Category Archives: android
Cloud/Linux is behind the success of Barclays’ Pingit app
Rating: Side effect of abandoning mainstream software developers
It has always puzzled GoMobile News as to why the UK’s retail banks have responded so poorly to the obvious consumer demand for banking by smartphone. We’d always assumed it had something to do with data security and/or the time it takes to develop an app fro the three major platforms – iOS; Android and BlackBerry. Let alone developing for Windows Phone 8 (WP8) as well. However, an article in the Sunday Times points the finger somewhere else entirely. According to this report, Barclays has eschewed the use of traditional high tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Oracle and SAP. Instead it has adopted an ‘internal cloud’ model based around using the Linux OS. The result? Mobile app development time dropped dramatically. Continue reading
Shock as LG Nexus 4 does well in Xmas UK sales
Rating: Samsung creams all over Apple says uSwitch
Most industry observers would not be surprised to learn that in terms of perceptible UK sales, Samsung’s handsets have outperformed Apple’s offerings in the run up to the crucial Xmas sales season. However, the fact that the LG Nexus 4 relegated Apple’s iPhone 5 and 4S to 5th and 6th place respectively in December [2012] will surprise many pundits. These figures are taken from the current uSwitch Mobile Tracker which is based on live searches, pre-orders and pay monthly sales. It means that the top three most popular Xmas handsets for 2012 were all Samsung Galaxy phones. Having dropped four places, the iPhone 4S became December’s biggest lose and is currently perched precariously in 9th slot. Continue reading
2012′s Top Stories: Airport Angel from CPP
Rating: Why is everyone complaining to us?
Once again GoMo has a story dating back to November 2008 – ‘Barclays Premier Life signs Airport Angel to provide Airport Lounge Pass Benefits‘ which is still creating havoc today with 23 responses. [The ones we could print.] The story was actually based on a Press release and covered the fact that Airport Angel had struck a deal with Barclays which provided the company’s Premier Life customers with airport passes through Airport Angel. For some reason, certain readers got the false impression that GoMo has some connexion with Airport Angel and can provide tech support for it. We don’t and we can’t. Continue reading
Dropbox saves my day by releasing a Beta Android app
by Carlene Masker, a technology blogger working with Buyverizon Telco Services
Dropbox came in the form of a ray of sunshine… an answer to everyone’s prayer. Especially if you’re the kind of person who, like me, tends to misplace her ‘important-files-containing’ USB stick quite often. Let me paint you a picture here. You’re called for an interview and being in the creative field you obviously have to display your ‘digital-portfolio’ on a USB (Duh!). So, on the said interview day, your alarm fails to ring and you wake up late only to have to rush through your morning routine. Run out that door. Search for a cab. Rattle off the address promising him a generous tip if he drives like a rally racer and gets you there ASAP. You reach the said destination. You’re ushered in to meet the Creative Head. And that’s when you remember that you left your USB at home. That’s exactly when you need Dropbox. Continue reading
Tizen mobile OS 101: Understanding Tizen’s origins
Rating: Yet another mobile OS – this one backed by Samsung and intel
Whilst Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS continue to dominate the mobile OS scene, there are still a number of alternatives vying for attention in the mobile sector. One of these is Tizen which – like Google’s Chrome and H-P’s webOS all use Webkit and a Linux kernel. By contrast, Mozilla’s Firefox (see here) has its own runtime environment in terms of Geko not Webkit. Where has Tizen sprung from? Well it’s really a joint effort by Intel and Samsung which spearhead the Technical Steering Group (TSG) which leads the Tizen Project. To give Tizen a bit of marketing clout there is also a Tizen Association which can be found here. Continue reading
Revolutionary messaging app, ZMS, confuses GoMo
Rating: it’s nothing to do with SMS
When the authors of the ZMS app for Android and iOS , inZair, described the product as, “Set to revolutionise smartphone messaging,” – they managed to confuse us here at GoMobile Towers. We thought the product (because of the name) was revolutionising the text/SMS market. The blurb talked about ZMS users specifying the time and/or the location that recipients receive their text, picture, video or voice messages. Initially, we thought that would enable us to trigger an SMS when we reached a particular venue, for example. Sadly, this ability only applies to those with the app loaded and the app creates a ‘ZMS’ rather than an SMS or MMS. Continue reading
Opera -world’s fifth biggest store, honours apps
Rating: Top Android, Java, BlackBerry & Symbian apps
Claiming to be the world’s fifth-largest mobile app store, the Opera Mobile Store has just announced the winners of its 2012 Top Apps awards. Given that the store is multi-platform, winners were announced for Android, Java, BlackBerry & Symbian OS. So the overall Symbian winner was Nimbuzz’ Messenger Chat and Call; BlackBerry winner was eBuddy’s XMS; Friends, Fun, Free – Queep 2.6 by Blue Lion Mobile; whilst SPB’s Shell 3D – Enjoy Your Phone took the top slot in the Android section. The Store can claim its fifth place because it offers around 80,000 free and paid apps but more importantly it boasts some 50 million monthly users. Continue reading
US professor slams ‘dangerous’ failures in Android malware vetting
Research by a US professor has revealed that an astonishing 85 per cent of malware fails to be discovered by Google’s new app verification service.
Though Google’s Bouncer service scans for viruses and malevolent programs in featured Play Store apps, users often opt to “sideload” applications so bypassing any protection. To overcome this Google recently introduced its application verification service in Android 4.2, letting users send information about any app back to the search giant to check if it is safe. Continue reading
Mobile payment firm Bango goes live with first Google Play link up
Australian deal could pave way for more partnerships with mobile networks
British mobile payments firm Bango has integrated its technology with Google Play, its first platform going live with Australian network operator Telstra. Formed in 1999 and listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2005, Bango’s one payment system is already used by well known brands such as Facebook, BlackBerry App World, Windows Phone Store and Amazon, with customers able to use their mobile phones to purchase goods with a single click, dispensing with the need for credit cards of SMS messaging. Continue reading
Fiksu launches Android beta of FreeMyApps
Rating: Reckons Android community will ramp up fast
Following up on its very obvious success in the iOS world – where users drove 1,000 per cent growth in 2012, Fiksu has just released a beta version of its FreeMyApps app for Android users. Potential testers should go to the FreeMyApps site here to download the program and side load it onto their Android handset. The full version is expected out on Google Play later in December [2012]. What this app does – in addition to app discovery, is reward users for actually downloading and trying out an app. Hence Fiksu believes the Android FreeMyApps community will ramp up quickly as the hundreds of thousands of current FreeMyApps users on iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches will be able to do cross-platform social sharing. Continue reading
BlackBerry owners more likely to buy stuff than Android ones
Rating: Naturally Tradedoubler report finds iPhones are prolific spenders
The landscape for mobile purchasing is complex according to a recent report from Tradedoubler entitled Mobile Devices & Behaviour. The company is urging brands to carefully target their offerings if they want to cover all the bases. An interesting finding, however, is that BlackBerry owners are more active purchasers than Android fans so they shouldn’t be left out of the equation. Significantly, Android users are more likely to surf for what they want rather than download an app. Hence the importance of having a mobile friendly version of your web site. Continue reading
Nokia’s job posting fuels rumours it might be planning Android phone
Nokia’s posting of a job vacancy on a social networking site has sparked rumours it might be thinking of easing its dependency on Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS and hitching its bandwagon to Android after all.
Continue reading
RIM in new setback as Swedish arbiter rules it is illictly using Nokia’s Wi-fi technology
Finnish manufacturer to seek ban on new BlackBerry sales on both sides of Atlantic
Canadian BlackBerry maker,RIM, has suffered a serious blow with a legal ruling that it was using Nokia’s patented Wi-fi technology without permission – a judgement that could delay the roll out of its latest smartphones. In court documents revealing the results of the Swedish arbitration ruling, Nokia yesterday [28th November 2012] outlined plans to block sales of BlackBerries in the Britain, USA and Canada unless the two sides can agree on royalties. Continue reading
Apple’s iPhone 5 regains the top spot in America
But elsewhere in the world Android is storming ahead
Apple has snatched back its lead of the US smartphone market from Google’s Android platform, though it’s at the expense of RIM’s BlackBerry devices and Microsoft’s Windows Phone. It is the first time since February [2012], when sales of the previous iPhone 4S were declining, that Apple has regained its No.1 slot in America. Continue reading
Ad blocking software causes stir in mobile industry
Adverts on smartphones and other roaming devices could become obsolete under plans by the firm behind the world’s most downloaded online ad-blocking software to launch a mobile version of its product.
Tomorrow [27th November 2012] Eyeo – developer of AdBlock Plus – will launch a version of its popular program for Android phones in a move that is likely to cause major headaches for the rapidly-growing mobile advertising industry. Continue reading
