Amazon’s new AppStore will be pre-installed on the HTC Merge for Cellular South, marking the first handset to come with Amazon’s rival software store. Getting the AppStore on handsets is key for Amazon, which offers a free app each day and easy over the air installations. 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 crowded consumer Internet has made it difficult for startups and services to get attention from the people who really matter: the end users. The question is: How do you get that much-needed attention? Not with VC dollars. Instead it is something less tangible. Read more »
We can’t wait for a standard for TV apps to evolve, believes Prisa Digital’s Javier Lasa. It’s time to experiment now, give the consumers what they want, and learn from our mistakes. Lasa shares some of the things he learned developing TV apps in this Q&A. Read more »
To save on mobile broadband costs, hotspots are becoming more attractive than ever but finding them can be tough. Boingo’s new Wi-Finder software for Windows, OS X, Android and iOS now finds out of network hotspots. Wi-Finder can notify when near a hotspot and automatically login. Read more »
In acquiring Israeli mobile app developer Snaptu, Facebook gained three things: a strong feature phone development platform, a presence in the white-hot Israeli startup scene and a team who’s development philosophy mirrors Facebook’s own. Read more »
A recent survey of 10,000 U.S. smartphone users shows a surprisingly limited amount of time spent on some mobile activities such as calendar use, weather and even taking photos. App developers would be wise to take note, since user engagement can boost revenues. Read more »
Mobile apps, across all platforms, are already approaching the millions. So once you create a great app and figure out how to monetize it, how do get your app noticed and downloaded? These three services offer smart solutions to the app discovery problem. Read more »
A mobile app with millions of downloads is noteworthy, but what I want to hear is how many users are still around in a week, a month, six months later and how often are they engaging? I want more information than a download number can give. Read more »
Kayak is now handling hotel bookings itself, rather than just referring customers to partner sites like Expedia and Orbitz. The move marks a significant turn as Kayak shifts from simply aggregating travel deal information into being a destination where users can complete their purchase. Read more »
Mobile apps for managing cloud computing resources are nothing new, but Rackspace is bringing the capability to even the newest Apple devices, including the iPad2. The company announced the Rackspace Cloud 2.0 application, which is free and can run on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Read more »
Having a hard time reading all of your favorite websites? If you have an Android device, consider using ReadItLater, a $0.99 app that captures saved articles for offline reading and syncs them in real time. A free browser add-on shoots articles from a mobile device. Read more »
Folks who exercise have a new reason to consider a Windows Phone 7 handset today: RunKeeper just launched for Microsoft phones. The software uses GPS to track activities, capture useful data and create maps. Already on iOS and Android, RunKeeper has surpassed 5 million downloads. Read more »
Android application discovery continues to be a challenge, but apps abound to help the situation. The lastest — App Hunter — focuses solely on free and reduced priced software in the Android Market. Updated daily, the software finds apps and then points you to the official Android Market. Read more »
Flickr for Windows Phone 7 debuted this week and after a few days of usage, I find it better than its iOS counterpart. Its quick and easy to swipe through images, upload or share photos and view or comment on photostreams from your Flickr contacts. Read more »
The first bits of Honeycomb are now starting to filter down into Android smartphones, in the form of Fragments. Here’s what these smart panes can do and why you’ll want programmers to start using them for Android apps on smartphones of every size. Read more »
Unless you have an unlimited data plan for your Android device, you’ll want to check SPB Wireless Monitor, a $10 app that watches data use and alerts you at configurable intervals. Alerts are based on bandwidth or costs and it tells which apps are data hogs. Read more »
Evernote today launched a redesigned version of its iPhone software, adding new views and features to organize thoughts on the go. Multiple attachments and up to 90 minutes of audio per note are supported as this productivity boosting app helps capture and sift through your thoughts. Read more »
Slovenian start-up Outfit7 last year managed to quietly rack up more than 60 million downloads of its Talking Friends apps, led by its breakout hit Talking Tom Cat. The company has built a fast-growing empire by constructing a modern toy with communications at its heart. Read more »
Comic book and graphic novel aficionados who own Android devices have a new way to consume content: Graphic.ly is available in the Android Market. So how well does it work? I’ve had a few app crashes and see room for improvement, but it’s worth the download. Read more »
Uber, formerly known as Uber Cab, is a much talked about San Francisco-based start-up and it is close to raising a substantial new funding in a round led by Benchmark Capital. Uber raised $1.25 million in seed funding from First Round Capital, Lowercase Capital and others. Read more »
Tapjoy is launching a new Pay-per-action service that allows app makers to offer virtual currency or goods to users who complete actions within an app. The idea is that incentives inside an app can keep people tuned in and help turn them into more loyal customers. Read more »
Got an Android smartphone or tablet? If so, you’re likely running the stock Google browser that comes with Android. But after using the Dolphin Browser HD app several months ago, it has become the first bit of software I load on any new Android device. Read more »
RunKeeper Pro’s move to a permanently free model last month signaled a bigger shift for the company as it moves beyond its roots as a running app and branches out to a wider audience across a multitude of connected devices. Read more »
Getting paid on Android has been a touchy subject for developers, who have had trouble turning their apps into big money makers. But now Google has rolled out a new web store for Android Market and in-app purchases for apps that developers are hoping will kick-start revenues. Read more »
App makers are quick to talk about downloads. It’s the most obvious metric for consumer adoption. But according to analytics firm Localytics, 26 percent of apps were only used once which means those download stats often mask the fact that many apps fail to catch on. Read more »
Google’s Cloud Print functionality finds its way into handsets today, enabling smartphone users to remotely print Google Docs or Gmail messages. Why is Google bypassing laptops for now? The answer is two-fold: which devices are outselling others and the growing mobile app economy. Read more »
Carriers in several countries are providing the data used by new Facebook app for feature phones for free, while Microsoft today is investigating a third-party app for rogue downloads. Together, these stories about different apps on different platforms expose the love-hate relationship carriers have with applications. Read more »
Hundreds of mobile apps interface with Dropbox, the popular cloud storage and synchronization service. But Gina Trapani of Lifehacker and Smarterware fame has another: it’s called ToDo.txt Touch for Android and while it’s still in the early stages, it’s interesting to watch the mobile project develop. Read more »
With more chips, our cars are getting smarter. That paves the road for more mobile apps that work between a phone and a vehicle: 129 million will use such apps by 2016, up from the 3.2 million consumers this year. What will the apps look like? Read more »
Independent, off-deck, app stores will become the major driver of mobile app downloads by 2015, eclipsing on-deck app store. That’s the word from a new report from research firm MarketsandMarkets, which forecast the growth of the mobile app market. Read more »
The mobile app ecosystem has been one of those amazing stories in the last couple years as millions of users have latched on to smartphone applications. But the rising competition in apps has me wondering how soon before we may see feature creep overtake mobile apps. Read more »
Join Matt and Kevin live for this week’s audio podcast where they’ll cover the week’s mobile technology news and share experiences with the latest software, hardware and web services. If you missed the live show, you can grab an MP3 audio recording and listen later. Read more »
Robert Scoble spent time interviewing Otavio Good about Word Lens, the app that visually translates foreign languages in real time without a data connection. But Word Lens and other “magical” apps will benefit from the next smartphone hardware cycle, as explained by Good in this video. Read more »
The news that Tapjoy, formerly Offerpal, raised $21 million in funding last week shows there is a big opportunity to be had by helping the freemium model expand on mobile. It’s a lesson that W3i, a desktop application marketing company, is looking to exploit. Read more »
Ford today announced a new mobile app to help drivers remotely manage energy consumption in the automaker’s upcoming Ford Focus Electric vehicle. The software can schedule and monitor the recharge process, and plan intelligent driving routes with recharging stations along the way. Read more »
Consumers are expected to send more than 7 trillion short messages next year, up from an estimated 6.1 trillion in 2010. These messages were once the sole domain of network operators, but thanks to mobile software, huge opportunities are opening up for third-party service providers. Read more »
Nearly two-thirds of web users are purchasing digital goods, subscriptions and access to premium content. The real surprise is on how few of those purchases are for e-book titles and mobile software applications given record sales of e-reader devices and the growing demand for smartphones. Read more »
Nearly a year after introducing it, Ford launched AppLink, software that links a smartphone with an automobile. Drivers can control smartphone apps through the SYNC voice command system, which could mean a value-add proposition to developers that use Ford’s APIs in their mobile applications. Read more »
Many first time smartphone buyers are excited with their new phone, and once they actually figure out how to use it, it’s time to download apps! There’s no lack of software to choose from but these eight titles are worth having on your shiny new smartphone! Read more »
