- Google reportedly developing a unified chat service, Babble, to rival all others We don’t post rumours too often around here but this one, if true, is worthy of mention. This evening’s babble would see Google unify its various chat services (yes, all of them) into a single product, Babble.
- Facebook finishes 2012 as number one smartphone app Despite trailing Google Maps for most of 2012, Facebook catapulted in popularity through the final quarter to become the number one mobile app in terms of monthly unique users.
- Sony announces the Xperia Z – a Samsung Galaxy S4 competitor Sony has announced its new flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z - a device that it hopes will help keep the company relevant among the emerging leaders of the high-end smartphone market: Apple and Samsung.
- Google Play will hit one million apps this June After the single busiest week in terms of new device activations and app downloads in Android history, we study the size of Google Play's app directory and predict when it's likely to reach the magical one million app milestone.
- As tablet market matures, the iPad's share falls sharply This may sound a little shocking at first but in the days immediately after Christmas Apple's share of the tablet market actually fell by 7.1%. This is, however, a sign that the tablet market is maturing rather than any beginning of the end predictions for Apple.
- Google brings 24 new updates to Google+ on Android and iOS Google is the internet's largest advertising network that keeps on giving. The company has released an updated version of its Google+ app for Android and iOS today, packed with 24 "treats" that make "sharing and communication easier and more fun".
- Android is dominating the smartphone market, and closing-in on Apple's tablet dominance The first Android-powered smartphone went to market towards the end of 2008. Now, Android OS dominates the market with 500 million devices activated to date.
- Tawkon wants to protect against cellphone radiation Cellphone radiation is a contentious issue. The World Health Organisation describes it as possibly carcinogenic, and most research to date has proved inconclusive. Whether that research is proven or not, many would prefer to air on the side of caution. For that reason, Israeli startup Tawkon has created an Android app that attempts to limit users' exposure to harmful levels of cellphone radiation.
- Google Play hits 25 billion downloads, here's our five must-have Android apps 1,435 days - that's how long it took Google Play to reach 25 billion downloads. In the week that saw the Android platform reach this momentous milestone - 101 days longer than it took Apple to - we've collated our five favourite Android apps of the moment (out of a possible 675,000).
- Android and Samsung rule the smartphone market, but Apple's the fastest riser In a month filled with important announcements from respective smartphone manufacturers, including Apple, Nokia, Motorola Mobility and HTC, comScore has published its Mobile Subscriber Market Share report that places Samsung ahead of all other device makers and Android miles ahead of all other mobile platforms.