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Tag: app-store

  • Apple Announces iOS 8, “the Biggest Release Since the Launch of the App Store”

    Apple Announces iOS 8, “the Biggest Release Since the Launch of the App Store”

    ios-8

    During today’s WWDC keynote Apple unveiled iOS 8, with tons of new features and developers tools. iOS 8 delivers a simpler and more intuitive user experience, including iCloud Photo Library, allowing users to enjoy their photos and videos more easily across their devices; new Messages features to easily share voice, video or photos; and an entirely new Health app that gives users an overview of their health and fitness data all in one place.

    iOS 8 also includes predictive typing for Apple’s QuickType keyboard, Family Sharing to share purchases, photos and calendars within the same household, and iCloud Drive, so users can store files and access them from anywhere.

    In iOS 8, the Photos app can automatically straighten horizons and with smart editing tools, users can quickly adjust light and color or access individual tools for deeper fine-tuning. With iCloud Photo Library, every adjustment and effect is automatically updated across user’s devices.

    The new Health app gathers the information users choose from various health apps and fitness devices, and provides users with a clear and current overview in one place. iOS 8 offers developers the ability for health and fitness apps to communicate with each other. With user’s permission, each app can use specific information from other apps to provide a more comprehensive way to manage user’s health and fitness.

    iOS 8 introduces Family Sharing, making it easier to communicate and share purchases, photos and calendars within the same household. Family members can browse and download each other’s iTunes, iBooks or App Store purchases. Up to six members can participate, each with their own Apple ID. Parents can create Apple IDs for children, which includes Ask to Buy, requiring parental permission for purchases.

    With iCloud Drive, documents of any type can be stored, accessed and edited across your devices. When a user makes edits on one device, the most up-to-date version of the documents will be available across all devices, whether an iOS device, Mac, Windows PC or on www.icloud.com. iCloud Drive provides seamless access and the ability to work on the same file across multiple apps.

    Additional iOS 8 features include:

    • design enhancements that build off the stunning interface of iOS 7, bringing interactive notifications, quick access to key contacts, the ability to quickly switch back and forth between the inbox and drafts in Mail, as well as intelligent suggestions;
    • extended Spotlight® capabilities that give you results beyond what’s on your device, including articles from Wikipedia, findings from the news and results from places nearby; and
    • greater continuity between iPhone®, iPad® and Mac, including Handoff to start an activity on one device and finish on another, along with Instant Hotspot and the ability to make and receive calls and send SMS and MMS messages from your Mac or iPad.

    The iOS 8 beta software and SDK are available immediately for iOS Developer Program members. iOS 8 will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2, iPad with Retina display, iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad mini with Retina display.

  • Amazon Appstore Continues Global Expansion, Now Available in Japan

    Amazon continues its strong effort to corner the digital content market with the announcement that they have launched a Japanese version of the Amazon App Store, bringing forth a wealth of content for their line of tablets as well as smart phones and other mobile devices.

    In addition to a diverse library that shares some of the best selling applications and games with an entirely new market, the Amazon App Store also includes some mainstays that have helped the previous incarnations in other countries remain successful, including "Angry Birds," "Where's My Water?" and "Cut the Rope". Japanese customers now have access to the platform's personalized recommendations feature, simple ordering process and detailed order history menus.

    Amazon is also one of the only large digital application stores to feature a free application every day of the week, allowing users free access to content they would otherwise have to pay for simply as a "thank you" for their continued business.

    Amazon's standing as the world's largest retailer have made it a prime target for application developers big and small. Due to the raging success of the Kindle Fire, more and more applications that were once exclusive to other platforms have begun making efforts to get themselves in the fold. The advent of the Japanese App Store also opens the door for Amazon to open a similar feature in other markets, specifically Asian demographics that already have Amazon.com's basic services.

    Company CEO's and software developers alike have taken time to heap the praise on Amazon for the way they run their business and the ease with which people are able to begin marketing their content. Their current business structure is designed to give developers the maximum profits and is a huge reason for their continued success.

    Amazon markets itself as "the most complete end-to-end platform for developers looking to build, market and monetize their apps and games" and it's hard to argue this point based on the recent rapid growth the company has experienced. The addition of the Japanese market can only mean good things as the retail giant expands its customer base.

  • PayPal Here, Mobile Payment Solution

    PayPal has launched its own mobile payment solution, PayPal Here. The new service includes a free application and a secured card reader attachable to the mobile phone, transforming any iPhone – and soon, any Android smartphone – into a mobile payment solution. Along with PayPal Here, PayPal has launched the latest version of PayPal Mobile for iPhone, complementary application with PayPal Here, available for free in App Store.

    PayPal Here is not only for individual users but also to small business owners, service providers and other merchants who can issue invoices and accept credit or debit cards, checks or payments through PayPal. Regardless the mode of payment chosen by the consumer, PayPal Here facilitates the transfer, providing small business with opportunities to sell products and services.

    Accessing the option "Local" gives PayPal Here users the possibility to find out what stores near them accept payments through this service. Once he is ready to buy, the customer notifies the dealer through a simple touch. In turn, the seller uses PayPal Here to accept payments by simply mentioning the name and the photo of the buyer.

    PayPal Here has a competitive structure in terms of fees. The service does not include initial charges for using it or monthly fees, the only fee paid by merchants being equal to 2.7% of the payments received by credit card or PayPal.

    Merchants who use PayPal Here have at their disposal business debit cards for quick access to money. When using cards for shopping, they get back 1% of the price of certain products, which makes practically the commission paid to PayPal Here to fall to only 1.7%.

    For now, the solution is used by some traders in the United States, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong, following to be available nationwide in these country starting from April and, subsequently, to be extended to other countries. Also in April, PayPal Here will be available for Android smartphones.

  • Apple Presented the iCloud Service

    Steve Jobs returned from his medical leave to present in San Francisco more novelties, including the iCloud service through which users’ files can be stored on Apple’s servers, they being able to easily access them from anywhere, using iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or other Apple products.

    Companies like Google, Amazon and Microsoft have massively promoted the cloud computing, and Apple hopes to catch them up, helped by their efficient marketing.

    “The iCloud stores your content in the cloud and wirelessly pushes it to all your devices," said Steve Jobs, who held a presentation in his style. He admitted that it’s annoying to have to synchronize with your PC order to transfer various files on them and added that iCloud is the solution because if the user buys a song from iTunes for example, it will be loaded automatically "in the cloud" and a user can easily access it via internet using any Apple device, without needing to synchronize these devices separately.

    Jobs says that iCloud was necessary because the PC is no longer the center of the "digital life", the PC drops in rank, being a simple device. He added that iCloud “is not only a hard disk in the sky", but is wanted to be "the latest great idea of us".

    iCloud is free except for an option that an iTunes version, called Match, scans and then sends into the cloud songs that users owned on their Apple devices without being bought from iTunes. Users will be able to listen to those songs anywhere, on any Apple terminal, but will have to pay an annual subscription fee of $ 25 for the privilege of listening to these songs.

    The free iCloud services include:

    • The former MobileMe services—Contacts, Calendar and Mail—all completely re-architected and rewritten to work seamlessly with iCloud. Users can share calendars with friends and family, and the ad-free push Mail account is hosted at me.com. The inbox and mailboxes are kept up-to-date across all user’s iOS devices and computers.
    • The App Store and iBookstore now download purchased iOS apps and books to all your devices, not just the device they were purchased on. In addition, the App Store and iBookstore now let you see your purchase history, and simply tapping the iCloud icon will download any apps and books to any iOS device (up to 10 devices) at no additional cost.
    • iCloud Backup automatically and securely backs up your iOS devices to iCloud daily over Wi-Fi when you charge your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Backed up content includes purchased music, apps and books, Camera Roll (photos and videos), device settings and app data. If you replace your iOS device, just enter your Apple ID and password during setup and iCloud restores your new device.
    • iCloud Storage seamlessly stores all documents created using iCloud Storage APIs, and automatically pushes them to all your devices. When you change a document on any device, iCloud automatically pushes the changes to all your devices. Apple’s Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps already take advantage of iCloud Storage. Users get up to 5GB of free storage for their mail, documents and backup—the storage for music, apps and books purchased from Apple, and the storage required by Photo Stream doesn’t count towards this 5GB total. Users will be able to buy more storage, with details announced when iCloud ships this fall.
    • iCloud’s Photo Stream service automatically uploads the photos you take or import on any of your devices and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices and computers. Photo Stream is built into the photo apps on all iOS devices, iPhoto on Macs, and saved to the Pictures folder on a PC. To save space, the last 1,000 photos are stored on each device so they can be viewed or moved to an album to save forever. Macs and PCs will store all photos from the Photo Stream, since they have more storage. iCloud will store each photo in the cloud for 30 days, which is plenty of time to connect your devices to iCloud and automatically download the latest photos from Photo Stream via Wi-Fi.
    • iTunes in the Cloud lets you download your previously purchased iTunes music to all your iOS devices at no additional cost, and new music purchases can be downloaded automatically to all your devices. In addition, music not purchased from iTunes can gain the same benefits by using iTunes Match, a service that replaces your music with a 256 kbps AAC DRM-free version if Apple can match it to the over 18 million songs in the iTunes Store, it makes the matched music available in minutes, and uploads only the small percentage of unmatched music. iTunes Match will be available this fall for a $24.99 annual fee.

    According to Apple, they are ready to ramp iCloud in its three data centers, including the third recently completed in Maiden, NC. Apple has invested over $500 million in its Maiden data center to support the expected customer demand for the free iCloud services.

    You may also want to read:
    iOS 5 Launched at WWDC 2011, 200 New Features
    ASUS to Launch Four New Tablets by the End of 2011
    Nokia E6 and X7 Ready for Delivery in Europe
    ASUS PadFone – a hybrid between smartphone and tablet

  • Fring Launches Dynamic Video Quality Mobile Calling

    fring announced the rollout of its network-optimized DVQ mobile video calling technology. The company’s proprietary DVQ (dynamic video quality) technology adjusts video bit rate and frame rate according to the specific device to match current network bandwidth during a call, delivering the best possible video picture quality for available bandwidth between call peers.

    Where network capacity is constrained, fring’s DVQ technology dynamically adapts the video picture quality, rather than losing the video call while providing the best possible audio quality. In addition, with an integrated DVQ indicator, fring intelligently notifies users of changes in their network strength in real time.

    According to fring, mobile eco-system resources are "core" to the company’s product’s design and its use: DVQ technology adjusts to match bandwidth at every point of every call. This adaptive nature allows for changing call conditions and network availability which translates into more connected calls and fewer dropped calls. Importantly, users enjoy rich video calling according to network congestion and in step with operator’s bandwidth availability – at all traffic hours.

    “In the year since pioneering mobile video calls, we’ve seen that users network conditions change dramatically during and between video calls. That’s the nature of mobile experiences in heterogeneous networks,” said Alex Nerst, Co-Founder & CTO of fring.

    "DVQ lets users make the best use of the peer- to- peer network capacity available at any moment during a video call, regardless of if they’re stepping into an elevator, commuting on a train or simply walking away from their WiFi hub," he added.

    DVQ technology is compatible with all mobile data bearers: 3G, 4G, WIMax and WiFi and is currently available from the iPhone App Store and the Android market.

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  • Vonage Mobile App Provides Free Wi-Fi / 3G Calling For Facebook Users Worldwide

    Vonage has just introduced the Vonage Mobile application for Facebook, a new service that allows users to make free mobile calls to all of their Facebook friends who have the app, anywhere in the world, directly from their friends list.

    The downloadable application is free to get and free to use. According to Vonage, the new service enhances the ability to connect with Facebook friends through the addition of voice calling.

    It is available for iPhone, iPod touch and Android devices and works over Wi-Fi and 3G /4G networks in most countries.

    “The new service is easy to use,” says Vonage. The app works with a user’s existing community of Facebook friends, so there’s no need to remember screen names or to input numbers. The application eliminates dialing – users can just click on a friend and start talking. When placing a call, the friend’s profile picture and status update display on the screen.

    "The Vonage Mobile app for Facebook is a tangible example of our commitment to deliver extraordinary value and a better communications experience for individuals and their social networks, across broadband-enabled devices, around the world," said Marc Lefar, Chief Executive Officer of Vonage.

    "This is just the start. In the future we will expand on this service to include a wide range of integrated voice and messaging services that change the way people communicate," he added.

    The application can be downloaded from the Android Market in 48 countries and from the iTunes Store in 87 countries. Users who don’t have an unlimited data plan should check with their carrier to see if any charges apply.

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  • Apple Releases Find My iPhone App

    If you lose your iPhone or iPad while on the go, simply install the Find My iPhone app on any other iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to find it. Apple has just announced that the Find My iPhone app is now available as a free download from the App Store.

    In case you lost your device, sign in with your member name and password to locate your missing device on a map and have it display a message or play a sound.

    There is even an option to remotely lock the missing device to protect your privacy, or to wipe it to permanently delete all of your data if you think that it won’t be returned. The app will automatically sign you out after 15 minutes of inactivity or you can manually sign out at any time.

    In addition to the new app, the Find My iPhone web application on me.com now displays the device location on a full-screen map.

    Unfortunately, Find My iPhone and Remote Wipe are not available in all countries.

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    Netsize Trends Survey Tracks Fast-Growth in Independent Application Stores

  • Netsize Trends Survey Tracks Fast-Growth in Independent Application Stores

    Netsize has released “Application Store Billing”, a report that analyzes the wave of recent application store developments and reveals the business models and billing methods that will bring application store mass-market success.

    The report concludes that credit card billing is by no means the way to reach a large and global audience. According to the analysts, to achieve this respondents agree application stores must harness a variety of billing mechanisms. Chief among these is operator billing, indicated by 85 percent of respondents as a key enabler for application store mass market appeal. Almost half (46 percent) of respondents believe operator billing alone will dominate; 39 percent also include credit card billing in the mix. A minority of 15 percent of respondents indicated only credit card billing.

    “The survey shows providers will need to develop much more than a me-too application storefront modeled on the Apple blueprint,” noted Stanislas Chesnais, CEO of Netsize.

    “Clearly, to guarantee a seamless user experience and a ubiquitous quality of service, application store providers must support a variety of payment mechanisms including operator billing,” he said.

    The research also presents substantial proof that a long tail of application stores is indeed emerging. To illustrate this key trend Netsize has identified and ranked the top 52 application stores by size and the number of applications on offer as of May 2010. Predictably, application stores linked with the Apple iPhone and Android platforms lead the list. However, a substantial number of independent application stores run by mobile operators and independent providers also hold top positions.

    “New entrants are breaking on the scene with niche application stores that target geographies and vertical markets, such as retail, enterprise, and even cars,” Chesnais explained.

    “There is huge opportunity ahead for applications stores providers, but the bulk of their business growth will be driven by freemium-type models that offer consumers free applications as a means to cross-sell or up-sell consumers to a variety of paid content and services, ranging from real-world physical goods to digital services. Making money in this new ‘Application Economy’ will therefore require providers to employ in-application billing and solutions that allow them to sell content, virtual goods and add-ons from within their app,” he said.

    This conclusion is further supported by the report findings, which show that 28 percent of respondents deem in-app billing to be a key factor for application store success.

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  • NPD: 75% of US iPhone and iPod Touch users Download Apps and Games

    The NPD’s "Entertainment Trends in America" update reveals three quarters of iPhone and iPod touch users are connecting to the Web to download entertainment content and apps.

    According to the latest update to the NPD’s tracking survey, 16 percent of Americans age 13 or older are using devices other than their home computers to download software applications, music, video, and other entertainment content from the Web.

    Based on NPD’s entertainment market research, 75 percent of iPhone and iPod Touch users are connecting to the Web to download entertainment content and apps, compared to 19 percent of game console users and 17 percent of Blu-ray Disc set-top product users.

    “It’s not surprising that Apple users are ahead of others when it comes to downloading Web-based content, given the breadth of the company’s app catalog and the head start iTunes had selling music for the iPod,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD.

    “Like other groups of early adopters, consumers downloading entertainment content are mostly younger and male; however, as app stores expand beyond Apple, as connected devices become more commonplace, and as connectivity is simplified we expect to see more activity on other devices and platforms,” he added.

    According to the report, among iPhone and iPod Touch users who downloaded content, free apps were the most popular download category, followed by video-game apps, and music downloads.

    Among consumers who connected via game consoles, game add-ons were far and away the most popular category, followed by purchased downloads of entire games, and movie rentals.

    In addition, one-third of Blu-ray Disc consumers who actually connected via their BD reported downloading a movie rental.

    “Music now competes with games and other apps for share of device, share of wallet, and share of time,” Crupnick said.

    He says that entertainment companies need to start to thinking of apps in broader terms, not only as a way of garnering direct sales from downloads, but also as a pathway to paying for additional entertainment content.

    “For example, an app that reviews movies could also be a direct channel for purchasing DVDs, BDs, or digital forms of video,” Crupnic concluded.

  • AT&T Releases Mobile Conferencing App for iPhone

    Mobile conferencing iPhone App from AT&T is now available on the App Store.

    It integrates multiple conferencing products including audio conferencing, web conferencing and video conferencing into a single UC application.

    The app includes the following features and functionality, depending on connectivity:

    • View whiteboard
    • Call Me and Dial In features that simplify audio setup
    • Interactive participants list: See/hear the other participants in the conference, their emoticons and mode of connection
    • Use emoticons to signal opinion
    • Alert other participants when stepping in or out of the conference
    • Use notes to chat with one or all participants
    • Answer polls
    • Host an event
    • Invite others to join an event

    According to Ron Spears, president and CEO of AT&T Business Solutions, converging communications technologies are driving business demand for integrated voice, web and video conferencing services, to reduce costs and speed decisions.

    “Collaboration across a broad sweep of individuals – employees, suppliers and partners, as well as across geographic and organizational boundaries – is a daily necessity. AT&T is bringing its Unified Communications capabilities to integrate voice, email, messaging and web conferencing in business apps that drive the productivity of businesses regionally, nationally and globally,” he said.

    AT&T Connect supports virtual meetings with both internal and external participants. The service can be provisioned to include standalone audio conferencing, multi-point video, regular/mobile phone and VoIP-based audio, application sharing, whiteboard/presentation, web touring, polling, reporting, recording and editing.