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Oct

Microsoft Allegedly Planning Native Office Apps For Android For Release In March 2013

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Last Updated: October 15th, 2012

According to a Czech press release unearthed by The Verge, Microsoft may be readying native Office apps for Android. As of right now, the only programs that have mobile versions on the Play Store are OneNote and Lync. Otherwise known as "the ones very few people care about." If this report is to be believed, though, we may see native versions of the entire Office suite.

According to the Verge's translations, Microsoft said this:

"In addition to Windows, Office will be also available on other operating systems, Windows Phone, Windows RT, Mac OS, Android, iOS and Symbian"

Redmond, by way of the Czech Republic, also pointed out that there would be new versions of its Office Web Apps.

Aug

[Whoa!] Google Will Start Down-Ranking Search Results That Receive Too Many Takedown Requests

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News

This may not be strictly Android-related news, but it's safe to say that what Google does to search results is relevant to our readers' interests, no? Today, Google announced via its Inside Search blog that the company will start including the volume of valid copyright removal notices as a factor in determining how high or low a site ranks in its search results. Translation: pirate sites won't be removed entirely, but they'll start ranking lower than legitimate sites.

^{Pretty soon, sites like the Pirate Bay won't be the #1 search result anymore.}

The net effect of this change will likely be very minimal to the more hardcore pirates.

Jun

Editorial: Android Tablets Still Suck, And Google's Running Out Of Time To Fix Them

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, Tablets

I want to ask everyone a question - well, everyone who owns an Android tablet, that is - how often do you instinctively reach for it, as opposed to your phone or laptop? I don't care what the reason is, I'm just genuinely curious how much of a "tweener" role your Android tablet has taken in your life. And after you read this editorial, share that story with me in the comments, because I'd really like to have a discussion with people on this.

I own a Transformer Prime. Know how often I use it? Once, maybe twice a week for a few minutes.

Jun

XP Mod Is A Custom Launcher That Hearkens Back To A Simpler, Less Modal Time

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

In the never-ending debates of morality, philosophy, and the meaning of life, the complexities of the universe manifest themselves in one universal mantra: no one can agree on anything except that the world is going to pot and things were better when we were younger and life was "simpler." In an effort to help make the world a little brighter, or just indulge in a bit of nostalgia, XP Mod brings your Android device back to 2001 by turning it into a Windows XP desktop.

The app starts with the traditional Windows XP startup noise and plops you into the familiar desktop minus the rolling hills.

Jun

Why Android's Greatest Threat Isn't Apple - It's Microsoft

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Editorials

There's little denying that Apple rules the smartphone world. The company sells just one phone model, yet that sole model constitutes 8.8% - or roughly 1 in 11 - of all worldwide smartphone sales and 73% of profits. iOS is the second most popular smartphone OS in the US after Android with 31.4% of the market (Android has 50.8%). Windows Phone 7, on the other hand, has just 4% of the US smartphone market, yet it's Microsoft that we have to worry about. We're witnessing a Kansas City Shuffle; while everybody is looking left, Microsoft is going right.

Microsoft is a lot like a freight train: it may be fat, bloated, and heavy, but once it finally gets up to speed, it's a force to be reckoned with.

Jun

Microsoft Continues To Show Android Love With Its First Game For Android: Kinectimals

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

When on{x} showed up as an Android exclusive from Microsoft, we figured it was just a fluke. Then Android got its own Xbox LIVE app straight from MS, and things got interesting. Now, Microsoft has launched its first Android game: Kinectimals. Sure, it's not Microsoft's most popular game, but it does show that the company is willing to take Android more seriously. Even at the risk of its own mobile OS.

The game itself costs $2.99 on the Play Store. If you already own Kinectimals on the Xbox 360, this app will let you unlock five new animals on your console.

Jun

Android Gets Its Very Own Official Xbox LIVE App From Microsoft- In Other News, Pigs Now Fly

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Well, this sure came out of left field. Microsoft has released an official Xbox LIVE app for Android! The app can be used to view and modify your 3D Xbox avatar, track your achievements, connect with Xbox LIVE friends, and even get news and information from the Xbox Spotlight feeds. Color us surprised at how fully featured this app is.

The app has a distinctly Metro UI feel to it, which is unsurprising as Redmond has been keen to slather the vector-based UI on all of its properties these days, but the theme definitely clashes with Android. Functionally, however, it's very robust.

Jun

Microsoft Unveils on{X}, A Framework For Phone Automation - Launching Now On Android And Set To Take On Tasker

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Applications, News

Last Updated: August 22nd, 2012

A key aspect of the power of smartphones is the variety of functions they provide to the user. Data, GPS, Voice, Video, are all found in almost every Android phone on the market. With today's release of on{X} ("on-ex"), Microsoft hopes to exploit this convergence of functionality in a way that is less reliant on the user for input and more aware of its surroundings. By gathering information from the host of sensors available to the operating system, it's quite possible for your phone to determine its location and context and respond accordingly, without intervention by the user. Armed with their trademark lower-case, sans-serif, Holo-breaking Metro style convention, on{X} is Tasker for the everyman.

May

Samsung The King Of Android With 45.4% Of All Global Shipments In Q1 2012

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, News, Samsung

IDC's report for the first quarter of 2012 indicates that Google's Android continues to grow its market share to 59%, while Apple's iOS lags in second at 23%. Unsurprisingly Samsung has given the biggest boost to Android, accounting for a whopping 45.4% of all Android smartphone shipments worldwide.

In total 152.3 million smartphones were shipped in the first quarter of 2012, of which 89.9 million were Android-based smartphones (59%), 35.1 million were iOS devices (23%), 10.4 million were Symbian-based phones (6.8)%, followed by BlackBerry, Linux, and Windows Phone 7/Windows Mobile devices.