Everybody knows that it was really inevitable.

In a recent survey conducted by Strategy Analytics, a respected research company, it was determined that China has now overtaken the United States in the total number of smartphone shipments. Shipments of smartphones to China reached 23.9 million devices in the third quarter of this year, compared to the 23.3 million that was shipped to the United States. The increase in smartphone shipments to China was 58 percent over the figures posted in the second quarter, which is phenomenally significant. Compare this to the United States where shipments dropped seven percent for the same period. More →

These 4 fun apps for your iPhone will bring out the photographer in you. They each have something special to offer so get all of them. You’ve got plenty of memory to spare and in a pinch you can always stash them in the Clouds with that spiffy new iCloud thing. Sometimes the best innovation is to rediscover the past. A favorite old book of mine, called the Power of Will has a helpful rule to follow-‘Overlook nothing because it is old and approve nothing because it is new.’

8mm Vintage Camera

8mm Vintage Camera offers a stunning glimpse into our photographic heritage. The worst thing about living in the twenty-first century, besides all of that other stuff in the newspapers, is that all of the media is so perfect. Real time this; digitally edit that, who needs it? As Shirley MacClaine exclaimed in one of her popular dance numbers, “phooey!’

Perfection is so boring, what’s left to aspire to? That’s why we’re so lucky that 8mm Vintage Camera is here to the rescue. Take that disgustingly perfect video that you shot and drag it through the dust to scratch it up. Go back in time to your favorite retro era.

Differing film types, lenses, looks, audio effects, herky jerkies and more add to the time dilation. More →

Android has suffered a serious knock with news that it is more unreliable compared to the iPhone and BlackBerry.

In a study conducted by WDS, a company that provides specialist managed services for the wireless industry, it was discovered that Android phones were more likely to suffer from hardware problems compared iOS, Blackberry and Windows 7 devices.

The study was conducted over the course of a year and focused on customer service support calls. About 600,000 tech support calls were part of the study. Of that number, 14 percent were calls for Android phones that suffered a hardware failure. This is followed closely by Windows phones, which accounted for 11 percent of the calls. More →

The two headliners of the smartphone platform are Android and iOS. These two have reached ahead of the competition for numerous reasons and are the most sought after in the market. Moreover, numerous Apps are available for both these platforms. Although, between the two of them, it is not that difficult to find a winner.  Let us explore the different development features of both platforms:

Apps Writing

To develop apps for iOS and list them on the App store is very expensive. It costs about $99 per year and you have to adhere to some strict rules and regulation put in place by Apple. Your app also has to pass a screening process before it can be released Developing apps for the Android Phone is comparatively cheaper and less restricted by rules. Google simple takes a $25 flat fee to shelf your apps, plus an extra $20 if you plan to charge for its usage. Android has a larger market, meaning other app stores are visible for you to display your wares. More →

Here’s news that won’t really surprise you. A study conducted by comScore, majority of the non-computer traffic in the United States has increased by almost seven percent over the month of August this year. The increase in traffic has been largely attributes the use of smartphones, tablets and other portable devices. Smartphone usage has been identified as making up 64 percent of the non-computer traffic in the US, tablets occupy 28 percent.

In another predictable finding of the report, Apple’s various iOS devices dominated the smartphone and tablet categories. In terms of the tablet segment, the iPad made up 97 percent, while iOS smartphones (the various generations of the iPhone) owned 58.5 percent of the smartphone traffic. More →

Samsung has been trying its best to weather the barrage of lawsuits Apple has been showering it in practically all continents. Apple means business in its claims that Samsung is infringing on the patents the guys at Cupertino hold. But now, it’s Samsung’s turn to use legal action against Apple as it tries to prevent the sale of the newly announced iPhone 4S. More →

You know anticipation for the iPhone 5 is reaching a fever pitch when people are beginning to dump their old iPhones.

This is the trend Gazelle, a trade-in service, has been noticing over the last few days. It has noticed a dramatic increase in the number of iPhone users trading in their phones. The main reason is universal – they are anticipating the announcement for the iPhone 5 during the first week of October.

This kind of behavior is really indicative of the level of anticipation Apple and iPhone lovers are experiencing over the rumored iPhone 5. Gazelle reported that it has experienced an 84 percent rise in trade-ins for various models of the iPhone, compared to the trade-in levels for the product about two weeks ago. The rise in trade-ins is made the more significant by the fact that there is still no solid indications on whether Apple will release information about the iPhone 5 for October, which is generally believed as the month Apple will unveil new products in its lineup. More →

This will definitely rattle Apple’s cage, even for just a moment.

According to study conducted by ComScore, a digital research company, the Android mobile operating system has increased in popularity in five significant European markets, overtaking Apple’s iOS, and becoming the second most popular mobile operating system in the area.

The ComScore study revealed that Android usage has dramatically increased over the year and is now firmly entrenched in second place behind Nokia’s Symbian OS, which is still the top mobile platform in many areas in Europe. More →

Google Music is still in its beta and not a lot of people are getting it as yet. It’s not even available in other countries. But the guys at Google still want more people experience what they think may be a game changer in entertainment and cloud computing so they have finally released a version that is compatible with Apple’s iOS.

The new version of Google Music can be accessed on devices that carry iOS. But this is not a completely separate app – the access will go through the Safari browser. This is a mixed bag for some people. Others prefer a separate app so they can access Google servers even without the browser, while others want their access to be done through the browser so they won’t have to install any extraneous apps.

The browser interface actually acts similar to an app. Users can slide between the songs and as a nifty feature, the songs you are playing will continue to do so even when the browser is closed. Of course, browsing through the library and searching for songs can be done through the browser as well.

Google Music is not the first to market with a music streaming service – it already has competition from Spotify and other music streaming services and soon from Apple’s own iCloud service. Google Music has to make unique product decisions to distinguish it from its competitors.

Based upon Apple’s previous schedule one should take this report with a huge grain of salt.

However considering the news is from Jim Dalrymple (who has a solid reputation according to Gruber) Cupertino might be throwing everyone a curve ball.

At past WWDCs, Apple might show off a new piece of hardware, but Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg warns about getting too caught up in the past.

“You get caught up in patterns, and it holds true, until it doesn’t,” Gartenberg told The Loop. “There is no reason for Apple to follow a predictable yearly pattern, and it keeps their competition off guard a little bit.” (The Loop)

Although rumors abound that Apple will release an update to iOS, the company might be delaying iPhone 5′s release in order to not upset Verizon iPhone 4 owners (who just purchased the device in February of 2011).

If the report turns out correct, then we may see Apple release iPhone 5 later on in the year (with some speculating a September launch along side the rumored iPad 3).

While this news would disappoint millions of users (this author included), it could give rivals like Nokia and Microsoft some breathing room, not to mention manufactures of Android devices as well.

(Image Credit: ITProPortal)