By: Steph Dlugon
There’s a calculated and boring war being fought in the world of mobile technology. Apple is the latest company to launch an offensive over perceived patent infringement.
Apple claims that Taiwan-based phone manufacturer HTC has violated 20 patents that pertain to the iPhone’s user interface, architecture and hardware. Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, said in a press release: “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it.” Mr. Jobs added: “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
Apple too has been sued over the years for patent infringement.
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Posted 2 weeks ago, under
Android Apps,
Apple,
Droid,
Google Android,
Mobile Commerce,
Technology,
iPad,
iPhone,
iPhone Apps,
iPod Touch
By: Angela Soric
In a recent study performed by Admob, app purchasing habits were revealed. It was found that iPhone and Android users share similar downloading habits, both users download an average of 9 applications per month.
While the Android seems to be closing in on the iPhone, and the iPod Touch when it comes to free app downloads, it was found that iPhone users are more likely to spend money on applications. 50 percent of iPhone users buy at least 1 app per month (compared to 21 percent of Android users).
iPod touch users were found to be the most engaged, downloading 37 percent more apps than iPhone and Android users. These consumers also spend an average of 100 minutes a day using apps.
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By: Angela Soric
A new survey performed by Admob has discovered that iPhone and iPod touch owners are mostly male and iPhone users are older and have less time to use downloaded applications than those who have an iPod touch.
AdMob’s Mobile Metrics report for January 2010 found that iPod touch users download an average of 12 applications per month (37 percent more than iPhone and Android users). It was also found that those with an iPod touch also spend 100 minutes per day using applications (25 percent more than both Android and the iPhone).
iPod touch users are also considerably younger- 78 percent of them were below the age of 25. Compared with the iPhone, where only 25 percent of users are under the age of 25.
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By: Steph Dlugon
App store analytics company, Distimo, released a report that provides some interesting game app pricing statistics across multiple stores.
The report focuses on games in the Apple App Store, BlackBerry App World, Google Android Market, Nokia Ovi Store and Windows Marketplace for Mobile in the United States. Here are just a few of the findings.
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By: Angela Soric
The concept of augmented reality isn’t exactly new. However, The Astonishing Tribe, a Swedish mobile software firm, is taking the technology to a new level.
The firm developed a mobile application called Recognizer, which basically uses a device’s camera to create a 3-D model of a person’s face, then uses a cloud server to conduct facial recognition and send back the individual’s name along with any social networking site they may be a part of.
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By: Angela Soric
Lately Apple has been trying to put a stop to applications that are deemed “too sexy”, including photographs of women in lingerie and swimsuits, a decision that has surprised many developers. However, this clearly shows that Apple will not take a hands-off approach like its biggest competitor, Google.
In a New York Times interview with Apple’s Senior Vice President, Phil Schiller, more information was given concerning the removal of thousands of “risqué” apps from the iTunes App Store. Schiller stated that over the past few weeks, some developers were submitting applications containing very objectionable content.
“It came to the point where we were getting customer complaints from women who found the content getting too degrading and objectionable, as well as parents who were upset with what their kids were able to see,” said Schiller.
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By: Steph Dlugon
The iPhone started it. It created a new paradigm that was built on the notion that apps could help users do more stuff in a more native context. But according to Gartner’s David Smith, “Five years from now, I expect to see the majority of mobile ‘apps’ be Web apps, not native,” wrote the analyst. “Not that native won’t matter, but it won’t be the obsession that it is today.”
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By: Angela Soric
According to an announcement on the iPhone development news page, versions of the App Store are now available in 13 new countries, which means developers can reach an even larger customer base.
Countries added include:
- Armenia
- Botswana
- Bulgaria
- Jordan
- Kenya
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Mali
- Mauritius
- Niger
- Senegal
- Tunisia
- Uganda
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By: Steph Dlugon
Consumer confidence in making complex transactions via mobile devices appears to be climbing rapidly. According to a study by market intelligence company ABI Research, the number of mobile banking subscribers is doubling annually. The study, reported on by Mobile Commerce Daily’s Rimma Kats, spells out the following findings.
“ABI Research predicts that 407 million people will use their mobile phones to carry out financial transactions with their banks by 2015.
Out of the 407 million people expected to use their phones for mobile banking, approximately 66 million will be in North America, while the majority of subscribers are from the Asia-Pacific region.”
Additionally, “ABI Research claims that the global number of subscribers more than doubled between 2008 and 2009, and is expected to double again in 2010.”
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By: Angela Soric
Jailbreaking the iPhone is very tempting for many, allowing users to access unlicensed apps. However, from now on, those with jailbroken phones may get banned from the App Store.
Sherif Hashim, a well-known hacker, found that his Apple ID was blocked and his account suspended when he recently tried to access the App Store. The only explanation he received was “for security reasons”.
Many fear that Apple will take action and really crack down by banning all users with a jailbroken phone. Some experts feel that Apple may take it a step further and actually ban entire devices, rather than individual accounts.
However, as of now, some feel that Apple is using this as a scare tactic to discourage users who may be tempted to jailbreak their own devices.
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