competition is a win for the consumer as competition will drive the major players to make improvements, incorporate some of the better ideas from the competition into their own, and drive better and better products for years to come. So welcome Nexus One. Can’t wait to see you grow and how you encourage others to grow.
However, the tool can only attack jailbroken iPhones, or ones that have been modified to run unapproved software, that are running SSH (Secure Shell), a Unix utility with the default password enabled.
It’s estimated that between 6 percent to 8 percent of iPhone users have jailbroken their phones. The latest malware would only affect those who haven’t changed that default passwords for SSH, which is “alpine.”