One of the big buzzwords in the 2012 election has been, of course, “job creators” (with the very existence of said group a matter of intense debate), but it seems if you buy and use a lot of apps, you’re one of them. They should lower your taxes to 15% and subsidize the bailout of your house.

Seriously, though, it seems the “app economy” segment of the tech sector- while it often concerns farming fake crops and spoofing phone numbers- actually translates to serious dollars. While that in and of itself isn’t news, the fact that this is also translating to some significant jobs numbers according to a new TechNet study is pretty interesting. According to the data, a net 466,000 jobs have been created- with 311,000 actually making the app donuts and the balance of about 155,000 jobs administrating app-related jobs in functions like payroll.

The Los Angeles Times quoted one analyst on how news about the app economy and its effect on business in commerce is a good indicator for economic progress overall:

“This is a telescope into what the future looks like,” said Michael Mandel, the economist hired by TechNet to put together the report. “This is one part of the economy that is actually expanding and hiring. Once you point people in that direction, they can realign their compass pretty quickly.”

Mandel, who is the President of South Mountain Economics and the former Chief Economist for BusinessWeek, added:

“The App Economy, along with the broad communications sector, has been a leading source of hiring strength in an otherwise sluggish labor market.”

Do you dump money into the apps sector with increasing frequency?

‘App Economy’ Has Created Nearly 500K Jobs Since 2007 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Android seems to be the operating system of choice when it comes to the US government and military. They’ve managed to create an operating system that is highly secure and is capable of sending highly classified data over cellular networks.

Previously, the government and military relied off of more antiquated phones. Being that technology continues to improve, devices get even smaller, and stronger materials such as Gorilla Glass are on the market, one can create a far more powerful and durable smartphone.

Via CNN:

“Some U.S. officials this year are expected to get smartphones capable of handling classified government documents over cellular networks, according to people involved in the project. The phones will run a modified version of Google’s Android software, which is being developed as part of an initiative that spans multiple federal agencies and government contractors, these people said.”

“The smartphones are first being deployed to U.S. soldiers, people familiar with the project said. Later, federal agencies are expected to get phones for sending and receiving government cables while away from their offices, sources said. Eventually, local governments and corporations could give workers phones with similar software.”

The Army has been testing touch screen devices for about two years now. Last year, they sent 40 phones to forces overseas. They plan to change that this year by shipping out 50 phones and 75 tablets overseas to troops just in March.

“Currently, the United States doesn’t allow government workers or soldiers to use smartphones for sending classified messages because the devices have not met security certifications.”

Do you think these Android phones and tablets are a good choice for the government?

Android Smartphones And Tablets Coming To US Government, Military is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Android Market has been subject to a bit of controversy. While Apple and the App Store has a much more controlled process of apps getting in, for Android apps, it’s not nearly as difficult. That opens them up to more potential for malware and apps that have very shady things going on in the background.

Thankfully though, Google has helped fix this problem with their very own malware scanner that scans the entire marketplace, hundreds of thousands of apps, and is able to detect if anything suspicious is within any apps. Dubbed Bouncer which fits quite well, it has done a pretty job so far.

Via Computerworld:

“The scanning service, appropriately codenamed “Bouncer,” has been in action “a number of months,” said Hiroshi Lockheimer, the vice president of engineering for Android, in an interview Thursday. “The interesting thing is that no one really noticed. It didn’t disrupt the end user’s experience [in the Android Market] or disrupt the developers. They didn’t have to think about it at all.”

“Once an app is uploaded to Google by its developer but before it’s published to the Android Market, Bouncer scans the code for known malware, including spyware and Trojan horses, and looks for behaviors that match apps which the company has previously decided are unacceptable. Some apps that sound Bouncer’s alarm are immediately denied entrance to the Android Market, said Lockheimer. Others are flagged for human review.”

Thanks to the malware scanner, they’ve seen 40% less malicious app downloads in the second half of 2011.

Do you have an Android phone? If so, how many apps would you say you’ve downloaded from the market?

Android Market Quite Safe Thanks To Google’s Own Malware Scanner is a post from: The Inquisitr

One of the big disadvantages over releasing an ‘open’ operating system is that because of its ‘openness’ it is also much more prone to malware attacks, as Microsoft has had to deal with over the years.

The ‘open’ operating system in this case is Android and according to security company Symantec the Android Market is undergoing a major malware infestation. The company reported today that a bug going by the name Android.Counterclank has infected between 1 million and 5 million Android users.

Symantec also noted that this slimy piece of malware has the highest distribution of any malware identified so far this year and may actually be the largest malware infection seen by Android users in the operating systems short life.

Here is the list of apps that are carrying this latest piece of nastiness (courtesy of SlashGear)

So if you are an Android user you might want to check and make sure that you haven’t installed any of the infected apps, and if you have then uninstall it and reboot as soon as possible.

Android Market is being hit with its largest malware infection yet according to Symantec is a post from: The Inquisitr

Android tablets are becoming more popular and that means they’re taking up more and more market share. The iPad is still the top dog currently in the marketplace, but with dozens and dozens of tablets available, growth is increasing.

Now, the iPad 2 is a great device and has helped Apple propel itself to outstanding sales. Being that the iPad 3 is supposed to be released this year, we could definitely see these findings change however. The tech company has a very loyal following and very strong brand presence that has people snatch up their products like hotcakes.

With that said, let’s dive into the details:

“Strategy Analytics said Android tablets increased their share of the market to 39 percent in the fourth quarter of the year from 29 percent a year earlier. The iPad accounted for 58 percent of the tablet market in the quarter, down from 68 percent a year earlier, the Boston-based company said.”

“Strategy Analytics director Peter King said global tablet shipments hit a record 26.8 million units in the fourth quarter, up 150 percent from the same period a year ago. Apple sold 15.4 million iPads in the fourth quarter while there were 10.5 million Android tablets shipped.”

It’s a war between both Google and Apple. On one side, it’s competition and on the other side, it’s a bit personal. Steve Jobs vowed to destroy what he considered to be a ripped off version of iOS and with all sorts of patent lawsuits against manufacturers, the company is doing everything they can to crack down on competitors.

Do you have an Android tablet? If so, what do you primarily use it for?

Android Tablets Catching Up With The iPad In Market Share is a post from: The Inquisitr

Android, the very popular mobile operating system from Google, has hundreds of thousands of apps across all sorts of different categories. The best thing to happen for a developer is actually a few things.

For one, people enjoy the app and leave it great reviews. Two, it makes them money which is clearly important when trying to make a living out of it. And three, getting featured in the marketplace.

Thanks to Distimo, a private company that delivers insights and analytics to app developers, their new report shows that being featured significantly boosts rank both when being featured, and even after one is no longer featured.

Via TechCrunch:

“The chart shows that approximately half the apps that have been featured in the Android Market have an increase over 100% while one-third of featured iPad apps gained more than 200%. (Ranks were as follows: iPad up 252%, iPhone up 137%, and Android up 172%).”

“Also interesting is what happens when the featured period ends. Using an average from the following five days after being featured, Distimo found that the boost was still having an overall positive effect. On average, iPad apps were up +145%, iPhone apps were up +75% and Android apps were up +828% during this “post-featured” time period.”

Very promising stats for developers and a definite encouragement to think outside the box and create better, higher quality, and more valuable applications for either of the top two mobile operating systems. The report also goes to show that those who get featured don’t immediately see the affects in the first three days, but rank goes up after that.

What are your favorite Android apps?

Android Apps Being Featured Significantly Boosts Rank Shows Report is a post from: The Inquisitr

Android and iOS continue to be the two largest in terms of smartphone and OS market share. Over the years, the majority of app developers have built apps for iOS first, and then, just maybe, built apps for Android.

According to a new report, that’s going to change this year. Frankly, it’s not too surprising considering that they command a large amount of market share and are a very popular option. This is, of course, great news for smartphone users. While the iPhone has a wide range of great quality apps, it won’t hurt for more of that goodness to come over to the other side.

“More app developers are going to go “Android first” over Apple’s iOS this year, according to a survey by research firm Ovum. While there is a legitimate chance of this happening, we will believe it when we see it. It often seems like analysts are shooting in the dark with these types of proclamations, no matter what kind of survey data they collect.”

“All the corollary evidence suggests that developer interest will overtake that of iOS. More Android devices are shipped and activated across the world every day than iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone. The Android Market is growing rapidly. Analyst firms love this type of parallel data. But will reality catch up with theory?”

Being that we’ve just started 2012, we won’t know for certain until the year starts to heat up. With that said, it’s sure to be a great year otherwise.

Will more develop for Android this year or with the iPhone closing in on their market share, with the trend stay the same?

Android To Get More Developers In 2012 Than iOS [Report] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tablets have been quite the rage ever since the debut of the original iPad in early 2010. Since then, companies from all around the World have went about making one and also some shooting for that “iPad killer” status though none actually reaching it.

They are very popular because they often fill a void. Many people want to just read something or browse the web which is what they are perfect for. Others want to consume content while they’re out and about, update or keep in touch with their social networks, but don’t want to lug around a laptop or use the small screen on their phone to do so.

Via Computerworld:

“Tablet and e-reader ownership nearly doubled in the U.S. over the recent holiday period, according to three new surveys from the Pew Research Center.”

“Pew said that the number of adults who own tablets jumped from 10% to 19% between mid-December and early January, while e-reader ownership jumped by the same amounts. Moreover, the number of Americans who own at least one of the digital reading devices jumped from 18% to 29% over that period.”

Quite the jump in a short period of time. For something that’s only really been heating up on the market for almost two years, pretty impressive. With the likes of the iPad 3 coming out soon and many Android tablets being released this year, this may just be the biggest year yet for the ever growing device.

Do you own a tablet and if not, do you plan on purchasing one this year?

Tablets Jump, Nearly 1/3 Of Americans Own One is a post from: The Inquisitr

Competition between the iPhone and Android has been very heated the last several years and it seems that Apple’s smartphone which originally held the top spot, is making it’s way back to beat out Google for the number one smartphone OS.

According to Nielsen Mobile, Android and the iPhone are nearly tied with iOS being just 1.4 percent behind as of December 2011. Apple has managed to bridge the gap with outstanding sales of their latest smartphone while Android has dropped from 61.6 percent market share in October, down to 46.9 percent.

Via DailyTech:

“This situation could soon change with the release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which takes Google’s operating system in a somewhat “Windows Phoneish” direction.  It also has put a great deal of effort into polishing core applications like the browser, messaging hub, and email.  The results from ICS, upon initial examination, are equal or perhaps even better to their iOS equivalents.  However, the only ICS device on the market as of December was the Galaxy Nexus by Samsung which was only on one network – Verizon Wireless.”

The iPhone 4S, if it can keep up the trend which it likely will, will potentially surpass Android here very soon for the number one smartphone OS.

“Outside of the phone’s actual physical merits, another factor is that Apple continues to maintain a strong brand image.  While enthusiasm about Android, attack ads mocking extreme Apple fanboyism, and backlash against its lawsuit “crusade” have soured some on the Apple brand, among your average consumer it remains one of the strongest brands on the market.  To these consumers buying an Apple device is equivalent to buying “cool points” that some people would (literally) give an organ for. “

Which do you prefer: Android or iPhone and why?

iPhone And Android Nearly Tied As The Smartphone Wars Heat Up is a post from: The Inquisitr

Airbnb, a startup that allows people to rent out their rooms, apartments, or homes, launched their Android app today. Of course, you can also rent out entire countries (seriously), though were not sure how many people took up that offer.

There’s been an app for the iPhone for a while now, but as with a lot of services, you typically see them come to iOS first and Android later, if even at all. Also, Airbnb has a new version of it’s mobile website up as well.

Instead of simply porting the iPhone app over to Android, they decided to put a little more work into it than that and had it redesigned. Of course, it cost more to do that, but is nice to see them put more effort into app development than that. And often when you port an application over to another platform, there can be numerous bugs to work out.

Last year, the company went through a good amount of negative publicity after someone rented out their apartment and was completely vandalized by the people who stayed there. They learned quite a bit from that and now every rental comes with a $50,000 guarantee and they also boosted their support staff and made their customer support line open 24/7.

The Airbnb iPhone app has been downloaded 500,000 times. Their hosts serve all over the World, 19,000 cities and towns in 192 different countries to be exact. Because of the large Android user base, they anticipate they’ll double their mobile user base because of the Android app.

Would you ever rent your apartment, room, house, etc., on Airbnb or would you ever book a place to stay through there?

Airbnb Debuts Android App, Easy To Discover And Book A Place To Stay is a post from: The Inquisitr

A new research survey came out stating that in the next six months, 74% of all smartphone purchases will either be Android or iPhone. Commanding 90 percent of mobile phone market share, it’s not a big surprise really.

The iPhone 4S is helping iOS to quickly close in on the top spot and the slew of new and exciting Android based phones are sure to be a big reason for the large number.

Via eWeek:

“More than 70 percent of consumers who intend to purchase a smartphone over the next six months will purchase an Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone or a handset based on Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system, according to a Yankee Group survey.”

“The researcher, which polled more than 15,000 people, learned that more than 47 percent of U.S. respondents own a smartphone, and 58 percent of those surveyed said they would buy a smartphone as their next mobile handset.”

The World or at least the more developed World, is and has been shifting to smartphones for quite some time. Technology has improved, as has hardware and the size of that hardware. What we can now do on a smartphone, is more powerful than the best computers of their time just mere decades ago.

When it comes to RIM and Microsoft, the survey didn’t turn up the best news.

“Noting that RIM and Microsoft are having a hard time coaxing their existing customer bases to buy new phones, Katie Lewis (Yankee Group analyst) said 20 percent of U.S. consumers own a BlackBerry, but only 12 percent intending to buy a smartphone in the next six months will purchase a BlackBerry handset.”

“Of the 14 percent of consumers who own a Windows Mobile-based device, only 9 percent of those asked said they would pick up a phone based on the new Windows Phone OS.”

74% Of All Smartphone Purchases Will Be Android Or iPhone is a post from: The Inquisitr

Smartphones have absolutely exploded the last several years, ever since the debut of the original iPhone in 2007. While that may be the case, expect fewer models this year according to executives.

One of the biggest reasons why isn’t because they’re not selling, it’s because too many models leads to confusion and having a small line of products to choose from is much more enticing to consumers.

Where there is too much to choose from, consumers can get overwhelmed and unsure of what to go with.

“Speaking at CES this week, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha reportedly said that the company plans to make fewer phone models in 2012, in part because the variety is confusing to some consumers. HTC is thinking along the same lines. “It’s a goal to have less phones,” Drew Bamford, vice president of user experience at HTC, said during a panel discussion at the show on Wednesday.”

“When pushed, Ryan Bidan, director of product marketing at Samsung, said that while he wasn’t sure what the model count for his company would be in 2012, he agreed that phone makers should drive down the number of phones. “Sheer SKU proliferation is a problem,” he said.”

This is more of a good thing than a bad thing. Also, being that there will be fewer models, this also allows more focus for developers to put towards keeping new phones updated and hopefully running the latest version of Android, 4.0.

Smartphones running Windows Phone won’t be slowing down this year, but it’s very clear why.

“While Microsoft doesn’t produce phone hardware, it’s hoping to see an increase in the number of models running Windows Phone, but that’s because it’s a relatively new entrant to the market and isn’t available on many models yet. “We have a stated objective” to have a broader selection of handsets running Windows Phone on the market, said Aaron Woodman, a director from Microsoft.”

Not As Many New Smartphones From Top Companies In 2012 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Patent wars over smartphones, especially over the last several years, have been at an all time high. Microsoft announced that they signed a patent-licensing deal with LG, a number two maker of smartphones.

As much as Google would want Microsoft out of the World of patents, the Washington based company holds the patents to certain technologies used in Android smartphones on the market.

Last year, Google bought Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion which also granted them their arsenal of 24,000 mobile related patents. Not to mention they also acquired 217 patents from IBM.

Via Mercury News:

“Microsoft signed the patent agreement with LG, the second largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world, according to ComScore’s latest analysis of the market. Microsoft has already signed a licensing agreement with the No. 1 mobile phone manufacturer, Samsung, and nine other companies, from which they receive a cut of every Android-based device sold.”

Smartphones are a blazing hot sector and being that it is a very popular technology, disputes over patents and companies inking deals with other companies who have patents, are bound to happen.

The fact is, without companies such as LG signing a licensing agreement, they risk the chance of being sued by supposed patent holders. Microsoft’s patent deal with HTC nets them about $5 for each phone that the company makes, though it wasn’t disclosed how much they will be making from LG.

The deal lead the VP of corporate communications at Microsoft to taunt Google via Twitter:

“Hey Google — we are the 70%,” Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s vice president of corporate communications tweeted, referencing Microsoft’s assertion that it now has deals on 70 percent or more of the Android smartphones sold. Shaw later posted on Twitter, “Can we just agree to drop the patents-as-weapons meme? When effective licensing enables companies to share IP, the metaphor falls apart.”

Microsoft Signs Android Patent Deal With LG, VP Taunts Google is a post from: The Inquisitr

As Android continues to heat up, so do the claims of the mobile operating system from Google being fragmented, among other things. Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman at Google, spoke at CES and denied that fragmentation existed with the Android ecosystem.

Now, the company has and continues to do better in that aspect. Android 4.0 is supposed to change that and give a unified experience across all devices, though in the past and still currently, fragmentation exists.

There’s all sorts of different versions on smartphones as of right now, many devices not getting updated and/or stuck with an older version, and so on. Either way, let’s give Eric the chance to explain.

From eWeek:

“When CNET host Molly Wood asked Schmidt specifically about Android fragmentation, Schmidt denied Android had any, explaining that Android had “differentiation.” Schmidt explained the difference thusly; differentiation means OEMs will choose how to customize an open-source platform such as Android based on their view of innovation.”

“Fragmentation, he said, occurs when applications only run on one device but not others, locking users out of consuming those apps. Wood asked whether some of that was happening with Android. Schmidt denied this, adding that Google’s goal is to get everybody on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which merges the Android 2.x smartphone branch and the Android 3.x Honeycomb branch for tablets.”

It seems Google is trying to put the issue of fragmentation behind them and push forward with, again, a much more unified experience with Android. Oops, did I say fragmentation again? I really mean’t “differentiation”.

Android Isn’t Fragmented Says Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is a post from: The Inquisitr

Phones, phones, and more phones. This year is no exception when it comes to new ones. Motorola is coming out with their next generation Droid, the Droid 4, in the following weeks.

Yesterday, the company also revealed details about the Droid Razr Maxx, a smartphone very similar to the Droid Razr, but with double the battery life.

Keep in mind that the Droid 4 will be available exclusively on Verizon, something that has been the case since the very first smartphone in the series. Compared to the previous version, consumers can expect it to be much faster as well as sport a thinner design.

The specs:

• 4 inch qHD display
• 540×960 resolution
• 1.2GHZ dual core processor
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB internal storage, microSD card slot
• Full QWERTY keyboard as expected
• 0.5 inches thick
• 8 megapixel camera with ability to shoot 1080p video
• 4G LTE support
• Shipping with Android 2.3.5, though Android 4.0 upgrade coming second quarter 2012

The Droid line of smartphones continue to be a popular seller as there’s still a sizeable group of people who prefer a full keyboard versus a completely touchscreen keyboard.

Frankly, that’s one of the big things that is potentially keeping BlackBerry users from switching over to say Android or iPhone, though the latter two have the most market share and more are switching everyday.

From Forbes:

“Motorola’s Droid 4 joins an impressive catalog of LTE capable phones on Verizon’s network. The Motorola Razr, Samsung Galaxy Nexus and HTC Rezound share the spotlight in the carrier’s catalog, but the Droid 4 has one feature that sets its apart. The device is one of the best and only options for users looking for a high-end device with a QWERTY keyboard.”

Motorola Droid 4 Coming Soon, Thinnest QWERTY Keyboard Smartphone is a post from: The Inquisitr

Competition in the mobile market keeps heating up. Samsung, maker of all things electronic, says they’re confident they’ll outsell Nokia this year and end their 14 year reign of being the biggest seller of mobile phones.

Quite the declaration from the company’s Vice Chairman and CEO, Choi Gee-sung. Samsung seems to be onto something after quickly rising to become the number one maker of smartphones in the third quarter of 2011.

Their line of Galaxy Tablets and Galaxy smartphones, especially the Galaxy S II, continue to be a very popular seller. Despite patent disputes with Apple, they continue to sell a lot of smartphones and tablets.

“Samsung’s bullish forecast is in line with some analysts, including Royal Bank of Scotland, betting Samsung would build on its momentum to overtake Nokia in 2012, but on average analysts have expected Nokia to keep its lead on the market.”

“According to the latest polls by Reuters, Nokia was expected to sell 418 million phones in 2011, versus Samsung’s 320 million, the gap narrowing this year to 388 million versus 359 million.”

Nokia is exclusively using the Windows Phone 7 OS and the Nokia Lumia 900 is their latest generation and is very promising. With that said, it’s really going to come down to a battle between Android and Windows Phone and frankly, Android is still top dog.

“”Considering how strong Nokia still is in the emerging markets, Samsung’s expectation seems to imply that Nokia will miserably fail in mature markets,” said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.”

As with anything, only time will tell and with it being the beginning of 2012, who knows what both companies have up their sleeves just yet.

Samsung Plans To Sell More Smartphones Than Nokia In 2012 is a post from: The Inquisitr

As reported yesterday, demand for the iPhone 4S is high and new data reveals exactly that. For some time, Android has been leading in market share, though Apple is quickly closing in thanks to their latest smartphone.

From CNET:

“Analyzing last year’s smartphone market, NPD found that iOS’s share surged to 43 percent in October and November from just 26 percent in the third quarter, thanks largely to demand for the iPhone 4S. Though Google’s mobile OS maintained its lead, its share dropped in October and November to 47 percent from 60 percent in the previous quarter.”

Impressive for a phone that’s just been out several months as of right now. It’s interesting to note the decrease in market share for Android, a large 13% drop. Is this because more people bought an iPhone or more people ditched Android for the 4S? Seems possible and with all the buzz surrounding Siri, Apple’s new voice recognition software, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Still, whether the iPhone surpasses Android in market share, over 40% market share for both isn’t something to roll your eyes at. On the other hand, RIM, the maker of BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone 7 aren’t doing nearly as well as evidenced by the same data.

“In third place was RIM’s OS, which steadily dropped market share over the past 12 months, falling from 19 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010 to just 6 percent in October and November of last year. Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and Windows Phone 7 also struggled, each grabbing around 1 percent of the market toward the end of the year.”

The iPhone 4S Quickly Closing In On Android Market Share is a post from: The Inquisitr

After releasing the Droid Razr not too long ago, Motorola is back at it again with a new, but pretty similar phone. Dubbed the Droid Razr Maxx, the big feature of this phone will be the increased battery life.

Motorola says that the smartphone will last an impressive 21 hours on a single charge with moderate use, double the life of the Droid Razr. If that’s the case, even with heavy use, it may be possible to last a full 8 hour work day.

Over the years, Android smartphones haven’t necessarily been known for their battery life. As hardware becomes more energy efficient and more beefy, yet not sacrificing thinness batteries are used, we’ve started to see this change.

For example, the Samsung Galaxy S II (over 5 Million units sold) with a dual core processor and large HD display, has received great reviews and high marks for it’s battery life.

When it comes to the specs on the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx, don’t get too excited however.

Via CNET:

“Despite packing a beefier battery, the phone still keeps its trim 0.35-inch profile. All the other great features of the Droid Razr will be here, too, including an 8-megapixel camera and Webtop functionality.”

Essentially, the biggest difference between this phone and the original is a beefier battery. With that said, this smartphone will cost $100 more at $299 on a 2 year contract than the original.

Is it worth the extra price? It all depends on how much you use your phone and your preference. For peace of mind on those long hauls away from the charger, that extra hundred dollars may more than pay for itself.

Android Gets Even Better Battery Life With The Motorola Droid Razr Maxx is a post from: The Inquisitr

Lenovo, a company that manufactures desktop PC’s, laptops, and tablets, announced that they will be coming out with a 55 inch SmartTV which will be running Android 4.0, the first TV to do so. With CES just a day away, there’s a good chance they will be demoing the TV there.

Google seems to really be focused on creating a better TV operating system and with the faster (and cheaper) hardware we have going forward, we can expect better performance out of Google integrated TV.

The 55 inch SmartTV from Lenovo is also the first to run a dual core 1.5GHZ Snapdragon processor which will give it plenty of performance to blast through menus, access multiple applications, and more. And did we mention it’s also the first ever TV from the company? Yeah, there’s that too.

“Thanks to the Ice Cream Sandwich U1, the Lenovo K91 SmartTV offers apps in addition to your regular TV programming. Wi-Fi connection is here too, of course, along with access to the Lenovo Cloud and voice control technology for controlling the set with your voice. Video On Demand content is based on user’s past viewing history. (Starting to get why it’s called the SmartTV?)”

As said in the beginning of this post, CES 2012 is gearing up so we’re sure to see and hear about even more Android powered televisions. This is a very hot segment as we move forward into 2012. No companies have been able to pull it off yet and with the next gen of Android and faster hardware to power these televisions, it should become quite interesting.

Lenovo To Have First Ever TV Powered By Android 4.0 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Galaxy Nexus, Google’s new flagship smartphone, is expected to be available in white starting in 2 weeks for the UK and in early February for people of the US. Most smartphones are typically released in black, though manufacturers have managed to roll out white models shortly after the original launch of a phone.

It’s an added revenue stream for phone manufacturers and from the looks of it, there’s consumers out there who want a white phone versus the standard black. Just look at Apple and the white and black iPhone. So far, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is doing quite well with sales of nearly 2 Million in just a couple of months.

Supposedly the white 16GB version already exists in some stores in the UK, though that hasn’t been confirmed. Being that this is the latest and greatest smartphone, be prepared to shell out a good chunk of change.

People in the UK can except to pay £614.95 retail and for US customers, no price has been revealed yet, though expect it to be the same as the original model, $649.99 or $299.99 on a two year contract.

Galaxy Nexus specs:

• 4.65 inch AMOLED display with 720P HD resolution
• 1.2 gigahertz dual core processor with 1 GB of RAM
• 32GB of internal storage
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• 8.94mm thin OR .37 inches
• 5 megapixel rear facing camera, 1.3 megapixel front facing camera
• 1850mAh battery
• 4G LTE capable

What kind of phone do you have? Are you an Android user, or do you prefer something else such as the iPhone or maybe even BlackBerry?

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Smartphone To Be Available In White Very Soon is a post from: The Inquisitr