The drive towards domination of the smartphone market continues for Apple and Google as they approach a combined 70% choke hold. Symbian is all but non-existent, holding on to just under 2%. Microsoft has been unable to break the 6% barrier but hopes that they will be able to do so with the release of Windows 8. RIM is still in the race, though hope is growing dim. Still, they are over 20%, a mark that most expected them to sink below in the most recent report. Blackberry has lost 4% since April….

As Google and Apple continue to grow in the mobile market, Android and iOS are quickly becoming the predominant operating systems for phones and tablets. There are many statistics to look at and comparisons to be made. Here, we present a visualization tackling the debate. Thanks to our friends at Hunch, we now know that Android users are 10% more likely to be men. We know that iOS users are 50% more likely to have been on the internet before 1992. We know who is more likely to prefer General Tso’s Chicken over Pad Thai. It may not be the most important demographic data, but it’s definitely interesting….

Local branches of Apple and Google stores in Taipei City have been given two weeks to offer free 7-day trials on apps that run on their mobile platforms or face financial penalties. According to Yeh Ching-yuan, Taipei City’s director of Law and Regulation Commission, “If the two companies fail to meet the requirement by the deadline, they may be slapped with fines of up to NT$1.5 million (US$52,265).” Currently, both companies are in violation of Taiwan’s Consumer Protection Act, a consumer protection that requires companies to have return and refund policies available for all purchases that…

I’ve been a huge supporter of Android over the past year. Ever since I purchased my Droid X, things have been okay. I’m checking my email, staying on top of social networks, and flinging Angry Birds around. But asking any more of my Android device is far too much, and that’s a big problem. What am I doing with an Android device, you ask? I didn’t have a choice in the matter. AT&T’s service was practically non-existent where I lived, which is amazing considering AT&T’s bold claims of their impressive network. And in 2010, the possibility of the iPhone on Verizon was only a rumor. Owning an iPhone…

2010 was the year of the iPhone (again) as more Americans who planned on purchasing a smartphone intended to buy an iPhone – about 1/3rd. The 1st quarter of 2011 shows a clear shift in smartphone envy as Android is now the OS that 31% of Americans intend to buy next versus 30% planning on going iOS according to a quarterly survey by Nielson. Recently purchased smartphones People surveyed in March who had purchased a smartphone in the previous 6 months indicated that half of them had bought Android phones. While much of this success can still be attributed to the number of phones and carriers that support…

Google is cracking down on Android’s “openness”. This much is clear. And really, let’s be honest: Android never was fully open. If you wanted a full-service smartphone that used Google’s applications – Gmail, Maps etc. – you had to sign a contract with Google to use the OS in particular ways. But now that Google are not letting Android 3.0 out into the world, it’s clear something is changing. Google are exerting more control over Android, and in comments on every story about it across the web, people seem a bit upset about it. But a more closed, more tightly closed Android will be better for everyone….

Google is notorious for tracking people’s activities online. In fact, the search giant probably knows more about your own habits than you do yourself. Google stepped it recently up when they allowed users the ability to explore their location data with Latitude. But now that data will be available on Android devices too, along with a few more upgrades. A recent Google Maps update (to version 5.3) has enabled a few new interesting bits of functionality for users of Google Latitude, a location service that enables users to check in and share their location data with friends. The first is the location…

$1.54. That’s how much people saved by downloading free Android app called Android.Walkinwat from unofficial venues rather than the real app, Walk and Text, from the Android market. Once downloaded and installed, the app redirects you to the actual app on the Android marketplace. Then, it sends an SMS message to all of your contacts: Hey,just downlaoded [sic] a pirated app off the internet, Walk and Text for Android. Im stupid and cheap, it costed only 1 buck. Dont steal like I did! As our friends over at HotHardware said, it’s Shameware. There are certain precautions people should take when downloading…

You have to hand it to the Android Developers team. They deliver the goods when it comes to news and eye-candy. This video they produced gives an awesome visual depiction of Android activations from October, 2008, until January, 2011. First, the overview, then they focus on North America, Europe, and West Asia. Kudos, ladies and gentlemen, for putting together such a strong video as well as for becoming the best-selling mobile operating system. …

Geeks love smart phones, but if I see another “fart” application, I might just go kamikaze on my Droid X. Barring that potentiality, it has now become known that 26 percent of all applications are only used one time after installation, before becoming a waste of space, according to Localytics. And I think that fact is impressive. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that most of the mobile applications we install are stupid; they don’t do anything useful, they don’t do anything productive, and they don’t warrant the time spent downloading and installing them. Is it because the applications…