Android and iOS drive mobile app explosion [infographic]

One year ago, less than 40% of mobile subscribers in the United States had a smartphone. That number has increased dramatically, however; according to Nielsen, one in two mobile subscribers now owns a smartphone. Driven mostly by the rise of Android and iOS, which account for more than 80% of the U.S. smartphone market, 2012 has turned into the year of the app. The average number of apps installed on each smartphone has jumped 28% in 2012, an increase from 32 apps to 41. Smartphone owners are also spending increasingly more time using apps than using the mobile web, roughly 10% more than last year. Nielsen notes that the top five most active apps continue to be Facebook, YouTube, Android

Mammoth 'Butchered' by Ancient Man
A young woolly mammoth, found remarkably well preserved in the tundra in Siberia, may have been attacked by lions -- but scientists say there are signs it was then butchered by ancient humans.

Global mobile phone sales now in decline

Despite some vendors seeing record smartphone sales, worldwide sales of mobile phones declined 2% year-over-year to 419.1 million units in the first quarter of 2012, according to research firm Gartner. The decline represents the first of its kind since the second quarter of 2009. “Global sales of mobile devices declined more than expected due to a slowdown in demand from the Asia/Pacific region,� said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner. “The first quarter, traditionally the strongest quarter for Asia – which is driven by Chinese New Year, saw a lack of new product launches from leading manufacturers, and users delayed upgrades in the hope of better smartphone deals arriving later in the year.� In the smartphone market, Android accounted for more

Real Simple: New Cellphone for Seniors
It’s almost every day that a cellphone is released for the Millennial Generation — just look at all those new Android phones. But a phone for seniors? It’s not a brand new concept, but there’s a new one hitting the market very soon. Clarity, which...

Sprint won’t turn a profit on the iPhone until 2015

Sprint’s costly $15.5 billion gamble on Apple’s iPhone won’t pay off until 2015, according to CEO Dan Hesse. At that time, however, the iPhone will be “quite profitable,� and the company is “very happy� with the deal despite conflicting reports, AllThingsD said. Hesse sees the iPhone as a long-term investment that will slow subscriber defections and attract new customers. “We believe in the long term,� the CEO said. “And over time we will make more money on iPhone customers than we will on other customers.� Sprint sold 1.5 million iPhones in the first quarter of 2012, and while the number doesn’t approach AT&T or Verizon’s sales, 44% of Sprint’s iPhone sales were made to new customers. Read

Poll: Half of Americans call Facebook a fad

Half of Americans think Facebook is a passing fad, according to the results of a new Associated Press-CNBC poll. And, in the run-up to the social network's initial public offering of stock, half of Americans also say the social network's expected asking price is too high.