DROID 4 now available from Verizon for $199.99

The Motorola DROID 4 is now available from Verizon Wireless for $199.99 on contract. The sleek QWERTY slider features a 4-inch qHD display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 4G LTE connectivity, 1GB of RAM and an 8-megapixel rear camera, and it is being billed as the “thinnest and most powerful 4G QWERTY smartphone.” Thanks to upcoming network enhancements, the DROID 4 will also be able to roam overseas, making it Verizon’s first 4G LTE device with global roaming capabilities. The handset is also eligible for double data, offering subscribers 4GB of data each month for $30.

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iOS Web traffic share surpasses Mac OS for first time ever

Following Apple’s blowout December quarter during which it shipped a record 37 million iPhone handsets and 15.4 million iPad tablets, a significant shift has taken place. iOS’s share of U.S. Web traffic as observed during a six-month study conducted by leading ad network Chitika has surpassed Apple’s Mac OS Web traffic share for the first time. Read on for more.

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New Path update allows users to opt out of contact sharing; CEO apologizes

Yesterday it was revealed that the popular social networking app Path was uploading entire iPhone address books to the company’s server. The data uploaded included full names, phone numbers and email addresses, and the app uploaded all this data without ever asking for permission. Dave Morin, Path’s co-founder and CEO, admitted fault on Wednesday through the company’s website and announced an update to allow users to either opt in or out of the contact collection feature. “We believe you should have control when it comes to sharing your personal information. We also believe that actions speak louder than words,” Morin said. “So, as a clear signal of our commitment to your privacy, we’ve deleted the entire collection of user uploaded contact information from our servers. Your trust matters to us and we want you to feel completely in control of your information on Path.” The company maintains that when data is transmitted to its servers, it is always sent securely through an encrypted connection and protected by industry-standard firewalls.

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Verizon Wireless introducing DROID RAZR BOGO, double data, 4G LTE discounts

Verizon Wireless is planning on introducing a number of promotions starting February 10th, in addition to availability of the Motorola DROID 4. The DROID 4 will sell for $199.99 with a two-year agreement. Starting on the 10th, all Motorola RAZR smartphones will be buy one get one free, and this includes the recently-introduced DROID RAZR MAXX, in addition to the purple and white color models. Verizon is also bringing back the company’s double data promotion, which, doubles your smartphone data. This applies to any 4G LTE smartphone purchase, and will give you 4GB of data for just $30 a month. If you’re still running around with a feature phone or basic cell phone, Verizon is offering a trade-in deal which will give you a $30 Verizon gift card for your old phone, and this is an in-store offer with immediate gift card. Lastly, Verizon is giving customers $100 off any 4G LTE tablet with the purchase of any phone and two-year agreement.

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iOS apps crash more than Android apps, study shows

Apps running on Apple’s iOS devices crash more frequently than Android apps according to a new study preformed by mobile app monitoring company Crittercism. The data, which was collected between December 1st and 15th last year, spans 23 different versions of iOS and 33 different Android versions. The latest version of iOS (5.0.1) leads all others with 28.64% of all crashes, Forbes reports. The OS build is still relatively new, however, so much of the poor performance could be attributed to apps that haven’t yet been properly updated. Even still, there are older version of iOS that have surprisingly high percentages — iOS 4.2.1 was responsible for 12.64% of crashes, iOS 4.3.3 had 10.66% and iOS 4.1 had 8.24%. The chart above, which represents collected from more than 214 million apps between November and December 2011, shows that iOS apps are more likely to crash across all quartiles. A second chart below shows the percentage of app crashes across all OS versions addressed by this study.

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Apple patent suggests real-time sharing of fitness workouts coming to iOS

Future versions of Apple’s iOS operating system may incorporate new fitness sharing technology, according to a patent uncovered by AppleInsider. The new technology will encourage users to be more competitive by allowing them to share and compare their performance in real-time with other users around the world. The patent, which was filed only three months ago, builds upon the functionality of the Nike+ iPod system, which allows a user to complete his or her workout and then upload and share the results with others. Apple’s solution, however, would allow users to share live data with other iOS users. Read on for more.

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FCC to reform and modernize Lifeline program for low-income families

The Federal Communications Commission announced on Monday the reformation and modernization of the Lifeline program. The revamped program will ensure affordable phone service is available to low-income families. Lifeline is a “universal service program that fulfills Congress’s mandate to ensure the availability of communications to all Americans.” The percentage of low-income households with phone service has increased dramatically since the program began in 1985, from 80% to nearly 92% last year. The FCC is looking to create a number of databases and protocols to end carrier abuse of the program. One such measure will be the creation of an eligibility database from governmental data sources to automate eligibility of initial and ongoing Lifeline participants. The move will “reduce the potential for fraud while cutting red tape for consumers and providers.” Lifeline is set to be revamped by no later than the end of 2013.
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Latest Android Malware scare might be premature

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Google addresses concerns over new privacy policy

Earlier this week, Google announced that the company would combine individual privacy policies from a variety of its products into one main policy. The idea behind it was to provide users with a “more intuitive Google experience.” Critics of the change are worried that Google is now collecting more data than ever, however, leading members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee to demand answers. Read on for more.

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Android and iOS said to contribute to the fall of personal computing

Horace Dediu of Asymco put together a graph plotting the history of personal computing over the last 37 years. Dediu took PC data published by Jeremy Reimer and added smartphone stats along with updated PC and Apple numbers from research firm Gartner. From the data we can see that when combined, Android and iOS account for a higher shipment volume than the entire PC industry. When excluding Macs, the PC industry accounted for just 336 million units shipped in 2011, in comparison to 358 million Android and iOS units. Dediu added that the iPad cannot be considered a niche product. “The absolute volume of units sold after less than two years is enough to place it within an order of magnitude of all PCs sold,” said Dediu. “We can also observe that it has a higher trajectory than the iPhone which became a disruptive force in itself.”

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