According to the latest month web traffic report by NetMarketShare, Android has unseated iOS sometime this July. Google's Android platform accounted for 44.62% of total Mobile Web traffic, whereas iOS trailed a little behind with 44.19%. Apparently, this is the first time Android has taken the lead in this department.
While some may argue that the lead is negligible, it appears that Android's dominant position on the market is finally beginning to pay off for Google. The latest official data from one of the most trustworthy sources, Strategy Analytics, revealed that Android accounted for 84.6% of the smartphone market in Q2 of the current year. Broken down to OS versions, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean contributed for 10.03% of all mobile traffic, Android 4.4 KitKat for 9.28%, and Android 4.2 for 8.77%. Meanwhile, more than half of iOS's result is formed by users, who accessed the world wide web from their iPad tablets.
Two of the other relatively major operating systems, Windows Phone and BlackBerry OS, grasped 2.49% and 1.21% of said market, respectively. Java ME and Symbian, however, stood between them and the leaders, Android and iOS.
Google announced Android One last month, it also announced that the program will provide ultra-affordable smartphones to customer emerging markets as an initiative to get more Android users. India is the first country where Android One handsets will be released. According to The Economic Times, Android One smartphones should be available starting October this year, when Android and Chrome chief Sundar Pichai will visit India.
Reportedly, Google is planning to spend at least Rs 100 crore which is About $16.6 million US dollars to help its partners advertise and sell Android One devices. This would be the first time when Google directly spends money to advertise Android phones - of course, we're not including the Nexus series here.
As Google already announced, one of the first Android One handsets will be made by Micromax. The smartphone's features include a 4.5-inch display, dual SIM capabilities, expandable memory, and a MediaTek processor, while its price could be lower than $100. Subsidized cell plans may also be included.
Google's latest Android distribution report for June,2014 shows that Android 4.4 KitKat is continuing to gain ground over older versions. KitKat has gained 4.1 points over its share in May, and now stands at 17.9%. This came at the expense of almost every other Android build with the exception of version 4.2 Jelly Bean, which saw a growth of 0.6 points.
Jelly Bean still holds the lion's share of the pie, however, with the three API layers composing 56.5% of the overall Android landscape. Of course Android L Preview is not included on this report as it's only a BETA version not a market stable version.
Google announced amny updates coming to the Play Games at its I/O conference. Google is integrating new features into the app, which includes a new Game Profile feature that exists and a sort of unified leaderboard with achievements and the like. Naturally, this lets users compare how they play with their friends.
Also coming to the Google Play Games a couple of new game services called Quests and Saved Games. They're both fairly straightforward, but here's the list:
Quests: Allows developers to integrate time-based goals into their games without having to update the app each time. The Android Developer's site gives the example of weekend challenges, or daily missions. Neat.
Saved Games: This saves players' game progress across devices, and displays the total time played along with a cover image. Kind of like Steam, but for mobile games.
Game devs are also getting access to more tools, like Game Stats and a C++ SDK and we'll see these improvements the final version of Android "L" later this year.
Yes, that's right, Android is coming to Cars too, and I don't mean a better way to attach your phone to the dashboard. Android Auto is Now official with more than 40 OEMs are now in the Open Auto Alliance. That includes 25 car makers that will be working with Android Auto. The first AA vehicles will come out later this year.
Navigation is a big part of Android Auto, but messaging and audio is integral to the experience as well. Notifications pop up as heads-up banners so nothing gets in your way, and voice replies are built right in.
Several developers have been able to create early versions of Android Auto apps including Pocket Casts and Spotify (it's mostly audio right now). It's not just music, though. Android Auto apps can plug into messaging APIs in the same way Android Wear devices do. The Android Auto SDK will be out soon so all developers can build car versions of their apps. Watch the Promo video below!
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