This week's sponsor is Intel. | | Intel® Software Adrenaline Magazine Get the latest in touch and sensory technologies. This edition explores the frontiers of touch computing, mobile lifestyles and more. Download today | Also Noted: Moovweb Spotlight On... Skype for iOS adds unlimited free video messaging Clinkle raises $25M in seed funding; Gradient X launches mobile marketing platform and much more... Best new Android, iOS apps of June 2013 Mobile apps will remain a universal obsession only as long as they continue to captivate, surprise and entertain consumers. Fortunately, the app ecosystem shows no signs of slowing up: Innovative and immersive mobile experiences are entering app stores every day. Each month, FierceMobileContent will look at the best and brightest, spotlighting the new apps that you need to download to your smartphone ASAP. Click here to check out the lists from previous months. Here are June's finest--the best mobile apps of the month. Top Apps This week's sponsor is Kony Solutions. | | Webinar: The Pros and Cons of HTML5 vs. Native Thursday, July 18, 2 pm ET/ 11 am PT HTML5 offers many exciting advantages that result in lower development costs. But Native apps also offer advantages, and a familiar business model for developers. Join FierceWireless as we take a look at the pros and cons of HTML5 vs. Native and what it means for developers, enterprises with custom app and more. Register Today! | Sponsor: Cisco FierceLive! Webinars > Evolving Mobile Data Application Services With SDN - Wednesday, July 17th, 11 am ET / 8 am PT > The Pros and Cons of HTML5 vs. Native - Thursday, July 18, 2pm ET/ 11am PT Events > Wi-Fi implementation: benefits and challenges for mobile operators - June 27 Marketplace > eBook: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Android Fragmentation > Whitepaper: Mobile HTML5 For The Enterprise: The Optimum Path to Seamless and Secure Enterprise Mobility > Whitepaper: Intel Software Adrenaline Magazine > Whitepaper: Creating the Right Mobile Strategy: What you need to know before you get started > Whitepaper: How BlackBerry Z10 Raises the Bar for Business > eBook: Heralding the Data Center Renaissance > eBook: Cable Operators Embrace Video Caching > eBook: Backhaul Strategies for Next-Gen Networks > Whitepaper: How Mobility Can Transform Your Business > Whitepaper: Cisco? ONE: Framework for the Internet of Everything > Whitepaper: The Financial Benefit of Cisco's Elastic Core Jobs > Director of Sales -Charlotte, North Carolina USA - Conterra Broadband Services > Tower Crew Foreman – Minneapolis, MN – CCI Systems, Inc. > Sales Executive with ability to Speak Mandarin – Florham Park, NJ – PCS Wireless > Sales Executive, Bilingual Spanish – PCS Wireless – Florham Park, NJ > Need a job? Need to hire? Visit FierceWirelessJobs * Post a classified ad: Click here. * General ad info: Click here | Today's Top News 1. Rumor Mill: Google stretching Android to game consoles, smart watches Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) is expanding its Android mobile operating system to videogame consoles, smart wristwatches and media streaming devices in an effort to combat similar products that archrival Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) may release in the future, The Wall Street Journal reports. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the report states Google is designing the Android-powered products in-house and plans to market them itself, targeting a fall 2013 commercial launch for at least one of the new devices. While the game console and smart watch are new initiatives, the media streaming device will build on the Android-powered Nexus Q, unveiled last year but never released to consumers. Sources added that Google's efforts are fueled in part by expectations that Apple will roll out its own branded game console as part of its next Apple TV product release. Google is also paying close attention to startup Ouya, which this week began selling an Android-powered console and game controller priced at $99. Both Google and Apple declined to comment. Google's move into console gaming could spell major trouble for traditional gaming giants like Nintendo and Sony: There are millions of games developed for Android, most offered for free or for a fraction of the cost associated with console games sold via conventional retailers. Consumer spending on games optimized for Android and Apple's iOS already combined to eclipse spending on handheld titles published for the Sony PSP and Nintendo 3DS platforms during the lucrative fourth-quarter 2012 holiday shopping season, according to a report issued earlier this year by research firm IDC and mobile analytics firm App Annie. Insiders told The Wall Street Journal that Google is currently wrapping up Android version 5.0 (reportedly codenamed "Key Lime Pie"), expected for release this fall. With the introduction of Android 5.0, Google is expected to push the software platform into laptops, wearables and appliances, giving manufacturing partners greater flexibility to customize the OS for use in devices beyond smartphones and tablets. Sources add that Google is also tweaking the OS to run more efficiently across low-cost Android smartphones targeting the emerging markets segment. Manufacturers shipped 162.1 million Android smartphones during the first quarter of 2013, a 79.5 percent year-over-year spike, IDC reports. The Google OS accounted for 75 percent of all smartphone shipments during the period, up from 59.1 percent in the first quarter of 2012. For more: - read this Wall Street Journal article Related articles: Forecast: Android to fuel 67 percent of all smartphones shipped in 2017 ComScore: Android's U.S. subscriber growth stalls, iOS narrows gap IDC: Windows Phone shipments vault past BlackBerry in Q1 Gartner: Android fuels 75 percent of Q1 smartphone sales, iPhone loses ground Canalys: Android powers 75 percent of smartphones shipped in Q1 ABI: Android tablet shipments poised to overtake Apple's iPad Read more about: Apple back to top | This week's sponsor is Cisco. | | The Financial Benefit of Cisco's Elastic Core This whitepaper describes the financial benefits of an intelligent, converged, and programmable network. Read Now | 2. BlackBerry CEO Heins confirms no BB10 upgrade for PlayBook tablet BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY) CEO Thorsten Heins has confirmed the company will not adapt its new BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system for its aging PlayBook tablet. | Thorsten Heins | Speaking on BlackBerry's first-quarter 2013 earnings call Friday morning, Heins said he is "not satisfied with the level of performance and user experience" of BlackBerry 10 on the PlayBook, TechCrunch reports. Heins nevertheless added that the manufacturer would continue to "support PlayBook on existing software platform and configurations." BlackBerry (then Research In Motion) launched the first edition of the PlayBook in April 2011, complete with its own dedicated operating system. Version 2.0 of the PlayBook OS, released in February 2012, introduced the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps, enabling developers to repackage apps written for Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android to run on the tablet. But the PlayBook never caught on with consumers, generating a fraction of the sales totals posted by Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad and Amazon's (NASDAQ:AMZN) Android-based Kindle Fire. Earlier this year, Heins told Bloomberg that he believes the tablet form factor will have a limited shelf life. "In five years I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet anymore," Heins said. "Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model." He has also said that BlackBerry will consider a PlayBook follow-up only if the product can offer a unique value proposition in a crowded market. BlackBerry 10 launched in late January. While the revamped OS is vital to the company's turnaround hopes, early signs are not encouraging: BlackBerry reported first-quarter net losses of $84 million. "Quite frankly, the fear is that with a full quarter of BlackBerry 10 sales--we haven't received the BlackBerry 10 unit numbers yet--but certainly it doesn't bode well for the initial BlackBerry 10 launch, particularly the Z10," Morningstar Analyst Brian Colello told Reuters. "But even the outlook for a Q2 loss doesn't bode well for the Q10 either." For more: - read this TechCrunch article - read this Reuters article Related articles: BlackBerry winds down BB10 pay-to-port rewards, payouts top $4 million BlackBerry 10.2 bringing support for Android Jelly Bean apps BlackBerry: 20 percent of BB10 apps are Android ports BlackBerry 10 update boosts third-party app performance, video playback RIM: Developers submit 15,000 BlackBerry 10 apps in less than two days Read more about: BlackBerry back to top | 3. Report: Vine shares on Twitter plummet after Instagram adds video A week after Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) added video capture features to its Instagram photo sharing application to combat Twitter's fast-growing Vine app, Vine shares have fallen off precipitously, according to data from social analytics firm Topsy obtained by MarketingLand. Users shared close to 2.5 million Vine links to Twitter on June 19, the day prior to Instagram's video announcement, Topsy reports. Vine shares plunged to a little more than 1.5 million on June 20--a one-day drop of almost 40 percent--and continued declining in the days to follow, plummeting to just 900,000 on June 26, down almost 70 percent compared to Vine's June 15 peak of 3 million link shares. Topsy indicates that Instagram has not seen a significant increase in Twitter shares since its video launch. It should be noted that Instagram terminated Twitter support late last year, meaning users can no longer view Instagram content via the microblogging platform. Twitter declined to comment. Instagram boasts 130 million monthly users. The app sees 16 billion photos and 1 billion likes each day. Video on Instagram, available for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS and Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android, lets users shoot video clips up to 15 seconds long. The app also touts 13 unique filters designed for video only, a custom cover frame to represent the video in a user's Instagram feed and a video stabilization feature called Cinema. Vine, introduced for iOS in January and ported to Android earlier this month, enables mobile device owners to film and share videos running no longer than six seconds. Consumers can shoot clips in a single take or pause the recording to string together montages of brief shots. Its 13 million users are now sharing more than 1 million videos each day. On Thursday, Vine for Android added support for the front-facing camera, making it easier for users to film clips of themselves. Vine has said it is also currently working on new features, hinting at larger, full-screen video capabilities as well as private messaging options and curated video categories. For more: - read this MarketingLand article Related articles: Facebook unveils Video on Instagram, challenges Twitter's Vine Vine teases new full-screen video, messaging features Twitter finally ports Vine video sharing app from iOS to Android Twitter's Vine adds front-facing camera support, mentions Twitter's Vine updates App Store age rating to 17+ after content controversy Read more about: Mobile Social Networking, Metrics back to top | 4. Facebook recruits Android users for app beta testing program Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) unveiled a new public testing program enabling consumers to trial beta versions of its mobile social networking application for Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android. "This new tool will help us get performance data and feedback from more people ahead of release across a wider range of devices and versions of Android," explained Facebook for Android Product Manager Ragavan Srinivasan. "The ultimate goal of the program is to release updates to Facebook for Android that are more reliable and better performing." The Android beta program lets opt-in users trial updated versions of the Facebook app prior to general release, a move to generate feedback across an array of operating system versions and device form factors. "This will give us the opportunity to eliminate our blind spots and identify a snapshot of the diversity of use cases to test our apps so when we push to our whole user base, everyone has a better experience," Srinivasan said. "Whether someone is using [Android] Gingerbread or Jelly Bean, more complete testing coverage gives us the opportunity to make sure more people can access a stable, high-performance Facebook." Upon joining the Facebook beta program, users will receive a small batch of fixes and new features every month. Facebook asks that they submit reports when they encounter bugs or other issues. The social network is also creating a group to host active Android beta discussions and provide a forum for feedback and sharing updates. To join the program, click here. The launch of the beta testing initiative follows six months after Facebook kicked off a partner beta program providing pre-release Android apps to industry partners including Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), HTC, Ericsson, Sony, Huawei and MediaTek. Srinivasan notes the program has helped Facebook better optimize for current and upcoming devices and networks, enabling the company to gain new insight into graphics rendering, multimedia codecs and network infrastructure. The public beta testing effort also trails roughly three months after Facebook experimented with direct downloads delivering new versions of its app to select Android users. Google quickly revised its Android developer terms and conditions to close the loophole that allowed Facebook to upgrade its app without leveraging the Google Play storefront's update mechanisms. Facebook is the most downloaded application on Google Play. Its total mobile monthly active users eclipsed desktop users earlier this year and reached 751 million in the first quarter of 2013, a year-over-year increase of 54 percent. Facebook's mobile-only MAUs also increased to 189 million, up from 157 million in the previous quarter. For more: - read this Facebook Engineering blog post Related articles: AT&T CEO compares HTC First Facebook phone to Apple's ill-fated ROKR Facebook finally launches hashtag support Facebook dumping half of ad units to eliminate redundancies Facebook: Mobile now generates 30 percent of advertising revenues Facebook: Mobile users outnumber Web users Read more about: Android back to top | 5. Distimo: Top-ranking free iOS apps generate at least 72K downloads per day Applications that ranked No. 10 in Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store top free apps chart generated an average of 72,000 downloads per day in May 2013, analytics firm Distimo reports. By comparison, an iOS app that rose to No. 10 in the storefront's top paid apps charts yielded an average of just 4,000 downloads per day. The number of downloads necessary to secure a top App Store ranking can vary on a day-to-day basis, Distimo notes. "Compared to the downloads required for rank 10 in the top overall free on an average Monday in May 2013, only 94 percent of these downloads were required on Thursdays for this position in the Apple App Store for iPhone in the U.S.," the firm explains. "In order to obtain this position on a Sunday, an app needed 11 percent more downloads than on the average Monday." App market size differences also play an increasingly critical role in determining how many downloads are necessary to vault an app into the App Store's top ranking lists. In Japan, an average app that ranked 25 in the App Store's free charts generated 38 percent of the downloads required to push an app to the same heights in the U.S. At the same time, Russia--one of the fastest growing app markets--now requires more downloads to reach the 25 spot in the free charts than in Germany. Downloads are not the sole metric of app success, of course. An iPhone app that reached No. 50 in the App Store's top grossing charts in May raked in average daily revenues of $12,000. iPad apps that rose to the same position generated average daily revenues of $10,200. On average, an iOS app needed to drive daily revenues of $47,000 to rank on the App Store's top 10 grossing chart. Android applications that ascended to No. 50 in Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play's top grossing chart yielded average revenues of just $6,600 a day, Distimo adds. For more: - read this Distimo Blog post Related articles: Distimo: Puzzle & Dragons continues to dominate iOS, Android revenues Distimo: In-app purchases pay off for iOS developers Android app revenues climb 43 percent, Distimo reports Distimo: All but 12 of the top 100 global brands offer apps for Apple's iOS Read more about: Apple, Metrics back to top | Also Noted This week's sponsor is Moovweb. | | Whitepaper: Creating the Right Mobile Strategy: What you need to know before you get started This whitepaper will cover the pros and cons of custom mobile development, why screen-scraping isn't a good idea, how to think about mobile apps vs. mobile sites, and much more. Download Today! | SPOTLIGHT ON... Skype for iOS adds unlimited free video messaging Skype released an updated version of its over-the-top messaging application for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS, adding support for free, unlimited video messaging. Skype enables users to record and share videos up to three minutes in length. Messages can be received and viewed on any platform or device running the app. Skype first extended video messaging to iOS earlier this month, but at that time it limited users to 20 free videos per month unless they upgraded to a $4.99 Skype Premium subscription. Article Quick news from around the Web @FierceMobiCo: Editor's Corner: Don't blame Apple if you become a one-app-wonder http://bit.ly/11EnigY via @FierceDeveloper Article | Follow @FierceMobiCo > Clinkle raises $25 million in seed funding. Release > Gradient X launches programmatic mobile marketing platform. Release > Mozilla updates Firefox for Android beta. Blog Wireless News > FCC orders carriers to protect customer information residing on devices. Article > Analyst: 'Disruptive Wi-Fi/MVNO' products coming from cable companies in 2014. Article And finally… Black bear breaks into zoo. Article > Evolving Mobile Data Application Services With SDN - Wednesday, July 17th, 11 am ET / 8 am PT Join Openwave Mobility, Cisco, and SDNCentral as they examine the place of SDN in facilitating next-generation application services. Register Today! > The Pros and Cons of HTML5 vs. Native - Thursday, July 18, 2pm ET/ 11am PT HTML5 offers many exciting advantages that result in lower development costs. But Native apps also offer advantages, and a familiar business model for developers. Join FierceWireless as we take a look at the pros and cons of HTML5 vs. Native and what it means for developers, enterprises with custom app and more. Register Today! | > Wi-Fi implementation: benefits and challenges for mobile operators - June 27 In this webinar on June 27, Chris Nicoll – Principal Analyst for Analysys Mason's Wireless Networks research programme, discusses the role of Wi-Fi for mobile and integrated operators, the four key roles that Wi-Fi plays for operators and the current state of Wi-Fi/cellular interworking. Register today! | > eBook: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Android Fragmentation Fragmentation between the multiple Android operating systems continues to plague device makers, developers and wireless operators. This eBook explores ways to overcome these challenges. Download for free today. > Whitepaper: Mobile HTML5 For The Enterprise: The Optimum Path to Seamless and Secure Enterprise Mobility The key factors when choosing HTML5 as the development platform for mobile. Download Now. > Whitepaper: Intel Software Adrenaline Magazine Get the latest in touch and sensory technologies. This edition explores the frontiers of touch computing, mobile lifestyles and more. Download today. > Whitepaper: Creating the Right Mobile Strategy: What you need to know before you get started This whitepaper will cover the pros and cons of custom mobile development, why screen-scraping isn't a good idea, bow to think about mobile apps vs. mobile sites, and much more. Download Today! > Whitepaper: How BlackBerry Z10 Raises the Bar for Business It allows you to move through tasks efficiently and effortlessly, reducing many of the 'ins and outs' that other mobile devices require today. Here are just a few of the reasons end users love BlackBerry 10...Request Now! > eBook: Heralding the Data Center Renaissance FierceTelecom discusses the very latest in data center development and teaches you how to build more successful service models. Download for free today. > eBook: Cable Operators Embrace Video Caching On-demand Internet video consumption is a trend that continues to climb. Perhaps, one of the best ways to respond to the demand is to embrace it. Learn more today. > eBook: Backhaul Strategies for Next-Gen Networks Wireless operators are considering various strategies when dealing with network capacity challenges. This eBook explores backhaul best practices and solutions. Download for free today. > Whitepaper: How Mobility Can Transform Your Business Mobility is more than just smartphones and tablets. IT professionals need to get their arms around on four key elements of the mobile ecosystem as the rise of mobile devices in the enterprise offer untapped opportunities for businesses...Download today! > Whitepaper: Cisco? ONE: Framework for the Internet of Everything Prepare service provider networks to harness network value, increase business agility, and achieve greater operational efficiency. Learn More > Whitepaper: The Financial Benefit of Cisco's Elastic Core This whitepaper describes the financial benefits of an intelligent, converged, and programmable network. Read Now | > Director of Sales -Charlotte, North Carolina USA - Conterra Broadband Services Conterra Broadband Services is a leading provider of high-speed optical fiber and wireless wide area broadband networks for the cellular industry, government and private. The Director of Sales must have the ability to articulate technical solutions and be accepted by engineers as a trusted partner…Learn More > Tower Crew Foreman – Minneapolis, MN – CCI Systems, Inc. CCI Systems is a 100% employee owned company seeking experienced tower crew foremen to lead crews on the construction and implementation of cell site upgrades, antenna change outs, new cabling, and all required testing and documentation. Duties & Responsibilities include lead work on tower top…Learn more > Sales Executive with ability to Speak Mandarin – Florham Park, NJ – PCS Wireless The Sales Executive will be responsible for all sales activities, from lead generation through close in an assigned territory. He or she will develop and implement agreed upon Sales Plan which will meet both personal and business goals of expanding customer base in the marketing area…Learn More > Sales Executive, Bilingual Spanish – PCS Wireless – Florham Park, NJ The Sales Executive will be responsible for all sales activities, from lead generation through close in an assigned territory. Candidates must be fluent in Spanish as well as in writing in Spanish. He or she will develop an annual business plan in conjunction with Sales Manager… Learn More > Need a job? Need to hire? Visit FierceWirelessJobs | |
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