Half of U.S. cell phones are now smartphones | 0 Comments
By brian on 05-16-2012 08:28 PM
For the first time, more than half of all American mobile customers own a smartphone, according to a report released Wednesday by Nielsen. That’s up from 38% a year ago.
As smartphones eclipse “feature” phones — the industry’s term for phones without touchscreens — the way Americans are using their handsets is changing. The number of apps downloaded to Apple iPhone and Google Android devices grew 28% over the past year to an average of 41 apps per phone. Smartphone users are spending 39 minutes per day using their apps, up 10% from a year ago. A Google study also released Wednesday found that 26% of U.S. smartphone owners would rather give up their computer than their smartphone — a sign that the devices are truly becoming mini-PCs.
Facebook, YouTube, the Android market, Google and Gmail remain the top five most-used apps, according to Nielsen. That isn’t particularly surprising, since all of those apps except for Facebook are pre-loaded onto most Android devices, which remain the most popular smartphones.
Android makes up 51% of all smartphones in the United States, compared to the iPhone, which has a 30.7% share, according to comScore.
That trend has held up globally as well, with Android devices making up 56% of first-quarter smartphone sales. Just 23% were iPhones, Gartner reported on Wednesday.
It’s becoming evident that Google and Apple are running away with the smartphone market. They were the only major mobile operating systems to gain share over the past year — and those that lost share fell hard, Gartner reported.
Nokia’s discontinued Symbian fell through the floor. It represented 8.6% of overall sales, down from nearly 28% a year earlier. But the Finnish mobile company’s replacement, Microsoft’s Windows Phone, also lost share. Microsoft’s phones made up just 1.9% of sales last quarter, down from 2.6% a year earlier.
Struggling BlackBerry maker Research In Motion’s smartphone market share was sliced in half, commanding just 7% of sales this past quarter.
Meanwhile, Nielsen found that the number of iPhone and Android users doubled in the United States over the past year. Globally, Apple and Google smartphones grew their market share by nearly 26 percentage points. They now control 79% of the market.
Source: CNN
The LG Optimus Elite will arrive 5/18 | 0 Comments
By evp on 05-03-2012 02:53 PM
In recent years there has been a push to be environmentally friendly or “go green” and Sprint has made huge strides towards this. The LG Optimus Elite is yet another device to add to the already impressive line-up of eco-friendly devices. The Optimus Elite casting is made of 50% recycled material and RoHS compliant- meaning it’s free from many potentially hazardous materials, such as PVC, phthalates, halogens and mercury. Additional specs include:
- Processor: 800 MHz processor
- Memory: 4GB ROM/512 MB RAM
- Battery: 1520 mAh
- OS: Android 2.3
- Display: 3.5″ capacitive touch-screen
At launch the Elite will retail for $49.99 and will be available on the EVP portal. Contact EVP for more info.
Sprint to launch a slew of new LTE phones in the coming weeks | 0 Comments
By brian on 04-17-2012 01:36 PM
Sprint, the only national wireless carrier offering truly unlimited data for all phones while on the Sprint network1, continues its 4G LTE launch momentum with the launch of several new devices, including its first Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone with 4G LTE capability. Sprint recently announced Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio are expected to have 4G LTE and enhanced 3G service in mid-year 2012. The anticipated launch of these large metropolitan areas demonstrates the continued commitment by Sprint to invest in its network through Network Vision. Sprint customers in these areas will soon enjoy ultra-fast data speeds and improved 3G voice quality.
- Galaxy Nexus by Samsung, its first Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, smartphone with 4G LTE capability. It boasts a Pure Google experience, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED™ contour display and dual cameras enabling video chat.
- The eco-friendly LG Viper features ULE Platinum Certification, a casing comprised of 50% recycled plastics, and a 100% recyclable packaging. Specs wise, this Android Gingerbread device features a 4-inch 800×480 WVGA display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB ROM, 4GB microSD card, Gorilla Glass, a 5MP rear-facing camera, and 4G LTE capabilities.
- HTC EVO 4G LTE, a 1.5 dual-core processor, a giant 4.7-inch 720p Super LCD display, and a high-end 8-megapixel camera. It also has NFC (Near Field Communications), which allows one to pay for something by tapping against a terminal or friend’s phone, using an application like Google Wallet. And by the way, it makes phone calls.
- Mobile Hotspot-supports up to 5 users
- 4000 mAh battery
- 1.25 GHz dual core processor
- Dual cameras-5.0MP rear facing and 2.0MP front facing
- Stereo Speakers
- MicroSD capable, supports up to 32GB
Instagram Moves with the Trends | 0 Comments
By brian on 04-11-2012 03:00 PM
Once again, Mark Zuckerberg is taking the reins with his Facebook and conquering all social media. Monday he announced that Facebook will acquire Instagram for $1 billion. Facebook stands as the number one social networker, and now the site is headed towards an even higher victory after the purchase of this trendy and hip smartphone app.
Instagram is a photo app allowing users to select vintage and rare photo filters and apply those esthetics to their personal photography. With its Twitter-esque type of following and unfollowing, your followers can like, comment and share photos. Even the amateur photographer can turn photos into a professional image. Since Instagram currently has over 30 million users, will the app lose some of them? Or, gain millions more since Zuckerberg is now in full control?
If you’re one to steer away from the socials of Facebook media, Business Review USA has scouted out and tried two smartphone photo apps that are similar in appeal and taste to that of Instagram’s likeness.
Hipstamatic: Probably the first app to release vintage photography on smart phones. One can experience photo filters and followers as well as being able to share, send and like all images. With Hipstamatic you can swap lenses, filters and cameras before taking your photo so one experiences the full faux-vintage film camera straight from the iPhone.
PicYou: Similar to Instragram’s interface. There are numerous filters to edit images. Users share, send and save all photos within the app. The main perk of PicYou is the concept of downloading all personal images from the web on PicYou’s website. The app is easy to use and allows one to edit each photo to that of a professional and artistic feel.
The downfall and difference to these “similar to Instragram apps” is one must pay a price to play. Hipstamtic requires its users to fork up a buck for more film and its array of antique cameras. PicYou is quite similar in that one pays a fee ($1) for its different artistic filters. And, Zuckerberg states, the free app of Instagram will not change its esthetics and it will be entirely separate from Facebook’s domain. The question remains, how long will Instagram continue as its own unique photo sharer?
Source: businessreviewusa
Sprint’s Latest EVO from HTC Adds 4G LTE, Brings Back Kickstand | 0 Comments
By brian on 04-05-2012 02:14 PM
Sprint and HTC yesterday announced the EVO 4G LTE Android 4.0 smartphone. The EVO 4G LTE is a variant of the One X, but substitutes an aluminum frame and casing for the polycarbonate found on the One X. In addition to the aluminum, the EVO 4G LTE also has a bi-directional kickstand so it can be propped up two different ways for watching video content. The EVO 4G LTE supports HD calling, which Sprint says offers drastically higher call quality over the cellular network (this feature will become available later this year, and is network-dependent). Other specs of the device line up with the rest of the One X line. It has a 4.7-inch 720p HD Super LCD display, dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture and continuous shot, and NFC with Google Wallet. The EVO 4G LTE has CDMA in the 800/1900MHz bands, and LTE in the 1900MHz band. It also includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a user-accessible microSD slot. The device will be available for pre-sale in early May, and will ship by the end of June. It will cost $199.99 with a new agreement for eligible upgrades & new lines of service.
How much smartphone data do I need? | 0 Comments
By brian on 03-28-2012 02:13 PM
If you have a smartphone, you have to buy a data plan as well, which could add around $360 a year or more to your bill. And recently, wireless carriers have implemented new pricing, data limits and “throttling” (cutting your data to a trickle if you use too much) that can make figuring out plans downright baffling.
You could be one of those people using a smartphone as you did your old phone — for calling and texting. In that case, you might need only a minimal plan. But discovering mobile movies, streaming music, apps and video chat is like opening a Pandora’s box (in fact, Pandora is one of the services you might get hooked on). Your data appetite could quickly grow.
If you like to email, download a few photos and post to Facebook, for example, you can possibly get by on a gigabyte per month, but if you want to stream music and watch the occasional TV show, you may need around 3 gigabytes. And if you’re a big video viewer, you’re looking at 5 gigabytes or more.
To get a sense of what you may want to do and how much data you’ll need, please see this handy chart:
Source: Technolog
Finally an affordable Tablet! | 0 Comments
By evp on 01-31-2012 03:33 PM
Coming soon is the new ZTE Optik™ launching on the Sprint network. The Optik will be a great device for someone that is interested in getting a tablet, but not wanting to spend a fortune. This tablet is set to launch at $99 with an agreement or $349 with no contract with a variety of rate plans available.
The ZTE Optik™ combines 3G mobility with Wi-Fi speeds to deliver the connectivity you need. This device also delivers Android 3.2, Honeycomb OS and provides access to over 250,000 Android apps. The Optik offers an enriched multimedia experience on a 7 inch all-points capacitive touch screen, browsing on flash-embedded web sites and an amazing dual camera. Other features include:
Google Music: iTunes for Android or something more? | 1 Comment
By brian on 11-18-2011 04:46 PM
Google Music, an online music store and “free locker” for digital music, was rolled out to the public on Wednesday.
Google Music, with more 13 million songs, will be integrated with Android Market, the company’s online store for smartphone apps and videos as it plays catch-up with its rivals. Apple, Amazon and Facebook have to varying degrees integrated music into their core online and mobile products. Google Music will allow the Web search leader to do the same by letting consumers access music from various Internet-connected devices and easily share tracks with friends. Google has negotiated U.S. deals with three of the four major music companies: Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group; Sony Corp’s Sony Music Entertainment; and EMI. It has also signed deals with the increasingly influential independent label group Merlin and London-based Beggar’s Banquet label group, home to the year’s biggest selling artist, Adele.
While no single Android phone has approached the popularity of the iPhone, Android smartphones as a whole have become a serious force, capturing more than half the overall market during the last quarter. (Android phones amounted to 52% of the global market compared to about 15% for the iPhone, according to Gartner). For someone trying to decide between buying an Apple or Android device, iTunes could be a deciding factor. Google Music, at least in part, could take that bullet out of Apple’s gun.
Let us know your thoughts! Leave comments below.
Got a new phone, but not sure how to use it? | 0 Comments
By evp on 11-01-2011 02:54 PM
EVP wants to make sure that all clients love their new phones and get the most out of their device. From the basic to the most advance we know them all and even have free training classes available. Chris Pennington teaches our informative and easy to understand classes to help you maximize your device. Your invited to join us at any of our classes below held at our office in Cool Springs, TN.
Android Clinics- 1st Wednesday each month.
Need help understanding your Android Device?
Smart phones are getting smarter by the minute! Let us help you conquer your Android and make it work for you. In our Android Clinics, we will explore all the things you need to know to make your Android more productive, efficient, and easy to use.
If you’re in the dark about Android, you don’t have to tackle it alone! Our clinics can make it easy for you
BlackBerry Clinics- 2nd Wednesday each month.
Tablets are taking over and you need to know what they have to offer!
We can show you all the tips and tricks to help you become a BlackBerry master! Using a BlackBerry for business? We can show you how your BlackBerry can be like having an office in your hand. Our BlackBerry Clinics are great for new users or veterans who need a refresher.
Tablet Clinics- 3rd Wednesday each month.
Need help understanding your Android Device?
We will walk through all the essential elements of products like the iPad, BlackBerry Playbook, and the Android operating system for tablets. Even if you don’t own a tablet, please come to learn more about this new kind of device!
To register and get more info visit our Training Guide.
Facebook Update! For Android, BlackBerry and iOS | 0 Comments
By brian on 10-21-2011 06:18 PM
Facebook today made version 1.5 of its instant messaging application available to the Android, BlackBerry, and iOS platforms. The new version adds more presence features, such as the ability to see who’s online, who’s mobile, and when the other person is typing. It’s also easier to send messages to favorite contacts. Facebook also added support for 22 new languages for Android, and 12 new languages for iPhone. The application is free to download from each platforms respective application store.
