Android 5.0 Jelly Bean Coming In Q3?

With Ice Cream Sandwich being introduced to the world during the Google I/O event in may 2011, then officially launched in October, it seems like we really haven’t had enough time to get to know the 4.0 version of the OS. Although Android 4.0 has officially been available for over five months, statistics show that not even two percent of Android devices in existence are running Ice Cream Sandwich. The latest data released by Google shows that a meager 1.6% of devices have ICS installed, with those users becoming fragmented due to the varying point releases of version 4.0 they are running.

While the Android owning population waits patiently for the announcement that the manufacturers of their device are about to launch the ICS update, Google are said to be putting the final touches onto the next major release of Android in an attempt make Q3 of 2012 a viable release point. The report comes from the hit and miss rumor site DigiTimes, who have cited industry-based sources on this one, but have a varying success rate when it comes to claims such as these.

The current version of Android offers probably the most notable upgrades to date, with features such as facial recognition, widget re-sizing and a new powerful voice input engine; but has been extremely slow to gather pace in the industry. Companies such as HTC have announced the the HTC  One X, One S and One V which will be their first three Android 4.0 handsets, with others such as Sony about to release two smartphones initially running Android Gingerbread but benefitting from almost immediate ICS updates.

If the unnamed source is accurate, then those devices could almost immediately be running an out of date version of Android. Android 5.0 Jelly Bean was previously speculated to be coming at some point during Q2 of this year, but it looks as though that could be temporarily delayed by the company in favor of a slightly later launch. Android 5.0 looks all set to bring updated and improved support for those users who prefer their Android experience to be via a tablet device, but as DigiTimes sources have stated "The rapid shift of OS may not be healthy for the development of the Android Ecosystem" and could create a trend of Android users being consistently one step behind the official current version of the OS.

 

Google Android 5.0 Jelly Bean to be released in Q3 2012:

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Android app can detect Carrier IQ on your phone

Carrier IQ is the new hotness when it comes to creepy tactics to get a hold of user data, but there is a new app for Android phones which will let you know whether or not the software is running on your device. The app is courtesy of François Simond, a.k.a Supercurio, who put it together in just four hours. Unfortunately, the app will currently only detect whether or not Carrier IQ is on your device, but can't do anything about it. Of course, being the good samaritan that he is, Simond has put the code for the app on Github, so other developers will surely expand on his work. Simond also warns that anti-Carrier IQ fixes are not detected and can lead to false positives, but these issues should be ironed out going forward.

You may not be able to actively kill Carrier IQ, but this is a knowing-is-half-the-battle type of situation where you can at least be a bit more careful with your phone. Or, knowing that it's on your device, you can contact your carrier to complain about the software. If you want to give it a shot, the Voodoo Carrier IQ detector is available for free on the Android Market. And, if you're a developer looking to build on Simond's work, the code is at Github.

More information's:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/02/supercurio-brings-carrier-iq-detection-to-the-people-pitchfork/

Detect Carrier IQ on Android phones with Voodoo Carrier IQ Detector App:

Android's market share of app downloads in Q2 reaches 44% surpassing the 31% share of iOS

According to ABI Research, the Android Market is busier these days than the App Store. During the second quarter-the latest time period for which data is available-Android devices accounted for 44% of all app downloads surpassing the 31% market share belonging to iOS flavored devices. Research associate Lim Shiyang credits the open source nature of Android for these results, saying that the free nature of the OS draws more users to devices powered by Android and supports the growth of third party and multi-platform application stores. That, in turn, allows Android to capture the top spot for app downloads.

Additionally, ABI points to a slowdown in the growth of Apple iPhone shipments as another reason for Android's leading market share when it comes to installing apps. During this year's second quarter, growth in shipments of the Apple iPhone slowed to 9% from 15% in the year's first quarter while Android growth reached 36% in Q2, up from the 20% improvement it scored in the first quarter. The installed base of Android users leads those using iOS by 2.4 to 1. According to ABI, this will increase to 3 to 1 by 2016.

It isn't all bad news for the gang at Cupertino. Dan Shey, practice director, mobile services for ABI noters that while Android leads in total mobile app downloads, Apple still has the most app downloads per user. Shy points out that, "Apple’s superior monetization policies attracted good developers within its ranks, thus creating a better catalog of apps and customer experience.”

App downloads are expected to total 29 billion for this year compared with 9 billion downloaded in 2010. The main reason for the surge in app downloads according to ABI, is the huge increase in smartphone usage world-wide. For example, the number of smartphone users globally is expected to grow 46% this year.

GameStop testing sales of Android tablets in 200 stores

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that during this holiday season, retailer GameStop will put specialized Android tablets in 200 stores to see how well they sell. The tablets, made by Asus, Acer and Samsung, will each come with seven free games including EA's "Dead Space", and will be offered at the same price you would see at other stores. Although the tablets will support GameStop's new controller out of the box, it must be purchased separately at the store.

Last month, we reported that GameStop was planning on offering its own Android tablets to sell in its stores. Besides offering pre-installed games, console quality content would be streamed from the cloud using the controller. The idea behind adding the tablets in its stores is to sell more gaming devices to complement the individual games that it sells.

Motorola Droid4 Android Smartphone Leaked

The guys over at Droid Life have got their hands on a photo and specifications of a new Android smartphone from Motorola, the Droid4, which will come with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread.

According to the report the Droid4 will features a 4 inch Super AMOLED display and a full 5 row illuminated slide out QWERTY keyboard, and it will be a 4G LTE capable device. Other specifications include an 8 megapixel camera which will be able to record full HD video in 1080p, plus a front facing camera, and HDMI out, as soon as we get some more information we will let you guys know.

More information's:
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/10/27/exclusive-first-pictures-of-the-droid4-by-motorola/

Motorola Droid for Verizon Video Review:

Motorola Droid RAZR Goes Up For Pre-Order For $299.99

Motorola’s latest smartphone the Droid RAZR will be available to pre-order from Verizon Wireless later today for $299.99 when you sign up to a new two year contract with Verizon.

The Motorola Droid Razr features a Super AMOLED qHD display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, processing is provided by a dual core 1.2GHz processor and there is also an 8 megapixel camera which can record full HD video in 1080p. It comes with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread and it features a front facing HD video camera for video chat, and it comes with 32GB of storage, 16GB built in and 16GB via the microSD card slot.

More information's:
http://www.droiddoes.com/#/droidrazr
http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/26/motorola-droid-razr-available-for-pre-order-from-verizon-tomorrow-for-299-99/

DROID RAZR by Motorola Hands-on: