“Google reportedly plans on launching an online store to sell co-branded tablets running its Android operating system.”
www.mobiletechnews.com/info/2012/03/30/124858.html
Month: March 2012
The market for night classes and online instruction in programming and Web construction, as well as foriPhone apps that teach, is booming.
www.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/technology/for-an-edge-on-the-internet-computer-code-gains-a-following.html?src=me&ref=technology
If ever a sport was built for a mobile app companion, this is it. Between pitches you can watch a batter step out of the batter’s box, adjust his jock strap and spit four times, or you can check a mobile app for useful information about the game or league.
www.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/technology/personaltech/a-look-at-atbat-scoremobile-gameday-and-draft-kit.html?src=me&ref=technology
The other day, Matt made a desperate plea: “Please don’t buy cheap Android phones.” To do so is a mistake, and the more you buy, the more cheap phones flood the market, and thus more people are walking around with crap up against their faces.
And after hearing that Samsung has sold 5 million Galaxy Notes, I think it may be time to make my own plea: Please stop buying giant phones.
Now, obviously I don’t take this request as seriously as the whole cheap Android phone thing. But I was actually musing to myself just last night that if people continue to buy phones with 4.5-inch + screen sizes, phone makers will think that’s OK. It’s not. It’s just as dumb as Motorola’s advertising, directed squarely at men with robots and cyborgs.
Cult of Mac has a great write-up of an app for iOS called Girls Around Me, which essentially displays check-ins and public profiles of girls around you. With a little shift in context it could easily be confused for a hot new startup (discoverability meets speed dating!), but no, it really is just a way for guys to creep on nearby girls who have failed to lock down their info.
It’s sad, but maybe something like this is what people need to shock them into understanding just how much information they put online.
The app itself is pretty much straight-up stalker material, but the fact is it uses publicly available information — information that, really, is being deliberately broadcast. There is a larger debate to be had about the nature of privacy and how information like location and profiles should be handled, and many subtle points to be made. But right now it seems that things must be done in broad strokes, and it’s only mainly broadly offensive things like this app that will bring attention to the issue.
The Department of Defense (DOD) has released a mobile application to help wounded soldiers and their families access information that can assist in their recovery and return to U.S. civilian life. The app is based on a guide for wounded soldiers the department released in November, according to the DOD. “The Wounded, Ill, and Injured Compensation and Benefits Handbook” is a resource for injured soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to help them readjust to life away from the battlefield and find the medical, benefits, and other support they need in the United States.
Check it out at:
http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/mobile/232800037
Mobile development has come a long way in the past few years. But as technology continues to introduce new and more innovating products at a rapid pace, there’s room for many developers to make huge mistakes along the way — ones that could jeopardize their product or even their entire business.
A common issue developers run into is deciding which operating system to run first: Android or iOS. Developers should think about the audience the app is meant for when making a decision.
“Test your app outside of your office. If your app has anything to do with receiving information remotely, test it in different places around the city: in subways, in a lot of different conditions. Just make sure your developers get outside of their offices.”
Read More at:
http://mashable.com/2012/03/28/mobile-app-development-advice/
According to documents released by Google in their upcoming legal battle with Oracle, Android generated less than $550 million in revenue for Google between 2008 and 2011. The use of Google Maps and search on Apple devices including the iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad generated more than four times as much revenue since in the October earnings call, Google CEO Larry Page announced that mobile revenue has “grown 2.5 times in the last 12 months to a run rate of over $2.5 billion”.
http://www.bgr.com/2012/03/29/google-generates-four-times-more-revenue-from-iphone-than-android/
From Beepers to cellphones, we have all witnessed the advancement of communication in our lives. What was once a rare and expensive item to have is now the trend of all; I am talking about smartphones. As of February, about half of all Americans with cellphones were using smartphones, according to Nielsen, a research firm. One thing that is driving this increase in smartphone ownership are mobile apps. Over all, 48 percent of smartphone owners responding to Nielsen’s survey said they had an Android device, and 32 percent said they had an iPhone. About 12 percent reported having a BlackBerry.
For more information
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/smartphone-50-percent/
Will we ever find the product that can compete with apple? This comment has been thrown in every innovative conversation however Apple still remains victorious through it all. After a 2 year conceptual process, the search engine giant Google, believes that they have the tablet that can will blow the expensive iPad 3 out of the water. Although the name and specific spec hasn’t been released as of yet, developers say that the new google product will have a 7 inch screen manufactured by Taiwan-based Asustek Computer. This can be of great trouble for the folks at apple, especially if it functions like the iPad but is way cheaper.
But then again, that what they always say about new innovative technologies. I guess we will have to wait and see. The new google tablet will be released later on this year.
For more information
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/with-tablet-plan-google-goes-after-apple-and-amazon/
4G to become 1,000 times faster, significantly cheaper by 2020.
Hossein Moiin at Nokia Siemens Networks has made a bold prediction that 4G will be significantly faster by 2020. Claiming speeds will be 100 times faster than they are today, Mooin also claims that the price per gigabyte will be down to $1.
If this holds true, what an outstanding opportunity for everyone in the country to have access to the internet. It is one thing to have high speed internet at home, but to have it on the go is a whole different ball game. The cost of high speed internet at home would surely drop as the demand dropped because of people getting 4G service to replace their at home broadband.
Mooin thinks that like every other technology, the cost will come down and the user’s will eventually see reduced costs for 4G.
Bump Pay lets you pound fists and magically transfer money to friends.
Gone are the days of owning your friends a few bucks for that cheese burger. With the introduction of Bump Pay, friends can now pay each other easily and quickly. After selecting how much money to send, both users hold their phones out in one hand and touch their knuckles together, hence the name “bump”. Money is instantly deducted from one user’s paypal account and appears in the other users paypal account. There are no fees for using the service as long as you have your bank account tied up to your paypal account.
Categories
The App Testing Process
ReadWriteMobile has published a great resource detailing mobile app testing processes. Testing the app can be one of the most difficult processes, as it is important to find as many bugs as possible during the testing phase. Finding the cause of the bug and fixing that adds additional challenges. This resource’s tips aim to improve your experience during the testing phase.
Mashable has posted an article to help developers overcome the common issues faced when designing a mobile app. The article discusses key decisions, such as choosing a mobile platform.
Categories
iPhone Security Not So Secure
Law enforcement and malicious hackers can use tools such as XRY to bypass or crack the iPhone’s 4 digit login system in just minutes and display private user content including messages, GPS information, call logs, history, and keystrokes in some cases.
Scientists recently developed a type of plastic that can regenerate and repair itself when scratched or cracked. This could make phones much more durable and reliable in the future.
Categories
Spotify adds new label-friendly apps
Spotify, recently has given its users a handful of new apps that further service their experience in discovering new music. ‘Filtr’ creates playlists based on your Facebook friends’ interests in music. ‘Tweetvine’ generates playlists according to songs or artists people are tweeting about on Twitter.
Almost all Facebook users wish there was a dislike button. Well, meet EnemyGraph. EnemyGraph promotes Facebook users to list things such as people or places that they dislike and then share/connect to others that agree. The app is easily established through Facebook login. The concept behind it is having people discuss their disagreements. For example, If one of your friends on Facebook likes Kanye West, but you have him listed as an “enemy” it will send you a “dissonance report,” identifying the difference and encouraging conversation about the topic.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note hit AT&T stores last month and Samsung announced it recently shipped 5 million of these hybrid devices to stores. The Galaxy Note is a cross between a smartphone and a tablet, and includes a stylus pen, 8 megapixel camera, and has a 5.3 inch touchscreen. 5 million may sound like a lot, but really is not that impressive when compared to the 3 million iPad 3’s Apple sold in the first weekend alone.
This puts Rovio in a different league than other game publishers. Gains of a minimum of $10 million in three days seems ridiculous for any app, let alone a game that makes mario bros look like the next big ting. This is a huge reminder to all app developers that no idea should be disregarded, no matter how “back to basics” or dumb it may seem.
Angry Birds Space introduces the age of the mobile game blockbuster – The Washington Post.
Claims have been made that the iPad 3 can be used as Verizon LTE hotspot for over 24 hours. This seems to contradict what was explained in class today. AnandTech’s testing confirms, that the new iPad can actually offer 24+ hours of hotspot functionality under the right conditions. Note, “The right conditions.” Maybe the iPad does prove to have a longer battery life when many of it’s features are turned of and dimmed to their least potential.
New iPad can be used as Verizon LTE hotspot for over 24 hours | The Verge.
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AT&T Plus now in trial stages
AT&T has begun testing out a new free service, known as AT&T Plus, which is only available in Houston, Colorado and Minneapolis at the moment. For now, customers can experience access to a special customer service helpline, a 25 percent discount on accessories, and “tidbits such as a ‘personalized customer experience'”.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/27/att-plus-loyalty-program/
Apple has recently secured new patents for the iPhone, two of which are highlighted in this article. The first is an ejectable SIM tray, a feature available on other mobile devices that will bring the iPhone immediate popularity amongst users who want yet another way to transfer contacts and other data. The second is the multi-arm antenna, which will increase functionality and ability to pick up signal. This will also be instrumental in the attempts to decrease interference between signals.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/27/apple-patent-multiple-arm-multiple-frequency-antenna-design/
Soon BlackBerrys will be used as a form of ID rather than, say, a normal ID card or fingerprint. This will be due to the use of a biometric template from Iris ID. Iris ID takes a video of your eye, and then still images are captured from the video. The information is stored in the secure area of the BlackBerry, and god forbid it gets stolen, the information can be deleted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-blackberry-iris-scan-20120326,0,5323370.story
Apple has begun rejecting all apps that make use of the UDID, or Unique Device Identifier, which is a number that is given to every iOS device that is basically used as the devices serial number. They are doing this largely due to privacy concerns since it became apparent in 2010 that numerous apps were “transmitting transmitting user data back to their own servers. Some of those apps associated real names in plain text.” Because of this, it was possible to identify the user of the app even without a specific username or address which is an obvious privacy concern to many users.
Today I came across a library for iOS that works with SQLite databases – so not only can you avoid having to work with raw SQL queries, but also get the relational benefits of the Active Record pattern.
The library is iActiveRecord from Alex Denisov and can be found on Github here.
Looks like a great library with all the functionality that you would expect in a library implementing the Active Record pattern.
via iPhone, iOS 5, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips.
HTML5/JavaScript framework by Telerik offers everything developers need for development of advanced mobile apps on iOS, Android and new Blackberry platform
Telerik, an end-to-end provider of software applicationlifecycle and content management solutions, announces the next major release of Kendo UI Complete, a collection of Web, DataViz and Mobile tools targeted at professional software developers providing everything needed for front-end development with JavaScript and HTML5 for sites and mobile apps.
“With this major release of Kendo UI we are taking a huge step towards simplifying mobile app development with HTML and JavaScript,” said Todd Anglin, Vice President, HTML5 Web and Mobile Tools. “We have officially introduced Kendo UI Mobile, which provides mobile UI widgets that automatically adapt to the native look-and-feel of iOS, Android, and BlackBerry devices. It’s the fastest way to build a mobile app that can reach the biggest audience.”
Read More At: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/teleriks-kendo-ui-expands-to-support-mobile-app-development-2012-03-22
Still, surveys show fewer want to build apps for Android
“It might be expected that Facebook would be vastly more important to social strategies [for mobile developers] than Google,” the authors wrote. “However mobile app developers see the world differently, with potentially significant impacts to how social plays out in the mobile space, especially for the next billion social users.”
A social graph is a term of art that refers to the global mapping of people and how they are related. The new survey found that many mobile developers simply don’t understand Facebook’s social graph and are struggling to leverage it in their app development.
Read More At: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9225360/Mobile_app_developers_see_Google_on_the_rise
Yesterday, 1,900 T-Mobile employees got some very bad news — they would all soon be out of jobs, as the company announced their intention to shut down seven call centers. That in and of itself is a shame, but AT&T’s reaction to the announcement is even more shameful.
You see, AT&T’s Jim Cicconi (their Senior Executive Vice President of External and Legislative Affairs, no less) took to the company’s public policy blog to say that “AT&T promised to preserve these very same call centers and jobs if our merger was approved.”
http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/23/att-exec-gives-fcc-the-finger-after-t-mobile-announces-layoffs/
Amazon’s Kindle team seems have had their hands full these past few days — a Retina Display-friendly update was just pushed to the iOS App Store last week, and now the Android version is getting a nice little bump too.
One of the biggest additions to this build is support for Amazon’s relatively new KF8 ebook file format. Originally revealed back in October 2011 (and officially released this January), KF8 allows publishers and content creators greater flexibility when it comes to text formatting and image integration into ebooks.
Congressmen ask devs of 34 iOS apps about user privacy
Congress is asking the developers of 34 iOS apps about how they are using user’s data. Scrutiny has been placed on a number of apps such as Apple’s Find my Friends or Facebook. Congress wants to know exactly what information is being transmitted back and forth from the user’s device to the app’s servers. This is a huge revelation in the fight for mobile security.
This Photoshop template makes it easy to mockup pixel-accurate Android app designs.
One of the challenges of an ever-changing digital channel, is that we find ourselves spending more and more time designing for various platforms and form factors
This template works best with the latest version of Photoshop. This gives graphic designers a break as far as trying to create the outside elements of the product. It can serve as a powerful template for final product market mock-up. A visual example makes it better for programmers to achieve what the client needs.
http://www.teehanlax.com/downloads/android-gui-psd-high-density/
This iOS 5 Photoshop template makes it easy to mockup retina display iPhone apps.
This file now includes countless changes and additions to align to iOS 5. As usual, all compressed in one psd file.
For anyone designing for the Retina display (640×960) it really is quite a different experience. When you work at 100% everything seems absolutely huge but small details get lost when viewing it on the device. You really need to be mindful of how it looks on the phone since your monitor displays things so differently. If you want to learn about our workflow you can check out this post.
The GUI makes it easy to design app and not worry about the technological structure of the ios device itself.
http://www.teehanlax.com/downloads/ios-5-gui-psd-iphone-4s/
Apples new iPhone will use bigger 4.6-inch display: report
This is a big development for the mobile device industry. Up until this point, many Apple users were jumping ship to other devices because of the small screen that the current iPhone sports. The leak of this information out of Korea gives us all hope that Apple will be increasing the screen size of the iPhone from 3.5″ to 4.6″. This is similar to devices by Samsung such as the Galaxy S2 and the Galaxy Nexus.
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FACEBOOK get patent from IBM
What was once the biggest computer giant in the world and what is now the largest social media company today may now have something in common. A spokesman from the social media giant Facebook reported that Facebook bought a collection of software and networking technology patents from I.B.M. for an unspecified price. Reports from Bloomberg say that Facebook purchased 750 patents to be exact from I.B.M this past week. In the grand scheme of things, Facebook is beginning to become a major stock to invest in during these upcoming month. As far as the use of the patents, Im pretty sure its going to be use to expand the Facebook network even more to what it is now. Facebook will soon have a great intellectual property value that will make them one force to be wrecked with in the social media battlefield. For more information:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/facebook-gobbles-up-patents-from-i-b-m/
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Google Play mulls movie sales
Google is a huge company that continues to enhance its expansion with its every move. If you didn’t know, Google recently took ownership over the Android Market, now called Google Play. Google Play is a fold between users favorite apps as well as a combination of Google eBookstore and Google Music into one huge store. This is after ,well-documented reports project that the Android Market struggled to entice users to buy apps in the store. Google Play plans to expand by allowing users to not only rent but own popular movie titles. While these ideas are still in talks with major film companies, one of the industry insiders say that Google could begin selling titles as early as the summer. For more information:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-57402846-261/google-play-mulls-movie-sales/
Apple recently conducted a study to research the possibility of opening a consumer banking service. However, only 10% of those surveyed said they would consider switching to Apple financial services if it was made available.
The new iPad expanded its presence today with releases in an additional 25 countries, including Mexico, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Italy, and Norway.
T-Mobile has announced that it will shut down seven call centers across the U.S., including one in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl., to achieve “competitive cost structures to successfully compete”. From these seven call centers, 3,300 people will be without jobs. In the remaining seventeen centers, about 1,400 more positions will be filled.
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-t-mobile-job-cuts-20120322,0,2117907.story
The beloved Angry Birds app has come out with yet another fantastic spin-off to keep consumers happy. The new Angry Birds Space came out yesterday and already has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. The app is fairly similar to the original, except that when users launch the birds at the evil pigs, they are likely to go into orbit a few times before hitting their targets. Great entertainment for young and old.
This is just another speculation about the new iPhone to proceed the 4S. Although just a speculation, the “bigger 4.6 inch display” should be considered by app designers. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so designers should take note of this possibility when creating the specifications of their apps.
Apple’s new iPhone will use bigger 4.6-inch display: report | Reuters.
For app designers out there, this may be something to take note of. Recently, lawmakers in the US are questioning developers for iphone apps in privacy inquiry. Democrats on the house commerce committee asked developers of social apps to disclose their data collection practices. The inquiry for this information comes as a result of the growing concern about mobile privacy.
US lawmakers question iPhone app developers in privacy inquiry – Computerworld.
Very interesting. New generation of mobile marketing. Your smartphone can detect your surroundings based on background noise, temperature, etc. allows them to send more relevant advertisements.
Yep, Google Just Patented Background Noise – Megan Garber – Technology – The Atlantic.
According to a recent job posting, RIM may be looking to make apps for iOS devices. The job listing was removed soon after it was discovered but a screen grab of the listing shows that they are looking for “an experienced iOS/Objective-C developer capable of architecting, designing, developing and testing complex applications for iPhone and iPad devices.” Although they do not mention why they are looking to hire someone with these qualifications, it is fair to say a BBM app is in the works.
Whoa. An app for finding available parking spots, and it’s totally user generated. Where have I heard that before?
According to reports, Google is planning on revealing their next iteration of the Android OS in June of 2012. The release date would coincide with Google’s annual developer conference, Google I/O, which is typically held every year around the end of June so this move would not be a complete surprise. However this update may be a little too premature since Android 4.0 (ICS) is only available on 1 to 2 percent of Android devices but with Google activating around 1 million Android devices a day, the percentage is expected to increase significantly.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57402420-94/android-5.0-aka-jelly-bean-rumored-for-q3-release/
Apple has rejected the overheating concerns with the new iPad 3. When running an intense application or action game, users claim that the device is much hotter than the iPad2. Users noticed the bottom left section of the tablet a lot warmer than the rest of the device. Batteries in recent history with Apple have had overheating issues due to a manufacturing defect. Could this be a similar case with the iPad 3?
A research team from Purdue University found that nearly three quarters of the power used when you run a free app, like Angry Birds, is actually used for advertisements. Project leader Abhinav Pathak lays the blame at the feet of poorly coded apps that need to be made significantly more efficient. They suggest that until a solution is found, you can significantly increase battery efficiency by turning off functions like GPS and Wifi when playing gaming apps.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/20/free-apps-power-drain/
Nokia developers have created a map/directions system, entitled Nokia Drive, to rival the Google Maps system. The unique aspect of Nokia Drive is that it will be offered completely offline, so users will not have to enable data plans or have access to the Internet in order to use it. This will create a completely unique experience for the users that have the system enabled in their apps. The new kit is available in the Windows Phone Marketplace today for those lucky enough to own a Lumia.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/20/nokia-drive-maps-transport-windows-phone-update-lumia/
After security researches evaluated Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS they found that by far Android is the preferable platform for hackers. Most mobile data is not useful for hackers but what they are after is banking information. The most popular way hackers get into your system is through users loading malicious apps. Android is easier to hack and the risk of getting caught is much lower. But with Apple, they are better about catching malicious apps. Android will continue being exploited by hackers and this in turn will not make the future so bright for them.