For some time now, Android has been on top in terms of daily device activations and market share, but how does that translate into sales of applications on the respective app stores?

We are used to most major developers bringing their apps to iOS first (although there has been a slight shift in recent months), and it was for good reason. Consumer spending on applications in iOS has always been higher. While that is still the case, Google Play seems to be making ground on iOS since last year.

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Skype launched its video messaging service across all major platforms on Monday, June 17. It had been in beta for some time (although not available everywhere at the time), with early adopters limited to twenty free messages, except for premium subscriptions which had unlimited free messages.

It is now out of beta and luckily free for all. You can now send video messages to Skype contacts on Windows and Mac as well as mobile operating systems iOS, Android and Blackberry. Curiously, there is no Windows Phone version as of yet, but we are sure it will follow soon.

Check out Engadget’s hands-on first impressions of the beta below:

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Samsung has had no trouble peddling its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone. There are also plans for different variants of the phone, with the likes of the Galaxy S4 Active (dust and waterproof variant), the Galaxy S4 Zoom (S4 with a massive camera) and the Galaxy S4 Mini (smaller, cheaper version). Now we hear that they plan to launch another variant of the popular smartphone – one that will transmit data at nearly twice the normal LTE speeds we are seeing today. (more…)

We have heard rumours about this device for some time and finally, it is official. Samsung took the wraps off its new Galaxy S4 Zoom variant, another spinoff of the flagship smartphone. What sets this one apart? It features a 10x optical lens with a 16MP CMOS sensor and a Xenon flash.

This is a natural evolution of the Samsung Galaxy Camera that was released towards the end of last year. This time around, you do get the full smartphone experience with the ability to make phone calls. We can’t image it will be very comfortable to make calls with, though, as it is big and heavy. It comes in at 208 grams and is 15.4mm thick. That being said, it is thinner than the aforementioned Galaxy Camera. (more…)

In November 2012 we reported that mobile social network 2go announced that it was planning to extend its popular feature phone app to smartphones while growing its team of software developers and support staff.

Now having extended beyond its 10 million active user base, 2go, is now available for Android and will be hitting iOS and BlackBerry next.

2go has it largest user base in Nigeria, which interestingly enough isn’t a large Android market, representing only 5.2% of current monthly phone sales. But, this is a figure that has increased over time, a trend seen across Africa.

As the fastest growing mobile platform in Africa and with affordable smartphones available under $50, the move to Android was without a doubt the next logical step for the mobile social network as feature phone users begin to migrate to smartphones.

The app for Android features push notifications and a sleek user interface and lets users create their own profile, share files, photos and contacts and chat to friends on Facebook Google Chat and MXit.

2go can be downloaded from Google Play. (more…)

Google has patented new facial recognition technology which allows users to unlock phones with a wink and a smile. The first time we saw this feature was with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but since then Google has been hard at work to improve the technology and make unlocking your device easier and more unique. In the process they have also attained more IP protection. (more…)

This doesn’t really come as a surprise, since we already heard in the last couple of weeks that both Samsung and HTC also have this strategy. Their flagships, the Galaxy S4 and the One, will both launch a version with stock Android. Sony has announced that the Xperia Z competing flagship will get the same “Nexus” treatment.

Google’s Nexus brand name has now started to gain some traction in the market after the success of the Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 7 tablet. More people want that vanilla Android experience than ever before, and the manufacturers are now giving consumers that option.
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There are many flavours out there for people who want to change the keyboard on their Android device. Most of the proper ones, however, aren’t free. Not anymore, as Google has just made its stock Android keyboard available in the Google Play store. Its initial rollout includes a multitude of countries, with the rest to follow soon.

There are many people that aren’t crazy about their OEM’s typing experience (nudge, nudge, Samsung), so this is the perfect opportunity to check out another option. (more…)