Since the beginning of this year we have been hearing a lot of news and rumors regarding Google’s new device Google Glass. Recently we have been hearing that Google will be opening their new stores just to sell one product and that is Google Glass. The stores are touted to not only sell the Glass but also customize each one according to user’s needs. Experts will be there to guide users how to set-up and use this portable device.

And the above speculation can be corroborated as Google recently recruited 40 advisers who will help guide the developers who bought Explorer version of Google Glass last year at Google I/O developer conference. And let’s not forget those 8000 people in “IfIHadGlass” contest who won the Google Glass specs, they would also be needing help in properly using the Glass.

The developers purchasing the Google Glass will go through a process of personalization and customization where Glass would be customized to ease the use of device for developers. At the same time they will be taught how to use the Glass and set it up. All this would be done with the hope that developers will add up to the Google Glass experience as they will later develop apps for the device. Some apps have already been developed for instance there is one that allows you to upload videos to your YouTube channels.

As for now nothing official has been announced but we anticipate that Google Glass will be merged with the larger Google retail operation that will not only sell the Glass but also include Nexus franchise selling phones and tablets as well. Contrary to this, judging by amount of attention each Glass sale would require, perhaps opening a separate store for Google Glass in not a bad idea at all.

Fahad Majidi is a Paid Contributor for the Paulstechtalk.com website.  Any views of his is his own and not of the website.   Any Links in this article are affiliate links to products mentioned to help support paying for the contributor.

There is just no stopping for android. The revenues Google Play generated by Google Play are sky-rocketing. According to the research firms Google has  seen 90% increase in Google Play Store revenues compared t o the first quarter of the last year, now that is huge!

And the reason behind such a big leap in terms of revenue is the mass production of android devices around the world along with some of the idiosyncrasies of the Asian users. As the things are going for android the researcher and analysts believe that Google Play will catch up with Apple’s App Store somewhere around in 2016. According to the chief analyst at Canalys Adam Dam it would take android almost three to four years to get at par with the Apple’s App Store in terms of revenue. Android might be getting increase in the revenues at a faster pace but Apple’s App Store had a head start and that made all the difference.

Android might have gotten a 90% increase but if we look at the overall stats of the first quarter, there is no one near the share of App Store. In the first three months from January to March the app industry made total revenue $2.2 billion. Out of this $2.2 billion the almighty App Store accounted for $1.48 billion holding upto almost 74% of the total app revenue. When it comes to revenues apps certainly form the crux of overall profits.

Now coming to the downloads, the number of downloads made by Android and Apple users may vary depending on different researches. But one thing is for sure android’s downloads are quickly catching up to that of Apple’s or even exceeded it according to some other researches.

One of the key markets of android devices, not only android but also other smartphones, lies in countries such as Japan and South Korea where people mostly go for card and fantasy based apps. South Korea is considered to be the hub of smartphones where almost 80% of people own one. So making such fantasy based apps and card games really paid off for Android’s first quarter staggering augmentation in the revenues.

Let’s see what holds for Google’s little green mascot in the second quarter as it continues to grow bigger and better, forming into a phantom that looms over Apple.

 

Fahad Majidi is a Paid Contributor for the Paulstechtalk.com website.  Any views of his is his own and not of the website.   Any Links in this article are affiliate links to products mentioned to help support paying for the contributor.

 

HTC has been going through dire times and with the release of HTC One the company is hoping to get things right. Only few months ago the company was deemed to be one of the biggest Android success stories but now it is struggling to make its ends meet and make some profits. HTC One seems to be the only protagonist left in the HTC lineup that can change the tide for the company as the people behind this smartphone has given there all in producing this phone.

As they say desperate times call for desperate measures, HTC pulled together some of its finest engineers and came up with the device that is capable of even competing against upcoming juggernaut Samsung Galaxy S4.

While making this phone HTC focused on few of the primary areas which include sound, camera, screen and most importantly design. HTC One is probably the one of the most aesthetically designed phones in the franchise; body all aluminum with big and bright 4.7 inch screen and sound as loud and clear as can be. In terms of design HTC took a bit of risk, deviating from the norm, by putting up a new UltraPixel camera with 4.3 megapixel sensor which serves as catalyst for better low light performance.

HTC One really stands out in terms of design. The device is all aluminum which gives it a sleek and smooth look. Despite being a big device the phone’s curved back allows it to sit comfortably in hand and makes it easy to use. Only 9.3mm around the corners or 0.37 inches thin, the device weighs only 5.04 ounces or 143 g.

Clad in aluminum plates, HTC One comes in two color silver and black.  On the back of the device are two small stripes which are used to augment the signal strength.

On the front the phone has two speaker grills, one on the top and other at the bottom, ready to blow your ears away with new and improved sound experience. One new thing that you will notice, apart from the overall design, that the button layout has been altered. Instead of regular three buttons you now have two with HTC logo in the middle. The only thing we are missing here is the multitasking button which is now accessible by double tapping on the home key, hold it long enough and Google fires up. The only problem you might face is when stretching for the back button on the left.

HTC One surely packs a punch; with 4.7 inch large super LCD 3 display the phone offer some eye popping colors having a resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels. The screen is tremendously sharp with a color density of 468ppi.

Same goes for the colors, sharp and vivid blacks, reds and greens and as far as the viewing angels go; we must say they are pretty amazing. But everything is not perfect, while the screen has sharp colors it does have one drawback.

One thing that serves as a little bit of shortcoming for the display is the HTC One’s brightness. When compared to iPhone 5, you will find HTC One with a little dimmer display. One may find it difficult to use on direct sunlight but you will used to it as the time goes by.

Fahad Majidi is a Paid Contributor for the Paulstechtalk.com website.  Any views of his is his own and not of the website.   Any Links in this article are affiliate links to products mentioned to help support paying for the contributor.

Android has certainly become predominantly the operating system with the largest market share. Informa Telecoms, an analytic firm, presented us with much bigger and clearer picture. According to their report the only OS that stands out in the overwhelming competition in China is Android, accounting for two third of all the handsets sold so far in 2012. One out of every three Android devices that was sold in 2012 was sold in China, certainly a big hub of Android lovers.

But to be more specific, out of all the Android devices sold in China 41 percent were the ones that did not run on authentic Android rather had the imitation of the Google’s original operating system. So if we right them off China still holds 20 percent share of all the Android devices sold in 2012 which is pretty impressive.

Statistically speaking, Android holds 85 percent of the market share in China and still growing where as Apple’s iPhone accounts for only 5 percent of the market share and Windows Phone a minimal of 1 percent. Although, the release of iPhone 5 last week in the country was very much promising, selling over 2 million units in the first of week of its release and setting a milestone of best launch of all time of Apple’s smartphone in China. Apple was not only able to establish the pre-ordering process but is now also available on two carriers for the first time.

If Apple is to increase its market share in China it needs to come forth with TD-LTE because the only reason China Mobile, world’s largest carrier, has not been successful in selling iPhone is because of its 3G network. We anticipate iPhone based on TD-LTE to be offered by China Mobile in 2013. And as for Microsoft’s Windows phone, Informa anticipates that its market share will be double to 2 percent in 2013.

As for the US, Informa believes that Apple needs to come up with a better iOS otherwise it will face further decline in its market share because it is not meeting the standards that other high end Android devices are offering. The principal analyst Malik Saadi at Informa Telecoms anticipates that next year around 50 percent of the handsets sold in US will be Android based devices. The report also depicts that Apple might have to go for margin cuts in order to sustain its market share because the even the most diehard fan is realizing that Apple needs to upgrade its iOS. Inform forecasts that in 2013 Apple will be able to sell almost 34 million units which a million less than this year’s sale. Whereas Windows Phone will be accounting for 6.5 percent of the US market as Nokia and HTC are augmenting their marketing strategies and they are also in close relationship with US carriers.

According to an estimate by Informa Android will account for 50 percent of the global market by 2015. But 2016 Android market domination is anticipated to be decline because of other operating systems in the market specifically Windows Phone.

 

 

Fahad Majidi is a Paid Contributor for the Paulstechtalk.com website.  Any views of his is his own and not of the website.   Any Links in this article are affiliate links to products mentioned to help support paying for the contributor.