With the launch of its first iPhone app today, 8tracks users can now listen to the company’s personally curated mixtape-style playlists on the go, but the company is also growing up. It’s raising capital, moving headquarters and hiring a full time staff. Read more »
Anyone can have a good idea for a new app. For both developers and non-developers alike, the App Store has a selection of design tools for the iPad that each play a unique role in the process of evolving a good idea into a great one. Read more »
AirPlay’s wireless music streaming just got a lot more useful, thanks to developer James Laird, who used the private key employed by Apple’s AirPort Express when it streams iTunes music to create an open source emulator which accomplishes the same feat, called Shareport. Read more »
What is usually the first thing everyone that gets a new iPad wants to know? Which apps to get. But there are still some cool things that you can do with your iPad, even without buying a single app. Here are 10 good examples. Read more »
Apple may be working on hybrid displays that have all the benefits of e-ink and LCD with none of the downsides, and interactive bezels for iOS devices. That’s according to two newly published patents that provide glimpses behind Apple’s aluminum and glass curtain. Read more »
Is Nokia’s Symbian operating system relegated to a historical footnote by 2015? Research firm Gartner thinks so, but Nokia’s transition to Windows Phone 7 could take a few years and Google’s Android platform isn’t yet entrenched in the low-end segment just yet: Symbian may survive longer. Read more »
Within the next five years, smartphones will account for more than one-third of all handsets sold worldwide, thanks largely to platforms like Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. This research covers the global handset platforms market for the period between 2011 and 2015. We first examine the factors contributing to this worldwide growth, from a slowly recovering economy to the rise of technologies like 4G and LTE. Regional factors affect growth, too, and our research includes a forecast for the following areas: the Americas; Europe; the Middle East and Africa; and Asia-Pacific. Forecasts are on a global and regional basis for the most important platforms: Android, Apple iOS, BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Mobile. Companies mentioned in this report include Apple, Google, Nokia, Research in Motion 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 »
As mobile apps become more sophisticated, they can be preferable over their desktop counterparts: fully functional, but faster and easier to use. Two major computer makers recognize what this means: the potential for huge disruption through a subtle merger of traditional desktop computing and mobile platforms. Read more »
Apple Tuesday released a new app called iAd Gallery that provides users with access to all currently available iAd campaigns in one convenient location. That’s right, it’s an app, which you have to download (though it is free), that does nothing but show you advertisements. Read more »
We reported Monday that Toyota was trying out a unique advertising campaign for jailbroken iOS devices on the Cydia store with a Scion-branded theme. ModMyi reports that Apple wasn’t too thrilled with the idea, and asked Toyota directly to take down the theme pack. Read more »
You can lock down your devices, but that doesn’t mean your network is safe. There are some features of Apple’s AirPort networking technology that, if used properly, provide ample security for most households. The process is time-consuming, but it could pay off in the long run. Read more »
We’re down to the last 10 days of the U.S. tax season and that means many procrastinators are either panicking or are calmly filling out their extension form. This list of five mobile apps can help you quickly file or prepare your taxes before the deadline! Read more »
PopCap Games, the company that brought us mainstream successes like Bejeweled, wants to explore another side of gaming. To that end, on Tuesday, it announced the launch of 4th & Battery, a gaming sub-label with an indie feel and its first title set for release on iOS this month. Read more »
If, like me, you eagerly comb the App Store for new apps that support AirPlay, an update to Elgato EyeTV should have you excited. It brings AirPlay to the streaming video app, which lets you watch live or recorded TV from your cable or satellite box. Read more »
In what may be the weirdest Apple-related news you’ll read today, Toyota introduced a new official Scion-branded jailbreak iPhone theme Saturday for distribution in the Cydia store. This marks the first time a major corporation has embraced the iOS jailbreak community, but how will Apple respond? Read more »
New findings suggest iOS could be on the verge of getting a system-wide, social, photo-sharing feature. While it spells trouble for Instragram, Color and other similar apps, it’s great new for a mobile OS that, until now, hasn’t come out of its social shell. Read more »
The bring-your-own-apps (BYOA) trend is a shift will see increasing numbers of workers making their own choices about which applications they use. What can smartphone app developers do to ride that BYOA wave and make products that will gain traction in the workplace? Read more »
SugarSync has updated its iOS client to version 2.2, and it’s a big improvement. The new version adds some unique features, including the ability to copy, move and delete files on a remote computer, and to copy files from one computer to another. Read more »
I sold my original iPad after buying the Samsung Galaxy Tab, but I bought an iPad 2 for work purposes a few weeks ago. I ended up keeping the new tablet because there’s room for both slates in the same house. Here’s why. Read more »
Did RIM’s BlackBerry platform, which has been pretty much left for dead by the tech press, rocket a messaging app to 1 million users in five days? It sure looks that way, so we talked to LiveProfile’s founder about app success and servers. Read more »
iPhone VoIP app Viber introduced a new update Thursday that introduces text messaging and some excellent UX refinements. Viber is growing fast (with 10 million downloads since its introduction), and smart updates like this will help make sure it keeps nipping at Skype’s heels. Read more »
Folders seem to be the most underused part of iOS 4.2 (or earlier for the iPhone). I’m simply amazed whenever I see someone’s home screen littered with single icons. Here’s how to get started with folders, and some tips for how best to use them. Read more »
Appia, a white-label mobile application marketplace, announced $10 million in funding from Venrock today, brining total funding to $28.5 million. Casting a wider net with an app store builder may be the better play as opposed to raising millions for a single application. Read more »
The pressure is mounting on Research In Motion ahead of the launch of its PlayBook, which will debut April 19. But RIM’s success over the next few years will hinge on its QNX operating system, not on a piece of hardware. Read more »
The iPad 2′s new HD mirroring ability is one of the device’s real killer features, in my opinion, but one user found that it can be made even more useful by removing the requirement of a tethered cable connection, and streaming the mirrored feed wirelessly. Read more »
Why didn’t Apple’s event organizers see a 2011 WWDC sell-out coming and expand as necessary? When looking to expand an event such as WWDC, there are a number of factors that Apple has to consider before taking that step, and the risk outweighs the reward. Read more »
Tickets for Apple’s 2011 Worldwide Developers Conference are already gone. Apple just updated its site, replacing the ticket link with a “Sold Out” sign. The event took less than a day to sell out this year, whereas WWDC 2010 took eight days to sell out entirely. Read more »
Mobile development currently has but two proven roads to success: Android and iOS. Each road has its own challenges and rewards. The best course of action might be to do both, but if you have to choose, here’s a guide to getting started with either platform. Read more »
Like breadcrumbs, a series of acquisitions, job postings, and service changes lead to the conclusion that a major change in maps on iOS is coming. The latest clue is a strongly-worded job posting that indicates “radical” improvements are in the cards for maps on iOS devices. Read more »
Apple just pushed out iOS 4.3.1 for iPhone (GSM), iPad, iPad 2 and iPod touch devices. The minor update brings a number of welcome bug fixes, including a resolution for image flicker some where experiencing when connecting the new Digital AV Adapter to televisions. Read more »
Today marks the 10th anniversary of Mac OS X. OS X has seen some big changes over the years, and it represents a huge leap over OS 9, the operating system it replaced, but the biggest changes are yet to come. Read more »
Web apps saved to the home screen of iOS devices run less than half as fast as the same apps launched from the Safari browser and don’t have offline caching access and other features, according to a new report. Did Apple design this deliberately? Read more »
Web apps saved to the home screen of iOS devices run less than half as fast as the same apps launched from the Safari browser and don’t have offline caching access and other features, according to a report by the Register. Read more »
Now that you have an iPad 2, you can be excused for wanting to share it with (read: rub it in the face of) those that don’t. But how best to show off the iPad 2′s specific advantages, especially at this early stage in the game? Read more »
What the CES or the Mobile World Congress is to gadgets, SXSW is to apps. I’m amazed by not only the number of apps that are launching, but by how prepared attendees are to try new apps out. Mobile-focused development has reached a tipping point. Read more »
Mobile marketing is an emerging industry with tremendous opportunity, but it also is a space teeming with potential pitfalls. Here are some of the key mistakes to avoid for advertisers attempting to target users on their phones. Read more »
People are still braving long lines to get Apple’s new iPad 2, but we were lucky enough to score one right away. Here’s a video look at the iPad 2 unboxed, compared to some currently available Android tablets and used for a short FaceTime session. Read more »
If, like us, you’re shocked about the massive earthquake that occurred overnight in Japan, and you want to keep abreast of what’s going on in the wake of the disaster, Japan’s national broadcaster NHK has a free English-language app for iOS devices that provides live coverage. Read more »
With its Smart Instruments, it seemed like GarageBand might be able to bring out the latent musical talent in even the most unmusical of users. GarageBand is live in the App Store now, so I decided to see if it could make good on its claims. Read more »
Apple today released the updated version of its iMovie app for iOS devices. Original iPad owners won’t be able to use the $4.99 app, but it does introduce new features for existing iPhone and iPod touch users, including better editing and more content. Read more »
