Scribd Reader App Float Adds 100 Pubs; Subscriber Plans, Ads Coming
Float, the social reader iPhone app from document sharing site Scribd’s has added content from another 100 publishers to the 150 launch part… Read more at paidContent »
Samsung wants to own your first, second and third screens
With its latest Free the TV Challenge, Samsung is looking to extend its influence beyond just the TV with apps that create converged experiences among multiple devices. That could improve the experience for consumers and give them reason to buy some of its other products. Read more »
Orb Live brings free Hulu content to Android
Hulu has been slow in rolling out its apps for Android devices, but Android handset owners don’t need to wait any longer: All of Hulu’s content is now available on their mobile phones for free, thanks to a new and controversial app from Orb Networks. Read more »
Meta Watch smartwatch, platform breaks out from Fossil
The Meta Watch team, as well as the business assets and IP, have broken off from Fossil to further develop the connected watch platform. The focus of the private company is unchanged: To create an open, wireless platform for wearable, information at a glance. Read more »
Android Tablets, Take Two: All Eyes On PC Vendors, Retail Partners, Amazon
The first six months of the Android tablet era have been largely forgettable, as Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) continues to sell millions of iPads each… Read more at paidContent »
Android this week: $29 smartphones; Droid Bionic arrives; Netflix updated
This week tells a tale of two Android smartphones: one for $29 and one for $299. There are vast hardware differences between the Huawei Impulse 4G and Droid Bionic, but each should sell well in their targeted market. Thanks to a software update, both support Netflix. Read more »
Netflix now available on 4 out of 5 Android devices
It took several months, but Netflix for Android is now available to most Android smartphones and small tablets. The latest app update adds support for Android 2.2 and 2.3; a change from the earlier Netflix versions that were tested on a device-by-device basis. Read more »
How Android app growth will mean payoff for devs
Android app downloads are expected to overtake iPhone apps this year for the first time, according to research firm Ovum, and will nearly double iPhone downloads by 2016. The growth in Android app downloads could have big implications for freemium app developers. Read more »
Mobile Lowdown 9-9-11: Intel Meego; Apple/Samsung; Apps; Microsoft
A look at some of the big stories in mobile today:
» Intel is remaining committed to the MeeGo wireless OS, despite reports that… Read more at paidContent »
Fring tries to one-up Google Hangouts with Playgrounds
One of the better features of Google+ is Hangouts, in my opinion. Now VoIP and video chat service Fring is hoping users want to take that kind of experience one step further with Playgrounds, which allows you to chat with strangers about shared interests. Read more »
Acer, Viewsonic Join The Ranks Of Microsoft Mobile Patent Licensees
You’ve got two choices when confronted by the mobile protection racket: you can fight or you can pay. Acer and Viewsonic chose the latter th… Read more at paidContent »
Android or iOS: Who travels more? Tripit knows
One of my personal “must have” free travel apps, Tripit, gained both an Android upgrade and an ad-free paid version on Thursday. Along with the news comes some interesting travel data from Tripit’s user base. Which do you think travels more for work or fun? Read more »
IDC: Q2 Is The First Time Smartphones Outstripped Feature Phone Shipments
Looks like another tipping point in mobile progress was reached in Q2 this year: IDC says that shipments of smartphones outstripped those of… Read more at paidContent »
Will Docomo’s New LTE Service Fan The Flames In The Apple vs. Samsung Fire?
We may be approaching the point where it’s fair to ask the following question: Where haven’t Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and Samsung sued each other… Read more at paidContent »
Updated: Google Transfers Mobile Patents To HTC, Which Then Sues Apple
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has finally made a countermove in the mobile patent proxy war, granting HTC the rights to mobile patents which HTC has n… Read more at paidContent »
Google inches closer to patent showdown with Apple
Google is apparently putting its new Motorola patents to work, transferring some of them to HTC, who has turned around and sued Apple for patent infringement. The move by HTC escalates the fighting between the Apple and HTC and marks a more aggressive stance by Google. Read more »
Adfonic Raises £4.7 Million To Grow Its Mobile Ads Auction Business
If you think Android is a fragmented marketplace, take a look at mobile advertising: while there are clearly a few very big players like Goo… Read more at paidContent »
How Android’s fragmentation issue is slowly receding
In May of 2010, I examined the Android fragmentation issue. Is it still a problem? Yes, but based on various Google actions that time, the data shows it’s far less of an issue than it was. And it will always exist under the current licensing model. Read more »
China Gets Yet Another Android App Store From Tencent
In a world of OS fragmentation and OS version fragmentation, there is also now app store proliferation – especially in China. Read more at paidContent »
Tapjoy Takes On Ex-Sony PlayStation Network Chief As Its New CMO
Tapjoy has long counted the gaming industry as the primary customer customer base for its in-app marketing and distribution services; now it… Read more at paidContent »
Huawei’s $29 Android aims at AT&T feature phone users
Huawei’s new Impulse 4G for AT&T won’t attract many current smartphone owners, but at $29 with contract, feature phone users are sure to take notice of the Android smartphone. The low-priced handset offers solid functionality and will help Huawei become a household name in the U.S. Read more »
Google’s Android Attracts Anti-Trust Heat In South Korea
photo: Seoul: skinnylawyer // Android: Robert Andrews
Authorities in Seoul look like carrying out their own version of the antitrust inquiries currently being carried out by the European Commiss… Read more at paidContent »
T-Mobile, Orange Reboot Their Mobile TV Services In UK
Mobile TV has for years been one of the great white hopes for mobile operators looking for new lines of revenue from their data networks –… Read more at paidContent »
Verizon Droid Bionic launches Sept. 8, $299
Verizon’s newest LTE phone, the Droid Bionic, launches on Thursday for $299 with contract. Will Android enthusiasts pay the steep price? They might, based on the dual-core processor, high-resolution display, large amount of memory and 4G network support in addition to the laptop docking station. Read more »
Why Amazon’s Tablet Will Challenge Apple In A Way That Google Cannot
The rumours are unstoppable: Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) is going to unveil a tablet in the next few weeks, and if the hands-on description of an in… Read more at paidContent »
Why Amazon’s tablet can do well without being an iPad killer
Early details about a forthcoming Amazon tablet indicate it could have a potential success on its hands. Many have been quick to label it the first legitimate iPad challenger. But should Amazon have tablet success, it doesn’t mean Apple will sell fewer iPads. Read more »
Report: Apple To Top Smartphone Shipments In 2011; Nokia’s Ship Has Sailed
Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) may still be too niche a player to be at the very top of the wider mobile handset rankings, but when it comes to smartpho… Read more at paidContent »
Need a free mobile task manager? Try Wunderlist
For all the advances smartphones have brought us, task management apps still seem to have room for improvements. Wunderlist, just updated for Android, is my current task app of choice due to cross-platform support with iOS, a web client, solid syncing and smart features. Read more »
Big News For Dell: Its Devices Will Be Used By Baidu In Mobile Assault
Baidu’s determination to get a piece of the action in China’s fast-growing mobile market has yielded plans for an app store and mobile platf… Read more at paidContent »
Samsung Stratosphere: Verizon’s next LTE phone?
Verizon subscribers may have their first handset with both LTE and a slide-out keyboard to choose from this week. The Samsung Stratosphere appears to be a mid- to high-end device with some similarities to the Galaxy S II that Verizon chose not to offer its customers. Read more »
Bitbop Pulls A Hulu, Goes Abroad With Ad-Free Mobile Video Offer In Germany
Bitbop, the mobile video service once owned by News Corp. (NSDQ: NWS) and then sold in a whirr of a divestment strategy, looks like it is fi… Read more at paidContent »
Google’s Spring Clean Sees Admob Focus On Apps, Web Inventory Go To AdSense
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has been closing down a few properties of late in a “spring clean” of its vast portfolio of services — never mind that… Read more at paidContent »
Mobile Lowdown 9-5-11: iPhone 5 Hints; T-Mobile/AT&T; Google/Admob; HP
A look at some of the big stories in mobile today:
» Best Buy is gearing up for a special “Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) fixture installatio… Read more at paidContent »
Android this week: Amazon’s tablet spied; Samsung Note debuts; Tablets galore at IFA
Amazon’s long awaited entry into the Android tablet space is nearly ready, but it’s not the tablet that some were expecting. Samsung blurs the lines between tablet and phone with the new 5.3-inch Samsung Note, while Toshiba and Lenovo debut new Android tablets this week. Read more »
Samsung To Snap Up HP’s WebOS? ‘Never,’ Says CEO
Count one company out of the WebOS sweepstakes: Samsung’s CEO told reporters on the sidelines of the IFA consumer electronics conference thi… Read more at paidContent »
3 reasons a new Nook Color is likely coming soon
Barnes & Noble is reportedly planning a new Nook Color tablet as early as this month, based on information from Asian component suppliers. This makes sense for at least three reasons, especially since Amazon is soon to enter the market with a tablet of its own. Read more »
Samsung: We’re not buying webOS either
Not only does Samsung not want to buy HP’s PC business, it also says it wants nothing to do with buying webOS. Samsung’s CEO made that clear Friday while talking with reporters at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. Read more »
Mobile Lowdown 9-2-11: AT&T; Patent Suits; Nook 2; Nokia N9; Bitbop
A look at some of the big stories in mobile today:
» AT&T looks like it is prepping for a “no” on its deal to buy T-Mobile, now d… Read more at paidContent »
