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Samsung Galaxy Nexus Launch Reveals Android Face Recognition
The new Samsung Galaxy Nexus handset showcases the latest Ice Cream Sandwich incarnation of Android.

Android Dominates Smartphone Market in Q2
Android has come out on top of the mobile OS wars, with Q2 shipments of 51.9 million.

Galaxy SII Price Drop Heralds iPhone 5 Rival
The Samsung Galaxy SII handset has been cut in price, leading many to believe Samsung will release a new phone to compete with the next iPhone.

 

Android Repair Costs Hit Providers Hard

Android Repair Costs Hit Providers Hard Returns and repairs for Android handsets are costing mobile providers millions of pounds a year, according to a new study by wireless firm WDS.

Up to £1.25 billion is being spent every year by telcos on repairs and other services to deal with faulty Android phones, according to the research. The open nature of Android – a major factor in its success – has also made the system expensive to support, according to WDS. However, the company was keen to emphasise that it found no specific fault with the OS itself.

“One thing we must be absolutely clear on is that our analysis does not find any inherent fault with the Android platform,” stressed WDS spokesman Tim Deluca-Smith. “Its openness has enabled the ecosystem to grow to a phenomenal size, at a phenomenal rate, and it’s this success that is proving challenging,” he added.

WDS said that the fact that Android is available on such a wide range of devices – from the very cheap to top-end smartphones – means that there is very little consistency between handsets. RIM and Apple manufacture their own hardware and so are able to retain greater control over the specs used for their products.

“Android deployments can never compete with the hardware consistency (or software integration) of some of its competitors,” noted the study, also highlighting how Google is failing to support vendors. The minimum specs for Android phones are low, while companies like Microsoft specifiy minimum processor speeds of 1GHz, for example. Poor hardware specs load additional problems onto mobile providers, who pick up the bill for assistance and after-sales care.

WDS suggested Google should improve vendors’ sales advice before phones are sold, taking into account a user’s specific requirements before signing them up to an Android handset.


Google Phone news posted by Jan Moys on 03 November 2011

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