Apple is still top dog when it comes to tablet market share, a pretty impressive feat for a company with only 2 tablet models to choose from, however they aren’t sitting quite as pretty as before as their share has slipped while rivals begin to catch up.

When the ‘tablet wars’ kicked off, the Apple iPad seemed all but unbeatable, but times have changed and the iPad mini came a little late to the party giving the likes of Samsung, Amazon, Asus and others the chance catch up with their pint-sized offerings. The shift in market share is quite dramatic with Apple slipping from a 65% share at the start of 2012 to just under 40% this year. In second place Samsung enjoys a 18% market share, with Asus and Amazon making up the rest and Microsoft coming 5th with 1.8%.

From what we have been seeing Apple’s share will continue to slip unless they really do something special with the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2, but even then it won’t be easy, as a new Nexus tablet is expected soon, along with more Samsung tablets on the way.

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Windows 8 might not be selling like hot-cakes, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a success at least at some level. With the mobile-centric OS, Microsoft hoped to push into tablets in a more meaningful way than ever before. That mission has been accomplished, at least to some degree.

According to the latest IDC stats, Windows say a measly .2 million tablets shipped last year, which for most of that year means Windows 7 devices. Three months into 2013, tablet shipments are up 700% with 1.6 million units. Microsoft also now represents 1.8% of the tablet market thanks to its Surface line, making it the fifth most significant tablet brand if IDC’s numbers are correct.

Sure, these numbers are paltry compared with Apple, Samsung, Asus and other brands – but it is still a foot in the door, and that’s what Microsoft was aiming for. Now they just need to push on with the Surface brand, and with the upcoming Windows Blue. It won’t be an easy road, but the groundwork is perhaps finally there to at least allow Microsoft to compete as a solid third place contender in the mobile world.

So what’s next for Microsoft? While we can’t say for sure, DigiTimes claims to have some insider information. Before we go forward, just remember that DigiTimes has a very mixed reputation when it comes to rumors, so speculation is needed.

The latest gossip ships to indicate that the second generation Surface line is coming in June at Microsoft’s BUILD Conference, which could see not only a new 10-inch model, but also 7 and 8-inch variants.

While this is a rumor, it isn’t terribly far-fetched. We already know that Windows Blue is going to be officially shown off at BUILD, and even a Preview version might be released. We also know that Microsoft has previously talked about the possibility of 7-inch tablets, and that rumors indicate Windows 8.1 Blue will be more tablet friendly.

Smaller Windows tablets and a smaller Surface are coming eventually, it’s just hard to say if June is too early or not. What do you think, would you be interested in a smaller-screen Microsoft Surface tablet if Microsoft can position the device at a price equal to or lesser than the iPad Mini?

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Regardless of what mobile platform you currently use, you are likely well aware of the major rivalry between iPhone users and Android users – or more specifically, Samsung users. With that in mind, Microsoft’s latest commercial takes a humorous look at the war and weighs in with its own comment about switching to Windows Phone instead.

Whether or not you like Windows Phone, it is admitedly a fun commercial. Does it do much to truly promote Windows though? Honestly, not really. The commercial really doesn’t focus on the phone’s features at all, instead it just has two waiters using Lumia handsets talking about how Android and iOS fans like to fight.

What do you think of Microsoft’s latest marketing attempt for Windows Phone 8? Effective, humorous? Or totally missed the mark? Let us know in the comments below.

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It’s something that many have predicted but nobody thought would happen anytime soon. According to IDC, sales of smartphones have surpassed that of feature phones in the first quarter. Samsung is leading the race, with Apple, LG, Huawei and ZTE in the top 5.

Samsung’s shipments increased 60.7 percent to reach 70.7 million smartphones and that has helped the South Korean company to get 32.7% of the market share. Apple’s iPhone 5 helped the Mac maker to grow 6.6% to 37.4 million handsets, but their market share dropped to 17.3% from 23%.

Samsung certainly has gained by flooding the market with cheaper Android devices. And the variety of hardware configurations they bring out is an answer just about anyone’s needs (rugged S4 anyone?).

In the third spot is LG, with the Google Nexus 4 among the company’s most popular handsets. The company has 4.8 percent of the market. But where is Nokia, which until last year was a global leader for 14 years? Although their Lumia shipments have grown, that hasn’t helped them with market share. Nokia and BlackBerry have been pushed out of the top 5 by Huawei (4.6%) and ZTE (4.2%).

Nokia, as you might know, is very fond of feature phones, but smartphones have taken over the stage. Nokia should evolve and expand its smartphone line if they plan to get back to the top again. Kevin Restivo, IDC senior research analyst, says, “Phone users want computers in their pockets. The days where phones are used primarily to make phone calls and send text messages are quickly fading away. As a result, the balance of smartphone power has shifted to phone makers that are most dependent on smartphones“.

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In the Android world, “bigger is better” seems to be the official stance of most hardware vendors as 5-inch smartphones have quickly become the norm. Now it looks like Nokia might be interested in following this same trend with a new Windows Phone 8 Lumia device sometime later this year – at least that’s the plan according to “sources with knowledge of the company’s plans”.

Unfortunately not much else is revealed about Nokia’s future plans for a larger sized smartphone, or even what kind of hardware the 5-inch Lumia might be packing.

From what we are hearing, Nokia is actually interested in releasing several high-end smartphones later this year, though. This includes a device that will sport a 40MP Pureview camera, which supposedly will be launched in July. It will also include Verizon’s Lumia 928 variant of the popular Nokia 920.

This latest rumor about Nokia’s plans comes right on the heels of the company’s announcement earlier today that it managed to ship 5.6 million Lumia handsets during the first quarter of this year. That’s a 25 percent jump from what was shipped in the 4th quarter of last year.

While that’s a positive sign, it is still nothing compared to the massive 61 million smartphones shipped by Samsung during that time period. Apple also shipped an impressive 37 million iPhones during that time frame.

Nokia’s Lumia line and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 are certainly making a much bigger splash than phones running on Windows Phone 7 ever did, but it is still an uphill battle if they truly want to compete directly against Android or iOS.

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Google Glass, is it the future or just another fad? At this stage, we can’t say for sure. There has certainly been quite a bit of hype generated for Google’s upcoming computerized glasses, but again that doesn’t speak about lasting appeal.

The idea does certainly have some merit, though. Imagine taking pictures of your loved ones hands-free during hunting trips, fishing, hiking or other events where talking a camera along with you would be otherwise cumbersome. It also could certainly come in handy for quickly learning information and looking things up when you are otherwise not able to just whip out a phone.

Google Glass is clearly a high-tech endeavor, but ever wonder what makes it tick, hardware-wise? Google has now released some new details to that end. First we now know that display will be equivalent to a 25-inch HD (720p) screen viewed eight feet away. It also has a camera that can take 720p video footage and 5MP still images.

The glasses have16GB of onboard storage, though only 12 will actually be available to the user. Then there is Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, audio transferred via a bone conductor transducer, and micro-USB for charging.

Speaking of charging, how long is that battery going to last you? Google now reports it will make it through a “full day of typical use”, though activities like Google Hangouts and video usage will obviously drain the device even quicker.

Wearable Computing, the Next Big Thing

Regardless of whether or not Google Glass itself will make a long-lasting impact on the world around it, we can go out on a limb here and say that wearable computing is here to stay.

As time goes by, the form that these devices take will likely change quite a bit but for the moment the top two contenders for wearable dominance seem to be glasses-like devices like Google is building, or smartwatches like that which companies including Microsoft, Apple and Samsung are rumored to be working on.

What do you think about wearable computing, and which device could you more likely see yourself actually using? Conversely, does the idea of wearable computing make you fear for the future of privacy and security? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

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A storm is quietly brewing in South Korea, with two major players preparing to wage a war of sorts. No, I’m not talking about North and South Korea, I’m talking about LG Display and Samsung as they battle over the future of flexible display technology.

Samsung has been lauding the virtues and uses of flexible display technology for years now. Recently they have even come rather close to putting their money where their mouth is with its YOUM brand of flexible displays, as seen back at January’s CES. Still, after all these years of hyping the technology, Samsung has yet to release any product using the technology commercially and LG is inching towards a similar flexible display future.

According to a recent Korea Times column, LG is continuing to advance in the areas of OLED Tvs, UHD displays and flexible screen technology. They’ve even managed to successfully demonstrate and prepare to market a flexible e-paper display.

Now LG has put a firmer timeline on when its first batch of flexible displays will surface, and the goal is set for later this year. In contrast, Samsung’s plans seem to point more towards 2014.

What flexible displays mean for the future

Let’s say that LG manages to reach production yields for flexible display tech ahead of its rival. What can of devices can you expect? Regardless of whether Sammy or LG is the first to deliver, you will likely see the first flexible display in something that looks about the same as smartphones today – in other words, it won’t really be bendable, as its battery, casing and other components will still be firm.

Instead, the flexible display will be used to create curved panels, or perhaps just to help make the displays a little more shatter-proof then currently found in your typical smartphone. Of course that’s only the beginning.

The first LCD displays were very primitive by today’s standards, but years of evolution saw them fit into uses that were never imagined during their inception. Once LG or Samsung breaks the barrier and gives us the first commercial flexible display-equipped device, the path will be set towards an interesting future that will likely unfold in the decades to come.

Who knows, ten or twenty years from now, displays might be cheap, disposable, fully flexible and capable of fully replacing phamplets, newspapers and finding their way into all sorts of unique devices like the recently patented Apple curved display iPhone.

What would you like to see in the next few years when it comes to devices equipping flexible displays? Any crazy ideas or concepts you can think of? Share them with us in the comment section below!
Source: KoreaTimes via Android Authority
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Even though the iPhone continues to be the talk of the town, iOS actually lost 3.5% market share in the United States compared to the same period last year. By contrast, Android gained nearly 6% market share compared to last year. A big part of this growth can be attributed to Samsung, surely, but companies like Huawei are making a lot of headway too.

But what if we go beyond the two biggest elephants in the room to look at the other operating systems? It looks like the partnership with Nokia is working, because Windows Phone went from 2.7% to 4.1% market share. Considering that no other platform was able to break the 1.0% mark for the 3 month period ending February 2013, that’s quite the accomplishment. If Kantar’s information is correct, Windows Phone is the clear number three in the smartphone race right now. Blackberry OS suffered a heavy blow, as expected, dropping from 3.6% to just 0.7%, despite the push they had with BB10 and the BlackBerry Z10.

Globally, iOS is more or less holding steady with some small gains and losses, but Android has a definite upward trend. This can largely be attributed to people who are leaving legacy platforms — like Symbian — behind. Several former BlackBerry users are jumping to Android, too. Perhaps the biggest hit for BlackBerry is in Great Britain where its market share fell from 16.8% in 2012 to just 5.1% in 2013. Ouch.

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We all like to have the latest greatest, feature-packed smartphone, but with high pricing and hefty carriers contracts it isn’t always possible. Now there is a gleam of hope thanks to Florida-based smartphone maker Blu.

Blu isn’t a household name like Apple or Samsung (yet), but the phone manufacturer has been shipping phones to happy customers since 2009 and have been seeing amazing growth with 4.1 million Blu phones shipped in 2012.

Blu’s current market is mainly around Latin America, but CEO Sammy Ohev-Zion hopes to break in to other markets with the $299 Blu Life One and Blu Life View Android smarpthones. Not only are these phones low-cost, contract free and unlocked but they also boast impressive hardware.

The flagship Blu One Life features a 5-inch HD display, 13 mega-pixel camera and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, while the Blu Life View packs a larger 5.7-inch HD display, 12 mega-pixel rear camera and 5 mega-pixel front.

Blu phone are currently available through online commerce sites such as Amazon and Newegg. How well do they actually rate though? It tends to depend a lot on the model, with some getting low-to-fair reviews and others scoring quite nicely. Bottom-line, the build quality or even the specs of a Blu phone won’t begin to compete with flagships from Samsung, Sony, Apple and others — but if you are looking for a higher-end phone without paying a fortune, it could still be worth a serious look.

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Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is official, it has some pretty awesome specs and it is going to sell like hot cakes. These are the facts, people. Apple doesn’t seem to like this so much though. Samsung has outdone the iPhone once again though, so they have posted up a webpage which details a few reasons why they believe the iPhone 5 is still the best smartphone you can own.

You don’t need to visit the link as I have taken the time to pick out some of the rather lame reasons for and have listed them below:

• Only the iPhone and other Apple products have Retina display.
• The iPhone has a long battery life.
• The iPhone has “ultrafast” wireless and LTE.
• Only the iPhone and other Apple products have access to the iTunes Store and the App Store, which offers over 800,000 apps. What’s more, they are all reviewed by Apple to protect against malware.
• Only the iPhone has Siri, the intelligent personal assistant

I can think of a number of phones which offer a fantastic screen, have great battery life, access to thousands of apps and run Android. As for Siri, I never use it on my iPad Mini, and LTE? There are still places around the world that do not even have access to it yet, not to mention that Android devices have been offering LTE as a feature for way longer than Apple.

I have a suggestion for Apple, rather than spending time making lame articles about the iPhone 5, why not make a truly amazing iPhone 6 which will have ex-iPhone users (like me) flocking back to iOS? What do you think of the iPhone 5, how does it compare in your opinion to other phones out there running Android, Windows Phone 8 and Blackberry 10?

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