iPhone And Android Dominate Mobile Web Browsing

It is reported that, the iPhone and devices based on Android have maken up 75% of mobile web traffic according to a recent report by AdMob. These two devices together don't make up anywhere near 75% of the device sales, but they have a disproportionate share of web browsing.
 

The October Mobile Metrics Report (Download PDF)shows that in the US the iPhone, along with the iPod Touch, has 55% share while Android is at 20%. Once again this emphasizes that these two platforms have killer browsers on hardware powerful enough and fast enough to handle desktop sized pages.
 

In the US, the next closest mobile platform is RIM with 12% and WebOS with 5%. Bringing up the rear is Windows Mobile with 4%, other at 3% and PalmOS at 1%. To be fair, Windows Mobile just launched WinMo 6.5 which comes with a decent browser compared to the comparatively useless browser that WinMo 6.1 and earlier has. We may see increases in WinMo share in the coming months if sales are healthy. Android isn't likely to suffer though as there are a flurry of devices with Google's platform launching even now.
 

If this information is of interest, you should check out the entire report. AdMob has provided a lot more data by platform, carrier and device maker in various locations around the world. These stats really tell us who is enjoying using their device. There is nothing worse than browsing the web on an underpowered device with a slow connection and weak browser.

Via InformationWeek

Google Gives A Slightly Crippled Maps Navigation To All Android Users

Google Maps Navigation arrives for Android 1.6

You must remember that, a few weeks ago there was a lot of excitement surrounding the launch of Google Maps Navigation for Android. And One of the highlights of Android 2.0 has been the Google Maps Navigation app that delivers voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation on your phone for free.

Unfortunately, it only worked with Android 2.0 and up, which means only the newest devices right now, like the Motorola Droid. But today Google has given an early holiday present to its other Android users: Maps Navigation to anyone running  Android 1.6 and higher, including the T-Mobile G1 and the T-Mobile Mytouch 3G .
 

It means that anyone with an Android device can now use this awesome new feature. This release also includes a new Layers feature that lets you overlay more information on the map, such as transit lines and Wikipedia articles about places, but apparently not all of the features found in Maps Navigation for Android 2.0 will work in the 1.6 version. The one example Google gives is that you can’t use the “navigate to” voice command. So you will had to enter your destination by the keyboard.

The update is available in the Android Market today, unlike other navigation apps or location-based services from the likes of TomTom, Garmin, and TeleNav, you don't have to pay a one-time fee or monthly subscription to use Google Maps Navigation. All your need is a data connection.

Sadly, the service is only allowed in U.S., and Google warns that it’s still in beta, something which we’ve come to ignore the meaning of thanks to Google’s own Gmail.
 

          
 Android    

In July 2005, Google acquired Android, a small startup company based in Palo Alto, CA. Android’s co-founders who went to work at Google included Andy Rubin (co-founder of Danger), Rich Miner (co-founder of Wildfire), Nick Sears (once VP at T-Mobile), and Chris White (one of the first engineers at WebTV). At the time, little was known about the functions of Android other than they made software for mobile phones. This began rumors that Google was planning to enter the mobile phone market, although it was unclear at the time what function they might perform in that market.

At Google, the team, led by Rubin, developed a Linux-based mobile device OS which they were marketing to handset makers and carriers on the premise of providing a flexible, upgradeable system. It was reported that Google had already lined up a series of hardware component and software partners and signaled to carriers that it was open to various degrees of cooperation on their part.

In November 2007 Google announced the introduction of the Android platform, along with the Open Handset Alliance, a group of hardware, software, and telecommunications companies that had agreed to participate in the development and distribution of the Android platform.

  Google Maps
 

Google Maps is Google’s free web-based mapping application.         

As of May 2008, Google Maps includes photos, videos, and user-created maps along with location searches. It uses Panoramio and YouTube for the content.

Via Cnet and the Washington Post
 

KT will sell iPhone in South Korea

KT, the biggest telecom carrier of South Korean announced that they will start sell the iPhone this month, and they will bring the hit device to another Asian country. This news just like a heavy bomb thrown to many smart phone manufacturer of South Korea, e.g. Samsung, LG and others will bring the new discussion.

It is reported that KT will start offering the 32GB and 16GB versions of iPhone 3GS on Nov. 28, the company said in a statement on its Web site. It will also offer the 8GB iPhone 3G.

The announcement comes after South Korean regulators last week granted Apple a license to operate location-based services in the country, which required clearance over user privacy concerns. The iPhone will compete in a handset market dominated by local vendors like Samsung and LG Electronics.

The hugely popular iPhone is now available in over 80 countries, according to Apple's Web site. China Unicom launched the handset last month in China, a huge potential market, though versions of the phone sold there are stripped of Wi-Fi to comply with local regulations.

The lowest price at which KT will offer the 32GB iPhone 3GS is 132,000 won (US$114) with a mobile service contract, it said in the statement. SK Telecom, another local carrier, is also reportedly in talks with Apple about offering the iPhone.

KT could not immediately be reached for comment. And Apple did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Via PCWorld

Cisco unveils free iPhone security application

Science and Technology have changed our life style a lot, they make our life become more and more convenient and comfortable. But at the same time, they help too many evil persons steal others' private information by virus, worms and Trojan horse from their PCs and smart phones. Usually we will protect our information and documents in PCs by anti-virus softwares such as Symantec, AVG, McAfee and so on. But what should we do when we have to face the rampant rogue programs including of virus, worms and Trojan horse in our smart phones.  You must not want to make your private information become the suffix of "It is well known that".
So in tackling those needs, Cisco Systems which is the leading  supplier of networking equipment and network managment for the Internet has announced the release of a free iPhone application that employs Cisco Security Intelligence Operations (SIO) blogs, podcasts, alerts and the most up to date computer safety information, sending directly to iPhones and iPod Touch devices.

This application named SIO To Go is able to analyze the information and content which has been sent to the iPhone and obtain the new threat from the original website and email address. Besides, SIO To Go can also get the rating from these analyze data of the websites and email address, and tell you the security level about them. So you will know if it is safe to visit such sites.

“In a world where your customers or employees are not always connected to a network we wanted to put Cisco security in the palm of your hand,” said Michael Weir, manager of integrated marketing for security of Cisco."Besides", he said, "The application is made for IT security folks, but it is also for people that like to geek-out on security".

Maybe you will be puzzled why is this kind of app provided by Cisco which is a corporation about network device. Infact, although few corporation encourage their employees to use iPhone, empleyees of these corporations have already begun to use iPhone or other smart phones to help their co-operate each other. Besides, more and more transnational enterprises have started to research and develop new mobile phone applications, and Cisco is one of them.

Now you will obtain the SIO To Go from the Apple App Store, and you will get other security information from the security channel of Cisco.  

Age of Android: More Than Just The Droid

From the breathless media coverage, the casual observer might think that Motorola's Droid handset and Google's Android operating system are the same. Most of the time, we will link the Droid with Google Android because that the former is developed based on the latter. However, the close relationship between them doesn't mean that they are the same thing.

Android is much bigger than any handset. The operating system is capable of running the same applications on phones, netbooks, and tablet PC. It is also suitable for specialized devices, such as remote controls.Because applications are resolution independent, they transition easily from one type of hardware to another.

The operating system is touch-oriented, so a touch screen is needed for an optimal experience. A keyboard is also very useful for text entry, avoiding the need for a touch keyboard. The best Android devices will include both a touch screen and a keyboard, just like the Motorola Droid.

This makes Android a credible choice for handsets, tablets, and netbooks, where Android seems much more facile than clunky Windows and giant-sized applications on running on underpowered Atom-based hardware.

You probably would not want to use Android on a dual-core desktop, where there is plenty of processing horsepower. On a $300 netbook, however, Android makes sense, and can leverage the entire Android application library.

Acer has already released a dual-boot Windows and Android netbook, the Aspire One D-250, that seems to work fine but failed to impress our reviewer. I think the shortcomings are easy enough to deal with, mostly by including a better collection of applications with the hardware.

Such a machine could be a big win for people, like me, who carry both smartphones and netbooks. A tablet running Android might be both inexpensive and actually useful.

It will be interesting to see how Chrome OS--Google's other operating system--plays into this equation. Chrome OS seems to be more of a netbook OS than a desktop operating system, at least for now. It is said that the Chrome OS will be online about a week later.

If Google makes good the recent rumor, and releases a developer version of Chrome OS this week or next, the Android vs. Chrome OS questions will begin to be answered. I expect each OS will be targeted to specific types of hardware and applications, but will have to wait for Google to clarify how the two operating systems will live side-by-side in the world.

Here is what Google has said previously about its two operating systems:

"Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks," the company wrote. "Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the Web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems."

The introduction of the Motorola Droid handset will be remembered for bringing Android to mass attention. Yet, it is only the beginning. By next summer, I expect to see maybe 40 Android handsets and a smattering of other devices available. Android is an operating system with a future.

Google is making this an exciting time in computing, with its two operating systems, free services, and emphasis on cloud-based applications. It is not clear how this will play out or whether Google will successfully challenge Microsoft. Still, thanks to Google, computing has become interesting again.

Welcome to the Age of Android.

Via PCWorld David Coursey

Trillian Instant Messenger for iPhone finally Arrives in App Store

After a long time in 75-days limbo, fan favorite desktop Instant Messenger client Trillian ( $4.99 in Appstore) has finally arrived for iPhone and iPod touch.

Features include AIM, ICQ, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk, tabbed chat windows, clean contact lists, killer connection management, instant cross-device sync (via Astra server), simultaneous sign-in, and "intelligent” push notification.

Confession: I've been podcasting, now I’m editing, so I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but if you’re giving it a go, please let us know your favorite features, pros and cons, and just in general — what you think!

Via iPhone Blog


  

Chinese iPhone users embrace the AppStore

It is seemed that the Apple iPhone just recently made its debut in China. Thanks to a three-year deal with China Unicom which is the exclusive carrier of iPhone in China, Apple has finally managed to bring the iPhone to the world’s largest pool of mobile phone users. It is reported that, China had about 720 million mobile-phone subscriptions at the end of September, according to government data, and this data grows gradually. 

However, with hundreds of millions of wireless users in China, Apple’s got to be raking in iPhone sales? Just as other countries and areas, the money isn't necessarily coming from iPhone sales, but from the application download times from App Store. Now the iPhone App Store is a huge hit in China.

China Unicom reportedly sold just 5,000 iPhones during its first week of sales. China Unicom Chairman Chang Xiaobing said that he did feel satisfied with that number, and he hoped iPhone to become the best selling mobile phone in China. In fact, this  but in a country that boasts more wireless users than there are people in the US, 5,000 units is a really small number. The silver lining, though, is that the introduction of the Chinese iPhone opened the doors to the AppStore. iPhone users in China have so far generated $1 million in legit iPhone app revenue from the AppStore.

It all makes sense. China Unicom’s iPhone is currently crippled. Apple disabled the WiFi radio on Chinese iPhones to comply with China’s Golden Shield Project. Considering that gray-market iPhones with fully functional WiFi radios are readily available in China, it’s not surprising to hear that China Unicom’s iPhones aren’t blockbuster hits. The flip-side is that there are an estimated 2 million iPhones roaming across China, most of them coming through unofficial channels. All those iPhones are likely driving users to embrace the AppStore. China Unicom also hopes to have a WiFi-capable iPhone available by the end of the year, which could boost AppStore revenue even further.

Still, things may not be all rainbows and happy faces for Apple’s Chinese AppStore revenue. iPhone app piracy is a significant threat to Apple’s bottom line, and could come back to bite Apple. It’s unclear just how much of the $1 million in iPhone app sales came from users looking to download an app with the intention of pirating the software, but it would be interesting to see how China’s pirated app ecosystem compares to the legit AppStore market.

Via IntoMobile

Best Wishes of China Unicom, Best Selling Mobile Phone of China, iPhone or Others?
 

China Unicom Expects iPhone to Become the Best Selling Mobile Phone

In order to counter the skepticism by analysts whom said that the handset is too expensive in China, the chairman of China Unicom( Hong Kong) Ltd., Chang Xiaobing, says that he experts iPhone to become the best selling smart phone of China. It is heard very inspiring, however, maybe he had forgotten that, China Unicom have only sold about 5,000 iPhones in the first weekend, at all event, this is far away from his dream.

We have reported the comments, which were made in the first press conference by the company since the device's launch late in October. There, he told reporters, "We're very confident about the market position of the iPhone".

Mr. Chang didn't offer details on how this would happen, nor how his company would overcome the obstacle of the device's retail price tag, where the 32GB iPhone 3Gs sells for 7,999 yuan (US$1,172). Like many emerging markets, China's cellphone market is not based around a carrier-subsidy model. Consumers usually pay the full price for their mobile devices. China Unicom has provided several kinds of discount programs just like the large subsidy which is provided by AT&T. In fact, customers have to pay more for iPhone.

Just an unreal dream?

For example, if you choose the cheapest subsidy package which is about 126 yuan(US $18.5), you have to pay 5 yuan one month for it. In a word, you should pay at least 5000 yuan (US$ 732.5) for the 8 GB iPhone 3Gs. However, in U.S. and European markets, carriers subsidize the price of the iPhone in the form of direct payments to apple. While the U.S. price of the 32GB iPhone is $299, Apple is getting as much as $400-$500 in payments from AT&T once the phone is activated.

Maybe it is the main reason that AT&T has not have any profit in sales and services of iPhone while AT&T has become the exclusive carrier of iPhone in U.S. for more than 2 years. In order to avoid follow suit, China Unicom select a contrary sales way with AT&T, however, it has to face the reality that iPhone had a unprecedented difficult road in China, different from the popular in U.S. and Japan.  
 
And iPhone has not been the unique artwork in smartphone market. Many kinds of imitations from Samsung and other mobile phone manufacturers have become more and more popular, comparing with iPhone, they own the lower price and stronger function. Besides, Motorola Dorid based on Android platform has on sale. It is said that Droid will  replace the top position of iPhone in smartphone market.

In any case,  China Unicom and Apple will face more challenges in China. Maybe it is a good news to them, it is reported that China had about 720 million mobile-phone subscriptions at the end of September, according to government data.

Apple's iPhone App Store takes off in China

Sales of iPhones through the China Unicom which is the official Chinese carrier should not break through the smart phone sales record just like in Europe and Japan , but the app sales seem to be doing quite well. Gone through a long and slow start process, the iPhone has begun to succeed in China with customers and fans flocking to the App Store, even with the device's lack of Wi-Fi.

Popular applications in China include a Chinese-to-English translator and dating software to find "soul mates," according to The Wall Street Journal. The early success of the App Store comes in spite of the cards being stacked against it: China Unicom was estimated to sell just 5,000 iPhones at launch, the hardware only offers 3G Internet connectivity, and App Store purchases require a credit card issued by a Chinese bank, which is not commonplace.

Among the apps that have found success in China are Sina.com, a Web portal that gives access to news updates and blogs; QQ, a popular instant messaging system; and Western software like the Command & Conquer game from Electronic Arts. For now, most applications are priced and detailed in English, but it hasn't prevented an estimated $1 million in legitimate iPhone application sales this year.

One of the biggest issues for the iPhone in China is the large black market from which unofficial handsets have been purchased. While official phones got off to a slow start, it is estimated that there are two million total iPhones in circulation in the nation, most of them "jailbroken." Those hacked phones can be used to run unauthorized code and pirate App Store software.

According to the Journal, most pirate Web sites have "detailed instructions" in Chinese, spelling out how to steal software and install on the iPhone. This is in contrast to the non-native language commonly found on the official App Store.

Even if its slow start for iPhone sales continues, Apple would still sell an estimated 550,000 handsets in its first year. Some expect the sales to pick up, though, once a new model with Wi-Fi is introduced. The feature was left out of the launch phone because the Chinese government temporarily banned the wireless standard. That ban was relaxed in May, after manufacturing of the new iPhone began, and carrier China Unicom hopes to have Wi-Fi in the next batch of phones intended for release by the end of the year.

Via Apple Insider

Google Earth 2.0 for iPhone imports My Maps

Google Earth made a splash when it spun onto the iPhone last October, giving users the capability to explore the virtual globe for free from virtually anywhere with an Internet connection. But without some practical mapping features, like turn-by-turn navigation and street maps, Google Earth was largely a discovery tool that didn't have much real-world impact.

This week, Google Earth 2.0 for iPhone gets more useful by pulling those Google maps you saved in the My Maps section of the Google Maps Web site into the app's mobile orbit. In Google Earth, you'll tap the settings icon (the "i") and sign in to your Google Account. Just below the login field, there's any entry for My Maps. Tap it to view your saved maps, and tap again to select the map you'd like to zoom to. While you can view a saved location or route in Google Earth, the app doesn't replace Google Map's directions-dispending feature.

Google Earth for iPhone still spins its digital globe each time you switch locations, so if your maps are halfway around the world, expect a delay. It's also still slow to load each time, and the 2.0 model only makes the app larger, growing about 3MB in size since the first edition. But it has also gained other subtle features in version 2.0, including support for thirteen additional languages (listed below) and icons that glow as confirmation that you've tapped them.

Google Earth 2.0 for iPhone is available in 31 languages and dialects: English (U.S), English (UK), French (France), German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malaysian, Romanian, Slovak, and Croatian.

Via CNET

Do you want to get this job in Apple?

Can you believe that Apple is looking forward to hire iPhone game developers now?

It is the absolute truth that Apple is advertising for a full time game developer for the iPhone and iPod Touch game development. In last 3 years, Apple Inc. has made it a rule to obtain applications from free iPhone application and software developers and supply the certain proportion profit for them. As a result of this rule, Apple’s app store is able to be developed very well, and Steve Jobs who is the president of Apple has announced that the App Store total downloads had broken through 2 billion times. However, why do they want to hire a new iPhone game developer now?

It is seemed that Apple want to develop their own iPhone game

Now iPhone means popular and cool, you can give a call to others, send massages to them and play games by iPhone, you even make the system to remember your username, password and other private information, if you are using a kind of application. However, is this really secure?
 
A few days after the ikee worm( a kinds of iPhone worm virus which is named by its creator) was unleashed, a new malware tool which can steal users's private date from jailbroken iPhone has been discovered. It is a malware tool which can run on computers or iPhone.

It had been discovered that it will copie all private data including SMS messages, videos, email, photos or apps data from the computer. The program does all this without ever making the iPhone user aware of its intrusion.

In fact only the jailbroken iPhones that are running SSH with the default root password are vulnerable to the attack. So the best way to secure your jailbroken iPhone is to change the default root password immediately. Other solutions include removing the SSH package from your iPhone or turning off SSH.

Everyone is known that, SSH is a famous security protocol and its full name is security shell. It will encrypt all of your data and protect them from stealing and modifying by the  "middleman" in the process of information transportation. However, it is not security as it is advertised, and it is paid apps. So now more and more people selected free OpenSSH to instead of it.
 

Although it is heard that the malware is awful, iPhones that are not jailbroken are not at risk from it or any of the known ikee worm. After all it is a lucky news to users whom are using authorized iPhone but not jailbroken iPhone.

Related Reading:
1. New iPhone Malware Steals Data from Jailbroken Phones
2. Malware Secretly Copies Private iPhone Data
3. Truly malicious iPhone malware now out in the wild
4. iPhone security problems bring new risks

Last weekend, Motorola Droid based on Google Android platform was officially launched, and it had been sold more than 100 thousand in less than a week. It is considered that this digit will be increased to 10 million in the end of 2010. It is seemed as if the Droid is trying its best to knock the iPhone off the mountain, it had better aim for the peak.

A report by Strategy Analytics names the iPhone as the top selling smartphone in terms of profit, with the iPhone division of Apple raking in $1.6 billion in the 3rd quarter of 2009. And it tops Nokia, which recorded just $1.1 billion in operating profit.

Although Apple only sold 7.4 million iPhones in the third quarter, which is less than half the number Nokia sold, the iPhone earns profit with each sale than other smartphones. The main profit source of iPhone is the earnings from the application download times of App Store. Besides, Apple saved a lot of money because of the vast subsidy provided by AT&T, the cooperator of Apple iPhone.

However, as a newbie in the smartphone market, the marketing achievement of Apple iPhone is quite remarkable if you consider that Apple has only been in the smartphone market for barely over two years.

But just as a fly on the ointment,  the release of the iPhone in China hasn't exactly reflected the crowds of enthusiasm that greeted it in U.S and Japan. Chinese users' enthusiasm may be frozen by the cold snap coming one after another. It is reported that only 5,000 iPhone units were sold in its first week, and the data is decreasing day by day. It seems as if the cooperation of Apple and China Unicom is a new and long battle.

Related reading:
1. The iPhone Tops all Smartphones in Sales
2. Report: Apple's iPhone is most profitable smartphone
3. Apple with iPhone More Profitable than Nokia