Apple, Android and a truckload of watermelons

• Analyst: Apple caught 'flat footed' in Asian smartphone race

  Says current iPhones are "poorly aligned" with the factors driving smartphone growth.

  FORTUNE -- In a note to clients Thursday, Nomura's Stuart Jeffrey raised his estimates for smartphone sales in 2013, 2014 and 2015 by 13%, 16% and 14%, respectively.

  But not for Apple (AAPL).

  "Despite Apple commanding an 18% smartphone share," he writes, "we have not increased our Apple estimates."

  The reason, he says, is that Apple's current crop of iPhones are "poorly aligned" MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - May 23, 2013 11:57 AM ET
  Posted in: Android, Apple, Asia, iPhone, Nomura, Stuart Jeffrey

• The browser war is far from over

  It's just gone mobile.

  FORTUNE – There was a time when web browsers duked it out for dominance on the desktop. But with users consuming information more and more on smartphones, tablets, and newer form factors like "phablets," the battleground has shifted to mobile. Who's winning?

  As recently as June 2012, the competition was in a dead heat: Android led with nearly 22%, followed by Opera at 22%, then Safari on iOS MORE

  JP Mangalindan, Writer - May 20, 2013 11:23 AM ET
  Posted in: Android, Apple, browsers, Chrome, Google, iOS, iPhone, Opera, RockMelt, Safari, StatCounter, Tim Howes

• How devoted are Apple users to the Apple ecosystem?

  Very, according to a new Forrester survey. Microsoft and Google don't fare as well.

  FORTUNE -- According to a Forrester survey released this week, the vast majority of computer users (85% worldwide, 88% in the U.S.) have little or no loyalty to a particular mobile computing ecosystem -- the nexus of devices, software, services and sheer muscle memory that tie a user to one vendor or another.

  Among those users who show MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - May 18, 2013 6:57 AM ET
  Posted in: Android, Apple, Ecosystem, Forrester, Google, Microsoft, Mobile

• Blackberry is about to give away its last advantage

  Its free messaging service is one of the struggling company's most valuable assets.

  By Cyrus Sanati

  FORTUNE -- Blackberry's decision to make its free messaging service, BBM, available on other mobile phone platforms is a Hail Mary play for a damaged company that pretty much has nothing to lose at this point. By giving away the stickiest feature available to Blackberry's dwindling consumer base to Android and iOS users for free, the company MORE

  May 17, 2013 10:24 AM ET
  Posted in: Android, Apple, BlackBerry, Blackberry Messaging Service, Google, iPhone, Smartphones

• Google Android's enterprise problem

  Google's mobile operating system may be getting a boost from -- of all places -- Blackberry.

  FORTUNE -- This week's Google I/O conference in San Francisco was disappointingly light on Android news. And it was especially light on new, enterprise-friendly features for Android devices. Instead, it showed improvements aimed at consumers and education institutions. But while Google may not seem focused on making its mobile operating system more attractive to IT departments, MORE

  Michal Lev-Ram, writer - May 17, 2013 9:23 AM ET
  Posted in: Apple, Android, BlackBerry, Smartphones, enterprise software, Google, iOS, VMware, Samsung Electronics

• Windows Phone surpasses Blackberry for third place in smartphone shipments

  Google's Android and Apple's iOS still make up the vast majority of the market.

  FORTUNE -- There's a new number three.

  Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows Phone operating system has overtaken BlackBerry (BBRY) for the first time, according to researcher IDC. The firm released its quarterly report on the smartphone market, showing that during the first quarter of 2013, Windows devices made up 3.2% of all smartphones shipped. BlackBerry devices accounted for 2.9% of MORE

  Matt Vella, senior editor - May 16, 2013 10:46 AM ET
  Posted in: Android, Apple, BlackBerry, Google, iPhone, Lumia, Microsoft, Nokia, Smartphones, Windows Phone

• Why Larry Page's kumbaya moment sounded hollow

  Google's CEO decried the negativity in the tech industry. Too bad the company's executives have a long history of trashing the competition.

  By Verne Kopytoff

  FORTUNE -- Larry Page, Google's chief executive, is fed up with the negativity in the technology industry and the news media that covers its every detail like a prizefight.

  "Every story I read about Google is 'us versus some other company' or some stupid thing, and I MORE

  May 16, 2013 7:03 AM ET
  Posted in: Android, Apple, Facebook, Google, Google I/O, iPhone, Larry Ellison, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft, Oracle

• Google takes aim at Spotify and Pandora

  Its new music service -- Google Play Music All Access -- has features that are similar to both competitors.

  By Ryan Bradley, senior editor

  FORTUNE -- After months of buildup, on Wednesday Google announced a new, subscription-based streaming music service called Google Play Music All Access. The name may be clunky, but the offerings appear bountiful.

  Google (GOOG) secured deals with three of the four major record labels—Universal Music, Sony, and Warner MORE

  May 15, 2013 1:39 PM ET
  Posted in: Android, Apple, Google, Google I/O, Google Play, Google Play Music All Access, iTunes, online music, Pandora, Rdio, Spotify, streaming music, YouTube

• Is Apple's iPhone really 'dead in the water'?

  Business Insider, for reasons of its own, would have you think so.

  FORTUNE -- Business Insider's Jay Yarow took some heat on Twitter Tuesday for the chart (at right) that he ran under the headline The iPhone's Market Share Is Dead In The Water.

  His numbers, taken from the latest Gartner press release, were accurate enough, as far as they went.

  There's no question that Android's share of the world smartphone market is MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - May 14, 2013 7:32 PM ET
  Posted in: Android, Apple, Business Insider, Gartner, iPhone, Samsung