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Oct

NSA And Google Developing Hardened Android Kernel For Government Communication; Will Be More Secure Than BlackBerry

Posted by Ron Amadeo in News

This is a pretty wild piece of news. Google, George Mason University, and the NSA are working to make Android the most secure OS out there. They're developing a "hardened" kernel so Android can pass all the necessary red tape to be deployed for government use. By 2012 they expect Android to be good enough for classified communication, and eventually they'll hit a higher security clearance level than BlackBerrys. Poor BlackBerry, security was one of the last things they had left.

It seems like all the heavy hitters are on board to deploy this super-secure version of Android. The Obama Administration, the FBI, the Justice Department, the Army, and first responders are all mentioned as interested parties.

Oct

[Update: It's Most Likely Fake] BlackBerry Messenger On The Horizon For Android, Leaked BlurryCam Photos Show Up As 'Proof'

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Applications, News

Update: It looks like someone has way too much time on their hands. As reader benjymous pointed out in the comments, the second image is clearly ripped directly from a demo java app from the BBM SDK, giving us solid reason to believe that this is indeed fake. Boo!

As an ardent Android fan I spent the better part of the last few months trying to convince my girlfriend to switch over to the green robot after she lost her beloved BlackBerry and required a replacement phone. However, nothing I said would convince her to give up the corporate mainstay, I even suggested that an iPhone (*gasp*) was a superior device to the BlackBerry.

Aug

Over Two-Thirds Of Smartphones In The US Run Android Or iOS

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in News

A recent report from ComScore indicates that as of July 2011 82 million Americans own smartphones, with Android running on 41.8% of those devices, iOS on 27%, BlackBerry OS on 21.7%, Windows Phone on 5.7%, and Symbian on 1.9%.

The survey clearly indicates that significant gains have been made by Google and Apple at the expense of RIM, Microsoft, and Nokia.

Additionally, the survey also looked at the market share of hardware manufacturers and interestingly Samsung was well ahead of the rest with 25.5% market share. I nearly choked when I first saw this figure as just a month ago Samsung's market share in the US was at a measly 8%.

Aug

Motorola Announces The Pro+, A Droid Pro-Style Handset With Security Features Galore

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Motorola, News

Today, Motorola announced its newest handset geared towards corporate types: the Pro+. This is yet another offering to fill the Blackberry-style void in the Android world, as it not only offers the same familiar form factor, but advanced security features akin to that of RIM's handsets -- like remote wipe, full data encryption, and password expiration.

The Pro+ packs a 1GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, and Android 2.3 under its 3.1-inch 480x640 Gorilla Glass display and full QWERTY keyboard, along with a 5MP rear shooter and 1600mAh battery.

The Pro+ will be available in Asia and Europe beginning in October, with no word on price or US availability at this time.

Aug

Blackberry App Developer Bellshare Brings BeWeather To Android - Looking For Beta Testers

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Former Blackberry users may recognize the name Bellshare from such apps as BerryBuzz/BeBuzz and BerryWeather, but now the devs are trying their hand at Android apps -- and they're asking for users to come forward to do some beta testing. BeWeather looks to be a pretty impressive weather tracker, offering current conditions, wind, pressure, dew point, and humidity in your choice of 11 different widgets.

It doesn't stop there, though, as it also offers high def videos, 7-day and 24-hour forecast, geolocation, weather advisories via push notification, animated maps, sunrise/sunset times and moon phase, all inside of a completely customizable interface.

May

RIM Demonstrates Android Apps Running On Blackberry Playbook

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

This morning we told you about RIM's plan to bring Blackberry Enterprise Solution to Android and iOS, with a brief mention of Android apps running on the Playbook. No sooner than we posted the aforementioned article did we find out that RIM had demonstrated just that at Blackberry World Conference. Take a look at the video:

Each Android app will run in its own virtual machine, but will seamlessly integrate into the Blackberry ecosystem. The Playbook doesn't have access to the Android Market, either - all compatible Android Apps will be available through the Blackberry App World. This does mean a bit more headache for developers, though, as they will now have to submit their apps not only to Google for the Android Market, but also to RIM to be accepted into App World.

May

RIM To Bring Blackberry Enterprise Solution To Android And iOS

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Android OS, News

It's no secret that RIM (Research In Motion) has been dipping their figurative toes in the Android water lately, and it looks like running Android apps on the Blackberry Playbook was just the beginning. RIM plans to bring Blackberry Enterprise Solution to both Android and iOS, further helping businesses manage their wireless infrastructure and security.

Once it's released, network administrators will be able to handle a lot of the mobile grind remotely - everything from activation and software updates, to resetting passwords and wiping devices - all over the air. This will be a big win across the board in corporate environments, as we all know that Blackberry is renowned for its tight security.

Apr

Nielsen: Android Runs On 37% Of All US Smartphones And 50% Of All New Smartphones Sold

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, News

NielsenWire has released yet another one of their bar and pie chart-filled smartphone surveys for the US this morning, and it's just more good news for Android. Here's a quick breakdown of some of the key stats Nielsen compiled:

Android now represents 37% of all US smartphones
50% of smartphones sold in the month of March were Android phones
31% of consumers said their next purchase will be an Android phone, compared to 26% one year ago. Android now leads iOS here as well (iOS accounts for 30%, down from 33%)
20% of consumers don't know which OS their next smartphone will run

Another interesting tidbit the survey revealed is that Blackberry has finally dropped to third place in all three of the comparisons Nielsen publishes (future purchases, March purchases, total market share).

Apr

Adobe Makes A Trio Of Android-Related Creative Suite 5.5 Announcements: PS Touch SDK, Flash Builder 4.5/Flex 4.5, And Flash Builder 4.5 For PHP

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Android OS, News

Adobe, the maker of the Creative Suite of applications, such as Photoshop, Acrobat, and Flash, is starting out the week with a whole array of new CS 5.5 announcements, with many new or updated features that deal directly with Android.

These announcements are great news for:

developers interested in building Android tablet applications that can interact directly with Photoshop using the new Photoshop Touch SDK (download it here). Example applications using the SDK were introduced by Adobe, though only for iOS for starters.
multi-platform developers looking to build, test, and deploy Flash and Air apps for multiple platforms, such as Blackberry Tablet OS, iOS, and, of course, Android, with the new Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5.

Mar

It's Official: RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Will (Sort Of) Support Android Apps

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Android OS, Apps/Games, News

Some combinations are as natural as peanut butter and jelly - Avatar & 3D, Apple & dictatorship, and Conan O'Brien & late-night comedy, to name a few. But are Android apps and the BlackBerry PlayBook also such a sweet match? If you ask RIM, the answer is a firm, definitive "yes."

The BlackBerry maker just confirmed the age-old rumors - it's announced that the upcoming QNX-based PlayBook tablet will support Android apps. There are, however, certain limitations - while the process doesn't sound overly complicated, developers of existing Android apps will need to put some work in to porting their software over, namely "repackaging, code signing, and submitting" it to the BlackBerry App World.