Tracking iOS 7′s Development from December to Today

June 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment

We were just as thrilled as anyone else to read about all the new features of iOS 7 yesterday. In a nutshell, it looks awesome and we can’t wait to try it out.

The longer version of the story:

iOS 7 first appeared on HandsetDetection’s radar on Dec 15, 2012.  They’ve had 6 months to make it awesome, so we’re optimistic about the current beta test.

We’ve tracked close to 40 iOS builds since December 15th. 30 of those builds were released in May 2013. The daily iOS builds look to be continuing in June starting with build 11A385 through to 11A391 on June 9th. June 10th saw 11A4372q. We’ll look in a bit to see what today brings.

From what we can tell, these builds look to be running on iPhone 4 & 5 series devices.  Which begs the question: is this finally the end for the venerable 3GS?

You guys keep developing and we’ll keep detecting. Come to think about it, are any of our readers beta testing the new iOS? We’d love to hear your thoughts here or on Twitter.

Filed Under: Mobile News Tagged With: , , , ,

Mobile Breaking News You May Have Missed, May 2013

May 31, 2013 by Leave a Comment

What You Might Have Missed in Mobile This Month

Once in a while a blog or media outlet will post a little blurb about this newfangled “mobile technology” stuff. We kid! There are hundreds of important, interesting, fun and just plain cool mobile stories out there every day. Since mobile is our wheelhouse at Handset Detection, we thought we’d make it a point to round up the ones you don’t want to miss.

1. Smell-O-Vision Coming to Smartphones

Easily the most important news item from the month – Scentee allows you to send scents along with your word texts. Spritz a little love in someone’s face as you tell them “OMG ILY LOL.”

2. Smartphones Outsell Feature Phones

For the first time in phone history, smartphones have outsold “feature” basic phones. Smartphone sales were at almost 1 billion while feature phones were at just under 900 million. Unless something drastic happens don’t expect a turnaround of this trend.

3. More Mobile Phones than Clean Toilets

In another strange tidbit of phone news, there are now more mobile phones than clean toilets in the world. You would think they would go hand in hand considering phones were pretty much made for the bathroom.

4. Unbreakable Screens

Tired of always smashing the screen on your phone or tablet? LG may have a solution for you, Mr. or Ms. Hulk, as they previewed their “unbreakable” bendy screen this month. Could this be the screen of the future or is it just a gimmick?

5. Facebook Phone Fails

If you loved the idea of the Facebook Phone – well, you were the only one, as the HTC First on AT&T was quickly discontinued after disappointing sales in May. Even when it went on sale for $1 nobody was interested. Harsh!

6. Galaxy S4 Mini

Samsung announced this month the S4 Mini was coming, featuring a 4.3 inch qHD display, 1.5GB RAM, and 8 megapixel rear camera and 1.9 megapixel front camera. Look for this version of the Galaxy sometime in June.

7. More Lawsuit Stuff

Speaking of the S4, Apple has added the line to their continued lawsuit claiming infringement on the Siri technology. Will this ever end? Final arguments are scheduled for November, but we’ll believe it when we see it!

8. Windows Phone Now Third

While Android and iOS fight each other for 1st and 2nd, 3rd place in the smartphone market is hotly contested as well. Windows Phone took over from Blackberry this month, but will that change in the future?

9. Moto X

There have been rumors for months about a mysterious Motorola phone project, and in late May the company finally came forward and acknowledged them. The Moto X is a real phone and while details are light it will be produced in the United States.

10. New Apple Patent

We’ve seen some pretty cool Apple patents over the past year, and this one is no different: invisible buttons and slider! This tech will make these features non-existent and blend into the background until you need them to appear, meaning more of the screen can be used for other things.

Did we miss any big news from March? Let us know in the comments!

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Mobile Breaking News You May Have Missed, April 2013

April 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment

What You Might Have Missed in Mobile This Month

Once in a while a blog or media outlet will post a little blurb about this newfangled “mobile technology” stuff. We kid! There are hundreds of important, interesting, fun and just plain cool mobile stories out there every day. Since mobile is our wheelhouse at Handset Detection, we thought we’d make it a point to round up the ones you don’t want to miss.

1. Austin the Next Fiber City

After the successful rollout of Google Fiber in Kansas City, it was only a matter of time before the next city was announced. Let’s see how Austin does!

2. Apparently Teens Love Phones

This will probably come as a shock, but teens love smartphones! Reports say 91% of teenagers will buy a smartphone for their next phone, up from 86% last spring. 62% of those say they will buy an iPhone, showing Apple’s stranglehold on the young.

3. S4 in May

Coming this May (possibly as you read this) – the S4 on Verizon! Finally! For whatever reason, Verizon took their sweet time bringing the new Galaxy phone to its customers. Better late than never, I guess?

4. Google Now

Do you use Google Now on your Android device? Get ready to enjoy it on Google.com as well! It may even be an alternative to iGoogle so expect some big changes in the future if it does well.

5. Google Glass Specs

“Specs” for Google Glass? Get it? Ah, well. Here are some of the numbers behind the potentially revolutionary Google project – will you pick one up?

6. Glass NYT App

Speaking of Google Glass, want to get a little preview of what to expect? The New York Times has already launched its app, and you can take a look at how it will work way before you’ll ever get the wearable computer.

7. New iPad to be Thin & Light

No word is out about the fifth generation iPad coming this fall, but some reports say it will be the thinnest and lightest tablet yet. Soon you’ll be able to keep your tablet afloat in front of you with a strong breeze!

8. Android Takes 64% of Sales

The Android isn’t exactly hurting – 64% of all smartphone sales in Q1 of 2013 are Androids, further securing the company’s growth as the world’s most popular platform. The Windows Phone continues to gain ground, however.

9. Facebook Home Comes Out, Immediately Fails

It was supposed to be a fun, Facebook centered home screen option for your Android phone, but it ended up a disaster. Facebook Home immediately received tons of negative reviews and downloads dwindled down to nothing. A rough start.

10. Blackberry Q10 Hits FCC

Earlier in April the Blackberry Q10 was at the FCC receiving extensive tests for approval. Word is it will be officially out on April 30th but no actual confirmation. Heck, you might even be reading this via your own Q10!

Did we miss any big news from March? Let us know in the comments!

Filed Under: Mobile Cool, Mobile News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Should Handset Detection Accept BitCoins?

April 24, 2013 by 1 Comment

Earlier this year we surveyed our users about how we could improve Handset Detection. But perhaps we forgot the million-coin question:

Should Handset Detection accept BitCoins?

Is there a demand out there from our users? Are many of you busily mining and trading BitCoins? Is so, why? If not, why not?

From what we can see, BitCoin has distinct advantages:

  • Anonymity – No banks or overzealous payments processors are involved, meaning you could join the ranks of our free plan customers using Handset Detection as anonymously as you please.bitcoin
  • Lower Fees – With no banks involved transaction fees are lower and there’s no chance of a chargeback. On the other hand, this doesn’t affect our end user. A large segment of our users would have to start paying with BitCoins for us to see a significant difference in payment processing fees.
  • BitCoins Know No Boundaries – No currency exchanges, no regulation. On the other hand, BitCoin values have fluctuated heavily throughout the currency’s rather short life.   

On the other hand, nasty DDOS attacks, fluctuations, the shut down of at least one major exchange, and few mainstream places to spend BitCoins (for now) are disadvantages. Of course, if companies like Handset Detection – admittedly not Starbucks – begin accepting BitCoins will the snowflake turn into a snowball?

Or perhaps the reason we should accept BitCoins are this, so elegantly enumerated by John Biggs in his TechCrunch article:

“The world needs BitCoins to exist, even if the mass of humanity doesn’t use it. The goal of the currency is to disassociate the old methods of money transfer and to allow people true freedom in their ability to transmit value from one person to the next. A poor grandmother in the home village could receive money quickly and easily from the grandchildren without resorting to fees and trips to Western Union. Those on the move could hold their money in an account that is as liquid as quicksilver, allowing them to perform fee-free transactions anywhere. Refugees would no longer have to carry gold and instead could carry bitcoin. The utopian possibilities are, in a sense, endless.”

Vote in the comments or by sending us a Tweet or Facebook message. Do you want Handset Detection to begin accepting BitCoins?

Image via BitCoin on Twitter

Filed Under: More Fun Tagged With: ,

Where in the World are Android Devices Showing Up? [Infographic]

April 10, 2013 by 24 Comments

Wondering just how worldwide the Android brand has become? We assimilated data from all over the world to bring you this infographic that may surprise you!

(Click to enlarge)

When in the World are Android Devices Showing Up

Embed this infographic on your own site!

Have A Fat Blog? (600 px Wide)

Have A Skinny Blog? (500 px Wide)

Filed Under: Mobile Cool, Mobile News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Mobile Breaking News You May Have Missed, March 2013

March 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment

What You Might Have Missed in Mobile This Month

Once in a while a blog or media outlet will post a little blurb about this newfangled “mobile technology” stuff. We kid! There are hundreds of important, interesting, fun and just plain cool mobile stories out there every day. Since mobile is our wheelhouse at Handset Detection, we thought we’d make it a point to round up the ones you don’t want to miss. Check back every Friday for the weekly roundup!

1. The Blackberry Recovery

Blackberry’s Hail Mary pass seems to have worked as they made over $94 million revenue and shipped over 1 million Blackberry 10 devices in Q4. Whether or not this upswing stays is another thing, but this is a good sign for the company.

2. Cheap iPhone Rumor #83297489

It’s happening, it’s not happening – every day or so the story changes. The latest rumor has the cheap version of the iPhone coming out in August. Is it true? We’ll just have to wait and see.

3. Nexus 5 – Too Much Too Soon?

Excited about the Nexus 5? Think it’s going to be the greatest thing since the Nexus 4? You might be a little premature, in that literally everything you’ve heard may be completely untrue.

4. Lockscreen Security Bug

Smartphones are having some security issues, and one of the latest in March was the lockscreen security bug with Samsung Android phones. The exploit lets sneaky people into your phone with a series of spy-worthy button presses.

5. Car Apps

Tired of playing with apps on your tablet or phone? In a few years you’ll be able to play Angry Birds 19 with an app in your car! Looks like we have some work to do when customers start shopping at your store from their windshield…

6. White House on Unlocking Phones

Surprises all around when not only did a petition to the White House to investigate unlocking phones get enough signatures but the White House actually agreed customers should be able to do so! Next step: an investigation, and what it means for businesses everywhere.

7. LTE on its Way

T-Mobile announced earlier this month the LTE is on its way, and by the time you read this they should be around the country. They’ve also included a nice update on the Galaxy Note 2 software updates.

8. Google Glass Apps

More information is coming out about Google Glass, including the programs and apps it will run. Power hitters like Gmail (obviously), New York Times, and Evernote are some of the first to announce support. Who knows what’s to come in the future?

9. Wireless Charging

Plugging in your phone to charge is and always will be a pain. Luckily several companies out there are plugging away at creating the proper tech for wireless charging, with one company sponsored by none other than AT&T.

10. Hate Your Phone?

Do you hate your mobile device? You’re certainly not alone, at least according to mobile video service Vuclip. A survey of more than 120,000 users revealed 48% of people hate their current device. With so many options out there, it may just be a case of “grass is greener.”

Did we miss any big news from March? Let us know in the comments!

Filed Under: Mobile News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mobile Breaking News You May Have Missed, February 2013

March 1, 2013 by 1 Comment

What You Might Have Missed in Mobile This Month

Once in a while a blog or media outlet will post a little blurb about this newfangled “mobile technology” stuff. We kid! There are hundreds of important, interesting, fun and just plain cool mobile stories out there every day. Since mobile is our wheelhouse at Handset Detection, we thought we’d make it a point to round up the ones you don’t want to miss. Check back every Friday for the weekly roundup!

1. Unlocking Petition 

Remember in late January unlocking your phone became illegal? Smartphone fans everywhere immediately started a petition to make the White House take a look at the ruling, and the required amount of signatures (100,000!) was reached. Now we wait for the response.

2. Blackberry Delays

Unsurprisingly, the weeks following the Blackberry announcement have been full of turmoil, ups and downs. Pre-orders were going well but news came out they were pulling out of Japan and possibly Korea, and then there were the delays. However, all this news may just be buzz building schemes.

3. 128GB iPad

Apple launched the 128GB iPad just ahead of Microsoft’s launch of the Surface Pro. Although the two devices aren’t really meant to be competitors, you know there was something behind the timing of the release! 

4. World’s Smallest Charger

Tired of carrying around those burdensome chargers? LG aims to fix that with the world’s smallest charger, soon to come out in South Korea. It will eventually spread globally, giving everyone a chance to charge on the go without having to carry an extra bag just for the charger.

5. End of Texting?

Are we seeing the end of texting? Apps are outshining SMS and since text messaging is such a high extra cost we could see the end of it in 2013. Soon, look for all those “k” messages to be on Twitter or Google Talk.

6. LG Optimus G Pro

The upgrade to the Optimus G is around the corner, and man is it looking good. A giant 3,140 mAh battery tops the list of awesome but also includes a 1080×1920 full HD IPS-LCD screen and 32 GB of internal memory PLUS a microSD slot for cards up to 64 GB.

7. GPS Might Not Suck Soon

Every used your GPS in the city and found yourself more than a little lost? There are a ton of things that can interfere with your signal, but soon that may be a thing of the past. Geocaching just got a whole lot easier!                                                                                                                    

8. Surface Pro Sells Out…Sort Of 

Great news for Microsoft as the Surface Pro sold out relatively quickly…perhaps a little too quickly! Allegedly the shortage was simply due to there not being enough stock, and it’s kind of a “false sellout.” Still, it looks like the Surface is here to stay.

9. Android Takes iOS in US 

Perhaps Apple doesn’t have the stranglehold over the US everyone thought? Despite reports in the beginning of the year, Android has now taken over the top spot over Apple at 49.9 to 45.9 percent sales. Naturally, this could change at any point.

10. Google to Open Stores

Not content with owning the Internet, Google now wants to open physical stores around the world. However, some fear the company is biting off more than it can chew, and they should stick with what works for them.

Did we miss any big news from February? Let us know in the comments!

Filed Under: Mobile News

The Best Apps for a Truly Unforgettable Valentine’s Day [Infographic]

February 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Love is in the…cloud! Valentine’s Day is coming up and aside from finding chocolates and a good restaurant you’re also looking for the best apps for the big day. Let this fun infographic from PGi help!

[Click to enlarge]

Filed Under: Mobile Cool Tagged With: , , , , ,

Breaking Mobile News You May Have Missed 2/01/13

February 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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Once in a while a blog or media outlet will post a little blurb about this newfangled “mobile technology” stuff. We kid! There are hundreds of important, interesting, fun and just plain cool mobile stories out there every day. Since mobile is our wheelhouse at Handset Detection, we thought we’d make it a point to round up the ones you don’t want to miss. Check back every Friday for the weekly roundup!

1. Unlocking Now Illegal

Just picked up the hot new Android or Apple smartphone and want to unlock it for your own purposes? Be prepared to break the law, because this action is now illegal. Will you do it anyway?

2. Blackberry 10 Review

RIM (now just Blackberry) officially launched the Blackberry 10 line, and the reviews of the phones are coming in. Mashable reviewed the Z10 and found it “exceptional, but perplexing.” Find out why!

3. T-Mobile Smartphones Supporting LTE

T-Mobile is set to “light up” its LTE network in Las Vegas with Kansas City soon to follow, but which smartphones will actual support the network?

4. Facebook Mobile

More Facebook users are jumping on the mobile version rather than going on their computers according to recent stats. If you’ve ever been stuck in a long line or felt the aftermath of late night super spicy nachos, you know it’s true.

5. Organize Your Life

Mobile apps can be fun and quirky, but the best ones help you get your life in order. Check out these 7 that can help you organize everything that needs organizing!

6. Galaxy S4 Coming in April?

The Galaxy S4’s announcement is at least another month away, so when should we be able to buy the thing? Some leaked documents seem to indicate the launch could be as early as April.

7. Mobile Coupons

With the rise of mobile comes new ways of bringing in customers…some that seem awfully familiar, like coupons! Mobile coupons are a huge deal right now, and here are some stats to show you why you should be doing it too.

8. Remote for Your Phone…

Tired of physically touching your phone? Who isn’t? Well, now you have an option – the HTC Mini remote! It lets you do all sorts of stuff you can do with your phone/tablet, just in a…smaller form…like a mini phone. Sorry, I just don’t get this, but good luck to them!

We think we were pretty thorough this week. But did we miss the big mobile news you were most excited about? Let us know in the comments!

Filed Under: Mobile News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Breaking Mobile News You May Have Missed 1/25/13

January 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

*Love Handset Detection? Take our quick survey and make us even better!*

Once in a while a blog or media outlet will post a little blurb about this newfangled “mobile technology” stuff. We kid! There are hundreds of important, interesting, fun and just plain cool mobile stories out there every day. Since mobile is our wheelhouse at Handset Detection, we thought we’d make it a point to round up the ones you don’t want to miss. Check back every Friday for the weekly roundup!

1. Galaxy Note 8 Caught on Camera!

The new Samsung device is expected to make its debut next week at the Mobile World Congress, but yesterday there was a leak showing it in the hands of a user. Luckily it wasn’t caught saucily shrugging off it’s case for an iPhone 5S or anything!

2. iPhones Rule US & Japan

Android may be the king in the rest of the world, but Apple has the market cornered in the US and Japan. Other interesting growth: Windows Phone is slowly capturing Europe, possibly due to Android saturation.

3. Siri’s Story

Not many remember Siri’s original incarnation. Here’s how she’s grown over the years and why she could totally overshadow the iPhone in the future.

4. The Last Symbian

Nokia’s earnings are on the way up, but the Nokia 808 Pureview may have been the last Symbian phone. However, look for the company to integrate Pureview tech into future Windows Phone devices. Also: the headline for this blurb sounds like a fantasy novel.

5. Big Mac Problems

No, not the burger from McDonald’s we pretend not to like. Apple figured out its inventory problem with the iPhone, but now they may face a similar issue with their Mac department.

6. New Shoes

We all suffer from not knowing when to get new shoes, or at least I do. I know it keeps me up at night! Well wonder no longer – Apple patented smart shoes that alarm you when they’re about to “die.” Honestly, it’s pretty neat, but would you use them?

7. 5 Inch Displays Rule 2013

Another big winner for 2013? The 5 inch display, at least if the early trend is to be believed! This is yet another sign that the “phablet” is sure to be the future of mobile devices.

8. Google Says Chill About Motorola

Google may have earned over $14 billion in Q4, but Motorola was not part of those earnings. Instead of freaking out, Google says for everyone to give them some time, as it may take a little while to get them back on their feet. Can they really reinvent the business and make it profitable again?

9. Smartphones in the Job Market

The smartphone has undoubtedly changed the job market, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. Employers are finding new employees with new tech but employees are also messing up a great job by forgetting themselves on those same phones. Care to share any examples of people who’ve accidentally used their smartphone to Tweet or email themselves out of a job?

We think we were pretty thorough this week. But did we miss the big mobile news you were most excited about? Let us know in the comments!

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