Android's Domination; $200 to Quit Facebook; Microsoft Gets 'Scroogled'

The Android mobile operating system topped tech headlines on Thursday.

According to data from Canalys, Android smartphones made up 34 percent of global phone shipments during the fourth quarter, while iOS came in at 11 percent. Drilling down on smartphones, Android handsets made up 69 percent of the 216.5 million devices that shipped, Canalys said.

Meanwhile, Android also carried the lead in fourth quarter mobile ad impressions, according to Opera's latest State of Mobile Advertising report. Samsung's flagship Galaxy S III, which makes up 9 percent of Android traffic, helped the Google platform emerge late in 2012 as the top mobile phone OS in ad impression volume, beating iOS by about 2 percentage points.

According to stats released by Google, Android Jelly Bean is now running on 13.6 percent of Android devices. About 29 percent of Android devices are running Ice Cream Sandwich, but 45.6 percent still have Gingerbread.

Meanwhile, Boston father Paul Baier is paying his 14-year-old daughter $200 to quit Facebook until the summer. The "Facebook Deactivation Agreement," signed by both parties, ensures that the teen won't access Facebook until June 26. Baier will pay his daughter $50 in April and the remaining $150 in June. The arrangement, Baier said, was actually his daughter's idea.

In other news, Microsoft is back on the warpath with another attack against Google, this time taking aim at Gmail with the "Scroogled" campaign. A full website and a series of videos criticize how Gmail handles email data, including targeted ads that surface on Gmail based on your email conversations. The Scroogled site also provides links to news stories about Google an the issue of privacy, as well as infographics outlining the differences between Gmail and Microsoft's Outlook.com services.

Also making headlines Thursday:

• Apple Tops PC Market ? Thanks to iPad Sales: Apple isn't just a leader in the smartphone market ? it also holds the top spot among all other PC makers, according to new data from Canalys.
• Cond? Nast Hosts Fashion's First Hackathon: Fashion may be avant-garde, but at the same time, it's behind the times when it comes to tech. The Decoded Fashion Hackathon aims to change that.
• Evernote Business Rolls Out Across Europe: Evernote's new COO, Ken Gullicksen, is slated to help expand Evernote Business, which is now available in a number of European countries, as well as Norway and Iceland.
• EU Rules Would Require Companies to Report Cyber Attacks: European officials proposed rules that would require companies in certain industries to immediately report any sort of cyber attack or intrusion.
• 7-Inch Wikipad Coming This Spring for $249: After delaying the launch of its 10-inch device, Wikipad today announced that it will first offer a 7-inch version of its tablet/game controller.
• Samsung, EA Partner to Boost App Development: Samsung and Electronic Arts this week announced a new joint venture with EA publisher Chillingo to help entice developers to build Samsung-specific apps.
• Ouya to Release a New Console Every Year: Instead of adopting the traditional model of releasing hardware every five to seven years, Ouya plans to launch a new version of its Android-powered game system every year.
• Mailbox Email App Hits iOS, Begins Invite-Only Rollout: Email management app Mailbox on Thursday began rolling out to registered users.
• Skype for iOS Updated With Dropped Call Recovery, IM Fix: Microsoft-owned Skype updated its iPhone and iPad apps to version 4.5, which brings some new features, including automatic dropped call recovery.
• 8 Awesome LEGO Projects That Need Your Help: If you're a Lego fan, you need to check out Cuusoo, a wild collection of LEGO projects that need your support to get made.

For more from Stephanie, follow her on Twitter @smlotPCMag.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2415233,00.asp?kc=PCRSS05039TX1K0000749

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