US patent office rejects claims of Apple 'pinch to zoom' patent

Samsung devices were found by a jury in California to have infringed one of the claims of the patent

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected claims of an Apple patent that figures prominently in a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics, according to documents filed by the South Korean company in a U.S. federal court.

The 21 claims of the patent were rejected by the USPTO in a "final office action," as they were anticipated by previous patents or unpatentable. Known as the "pinch-to-zoom" patent, it covers the ability to distinguish between the scrolling movement of one finger and two-fingers gestures like pinch-to-zoom on a touch-screen to activate certain functions.

Apple has up to two months to respond to the USPTO decision. In a filing in April after USPTO rejected multiple claims of another patent in a similar final office action, Apple said it had further options, including appeal to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and seeking judicial review.

Claim eight of the patent was involved in Apple's lawsuit against Samsung in the court, according to a filing Sunday by Samsung in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division. A jury last August awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages, but the court has ordered a partial retrial to review the damages to be paid to the iPhone maker.

The jury found at trial that 21 of 24 Samsung smartphones and tablets infringed claim 8 of U.S. Patent No. 7,844,915 ('915 patent), Samsung said in its filing on Sunday. The claim relates to "determining whether the event object invokes a scroll or gesture operation by distinguishing between a single input point applied to the touch-sensitive display that is interpreted as the scroll operation and two or more input points applied to the touch-sensitive display that are interpreted as the gesture operation," according to a USPTO document filed in the court by Samsung.

The USPTO ruled claim eight was anticipated in U.S. Patent No. 7,724,242 awarded to Daniel W. Hillis and Bran Ferren. "Hillis teaches distinguishing the number of contact points and determining whether the event object matches a gesture pattern," the USPTO wrote in its decision.

The USPTO rejected in April multiple claims of another patent that figured in the lawsuit, known as "overscroll bounce" patent. Apple, however, said in a filing that the reexamination is not finished, and it is entitled to file a response to the action which may result in a withdrawal of the rejection or certification of the claims under reexamination.

The company also raised the possibility that it may appeal to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and if unsuccessful, may seek judicial review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. A similar filing is likely from Apple in connection with the rejection of the '915 patent, even as Samsung is expected to argue for lower damages. The jury awarded damages to Apple with regard to all but two products found to infringe the '915 patent, Samsung said in its filing.

http://www.computerworld.com

US patent office rejects Apple’s ‘pinch to zoom’ patent claims

Of all the patents that Apple has sued Samsung over in the past couple of years, the pinch to zoom patent was perhaps the one that always came to the fore in every discussion related to the legal tussles, and in a move that will not make Apple happy, the US patent office (USPTO) has rejected claims of the Cupertino company to the pinch to zoom functionality.

The rejection of the patent’s 21 claims are deemed to be a “final office action” by the USPTO, after passing a preliminary ruling in December 2012 that the patent claims were invalid, but is open to appeal by Apple to the Patent Trial Appeal Board, similar to the “overscroll bounce” patent that was rejected in April and is currently under review. Claim eight is the most important here, as it was the one that got the courts to make Samsung pay $1 billion in damages, but with the claim now nullified, it seems things could get a bit uneven for Apple.

Whatever may happen in the coming months, this ruling is enormously in Samsung’s favor (and a big win in the fight against silly software patents), and it’s great to see the USPTO actually acting sensibly for a change (even if they did pass the patent initially). The war is far from over, but hey, Samsung is no doubt very h

http://www.sammobile.com

"Smart" car charging from Scosche for iOS and Android

California-based Scosche has announced its new line of chargers, which have car charging Lightning-connector - Scosche strikeDrive 5W and 12W, as well as charging "2 in 1» - reVIVE Line and strikeDRIVE smart - with two types of connectors on a single cable. This kind of cable that allows you to simultaneously charge two devices with different connectors. revive Line - charger that allows you to charge gadgets with 30-pin connector and a micro-USB, which will charge a device from Apple, and gadgets based on Android, e-books and more more.
 

strikeDRIVE smart - Lightning and charge with a micro-USB connector, which also will charge the iOS and Android devices with connectors.

As the producer, his Chargers ergonomic features a compact size and spiral cable that allows you to adjust the length and fits rechargeable device.

BBM for iOS and Android to Launch This Summer

Waterloo, ON – BlackBerry® (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB) announced plans to make  its ground-breaking mobile social network, BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), available to iOS® and Android™ users this summer, with support planned for iOS6, and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher, all subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play. BBM sets the standard for mobile instant messaging with a fast, reliable, engaging experience that includes delivered and read statuses, and personalized profiles and avatars. Upon release, BBM customers would be able to broaden their connections to include friends, family and colleagues on other mobile platforms.

In the planned initial release, iOS and Android users would be able to experience the immediacy of BBM chats, including multi-person chats, as well as the ability to share photos and voice notes, and engage in BBM Groups, which allows BBM customers to create groups of up to 30 people.

“For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We’re excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community,” said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry.

BBM is loved by customers for its “D” and “R” statuses, which show up in chats to let people know with certainty that their message has been delivered and read. It provides customers with a high level of control and privacy over who they add to their contact list and how they engage with them, as invites are two-way opt-in. iOS and Android users would be able to add their contacts through PIN, email, SMS or QR code scan, regardless of platform. Android users would also be able to connect using a compatible NFC-capable device.

BBM has more than 60 million monthly active customers, with more than 51 million people using BBM an average of 90 minutes per day. BBM customers collectively send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps. Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received; indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are.

Today, BlackBerry also announced BBM Channels, a new social engagement platform within BBM that will allow customers to connect with the businesses, brands, celebrities and groups they are passionate about. BlackBerry plans to add support for BBM Channels as well as voice and video chatting for iOS and Android later this year, subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play.

If approved by Apple and Google, the BBM app will be available as a free download in the Apple® App StoreSM and Google Play store. Additional details about system requirements and availability will be announced closer to the launch.

###                                                              

About BlackBerry

A global leader in wireless innovation, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. BlackBerry is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: BBRY) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BB). For more information, visit www.blackberry.com.

Apple’s App Store Marks Historic 50 Billionth Download

Apple® announced that customers have downloaded over 50 billion apps* from the revolutionary App Store?. Customers are downloading more than 800 apps per second at a rate of over two billion apps per month on the App Store. The 50 billionth app was Say the Same Thing by Space Inch, LLC, which was downloaded by Brandon Ashmore from Mentor, Ohio who received a $10,000 App Store Gift Card to commemorate this historic milestone.

“Apple would like to thank our incredible customers and developers for topping 50 billion apps downloaded,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “The App Store completely transformed how people use their mobile devices and created a thriving app ecosystem that has paid out over nine billion dollars to developers. We’re absolutely floored to cross this milestone in less than five years.”

The App Store opened in July 2008 with 500 apps. Since its introduction, Apple’s incredible developer community has created an app for doing almost everything imaginable on an iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch®.

“We were blown away with our success on the App Store back in 2008,” said Rich Riley, CEO of Shazam. “And almost five years later we continue to be amazed with how much people love using Shazam on their iPhone or iPad. With the App Store, we can effortlessly provide users with updates that give them great new features while making it easy for new users to discover and download Shazam for themselves.”

“We started our company in 2008 as three friends focused on creating great educational apps for our children,” said Caroline Hu Flexer, co-founder of Duck Duck Moose. “The App Store brought ‘Wheels on the Bus’ to the world in a big way. Sixteen apps later, a fan base of millions of parents, children and educators and a growing company with 20 full-time employees, we couldn’t be happier with our success.”

“The App Store has been integral in getting us into the hands of millions of iOS users and has transformed our business,” said Elizabeth Francis, Chief Marketing Officer of Gilt.com. “Our apps allow our members to access their favorite sales on Gilt every day, anytime, anywhere. App Store customers have proven to be a loyal shopper base and have been influential in making Gilt the globally recognized brand it is today.”

The revolutionary App Store offers more than 850,000 apps to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users in 155 countries around the world, with more than 350,000 native iPad apps available. App Store customers can choose from an incredible range of apps in 23 categories, including newspapers and magazines offered in Newsstand, games, business, news, sports, health & fitness and travel.

*50 billion unique downloads excluding re-downloads and updates.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

Apple updates iTunes 11 with new mini player

Apple updates iTunes 11 with new mini player

http://blog.gsmarena.com/apple-updates-itunes-11-with-new-mini-player/

iTunes 11.0.3

About iTunes 11.0.3
This version of iTunes comes with several new features and improvements, including:

New MiniPlayer. MiniPlayer now includes a beautiful new view that showcases your album artwork. In addition, a progress bar is now built right into MiniPlayer.
Improved Songs View. You can now enjoy your album artwork while in Songs view.
Multi-Disc Albums. Albums with multiple discs now appear as a single album.
This update also provides performance improvements when searching and sorting large iTunes libraries.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit: support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

Windows SHA1=1e95101b584762b3c46ab597c115cd86bfd45d64

Windows 64 SHA1=6669044bd50c1f753c8412a02556a70be09fd9f8

Mac SHA1=83f4afc5d3b5698c811c87c27b975824116bbf1d

To download iTunes 11.0.3 for Windows 64 bit: support.apple.com/kb/DL1615.

eBay’s iPhone app gets new interface, quick sign-up with Drivers License scanning, iPad app gets enhancements

eBay’s iPhone application has received a significant update that affects both the user-interface and some core features.

Notably, the application’s interface has been tweaked for simplicity and features an improved bidding process for soon-to-be-ending auctions, larger photo views, and the ability to checkout multiple items simultaneously in the United States and United Kingdom.

Perhaps the most interesting and handy feature, though, is the ability to quickly sign-up for an eBay account by scanning your Drivers License with the iPhone’s camera. eBay owns high-profile barcode scanning technology, so perhaps that is used to make that new feature a reality. The free update is available on iTunes.

eBay’s (separate) iPad app also got a notable update today: release notes below.

iPhone/iPod touch: What’s New in Version 3.0.0

- New and improved look and feel
- Checkout multiple items at a time with the new eBay Shopping Cart (US and UK only)
- Tap the grid icon at the top of search results to see larger photos (iOS 6 required)*
- Scan your drivers license for fast and easy eBay registration (available in select US states)
- Improved last minute bidding
- Selling support for Spain
- Many bug fixes and enhancements

iOS 5+ is required for this update

*New search results will be available over the next two weeks

iPad: What’s New in Version 2.3.0

- Buy multiple items with Shopping Cart
- Improved photo picker in selling flow
- Faster checkout remembers your PayPal ID
- Photos in search results look even better

We’ve been hard at work on version 2.3 of eBay for iPad and we hope you like it.

New for Sellers:
- Attach multiple photos at once from your photo library
- Easily crop and adjust photos
- Buyer’s name now shown in grid view for quick reference
- Easier to select shipping options in SYI
- “Sell One Like This” button easier to find
- Access your listing drafts right from your homescreen
- View your feedback received on View Item

Improvements for Buyers:
- Easily filter seller feedback by positive, neutral, and negative
- New “Search By Best Offer” items option
- Your Max Bid now included on View Item
- Always want New items with Free shipping? Set your default “Search Preferences” options in settings

http://9to5mac.com

eBay

Description
Tap into the world's largest marketplace with the Official eBay for iPhone app! Now you can buy and sell items, compare prices, access our powerful search tools and so much more all from the palm of your hand.

The new eBay for iPhone app is more powerful than ever, offering you more of the eBay functionality you love wrapped up in a shiny, smooth user interface. Selling is a breeze with the streamlined, mobile-friendly listing flow. The integrated RedLaser barcode scanner makes it easy to search for items, sell and add tracking information. eBay buyers will never miss the opportunity to snag that one of a kind item with instant mobile bidding, Best Offer and Buy It Now.

Make the eBay app work for you. Set up notifications and bid alerts to let you know when your item is ending, when you've been outbid, won or sold an item, received an offer, payment or message, and more! Saved searches and Saved sellers allow you to easily access your favorite items, members and stores with one quick tap. You can also share items with friends via email, SMS, Facebook & Twitter.

Go shopping, with the eBay for iPhone app!

eBay Inc. Web SiteeBay SupportApplication License Agreement
What's New in Version 3.0.0
- New and improved look and feel
- Checkout multiple items at a time with the new eBay Shopping Cart (US and UK only)
- Tap the grid icon at the top of search results to see larger photos (iOS 6 required)*
- Scan your drivers license for fast and easy eBay registration (available in select US states)
- Improved last minute bidding
- Selling support for Spain
- Many bug fixes and enhancements

iOS 5+ is required for this update

*New search results will be available over the next two weeks

We're always listening so please continue to send us suggestions and comments on getsatisfaction.com/ebaymobile or send us a tweet @eBayMobile.

Google Play has reached 48 billion installs, almost on par with the App Store now

Google Play has reached 48 billion installs, almost on par with the App Store now

http://blog.gsmarena.com/google-play-has-reached-48-billion-installs-almost-equals-with-ios/

Clear app creators unveil the snappiest iPhone photography app, Analog Camera

The popular Clear to-do app (currently free for a limited time) won us over with the minimalistic, clean and flattened user interface and its delightful use of multitouch gestures.

And now, from the same guys who made Clear comes a brand new iPhone photographysoftware called Analog Camera. As you could imagine, it’s built with the same principles that made Clear such a hit.

Specifically, this photography app features a beautifully simple and uncluttered user interface that will no doubt prove as delight to use as Clear’s. It remains to be seen whether Analog Camera can revolutionise taking photos just as Clear revolutionized to-do lists, though it packs in core features you’ve come to expect from a decent photography app, including a set of filters for post-processing.

I’ve included a promo video and more tidbits after the break…

Taking cues from its existing Analog for Mac program, a $9.99 download, the user interface in Analog Camera feels the snappiest of any iOS camera/photography app.

From the blurb:

For Analog Camera, we’ve really focused on the core features that were important to us – stunning filters, incredibly fast and easy to use, and most importantly, FUN!

With a beautiful fluid interface, and all your favourite services ready to share a photo to, Analog Camera is all about making photography fun again.

In case you’ve been wondering – yes, Analog Camera makes heavy use of the clean buttons and fun UI sounds. The app is being billed as focused, gesturally driven and “super fun to use.”

The app icon is just beautiful.

Here’s your brief introductory video.

Unlike similar apps like Camera+, Analog Camera doesn’t have its own social network and instead focuses on sharing your snaps on a variety of popular social networks (Facebook and Twitter) and sharing services (Instagram, Path and Evernote), in addition to email and Camera roll exports.

Realmac Software head honcho Dan Counsell tells TechCrunch:

It seems like most of the current popular photo apps are competing on features, they keep cramming more and more into them to try and outdo each other.

In doing this they have become overly complex and confusing for new users. Camera apps should be fun to use with a minimal interface that just stays out of the way allowing the user to focus on what really matters, their photos.

Analog Camera will launch on iOS later in the month and you can count on iDB to keep you in the loop.

In addition to Clear, Realmac is behind such software as Courier, LittleSnapper and RapidWeaver, each distinct in its own category.

To learn more, check out the Realmac Software web site.

http://www.idownloadblog.com

http://www.realmacsoftware.com/analogcamera/

Analog Camera for iPhone - Coming Soon

Analog Camera - Making photography on iPhone fun again. Available soon.
Follow @analogcamera on Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and new photos processed with Analog Camera, or sign up to be the first to know when Analog Camera is available! realmacsoftware.com/analogcamera

Analog Camera for iPhone - Coming Soon from Realmac Software on Vimeo.

Windows Phone jumps to third place in smartphone market

Microsoft's mobile OS surpassed BlackBerry in smartphone shipments and market share during the first quarter of 2013, says IDC.


Microsoft's Windows Phone grabbed third place from BlackBerry in global smartphone shipments in the first quarter, market researcher IDC said Thursday.
Windows Phone accounted for shipments of 7 million smartphones, earning itself a market share of 3.2 percent last quarter. That was a gain from the first quarter of 2012, which saw shipments of 3 million and a market share of 2 percent.
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Over the same period, BlackBerry saw its fortunes fall. Last quarter, shipments fell to 6.3 million from 9.7 million in the year-ago quarter, while BlackBerry's market share dropped to 2.9 percent from 6.4 percent.
Windows Phone posted the largest gain among all operating systems, a feat largely due to Nokia, IDC said in its report. The Finnish phone maker was responsible for 70 percent of all Windows Phone shipments last quarter. Since partnering with Microsoft, Nokia has shipped a total of 20.3 million Windows Phone handsets. Other vendors also offer Windows Phone devices but mostly as an alternative to their mainstay Android phones.
"Windows Phone claiming the third spot is a first and helps validate the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia," IDC analyst Kevin Restivo said in a statement. "Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows Phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alterative to Android or iOS."
Despite the boost for Windows Phone, Google's Android and Apple iOS operating systems still completely dominate the smartphone landscape.
Android phones saw shipments of 162.1 million last quarter, up from 90.3 million for the prior year's quarter. Market share climbed to 75 percent from 59.1 percent.
Apple shipped 37.4 million iPhones in the first quarter, up from 35.1 million, though its slice of the market dropped to 17.3 percent from 23 percent.
(Credit: IDC)
"Underpinning the worldwide smartphone market is the constantly shifting operating system landscape," IDC research manager Ramon Llamas said in a statement. "Android and iOS accounted for more than the lion's share of smartphones in the first quarter, but a closer examination of the other platforms reveals turnaround and demand for alternatives. Windows Phone has benefited from Nokia's participation, and BlackBerry's new BB10 devices have already hit a million units shipped in its first quarter of availability."

http://news.cnet.com/

Android and iOS Combine for 92.3% of All Smartphone Operating System Shipments in the First Quarter While Windows Phone Leapfrogs BlackBerry, According to IDC

Android and iOS, the number one and number two ranked smartphone operating systems (OS) worldwide, combined for 92.3% of all smartphone shipments during the first quarter of 2013 (1Q13) as Windows Phone crept past BlackBerry for 3rd place. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Android smartphone vendors and Apple shipped a total of 199.5 million units worldwide during 1Q13, up 59.1% from the 125.4 million units shipped during 1Q12.

"Underpinning the worldwide smartphone market is the constantly shifting operating system landscape," noted Ramon Llamas, research manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team. "Android and iOS accounted for more than the lion's share of smartphones in the first quarter, but a closer examination of the other platforms reveals turnaround and demand for alternatives. Windows Phone has benefited from Nokia's participation, and BlackBerry's new BB10 devices have already hit a million units shipped in its first quarter of availability."

"Windows Phone claiming the third spot is a first and helps validate the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia," said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. "Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows Phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alterative to Android or iOS."

Smartphone Operating System Highlights

Android remains the leader in the smartphone operating system market, increasing its market share despite the seasonality working against the entire smartphone market in the first quarter. Samsung was once again the clear leader among all Android smartphone vendors, commanding 41.1% market share. Following Samsung was a long list of vendors with single-digit market share, and an even longer list of vendors with market share less than one percent. The intra-Android competition has not stifled companies from keeping Android as the cornerstone of their respective smartphone strategies, but has upped the ante to innovate proprietary experiences.

Apple iOS marked its largest ever first quarter volume on the strength of its iPhone shipment volumes, yet the operating system posted a year-over-year decline in market share and lower year-over-year shipment growth than the overall market. Although demand remains strong worldwide, the iOS experience has remained largely the same since the first iPhone debuted in 2007. That appears ready to change as online rumors and speculation predict a massive overhaul of the user interface when iOS 7 debuts.

Windows Phone posted the largest year-over-year gain among the leading operating systems, more than doubling its size from a year ago. Nokia was largely responsible for driving these volumes higher, accounting for 79.0% of all Windows Phone shipments during the quarter. Since Nokia began shipping Windows Phone devices, the company has shipped a total of 20.3 million units and grown the footprint worldwide to include address multiple market segments. Meanwhile, other vendors continue to offer Windows Phone devices, but mainly as an alternative to their signature Android devices. Still, the gains made by Windows Phone demonstrate both end-user demand and OEM support.

BlackBerry realized double-digit declines from a year ago, but this masks the progress that the company has made since then. In its first quarter of availability, BlackBerry formally introduced and shipped more than a million units running on its new BB10 platform, a significant breakthrough for the company. At the same time, BlackBerry still relied on its BB7 smartphones for the majority of its shipment volume, which, due to their lower prices, were well received within key markets.

Linux saw continued decline in shipment volumes to start off the year, reaching levels not seen since 1Q10. The lower volumes were not completely unexpected, as most vendors have switched to Android and Samsung, Linux's biggest OEM supporter, readies the debut of its first Tizen-powered smartphones for later this year. This is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the open-source operating system, as multiple platforms, including Mozilla, SailFish, Tizen, and Ubuntu are expected to introduce or launch their first smartphones in the coming months.

Symbian recorded the largest year-over-year decline compared to any other operating system. The decline for Symbian-powered smartphones was expected as its primary OEM supporter Nokia has transitioned to Windows Phone and Japanese vendors have moved to Android. Although shipments continue to decline, IDC believes that Symbian shipments could continue into 2014, but in drastically lower volumes.

Top Five Smartphone Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market Share, 1Q 2013 (Units in Millions) 

Operating System	1Q13 Shipment Volume	1Q13 Market Share	1Q12 Shipment Volume	1Q12 Market Share	Year over Year Change
Android	162.1	75.0%	90.3	59.1%	79.5%
iOS	37.4	17.3%	35.1	23.0%	6.6%
Windows Phone	7.0	3.2%	3.0	2.0%	133.3%
BlackBerry OS	6.3	2.9%	9.7	6.4%	-35.1%
Linux	2.1	1.0%	3.6	2.4%	-41.7%
Symbian	1.2	0.6%	10.4	6.8%	-88.5%
Others	0.1	0.0%	0.6	0.4%	-83.3%
Total	216.2	100.0%	152.7	100.0%	41.6%

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, May 2013.

Note: Data are preliminary and subject to change. Vendor shipments are branded shipments and exclude OEM sales for all vendors.

iCharts

This chart is intended for public use in online news articles and social media. Instructions on how to embed this graphic are available by clicking here.

About IDC Trackers

IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, vendor share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC's Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly excel deliverables and on-line query tools. The IDC Tracker Charts app allows users to view data charts from the most recent IDC Tracker products on theiriPhone and iPad.

For more information about IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, please contact Kathy Nagamine at 650-350-6423 or knagamine@idc.com.

About IDC

IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. For more than 49 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.

The 50 billionth app

The 50 billionth app — Say the Same Thing — was downloaded from the App Store by Brandon Ashmore of Mentor, Ohio, USA. As the grand prize winner, Brandon will receive a US$10,000 App Store Gift Card.

BlackBerry Messenger coming to Android and iOS this summer

BlackBerry Messenger coming to Android and iOS this summer

http://blog.clove.co.uk/2013/05/15/blackberry-messenger-coming-to-android-and-ios-this-summer/

The number of smartphones in the MTS-Ukraine in Q1 2013 increased by 1.5 million

The mobile operator "MTS Ukraine" announced the statistics on the number of smart phones that are registered in the operator's network at the end of the first quarter of 2013.

As the operator, in the 1st quarter of 2013 the number of smartphones in its network has exceeded 3.7 million units, an increase of almost half a million more than it was at the end of the same period of 2012. Thus, the penetration of "smart" phones in the operator's network was about 17%. Today, it is the highest on the market.

The largest increase for the year is traditionally fallen to the terminals under the operating system Android. Such devices in the MTS was more a factor of 4 (302%). In second place - smartphones running the mobile OS Windows (+124%), followed by iOS (+119%) and bada (+71%). The number of Symbian-terminals decreased by 2.4%.

The number of smartphones in the MTS network at the beginning of April 2013 (TOP5 most popular operating systems):

Symbian - 1442000 piece.
Android - 1419000 piece.
iOS - 360,000 piece.
bada - 274,000 piece.
Windows - 151,000 units.

Switch to the Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone - Engadget Reader's Choice Smartphone of the Year.

Don't fight. See why now's the time to switch to the Windows Phone Nokia Lumia 920: Engadget Reader's Choice Smartphone of the Year.

Make the switch: http://newwp.it/YhvMe4

Go behind the scenes of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAvW8o...

Get ready for what may be the best photos and videos you've taken with a smartphone. The Nokia Lumia 920 brings Optical Image Stabilization, 8 MP PureView technology, and incredible photo and video software—all to Windows Phone 8.

#timetoswitch

Don't fight. Switch to the Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone

See what makes the Nokia Lumia 920 the most popular Windows Phone yet. And the one worth switching to today.

Make the switch: http://newwp.it/183RrZ2

Google Now launches for iOS, available as update to existing Search app

After a few months of waiting, Google has just released its Google Now service for iOS users. The feature is available via an update to Google’s existing Search app for iOS.

What’s New in Version 3.0.0

Get just the right information at just the right time with Google Now.
• weather and traffic conditions before you start your day
• updates on your favorite sports teams and breaking news stories as they happen
Find out more about all other ways Google Now can help at http://www.google.com/now

Google is also working to bring some voice functionality to its desktop website. While Google Now has a voice component that has been compared to Apple’s Siri on many occasions, the essence of the feature is truly to provide timely, location based information.

The update is available for free for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch via the App Store.

http://9to5mac.com/