Monday, September 03, 2012

Chrome overtakes IE, Apple wars & Nexus 7 3G launch soon

Google's Chrome browser has overtaken Microsoft's Internet Explorer, NextWeb reports quoting StatCounter statistics. While use of IE remains high, August saw Chrome overtake its main competitor when measured globally. Even Firefox use has seen a fall in its use.

Exponential rise

Google Chrome was only released in 2008 and has seen a rapid, if not exponential, rise in uptake. The statistics will make grim reading for Microsoft which has even resorted to advertising its IE browser on UK television.

In America Chrome still trails below IE while in the UK Chrome usage was near to crossing over the threshold at the end of August. In Asia and Europe as a whole Chrome has taken the lead in the browser wars.

Apple's proxy war

Google's Android operating system also remains up front despite Apple's concerted effort to thwart the Internet giant. Far from denting sales Samsung devices have continued to sell like hot cakes despite the ongoing fracas.

New research shows sales of the iPhone have stalled in anticipation of the next generation model rumoured for release in September. At the same time however, sales of Samsung smartphones continue to rise, fuelling Android's growth. Sales of Samsung smartphones have continued to increase, with a 25% increase from the second quarter of 2011 and the Samsung Galaxy S III has sold 10 million units alone [BBC].

Samsung, which makes the Galaxy range of smartphones, overtook Nokia as the world's biggest maker of mobile phones earlier this year and even though it has yet to iron out its differences with Apple and pay a hefty $1.05 billion bill in compensation. Meanwhile Apple and Google are believed to be holding 'secret' talks in an attempt to solve the continuing spat between the two companies, Reuters reported this weekend.

Threat to digital downloads

While Apple has been firing salvoes in the direction of Samsung, in what is seen as a proxy war against Android, it too is trying to fend off criticism over its iTunes policy. Actor Bruce Willis is reported to have begun court action against the company to challenge the small print which would prohibit him passing on his massive music collection to his daughters following his death.

The diehard music fan has reportedly spent thousands of dollars on his music collection, bought through the iTunes service. However, the terms and conditions do not allow a user to pass the collection on to anyone else since they are only borrowed under a licence and not owned outright.

The case has raised eyebrows for many music fans. A physical music collection of records or CDs could easily be handed down from one generation to another, but should Willis lose his case, his daughters Rumer, Scout and Tallulah will have no access to their Dad's vast collection after he passes on [Sky].

Flash returns to Android

Complaining can get results however. Less than two weeks after Adobe pulled Flash from Google's Play store it has returned to the digital shelves after pressure from the BBC in order that the broadcaster's iPlayer app remains supported [CNET].

"Flash Player continues to be available on Google Play for users in the UK for a short while due to requests from strategic partners," an Adobe spokesman told the BBC.

Amazon launch UK cloud storage

For those looking to store stuff in the cloud, there was good news for UK residents after Amazon opened access to its online storage facility. Amazon offers 5Gb for free, 20Gb for £6 a year, 50Gb for £16 a year and 1,000Gb for £320 per year [CNET]. While the pricing is competative, Amazon have entered the fray rather late. With Google Drive, Microsoft's Skydrive, Dropbox and Adrive all offering large cloud storage facilities, Amazon may just serve as a back-up to those who already use such services.

3G Nexus 7 rumoured

The big news of the week is that Google may be planning to release a 3G version of the Nexus 7, which according to some reports could be on sale within weeks [Daily Mail / Telegraph].

tvnewswatch, London, UK

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