Ever read about a study and at first you’re excited by the results, and then you’re immediately let down? That just happened after reading about this smartphone study reported on PC World. OpenCloud’s study revealed that only 39% of smart phone users download apps. The average user downloads 14 apps and then tends not to use them after the initial “WOOHOO APPS” period that occurs during the first few weeks of ownership. My first thought was that consumers were focusing less on apps and more on specifics like hardware. That maybe consumers were getting smart and weren’t going to be…

Not only does Apple get to celebrate its future release of OS X Lion and the hype surrounding the new Macbook Air, they get to laugh in the face of Research In Motion (RIM), too. Apple has now overtaken RIM for second place in worldwide smart phone share. Apple only trails one company when it comes to smart phone market share, and that company is Nokia. The third-quarter global smart phone share report from Strategy Analytics states that Apple has ousted RIM by 3.1 percentage points. It’s such an impressive undertaking by Apple, given that only three years ago there was no such thing as an iPhone. However,…

I’m confident I’ve used that headline gag before. Whatever. If you’re used to the legend-status security of a Mac, better check your damn self – a security oversight in FaceTime fo Mac could land you with an enormous iTunes bill, if you’re not careful. Seems that in signing into FaceTime for Mac, a user can change one’s Apple ID password to whatever he or she wants (provided it satisfies the password rules) without having to input the old password – leaving your iTunes account up for the taking, assuming your enemy has physical access to your computer. Based on that fact of physical proximity, I don’t…

As much of an advocate I am for competition, I can’t help but laugh on the inside when I see yet another favorable impression of Windows Phone 7. I want to say great things about it. No, I really do! But I can’t! It’s because I know that this is a failure from the start. So before we get into detail about the competition and the hoopla surrounding Windows Phone 7, let’s start with the company that is behind all of the commotion: Microsoft. Microsoft’s Problems Microsoft has an identity problem. If you ask a teenager to explain what Microsoft does, you will, without question, hear them mention Windows….

Steve Jobs rarely appears at Apple’s financial conferences, but when he does, oh boy, lookout. Steve Jobs isn’t shy by any means, but he’s definitely not a loudmouth, so his confidence at yesterdays earnings announcement is either his pride getting the better of him, or he wants to make sure we’re all watching while his company makes the future. Jobs stopped just short of cattiness while describing RIM and Google’s position in the mobile market. On RIM, Jobs noted that they have reached the end of their competitive advantage, and are faced with the difficulty of adapting to a new model. “We’ve…

I am so frequently reminded of how I should totally have stuck with science a little more, if even to send little pieces of mobile tech into space as a hobby. Hindsight is always 20/20. Oh well. Lucky for me, we have father-son teams like this posting videos of their own adventures to Vimeo, that I might live vicariously through their eyes and know the joys of science for myself. After a solid eight months of research, the aforementioned father and son (alright, so really just the father – but that kid is the opposite of uncute, regardless) released a weather balloon, HD video camera and iPhone in tow,…

No, this isn’t a terrorist threat. Atomic Tom, a New York based band was looking for a little exposure, and a train carriage full of commuters is the perfect captive audience. After having their instruments stolen, the boys turned to technology for an impromptu mobile gig. Using their iPhones as instruments, the band rocked out to a small crowd of bewildered travelers. “I saw Atomic Tom perform on the B train today… at first i thought they were going to bomb the train, but then they started playing and i was like ‘i love new york!’ liked them so much, i asked a stranger for the band name.” said Brittany…

Alright, alright, I admit it. The iPhone is a gaming machine. I’ve spent the last few years actively tearing down people’s insistence that Apple holds any sway in the gaming arena, but there’s really no denying it anymore – they do, if only for silly casual games as of yet. But it’s only a matter of time before real, actual factual games properly find their way onto the platform. But how the hell are we going to play them? Apple would have you believe that you need only tilt control and a touch screen to play games, but any gamer knows that’s an outright joke. What we need is a controller, or Steve? We ain’t…

Now ‘ears one for the books – a large padded earpiece that attaches directly to your iPhone. You’ll look ear-ily trendy with one of these on your phone, and your delicate ear holes will be saved from wear and tear. Designer Robert Potter created his Earos concept in response to the minimalist approach to headsets by modern phone manufacturers. While this seems a bulky addition to the iPhone, it i true that Apple didn’t give much thought to comfort in their design process. Thanks Robert, this will be a ‘noise’ addition to my mobile experience!…

With yet another report stating that Android is actually outselling other smartphone platforms, it’s clear that Google’s smartphone OS is here to stay. And thank goodness. Android has been a boon to the tech world, driving competition in the smartphone market while introducing the benefits of those devices to way more people. Yet, despite it’s massive success, it’s also clear Android as a platform could be better. Compared to – yes, you knew it was coming – Apple’s iOS, Android is still lacking in some areas. Now, it’s not that Android should necessarily try to emulate Apple’s OS. Instead of trying…