COMPANIES

One of the reasons why users loves Android OS platform is the prominent availability of applications. The Android Market or now Google Play Store has been supporting thousands of apps ranging from games to business, social to utilities. And of all these apps from Google Play have been downloaded by millions of users and possibly re-downloaded again for whatever reason.

More modification options for the Nexus 4 were recently unleashed by the generous people over at XDA Developers for maximum enjoyment of the Google-LG smartphone this holiday season.

Leaks for three Sony smartphones came out, following the ongoing trend of phone spec and photo leaks almost every day. The latest leaks are for the Huashan, Odin and Yuga models.

For Android Galaxy S2 users looking for 4.1.2 Jellybean stable firmware, an XXLSJ based 4.1 firmware version will soon be available for installation on the Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100 model.

Asus issued a companion dock for the Google signature tablet Nexus 7, which blog reports said will first hit the Japanese market within December, with the likelihood of a global rollout to follow shortly.

Europe saw demand for new cars drop for the fourteenth consecutive month in November. On the 14th of December, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association released its survey which showed that European Union car sales decreased as much as 10 percent to almost 926,500 vehicles. PSA Peugeot Citroen, Renault SA and Fiat SpA noted the biggest slumps among other carmakers.

Google’s Nexus 4, it turns out, has a hidden LTE chip and it can be easily activated with bits of digging. Users of this Android smartphone in selected U.S. and Canadian locations are bound to enjoy super-fast wireless broadband connection without mustering any hacking skills.

Android currently reigns supreme in the global smartphone arena, underscoring the fact that the Google platform has been generating satisfaction among the hundreds of millions subscribed to the system since its inception.

After another day and another round of JellyBean update to several mobile devices, Lenovo IdeaTab is finally getting an update. The device originally runs Ice Cream Sandwich and now users can obtain the latest Android version 4.1.1 JellyBean for Lenovo IdeaTab A2109.

Techies who follow the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagship from Samsung are also monitoring the future of these two devices, namely the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3. Recent rumours include leaks of the upcoming Galaxy Note 3 which entails 6.3 inches of screen display, which would make it almost like any 7-inch tablet in the market.

It is likely that the Galaxy Note 3 will be unveiled sometime in 2013, reports said, and as expected Samsung is pushing the limit on screen size. From the 5.5-inch that came with the Note 2, the upcoming phablet will be deployed with a display panel that stretches to 6.3 inches.

Westpac shareholders approved on Thursday a $9.6 million compensation package for the bank's chief executive, Gail Kelly. Over 88 per cent of stockholders gave the green light for the pay packet.

By its price alone, at $US199, the HTC Droid DNA is an open invite for Christmas shoppers but with the handset’s circulation marked by mostly positive feedbacks, this 1080p smartphone is set to draw more attention as the shopping season heats up.

Deeper probes of the Nexus 4 revealed that in specific cases and locations the Google smartphone is able to access LTE networks in the United States and Canada, numerous blog reports said.

Following global IT trends, smartphones that run on Google's Android OS has toppled Apple's iOS for the first time in Australia. Citing data from analyst firm Telsyte, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that 44 per cent of over 10 million smartphone users in Australia now use handheld units running on Android versus 43 per cent of iOS.

It is a very, merry Christmas indeed in China this December and Nokia and HTC have decided to crash the party. The two phone makers are releasing their latest handsets to the Chinese market, touted by experts to outpace the United States soon as the most lucrative place to sell gadgets.

It may not be as hot as it was but the Angry Birds fever that started three years ago remains in the right trajectory, hitting the intended marks and breaking new grounds, including a full-length movie set for theatrical showing on 2016.

Apple still impresses when it comes to gadget craftsmanship, according to Time Magazine, and for the near-to-end 2012 the highly-respected weekly publication bestowed its highest honour to the tech giant’s popular smartphone – the iPhone 5.

Great news for international owners of the Galaxy Note 2. The JellyBean 4.1.2 has started rolling out and reports from Sam Mobile indicated that the patch has already reached Polish fans of the bestselling phablet.

Fancy for a dual-boot or even multi-boot Nexus 7? Folks at XDA Developers claim it is now possible for the Google tablet to carry two or more mobile OS, thanks to the newly-created MultiROM.

Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, will miss out the CES 2013 is Las Vegas next month despite recent hints from the South Korean tech giant that it is working on ‘Something New’ that will be unveiled in the early months of Q1 2013, reports said.

The new Blackberry 10 which is scheduled to be released in Q1 of 2013 will include features of a platform-wide flow interface, new intelligent keyboard and camera application.

Instagram is getting better with its new update for both iOS and Android. The popular photo sharing app has been known for its many filters and functionalities with photo editing.

One of the Samsung flagship mobile devices which started the phablet line up devices just got an update of its Android version. Galaxy Note 2 was released only in October 2012.

The Nexus 4 is a definite magnet especially for Android power users but since this signature Google smartphone will not resume shipment until January 2013, looking out for the alternative this Christmas is the best way to taste its flavour.

LG is in celebration mode following the South Korean firm’s announcement at the start of the week that over 10 million units of the Optimus L smartphone lines have reached global consumers since the device was launched this year.

Google has good things going for its Nexus gadget lines, which mostly led to stock outs since their debut, but glitches in the Android system appears to be hampering the products’ total commercial breakout.

Nokia’s Lumia 920 will soon deploy on more carriers and retailers in the United Kingdom beginning January 2013, the Finnish mobile phone maker said this week, adding that the supply problems bogging down the handset’s global distribution will be resolved at around the same time.

The tech world is definitely excited for the Consumer Electronic Show 2013 scheduled on Jan 7-13 in Las Vegas. The show is expected to be different from previous editions as Microsoft steps away from its long-running keynote, and Samsung and QuallComm step in to fill the gap.