This shows some fairly remarkable growth, considering that Android held 69 percent of the market share in 2012. While a large number of manufacturers account for the overall Android number, Samsung was once again the clear winner, accounting for over 39.5 percent of shipped Android devices.

Android’s main competitor, Apple’s iOS, had a fairly solid year, with shipments rising 13 percent over 2012. Given the large number of Android devices that entered the marketplace, iOS lost market share, falling to 15.2 percent from 18.7 percent in 2012.

Microsoft had a bit of a mixed year. Year-over-year sales for the Windows Phone OS increased 46.7 percent, but only accounted for 3.3 percent of the market. BlackBerry continues to languish, now making up just 1.9 percent of the market, down from 4.5 percent in 2012.

The overall smartphone market saw the first year that over 1 billion handsets were shipped, although IDC doesn’t believe that constant double-digit growth will continue over the coming years. The company did point out that smartphones priced under $200 accounted for almost 43 percent of shipped handsets, representing a huge opportunity for those manufacturers that can make a profit selling smartphones around this price point.

Keep in mind that these numbers represent smartphones shipped from the manufacturers, so they might not exactly match up with actual sales. Still, IDC’s numbers do align well with earlier 2013 numbers released by Strategy Analytics and are generally consistent with other industry figures.

As far as the future of mobile technology goes, Android fans have a lot to be excited about. Application developers may still be drawn to the higher sales penetration that the iOS platform offers, but if Android’s numbers continue to grow past 80 percent of the market, the two platforms may wind up on equal footing due to Android’s massive smartphone market share advantage.

Do you think that Android’s continued surge portends it becoming the preeminent mobile OS, or are these numbers to be expected when Android offers numerous smartphones at such low price points?

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The new PadFone Mini features a 4-inch IPS+ display with an 800 by 400 resolution, 1.6GHz Atom Z2560 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, which can be expanded up to 64GB with a microSD card. The smartphone also comes with a 2 megapixel front-facing camera and an 8 megapixel rear camera that can record 1080p video. The highlight is the tablet that the PadFone can dock with through a smartphone-sized recession on the rear face of the device. The tablet features a 7-inch screen with a 1280 by 800 resolution, a smaller version than the PadFone models available now.

ASUS also revealed a new set of ZenFone options at CES, PCR reports. The ZenFone 6 features a 6-inch 720p display, 2GHz processor, up to 16GB of storage and a 13 megapixel rear camera. The ZenFone 5 has the same processor and RAM as the ZenFone 6, but offers a 5-inch screen and an 8-megapixel camera. The ZenFone 4 is targeted at budget consumers, offering a 1.2GHz processor, 4-inch display with 800 by 400 resolution and 5-megapixel camera.

All of the new ASUS Android smartphones at CES will run on Android 4.3, overlaid with a proprietary interface called ZenUI. ZenUI was built to create a “holistic user experience with better functionality and great simplicity,” as stated in this ASUS press release. The new UI includes free open messaging through Omlet Chat, which allows users to share text and media free of charge. There are also a number of enhanced Android apps that come with these devices, like the email app and the picture gallery, designed to improve the functionality of the standard Android apps. ASUS did say that all these devices will eventually be able to upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat, but did not release a timeline for the upgrade.

The ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5, and ZenFone 6 will be priced at $100, $150, and $200, respectively, without the need for a contract, according to Engadget. ASUS has yet to announce the pricing or availability for the PadFone Mini. All these devices will be available in the UK, but it remains to be seen if any of them will cross over to the U.S. Given that AT&T recently announced the U.S. availability of the PadFone X, it seems likely that at least some of these devices will be sold in the U.S. before too long.

ASUS is making a name for itself with phone-to-tablet PadFone, and the prices on the three ZenFone models make them extremely attractive. Do you think these devices will be able to make the company a serious competitor to Samsung in the booming Android market?

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To use the application, users snap a photo and ask a question. The image and question then go out to the user’s Facebook friends and Twitter followers, who can answer the question, ignore it, or choose to forward it on to someone who might know. The question doesn’t go out to everyone, but just a select group of contacts chosen by Jelly’s internal algorithm.

Answering a question is just as simple, although users can only look at one question at a time, choosing to answer it, forward it, or skip it. There’s no way to scroll through multiple questions quickly, like one would when browsing a Twitter feed. Users can “star” a question to track its progress, but otherwise there’s no mechanism to go back through skipped questions.

While Jelly isn’t likely to challenge search engines like Google or Bing when it comes to text-based questions, it may find a niche in the world of visual search. Using a search engine to discover what kind of tree is in the backyard could mean writing a carefully worded query and looking through thousands of images, while that same search on Jelly would just require a quick picture and a simple “What is this?” Search engines are expanding beyond just text-based searches, but it’ll be a long time before they can react to visual searches in the way that humans can.

As noted in a statement on the company’s blog, “No matter how sophisticated our algorithms become, they are still no match for the experience, inventiveness, and creativity of the human mind.” Jelly is also perfect for more philosophical questions, general advice, or just as a conversation starter.

Since the project is coming from one of the founders of Twitter, it has already gotten a lot of notice. In the long run, its success, like that of most social networking endeavors, will depend on getting a large number of people to continue using it. The Jelly app is available for both iOS and Android devices, either from their respective app stores or from the Jelly website.

Would the Jelly app be useful in your life? 

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Google is working to make the Wink feature an integrated part of the Google Glass experience. “You wink at a pair of shoes in a shop window and your size is shipped to your door. You wink at a cookbook recipe and the instructions appear right in front of you—hands-free, no mess, no fuss. Pretty cool, right?” the company proposed on Google+. Google did not provide a timeline for when these additional Wink features will be available.

The latest release includes a new lock feature, which disables the device until the wearer enters their Glass handshake, a feature that was much desired within the Glass Explorers community. Glass is also now fully compatible with Hangouts, allowing users to send text and picture messages without having to rely on other social media platforms.

The update improves the integration between the device and YouTube, allowing users to quickly send their recorded videos to the site. Users can either tap the video and swipe it to the YouTube share card, or use voice activation to share to the website. There are also improvements to the Play Music feature, giving subscribers the option to switch between listening to their playlists and the radio, create a new station based on their listening history, or use their voice to play specific songs.

Meanwhile, Google released the iOS version of the MyGlass application today. The company had jumped the gun a little bit and released the app early on December 17 before pulling it shortly after. According to Google, the company needs people to have completed the XE12 before the app will work, so it delayed the official release. App users will be able to manage their device from their iPhone, as long as it is running iOS 7, and use navigation features on their Glass.

Will this update make you more likely to try out Google Glass when it gets fully released? 

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New Market Share Numbers

The results, as summarized by CNET, are based on Mobile Metrix and MobiLens, two of comScore’s measurement services. Apple still has the largest piece of the U.S. smartphone pie, gaining 0.2 percent of the market share from quarter ending July 2013. Samsung’s gains were by far the largest, showing the company has emerged as the premier Android manufacturer. Motorola saw smaller gains, representing 7 percent of the market. These numbers came at the expense of HTC and LG, which lost 1.3 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.

Due to its wide range of handsets and multiple manufacturers, the Android platform increased its solid hold as the top mobile OS with 52.2 percent of the market, up 0.4 percentage points from the previous quarter. The BlackBerry OS saw the only significant decline, dropping 0.7 percentage points to 3.6 percent of the market, and Microsoft gained a bit of ground, rising 0.2 percent to 3.2 percent.

Finally, the report also examined how people were interacting with their mobile devices. According to the comScore report, “Google Sites ranked as the top web property on smartphones, reaching 88 percent of the mobile media audience (mobile browsing and app usage), followed by Facebook (84.4 percent), Yahoo Sites (77.9 percent) and Amazon Sites (65.3 percent).” On smartphones alone, Facebook was far and away the most popular application, reaching 75.7 percent of the market. Google Play and Google Search were its closest competitors, with both reaching just above 50 percent.

Breaking It all Down

The smartphone market share numbers were not surprising and, after Android’s big surge last year, have remained relatively consistent. Of course, it only takes one explosive device to turn those numbers around. Microsoft can’t be happy with just over 3 percent of the market, but its gains rivaled those of Android and iOS, which is certainly a good sign for the platform. Overall, Apple’s hold on the top smartphone manufacturer spot doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy any time soon.

The more interesting numbers may be those concerning the top properties and apps. Once the bundled apps, like Google Play and Apple App Suite, are taken out, these results provide a pretty good idea of user preference.

What changes in the smartphone market do you predict in the coming year?

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One such project allows for charging in the outdoors; another improves on the phone’s built-in flash. These Kickstarters are turning heads and may one day be on every techie’s wish list. These projects prove both the popularity of the iPhone and the power of crowdfunding, Apple Insider claims. 

A Better Flash

The iPhone and its camera have become an integral part of popular nightlife culture, but anyone who has flipped through their low-light photos in the harsh light of day knows that the pictures are often less than perfect. Candid photography has always been difficult in low-light situations, and is even more limited by a phone’s built-in flash.

Enter Lightstrap, an iPhone case that doubles as a ring light for shooting in less-than-ideal conditions. The case has its own battery, which should provide enough power to take over 500 photos or 30 minutes of video. Because it is tied into the phone’s flash, there’s no need for messy connections or added cabling, so it is simple to use.

According to the Q&A on Lightstrap’s Kickstarter page, the device offers seven brightness levels, with the maximum being almost 15 times as bright as the standard flash and more than 30 times brighter than a video light. The device will be compatible with the iPhone 5 and 5s, and is expected to ship in April 2014 provided the goals are met.

Power on the Go

The iPhone is a must-have on hiking and camping trips these days, but keeping the device charged can be a pain. There are a number of ways to generate portable electricity, like solar and thermoelectric generators, but the PowerPot X claims superiority.

The device is the successor to the award-winning PowerPot V, featuring lighter components, a larger size, and more efficient power conversion. The device claims to create up to 10 watts of power in ideal conditions and around 5 watts in bad conditions—still more than enough to charge an iPhone. The device also comes with a custom-built regulator to ensure a steady stream of electricity. There’s even a second port to enable charging two iPhones at once. Best of all, it creates its electricity as a byproduct of boiling water, something campers and hikers are likely already doing, meaning that it is really saving electricity.

This won’t be the only fire-powered charging solution on the market, as similar items are available through retailers such as REI, but since this Kickstarter project has already reached its $30,000 goal with 40 days left to go, proving there is a big market out there for these items.

These are just two of many iPhone-based Kickstarter projects, showing that no matter how much ingenuity goes into these feature-rich phones, there’s always room for a few more innovations. Could you see either of these projects improving your iPhone experience, or do you have an even better idea?

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Urban Research Wired Tech Hat

In the winter it’s always important to keep your head and ears warm, but stuffing traditional headphones underneath a hat can be both unwieldy and uncomfortable. While there are a number of wired earmuff options, not everyone can pull off that look. Instead, there’s the Urban Research Wired Tech Hat. The hat, available from Nordstrom, combines comfort, utility, and style for anyone. This winter accessory includes removable modular speakers and an in-line microphone with a 3.5mm plug that will fit most tech products.

SmartWool Cozy Gloves

When the temperature dips, the last thing you want to do is remove your gloves to use your smartphone. This makes touchscreen-compatible gloves a must for anyone who uses tech on the go. The SmartWool Cozy Gloves, available through REI, feature a mix of materials designed to keep moisture away and keep your hands comfortable while the knit-in touchscreen compatibility lets you use your smartphone or tablet.

USB 2.0 Heated Fingerless Gloves

If your mobile tech of choice is a laptop rather than a smartphone or tablet, you know that typing in gloves can be quite a pain. These heated fingerless gloves, available through Amazon, keep your fingertips exposed so that you can type freely. They also feature a USB 2.0-powered heating element to ensure that your hands don’t freeze over while you type. The gloves are low-power, so they won’t unnecessarily use electricity or drain your battery.

Peepsnake iPhone Scarf

When you’re walking over ice and snow, it can be both dangerous and difficult to take your smartphone out of your pocket. The Peepsnake iPhone Scarf, available through Amazon, keeps your smartphone at hand while keeping you warm at the same time. The scarf features a smartphone pouch with a clear window that allows you to see and use your device without having to take it out. There is also a rear window so you can capture pictures while keeping your phone safe, and another utility pouch for things like car keys and lip balm.

What are some of your favorite winter tech accessories? 

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Google Launches the Nexus 5

Some smartphone manufacturers opt for large media events heralding their upcoming devices, hoping to generate a buzz in advance of the release day; Google does things a bit differently. The company just unveiled its new Nexus 5 smartphone on Thursday, the same day it became available for sale through the Google Play store.

As detailed by Engadget, this LG-manufactured device features a 5-inch, 1080p display underneath an ultrathin sheath of Gorilla Glass 3 and a silky textured back, which allows this plastic smartphone to have a distinctly more substantial feel. Behind the facade, a 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM power the device, and this Nexus includes a host of connectivity features such as LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, and NFC. The smartphone also includes wireless charging capabilities, a welcome relief for those tired of constantly plugging their device into a charger.

Google appears to be aware of just how important high-end cameras are becoming in distinguishing top-end smartphones, as the Nexus 5 includes not only an impressive 8 megapixel rear-facing camera but also a host of features appealing to camera buffs. One of these is an image-stabilization system that actually moves the lens to reduce blur caused by minor shakes. Another is a shutter that’s fast enough to create true high-dynamic range images by capturing and combining multiple exposures.

The Nexus 5 will run on AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile networks in North America. The device will retail for $399 for the 32GB version and $349 for 16GB. The color choices are clear-cut: white and black. The device is already available for purchase through Google’s online store, and will soon be available from retailers, including Best Buy and RadioShack. Unlike some other Nexus models, the 5 will also be available through some carrier’s stores: Sprint is expected to have the device starting November 8, and T-Mobile will have it by the holidays.

Android 4.4 Aims for Worldwide Dominance

Google also announced that the new Nexus 5 would come with Google’s latest version of the Android OS, KitKat. The new software has a much-improved search feature that will include business results in searches on the phone app, and can include results from inside of installed apps when doing a general search. The device can even use the user’s location to automatically display the results of common searches made by others in the same location, making the first moves in the next logical step for search, which is to display relevant information that seamlessly adapts.

There are also numerous improvements to the look and feel of the OS, including the Hangouts feature, which consolidates a host of powerful messaging features into one simple interface, but the real success with KitKat is behind the scenes. Google designed this OS with all the Google devices in mind, USA Today reports. This means that along with lower memory requirements for general device operation, KitKat will also allow app developers to easily offer different versions of apps that can run on devices with low-end specs. The end result is an OS that can run on all new Android devices, removing some of the fragmentation issues that have helped keep Android second to iOS in the minds of app developers. Manufacturers will still have to approve of the upgrade to KitKat, so while flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4 will certainly get the upgrade soon, it remains unclear just which older devices will be able to take advantage of these new features.

This push for OS parity is an important step as Google aims to make Android the dominant player in the global smartphone market, given that it is unlikely to take much market share from Apple within developed markets. If this effort is successful, Android users could begin enjoying preference from app developers, who tend to favor iOS due to current financial incentives.

Google has a long road ahead of it to reach true smartphone domination, but the combination of the Nexus 5, which is competitively priced for a high-end smartphone, and a smart KitKat strategy certainly look like smooth moves for the company. So what’s more exciting to users: Google’s slick new smartphone or the release of the next version of the Android OS?

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The New Nokia Lumia Phablets

Ever since Nokia adopted Windows Phone for its major device releases, the company has consistently released some of the top devices using the platform, and that’s not about to change. As reported by the BBC, the company showed off two new “phablets,” devices that are sized between the smaller smartphone and the larger tablet.

First was the Nokia Lumia 1320, which is designed as the more budget-friendly phablet option. It features a 6-inch, 720p screen, dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, LTE speeds, and 5MP camera. The device is designed for the budget end of the market, retailing for $339 before subsidies. It will be released in Asia in early 2014 before coming west.

Nokia also announced its new flagship device, the Lumia 1520. This powerhouse builds on the Lumia 1020’s focus on photography with a 20MP PureView camera and 1080p full HD 6-inch screen. While size constraints meant a step down from the 1020’s 41MP camera, the company also announced the new Nokia Camera software, which offers a handful of impressive camera modes and robust camera controls. There’s even a Refocus app, which take advantage of the software’s ability to take multiple images to allow the user to shift the focus after the shot.

This phablet, which also features a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory, and LTE speeds, is truly a high-end device, with an nonsubsidized price of $749. It will be released in the US, as well as Europe and a few Asian markets, sometime this quarter.

A New Tablet and Much-Needed Apps

Nokia also took this opportunity to reveal the first Windows RT tablet made by a company other than Microsoft. The Lumia 2520 features a 10.1-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 800 processor, and even 4G LTE support, something even Microsoft’s new tablet lacks. The tablet also continues Nokia’s focus on photography with a 6.7MP rear-facing camera with Zeiss optics, which is fairly robust for a tablet.

Nokia also has some app announcements to make, signaling that major apps like Vine, Flipboard, and Instagram will be coming to the Windows Phone platform very soon. This is great news for any Windows enthusiast, as the platform has to ensure customers that they won’t be missing out on anything by choosing Windows.

Finally, the company also showed off a handful of new Asha devices, which run on a proprietary OS and are targeted at overseas emerging markets.

In the end, the devices shown off at this year’s Nokia World were impressive, to say the least. With something new for everyone, including existing Nokia and Windows Phone users, the company seems to be putting itself in a position of strength leading up to the eventual acquisition of its hardware business by Microsoft. It remains to be seen what will happen to some of these models, and the entire Lumia line, once these two big companies no longer need to, even tangentially, compete against each other. It also remains to be seen whether even phablets and tablets as impressive as these can do anything to move the market share needle in Window’s direction.

Do these new Nokia devices make you want to give Windows Phone a chance, or did Nokia doom itself in choosing today’s distant-third mobile OS option?

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What’s New in the Windows 8.1 Update?

The latest version of Microsoft’s flagship product is less about overhauling the Windows 8 experience and more about fine-tuning some of its features that could be improved upon. Microsoft had a year to get user feedback regarding the new look of Windows 8, and many of the upgrades show that the company was listening.

Search is now universal in 8.1, as detailed in this review from The Verge, combining results gathered from both the device or computer itself and the general Web. Search results are also displayed in an intuitive manner, resulting in less time searching and more time accessing content.

Microsoft also more fully integrates the new OS with SkyDrive, its cloud-based storage system. The sync feature makes it much easier to seamlessly switch between a desktop and tablet, without having to worry about what device important files exist on. There’s even a feature that will let you sync tabs in Internet Explorer, which will also eventually be available for Windows Phone users.

The most desired changes, as reported in USA Today, center around navigation and interaction within the OS. The OS is still designed for tablets, but there are a few additions, like the return of a Start button, if not an actual Start menu, in the OS’s desktop mode. This will make the transition to Windows 8.1 a little easier for Windows 7 users. The OS also features a host of personalization options, like the ability to set the desktop wallpaper and the Start Screen backdrop as the same image and the ability to adjust the sizes of snapped apps on large tablets and desktops.

Microsoft’s Rollout Schedule

The 8.1 upgrade became be available through the Windows Store starting at 7 a.m. EDT on October 17, 2013, and will roll out globally over the following 24 hours. Existing Windows 8 users will have the easiest time upgrading, as they simply have to visit the Windows Store and download the update. It will automatically retain all the files, Windows 8 apps, and settings on the system.

Anyone who installed the Windows 8.1 preview on top of a Windows 8 installation can also simply upgrade, although they will have to re-install any applications they wish to keep. Those who chose a clean installation of the Windows 8.1 preview will have to re-install Windows 8 and then upgrade to avoid having to pay for an additional Windows 8 key.

Microsoft is also releasing a number of new built-in apps which will appear after the upgrade, and most of the existing built-in apps have gotten some kind of upgrade to improve performance and ease of use.

Overall, the Windows 8.1 update looks to be a big positive for the OS. Windows 8 users will want to upgrade, but the newly designed features will also work to convert Windows 7 users and may attract new users to Windows-based smartphones and tablets. After looking over these features, do you think the new Windows 8.1 update gives Microsoft a chance against the Apple/Android duopoly in the tablet space?

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