results - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Oct

Quick Tip: How To Search Only Android Play Store Titles And Cut Out The Noise

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Apps/Games, News, Tips & Tutorials

I do so much searching in the Play Store on a daily basis that every little trick that helps surface relevant results faster and filter out things I don't want is worth its weight in gold. Sometimes, you're searching for XYZ, which you know should be in the title, but instead get a ton of results back with XYZ in the description. This is especially frustrating when a new app or game gets released, and Google hasn't figured out it's popular yet. In that case, it's more than likely that searching for the name of the app will show it somewhere near the last results page.

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.

Jul

Official London 2012 Results App Sprints To The Play Store With Olympics Results, Schedules, And News

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, News

Android-using Olympics fans now have another reason to be proud of their platform - back in May, the London 2012 Join In App was released, and now, the same developer has published the London 2012 Results App.

As its name suggests, this new creation features results from all sorts of sports, including both the Olympic and Paralympic varieties. Additionally, the app will allow you to keep up on the latest news, live schedules, and athlete profiles from the games once they begin. You'll also be able to follow any specific country, in addition to "[managing] your favorites, reminders, and settings" - combined, these features enable notifications exclusively for a specific nation.

Feb

Sprint Loses $1.3 Billion In Fourth Quarter, But Gains 1.6 Million Subscribers

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Sprint

Sprint posted its fourth quarter earnings this morning, and they definitely painted a mixed picture of the company's financial position. On the one hand, the Alamo of unlimited data increased its subscriber base by 1.6 million in the last quarter, with big thanks likely owed to the addition of the iPhone to Sprint's lineup - giving them a significant advantage over their primary price point rival, T-Mobile.

Unfortunately, also because of the iPhone, the company managed a $1.3 billion net loss for the quarter, owed in large part to the massive cost of providing the device ($15.5 billion over 4 years) to customers at heavily subsidized price points.

Jul

Sprint Posts Q2 2011 Results Boasting 1 Million Additional Subscribers, Still Makes Net Loss Of $847 Million

Posted by John Thompson in News, Sprint

They say that there are two sides to every story, and that certainly holds true for Sprint after they announced their second quarter 2011 results this morning.

Once again, the network has reported that in the course of Q2 2011 it has wrapped up more than 1 million net wireless subscriber additions, increasing their revenue from consumers. The quarter is also Sprint's fourteenth consecutive quarter of improved customer care satisfaction, showing that customers are enjoying the unlimited plans currently being offered.

“Sprint’s second quarter results, including our fourteenth consecutive quarter of improved customer care satisfaction, our best ever postpaid churn, more than 1 million net wireless subscriber additions and wireless service revenue growth, validate that our focus on providing simplicity, value and an unmatched customer experience is working,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO.

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

Sony Ericsson Reports Q1 2010 Results, Posts First Profit Since Q2 2008 Thanks In Part To Android

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in News, Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson, a well known mobile arm of the Japanese company Sony Corp and Swedish Ericsson, posted its first profit in years, following a cost-cutting measure and introduction of new phones to the market, including the XPERIA X10 - its first Android based device.

Profits for Q1 2010 were EUR21 mil, compared to a loss of EUR293 mil a year ago.

In mid-2008, Sony Ericsson started a transformation program with the aim of reducing annual operating expenses by EUR880 mil. It is continuing with the full benefit expected during the second half of 2010. Since the start of the program, Sony Ericsson has laid off approximately 3,150 people to reach a total of 8,450 by March 31, 2010.