Mac and iOS make large strides in web share, IE9 too

Apple made one of its best strides in recent memory for market share on the web last month, NetApplications determined on Sunday. The Mac reached a new adjusted high of 5.4 percent market share, but its gains were small relative to iOS. Led mostly by the iPhone, Apple's combined mobile platform jumped 16.5 percent and staked out 2.24 percent of all web traffic.

Windows continued its decline and hit another relative low at 88.91 percent, hurt almost exclusively by the gains in Mac and iOS share. Android's gains weren't tracked, but it marked 0.66 percent share, or less than a third.

Internet Explorer 9 was still a strong point for Microsoft. The browser more than doubled its share from March to stand as 7.46 percent of all Windows browsers. None of the gain was helping Microsoft as a whole; Internet Explorer dropped down to 55.11 percent.

Unusually, most of the gains came from Apple's Safari, whose more than half a point rise put it at a record 7.15 percent. Chrome gained as well but noticeably more slowly, at about a third of a point to 11.94 percent. Firefox declined slightly to 21.63 percent.

NetApplications didn't try to directly explain Apple's gains. The combination of sustained Verizon iPhone sales as well as the iPad 2 would have helped iOS. IE9's gains were more directly attributed to rapid adoption of Windows 7 and the deliberate optimization for its latest OS.

Electronista

Tech Review: BlackBerry PlayBook a strong, well-priced iPad alternative

SAN FRANCISCO - You need three things to compete with Apple's iPad tablet computer: A gorgeous, easy-to-use device people will love, a bustling app store and an attractive price tag.

Nobody has been able to match the iPad thus far. But the PlayBook, the first effort from BlackBerry smart phone maker Research In Motion, has emerged as one of the strongest contenders.

On the surface, the PlayBook looks similar to other iPad competitors: Its slick touch screen measures 7 inches diagonally, smaller than the iPad's but comparable with those of others. It has front and rear cameras for snapping photos and video conferencing and a black rubberized plastic back and sides.

What's different is the software powering the PlayBook. Most non-iPad tablets use Google's Android software; RIM developed its own - a smart decision, yielding a device that is a pleasure to navigate and filled with cool features. Although RIM's software was built from scratch, it has hints of the BlackBerry phone's interface.

The cheapest version costs $499 - the same as the cheapest iPad. It comes with Wi-Fi capabilities and

16 gigabytes of memory. A model with 32 GB costs $599, and the 64 GB version goes for $699. Sprint plans a version that works over cellular connections this summer, rivaling the ability of different iPad models to connect to the Verizon or AT&T network.

Unfortunately, the PlayBook isn't yet much of a competitor on the app front: There are just 3,000 applications currently optimized for the tablet, and during my testing it appeared unable to download App World apps available for BlackBerry smart phones.

By contrast, there are more than 65,000 apps available for the iPad, which also can run iPhone apps (Apple offers more than 350,000 apps total). And while it's unclear exactly how many tablet-specific Apps there are for Android, Android tablets can run any of the more than 150,000 apps in the Android Market.

But the PlayBook aims to catch up, in a way: Later this year, it will be able to run Android apps, too.

In my hands, the PlayBook felt solid and easy to use. There are just a few buttons on the top for adjusting volume and playing or pausing music or videos. There's also a tiny button for turning on the device - so teeny, in fact, I regretted trimming my nails right before testing.

Finding my way around the PlayBook was delightfully easy and fast because it has a speedy processor.

At the top of the main page sit device settings and alerts for things such as software updates. Across the bottom, you see a scroll of apps you can swipe through or expand to fill the screen by swiping a finger upward.

In the middle of the screen are small thumbnails of your open apps; you can slide your finger left or right to sort through these and pick or dismiss them with a tap or a flick.

One cool feature: Open apps remain active even when you're looking at them from this view. So, if you open the camera and later sort through your open apps, the viewfinder still will be working in the tiny thumbnail of the camera app.

Even though the PlayBook is smaller than the iPad, its screen was bright, colors looked rich and images were sharp. I felt immersed watching videos - a combination of the excellent display and simple frame surrounding.

The PlayBook supports Flash video playback - something the iPad doesn't do - and HTML5 for rich video content. Thus, you can browse the Web much the way you do on a computer. There are a few annoying quirks: For example, the PlayBook took a long time when scrolling through long documents or Web pages.

In general, though, the PlayBook's screen was very touch sensitive, and I especially liked how the PlayBook takes advantage of it. Instead of hitting the power button to wake up the device, you can make one long swipe upward with a finger.

When using an application, a long upward swipe will bring you back to the main page that shows the settings and your applications. Make a hard swipe to the left or right to flip through your other open applications. Another neat trick: You can zoom in on Flash videos by spreading two fingers on the screen.

Like so many other tablets, the PlayBook includes cameras for taking photos and videos and for video chatting. On the rear, the PlayBook sports a pretty simple 5-megapixel camera that took decent photos (no flash, though) and videos. The 3-megapixel front camera is probably more suited to video calls. I wasn't able to try it, though, as RIM isn't planning to roll out a video chat app until after the device is available.

Of course, RIM is known for its focus on business users, and the PlayBook can do plenty of work, too. It includes word processing, spreadsheet and slideshow apps and can easily be attached to an HD TV through its Micro HDMI port (for presentations or, if you're like me, streaming online movies to a flat screen). Its onscreen virtual keyboard was surprisingly accurate and took very little time to get used to.

And if you have a BlackBerry phone, a nifty feature called BlackBerry Bridge links the two devices over Bluetooth. When I tested it, it wasn't fully functional. But it promises to let you easily do things on the tablet such as using the BlackBerry Messenger app on your phone and accessing BlackBerry e-mails and calendar. For a business user who feels constrained by the BlackBerry's small screen, this could be a nice complement.

RIM expects the PlayBook to get eight to 10 hours of battery life while multitasking. I got about six hours while surfing the Web, streaming Internet radio, checking e-mails and streaming videos. Maybe this was actually a hint I should limit my music video habit.

The PlayBook is an impressive tablet - it has to be, considering the iPad's head start. And if RIM can ramp up its app offerings, it will be an even heartier contender.

PressofAtlanticCity

Taiwan smartphone maker HTC reports profit jump

Taiwan's top smartphone maker HTC says its first-quarter earnings nearly doubled from a year earlier, with shipments totaling 9.7 million handsets.

The company announced Friday that its net profit for the January-March quarter surged to New Taiwan dollars 14.8 billion ($510 million), up 197 percent from a year earlier.

Revenue totaled NT$104 billion in the first quarter, up 174 percent from the year before.

HTC has grown on the strength of its design and production of handsets based on Google Inc.'s Android operating system. It said the company marketed five new smartphones in the first quarter, which contributed to the better-than-expected revenues.

BusinessWeek

HTC Thunderbolt smartphone underwhelms

The key feature of HTC's new Thunderbolt smartphone is its ability to tap into Verizon's speedy next generation data network. Unfortunately, there's little else to distinguish or recommend about the device.

The Thunderbolt is the latest in a string of super-sized smartphones running Google's Android operating system. With its 4.3-inch screen, touch-sensitive buttons below the screen, forward-facing camera above it and 8-megapixel camera and metallic kickstand in back, it's a close cousin of the Evo 4G, a phone that HTC released for Sprint nearly a year ago.

The chief difference between the two is that the Thunderbolt can access Verizon's 4G network rather than Sprint's.

Verizon turned on its LTE (or long-term evolution) network last fall. The network, which had connection problems earlier this week, promises download speeds of up to 12 megabits per second, about 10 times faster than the top speeds offered on Verizon's older 3G data network.

The Thunderbolt is the first smartphone that can access that network, which until now could be accessed only by a PC using a USB modem.

In my tests, the Thunderbolt clocked impressive connection speeds. Outside my office, I saw download speeds as fast as 5 megabits per second and upload speeds as fast as 4 megabits per second. That kind of throughput was about five times faster than what I've seen on the Verizon version of Apple's iPhone, which is a 3G device.

And that speed does make a difference. It allows users to download Web pages, online games or digital songs much faster than they would be able to do otherwise.

Web surfing in particular was a joy on the Thunderbolt. Downloading pages is nearly instantaneous, similar to the experience one gets when connecting a smartphone to a fast landline network via a Wi-Fi hot spot.

I also enjoyed using the Thunderbolt's large screen and high-resolution camera. The screen made Web pages easy to read, and the camera took beautiful, vibrant shots that looked great on the Thunderbolt's display.

But there was a lot about the Thunderbolt that left me underwhelmed.

For instance, your ability to use it to access the Internet at ultrafast speeds may be limited. Verizon is still building out its LTE network. It covers much of many major metropolitan areas, but those areas of coverage are like little islands; outside of them, you won't get LTE service.

Even inside those islands, coverage can be spotty. At my desk, for example, I could easily access Verizon's 3G service with the Thunderbolt but usually couldn't get its LTE network.

When you can connect to the LTE network, the speed comes with a big price: the battery life on the Thunderbolt is very short. You'll be lucky to get through a day of normal usage without needing a recharge.

And except for downloading data, the Thunderbolt felt sluggish. Some of the latest Android smartphones, such as Motorola's Atrix, have been able to speed up their performance by running on so-called dual-core processors, which include two processing areas on a single computer chip.

Not the Thunderbolt, though. It runs on a single-core processor.

In my tests, the Thunderbolt often seemed to take a beat or two to switch applications or load up new ones. It often took several minutes at least to acquire satellite signals for its navigation program. And the video in games such as "Raging Thunder" were sometimes herky-jerky.

The Thunderbolt also runs an older version of the Android operating system. That's not a huge problem, given that its version includes one of the more important of the recent updates to Android, the ability to run Adobe's Flash software. But it does mean that if you are looking for the latest features in Android, you won't find them on the Thunderbolt.

All that said, the Thunderbolt is not a bad device, especially if you're dying to have a Verizon LTE smartphone. But with plenty of other such devices slated to hit store shelves in coming months, at least some of which will feature newer, faster processors, the rest of us will be better off waiting.

Seattle Times

HP Veer 4G shows in white for AT&T press shots

The HP Veer has made an appearance in AT&T press shots dressed in white ahead of its rumored launch on May 2. This will mark the first time that a webOS device has been available in a color other than black, and it joins the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S as two other high-profile handsets in adopting the popular color.

When it lands next week, as expected, the Veer will be one of the most powerful ultra-compact smartphones on the market. Although so small that it does not include a 3.5mm headphone jack, it is still powered by an 800MHz processor. It centers on a 2.6-inch 400x320 display, and includes a slide-out QWERTY keyboard to make typing easier, although this can also be completed on its touchscreen. It will have either webOS 2.1 or 2.2 when it ships.

Electronista

HTC Wildfire S with North American 3G reaches the FCC

The HTC Wildfire S has made an appearance at the FCC. Listed in the FCC documentation as the PG76110, the device has been approved for use on the GSM 850 and 1900 bands and WCDMA bands II and IV. At this stage, it is possible that the phone could make to AT&T�s network, although this has yet to be confirmed.

An mid-range smartphone, the Wildfire S centers on a 3.2-inch capacitive display and runs a 600MHz processor matched with 512MB of RAM. It also incorporates a 5-megapixel rear-camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0. It is expected to ship with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) when it arrives this spring.

Electronista

Will Your Android Phone Get Gingerbread (and Google Video Chat?)

Congrats! If you're an Android phone user, you may or may not be getting video chat. That's because the latest Google feature for its mobile operating system is only expected to work on phones running the Android Gingerbread update, or OS version 2.3. If your device isn't getting Gingerbread, it's not getting video chat either.

Welcome to the world of Android fragmentation, where the power of the upgrade is wielded by the individual smartphone manufactures rather than a single entity�or, in Apple's case, the single manufacturer that makes the phone. Whether it's a hardware concern or a matter of manufacturer resource allocation, the simple fact of the matter is that just because a phone says Android doesn't mean that it can run all the way up the software upgrade chain.

As it stands, a relatively scant number of phones currently ship with the Android 2.3 update even preinstalled onto the device: Samsung's Nexus S and Galaxy S 2, for example. And even though Gingerbread was officially released on December 6 of last year, manufacturers have continued to build and launch devices that use the previous iteration of Google's OS: 2.2, or "Froyo."

Take, for example, LG's G2X: Launched with Froyo in mid-April, both LG and T-Mobile have confirmed that the device will be getting its Gingerbread update at some point in the future�possibly a June or July release, according to upgrade information found on LG's Danish website.

Other phones, especially those delivered before Gingerbread even hit the street, will have to suffer through a Walt Disney-like queue before they gain access to Google's latest version of the Android OS. For many of these smartphones, like the HTC Droid Incredible or LG Optimus One series of smartphones, an upgrade to Gingerbread is in the works. But the big question is: When?

And for other devices�especially those who never had a chance to taste Google's Froyo�you can rule out any kind of upgrade to Gingerbread. That might include the Motorola Cliq, which is still stuck on Android 2.1, as well as the HTC Droid Eris: No Froyo, no Gingerbread.

So what's a consumer to do? Well, if you're holding one of the 65 percent of Android devices that are currently on version 2.2 of Google's mobile OS, you're in luck: Odds are significant that you'll be able to tap into Google's newer OS, for we have yet to see any official reports from any manufacturers indicating that they intend to lock a specific smartphone at Android 2.2. Manufacturers tend to just not give much word as to what point in their software development cycles a specific device will receive a Gingerbread update�you might even need a birthday candle for your Gingerbread, in some cases.

PCmag