The Wall Street Journal recently tested 101 iPhone and Android apps and found that more than half transmitted the phone’s unique device ID to third-party companies without users’ awareness or consent. The results raise a rather hefty question: Can the mobile app industry police itself and ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
It seemed just months ago our newfound love affair with connected TVs was in full swing. That was before two pieces of news gave us cause to question whether our new living room mates are who we thought they were. With concerns about security and half-baked ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
This year saw improved gadgets that either run faster, longer on a charge or can morph into multi-purpose devices thanks to slick new apps. These seven gadgets actually got me to pull out my wallet in 2010: the best gadgets this year that met my needs. Read more »
No set of fearless year-end predictions would be complete without setting expectations for what won’t happen in the coming year. Social media won’t replace search, nor will a single, dominant social media platform emerge. Meanwhile, will the government finally solve the privacy puzzle surrounding social media? ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
If there’s one thing certain in IT, it’s that users are always searching for the next big thing, but that legacy vendors and equipment, as well as national technology policy, can slow down progress in immeasurable ways. Here we highlight several happenings and trends in cloud ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Given the myriad technological, political and cultural obstacles, what chance is there that cloud computing or Green IT will be there within the next 12 months, or that something will convince Apple to open up? I’d say “minimal,” but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Read more »
Predicting what not to expect in mobile next year is a lot easier than predicting what will happen. You can be sure, for instance, that consumers won’t pay for on-the-go TV next year any more than they have in the past, and that carriers won’t embrace ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google is taking it on the chin, thanks to reported delays with Google TV software. While clearly an issue, it’s part of a much larger problem for the company as it diversifies from its search and advertising core businesses to more consumer-centric applications. Read more »
Blame cord cutting, at least in part, for the drop in cable subscriber numbers in 2010. Looking towards 2011, we expect this trend could gather further steam thanks to bundled subscription offerings from players like Microsoft and Apple. We also expect a new iteration of the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The question of who’s using Hadoop outside of web companies is fair, but somewhat misguided. Hadoop was born from the web and it was web companies, with their extreme needs, that showed what Hadoop can do. Now, it looks like Facebook’s turn to carry the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Usage of mobile applications continues to skyrocket, and end users are increasingly dictating which handsets they use for work. So the use of consumer apps on enterprise devices is a growing concern for IT departments who are already struggling to cope with mobile security ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Should employees be allowed to bring so-called “rogue devices” into the corporate world or should IT deploy the handsets and tablets? As the mobile-app phenomenon accelerates at a ludicrous speed, here are points IT departments should consider when making that decision. (GigaOM Pro subscription required). Read more »
The growth of Android in the smartphone space has been phenomenal, but recent ad statistics show it may be leveling off. VoIP calling is hot on Android, however, with fring posting solid performance. LogMeIn Ignition is coming to the tablet, and we have an advance look. Read more »
Last week Google entered the e-book market with its web-based storefront and reader. Amazon promptly counterpunched with Kindle for Web. With a fast-moving market leader countering its every move, here are three ways Google can succeed in e-books. (GigaOM Pro subscription required.) Read more »
Last week, Google finally launched Google eBooks (formerly called Google Editions), its cloud-based e-book marketplace and reader. While the reaction so far has been mixed, the company scored points for its browser-centric approach and its affiliate program that provides indie book retailers with a way to ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Even when vying for industry dominance, sometimes a company’s competitors are also its best friends. This is definitely true of Apple and Google when it comes to the cloud. Here’s a look at just a few of the ways Apple’s platform is dependent on Google services. Read more »
Three themes will drive NewNet technologies like social media and real-time feeds in 2011: advertising (and any other monetization strategies), communications integration and the interpretation, filtering and mining of information feeds and social graphs. Integrating NewNet tech with mobile and location-based services will be a ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Mobile video accounts for a very small fraction of the overall U.S. mobile data market, despite on-the-go video and mobile TV receiving as much hype as any other area in the space. This report — the first in a two-part series on mobile video — examines what we can learn from the failures of mobile video to find a sizable audience so far, which challenges will continue to hinder the market in the coming years and the opportunities that will increasingly exist. The iPhone, Android devices and other multimedia-friendly handsets offer more screen real estate and higher resolution than previously possible, while the move toward 4G will help carriers deliver higher quality video more consistently. Even so, the challenges in this market are many, and mobile devices will likely always be inferior to set-top boxes, desktop computers and laptops when it comes to delivering a quality viewing experience. And because video consumes so much bandwidth on mobile networks, uptake will surely be impacted as carriers move away from all-you-can-eat data plans. The industry must, then, find other ways to monetize video in mobile, and without clogging already taxed cellular networks. Most importantly, it must develop viable business models for implementing video in ways that make sense for the consumer, the content owner and the network operator. Companies mentioned in this report include AT&T, Sprint, Apple, Google, Research in Motion, Qualcomm and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Could proprietary Z-Wave be gaining ground on standards-based ZigBee in the home energy networking space? Here are a couple of recent developments that indicate Z-Wave could have a role to ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The always-unpredictable mobile space enters 2011 at a particularly dynamic time. Carriers are now bringing 4G networks online, even as their definitions of “4G” vary. Meanwhile, mobile data consumption is exploding and the FCC trying to settle on policies both to regulate the industry and to ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
This year has seen netbooks decline in popularity and the rise of the tablet to a level few predicted. Apple set the stage for tablet popularity with the release of the iPad that took the world by storm, and Android tablets are hitting the market. Read more »
Mobile barcodes have finally become a viable tool for mobile marketing, giving brands an easy way to engage with consumers through their phones. Here are a few tips for getting the most of any 2-D barcode ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
You can’t innovate without collaboration, and without innovation, companies fail. There is now a whole new world of collaboration tools available to enable what can best be termed “high-impact collaboration.” These break-through tools — workspaces like Box.net, Huddle and Central Desktop or customer-powered support communities like Get Satisfaction — are made possible through the convergence of cloud computing, social software and the ubiquity of mobile technology. With these new technologies, employees can channel their passions and work together more effectively — regardless of where people are located — to accomplish their mission. Additional companies mentioned in this report include Facebook, Apple, Twitter, LiveOps and Microsoft. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Offering freemium versions of mobile apps is a now a full-fledged trend, so shouldn’t all app developers employ the model? Not so fast. The strategy has worked, but it requires understanding of both the market and your product, along with careful thought, planning and a willingness ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Know someone who already has everything they need from Apple? Someone so emphatically Apple-oriented that the words cult and fanboi aren’t strong enough descriptors? Then this list of quirky, unusual and downright werid picks is the gift guide for you. Read more »
As it has with other technologies, Apple may hold the key to help bring 3-D technology to the masses. Apple has been awarded a patent on a new auto-stereoscopic 3-D projection system that allows multiple viewers to watch 3-D content without glasses. Read more »
Ilya Bukshteyn, senior director of marketing for Microsoft’s speech business, explains how voice control is an integral part of the interfaces for both Xbox Kinect and Windows Phone 7 and how it will increasingly be a consistent experience across many of Microsoft’s products. Read more »
Google today launched its long-awaited electronic book store, called simply Google eBooks, with more than 3 million titles and 4,000 publishers participating as partners. The move is likely to ramp up competition in the e-book market, which until now has been dominated by Amazon and Apple. Read more »
Research In Motion’s pick-up of The Astonishing Tribe should bring polish to the aging BlackBerry OS and improve the upcoming QNX platform. But RIM’s challenge will be losing as little ground as possible as it moves from one OS to the other. ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
When it comes to looking at Microsoft’s long journey to become a key player in the digital home, most of the digerati remain skeptics. But recently the company has been swinging a hot bat, with its Xbox 360 and a legitimate holiday hit in the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Chalk another one (two, actually) up for Hadoop. Among the big news today is Apple stepping up its Hadoop development efforts, and Datameer targeting social-gaming companies for its Hadoop-powered spreadsheet application. Elsewhere, data center spending is still high, and IBM is looking to revolutionize high-end processors. Read more »
The special person in your life may already have an iPad, so if you’re wondering what to give this holiday season, you should consider the Vario stand. It clips onto the back of the iPad, becoming a stand that holds it in almost any position. Read more »
Have an Apple-lover on your Christmas list? Unless it’s someone you really love very dearly, you probably aren’t going to go out and buy that new MacBook Air your Mac fan has been drooling over. Here’s some more reasonable suggestions. Read more »
While Android has come on like gangbusters, Apple’s iOS has pushed aside BlackBerry to become the top current smartphone platform as of October, according to Nielsen Co., and the most desired smartphone for future purchases. Android, meanwhile, is most desired among current feature phone owners. Read more »
Have you noticed your iPhone battery lasting longer since the iOS 4.2.1 update? If so, you might have Nokia Siemens Networks to thank. The company says Apple included support in the latest software upgrade for a more efficient radio signaling standard called Fast Dormancy. Read more »
The mobile applications market has exploded in recent years, with Apple’s App Store surpassing 300,000 applications and the Android Market continuing to gain ground. Apple and Google’s crowdsourcing strategies and the market’s low barriers to entry have set the standard and convinced dozens of individuals — regardless of experience — to become mobile app developers. A survey of 331 respondents derived from our readership at TheAppleBlog and jkOnTheRun looks at trends among mobile application developers, including average income for a developer, the most popular app platforms, the rising popularity of tablet applications and the in-app advertising vs. paid and/or low-cost apps. Companies mentioned in this report include Apple, Google, Research in Motion and Nokia. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
If you are your family’s resident geek, you get a lot of tech-related questions. Embrace it, and learn to love it. Here are a selection of questions of holidays past, present, and future you either have already or will encounter. Read more »
You know you want a new Mac, but where to buy? There’s no shortage of sources, but when it comes to getting great service and warranty support, the options narrow considerably. Here’s a list of where your money will go the furthest. Read more »
Last quarter was one for the record books for Apple: $20 billion in revenue, 14.1 million iPhones sold, 3.89 million Macs, and 4.19 million iPads, but that record may be broken as soon as the end of this quarter, according to estimates. Read more »
Author Tim Wu, the law professor who came up with the term “net neutrality,” argues that Google, Facebook and Apple are information monopolies and this is just as bad as the monopoly AT&T had in a previous era. But Wu fails to make his case. Read more »
