IDC: Samsung and Apple ship almost half of all smartphones, but Korean manufacturer maintains lead

IDC: Samsung and Apple ship almost half of all smartphones, but Korean manufacturer maintains lead:

IDC's latest figures offer some predictable reading. More phones are being sold than ever before; 406 million units were sold in Q2, against 401.8 million in the same period last year -- with a 42 percent increase in smartphone sales. The winners? Perennial court antagonists, Samsung and Apple, with the duo doubling their combined market share over the last two years. Samsung maintains its lead, reaching over 50 million phones sold -- and a new quarterly sales record -- while Apple saw a quarter-over-quarter decline, as buyers presumably wait for Cupertino's latest iteration, or go elsewhere. Nokia, meanwhile, had another "transitional" quarter, with sales of both Symbian and MeeGo devices shrinking, although its Windows Phones proved stronger. According to IDC's figures, Nokia and Microsoft's team-up handset sales have doubled since last quarter. HTC misses out on a top three spot, but its fortunes appear to have improved over the last two quarters, with the IDC pointing the finger at a more streamlined product range from the Taiwan manufacturer. ZTE continues to nip at its heels, reaching the top five thanks to strong entry-level smartphone sales in China, while continuing to inch onto US shores. If you're looking for a full breakdown of all phones sold, dumb and otherwise, read up at the source below.
Filed under: Cellphones

IDC: Samsung and Apple ship almost half of all smartphones, but Korean manufacturer maintains lead originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 03:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S III recovers universal search box in OTA update to European handsets

Samsung Galaxy S III recovers universal search box in OTA update to European handsets:

Samsung promised -- and it's already delivered. Galaxy S III-toting Brits should wake up to yet another OTA update for their smartphone, which throws in some stability improvements alongside the returning universal search feature that polls your phone's entire contents for results. Users can check their settings menu for the lightweight 5MB download now.
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Samsung Galaxy S III recovers universal search box in OTA update to European handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 07:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cubify Invent: affordable design tool created just for 3D printing

Cubify Invent: affordable design tool created just for 3D printing:

There are plenty of design tools out there from SketchUp to Autodesk that can be used to create 3D-printable models. But none are really created from the ground up with additive manufacturing in mind. That's where 3D Systems thinks it has an advantage in the crowded CAD market. Cubify Invent, obviously from the makers the Cubify 3D printer, is a beginner-friendly design tool for Windows that lets you quickly and easily spit out your creations in colorful ABS plastics. Those familiar with other CAD tools should have no problems picking up Cubify Invent, while true n00bs can use the included tutorials to learn the ropes. You can download the app at the source link for $50, or just give it a test run as a free trial. PR is awaiting you after the break.
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Cubify Invent: affordable design tool created just for 3D printing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 09:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to install Adobe Flash Player on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

How to install Adobe Flash Player on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean:

As many of you know by now, Adobe Flash isn’t supporting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but there is a solution and it’s very easy. There are actually two solutions depending on which device you have. For anyone running Jelly Bean on anything other than the Nexus 7, you can simply side load the APK and enable some plugins. For those of you with the Nexus 7, you will also need to install the stock Browser since the default Browser, Chrome, doesn’t support plugins. Hit the break for all the instructions and download links.

For all NON Nexus 7 devices (as posted by XDA member stempox)

1. Download Flash Player APK (version 11.1.115.12)
2. Copy your files to the SD card of your Android device. (Be it tablet or smartphone, it makes no difference)
3. Install it using any File Manager.
4. Start the Browser
5. Go into the Browser settings and uncheck the option of Flash Player (on demand or always on at your discretion)
6. Finally you have the latest version of Flash also Android!

For the Nexus 7 ONLY (as posted by XDA member Censura_Umbra) – You must be rooted

1. Download this Browser from AOSP Jelly Bean Nexus S ROM
2. Place the app in your /system/app folder, change the permissions from rw——- to rw-r–r–
3. Important: If you see a browser provider.apk and browser provider.odex You need to rename them. You can simply throw in a 1 after the file extensions.
4. Follow all the steps from the above instructions for non Nexus 7 devices to install Adobe Flash Player.
5. Enjoy Flash on your Nexus 7

sources: xda – non Nexus 7 / xda – Nexus 7

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