Some Statistics

Posted by nkbish0p at 18:15 5
As the choice of mobile operating systems has expanded over the past four or so years, the rivalries between the OS manufacturers have grown stronger and this has filtered down to the users of each system, with many users liking to claim that their OS whether it be iOS, Android, Windows or even Symbian is the "best". Of course, the best operating system is objective, depending what you aim to use it for and how well each fits your need, so the point of this article is not to get my viewpoint on this across (though I am planning to write an article on this in the near future) but to answer another important question. Which operating system is the most commonly used?

This topic has been hotly debated, as different statistics can seem to show a different outcome, but for this article I will be focusing on UK USERS ONLY as this is the primary audience for this blog. I will be comparing the percentage of the market that each provider has and also the growth.


It can be seen on the graph that iOS is currently the most popular OS in the United Kingdom, with a market share of over 40%, just ahead of RIM's blackberry which has a share of around 38%. It should however be noted that the market share of iOS is falling steadily, which could be down to the growing popularity of Google's android, which now has around 13% of the market.

From the graph I would predict that the likely dominant mobile OS's for the near future will be iOS and Android. Personally I find it staggering how popular Blackberry actually is, considering the advantages of both Android and iOS over this platform. (For example, iOS has over 400,000 apps, Android over 250,000 whilst Blackberry users have less than 17,000 to choose from).

it must also be noted that in the next few months, Microsoft's windows phone 7 platform will likely make an appearance on the graph as a stand alone OS. In my opinion it is likely that business users will switch from Blackberry to Windows Phone 7 as the blackberry platform seems outdated and suffering from a lack of innovation. (I am currently in the process of writing an article about Windows Phone 7, check back soon for that!)

In conclusion, if you are looking to buy a new phone and have an interest in using your phone to download apps as well as to stay inline with the competition in terms of updates and progression I would strongly advise against buying anything other than an Android or iOS handset, at least until Windows Phone 7 has matured slightly and it becomes obvious where this platform stands. It should be noted that the more users a platform has, the more apps and software will be developed for it; for an example compare Windows and Mac OSX, as windows has far more users, far more developers have developed far more programs and software for it. Although iOS had a huge head start (it was released before Android) giving it it's huge market share it will be interesting to see over the coming months whether Android becomes the primary platform for developers to work with (this will be strongly influenced by worldwide usage, as android has a much stronger user base worldwide than in the UK). I think it is a foregone conclusion that before long, more applications will be available for Android than iOS. What will happen to Blackberry however remains to be seen...

Let me know what you think about your phone and/or operating system in the comments below!


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How to improve battery life on your iPhone

Posted by nkbish0p at 14:33 2


Note I: This article is not relevant for the original iPhone as it does not have 3g
Note II: This article requires an application to be installed that requires your iPhone to be jailbroken. To find out how to jailbreak your phone, read this

One common issue people often have with owing a smartphone is that the battery lift is often not as good as desired. There are many ways to extend the battery life of your device, such as lowering the brightness of the display, or switching off mobile data when not required. However, the second option is not ideal as it prevents you from receiving emails or push notifications. It is well known that having 3g switched on has a strong negative effect on the battery life of an iPhone, but it would be inconvenient to switch 3g on and off all the time manually. Todays app allows 3g to be switched on when your phone is unlocked and switched off, returning to a gprs or edge connection when the phone is locked, allowing push notifications and emails to come through as normal without the battery drain of constantly having 3g switched on.

Auto 3g: How to install

  1. Make sure your device is jailbroken, and if it isn't use this to jailbreak it.
  2. Add this source: http://repo.insanelyiph0ne.com/ using this guide
  3. In sources, tap the above source
  4. Scroll down to Auto3g
  5. Tap "install" and follow the instructions on screen
  6. After installing, if when you open Auto3g you get a piracy message, go into settings on your device and switch aeroplane mode on, then back off again. If this does not remove the message switch your phone off then back on again.
The app itself is quite self explanatory when you start using it, but if you have any problems contact me below or via twitter @nkbish0p.


How to add a repository (repo) in cydia

Posted by nkbish0p at 14:26 0
Basics

To download certain things from Cydia onto your phone, you are first required to add the repository where the file is located onto your phone. This is a simple process and can be completed by following the steps below.

Method

  1. Open cydia and tap "manage" at the bottom of the screen
  2. Tap "sources".
  3. Tap "edit" in the top right hand corner, then "add" in the top left.
  4. Type the address of the repo that you wish to add, then follow the on-screen instructions.
  5. If you have done this successfully, in "sources" the address you types should be visible under "entered by user"
Note, adding some repositories may display a piracy warning, this can be ignored.
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When to buy (and when not to buy) a new apple product.

Posted by nkbish0p at 15:19 0
One of my favourite things about apple products is that they tend to be released periodically and it is often predictable when a new model is due. For example, it is common knowledge that new iPods are generally released in September and new iPhones in July. However, many people do not realise this and I am often asked about rumours regarding updated products.

This is great if, like me you like to have a product as soon as it is released and would hate to see an updated version of your purchase released just after you had bought it, as can often happen with other devices such as mobile phones and music players.

At the link below, you will find the expected release dates of yet to be announced apple products and refreshed versions of current products. The information on this website is obviously prediction's only but I have found it to be very reliable and accurate. The site also lists rumours of what differences there may be between the current product and the upcoming update.

CLICK HERE TO SEE EXPECTED RELEASE DATES OF NEW APPLE PRODUCTS

Please leave a comment below if you find this information helpful!

APP HIGHLIGHT 3: Futbol24

Posted by nkbish0p at 15:03 2

If you are a regular reader of my "app highlight" feature, you may have noticed that every app that I have reviewed so far has been free and todays offering is not an exception. From my experience there are thousands of applications in the free section of the iOS app store that can often better their paid counterparts, but due to the vast number of free applications, it can be hard to wade through the terrible ones in order to find the hidden gems.

Todays app is a great download for anybody that is a fan of football. I was inspired to find this application as I am an avid follower of football, and was tired of frewquently refreshing the bbc sport homepage on my phone in order to see score updates in realtime for football matches.

Todays app highlight "futbol24" offers a feature that I have been looking for for quite a long time; the ability to send goal updates to your device as a push notification, in real time, as they occur, in a similar manner to how, around 5 years ago you were able to get sent notifications of goals to your non-smartphone as a text message. The real advantage of the service offered by Futbol24 is that it is completely free of charge.

When the app is opened it lists football matches from many leagues around the globe. A great feature of the app is that you can choose the games for which you would like notifications for, saving you from a barrage of notifications from games you have no interest in. Simply tap on a game, then tap "push" to enable notifications for that match.

For me it was important that the notifications be delivered quickly and accurately and I am pleased to report that whilst using the app over a WIFI connection, the push notifications were actually delivered before the score was updated on my home PC on the BBC website. This I found to be extremely impressive.

It is worth noting that the app classes itsef as a "betting guide" and allows you to make "forecasts". I had a brief attempt at finding out what this feature was, but could not figure it out and found the instructions of little help.

If you are looking for a great, free app to keep you updated with all the lastest football goals as they occur, I strongly recommend you try this app by downloading at the link below!

futbol24


If you have any suggestions for apps for me to review, please leave a comment below or contact me via twitter @nkbish0p. Have fun!

APP HIGHLIGHT 2: Google Translate

Posted by nkbish0p at 11:09 0



Back in 2008, I recall exactly what made me want to purchase my first iPhone. It was when I saw the first demonstration of the applications that would shortly be coming to the device with the upcoming ios2.0 update and I saw the "remote" app that allows you to control iTunes on a computer using your phone.

It was at this point that I realised what it was that made me want an iPhone. It was the idea that I could have a single device that could do literally anything I could ever want it to do; and whilst admittedly in practice I have used the remote app around three times in two and a half years, I have always had it on my device because I like the idea that it is there for me whenever i could care to use it.

The same could be said of the focus of this app highlight: "google translate". Although in practice it is obvious that this app will be used rarely by me personally as soon as I saw it available on the app store I just had to have it.

For those unaware of what this app is or what it does, google translate literally translates between different languages. The beauty of this app however is that it has voice recognition, you can speak into the device and it converts what you are saying into a choice of 57 different languages.

The wealth and quality of services available from google these days is staggering and it is not surprising to see that google translate works well, as usual exceeding my expectations of voice recognition software. However, I must say that there are certain words that may not be recognised, maybe uncommon words or nouns, but it is notable that if you are having trouble getting the app to recognise a certain word you can type the word instead.

Although for me this app has pretty limited use, it may be ideal for foreign language students or frequent travellers, or as a cool thing to show off to demonstrate the capabilities of your phone.

Another nice touch is that this app is completely free, so you have nothing to lose by downloading it and trying it out at the link below. At the time of writing the app is also number one on the free app to 25 list so it is clear many people are doing exactly that.Enjoy!


ios version 4.3

Posted by nkbish0p at 18:50 0








With all signs pointing to an imminent software update for all iOS devices, I have compiled a list of what new features you can expect to gain from your device with the new version software iOS 4.3. As always iOS 4.3 will be free to download for anyone with a supported apple device.

Major updates

Airplay support for third party apps - Airplay lets you strem content such as audio and video from your device to another device over wifi such as your pc or tv. The ability to do this with third party apps is a great addition as it will users of apps such as VLC to share content without conversion

Personal hotspot feature - A feature for iPhone only that will allow you to connect other devices to your phone to allow them to share the phones 3g internet connection; great for using your laptop in an area with 3g coverage but no wifi.

Noteworthy minor updates:

  • UI updates and bug fixes
  • Parental controls for use with ping
  • New menu for scrubbing in videos (allows for more precise scrolling and scene selection)
  • Ability to cancel and delete an app in the process of it downloading from the app store
  • Ability to set the amount of times your phone rings for a text message
As always, if you wish to jailbreak or unlock avoid this update until further notice, anyone that does update early is welcome to post their opinions on the new features here





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