This week AT&T floated a plan to enable app developers to pay for the data that subscribers use in their apps. The model might resonate with some developers and subscribers, but it is likely to create more problems than it ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As a daily runner, I use mobile tech to track exercise so I can learn more about what training methods are working compared to those that aren’t. Strava Run, for both iOS and Android, is a mobile application I recently tested. Is it a winner? Read more »
Granting permission to an iOS app to use your location data also gives the app the ability to copy your address book, according to a test conducted by the New York Times. Luckily no app has been caught doing it — at least not yet. Read more »
Database startup Basho on Tuesday released details of how its Riak NoSQL database underpins Bump. Bump is the seventh most-downloaded free iPhone app of all time — with more than 80 million downloads — so it has a lot of data to store and transfer. Read more »
Gaming on desktop PCs and consoles is a big business, but one that generally requires participants to be locked down to a location. In today’s growing mobile world, that’s less than ideal. That’s partly why mobile device chips are gaining capabilities for immersive, multi-player 3-D gaming. Read more »
Chrome for Android was updated this week, but not everyone is happy; here’s why the software only works on some devices. Android will take center stage at the upcoming Mobile World Congress event, and Box offers 50 GB of free storage for life to Android owners. Read more »
Lemon, a personal spending tracker service, has proven pretty popular with 1 million users signing up in less than four months. Now, the company is looking to go beyond just receipt storage into Mint territory with an update that helps categorize and total up spending. Read more »
Though the App Store is still ahead of rival Android Market in discovery features, Apple clearly sees a need to ramp up and improve the way it helps consumers pick through its growing collection of apps. That’s what’s behind the acquisition of app discovery engine Chomp. Read more »
What will 2012 bring to our mobile world where tablets are trying to take the place of PCs and we’re carrying small computers in our pockets? ComScore helps predict 2012 by looking at 2011 in its Mobile Future in Focus report, published on Thursday. Read more »
Twilio, the cloud communications platform, is arming app makers with the ability to add Voice over IP features to their iOS apps. With a new Twilio Client for iOS, the company is making it easy for any app with connectivity to incorporate Skype-like functionality. Read more »
Android smartphone and tablet owners can collaborate on documents while mobile with an updated version of Google Docs. The software, supporting Android 2.1 devices and up, adds the real-time collaboration found in the full web version of Google Docs and includes interface tweaks for smaller screens. Read more »
Analytics firm Distimo said that, of the top 110 apps that appear in both Android Market and Amazon Appstore, 42 of them make more money on Amazon than on Android Market. That’s a strong showing for Amazon’s Appstore, which got a boost from the Kindle Fire. Read more »
With its new iOS app, Clear, Realmac Software has taken the “less is more” axiom to its ultimate conclusion. Fjord’s Alfred Lui and Aynne Valencia explain why we’ll soon see more of this stripped-down approach to interface design, thanks to three big industry trends. Read more »
Android apps on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will not be able to support mobile advertising at launch, RIM said. That means Android developers who make free apps will have even less incentive to bring their apps to the PlayBook through the Android App Player. Read more »
The mobile payments industry can learn a lot from Starbucks, which has seen tremendous success with its year-old payment app for iPhone and Android. But very few players can match Starbucks’ brand recognition or customer demographics, and no one should expect to replicate its success. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Shown off at TEDxBoston, Netra is a $2 solution for mobile eye exams. The Netra clips to a phone, and users tap buttons on the touchscreen display until images seen in the Netra are aligned. The device can measure for nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Read more »
After two weeks of using the Asus Transformer Prime, I’m convinced that it’s best large Android tablet available today for several reasons. Android 4.0 devices all got a better browser this week, thanks to the Chrome beta. Meanwhile HTC announced its Android 4.0 upgrade plans. Read more »
The Netflix streaming app is now available on over 800 different devices, which is nearly double the number of devices that the app was on only six months ago. Yet for all that growth, Netflix is suddenly looking vulnerable in mobile video as new competitors with ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Earlier today, I shared information on the latest update to DoubleTwist, the media management software for Android. Rather than just read my experiences with the app, the DoubleTwist folks kindly offered 25 unlock codes for GigaOm readers, so if you hurry, you can get them here. Read more »
Could the app economy be the cure for United States’ employment doldrums? A new report suggests that the nascent app economy spurred on by iOS, Android and Facebook apps has generated 466,000 jobs in the U.S. economy since 2007. Read more »
Google’s Chrome browser and Android mobile operating system went public in the same year but they haven’t converged until now. Google is finally introducing Chrome for Android, a robust beta with a lot of slick features which is limited to Android 4.0 devices. Read more »
Appsfire, an app discovery platform, is launching a free service called App Booster that allows developers to create a simple two-way inbox inside their apps to help establish a communication channel between developers and users. It’s designed to be an easy way to foster in-app engagement. Read more »
This report outlines the myriad issues at play in Facebook’s move, from examining how CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to rewire the world to understanding the company’s infrastructure dependency. But from every angle, it’s clear the effects will ripple throughout the startup and tech communities. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
I took a look at Rdio’s new Android client and it’s a vast improvement. The application is a full re-write, rather than an update, and better supports Android 4.0 smartphones and tablets, allowing the app to be controlled on a device’s lock screen. Read more »
Calendar apps are great, but sometimes you need to track how many days until a future event or project. In some cases, you might want to track days from the past. D-Day is a free, simple iOS program that manages both scenarios on iOS devices. Read more »
Romanian startup Skin Scan is selling an iPhone app that lets consumers take pictures of questionable moles and get back information on its threat level. However, the company has much grander goals than helping consumers figure out whether to see a doctor. Read more »
WillCall is now available for download, with a few acts already lined up. The coolest part of WillCall — besides enabling poor planners and procrastinators of the world — is its attempt to capture the inherently social nature of concert-going within the app. Read more »
IOS development is not for the faint of heart, and a new blog post by developer Kent Nguyen does a good job of pointing out exactly why. Nguyen targets those who would be footing the bill for app development, in the hopes of lessening sticker shock. Read more »
Just in time for its second birthday, food-finding app Foodspotting is rolling out some major design changes. Starting Wednesday, regular users of the app will notice a redesigned interface and a new logo, meant to emphasize new personalization and social features. Read more »
Mint’s financial management app for Android makes the move from phones to tablets on Wednesday. The software offers the same functionality as Mint’s iPad app, which is experiencing much higher take-up rates on tablets compared to smartphones. Here’s why Mint hopes for the same on Android. Read more »
There’s a new app store available for millions of devices, but it’s not built for iOS, Android, or Windows Phone handsets. As of Tuesday, the newest app store is for robots, and the first four apps are compatible with the estimated 6 million iRobot Roomba Vacuums. Read more »
T-Mobile added a new family locator service called FamilyWhere to its suite of carrier-specific Android apps on Tuesday. The software is powered by Safely, which now has passed one billion “locates” for premium subscribers. Will T-Mo customers pay after the free trial or simply use Life360? Read more »
RunKeeper announced nine new partner software titles on Monday, bringing the total number of compatible apps to 45. RunKeeper’s “secret sauce” is its HealthGraph effort, a method for health-tracking apps and devices to speak to each other in the same language. Read more »
Yahoo is cleaning house in mobile product, announcing that it is “decommissioning” a long list of mobile apps you’ve probably never heard of. Unfortunately, Yahoo! Sketch-a-search is one of the apps being culled, as well as things like Yahoo! Meme and Yahoo! Mim. Read more »
I love watching high-definition movies on my Galaxy Nexus because the phone actually has a true high-definition display. There’s a problem though: after watching the rentals, the massive media files aren’t disappearing from my phone. Here’s the quick fix which requires a file manager application. Read more »
955 Dreams has gotten plenty of praise for its stunning iOS apps, which create next generation albums and magazines in app form. Now, the company is getting the love from investors, who are pouring in $3.25 million in a seed round for the small start-up. Read more »
Gimmie, a new startup out of Tandem Entrepreneurs, is trying to take the idea of incentives and real-world rewards one step further by creating a rewards platform that incentivizes all kinds of engagement in apps with the goal of helping developers ultimately do more in-app transactions. Read more »
Dolphin Browser, a popular third-party web client for Android devices, is set to get even more popular. On Tuesday, the browser gained two new add-ons: support for both Skitch and Evernote, making it easier to annotate, draw on, or capture web content for saving or sharing. Read more »
Scosche has a simple, $129 plug-and-play solution called the CellControl to help curb smartphone activities while driving. When the module detects the vehicle in motion, all handset activities, with the exception of hands-free functions, are disabled through a corresponding smartphone app. Fewer distractions means safer driving. Read more »
Appstores.com is launching an app distribution network that allows web publishers to curate their own app galleries, highlighting relevant apps for their audience. Appstores.com is also releasing a mobile ad unit that allows web publishers to inserts ads for apps that are tailored to its users. Read more »
