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Tag: Apps

  • Android Advocacy Group Woos Developers

    Google may be stepping up its efforts to have developers pay attention to Android.  The search giant – or rather, a division of it known as the "Android Advocacy Group" – has supposedly gone on the offensive, emailing a developer and offering him (or her) a free device.

    Google AndroidOf course, we’ve seen Google hand out Android phones before; hundreds of them have found new homes thanks to giveaways at different conferences.  The difference is that conference attendees opted to be present at those gatherings, and the conferences were usually related to Android in the first place.

    Now, Google might just be contacting folks out of the blue.

    Someone – presumably either Lauren Leto or Ben Bator – told David Pogue, "I’m the developer of the Texts From Last Night app for the iPhone.  Anyway, I received an e-mail yesterday from someone at Google claiming to be in their Android Advocacy Group.  He basically said that he wanted to open a line of communication with me in case I chose to port the app to Android, and he offered to ship me a free Nexus One to play around with."

    The nameless developer later added, "Contrast with Apple’s approach: it took us about three months of resubmitting our app to Apple before they stopped rejecting it for inappropriate content.  And even now (after we peaked at the No. 7 paid app), we still have no relationship with anyone there."

    It would seem, then, that reaching out to developers is potentially a very effective tactic for Google to adopt.

  • Google Takes Second Crack At Mobile App For iPad

    The day before the iPad went on sale, Google showed its support for the device by announcing five different ways in which it would accommodate iPad users.  Now, the search giant’s sort of unveiled a sixth: what it’s calling an iPad-friendly version of the Google Mobile App.

    GoogleAs you might expect, this doesn’t represent a significant departure from the traditional Google Mobile App.  Indeed, Google even counted a different version of the app among its original five iPad-specific offerings, with an official blog post stating, "[W]e’ve adapted it to work on the iPad . . ."

    Still, a fresh Google+Mobile+Blog%29″>post promised this afternoon, "[T]his new version has been designed to show neatly on the iPad’s screen, and . . . the usual features of Google Mobile App for iPhone, like search by voice and My Location, work well.  From the Apps tab, you can also easily navigate to Google’s web-based apps, such as Gmail, which was recently optimized for iPad."

    More improvements are supposed to be in the works, too.

    Perhaps Google will attract a few new users thanks to this update.  At the least, the company’s demonstrated that it remains dedicated to all aspects of the mobile market (and not just Android).

    The iPad-friendly version of the Google Mobile App is available for download now in the App Store.

  • Official Twitter App for Blackberry Launched

    Twitter just announced that RIM has launched its official BlackBerry Twitter app. The two companies have worked closely together to create it.

    Here’s what it looks like:

    Twitter Blackberry app

    Features include:

    – Real-time BlackBerry push of Twitter direct messages

    – Camera and photo gallery integration

    – Browser integration for Tweeting links

    – Customizable interface for changing fonts, hiding tool bars, etc.

    – Inbox integration so you can read your Twitter direct messages along side your email and text messages

    –  @integration so that if you receive an email or text message which includes an @username, it is linked to the Twitter app profile page

    – Twitter lists integration

    – Notification of @mentions

    – Search for users, content, and trending topics

    – Localized for French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Brazilian Portuguese

    The app can be downloaded here. It requires a 64MB BlackBerry smartphone, 750KB of available BlackBerry smartphone memory, and BlackBerry Device Software Version 4.5 or later. 

  • Stanford Launches Site Focused On App Privacy

    The Stanford Center has launched a new website, WhatApp.org, where users and experts can review online and mobile apps for privacy and security.

    M. Ryan Calo, a residential fellow at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society, has helped design WhatApp.org with the goal of reducing the risk of computer hacking, identity theft, spam and phishing.

    The reviews are being written by lawyers, computer scientists, and privacy and security experts from Stanford and other institutions.

    M-Ryan-Calo.jpg "People are going online to opine about the security and privacy of apps all the time," Calo said. "But none of that discussion is centralized. What we’re trying to say is that if you’re doing it already, come and do it here."

    The site also reviews browsers like Firefox and Safari, social networks including Twitter and Facebook and mobile platforms such as Apple’s iPhone, Windows Mobile and Google’s Android.

    Users will be able to register as "expert reviewers" and create public profiles that list their qualifications. Calo and his team will verify that new reviewers are who they claim to be, but will leave it to the WhatApp? members to decide for themselves.

    "The idea is not to be exclusive and create a club," Calo said. "If you know something or have an opinion about how good or bad an app’s privacy is, feel free to weigh in."

    Reviewers will be asked to rate an app based on a number of questions after reading an application’s privacy and security policy.

    The reviews come in the form of written comments and badges that award applications up to five green bars for privacy, security and openness. Wikis accompany the reviews to summarize what the app does, and the site immediately offers a list of links to news stories about an app’s privacy and security issues.

    "The entire point is to drive the application market toward better privacy and security practices by rewarding those who do a good job and penalizing those who don’t," Calo said.

    "Privacy is about having control over information that pertains to you. I think we’re rapidly losing that control, and this is a way to monitor what’s being done with information being collected."
     

  • iPad Sales Top 300,000 First Day

    iPad Sales Top 300,000 First Day

    Apple said today it sold over 300,000 iPads in the U.S. as of midnight Saturday, April 3, the first day of availability.

    Apple said sales included deliveries of pre-ordered iPads to customers, deliveries to its channel partners and sales at Apple Retail Stores.

    The company also said iPad users downloaded over one million apps from Apple’s App Store and over 250,000 ebooks for its iBookstore during the first day.

    Barclays Capital analyst Ben Reitzes forecast Apple sold about 400,000 iPads in the launch weekend, while Kaufman Brothers analyst Shaw Wu pegged sales of 250,000-300,000 units.

    Apple-iPad

    JP Morgan analyst Mark Moskowizt estimates Apple to sell about 4.8 million iPads in the first 12 months.

    "It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world — it’s going to be a game changer," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.

    "iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad."
     

     

    Image Courtesy of Apple

  • Google Prepares For iPad With Five Services/Apps

    The iPad’s become almost inescapable – really, it’s hard to imagine that anyone with a TV or Internet connection hasn’t heard of the device by now – and to those people who actually buy one, Google would like to be similarly omnipresent.  The search giant discussed five iPad-specific tweaks and apps this afternoon.

    Let’s start by talking about Gmail, since what Google’s cooked up in this respect represents the biggest deviation from the norm.  It seems that, when iPad users visit Gmail.com, they’ll see something a little special.

    A post on the Official Google Mobile Blog announced, "We’re releasing an experimental user interface for the iPad built on the Gmail for mobile HTML5 web app that we launched last year . . . .  To take advantage of the iPad’s large display, we’ve created a two-pane view with your list of conversations on the left and messages to the right."

    Then, well, there’s everything else.  Google Search and a YouTube app come preinstalled on the iPad.  A Maps app is available, too, and the Google Mobile App with search by voice is at the ready in the App Store.

    Earlier today, we suggested that Yahoo will be hoping the iPad’s a success.  Now it’s fairly certain that Google will have a cheering section at work, too.

  • Yahoo Entertainment For The iPad Debuts

    Yahoo Entertainment For The iPad Debuts

    If the iPad lives up to the hype (as you may know, Apple’s actually termed the device "a magical and revolutionary product"), it’ll provide companies an important way of connecting with millions of consumers.  And Yahoo may be one of those companies, since it launched Yahoo Entertainment for the iPad this morning.

    The app looks both attractive and useful.  Yahoo will provide a TV guide, news, comics, book reviews, and even original video content, making the app a good companion whether users are sitting on their couches or out and about in the world.

    One other important point: Yahoo Entertainment for the iPad is free.

    These factors should ensure that Yahoo gets a fair amount of exposure thanks to the app.  Yahoo isn’t going to stop paying attention to the iPad a day before it launches, though.  On the Yodel Anecdotal blog, Tapan Bhat, the company’s SVP of Integrated Consumer Experiences, wrote, "This is only the first of many incredible experiences Yahoo! will develop for the iPad . . ."

    Even if Yahoo and Apple haven’t traditionally been close, then, it’s a good bet that at least a few Yahoo execs are hoping the iPad will live up to Apple’s expectations.

  • Gmail Opens Up To Apps With OAuth Support

    Sharing one’s password is considered a huge security sin; a recent Symantec survey made clear that telling it to even a boss or spouse is verboten.  Gmail users may be glad to hear, then, that Google has figured out a way to encourage the creation of Gmail-related apps without asking everyone to compromise on the password issue.

    A post on the Google Code Blog explained, "[I]t is more secure for the app developer to use the industry standard protocol called OAuth which enables the user to give their consent for specific access without sharing their password.  Most Google APIs support this OAuth standard, and starting today it is also available for the IMAP/SMTP feature of Gmail."

    An outfit called Syphir has already taken advantage of this feature to improve its SmartPush app for the iPhone, and you can view the result below.

    A company known as Kwaga has upgraded its desktop "smart notifier," too.

    So it looks like we’ll see a great many third-party developers make an attempt at improving Gmail thanks to this development.  And Gmail users won’t have to worry about losing their privacy every time they give something new a try.

  • LinkedIn BlackBerry App Debuts

    LinkedIn BlackBerry App Debuts

    BlackBerry devices are, more than any other phones, associated with the business world.  And LinkedIn is, in most English-speaking markets, the dominant professional network.  It makes a great deal of sense, then, that LinkedIn has at last released LinkedIn for BlackBerry v1.0.

    This app should provide users with useful information in a number of ways.  For starters: six different modules cover areas labeled "network updates," "search," "connections," "invitations," "messages," and "reconnect."  (You can see screen shots of these modules in action below.)

    Also, app users will find it easy to look up the LinkedIn profiles of people in their address book, people on their BlackBerry calendar, and people who send them emails.  Plus, LinkedIn messages and invitations will appear in their BlackBerry inbox.

    More shortcuts and improvements should be on the way, as well.  Chad Whitney, a senior product manager at LinkedIn, wrote on the company’s blog, "The BlackBerry platform is a top priority for the LinkedIn mobile team, so expect regular enhancements and additions to the application through 2010."

    Whitney then asked for feedback by adding, "If you are one of our LinkedIn for BlackBerry users, please join the conversation in the LinkedIn for BlackBerry group."

  • Bing iPhone App Receives Big Update

    The Bing app for the iPhone and iPod Touch should now offer users a much-improved experience.  Microsoft’s released an updated version, and just about every aspect of the app was upgraded as part of this move.

    Microsoft paid attention to the basics by implementing some stability fixes and adding support for the first-generation iPod Touch.  A post on the Bing Search Blog explained that the company performed some "usability tweaks" and "design updates," as well.

    Then it went far beyond the normal nip-and-tuck treatment by introducing a host of new features and options (many of which had been requested by users).

    First up was the ability to bookmark content and later access it straight from the Bing homepage.  The ability to copy and paste URLs was also added, and users can view and edit their search histories, or choose to make searches private from the start.

    Search-related parental controls have been created, too, and travelers can alter their location settings in order to get results related to an area they’re either already in or planning to visit.

    All of these changes should help make the Bing app a lot more popular (and over a million copies have been downloaded already).  Maybe we’ll even see the rumors about Bing replacing Google as the default iPhone search engine resurface as a result.

  • Facebook Expands Preferred Developer Program

    Four months ago, Facebook launched something called the Preferred Developer Consultant Program in an effort to point companies and celebrities towards the best developers.  Now, the program’s taking an important leap forward as Facebook’s more than tripled the number of recommended developers.

    Facebook started things off with just 14 developers, which seemed like an interesting choice.  Those dozen or so developers couldn’t possibly design too many Facebook pages and/or apps, after all, so was demand negligible?  Were great developers extremely rare?  Or did Facebook just feel like causing a crazy bidding war for people’s services?

    Today, the social network granted 35 additional developers "preferred" status, making the situation look somewhat manageable.

    Kristin Thayer, a member of the Facebook Developer Network team, also explained that the global community’s needs have been taken into consideration.  She wrote on the Facebook Developer Blog, "Over half of the new Preferred Developer Consultants have international operations and have already built campaigns, community portals, and other social applications in countries like Israel, Lithuania, and Czech Republic."

    Thayer added, as well, "If you or your company builds high quality Facebook Connect implementations, Facebook applications, and/or Facebook Pages, and is interested in being included as a developer consultant in this program, please visit the Developer FAQ to learn more about submitting your company for consideration."

  • Google Shopper Android App Launches

    Android phone owners should now be able to become smarter consumers.  A free app called Google Shopper has been released, and with it, users are supposed to find it easier than ever to look up product specs, check out reviews, and compare prices.

    Google Shopper doesn’t quite represent some breakthrough.  Instead, it combines the image recognition abilities offered by Google Goggles with the barcode-scanning feature Google Product Search for mobile introduced in May.  Plus some voice recognition tech that’s been in development for even longer.

    The Google Mobile Blog explains that, as a result, "Shopper lets you find product information quickly by using your phone’s camera.  It can recognize cover art of books, CDs, DVDs, and video games, along with most barcodes.  You can also speak the name of the product you’re looking for."

    Then additional features include the ability to star items for return visits and share things with friends.

    This is bound to come in handy in all sorts of situations.  Even more so, perhaps, since Google Shopper is free and seems to work rather well.  The only party that might suffer due to this development will be the retailer(s) whose customers discover they should do a lot more shopping at Amazon and Newegg.

     

  • Google Voice Makes Way to iPhone, Palm WebOS

    Google is launching the Google Voice app for both the iPhone and Palm WebOS. It is an HTML5 app, which the company says provides users with a "fast and versatile" mobile experience, because of its use of the latest advancements in web technologies.

    "For example, AppCache lets you interact with web apps without a network connection and local databases allow you to store data locally on the device, so you don’t lose data even when you close the browser," explains Google in a post to its Mobile blog.

    Google Voice App

    "For quick access to the most important features like ‘Dialer’, ‘Compose SMS’, ‘Inbox’ or ‘Contacts,’ you can add shortcuts to your iPhone home screen or Palm Launcher — so cheap calls and messaging will be just a single click away. And because the Google Voice web app uses advanced features of modern HTML5 browsers, it offers native app-like performance and speed," Google adds.

    Users can not only access a streamlined version of their Google Voice inbox, but with the new app, they can display their Google Voice number as the outbound caller ID, so return calls come back to that number. It can also be used to send and receive text messages for free, and place international calls at Google Voice’s rates.

    Users have to have a Google Voice account and a voice plan on their phones to place calls with the app. At this point, accounts are still available only on an invitation basis, although invites can be requested.


    Related Articles:

    > Google Voice Gets New Free VoIP Service

    > Report Indicates Google Bought Gizmo5

    > You Don’t Need A Google Number To Use Google Voice

  • Microsoft Pulls Bing Maps Site Out of Beta

    Microsoft has removed the beta tag from the Bing Maps Silverlight site. This means, at least according to Microsoft, that users can expect greater reliability, supportability, and further innovation.

    "First off, if you go to the Bing Maps AJAX site and have Silverlight installed chances are you will be redirected to the Bing Maps Silverlight site (note this change only affects users in the US)," explains Microsoft’s Chris Pendleton. "We’re rolling this out with a small percentage of users increasing up to 100% of all users in a few weeks. If you don"t have Silverlight installed you can hit the AJAX site and will be prompted to install Silverlight (which you can opt out of, but WHY would you??). Well, to make the AJAX site a bit smoother we’ve introduced some new transitions in the tile loading process for panning and zooming. So you can have your Silverlight and AJAX too. If you don’t want to stay on the Silverlight site, you can opt out and return to the AJAX site (aka Bing Maps Classic) via the link on the Silverlight site."

    Microsoft has also launched two new Bing Maps Applicaton Gallery apps. These are "Destination Maps" and "Local Events". The former shows vector-based route geometries on new map background, and the latter lets users find things to do in their own towns.

    Bing Maps App

    From the sound of it, Bing Maps users should expect much more in the way of apps. "These apps are only the beginning," says Pendleton. "You see it coming? A massive wave is upon you. Get ready."

    More detailed information on the two newly launched apps can be found here and here respectively. On another Bing-related note, Microsoft has started improving its autosuggest feature. Time will tell if it proves to be an improvement over Google’s much criticized Google Suggest.


    Related Articles:

    > Bing Launches New Maps with Apps

    > Microsoft Changes Bing User Privacy Methods

    > Bing Makes Out Well In Search Spend Report

  • Consumers Expected to Spend $6.2 Billion on Mobile Apps in 2010

    Gartner has released some research findings that indicate consumers will spend $6.2 billion in 2010 in mobile application stores. Meanwhile, advertising revenue is expected to generate $0.6 billion worldwide.

    According to Gartner, mobile app stores will exceed 4.5 billion downloads in 2010, eight out of ten of which will be free. Gartner also forecasts worldwide downloads in mobile application stores to surpass 21.6 billion by 2013, and free downloads to account for 82% of all downloads in 2010 (87% in 2013).

    Gartner Research on Mobile Apps

    "As smartphones grow in popularity and application stores become the focus for several players in the value chain, more consumers will experiment with application downloads," said Stephanie Baghdassarian, research director at Gartner. "Games remain the No. 1 application, and mobile shopping, social networking, utilities and productivity tools continue to grow and attract increasing amounts of money."

    "Growth in smartphone sales will not necessarily mean that consumers will spend more money, but it will widen the addressable market for an offering that will be advertising-funded," added Baghdassarian. "The value chain of the application stores will evolve as rules are set and broken in an attempt to find the most profitable business model for all parties involved."

    "Application stores will be a core focus throughout 2010 for the mobile industry and applications themselves will help determine the winner among mobile devices platforms," said Carolina Milanesi, another research director at Gartner. "Consumers will have a wide choice of stores and will seek the ones that make it easy for them to discover applications they are interested in and make it easy to pay for them when they have to. Developers will have to consider carefully not only which platform to support but also which store to promote their applications in."

    Some of Gartners numbers have been brought into question by another research firm, comScore. In reference to a Gartner claim that Apple App Store downloads accounted for 99.4% of all mobile app downloads in 2009,  comScore analyst Alistair Hill is quoted as saying, "I think somebody’s missed something out on the maths there…I find that hard to believe. We know iPhone users buy a lot more apps than anybody else, but that still doesn’t work."

    Still, we haven’t seen anything solid to dispute the claim. But we might see something surface soon.

    Related Articles:

    > Best Buy Now Installing Google Mobile Apps On Smartphones

    > Google Launches Analytics for Mobile Apps

    > Usage of Mobile Web and Apps Doubles in 2 Years

  • Will Google Phone Bring Spotify to the US?

    Even if you haven’t used Spotify, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of it. The service’s description goes: "A world of music. Millions of songs on your computer, on your mobile and available offline. Brought to you ad free."

    Spotify on Android DevicePeople in the US have been unable to use the service so far. There has been talk that this may soon change upon the launch of Google’s Nexus One phone, but this may not happen. There was rumored to be a US Spotify app for Google’s Android ready just in time for the launch of the phone. Michael Arrington reports:

    The two companies sketched out a plan where Spotify’s excellent Android application would be build [sic] into the 2.1 version of Android and would launch in the U.S. with the Google Nexus One phone on January 5. The application – which is available in Europe and allows for offline syncing of songs – would give Google a much-needed competitive answer to Apple’s iTunes. The Android could realistically be seen as a media consumption device, like the iPhone, with things like Spotify built into it.

    Google wanted Spotify badly enough that they were willing to cover the label costs for every user of $3 – $4 per month. Spotify would add advertising on top of it, as they do with the free version in Europe, to make additional revenue. Without Google paying those label fees there was no way Spotify could handle the costs of the user flow that 2.1 would provide. Currently, European users must pay for Spotify Premium to use the mobile versions of the service.

    Those in the US waiting to get their hands on Spotify may have to wait though. Arrington says his sources indicate that the deal has likely "gone cold," but he says there is a chance Spotify could still be part of Google’s Nexus One announcement, slated for Tuesday, January 5.

    Such a deal could mean big things for sales of Android devices and really give the iPhone a run for its money. It’s going to be quite interesting to see how the smartphone competition plays out over the course of 2010. This is only the beginning. Even if a deal is not made, Google is clearly interested in the musical side of mobile, and will likely pursue other options.
     

    Related Articles:

    > Google Phone Excitement Builds Ahead Of Jan. 5 Event

    > Android Crowds iPhone In New comScore Report

    > New Google Phone Has Tech Community Licking Chops