Apple | Operation Android

iPad mini Getting Pricier, 7-Inch Android Tablets Getting Cheaper

Apple is purportedly working on the second-generation iPad mini with Retina display... And if the rumors are correct, the new tablet will not only see a bump in resolution, but in price as well. The iPad mini is already one of the priciest 7-inch tablets on the market at $329, and the newly announced HP Slate7 will be one of the most affordable tablets in the near future.

Affordable Android Tablet

HP unveiled the Android Jelly Bean Slate7 on Sunday. Weighing just 13 ounces, and starting at just $169, the Slate7 sounds like a great tablet to take on the road. The 7-inch tablet is powered by an ARM Dual Core Cortex-A9 1.6 GHz processor, and features a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a front-facing VGA camera for video chatting.

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Max Payne Mobile Coming to Android and iOS in April

Max Payne is making his way to Android and iOS devices this April. Rockstar Games announced via their blog, that the popular third-person shooter will be available for the iPhone and iPad on April 12th, and Android devices on April 26th. Pricing and which Android devices will be supported is unknown.

Both the iOS and Android versions will feature HD graphics, high-resolution textures, Social Club connectivity and user-customizable controls. Max Payne was originally released for Microsoft Windows in 2001, and ported to the PlayStation 2, Xbox and the GameBoy Advance a year later.

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Is the Galaxy Nexus Ever Coming to the U.S.?

Samsung has been having some fun at Apple's expense with their latest advertising campaign. The only problem is instead of pushing the Galaxy Nexus in the U.S., the ads are for the Galaxy S II because there is no Nexus to sell! It looks like Apple is having the last laugh while Verizon and Samsung make Android fans wait for some unknown reason.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus was released in parts of Europe last month, and it arrived in Canada today via Virgin Mobile and Bell. The handset is selling for $160 with a three year contract. U.S. customers who don't mind traveling can nab one for $650 to use on AT&T or T-Mobile

The latest rumors have the device launching in the U.S. tomorrow, but since there has been no word from Verizon it doesn't seem likely. On Thursday, Droid Life reported that multiple sources confirmed the Nexus' release date has been delayed due to possible 4G LTE issues.

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Gartner Drops Android Tablet Projections 28 Percent For 2011

Gartner's revised tablet numbers for 2011 and comments about the iPad probably won't sit well with Android fans. The research firm said tablet sales will continue to grow through 2015 reaching 326.3 million units, and Apple will retain its 50 percent plus of the market share through 2014.

Gartner dropped its Android projections by 28 percent from last quarter because, "Apple delivers a superior and unified user experience."

"Unless competitors can respond with a similar approach, challenges to Apple’s position will be minimal," Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner explained.

Gartner's Android projections would've been lower if it weren't for the rumored $250 Amazon Tablet and "success of lower-end tablets in Asia." Gartner said Google's OS suffers from high prices and limited application options:

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Report: Android Beats Apple iOS in Mobile Ad Impressions

Android OS powered over half of mobile ad impressions this April according to mobile advertising firm Millenial Media. Their report shows Android taking a 10 percent gain over the month of March, totaling 53 percent of smartphone impressions. CNET explains that April marks the fifth consecutive month that Android topped the rankings.

Millenial Media MobileMix report mobile advertising

As seen in the pie graphs above from Millenial Media, 68 percent of devices receiving ad impressions were smartphones in April, with Google's Android dominating the pack. Second place in the operating system race was Apple iOS with 28 percent, while BlackBerry maker RIM followed with 16 percent.

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Android Market to Have More Apps than iPhone by July

According to a report released today by app store analytics firm Distimo, the number of apps available in Google's Android Market will soon eclipse the longtime title holder in that category, Apple's App Store. Android has been steadily closing the gap, but many will be surprised at how quickly the number of app titles available to Android users has grown. According to the report, the Android Market significantly outpacing other platforms' app stores in terms of growth rate.

According to the published report, "the Google Android Market is predicted to have only 40,000 applications less than the Apple App Store for iPhone by the end of June 2011, and will close the remaining gap before the end of July 2011." This will mark the first time that Android smartphone owners will have more options in the app world than iPhone owners.

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Android Now Offers More Free Apps Than Apple's App Store

Apple has long touted it's supremacy in the app department when compared to other mobile operating systems, and for the most part, with good reason. For a long time, iOS device owners have had a significantly larger library of applications to choose from than their counterparts with Android or other devices. A few weeks ago, we told you about how Android was closing the gap in app installations, but today's news is considerably more impressive. According to app store analysis firm Distimo, the Android Market now offers more free apps than Apple's AppStore.

According to Distimo's latest report, "the Google Android Market eclipsed the Apple App Store for iPhone in terms of free applications and now has 134,342 free applications, while the Apple App Store iPhone has 121,845 free applications." Android's Market surpassing iOS apps in such a significant category continues to highlight Android's rapid growth.

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Analyst: HTC Thunderbolt Outselling Apple iPhone

According to the Boy Genius Report, BTIG Research analyst Walter Piecyk is offering evidence that the latest and greatest Android smartphone, the HTC Thunderbolt, is outselling the Apple iPhone at Verizon stores. The HTC Thunderbolt has received a considerable amount of attention lately, due to early tests of the 4G LTE smartphone on Verizon's expanding LTE network. Tests have been producing dramatic results, with data transfer speeds reported that are faster than a typical cable modem.

Verizon has been promoting the device heavily, though not nearly as heavily as some of its Motorola Droid campaigns of the recent past. Television commercials, print ads and internet advertisements tout the impressive speeds of the HTC Thunderbolt, perhaps attempting to tip the scales of those on the fence between the 4G Thunderbolt and the slower, 3G Apple iPhone.

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Does Android Really Load Web Pages 50% Faster than iPhone?

Wired reported yesterday on a study performed by mobile-optimization company Blaze.io, which produced results that indicate that web browsing in Google's Android operating system is 50% faster than in Apple's iOS. The test involved over 40,000 downloads of webpages of Fortune 1000 companies, and the results indicated that Android loaded webpages in an average 2.1 seconds, compared to the iPhone's 3.2 seconds.

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