Want to disinherit the kids? There’s an app for that
photo: Andrey N Bannov
An outfit in Nevada is touting a new smartphone tool that lets you itemize your possessions and decide who will receive what. Read more at paidContent »
Tips for making money on mobile apps in China
We know device makers are making money off of this trend. But how do mobile app makers cash in on this ballooning market of upwardly mobile consumers? The short answer is: make iOS apps. The longer answer: Make really well-designed free, ad-based Android apps. Read more »
Doodle.ly wants to be Twitter for drawings
If drawing is the universal language, Doodle.ly wants to be the app for that. But first it has to solve a problem: A lot of people are pretty bad at drawing. Read more »
Are publishers waking up from their dream about apps?
Publishers saw the iPad as a chance to turn back the clock and convince consumers to pay for content in a new form. But that dream has collided with reality, and now some content producers — including MIT’s Technology Review — say the standalone content app is dead. Read more »
Rovio raked in $106M last year in preparation for IPO
Angry Birds maker Rovio generated $106.3 million in revenue last year based on the success of three games and a booming merchandising business. The tenfold improvement over the previous is a strong showing for the company as it looks ahead to an IPO next. Read more »
Murdoch’s Daily adds iPhone app: lower price, some free stories
The Daily, which launched in early 2011 as a tablet tabloid available only on the iPad, finally is adding an iPhone edition, with Android handsets to follow. It gives the News Corp. startup its best chance for a burst of new subscribers in potentially meaningful numbers Read more at paidContent »
Now Europe wants you to prove how old you are online
A new EU child safety strategy calls for parental controls to be built into all internet-capable devices, for apps to get their own age ratings — and for a proposed electronic ID system to be used for proving your age online. Read more »
Help! Avanquest builds a panic button for your phone
You’re in danger or about to have a heart attack. Don’t panic! Okay, go ahead and panic, but do it productively. Call 911, send your location coordinates to your loved ones, get your medical records in order. Or better yet, hit this big red button. Read more »
Subscriber Content
How to stand out in the app development game
There are 25 billion apps in Apple’s App Store, 450,000 in Google Play and 82,000 in Microsoft Windows Phone Marketplace. Making a successful app that stands out means looking beyond the popular gaming market toward areas like weather, news and productivity apps. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Through the Google looking glass
Active eyewear is a platform play, not a product. Brian McConnell gives his take on the winning strategy for Google: Focus on enabling technologies, such as micro projectors and short-range wireless, and leverage Android as a development framework. Read more »
Platforms: Cambrian explosion or Devonian extinction?
Apps are undergoing a “Cambrian explosion” of availability, and the new place of business is on the buyer’s device. In order to avoid extinction, businesses need to evolve into platforms. Sam Ramji of Apigee lays out a game plan for survival. Read more »
Read It Later’s app goes free and gets a new name, Pocket
Read It Later is making its app completely free — no more premium version — and renaming it Pocket to express the fact that users can save any type of content, not just articles. Read more at paidContent »
A kids’ reading app that reports back to parents
photo: Ruckus Media Group
Children’s e-book reading is still in very early stages — but with parents increasingly handing iPads down to their kids, publishers see room for fast growth. A new iPad app offers children’s books from brands like My Little Pony and Curious George. Read more at paidContent »
Subscriber Content
Survey: the next wave of enterprise mobility
Computing in the business market will change radically in the coming years thanks to mobility, apps and a shift toward tablets. Here we gather a survey of GigaOM Pro readers to examine the future of enterprise mobility. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Readdle’s Scanner Pro jumps to iPad with improved camera
One of the most popular productivity apps on the iPhone finally arrives on the iPad. Scanner Pro’s simple, straightforward functionality and integration into other iPad and cloud-based apps is another example of how easy it is for businesses and consumers alike to join the post-PC world. Read more »
Note to startups: The network is all that really matters
Everyone may be wondering why Facebook paid $1 billion for what appears to be just a simple photo-sharing app, but the biggest lesson to learn from Instagram’s success is just how important it is to build network effects into the core of your service. Read more »
E-books for smart kids on ‘dumb’ phones
Worldreader has already distributed over 75,000 e-books to students in sub-Saharan Africa. Now the literary nonprofit is launching an e-reading app designed for basic mobile phones. Read more at paidContent »
Zeebox boss says smart TV is a dumb idea
Is the trend for smart TVs that connect to the Web and run apps a big mistake? Anthony Rose, the co-founder of hot social TV app Zeebox, took to the stage at MIPCube to suggest the future of television lies somewhere very different. Read more »
WSJ Pulls Down Paywall For 24-Hour 'Digital Open House'
The Wall Street Journal (NSDQ: NWS) is running a 24-hour “Digital Open House.” For today, all subscriber content on the website, mobile site… Read more at paidContent »
Snapguide wants to be your handheld how-to guide for everything
Apart from a few tired old services like eHow, there aren’t many places you can go to find how-to guides for a range of different things complete with photos and video. Snapguide, which just launched its iPhone app and web service, wants to fill that void. Read more »
Songkick’s Spotify gamble pays off: 100,000 new users
Songkick says that its decision to develop a Spotify app is paying dividends, bringing 100,000 new users to its concert-finding service in the last four months. Read more »
Discoverful: Another pretty travel app, but built by data nerds
Discoverful is a three-month-old travel picture-sharing site that allows users to snap images and share their experiences around the world with their friends. Like Trover, the app is pretty and designed to highlight places instead of people, but it’s founder explains there’s more — data. Read more »
Social Magazine Apps Grapple With Advertising
Now that Forbes has 460,000 subscribers on Flipboard and 900,000 across properties on Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Currents, the brand is close to ad… Read more at paidContent »
Finding the iPad’s 7 missing apps
If you own an iPhone, you probably noticed there are a fewer apps installed on the new iPad than on your iPhone. Some of the missing apps are more obvious, like the Phone app. But others are oddly omitted, despite their utility on a tablet. Read more »
Nook May Be Expanding Internationally, But Barnes & Noble Stores Aren't
At a Nook Developers Workshop in London today, Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) said it won’t be opening stores outside the U.S., but did not offe… Read more at paidContent »
Transfer your old data to your new iPad
Migrating from an existing iPad to a new iPad is easier than ever this time. There are three different paths to take: Restore from iCloud, Restore from iTunes and Set Up New. Each one has its pluses and its minuses, which we will walk you through. Read more »
Pew: Twitter, Facebook Aren't Moving As Much News As You Think
We’ve heard that social media is a great source of traffic for news outlets so often that it’s close to textbook. Yes, Facebook, Twitter an… Read more at paidContent »
First Look: New iPad's A Pair Of Stylish Glasses You May Not Need
The new iPad isn’t exactly like Oakland and Gertrude Stein – there’s a there, there — but it won’t be obvious to most people. Read more at paidContent »
Don’t call it a game: How Draw Something hit 30 million downloads
Draw Something, the No. 1 paid and free app right now on iOS and Android, is listed as a game but it’s not really a game at all. OMGPOP CEO Dan Porter, who designed the app, explains how it succeeds using cooperation, rather than competition. Read more »
Californians Sue Google Over Faulty Android Apps
Two Android phone users who purchased defective products from Google’s app-store have filed a lawsuit, saying the company’s 15-minute refund… Read more at paidContent »
Lawsuit Says Hacked Address Book Contacts Worth 60 Cents To $3 Each
It can be hard to put a dollar figure on privacy. Unless, that is, you’re suing Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and app makers like Path for uploading a… Read more at paidContent »
Should Apple Pay For The Bad Deeds Of Its App Makers?
A sprawling lawsuit filed in Texas this week targets Path, Instagram, Facebook and others for instructing their apps to suck up user address… Read more at paidContent »
Condé Nast Will Give Advertisers More Metrics On Tablet Editions
Months after it began testing a program that provided select advertisers with information about the readers of tablet editions, Condé Nast… Read more at paidContent »
Marvel Comics Expands Digital Strategy With Tie-Ins And Bundling
Marvel (NYSE: DIS) Comics is beefing up its digital presence with a new digital-only line and print-digital bundles. Read more at paidContent »
Kindle Fire helps Amazon Appstore hit 31,000 apps in first year
Amazon Appstore for Android, which helped lay the foundation for a big Kindle Fire launch, is celebrating its one-year anniversary and has now eclipsed 31,000 apps, up from 4,000 at launch. That’s a strong first year for an app store that began as an alternative to […] Read more »
Camera+ gets API for easier sharing of edited photos
One of the most popular camera apps on the iPhone, Camera+, is rolling out a significant update Wednesday. It will add improved sharing and UI tweaks and introduce its first API, making photos taken and edited with it easier than ever to integrate with other apps. Read more »
For Connected TV, The New Last Mile Is Dining Room To Living Room
photo: Netflix
Last week, I lambasted Virgin Media for taking two years to launch its iPad TV guide for its TiVo (NSDQ: TIVO) set-top box.
I have since le… Read more at paidContent »
The AP's New Apps: The Style, Substance And Strategy
The Associated Press this week unveiled snazzy updates to its popular news apps. Here’s a review plus a look at what the apps mean for the A… Read more at paidContent »
Google eBooks Now 'Books On Google Play', With Big Sales
photo: Google Play
With yesterday’s launch of Google Play, the poor old Google (NSDQ: GOOG) eBookstore has a new name and is part of a portal that also offers… Read more at paidContent »
In Major Digitization Effort, Scholastic Launches E-Reading App For Kids
photo: Scholastic
The kids’ e-book market is still nascent, with e-books making up just about three percent of children’s book sales. That could change now th… Read more at paidContent »
