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...

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.

Insane Windows Installathon! Week in Tech

What will they think of, next?

Insane Windows Installathon: DOS 5 to Win 8, in Sequence!

...Plus 9 More Surprising Stories from the Week in Tech

The Interface that Made Milwaukee Famous?
Disposable Touchpad Made from Beer Bottle Label

New Record for Wireless Transmission: 3 GBps
Old Record for IEEE Standards Process: 7 Years

GM to Facebook's Zuckerburg: 'Your Site Sucks'!
Analysts Say Google Has 10x Better Click-Through

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!?"

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.

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...

Socialmatic: Instagram for an Analog World

Looks familiar and yet it doesn't...

This my friends is 'Socialmatic', the as-yet-unreleased creation of Italy's ADR Studios; certain to delight the eye and tantalize the senses, as well as maybe giving your brain a wedgie. Oh, I know what you're thinking; you've never before seen or heard of this pretty thing and yet it seems so very, very familiar...

Lithium Cells Banned from US Mail. Batteries Deny Charge.

The United States Postal Service has banned overseas shipments of lithium cell batteries.

This means batteries coming into the USA as well as batteries going out. And there's no exemption for military addressees, so we hope our brave troops can find room to stow a Super Holiday Mega Pack of Duracells.

Why? Blame it on whiny pilots who can't handle a little in-flight fire, plus the actions of some nanny state UN bureaucrats. Apparently, they find the charming nighttime scene depicted here a little disturbing...

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...

FREE CoPilot GPS for Android, iPhone

Hoping to avoid extermination at the hands of no-cost competitors Google Maps and Nokia Drive, ALK Technologies have decided to follow the old if you can't beat 'em, join 'em rule.

That's why CoPilot GPS navigation is now free for Android and iOS devices. More accurately, CoPilot GPS is being offered as a freemium app, with a list of free features plus some noteworthy 'premium' options available via handy, in-app upgrade...

Verizon: We Said '4G Only' and We Meant It

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here...

Back in January, you might have read about Verizon Wireless' 'hard requirements' for new devices, moving forward into 2012. Basically, the company said they planned to go 100% 4G LTE, with no 3G-only phones beyond the older, push-to-talk models.

As long-time Verizon Wireless customer MobilePhonesFan could have told you, they weren't kidding around. Much like Vulcans, Verizon never bluffs.

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.