New numbers are in from comScore’s Q4 2012 report, ranking the top five U.S. marketshare contenders. In terms of operating systems, Android is still sitting on the throne with 53.4%, growing from last year’s 52.5%. Following Android is Apple’s iOS at 36.3%, which is quite respectable, considering BlackBerry and Windows make up just a little over 9% when combined. 

The only Android OEM worth talking about lately seems to be Samsung with the dominance of their Galaxy line. That dominance is reflected in profit numbers as well according to a recent industry report. Research from Canaccord Genuity, says that Samsung and Apple together accounted for an “astounding” 103% of the mobile profits in 2012.

Canaccord is calculating this number by taking each OEM and their operating margins, then factoring in the losses of the other vendors, so you can see how well Samsung and Apple did. The only other Android manufacturer to post any significant number was HTC.

Do you see these numbers changing this year? Is the HTC M7 or Motorola’s X Phone going to challenge Samsung? At this point, it’s going to be hard for any OEM to compete.

Via: BGR

Yesterday, there was new development in the Samsung vs. Apple case, with Judge Lucy Koh finding the Korean manufactures infringements of Cupertino’s patents un-willful. Previously when the jurors gave their verdict, it was possible that Samsung would have to pay triple the damages if the infringement was intended. Luckily for them and after a long appeals process, it looks like their bank accounts can sleep just a bit better at night not having to shell out in upwards of $3 billion dollars. 

According to a report out of Strategy Analytics, Android Q4 marketshare showed a 38% growth over last year’s, totaling at a 70.1% worldwide domination. Last year, during this same time, Android held a respectable 51.3%, followed by Apple’s iOS at just 23.6%. Now, Apple has dropped just a hair to 22% evenly, while Android grows by leaps and bounds, shipped on roughly 152.1 million devices in three months. 

Twitter just announced a new video sharing service called Vine. Vine, a company they acquired a few months back, focuses on recording 6-second clips of life events that run on an infinite loop which can be shared easily. The videos record sound as well. 

This afternoon, Apple released their Q1 2013 earnings report, breaking records and clearing their own projections for the quarter. Cupertino posted $13.1 billion in profit on $54.5 billion in revenue which is far higher than last quarter’s $8.2b profit on $36 billion in revenue. 

During the early parts of 2012, Google Maps was doing great. It led the top ten pack of monthly unique visitors against some stiff competition, mostly themselves, but there was still Facebook, Pandora, and Yahoo! Messenger (somehow). Out of the top ten most used apps in 2012 on iOS and Android, Google owns five of them, which is pretty impressive to say the least. 

Making the rounds today is an interesting story, given that it could have greatly affected the way we think about our smartphones and the competitors in the smartphone race. In 2009, before the Siri startup was purchased by  Apple, Verizon made their own bid in an effort to have the software installed on every DROID-branded device they sold. Verizon was so far into the deal that even commercials were filmed to tout DROID’s newest halo feature.