Maybe you, like me, crossed over to the dark side this holiday season and picked up an Android device. I found that one of the first things I wanted to do with my new Galaxy Tab was to enable as much cross-platform communication as possible. Read more »
With apps being sold at an average price of less then $2.50 each, what could possibly be driving speculation that app sales could be a $35 billion industry by 2014? If you have an iOS device, then the answer is you. Read more »
Once an isolated world dominated by network operators and their manufacturer partners, mobile is now a space where “outsiders” are some of the most powerful players. In 2010, companies like Google, Apple, MetroPCS, Huawei and Foursquare were among those who made the most impact in mobile ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
It’s important to dispel potential myths and market misunderstandings when it comes to consumer electronic devices and trends. For 2011, that includes paid video chat, Apple dominating the living room and the misinformed belief that Google will rule the e-book space. ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Sleipnir Mobile and the 360 Browser have joined a growing group of alternatives to Mobile Safari, the web browser that comes with the iPhone and iPod touch. Tabs, data sync with Firefox, download management, and access to Flash content highlight the features these browsers offer. 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 »
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 »
Apple wants everyone to get in on the iAd game, so today it launched iAd Producer. The Mac app is available as a free download for iOS developers through Apple’s website. iAd Producer allows you to design and prepare interactive iAd advertisements using a visual editor. Read more »
When I was a kid, and even as an adult, the phrase “some assembly required” turned the excitement of ripping the wrapping paper off a gift into an unappreciated lesson in delayed gratification. Help make that gratification instant by setting up your iDevice gifts in advance. Read more »
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 »
Looking for a remote desktop solution for your iPhone or iPad? Screens could fit the bill quite nicely. Screens is a universal app, so it lets you access your Mac from either your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, using an interface optimized for each device. Read more »
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 »
Android has hit a lull in ad impressions as it competes with a resurgent iOS family of devices. According to the latest figures from Millennial Media, ad impressions for both iOS and Android were tied at 38 percent, similar to last month when both were tied. Read more »
Google’s power in the mobile computing world seems to grow with every new product announcement and Android device that comes to market. But for all its reach, the search giant is missing one piece of the puzzle that Apple does better than anyone else: product integration. Read more »
In response to complaints about MobileMe, the latest terse Steve-mail asserts Apple’s cloud services “will get a lot better in 2011.” That’s good, because it’s hard to imagine the industry-trailing MobileMe taking a downward turn from where it is in 2010. Read more »
There seems to be an app for everything these days, and that include crime fighting. The Dallas Police offer free software for most smartphone platforms that help residents report crimes, submit tips and even send pictures which can help law enforcement catch the bad guys! Read more »
Infinity Blade is possibly the most-hyped iOS game release to date. The title, developed by Epic Games’ ChAIR Entertainment studio, uses the Unreal Engine 3, and delivers amazing graphics unlike any yet seen on the iPhone. But does it also deliver great gameplay? Read more »
Despite mixed reviews and a version of Android “not optimized” for tablets, Samsung sold 600,000 Galaxy Tabs in its first month, and recently claimed to have sold a million. If Steve Jobs isn’t concerned by those numbers, he should be. Read more »
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 »
To say Google’s Books app lacks polish would be kind indeed. If Apple can be accused of sometimes favoring form over function, Google does neither with Books. Instead, Google leaves out expected features, adds a few bizarre ones, and wraps it in a barren interface. 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 »
Ben the Bodyguard is an upcoming app whose developers have exactly the right idea about how to promote your product before it actually gets in to the hands of actual users. It manages to set itself apart without actual previews or screenshots. Here’s how. Read more »
Mobile gaming network OpenFeint is launching a new tool for developers to implement freemium models and is enticing developers to hop on board with a $1 million challenge. The move helps developers tap the growing market for freemium games, expected to heavily drive mobile gaming revenues. 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 »
Autodesk believes Android has grown to become a viable opportunity, enough so that it is bringing a version of its popular drawing app SketchBook Mobile to the platform. It’s another sign that Android is becoming a destination for big-name developers as it competes with iOS. Read more »
For iOS developers, two very important things happen during the holiday season. The first is the App Store freeze, where Apple essentially stops accepting and reviewing app submissions and freezes chart rankings, and the second is big sales increases. Here’s how developers deal with both. Read more »
Samsung has already sold 600,000 Galaxy Tab slates, just one month after introducing the Google Android tablet. Steve Jobs has criticized such 7-inch tablets, saying that users would need to “sand down their fingers” to use them, but clearly there’s a market for an 7-inch iPad. Read more »
Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder and worldwide technology celebrity, predicts that Android will dominate iOS before long. Wozniak, speaking to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, shared his thoughts on various topics in his usual candid manner, but the Android/iOS war was front and center throughout. Read more »
While it’s been dawning on us for some time that Android is a beast, each day seems to bring new confirmation that the monster shows no signs of letting up. Android mobile ad impressions drew even with iOS for the first time, according to Millennial Media. Read more »
Google is enhancing the power of its Docs product to allow mobile users to edit online documents for the first time. Android and iOS users will now be able to not just read documents but collaborate with others and edit them in real time. Read more »
Google announced today that it has made good on a promise made a few months ago to bring Google Docs editing to Apple’s iOS devices. The new editor will be rolled out to English-language users around the world over the next few days. Read more »
With version 3.2.1, Twitter’s mobile app for iOS devices brings push notifications, among other fixes and improvements. Push is a long-awaited update sure to excite tweeters everywhere. Previously, you had to utilize another app such as Boxcar to obtain real-time updates on Twitter happenings. Read more »
My closet is so overfull with boxes from Apple that I hardly have room for anything else. I love my Macs, iOS devices, and Apple software. But there are some things about Apple products that just leave me wondering: why don’t they fix this? Read more »
More and more, web apps are becoming interconnected with one another. In general, of course, this is a very good thing, but it nonetheless introduces dependencies between these apps. And as more apps come to rely on one another to provide critical services in our day-to-day ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Last week, the Skyfire mobile browser brought Flash to iOS, albeit imperfectly. Crushing demand on its servers caused Skyfire to pull the app from the iTunes store, but not before it sold well. Very well — Skyfire managed to make almost $1 million during its first weekend. Read more »
TV apps will soon be “everywhere,” according to attendees of a recent GigaOM Bunker event examining the future of the TV market. But how that market will develop, and which TV platforms will win out, is yet to be ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Many have speculated that Apple could make a move into the console gaming market. I’ve always been skeptical of such an idea, but what if Apple has already made its living room play, and we just have to wait for all the pieces to come together? Read more »
Apple has posted a new “Coming Soon” tag on its page about the iOS 4.2 update for iPad. The update has already reached GM status in pre-release, so it should be ready for release soon. Steve Jobs originally announced that it would be available in November. Read more »
On November 9, we gathered more than 50 entrepreneurs, executives and investors at our San Francisco offices to engage in a town hall-style forum. The topic of discussion was to consider what could happen if we had the “app store” revolution on our TV sets. Would ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
According to research from MyPhoneDeals.co.uk, the iPhone is causing cases of mobile device envy in almost a third of Android owners surveyed. That’s a lot of users toting around a second-choice smartphone, considering Android’s growing user base. How can Apple capitalize? Read more »
