Apple Is About To Lose Its Revenue Dominance Over Android

It's probably an Android.

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Until recently, the difference between Apple’s iOS mobile devices and the plethora of companies making Google’s Android phones and tablets was easy to describe: More people may use the cheaper Android devices, but a majority of the revenue from mobile devices came from Apple. Across the board, iPhone and iPad users downloaded more apps, paid more for them, were more lucrative targets for mobile advertising, and bought more stuff on their devices than Android users.

To put it bluntly, Android is for poor people, iPhone is for rich people.

That may be about to change.

New data shows that in addition to overtaking Apple’s mobile market share, Android is also catching up in terms of its share of mobile revenue. The change explains in part why Google wants to create an “Android Silver” class of superior smartphones with major manufacturers: to eliminate iPhone’s superiority in terms of platform quality and the wealth of its users.

According to data from mobile ad company Opera Mediaworks, Android users are now for the first time a greater percentage of users seeing mobile ads than Apple users are.

While Apple is still ahead in the monetization of those users, its lead is shrinking there also. Here are Opera’s market share numbers, based on 64 billion ad impressions served to 500 million consumers:

Percent of traffic:

Android 42.83% (up from 31.26%)

iOS 38.17% (down from 44.53%)

Percent of revenue:

iOS 52.7% (up from 49.23%)

Android 33.46% (up from 26.72%)

Opera CEO Mahi de Silva believes Android will catch Apple by the end of the year:

"Last year at this time, agencies were still saying, 'Hey, I prefer iOS users,'" said Mahi de Silva, CEO of Opera Mediaworks. He said Apple's operating system delivered deeper engagement and a glossier platform. That's no longer the case. "The quality of the advertising that we can deliver on a Samsung and Android device is pretty much on par with an iOS," Mr. de Silva added.

The catchup comes after Android recently surpassed Apple in app downloads, according to app download measurement company App Annie. iPhone’s dominance in apps used to come from the fact that Apple insisted on higher-quality standards for apps, and because the users were more lucrative, app developers made more apps for them, and the app experience on Apple was richer. Thus there were more apps, and more downloads happening on iOS than on Android. But for some time now there have been more apps available in the Google Play store than in the iOS App Store, and now more downloads occur from Google Play than in the App Store.

Again, revenue from those apps is less on Android than Apple. But it’s another area where the gap is closing.

And now there is even one area where Android has surpassed Apple in terms of revenue: mobile phone shopping.

Android still has some way to go before it reaches dominance in e-commerce and mobile payments. Generally, shopping revenue per user on Android is far behind Apple in terms of retail. But data from Monetate — which measures e-commerce referrals on mobile devices to online stores — has found that the average order value on Android was $136 in Q4 2013, but it was only $126 on the iPhone in the same period.

Amazon.com launches wearable technology portal

Just as it did for the smart home, the online retailer has launched a storefront dedicated to wearable technology devices. Focused as much on educating consumers as on selling products to them, The Amazon Wearable Technology portal went live Tuesday as part of its US site.It organizes devices across five categories, Fitness and Wellness, Healthcare Devices, Wearable Cameras, Smart Watches and Family, Kids and Pets, but it also features buying guides, a video library of tutorials, featured or spotlight products and an Editor’s Corner blog. In September Amazon launched a dedicated web portal for home automation and smart home products along the same lines, aiming to demystify the technology and help consumers to make informed decisions about the products that best suit their needs and their lifestyles.

There’s little doubt that the buzz around wearable tech devices is building and building, but so far that buzz doesn’t appear to have translated into huge consumer demand. With the exception of fitness trackers, the latest crop of smart watches has failed to generate much in the way of sales. Juniper Research estimates that 15 million wearable health and fitness devices were sold in 2013 and believes that by 2018 that number could be as high as 100 million.

However, when it comes to headsets and smart watches, uptake has been slow. Juniper believes that by 2018 10 million pairs of smart glasses, like Google Glass, could be shipping every year but puts the total number of shipments for the past year at just 90,000 devices. Meanwhile, if Strategy Analytic’s figures are accurate, just 1.9 million smart watches shipped over the whole of last year.

BlackBerry to release Heartbleed messaging security updates

BlackBerry said on Sunday it plans to release security updates for messaging software for Android and iOS devices by Friday, to address vulnerabilities in programs related to the "Heartbleed" security threat.

Researchers last week warned that they had uncovered Heartbleed, a bug that targets the OpenSSL software commonly used to keep data secure and potentially allows hackers to steal massive troves of information without leaving a trace.

On Friday, the White House and US intelligence agencies said neither the National Security Agency nor any other part of the government were aware before this month of the bug, denying a Bloomberg report that the spy agency exploited it to gather intelligence.

Security experts initially told companies to focus on securing vulnerable websites, but have since warned about threats to technology used in data centres and on mobile devices running Google's Android software and Apple's iOS. 

Scott Totzke, BlackBerry senior vice president, told Reuters on Sunday that while the bulk of BlackBerry products do not use the vulnerable software, the company does need to update two widely used products: Secure Work Space corporate email and BBM messaging for Android and iOS.

He said they would be vulnerable to attacks by hackers if they gain access to those apps through either WiFi connections or carrier networks.

Still, he said, "the level of risk here is extremely small", because BlackBerry's security technology would make it difficult for a hacker to succeed in gaining data through an attack.

"It's a very complex attack that has to be timed in a very small window," he said, adding that it was safe to continue using those apps before an update is issued.

A Google spokesman, Christopher Katsaros, declined comment. Officials with Apple could not be reached.

Security experts say other mobile apps are also likely vulnerable because they use OpenSSL code. Michael Shaulov, chief executive of Lacoon Mobile Security, said he suspects that apps that compete with BlackBerry in an area known as mobile device management are also susceptible to attack because they, too, typically use OpenSSL code.

He said mobile app developers have time to figure out which products are vulnerable and fix them.

"It will take the hackers a couple of weeks or even a month to move from 'proof of concept' to being able to exploit devices," said Shaulov.

Technology firms and the US government are taking the threat extremely seriously. Federal officials warned banks and other businesses on Friday to be on alert for hackers seeking to steal data exposed by the Heartbleed bug.

Companies including Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, International Business Machines, Intel, Juniper Networks, Oracle Corp and Red Hat have warned customers they may be at risk. Some updates are out while others, like BlackBerry, are rushing to get them ready.

While there have been no public reports of successful attacks involving the Heartbleed vulnerability, researchers say that it has been around for several years. That means that hackers could have been using it without being caught, since attacks do not leave any traces.

Etisalat Secures $4.4bn Capital For 53% Maroc Telecom Stake

VENTURES AFRICA – UAE-based telecommunication giant Etisalat has secured a $4.4 billion syndicated capital to fund the acquisition of a stake in Morocco’s Maroc Telecom as it seeks to deepen expansion in Africa.

Last November, Etisalat agreed to purchase a 53 percent stake in Maroc Telecom – considered Morocco’s biggest wireless operator – for a reported 4.2 billion euros, but has stalled completion to source the capital needed for the transaction.

The 53 percent stake is owned by Paris headquartered multimedia firm, Vivendi.

With a $4.4 billion capital securely acquired from 17 banks, Etisalat is keen to speed up the process, with the deal expected to be completed by the end of May, a Reuters report confirmed.

Etisalat says acquiring Maroc allows it grow its presence in Africa’s fledging telecom market and diversifies revenue streams beyond Nigeria and Egypt, where it currently operates in.

The Middle Eastern firm has a market cap exceeding $22 billion, making it the 12 largest mobile operator in the world. It is considered the most powerful company in the country.

It is aiming to increase control in the Moroccan telecom firm and is pushing to acquire the 17 percent stake held by minority shareholders. Morocco’s government owns the 30 percent left and will be less willing to relinquish control in the country’s largest operator.

Maroc Telecom also controls interests in other African markets including Gabon, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Mali.

Nigeria Celebrates Girls in ICT

Lagos — IGERIA has joined some members of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to celebrate Girls in ICT Day.

Every year on the fourth Thursday in April, ITU and the global technology community celebrate the day, an awareness-raising initiative designed to promote technology careers and studies to a new generation of girls and young women with an interest in becoming ICT creators.

In a statement released on Monday, ITU said Member States, including Azerbaijan, Brazil, Colombia, Gambia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Lebanon, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Serbia, Venezuela and Zambia, along with ITU Sector Members Cisco, Ericsson, Intel, Microsoft, GSMA, and Telecentre.org, and NGOs from every region of the world are among the organizers that have already reached out to girls and young women worldwide this year.

ITU saluted the hundreds of organizers and thousands of girls and young women taking part in this global movement, including ITU Member States and private sector members, and schools, universities and NGOs around the world who celebrated International Girls in ICT Day 2014.

"ICTs are improving the lives of people everywhere, through better healthcare, better education, better environmental management, better communications and better governance," said ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré.

He encouraged girls around the world, to "pursue smart careers - careers where you make the very best of technology to help improve the lives of others."

International 'Girls in ICT Day' has rapidly grown into a global movement, with thousands of events organized in over 140 countries since its inception in 2010.

Nigeria: 2015 - Fear Over Transition From Analogue to Digital Transmission

Apart from general elections, there is an im portant issue which should engage the attention of Nigerians as the count down to 2015 gathers momentum: It is a paradigm shift in the area of transmission technology.

By June 2015, most Nigerians who are on analogue television receivers will no longer receive signals on their television sets as broadcasting stations will be transmitting on digital.

At the International Telecommunications Union, ITU, conference held in Geneva, Switzerland in 2006, a total of 123 countries, including Nigeria, signed a treaty which set a June 17, 2015 deadline for African, European and Middle Eastern countries to migrate from analogue to digital television. This date is generally viewed as an internationally mandated analogue switch-off date.

Digital migration is the process of converting television broadcast signals from the current analogue format to digital technology. It is also called the digital switchover or analogue switch-off. This migration became necessary as a result of developments in technology which enable more efficient use of radio frequency spectrum as well as better quality pictures and sound.

While some countries like UK, India, China are implementing the process of switchover, setting up separate dates for each region to switch off accordingly in order to meet up with the ITU directive, Netherlands switched off all analogue services on December 11, 2006.

With this order from the ITU, it has become imperative for Nigeria and other countries in their category to join others that have already concluded their switchover process to avoid signal interference between digital and analogue, from country to country by the year 2015.

The implication of this new development is that Nigerians could be cut off from the international scene by international bodies if Nigeria fails to meet up with the 2015 deadline as set up by the ITU, since it will be practically impossible to stream digital contents to the country which may still be on analogue.

The digital switchover to an average Nigerian seems not to be an issue in focus now. According to Mr Ike Okorie, a banker, this digital switchover can only be an issue if it will help politicians in winning elections in 2015. "An issue such as digital transmission switchover cannot be in the agenda of our government now".

Ring of Fire eclipse: what we saw as it happened

WE know the sun commands place at the centre of our Solar System but today it was also the centre of our attention as the Ring of Fire eclipse took place over Australian skies.

One of only a handful of places on Earth to see the event, sky gazers across Australia were given a partial view of a celestial event that transformed the sun. Sadly, only a remote part of Antarctica got the full view of the spectacle where as we saw only a partial covering. Still, it was pretty amazing.

MORE: BEST PLACES TO VIEW THE ECLIPSE

As the moon slowly creeped into position to nibble away at the sun from 0600 (GMT) here’s what the country saw as it unfolded:

View the #ringoffire solar eclipse safely via a box and a burrito wrapper -http://t.co/zg5EgkFTsp pic.twitter.com/tPLear8Hx6

Solving cybercrime starts with reporting

WA Police detective calls for openness.

Police are often the last people an organisation wants to speak to when a security breach costs it intellectual property, sensitive data or even cold hard cash - but that needs to change, according to a commercial crime detective with WA Police.

“I’ve heard it said that there are two types of businesses in the world: those who know they have been compromised and those who don’t,” Detective Inspector Tim Thomas told iTnews.

Thomas believes businesses need to be more open about breaches in order to keep themselves safer in the longer term.

He says there is a significant discrepancy between the volume of cyber-based crimes being discussed in the community compared with the number being reported to the police.

Cybercrime is a method of offending rather than a type of offence, he explained. When combined with under-reporting as well as the multi-jurisdictional nature of cybercrime, a situation where the true scale of cybercrime offending is unknown occurs.

“There is a lot of information in the marketplace about the degree, cost and scale of cybercrime offences. However, these figures are not reflected in the reports we receive. So either there is a very large degree of under-reporting taking place or the figures are wrong," Thomas said.

He believes victims are reluctant to report cybercrime to the police because they are concerned it will damage their brand name.

"What we are trying to do is change the culture. We want victims to work with the police to find the offenders and bring them to justice. In our experience the general community is very supportive of businesses which take this approach."

Although organisations were trying very hard to keep their systems and data secure, they commonly faced an almost impossible challenge to maintain a constantly high level of security, Thomas said.

He said a typical scenario involved a company going to great lengths to ensure its staff and systems were secure, but then making a simple mistake.

“It’s startling when companies exercise all sorts of controls and rigour around their own staff but then employ a contractor, take them on face value and give them the keys to the kingdom. Why?" he said.

“Cybercrimes are committed by people, not technology, and many companies are not paying enough attention to this area. There is no drill-down into the individuals ... at the end of the day it boils down to a person coming through the door -- that is one of the most common attack vectors we see."

If sensitive information is stolen because an untrustworthy contractor copies it onto a USB key or a departing employee takes a copy of the client database, this is just as damaging to the company as a network intrusion.

People outside of law enforcement have very little idea of the actual challenges faced by the police in this area, Thomas said.

A significant problem has been the way crimes are classified and recorded - most cybercrimes are traditional offences which are being committed in a new way, and are therefore recorded as fraud or threats.

But the issue is currently being addressed by a federal government initiative. Called the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN), the program will offer an online, one stop shop for cybercrime reporting in Australia.

“Some of our laws say it’s unlawful to do a whole range of things on computers and networks with information holdings if you are not authorised to do so. But if someone hasn’t told a person what they are and are not allowed to do it can be difficult for us to prove," Thomas said.

“It’s not very exciting or technical but it’s a day to day reality for us."

Thomas says companies often stumble when assigning staff and contractors with suitable access rights and privileges - especially when it comes to mission critical aspects of the business.

“Then they get a disgruntled employee, or someone seeking personal gain who does the wrong thing. In the absence of clear permissions it can be very difficult to prove criminality,” he said.

AusCERT 2014 Law Enforcement Challenge

The WA Police has set attendees to the AusCERT 2014 conference an encryption-based challenge, based on an actual crime.

The challenge is only open to AusCERT delegates and kicked off yesterday (Monday 28th April). Entries close on Thursday 8th May and winners will be announced on Wednesday 14th May at the conference.

“It was a real world data set and based on a problem encountered by the WA police years ago. We replicated what had occurred and obviously changed all the identifiable information,” Thomas said.  

Thomas claims the problem isn’t ‘extremely difficult’. However, he said the result isn’t as important as the methodology used to find the solution.

“Law enforcement have a particular mindset and we approach problems differently - it doesn’t make us better, just different,” he said.

He is also hoping to learn some new problem solving methods from the delegates.

“It’s not the hardest problem in the world so let's see if you can do it faster or better than the Western Australian coppers."

Rajeev Suri is Nokia CEO

Yet another India-born business leader has climbed the ranks. Finnish firm Nokia, which recently sold its mobile unit to Microsoft, has appointed Rajeev Suri as the company's new CEO and President.

Mr. Suri joined Nokia in 1995 and has held a wide range of leadership positions in the company. Since October of 2009, he has served as CEO of NSN, the former joint venture between Nokia and Siemens that is now fully owned by Nokia.

During his tenure as CEO, that business went through a radical transformation to become one of the leaders in the telecommunications infrastructure industry.

Risto Siilasmaa, who has been serving as the interim CEO, will now return to his role as Chairman of Nokia's Board.

“I am honoured to have been asked to take this role, and excited about the possibilities that lie in our future,” said Mr. Suri, in a statement. “Nokia, with its deep experience in connecting people and its three strong businesses, is well-positioned to tap new opportunities during this time of technological change. I look forward to working with the entire Nokia team as we embark on this exciting journey,” Mr. Suri added.

Microsoft Is Still Going To Sell Nokia's Android Phones

Even though Nokia is now officially part of Microsoft, the company will continue to sell the family of Nokia's Android devices.

Stephen Elop, the former Nokia CEO and new executive vice president of Microsoft's Devices Group, said in an online Q&A session today that Microsoft bought all of Nokia's handset businesses in its $7.2 deal, which includes the Nokia X.

Microsoft officially closed its acquisition of Nokia last Friday. Nokia is the biggest maker of Windows Phones, but it also makes feature phones and smartphones running other platforms like its own Asha operating system.

Nokia announced the Nokia X Android phones at the Mobile World Congress tech conference in February. The move caused a lot of head scratching since Nokia was very close to becoming part of Microsoft at the time. And Microsoft is all-in on Windows Phone. The Nokia X phones are very cheap and are sold in emerging markets where most people aren't using smartphones yet. 

Still, Elop pointed out that the Nokia X phones aren't your typical Android phones. They don't come with Google services like Google Maps, Gmail, and the Google Play app store. Instead, Nokia heavily modified the Android software to be powered by Microsoft services like Bing, Skype, OneDrive, and Outlook. Microsoft sees the Nokia X as a gateway to introduce Microsoft services to people who can't afford more expensive phones.

Microsoft acquired the mobile phones business, inclusive of Nokia X, to help connect the next billion people to Microsoft's services. Nokia X uses the MSFT cloud, not Google's. This is a great opportunity to connect new customers to Skype, outlook.com and OneDrive for the first time. We've already seen tens of thousands of new subscribers on MSFT services.

The Nokia X phones are already on sale in some countries and will continue to be sold under that brand.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-selling-nokia-x-android-phones-2014-4#ixzz30IU3a9wJ

The World's Most Extreme iPhone 5S Case

What would your ultimate iPhone case offer? Extra battery life? Rugged design? Would it make your iPhone waterproof? If you said yes to any or all of those you might like to meet the Snow Lizard SLXtreme 5. It looks like something Bear Grylls would strap to his waistband, dangling while he throws himself off the nearest waterfall. In short, it’s possibly something you’d want with you, along with your iPhone 5 or 5S, if you were in a survival situation but it’s also one of the most extreme iPhone cases ever made.

It’s clearly designed to protect your Apple AAPL -0.35% device from the odd drop or scrape – the side cushions are rubber and there’s a good deal of plastic between your phone and the outside world. However, you’ve also probably noticed it’s rather large too.

There’s a good reason for this – actually several reasons; not only is your iPhone completely waterproof once inside, but the SLXtreme 5 has a built-in 2500mAh battery (enough to charge an iPhone 5 from flat about one and a half times), that can be activated to charge your phone when its battery is low

It doesn’t stop there, though, as the SLXtreme 5 has a large solar panel on the rear that can top-up the battery if you’re away from mains power for long periods – such as being marooned on a desert island. So that’s waterproof, an extended battery and solar-powered charging in a case that’s nearly bomb-proof.

A closer look reveals just how the waterproofing works, with channels around the end cap, sealed by a rubber insert and a large pull-down lever on the side to apply enough force to keep water out, at least up to a depth of 2m/6.6ft.





The front section has small outlets for the speakers and a working home button – this can be used under water, although as I found, the screen stops working once completely submerged. Thankfully the side buttons are fully-functional too so taking pictures under water is possible.



The base of the device also opens up, revealing a plug for the headphone port, a standard micro-USB charging port and a locking ring to secure the base closed. The charging port is inaccessible while the base is closed for obvious reasons but the included headphone extension cable appears to be able to seal off the port so you can connect a 3.5mm minijack to the end while the device is submerged.



Also included is a neck band and carabiner clip, although attaching the latter means you can’t open the base. There’s plenty of scope for using your iPhone as an underwater torch too, as the rear lens and LED section is exposed.



The rear of the SLXtreme 5 features a solar cell with 10 segments, a battery charge indicator and battery toggle button  that you can use to activate the battery to charge the phone. By default, on plugging the SLXtreme 5 into a USB port, your phone will be charged first, then the SLXtreme 5′s internal battery.



The charge level indicator LEDs have four levels, with the final LED also twilighting as a solar power indicator, flashing when there’s enough light to begin charging the internal battery. It will likely take days to charge the battery, even in direct sunlight – we managed to obtain enough power for an 7% iPhone battery boost in several hours in direct sunlight and Snow Lizard claims roughly 10-15 minutes of talktime per hour of peak charging – clearly your shouldn’t rely on this as a regular source of power but it’s potentially useful in specific scenarios.



Finally the leak test. Whether its watching an episode of something on Netflix NFLX +2.49% in the bath or leaping from the nearest waterfall while listening to an appropriate sound track, the SLXtreme 5 is most definitely a waterproof housing for your iPhone 5/5S – no leaks to report here. Is it an every day case though? Sadly not. It’s bulky, measuring 25mm thick and 15cm tall and also adds 150g to the weight of your phone. You also need to open the base to use the USB port, the screen often isn’t quite as responsive as using the iPhone on its own and the speakers are muffled by the case too.




Encounters with bubbles usually mean you’ll be buying a smartphone the next day…




However, if you’re accident-prone or just prone to throwing yourself down hills and through mud on your bike, camping in damp places, swimming, surfing, otherwise going places that can see your gear covered in muck and soaked, then this is the perfect weekend iPhone case.


It’s also great for streaming video in places a little closer to home such as pools and bath tubs – places that have no doubt killed more smartphones than your average bike trail or waterfall. There’s also a chest mount for GoPro-like movie recording and a soon-to-be-released mounting bike mount too. Whether it’s worth the $150 asking price will likely depend how at risk your iPhone is though.In any event, you can check out Snow Lizard’s website here and let me know what you think in the comments.

Android 4.5 Release to Feature iOS Makeover and Chrome Integration: Release Date and Top Features to Expect

As Apple reportedly gears up for the release of the iOS 8, eyes are also set on Google. The Android and iOS rivalry has been going on for quite some time, new releases have become a big deal. According to recent information, Google plans on releasing Android 4.5 or Android 5.0 soon. The internet giant will be holding an I/O Conference this June 25 to 26 and people expect the company to reveal the new Android update by that time. 

Recently, reports suggest that the upcoming Android OS may go through a dramatic design makeover. The Android 4.5 is considered the contender for the next iOS 8. According to a report by Digital Trends, the Android 4.5 update may focus on a cleaner and flatter interface compared to KitKat. This should be similar to the design of the iOS 7. 

Another report from Android Police also supports report saying the Android 4.5 update will have a new design different from previous Android updates. The leaked image of the new UI was referred to as the "Moonshine." According to the report, the redesigned UI on the leaked photo offers long and hard shadows. The UI also comes with prominent elements and flatter appearance. It appears compliant to the present visual sheet guidelines under Google. 

Analysts think that Google wants to integrate Android and Chrome. Google wants to ensure a smooth transition between mobile and desktop platforms. It also plans on improving multitasking features of the mobile operating system. 

Under the Android 4.5 mobile operating system, the multitasking view showcases action snapshots within Chromium setup. This will transform the Android 4.5 OS into an HTML5-inspired interface. This means users can do quick tasks over the internet without accessing the full app. This should be convenient for those who need to finish urgent tasks online. 

Integration of HTML5 to the mobile operating system should change user experience exponentially. Analysts think that Android 4.5 may be released with the second generation Nexus 10 and the Nexus 8. More details should arise during the developer conference.

This Graph Is The Reason Developers Should Target iOS over Android

Two Steps Beyond has discussed the download and adoption numbers of their most recent app release, US Public Lands, and the numbers show once more that Android’s market share is not translating to downloads or revenue streams for mobile app developers.

The application uses freely available public data from the National Atlas of the United States to show the locations of the public land held by the Federal Government ‘for all Americans’, data that has not been easily accessible while out and about.

The iOS app was released first, and over the next week, the app was downloaded 443 times. Five days after that, the Android application was released, riding on the promotion of the iOS app, and with a significant call to action from the developers to the Android users who had been asking for a release on their platform. The results were clear. For all the bluster and noise about a demand for apps, the Android adoption was far lower than Apple, with just 150 downloads over the first seven days of availability.

Two Steps Beyond’s Chris Dunphy points out that this is just one case, and there are factors that could affect this app.

We simply have more Apple fans who follow us which might skew sales of our apps – but when looking at our stats our blog is viewed on Apple devices only about 30% of the time.

RVers, the target audience of our apps, might tend towards iOS devices over Android – but based on discussions in RVing forums and groups, we don’t feel this is true.

Android users simply don’t buy apps at the same pace as iOS users.

As the former Director of Competitive Analysis for Palm and Palmsource, Dunphy has seen this pattern before, when Symbian OS dominated smartphone sales but had little impact on the app economy.

Nevertheless US Public Lands, Two Steps Beyond’s State Lines, and other travel apps such as AllStays’ Camp & RV application (that sells 10 iOS apps for every single Android app) are further indications that the smart developer will look beyond the market share and unit volumes pushed out, and look at the value of the end user. There will always be variations for individual apps and niche topics, but time and again developing for Apple has been proven to give developers more engagement, more downloads, and more returns, over Android.

Google Has A Radical New Plan To Change Android, Wresting The Platform Away From Samsung

Google has a plan to regain control of Android from Samsung, while at the same time, establishing Android as top-tier, premium smartphone platform comparable to the iPhone. 

Amir Efrati at The Information reports Google is planning a program called "Android Silver."  Google would kill the Nexus brand, and replace it with "Silver."

However, instead of creating its own smartphones and selling them online through the Google Play store like it did with the Nexus brand, Google would partner with other prominent Android handset manufacturers and carriers.

"Google will help underwrite the Silver phones, though the payments to partners wouldn’t be direct," say Efrati. "The company has recently discussed pouring hundreds of millions of dollars—possibly as much as $1 billion—into promoting Silver devices through ad campaigns and special kiosks in wireless stores staffed by Google-trained employees."

The Information reports that Motorola and LG may be "prime candidates" for the program, while Samsung, HTC and Sony aren't likely to partake in Android Silver. Google is looking to partner with Sprint and T-Mobile to sell Android Silver devices in the US, The Information reports. 

What would set Silver apart from normal Android is that Google would limit the number of third party apps and services included on the device, hinting that these phones will run the pure version of Android. Most popular Android smartphone makers, such as Samsung and HTC, put their own skin that focuses on their proprietary apps over Android.

This isn't the first time we've heard about Android Silver. Earlier this month Android Police obtained what claim to be internal Google documents that detailed the program. 

Efrati says, "Google’s main goals are to reverse consumer perceptions of Android as a down-market knock-off of the iPhone and establish a more consistent 'Google' experience for high-end Android customers."

Further, he says Google is worried that Samsung is taking over Android, pushing it in directions Google doesn't want to go. Silver would be part of a plant to reclaim the platform. 

4 Ways Android Wear Can Succeed Where Google Glass Has Failed

Google Glass is still a prototype, but it's already losing the fight for acceptance. That doesn't mean wearable tech is doomed, though.

Last week was a rough one for Google Glass, as pundits took turns laying into Google’s prototype wearable tech.

Longtime Glass advocate Robert Scoble said he stopped wearing his high-tech glasses at Coachella because of the negative reaction it triggered among his fellow concertgoers. Scathing editorials in the Weekly Standard, Forbes and ZDNet followed, with ZDNet’s Adrian Kingsley-Hughes declaring that “Google Glass is dead.” Joining the pile-on, a Colorado-based bank had some fun lampooning a Glass-dominated future.

It’s tempting, as Kingsley-Hughes has done, to wonder if Glass’s troubles will derail wearables entirely. But I wouldn’t pin the success or failure of the entire category on a single pair of glasses. If anything, Google is on the way to correcting Glass’ shortcomings with Android Wear, a platform for wearable technology that’s more focused on smartwatches.

I don’t know if Android Wear will be a hit, but the software seems clever. And as a whole, it has a better chance at mainstream acceptance than Glass ever will, for several reasons:

No Camera Creepiness: With Glass, you can start recording a video with the wink of an eye, and because the camera is mounted to your head, no one knows for sure if you’re recording them or not. Wearing Glass changes the social dynamic, causing people around you to keep their guard up. Or, it can get you kicked out of movie theaters, attacked at bars and avoided at concerts.

Although some Android Wear devices may include cameras, it won’t be the same as having a hands-free camera at eye level. Any act of recording would be more conspicuous, similar to capturing video from your phone. You can try to do it in secret, but it won’t be as easy, especially in one-on-one situations.

The Use Cases Are Clearer, and They Advertise Themselves: Imagine using a smartwatch to show your boarding pass at the airport, or to swipe your loyalty card at the grocery store. Instead of taking out your phone and looking around for the right app, the appropriate barcode would just pop up based on your location. This could be a killer application for wearable technology, and while it’s on the feature list for Android Wear, it’s just not possible with Google Glass.

These wrist-based transactions would have a built-in marketing benefit for Google: Anyone who sees the transaction, whether it’s a friend, the cashier or the person in line behind you, is likely to be impressed. They may ask about how you bought a coffee without removing anything from your pockets, and may begin to consider a smartwatch when they hear about the other benefits.

Glass will always be a novelty, by comparison. People can see you wearing it, but don’t know why (though, again, they may suspect you’re recording them). You can let people try it, but that becomes a hassle, and doesn’t give much of a chance for people to see what Glass can do.

You Could (Hopefully) Turn It Off: This is just speculation, but let’s assume that Android Wear gets a “Do Not Disturb” feature, which would disable notifications, go into a basic clock mode and silence your phone. This, in itself, could be another killer feature. To the people you’re with, it would communicate that your attention is undivided, that you’re not going to be distracted by the device on your wrist or in your pocket.

Glass is different. You can turn it off, but the people you’re with may not realize it unless they understand how the device works–and they may still be distracted by its presence. You can take it off, but then you have to deal with putting it in a safe place where it won’t be forgotten or broken. A smartwatch can stay on your wrist the entire time.

The Barrier to Fashion Acceptance Is Lower: Traditional glasses don’t require any mechanical parts–they’re just lenses and frames–so without a quantum leap in miniaturization, devices like Glass will never be an invisible addition to standard eyewear. Traditional watches, however, are packed with moving parts and a battery, so there’s already a place for smartwatch components to go. While we haven’t seen any Android Wear watches up close, existing smartwatches such as Pebble Steel are about the same size as a regular watch. It’s a lot easier to wear one without making a spectacle of yourself.

While Google hasn’t announced a price or release date for the consumer version of Glass, the first Android Wear watches from Motorola and LG will launch this summer.

Microsoft's Elop defends Android-based Nokia X phones

Summary: It's looking increasingly likely that Microsoft has no intentions of dumping the Android-based Nokia X phones that Nokia introduced just before its handset business became part of Microsoft.

Any Windows Phone fans hoping Microsoft might decide to kill off the Android-based Nokia X phones once Microsoft acquired Nokia's handset business are looking likely to be disappointed.

On the first day of his first week back at Microsoft, Stephen Elop, the former Nokia CEO and new chief of Microsoft's Devices unit, defended the decision to bring those phones to market. During an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on April 28, Elop indicated that the Nokia X phones aren't going to be discontinued.

I had guessed Microsoft would keep, not kill off, the Nokia X phones, which are built on top of the Android Open Source Project build of Android. And increasingly it is looking like this is, indeed, the case.

"Microsoft acquired the mobile phones business, inclusive of Nokia X, to help connect the next billion people to Microsoft's services," Elop told a questioner. "Nokia X uses the MSFT cloud, not Google's. This is a great opportunity to connect new customers to Skype, Outlook.com and OneDrive for the first time. We've already seen tens of thousands of new subscribers on MSFT services."

Elop's remarks echoed those of Terry Myerson, the head of Microsoft's operating systems group. When I asked Myerson recently about Microsoft's plans for Nokia X, Myerson told me "I think that the thing to focus (on) is they (Nokia X users) are Microsoft customers of our apps and services. And we will win them back to Windows."

Elop emphasized during the AMA that the developers who built Nokia custom apps, like Nokia Camera, Nokia MixRadio and Nokia TV, will continue to build these kinds of apps as employees of Microsoft.

Elop also reiterated what other Microsoft execs have said previously regarding Microsoft's intentions to continue to court other phone OEMs, even though it is now a phone manufacturer itself.

"It is GOOD for Microsoft to encourage other OEMs to also build WP devices, and there have been some announcements in this direction recently," Elop said. "Our intent is for the Microsoft Devices Group to 'make the market' so that others can participate, so we will be doing things to facilitate other OEMs as much as possible.

Quite a few Nokia stalwarts still express a lot of hostility toward Elop for his decision to back the Windows Phone OS and eliminate Meego and Symbian. One questioner even dredged up the old "Elop as Trojan Horse" analogy during the session.

Instead of shying away, Elop answered a couple of the questions/rants about his decisions. He reiterated his position that Symbian and Meego just didn't seem viable.

"(W)e could not see a way that Symbian could be brought to a competitive level with, for example, the iPhone that had shipped THREE years earlier!" Elop said. "And the Meego effort was significantly delayed and did not have the promise of a broad enough portfolio soon enough. We had to make a forceful decision to give Nokia the chance to compete again."

He continued:

"As for the Trojan horse thing, I have only ever worked on behalf of and for the benefit of Nokia shareholders while at Nokia. Additionally, all fundamental business and strategy decisions were made with the support and approval of the Nokia board of directors, of which I was a member."

One questioner asked whether Nokia would continue to be a true global presence, especially in emerging markets, now that it is part of Microsoft.

"Both Nokia and Microsoft are global companies, but it turns out that our strengths are complementary," Elop said. "We have great strength in emerging markets while Microsoft has more strength in developed markets. I think this will work well together."

Nokia's handset business officially became part of Microsoft on April 25, with 25,000 Nokia employees joining the Microsoft ranks as of that date.

Hardware keyboard users can now get BeWeather 10 Pro v2.0

Last week saw BeWeather 10 Pro get a big update to v2.0. At the time the update was only available to full touchscreen owners. I guess a little more work was needed to get it up and running on the BlackBerry Q10 and Q5 devices. Today though, QWERTY-keyboard users rejoice, v2.0 of BeWeather 10 Pro is now available to you. This update is actually the second update in the past week, the last update was a small bug fix that corrected the temperature unit shown on the Active Frame.

BeWeather 10 Pro v2.0.19 changelog

Added Q10/Q5 support

Fixed custom icon selection list

BeWeather 10 Pro v2.0 had a nice long list of updates, you can check out our original post on the update for the changelog. The update is free to anyone who has already purchased the app. If you're looking to download the app it costs $4.99. BeWeather 10 Pro is available for all BlackBerry 10 devices.

A note to QWERTY-keyboard device owners, the update may clear your locations, as it did for full touchscreen users when they first updated to v2.0.

BlackBerry Z10 Price Update; Gitex Dubai April 2014 Shopper’s Spring Edition Dots BBZ10 For $190; BB10 Prices Slashed 50% On Last Minute Discount

BlackBerry Z10 price update reports reveal that a price cut was offered at the Gitex Dubai April 2014 Shopper's Spring Edition at the Dubai World Trade Center. The new promotional prices tagged on the Blackberry Z10 smartphones was exclusively for the GITEX Shopper; the Blackberry Q5 was also sold at a discount price

Gitex Dubai April 2014 Shopper's Spring Edition was in its second year in  a row. The eight-day event is the biggest retail IT expo in the Gulf area, showcasing 30,000 gadgets for sale.

The BlackBerry 10 smartphones are prominent for its business features including  all-touch BlackBerry Z10 - "one of the best-selling smartphones during the October 2013 edition of GITEX Shopper - and the BlackBerry Q5, the youthful and fun BlackBerry 10 QWERTY," Emirates 24/7 reported.

Christophe Corsi, Country Director for the UAE at BlackBerry said in a statement, "Our BlackBerry 10 smartphones line-up proved strong performers at GITEX Shopper last year and we are keen to repeat that success at this year's show. We're already seeing encouraging footfall at our partners' stands today and expect to see this rise steadily into the weekend when the real action happens".

One retailer participating in the shopping expo slashed prices by 50% for Blackberry products.

"We see this year's April edition of Gitex Shopper as the year of the smartphone,"  said Ashish Panjabi, COO of Jacky's Electronics.

Additionally, these smartphones come bundled with accessories, shopping vouchers and data plans from Du and Etisalat.

By Saturday's final round of shopping at Gitex 2014, the price of the more popular BlackBerry Z10 was down to $350, while the Q5 was at $245. Special last-day discounts lowered prices to $190 for Blackberry Z10.The device sells in the Asian market for $300. Blackberry z10 launched in 2013 for $730.

BlackBerry 10 devices, including the popular Blackberry Z10 is designed to ease user communications, sharing and productivity largely due to the iconic Blackberry keyboard experience. Despite the introduction of a wide variety of Android touch keyboards, Blackberry is reputed for its well crafted QWERTY inlay on its smartphones and virtual keyboards introduced for the Blackberry device. Alongside battery life, integrated connectivity and ease of collaboration make sharing of digital content across social networks a piece of cake.

Hence the demand for the Blackberry could make a comeback after the hype over the new iPhone 6 has lifted from the cloud.

Blackberry suffered from the rise of iPhone and Samsung business smart phones as Blackberry's iconic email and BBM features declined in popularity.  Subsequently,  Blackberry decreased handset prices as inventory build up amid losses in the global smartphone market.

By the end of 2013, Blackberry saw discounts on its latest platform Blackberry 10 as a strategy to spin off inventory. However, in Q3 ending November 2013, BlackBerry posted losses of $4.4 billion as a result of unsold handsets.

"During the quarter, BlackBerry sold about 4.3 million smartphones to customers, of which 3.2 million were BlackBerry 7 devices, including models such as the BlackBerry Curve, Bold and Torch," The Press Trust of India reported..

With Reports From Tbreak.ae, Emirates 24/7

Viber – The Free Download Now on Your Blackberry 10

It is no secret that Viber is a leading communications platform that allows its users to make free high quality calls and send text or multimedia messages for free.

Its latest designed update for iOS 7 was much anticipated and in the offing, but there has been an unexpected twist. Viber has finally launched a stable version of its free calling app for BlackBerry 10. This is the first time that Viber has designed an app specifically for the latest BlackBerry OS.

The BlackBerry App

Though BlackBerry has lost most of its market share, it still has a substantial number of users swearing by its latest BlackBerry 10 software. This is also the first time that BlackBerry users will be able to access some of the best and most popular features of the app. The release of the BlackBerry app comes on the heels of the complete redesign for iOS 7, which will see a cleaner, and flatter looking Viber for the first time. This has been a major week for Viber, with two giant updates that may change the face of the app forever. BlackBerry 10 users can now start one on one, or even group conversations with their contacts. They can make free calls to their contacts, using Viber’s HD quality. They will also be able to send and receive images, emoticons, audio clips, videos, stickers, and text messages. They will now get push notifications on their mobile phone, even when Viber has not been turned on.

What to Expect?

The BlackBerry 10 app is so far the best BlackBerry app that Viber has ever released. Fully loaded with all the features that users of other platforms can enjoy, this app is the most up to date for BlackBerry users. The app has been enhanced using a very powerful set of features that will give the users of both BlackBerry and iOS 7 a great taste of what Viber can really achieve. From now, Viber will be able to send multiple photographs at the same time and will also be able to create separate lists of contacts – those who you text regularly with and those on your unwanted or block list. This makes it much easier for you to manage your contacts, start conversations, and share multimedia files. BlackBerry users will also now be able to use the Viber Out services and would get access to the Sticker Market.

Additional Improvements

Both the apps – the one for iOS 7 and the one for BlackBerry 10, have several other added features. You will now be able to send longer videos to your contacts as Viber can now support heavier multimedia files. You will also get to know the status of your contact when they are typing a text. This will be visible for all users using Viber on their Android, iOS, Mac, PC, Linux and Tablets. The latest version of Viber also comes with several bug fixes to give you the most optimal performance on your app.

Sean Tizzle signs N20m endorsement deal with MTN

Pop singer and man of the moment, Sean Tizzle has just bagged a N20million endorsement deal with MTN.

NET reports that the Telecoms company and the pop star’s management have been into some talks for a while and with Sean Tizzle’s impressive run in the last 12 months, he was selected.

“The deal is signed and sealed. They like Sean because he’s hot and believe they can make money with his music‘, insider at Sean Tizzle’s camp told NET.

The deal is said to be worth about N20m. MTN will be announcing their new set of Ambassadors on Tuesday, April 30, 2014. They include Banky W, Dr SID, Sound Sultan and Harrysong.