Amazon has rolled out a major new version of the Kindle app for Android that adds magazines and newspapers to the standard e-book fare. The app also adds shopping capability within the app, making it easier to browse for new content, and usability improvements. 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 »
The year is nearly over and mobiles have impacted all walks of life around the globe. This three-minute video highlights some key 2010 mobile statistics that illustrate the mind-blowing growth in smartphones, data demand, mobile video uploads and the billions of apps sold this year. Read more »
DailyBooth, a fast growing photo sharing based social network is launching its much awaited mobile app, which should give its competitors a pause. The iPhone app will soon be followed by an Android app. DailyBooth, like Apple’s Facetime leverages the front cameras in the newer smartphones. Read more »
If you’re like me you may not listen to local radio much anymore, with all the online music options available. Sometimes listening to a favorite local radio station is just the ticket, especially when traveling and feeling a bit homesick. TuneIn Radio is a free app. Read more »
With the release of Chrome OS Web Store this week, I started thinking: Where is that online browser-based Android Market Google promised? In May, Google VP Vic Gundotra took the stage at Google I/O and gave a “sneak peak” of Android Market accessible through a browser. 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 »
Amazon Web Services jumped on the mobile-application development bandwagon today with software development kits for both the Google Android and Apple iOS operating systems. The move underscores the need for cloud providers – even the mighty AWS – to target the increasingly important mobile-developer market. Read more »
Augmented reality still seems more of a solution in search of a problem to some, but two promising applications show how virtual reality can bring real-world value. Trying on virtual clothes and shoes could be the killer application for augmented reality to hit its stride. 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 »
The freemium mobile app movement is now a full-fledged trend among consumers and developers with freemium apps representing one-third of the top grossing iPhone apps. Here’s a list of things to keep in mind for developers wanting to employ in-app purchases and freemium apps. Read more »
Not content with pulling Kik’s cross-platform messaging app from BlackBerry App World, Research In Motion has filed a patent infringement suit against Kik in Canada. While RIM should protect its intellectual property, this is another example of companies attempting to maintain control of the mobile space. 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 »
More consumers are arming themselves with smartphones in the battle for holiday shopping. Before braving the crowds, make sure you equip your smartphone with one or more of these apps which range from price scanners to maps showing you on which aisle that must-have gift awaits! Read more »
Mobile Tech Manor is my home office where all sorts of gadgetry is always arriving. In this column, I look back at the week in the Manor and recount the happenings and lessons learned. I love sharing my weeks with you, so welcome to the Manor. Read more »
Mobile healthcare is poised for major progress through incorporating technology, but a new study shows the FDA is negatively impacting this process in general. Companies trying to leverage technology in healthcare are finding that once the FDA gets involved, it becomes a time-consuming, expensive process. Read more »
The folks at Verizon are excited about the first tablet handled by the carrier, and sent over the Samsung Galaxy Tab for me to give a spin. It’s only been here a few hours, but I can share my first impressions of the 7-inch Android tablet. Read more »
As print magazines continue to struggle through a digital transition, it’s nice to see some “old school” journals embrace digital medium in new ways, the latest being Guitar World. Today, GW launched a free app that teaches guitar licks daily for a relatively inexpensive subscription fee. Read more »
If I asked you for your Gmail login credentials, would you give them to me? Probably not, because those credentials are the keys to your email, and you don’t want me poking around. Unfortunately I’ll bet you have given them to other folks you don’t know. Read more »
Mobile Tech Manor is my home office where all sorts of gadgetry is always arriving. In this column, I look back at the week in the Manor and recount the happenings and lessons learned. I love sharing my weeks with you, so welcome to the Manor. Read more »
The only thing I don’t like about Instapaper is the lack of a native Android app for my phone, as often that’s the device at hand when I have time to catch up on some reading. That’s where Hard Copy Pro comes to my rescue. Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab is the first Android tablet considered to be a genuine competitor to the iPad, and developers are already releasing apps optimized for the 7-inch display. The Tab will soon be available on major U.S. phone carriers with integrated 3G connectivity. 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 »
Android phone owners who have taken the step to root their phone can do things not possible otherwise. ResToggle is an app for rooted Android phones running Froyo (Android 2.2) that provides the ability to change the display to higher resolutions than originally supported. Read more »
As our new Cord Cutters feature makes clear, many folks are trying to ditch expensive paid TV in favor of alternatives that give users more control over what they watch. Sprint smartphone owners have the free Sprint TV service, as shown in this video. Read more »
The folks at Evernote have rolled out version 2.0 of the Android mobile client, a major update that lets premium users keep notebooks on the phone for access without network connectivity. Premium account holders can now download notebooks to the phone for access without the web. Read more »
Augmented reality is one of those technologies that has always appealed to me, but without a practical application I can use. That changed since installing Lookator for Android, a Wi-Fi hotspot detector that uses AR to show the location of the hotspots in the real world. Read more »
Mobile Tech Manor is my home office where all sorts of gadgetry is always arriving. In this column, I look back at the week in the Manor and recount the happenings and lessons learned. I love sharing my weeks with you, so welcome to the Manor Read more »
Twitter is perfect for the mobile platform, as it lends itself well to quick sessions on the go. A new version of the official Twitter app for Android was recently released, and we’ve been tweeting with it ever since. It has some welcome new features. Read more »
LG is teaming up with Microsoft to help kick-start Windows Phone 7 through a promotion that will provide 10 free apps every 60 days. The promotion is a move to help push the newly released WP7 in a crowded smartphone market currently dominated by Android. Read more »
The free FLYsmart app arrives on Android devices today, offering air travelers flight tracking, gate information and airport maps with support for indoor location. Software that helps navigate inside facilities isn’t new, but as FLYsmart demonstrates, location plus other contextual services will trump navigation-only mobile apps. Read more »
HP’s webOS with its revolving task manager is just plain cool. Interacting with the cards that represent running apps is intuitive and fun; it’s too bad other platforms don’t use a similar method to work with tasks. Android phone owners have one available, and it’s free. Read more »
Parents of children with special needs are finding an unexpected way to communicate with their kids that is changing their lives in a dramatic fashion: the iPad. The iPad is a recognized tool of therapy for folks with medical causes that hampers their ability to communicate. Read more »
Instagram, the photo app that gives images an old-fashioned flair, sees a photo uploaded to its service every second. Its success may stem from its timing; the market is awash in futuristic smartphones and faster mobile broadband, even as a wave of nostalgia sweeps the country. Read more »
The spooky Halloween season is upon us and to get you in the spirit, we’ve collected fun resources to deck out your phone for the occasion. These sights and sounds will haunt your smartphone and make you the life of the party. Read more »
Google improved the web version of its Gmail application for Apple iPhone and iPod touch devices, further blending the lines between web and native applications. Client apps are still hot, but developers should look to Google for examples of a mobile future filled with web apps. Read more »
Hellotxt is a way to keep track of and interact with a boatload of social networks in one place. The hellotxt Android app launched today, and since I’ve been using it for a while thanks to the folks at hellotxt, I can share my thoughts. Read more »
Smartphones are the perfect tool to use for both keeping on top of schedules and tracking things that must get done on time. Pocket Informant for Android is available in a public beta, and from a first look it might be the best PIM app. Read more »
How much time does the average Android smartphone user spend in third-party apps? Nearly 42 minutes daily, which is significantly higher than on competing platforms. So why does such facetime in apps matter? It’s all about the mobile advertising as Google’s competitors try to catch up. Read more »
If time in the market is an indication of how good an app is, HanDBase must be one of the best, with 12 years of sales. The database app that’s on virtually every mobile platform has now been deployed for the Android army. Read more »
