Offline 3D Maps Next for Android?

Not to be outdone by recent rumors about Apple, Google now says Android will offer 3D map images and full offline navigation...'soon'.

The announcement came as part of today's The Next Dimension of Google Maps event, in San Francisco. Promoted as a "behind-the-scenes look at Google Maps", it was supposed by many to be a pre-emptive strike ahead of news that Apple would be dumping Google Maps for iPhone in favor of their own, in-house mapping solution.

Instapaper for Android Now Available

Instapaper for Android: There goes the neighborhood.

Get ready for much tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth -- another iFan shibboleth has joined the dark side. And at a $2 discount.

Long-time iOS exclusive Instapaper is now available in Google's Android Play Store. As described by the designers, Instapaper is...

"A simple tool to save web pages for [...] later offline reading, optimized for readability on your tablet or phone's screen. Critically acclaimed by top blogs, newspapers, and magazines!"

We'll second the 'critically acclaimed' part, tho' we do have some issues worth mentioning...

Cell Tower Workers Die for Your '4 Bars'

Two days after PBS aired a Frontline report on high rates of fatal injuries among cell tower workers, one of AT&T's major construction management partners has halted tower work in several states to complete a review of safety practices.

Goodman Networks of Plano, Texas, notified workers of the mandatory stand-down on 24 May, eight days after technician Shad Lierley fell 100 feet from a tower near Austin, Texas. Reports say he was a subcontractor, hired by Goodman for an AT&T project on the site. Goodman confirmed the stoppage; AT&T refused comment.

Interestingly, AT&T had been a focus of that Frontline program, 'Cell Tower Deaths'.

Android Fragmentation FTW! Week in Mobile

Shout out to da sheeple!

Samsung's Not Just Flocking Around

...Plus 9 More Tails from last Week's Mobile News

Is Cable Giant Comcast Cheating on Their
FCC Net Neutrality Agreement?

Do we really need to tell you?

Successful Android Games Developer
Says,"We like fragmentation."

Surprisingly, they weren't joking. Or drunk.

Nokia Tops Apple in Two Important Metrics:
Factory Explosions = 0; Roof-Jumpers = 0

Ups and downs in the mobile phones biz.

Smartphones Up, Samsung Up, Nokia Down

Nokia smart phone sales take a bath. Again.

It's a classic Good News/Bad News quarterly report from Gartner.

Overall sales of mobile phones hit 419.1 million units, down 2% from this time last year -- the first 1Q drop in three years. Analysts say this reflects fewer products launched in the Asia-Pacific region, in particular during the traditional gift-giving season.

Meanwhile, the elite smartphones sector saw continued growth, rising 44.7% year-on-year to 144.4 million units. Android models accounted for 56.1% of smartphone sales, allowing top licensee Samsung to end Nokia's 14-year reign as world's #1 phone maker.

Does New Apple Patent Threaten Android ?

According to rumor, Apple plans to patent 'patents'.

On Tuesday, Apple Inc. became the lucky recipient of "Method, system, and graphical user interface for selecting a soft keyboard", U.S. Patent 8,179,731.

This +5,500-word beauty starts off by discussing the typical soft ('virtual') keypad found on every smartphone and tablet. Specifically, it's concerned with a common keyboard function: clicking a virtual button to alter the keyboard's layout...for example, switching from letters to symbols or from Russian to English.

And it was at this point where MobilePhonesFan was struck by a horrible thought, "Holy crap -- has Apple patented keyboard layout controls!?"

70% of Mobile App Users Are Cheapskates

I said, the rent is too dam high !

This just in from the tech consultants at ABI Research: 70% of mobile app users are cheapskates who buy very few apps. And even when they do get around to buying some,  they tend to pay very little.

Wait, do you hear that...sort of a high-pitched shriek, somewhere off in the distance? Unless we're mistaken, that's the sound you get when several thousand mobile developers all scream, "No s#@t!"

Time Warner Cable CEO: 'What's AirPlay?"

Can I use this AirPlay thingie with a VHS recorder?

In case you missed (or didn't understand) the title, let's try a re-phrase:

The CEO of Time-Warner Cable doesn't know what Apple's Air Play is.

:ahem:

MobilePhonesFan will now paste the quote, verbatim. Nothing more to add...

Google's Android Army Seems Unstoppable

They look like me...but they are not...me.

In spite of big numbers posted by Apple, Android smart phones outpaced iPhone during 1Q2012, more than doubling Google's market-share in some countries.

Meanwhile, Windows Phone has made some long-promised gains, the most notable being in Germany (6% share, + 3 pts.). Microsoft's mobile platform now sits at 3-4% share in the United States, France, Italy and Great Britain (United Kingdom).

Here's a quick sampling of the significant numbers...

Apple Inc. Earns More than New Zealand

Rumor has it, Apple are planning to patent 'numbers'.

With a market-cap of some $520 billion, Apple, Inc., is the world's largest corporation.*

You may wonder how Apple got to be 'biggest' in value when they seem relatively small in other metrics. After all, WalMart has more employees, Best Buy has more stores and Exxon-Mobil takes in more cash...

Apple 'Fixes' Siri on 'Best Cell Phone' Issue

"According to my database, Blackberries have cooties."

Well, that didn't take long.

After a day of ribbing from giddy Windows Phone fans, somebody at Apple gave Siri a lecture in brand-loyalty. Or maybe they employed the old duct tape, screamed abuses and rubber hose method. Either way, she's been 'corrected'. Now, if asked 'What's the best phone', Siri gives a coy, playful response but basically demurs.

And Siri absolutely, positively does not check in with Wolfram Alpha.

Video History of Windows OS ...in 77 Min.

Let's all be thankful that he skips 'Windows ME'

Ah, Microsoft's Windows™ -- love it or hate it, we've all been forced had occasion to use it. If you're older than the age of consent, then you likely grew up doing 100% of your computing in a Windows PC environment. Even after Apple Computer entered their renaissance period, anyone engaged in serious commerce -- anywhere in the world -- still needed ready access to the Windows Office™ Suite, on occasion.

Of course, nothing lasts forever. MobilePhonesFan kicked the Microsoft habit a few years back, after a disturbing experience with the black sheep of the Windows family, Vista. Still, we do have fond memories of PCs past. Assembling your first Windows box from scratch is a character-building experience. And we were plenty excited about the release of Windows 95, especially after the Rolling Stones commercials.

So this YouTube "History of WIndows" video by thePatrickMonroe takes MobilePhonesFan back...

Apple 3D Navigation App Replaces Google?

Here it is, gentlemen, your target for tonight...

One thing MobilePhonesFan knows about tech: Apple, Inc., makes a lot of money.

A big part of why they're so profitable is that they hate paying others to do work they could do as well, in-house. Ok, sure, they'll pay outside vendors to make stuff that could explode. Just about everything else gets done by trusted Apple employees.

And then there's Google. Under a longstanding deal, they work with Apple to produce a custom Google Maps app for iPhone. But for some reason -- arguably, due to Apple's jealous control of the iOS platform -- iPhone has no Google Maps turn-by-turn navigation.

Which brings us back to money...

Siri Says: Lumia 900 'Best Cell Phone'

"Whoops...did I mistakenly print that to screen?"

Well, we guess it's official: Nokia's Lumia 900 is 'best cell phone'. Apple's Siri says so.

Despite arranging her (its?) program so that Siri has snappy comebacks to dozens of clever questions, looks like the know-it-alls in Cupertino forgot one. Whoopsie...

"Apple, You're Doing It Wrong", Says Jobs' Guru

And then I'll grab Rubin by the nose and pull it through here...

Harvard Business School's Clayton Christensen is best known as the author of The Innovator's Dilemma ...cited by Steve Jobs as a work which 'deeply influenced' him.

In his book, Christensen describes what he considers a fundamental lesson from the long history of commerce: even the most powerful and profitable companies can suffer a rapid and catastrophic fall, losing much of their market share to more nimble, upstart firms that promote radically new ideas, products or technologies.

Apple, Samsung Get 99% of Mobile Phone Profits

tl;dr: If your company makes mobile phones and your company isn't Samsung or Apple, then we wish to extend our deepest sympathies for your pitiful share of profits.

That's right; just two mobile phone companies rake in 99% of the profits.

According to mobile industry analyst Horace Dediu, the split goes 73% for Apple and 26% for Samsung. He says this reflects a market disruption, with a growing number of users transitioning from feature phones to smart phones. To compete in this new market, phone makers had to change their approach to design, manufacturing and marketing.

Amtrak Adopts iPhones in Place of Ticket Punchers

"I've got 274 fart apps in my pocket..."

(image: Amtrak)

America's favorite money-losing government program rolls boldly into the 21st century. Amtrak claims train travel will soon be paperless: schedule and pay on-line, before boarding. When the conductor asks for your ticket, simply flash the special bar code on your iPhone or Android device.