| 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 |
Editor's Corner: 'Limbo' leads the best new iOS, Android apps of July 2013 Also Noted: Moovweb
Spotlight On... @Walmart Labs' Tim Kimmet scans the future of m-commerce
Former Mozilla CEO Kovacs takes AVG helm; Groupon Reserve offers come to mobile and much more...
News From the Fierce Network:
1. Alcatel-Lucent posts wider Q2 loss, forges small cell pact with Qualcomm
2. Sprint loses 2M subs and $1.6B in Nextel shutdown, plans nationwide 2.5 GHz LTE network
3. AT&T launches LTE-capable home phone and Internet service
| This week's sponsor is Alcatel-Lucent. | 
| Webinar: Getting started with carrier WiFi - what's it take for a great user experience?
Wednesday, August 27th, 11am ET/ 8am PT
Meeting customer expectations has never been more challenging than it is today. Learn how Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess™ Wireless LAN switch family and Access Point product line can help you deliver the Wi-Fi solution your customers want and create new revenue streams. Register Today! |
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'Limbo' leads the best new iOS, Android apps of July 2013
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) just can't catch a break. Just a week after the software giant moved to quiet a Windows Phone user rebellion by promising an improved user experience and new features, the snail's-pace evolution of the Windows Phone platform is once again the target of criticism--this time from Microsoft's premier smartphone manufacturing partner, Nokia (NYSE:NOK). The Finnish handset maker has joined the call for Microsoft to step on the gas in order to make Windows Phone a viable contender in the fast-moving mobile marketplace. "We are trying to evolve the cultural thinking [at Microsoft] to say 'Time is of the essence,'" Nokia Vice President of App Development Bryan Biniak told the International Business Times. "Waiting until the end of your fiscal year when you need to close your targets doesn't do us any good when I have phones to sell today." Biniak stressed the importance of nurturing a Windows Phone application ecosystem on par with Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS and Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android. "People rely on applications for their day-to-day life and if you don't have something which I use in my day-to-day life, I'm not going to switch [operating systems] because I don't want to compromise the way I live my life just to switch to a phone," Biniak said. "It's not just about the hardware--it's about the tools that are on the hardware. You can't sell a phone without the apps. You just can't." It's a classic chicken-or-egg conundrum: Consumers aren't buying Windows Phone apps because developers aren't building apps and games for the operating system, and developers aren't building Windows Phone apps and games because Microsoft-powered devices aren't selling. I see the phenomenon up close each month when I compile my list of the most compelling and innovative apps of the past 30 days. Rarely if ever do the developers behind those apps launch on Windows Phone: Some may port their software to Windows Phone weeks or even months after their iOS and Android apps go live, but even that is the exception rather than the rule. If you're a Windows Phone owner, it's probably best that you don't click through to read more about the best new apps of July 2013: It will just make you angrier and more frustrated than you already are. But if you're an iOS or Android user, you'll find a host of new reasons to remind you why you selected the mobile platform you did--and why you won't be making the switch to another OS anytime soon. --Jason Read more about: Top Apps, iOS
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Today's Top News 1. Apple's iOS 7 beta 4 hints at biometric fingerprint scanning
Code contained in the fourth beta release of Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS 7 mobile operating system upgrade suggests the company will introduce biometric fingerprint scanning in tandem with the next version of its iPhone. Based on screenshots supplied to 9to5Mac by developer Hamza Sood, iOS 7 beta 4 includes a new folder named BiometricKitUI that appears to let users access a VoiceOver-enabled iPhone by swiping a sensor embedded into the smartphone's home button. The relevant code text states "Photo of a person holding an iPhone with their left hand while touching the Home button with their thumb_; A fingerprint that changes colour during the setup process._iPhoto of a person holding an iPhone with their right hand while touching the Home button with their thumb_Recognition." Apple acquired digital security firm AuthenTec for $356 million in mid-2012. AuthenTec offered encryption technology, fingerprint sensors, identity management software and Near Field Communications services integrated into a range of portable electronics products, fueling speculation Apple would incorporate biometric technology into future hardware releases. Boosting the iPhone's security would help Apple push the device further into the enterprise sector and enable banks and financial services providers to accelerate their mobile rollouts. Also new in iOS 7 beta 4: An updated Call button that takes up less of the iPhone screen, fullscreen FaceTime access, a redesigned lockscreen, Notification Center improvements, new AirPlay icons and an expanded Siri voice assistant menu touting new query suggestions. Apple unveiled iOS 7 at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference last month. Among the biggest changes in iOS 7 is the elimination of skeuomorphism, the longstanding iOS design aesthetic that leverages real-world images and metaphors like linen-textured gray backgrounds, wooden bookshelves and spiral-bound notebooks. The revamped OS also signals the launch of multitasking for all apps, AirDrop wireless file sharing, revamped Siri controls and the iTunes Radio streaming music service. For more:
- read this 9to5Mac article
- read this MacRumors article Related articles:
Apple's iOS 7 beta 3 brings fixes for Messages, iCloud bugs
Apple rolls out iOS 7 beta 2, adds iPad support
Report: Apple's iOS 7 redesign still in flux, major revisions likely before release
Apple CEO Cook: New iOS 7 is the 'biggest change to iOS since the iPhone'
Rumor Mill: Apple's revamped iOS 7 bringing unified black-and-white UI design
Report: Apple's iOS 7 introduces 'flat' UI, ditches skeuomorphism Read more about: AuthenTec
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| This week's sponsor is Kony. |  | White Paper: Mobilizing the Entire Enterprise
"Mobility" as a catch-phrase is popping up on every CTO's radar. But what does it mean to "mobilize" your business? Learn how to optimize IT investments for better business performance and make the most of all that mobility promises. Download Now.
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2. Android thrashes Apple's iPad with 67% share of global tablet market
Worldwide tablet shipments topped 51.7 million units during the second quarter of 2013, up 43 percent from 36.1 million a year ago, research firm Strategy Analytics reports. Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system dominated the global tablet market between April 1 and June 30, powering 67 percent of devices shipped during the period, increasing from 51.4 percent in the second quarter of 2012. "Android is now making steady progress due to hardware partners like Samsung, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Google and white-box tablets which, despite the fact that branded OEMs are lowering price points and putting pressure on the white-box manufacturers, are still performing well," said Peter King, Strategy Analytics' director of tablets. Android's growth spelled trouble for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad, which slipped to 28.3 percent global tablet shipment share, down from 47.2 percent a year ago. "Apple iOS shipments were 14.6 million iPads in Q2 2013, which declined 14 percent annually," King said. "In the same quarter a year ago the first Retina display iPads were launched which could partly explain the decline as there were no new models in this quarter. However, to compensate that, iPad Mini, which was not available a year ago [and is] now freely available, was expected to take the figure higher than 14.6 million." Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) follows at 4.5 percent, gaining from just 0.5 percent in the second quarter of 2012. "There may be an uptick in Windows RT shipments in Q3 following savage price cuts by all the partners still involved in the RT Market," Strategy Analytics said. "Microsoft has reduced prices by $150 and other vendors even more; they are still not cheap, but are much more where they should be to compete. The shortage of apps continues to be a problem, with seemingly little incentive for developers to work on the platform." BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY) plummeted from 0.9 percent to 0.2 percent, casting additional doubt on the manufacturer's future in the tablet market. Last month, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins confirmed the company will not adapt its new BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system for its aging PlayBook tablet--earlier this year, Heins told Bloomberg that he believes the tablet form factor will have a limited shelf life, and also said that BlackBerry will consider a PlayBook follow-up only if the product can offer a unique value proposition in a crowded market. David Smith, the head of BlackBerry's PlayBook tablet division, is set to leave the company in the near future. For more:
- read this release Related articles:
Report: Tablet owners spend 3x more on in-game purchases than smartphone users
Forecast: Worldwide device shipments to top 2.5 billion in 2014, led by Android
ABI: Android tablet shipments poised to overtake Apple's iPad
IDC: Tablet shipments on pace to surpass PC market in 2015
Report: FAA may loosen restriction on passenger access to iPads, Kindles Read more about: Android, iOS
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3. Report: Instagram blocking photos from third-party Windows Phone app Instance
Facebook (NASDAQ:FB)-owned Instagram reportedly is blocking access to Instance, a popular third-party application that supports viewing and uploading of Instagram photos on devices running Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone OS. Instance developer Daniel Gary told The Verge that Instagram is deleting images uploaded from the Instance app. Instagram appears to be "detecting when photos are not uploading via the official app," Gary said. "It's their servers, their service. What I was doing was not approved by them and was using their private API." Gary said he does not blame Facebook for blocking Instance--he also noted that he is working on a fix, and that the issue is not affecting all users. The Verge staff conducted tests confirming that photos uploaded to Instagram from Instance disappear from the site after just seconds, rendering the URLs used to access them invalid. An image uploaded to Instagram from Instance last week by one Verge staffer is no longer publicly visible, although the photo is still stored under the account. Facebook did not respond to requests for comment. Facebook has resisted pleas from Windows Phone users and manufacturing partners to build a version of Instagram optimized for the Microsoft platform. In March, Nokia (NYSE:NOK) rolled out #2InstaWithLove, a photo-sharing app built for its Windows Phone-based Lumia smartphone line. "Many of you have asked when Instagram will be coming to Windows Phone, and the #2InstaWithLove app was created as a way for you to have your voice heard," Nokia said at the time. First introduced for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS in October 2010, Instagram enables users to snap, filter and manipulate photos and then upload their work to social media sites. The app expanded to Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system in April 2012. Facebook acquired Instagram for $715 million last year and recently announced that the app boasts 130 million monthly users who have shared 16 billion photos. Facebook has a history of blocking Instagram rivals: In Feb. 2013, it stopped iOS app Vintage Camera from accessing its Photo Sharing on Facebook API. The social networking giant has also restricted API access for Twitter's Vine video sharing app, social networking app Voxer and Russian search giant Yandex's Wonder. Facebook's Platform Policies states, "You may not use Facebook Platform to export user data into a competing social network without our permission. Apps on Facebook may not integrate, link to, promote, distribute or redirect to any app on any other competing social network." Facebook has said it will enforce the policy on apps that "use its data to bootstrap growth but don't contribute anything." For more:
- read this Verge article Related articles:
Instagram introduces Web embeds for photos, videos
Facebook unveils Video on Instagram, challenges Twitter's Vine
Instagram eclipses 100 million active users, adding 10 million new users per month
Instagram reports 10 percent user growth after privacy flap
Instagram backpedals, reverts to original ad terms
Facebook acquires Instagram photo sharing app Read more about: Facebook
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4. Zynga loses 3 more top execs after disastrous Q2
Zynga (NASDAQ:ZNGA) has lost three high-ranking executives in the past month, increasing the number of top staffers who've ankled the struggling social gaming firm since its December 2011 initial public offering, Bloomberg reports. Citing sources familiar with the moves, the report states that Zynga Senior Vice President of Games John Osvald, Vice President of Games Nathan Etter and Vice President of Product Jesse Janosov have all exited the firm's ranks over the past several weeks. A TechCrunch source also confirmed the departures. Etter has already updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect his new position as a vice president at Disney, while the current status of Osvald and Janosov is unknown. A Zynga spokesperson declined to comment on the changes. At the time Zynga went public, it was the largest gaming publisher across the Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) platform thanks to hit titles like FarmVille and Mafia Wars. But the company has struggled to maintain its initial success while transitioning its efforts to the mobile platform, and over the past 18 months Zynga has hemorrhaged executives. Among the most notable defections: Zynga Treasurer Mike Gupta left the gaming company for Twitter; Chief Financial Officer David Wehner exited to accept a senior finance post at Facebook; COO John Schappert resigned after he was stripped of his responsibilities as head of social gaming development; Chief Creative Officer Mike Verdu left to launch his own startup; CTO of infrastructure Bill Leinwand joined enterprise IT firm ServiceNow; and former OMGPOP CEO Dan Porter stepped down a year after Zynga acquired the startup's Draw Something for $180 million. Zynga CEO Mark Pincus stepped down earlier this month, replaced by Don Mattrick, previously head of Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Xbox business. Pincus continues to serve as Zynga's chairman and chief product officer. Last week Zynga reported second-quarter earnings that showed decreases in virtually all of the company's key metrics. Zynga's revenue clocked in at $231 million, down 31 percent year-over-year, and its monthly active users decreased from 306 million in the second quarter of 2012 to 187 million in the second quarter of 2013, down 39 percent year-over-year. In mobile, Zynga recorded 16 million mobile daily active users and 57 million mobile monthly active users. In tandem with the dismal earnings report, Zynga said it will not pursue a license for real-money gaming in the United States, and will instead refocus on its existing free-to-play social gaming business. Speaking on Zynga's quarterly earnings call, Mattrick said the firm anticipates two to four quarters of "volatility'' as he evaluates its business and product line and formulates a new strategy. For more:
- see this Bloomberg article
- read this TechCrunch article Related articles:
Zynga quits real-money gaming in U.S., reports dismal Q2
Zynga CEO Pincus steps down, will be replaced by Microsoft Xbox Chief Don Mattrick
Zynga guts 18% of staff, shutters offices
Zynga's Draw Something 2 fades quickly after strong start
King passes Zynga with 70M DAUs across platforms, announces new mobile title Read more about: Zynga, Mobile Gaming
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5. Viber adds doodle option to Android messaging app
Viber is rolling out an updated version of its over-the-top messaging and voice application for Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android, adding a new doodle option allowing users to draw over photos or paint images they share with contacts. Viber users can leverage the doodle feature to add notes to friends or personalize photos with special messages. The new feature will expand to Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS in the next few weeks. Viber 3.1 for Android also brings new features including a "seen" status update letting users know when their message is viewed by the recipient as well as new emoticons, improved desktop support on Windows and Mac devices, and bug fixes. Viber is also supporting 16 new languages: Croatian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Thai, Tagalog and Ukrainian. Viber lets consumers send free text messages, photos and location updates and make free, HD-quality calls over 3G/4G or Wi-Fi connections across mobile operating systems including Android, iOS, BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY) and Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone. The app now touts more than 200 million users across 193 countries, up from 175 million earlier this year. Viber Media CEO Talmon Marco recently said the company plans to introduce value-added services designed to monetize its platform, but he promised the app's core calling and messaging services will remain free. Last week, the Syrian Electronic Army hacker alliance gained access to a handful of Viber email accounts via phishing attack, and the data they recovered enabled the group to deface Viber's support site and App Store account page. "We want to reassure users that this has no impact on the security of the Viber App, Viber System, our databases, user information, etc.," the company said this weekend. "It's merely an unfortunate nuisance." For more:
- read this release
- read this 9to5Mac article Related articles:
Viber expands OTT messaging platform to the desktop, tops 200 million users
Viber, Nimbuzz expand OTT messaging apps to Windows Phone 8
OTT messaging app Viber plans to make money with value-added services
Viber: We want to share revenues with wireless carriers
Forecast: OTT messaging traffic will double SMS volume by year's end
Survey: Half of smartphone owners use IM, OTT messaging apps Read more about: iOS, OTT
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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... @Walmart Labs' Tim Kimmet scans the future of m-commerce  Walmart needs no introduction, but the big-box retailer's fast-growing @Walmart Labs unit may require some explanation. The Silicon Valley-based technology and innovation center spearheads Walmart's mobile and online commerce initiatives, including its iOS and Android applications as well as in-store trials like Scan & Go, a self-checkout app enabling shoppers to scan and purchase items via mobile device. @Walmart Labs has also made news in 2013 for acquiring startups like cloud-computing firm OneOps, social software maker Tasty Labs, predictive analytics provider Inkiru and, earlier this month, front-end optimization service Torbit.
FierceDeveloper talked to Tim Kimmet, @Walmart Labs' vice president of platform and systems, about the company's technological ambitions, its expanding mobile initiatives and giving the people what they want. Developer Workshop Quick news from around the Web. @FierceMobiCo: 71% of developers pick Android as their top platform: Article | Follow@FierceMobiCo > Open Signal reported 11,868 distinct Android devices over the past few months. Article > Former Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs takes helm at AVG Technologies. Release > Groupon Reserve offers come to mobile. Release Wireless News > Sprint loses 2 million subs and $1.6 billion in Nextel shutdown, plans nationwide 2.5 GHz LTE network. Article > AT&T launches LTE-capable home phone and Internet service. Article And finally… Yellowstone wolves aid berry-hungry grizzly bears. Article > Getting started with carrier WiFi - what's it take for a great user experience? - August 27th, 11am ET/ 8am PT Meeting customer expectations has never been more challenging than it is today. Learn how Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess™ Wireless LAN switch family and Access Point product line can help you deliver the Wi-Fi solution your customers want and create new revenue streams. Register Today!
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