Tag Archives | Google Android

Smartphone Sales: New Stats, and a Recap

Posted by Harry McCracken on August 4, 2010 at 10:43 am

Yet another research report shows booming sales of Android smartphones: NPD, which covers the retail market, says that 33 percent of smartphones sold in the US in the second quarter ran Google’s operating system. RIM’s BlackBerries fell to second place, at 28 percent, and Apple’s iPhones had 22 percent of the market.

NPD’s analysis covers only phones, so there are millions of Apple iOS devices–iPod Touches and iPads–that aren’t part of the tally. Except for a few niche products such as Archos’s tablets and the Nook, Android is still a phone OS, not a general-purpose one; that will change in the months to come as Android tablets (and products such as Google TV) arrive.

Each company that does this sort of number-crunching uses its own methodology, and sales patterns for the rest of the world differ wildly from those for the US. So it’s not surprising that different companies are releasing varying rankings. After the jump, a quick visual recap of some recent stats.

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Android Finally Outsells iPhone–Yes, Again!

Posted by Harry McCracken on August 2, 2010 at 8:41 am

JK on the Run’s Kevin C. Tofel is reporting that a new Nielsen study says that Android phones have 27 percent of the US market for smartphones, beating out Apple’s iPhone for the first time. At the same time, another report says that Android has an even heftier 34 percent of the market, making it the country’s most popular mobile OS.

Both factoids sounded familiar. Sure enough, back in May yet another firm (NPD) said that Android had 28 percent of the market to iPhone’s 21 percent. Lesson: Don’t take research reports as gospel.

Everybody agrees that Android phones are outselling iPhones in terms of units. Given how many models are on the market, and how well-marketed some of them are, it’s not surprising that it’s taken the lead–the shocker is that it took this long for such a pervasive OS to beat one that’s on only two phones from one carrier.

For consumers, the unit-sales horse race isn’t all that interesting. It’s the overall health of the competing ecosystems–as reflected in quality and quantity of third-party apps, services, and accessories–that matters. And while Android is making rapid progress here, nobody who’s trying to be even sort of objective will make the case that the Android Market is now the equal of the iPhone Store.

Android now has users in vast quantities; it’s up to Google to polish up the still-mediocre Market and do everything in its power to help developers create lots of exceptional apps.

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Just How (In)secure are Smartphones?

Posted by Harry McCracken on July 28, 2010 at 8:24 am

Last week a clever, duplicitous fifteen-year-old got Apple to approve an iPhone flashlight app which contained a secret tethering utility. A few days later, Citi told users of its iPhone mobile banking app that it was storing personal information in a manner which might have left it vulnerable to misuse by other apps or hackers.

Neither incident represented a security disaster, but both provided sobering evidence that the iPhone’s level of security is less than airtight. The tethering app’s acceptance showed that it’s possible to sneak hidden code past Apple’s approval process, and the Citibank storage glitch was a useful reminder that iPhone apps aren’t completely isolated from each other.

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Augen's $150 Android Tablet Coming to Kmart This Week

Posted by Jared Newman on July 26, 2010 at 3:42 pm

While most major hardware makers are still getting their tablet acts together, Augen is sneaking in with 7-inch Android tablet, supposedly due this week in Kmart stores for $150.

The specs aren’t half-bad, either. According to Augen’s website, the Gentouch78 runs Android 2.1 and has an 800 MHz processor, built-in Wi-Fi, 256 MB of RAM, 2 GB of memory and an SD card slot holding up to 16 GB. It also supports 720p video playback, has USB input for data transfers and comes with a leather carrying case. Augen’s website claims Android Market support for 70,000 apps, which is surprising because Google reportedly prohibits access for devices that lack smartphone-like hardware, such as cameras and accelerometers.

If a cheap Android tablet interests you, but sounds too good to be true, there’s not much harm in finding out. Engadget heard from an Augen representative that the tablet will be in Kmart stores this week, and it’s already showing up in circulars. With any luck, you’ll be able to try the tablet before buying. You may also be able to take it home for a while, as I don’t see any exceptions for computers in Kmart’s 90-day return policy, but I’d double check in the store if you’re serious about it.

Companies that have promised or at least considered Android tablets include Asus, Acer, Lenovo, LG, HP, HTC and Toshiba. Archos already sells a 7-inch tablet that’s stuck on Android 1.5 and costs $200. Dell’s about to launch the 5-inch Streak Android tablet, and may move up to larger sizes, but so far, there isn’t much you can buy stateside.

So here’s to one of the first actual iPad alternatives to actually reach a retail store, and for cheap. Strange that it’s only available at Kmart and comes from a brand you probably haven’t heard of.

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