The best mobile and privacy news brought to you by the ON team.
Mobile industry news
- Another mobile app store: really? While there are already more than 80 available or soon-to-be launched app stores in the mobile world, Dell announced that they are going to launch their own app store, the Dell Mobile App Store.
Let’s remember that Dell isn’t selling any mobile devices, but has a Tablet PC in the pipelines. How many months/years will it take before Dell closes it down?
Indeed, the competition is tough, really tough… The first independent application store – GetJar – had to raise $11 million at the end of June – http://bit.ly/drQBJE - Android keeps innovating: Google held a press conference last week introducing Voice Actions for Android. This bunch of speaking commands will enable Google phone’s users to manage their whole device only with their voice like sending a text, listening to a track, using a map…
Google also highlighted that 25% of searches are already made by voice on Android.
Sounds awesome isn’t it? Have a look at the video below to find more. To try it out you’ll need to have Android 2.2 (Froyo) or to buy a Motorola’s Droid 2 if you’re based in the US – http://bit.ly/duMEA5
- Smartphone market growth… Digitmes published figures that give an interesting perspective on how the smartphone market is growing: smartphone shipments for 2010 will surpass 280 million units (+57% compared to 2009). Android will be the most popular device, thanks to Sony Ericsson, LG and Samsung’s Android handsets. However Symbian will still be the leader of the market.
This study’s conclusions meet Gartner study’s ones that we mentioned in the mash-up #11 last week - http://bit.ly/99uC8D
- Are iPads suspected of being vampires: A recent study showed that 25% of UK iPads never see the sunlight, as only 16% of iPad owners regularly take out their tablet – http://bit.ly/94tHTW
- The Future of Mobile: Google’s Android developer advocate Reto Meier published his theories about where mobile interfaces are heading, with four major –maybe a tad over optimistic- predictions:
- 5 years from now, we’ll have the first widely-available flexible displays and built in HD projectors
- 10 years from now, transparent LCD patches that can be applied to regular glasses will be available.
- 10 years from now, full virtual keyboards and voice input eliminate physical keyboards entirely.
- 20 years from now, we’ll have contact lenses that project a visual feed directly onto your retina.
- 20 years, from now, we’ll interface with computers through mind control.Read the full story on Technology Review: http://bit.ly/9tAiie. And for fun, that’s how AT&T saw the future in 1993. Old school but pretty dead-on!
Privacy
- Eric Schmidt’s tips: Google’s CEO shared his tips for people who don’t want to appear on Google’s search results: Change your identity. A bit radical in our opinion. Maybe that’s the only solution to Google’s evil plan unveiled by Jessica Vascellaro last week – http://bit.ly/dtomdF
- SNAP, the privacy checker: Social Network Analyzer for Privacy is an iPhone app that checks how secure and private your Facebook profile is.
You might want to see what your ex or your boss can learn about you by checking your profile on Facebook.Then that’s probably the app you need. And if you want to manage your social networks efficiently, well, you know where to download ON.
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