Apple's Win in Court Won't Hurt Samsung or Android

Apple Inc. AAPL +0.19% won a $119 million jury verdict against Samsung ElectronicsCo. 005930.SE +0.22% for infringing on three of its patents. But it didn't achieve a key goal: inflicting pain on its Korean rival.

The late Friday verdict also did little to derail the momentum of Google Inc.GOOGL -0.87% 's Android operating system, which has eclipsed Apple's, first with high-end iPhone alternatives from Samsung and now with low-cost smartphones from Chinese manufacturers.

A U.S. District Court jury in San Jose, Calif., found that some Samsung devices had infringed on Apple's patent for "quick links," a feature that dials a phone number included in an email, and Apple's "slide to unlock" patent, for gaining access to a device. The jury will reconvene on Monday to determine whether additional damages are necessary for Samsung's infringement of Apple's "auto-complete" patent, which offers suggestions about how to change or complete a word during typing.

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Which Android Phone Should You Buy?

Google has one key advantage over Apple when it comes to the smartphone market: choice.

Android phone shoppers can browse devices in different price ranges and sizes, while iPhone loyalists have only three primary options that are typically more expensive.

This can also mean that it can be much harder to choose the best Android phone to fit your needs.

Here are a few things to consider when shopping for Android phones.

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A Look at Google’s Not-Always-Secret Contracts With Android Phone Makers

Google’s arrangements with Android phone makers have been all over the news in recent weeks, showing up first in the Apple-Samsung patent trial and then again this week, in a consumer class-action suit.

The Mobile Application Distribution Agreement, or MADA, is a deal that applies to phone and tablet makers that want to use Android applications such as YouTube or Gmail. Among other things, the MADA requires phone makers that want one of the Google apps to install all of them.

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Secret Google deals made Android phones more expensive, lawsuit claims

A lawsuit filed Thursday accuses Google of strong-arming device manufacturers into making its search engine the default on Android devices, driving up the cost of those devices and hurting consumers.

The consumer class-action complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges Google does that by making secret agreements with manufacturers that also require applications such as YouTube and Google Play store to occupy prime real estate on the devices’ screens.

It argues device manufacturers enter such secret pacts with Google, called Mobile Application Distribution Agreements (MADA), because they know consumers expect to see a full suite of Google apps when they buy a device.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat Release Rolls On

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat release continues today as the highly anticipated Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update has landed for the GT-7100 in a major market.

At the end of last week, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update started rolling out for the first time. In true Samsung fashion, the roll out was limited to just one variant in one region. Those who own the GT-N7100 Galaxy Note 2 in France were the lucky recipients of Samsung’s first Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update.

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Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for Samsung Galaxy S3 on Sprint comes day after kernel source code released

The over the air (OTA) update of Android 4.4.2 KitKat was expected to roll out to the Sprint variant of the Samsung Galaxy S3 any day now after the South Korean giant released the Android 4.4.2 KitKat kernel source code for the device.

However, it's come earlier than expected after the firmware update appeared on Sprint's update support page.  

Until now, owners of the Samsung Galaxy S3 have had to use the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and they have been waiting a long time for the update to Android 4.4.2 KitKat after the offical L710VPMK3 build appeared last November.

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5 Android apps that will dramatically improve your phone’s battery life

Newer Android smartphones like Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and the HTC One (M8) ship with fantastic new software features designed to combat the biggest problem in the smartphone space: battery life. For most handset owners though, there is no such feature. Battery technology simply isn’t advancing quickly enough to accommodate developments in other areas, such as higher-resolution displays. As a result, we’re forced to be more aware of the remaining charge on our phones at all times, and we also have to take certain steps to preserve battery life as much as we can.

Luckily for Android users, there’s an app for that.

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