How to stream large pictures, videos, or documents between Android and iOS devices

File sharing – a simple concept that is a bit shaky even in our day. And the problem isn't caused by technogy not being advanced enough – oh, no – it usually rears its ugly head when you try to share files across platforms. Sending pictures from your Android handset to another device, running on Google's OS is a simple enough task – just do it over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi direct. However, try to send those party snaps to your friend's iPhone and things can easily become a chore. Different ecosystems still don't play nicely and, sure enough, that's a business decision – it's the small things that sway the customer's decision on whether to buy or stay with a manufacturer's products.

Sure enough – there are ways. Email is an often used solution, but when it comes to clips or bulks of pictures – a size constriction bars the users from using it. Cloud storage is another one – services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and others will allow the user to send hyperlinks that lead to the files they wish to share. But keeping those clouds clean and organized after some months of sharing is done could become a hectic ordeal.

But fear not! App and service developers are becoming more and more inventive, and nowadays, there is a way to simply stream the pictures and videos that you have on your phone or tablet directly to another mobile device – regardless of whether it's an Android or iOS one. Check the slideshow below for more information.

Large number of customers switching from Android to iPhone

Washington: The latest iPhones have helped Apple gain smartphone market share in Europe and China, with a large number of customers switching from Android devices, a market tracker said Wednesday.

Kantar Worldpanel also said that in the United States, the market for "phablets," or large-screen smartphones, has quadrupled over the past year, also helping Apple with its iPhone 6 Plus.

The newest data showed that in urban China, Apple boosted its share to 26.1 per cent in the first quarter, up from 17.9 per cent for the same period in 2014. Android's market share in China, meanwhile, slipped eight points to 72 per cent.

China is now driving more volume for Apple than the US, Kantar said.

Kantar found that Apple lifted its smartphone share in Europe's five largest markets by 1.8 points to 20.3 per cent in the quarter. One-third of Apple's new customers switched from Android in these markets - Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

"The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus continued to attract consumers across Europe, including users who previously owned an Android smartphone," reported Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar.

Android's market share in the big EU markets share declined by 3.1 percentage points compared to last year, to 68.4 per cent, Kantar said. But the free Google Android operating system is still dominant due to a price advantage.

"In Great Britain, while 25.6 per cent of new iOS buyers switched from Android during the quarter, Android's leadership remains strong, thanks to the price options consumers have in both the contract and pre-pay market," said Dominic Sunnebo, business unit director at Kantar.

"Thirty-five per cent of consumers who bought an Android smartphone in the first quarter said their decision was driven by receiving a good price on the phone. Another 29 per cent said that getting a good deal on the tariff/contract was a factor in their purchase."

In the US, Android's market share made a modest 0.2 per cent gain in market share to 58.1 per cent while Apple lost the same amount to 36.5 per cent, losing a bit of momentum after a big surge in late 2014.

The survey found US customers are increasingly opting for bigger phones or "phablets" with displays of 5.5 inches or bigger. This segment represented 21 per cent of all US smartphone sales in the first quarter, from a six per cent share a year ago.

Apple's iPhone 6 Plus took 44 per cent of this segment, according to Kantar.

"Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus already represent 18 per cent of all iPhones in use in the US, and 64 per cent of the iPhone installed base uses an iPhone 5 or newer - good news for the Apple Watch that interacts only with these newer models," Milanesi said.

Source : - ibnlive

Google apologises for the Android mascot peeing on Apple logo

San Francisco: Google was re-evaluating its user-edited online map system after the latest embarrassing incident - an image of an Android mascot urinating on an Apple logo.

The image, part of a crowd-sourced edit on Google Maps, appeared briefly at a Pakistani location before it was removed by the online giant Friday.

In a statement to US media, Google apologised for the inappropriate image and said it was working to step up verification of user edits on its Map Maker platform.

"Handling spam is a complex issue and we're continuously working on ways to improve our systems, including new ways of preventing, detecting and taking down incorrect edits," Google told the news website TechCrunch.

The statement added that "the vast majority of users who edit our maps provide great contributions, such as mapping places that have never been mapped before, or adding new business openings or address changes."

The incident was the latest prank affecting Google Maps, which can be edited by any user.

Earlier this month, someone revised the map of the White House in Washington to include a new business called "Edwards Snow Den," an apparent effort to draw attention to former national security contractor Edward Snowden, who leaked a trove of secret documents on US surveillance.

Source: - ibnlive