WebProNews

Tag: Smart Phones

  • In-App Subscriptions Now Available On Google Play

    In-App Subscriptions Now Available On Google Play

    Android has a problem – it can’t monetize itself very well. Some people blame it on the fact that the Android market is severely fragmented while others blame it on Google limiting the amount of options that developers can use to monetize their apps. Google is at least going to fix the latter starting today.

    An announcement went out today signaling the beginning of in-app subscriptions for Android apps on Google Play. Previously, the only way to monetize an Android app through Google Play was to either charge up front for it or use in-app billing which allowed people to buy items in game through Google Wallet.

    The next logical step is of course in-app subscriptions and Google is happy to comply. This means that developers can now set up subscription fees from inside their apps. Developers can now charge for monthly to annual fees through their apps for the services it provides. This kind of monetization is especially helpful for apps like mobile newspapers.

    Google uses the example of gaming on Android. For a game that required a monthly fee in the past, the player would have to enter their credentials and pay for the game each month. Now with in-app subscriptions through Google Play, they can set up a monthly subscription and have Google Play take care of the rest.

    The new feature is user friendly as well. All user have to do is visit My Apps in the Google Play store app to see any recurring subscriptions. They can cancel at any time. The only non-user friendly bit is that it auto-renews subscriptions so it’s up to the user to remember whenever a renewal is on the horizon.

    The launch of this new service is also super helpful to developers. They can use a new HTTP-based publisher API to connect their Android apps with their Web apps. Users can subscribe via Google Play and the Web app will recognize that subscription. For example, MMOs would be able to feature a mobile component that carries over to the Web experience and vice versa.

    Google Play subscriptions are now available to all developers. You can get started by checking out the documentation and sample app. Subscriptions will be available to all users running Google Play 3.5 and above.

  • E-Waste Recycling Turns Phones Into Gold

    E-Waste Recycling Turns Phones Into Gold

    We throw things away. It’s just part of being a consumer culture. If a phone breaks or we’re done with the current technology, we can either sell it or throw it away. Unfortunately, the majority of American seem to think they can only throw away that old cell phone.

    Today’s infographic from Server Monkey seeks to inform Americans of all the technology they’re throwing away and how to reduce their e-waste. From computers to keyboards, it seems that the majority of consumer technology that Americans use is thrown away every year. The stats are somewhat alarming considering just how many computers are sold every year. What does the average consumer do with their old computer once they buy a new one? Well, according to this infographic, only 39.7 percent of Americans actually recycled them. That’s a majority of computers in this country just being thrown away to end up in some landfill.

    The amount of precious metals in cell phones is the most surprising though. Your phone is a veritable gold mine that also contains silver, palladium and copper. Although your phone has to be part of a mass recycling of 1 million cell phones to get 50 pounds of gold, it doesn’t seem that much when you consider how many cell phones there are in the world right now.

    Of course, the main problem when it comes to e-waste is the pollution and poisons that seep out of them over the years. It’s especially worrisome considering that rain can bring these poisons into rivers which can get into our drinking water. Some of the worst materials to come out of e-waste are mercury, lead and arsenic.

    While you probably learned the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) in elementary school, e-waste goes by the RRS (Repurpose, Recycle and Sell) method. I personally suggest going with the sell tactic especially with all the great deals coming from retailers who want your old iPad 2 on the eve of the new iPad launch.

    The Growing E-Waste Epidemic [Infographic]
    Infographic via: ServerMonkey.com, the Industry Leader for Refurbished Servers

  • UK Newspapers Prompt Shutdown Of Cell Phones

    As we reported last month, Facebook has become a popular way to stay connected while serving time behind bars. While some may use the social networking site just to pass time, other more insidious characters have been using their profiles to send threatening messages or mock victims and their families.

    The Daily Record in the UK has also been following the trend in their prisons and Jails. Last week they made it clear to prison authorities when they published a list of high profile prisoners who were posting regular Facebook updates from incarceration. The article featured names and candid quotes from the very Facebook profiles of the offenders.

    The Daily Record announced yesterday that there has been action taken as a result of the publications. A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service commented in a quote to the paper:

    “As soon as we were made aware of the use of Facebook by prisoners, we took action as quickly as possible and we will continue to do so on this matter.”

    “We are very grateful to the Sunday Mail for bringing this to our attention”.

    Apparently, the prisoners using Facebook in the Scottish prison have had their smart phones taken away and have been logged out of their Facebook accounts permanently. As of 2010, any person caught using a smartphone or other communication device while incarcerated is subject to having up to two years added to their present sentence. No mention was given if this action was taken in any of the cases.

    In any event, all the abuses do bring up an interesting question about the degree of supervision these inmates are under while serving time. Justice spokesman David McLetchie summarizes it best with his comment on the matter:

    “One does wonder though how they had failed to notice something that has been happening right underneath their noses.”

  • Verizon’s Push Pays Off Big Time!

    Today Verizon Wireless announced that they have added 1.5 million new customers over the last quarter and that smartphones are on the rise big time! Last quart only 39% of users were on smartphones, now over 44% of their total wireless subscribers are using them. This is no doubt due to the great incentives Verizon sponsors in order to attract new users. Smart phones are selling like mad and the trend is expected to continue.

    In fact, the company is experiencing their biggest sales growth in three years. To keep the momentum rolling they have turned to the iPhone. Rumors have been confirmed that Verizon will begin to offer the sought after Apple phone in early February. Analysts expect Verizon to sell roughly 13 million iPhones this year. The iPhone will be a welcome addition for Verizon’s already popular smartphone line, which feature Google’s Android operating system.

    But the wireless segment is not the only area that experienced growth in this last quarter. Their wireline industry also grew by adding more than 200,000 new FiOS internet user’s and almost 200,000 new FiOS video connection customers.

    While it isn’t clear how the iPhone will impact the bottom line at Verizon, it appears they are heading in the right direction again this year.

  • Who’s Buying and How?

    Who’s Buying and How?

    Researchers have always explained women’s love of shopping as the hunter versus gatherer instinct. Men would bring home the kill and women would forage for grains and berries. Since these primitive times the world has changed and technology has been a key component to our evolution. Taking a look at a new study by Zmags reveals we may not have changed that much.

    To make it easy lets take a look at the infographic from their site and see what they found:

    We can see that consumers have an overall (87%) preference for shopping on web and mobile sites. 60% shop using either digital or print ads, or both, and only 4% are using mobile apps. these figures suggest that there is still a lot of opportunity to develop application based shopping.

    Interestingly enough, the infographic also reveals purchasing preferences in the different consumer product categories. One item which stands out is for tablet users. They sure do seem to love their toys and electronics- two categories which I think go hand and hand for the young and young at heart. Perhaps this purchasing behavior is how they came to have their tablets before anyone else.

    But of even more interest is, who is buying. The most prominent internet shopper (gatherer) is the 40-something female. Her household income is around 63,000/ year and she is an active Facebook user (over 80% connected). 43% of these shoppers own smart phones and 16% are using tablets.

    This leaves me to wonder; are men too busy hunting for a good deal online to actually commit to buying something? Either way, this research suggests we still prefer browser-based shopping over apps and that means there’s a lot of room for growth in that market.

  • CES 2012: Pandora Owns The Digital Airwaves

    CES 2012: Pandora Owns The Digital Airwaves

    Everybody loves Pandora Radio and 125 million users can’t be wrong.

    Pandora used CES as an excuse to boast their ridiculous number of registered users and new partnerships that further cement them as a major player in the Internet radio business.

    First up, Pandora declared that they have now moved up to more than 125 million registered users. This is most likely due to the fact that Pandora is now deployed on more than 450 consumer electronic devices, up from 200 products the same time last year.

    They announced that the average listener time has increased to 18 hours a month. Considering that more and more people listen to Pandora on their smartphones, that’s a lot of data and money for the mobile providers.

    As a final boast that is sure to make Pandora the envy of Internet radio companies everywhere, they announced that they now own 68% of the market share. At least they did in November according to Triton Digital.

    Pandora is also now in partnerships with 23 automotive companies. Some of those include Acura, Kia and Audiovox, with the last one being an aftermarket company. They also announced a partnership with Dish Network for their new set-top box and DVR.

    Jessica Steel, EVP of business and corporate development for Pandora said, “The car is one of the most popular venues for radio listening and incorporating Pandora into the native environment of automobile dashboards makes listening to personalized internet radio as easy and natural as listening to traditional radio.”

    Do you contribute to Pandora’s 125 million users? Or do you prefer one of the other providers? Sound off in the comments.

  • Facebook for Every Phone App Launches for 2,500+ Phones

    Facebook has launched a new mobile application that will give users around the world a full social experience on over 2,500 phones. The new app is obviously targeted for people with dumb older phones. The Facebook mobile profile gives the full breakdown on what users can expect:

    “This app not only includes Facebook’s most popular features, such as News Feed, Inbox, and Photos, but also enables you to upload photos and find friends from your phone’s contacts.”

    Facebook for Every Phone

    As you might expect, users will be charged for the data they use. The good news is that Facebook collaborated with 20 mobile carriers worldwide to provide the app free of charge for the first 90 days. The list of carriers offering free data access is Aircel (India), Airtel (India), Banglalink (Bangladesh), Beeline (Russia), Celcom (Malaysia), Etisalat (Egypt, Nigeria), Globe (Philippines), Idea (India), Indosat (Indonesia), O2 Telefonica (Germany), Reliance (India), Smart (Philippines), Smartfren (Indonesia), Telkomsel (Indonesia), Three (Indonesia, United Kingdom), TIM (Brazil), TMN (Portugal), Ufone (Pakistan), Vodafone (Turkey), XL (Indonesia).

    One ting worth noting is that Facebook says the app is optimized to use less data than other Java apps, making it more affordable once the free 90-day period expires.

    You can download the app by visiting m.facebook.com and scrolling to the download link, or enter d.facebook.com/install directly into the mobile browser. You can also find the app in various app stores.