| 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... Simplifying multiplayer mobile game development
Apigee closes $35M financing round; OpenTable trials mobile payments and much more... 
Best new Android, iOS apps of July 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. Click here to get started.
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News From the Fierce Network:
1. Samsung Galaxy S III beats iPhone 5 in customer satisfaction study
2. AT&T was only bidder for Leap, upped price by 58% in negotiations
3. Sprint CFO: SoftBank deal lets us take Clearwire spectrum nationwide
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Marketplace > Whitepaper: Knowledge Management: 5 Steps to Getting it Right the First Time
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> Whitepaper: The Financial Benefit of Cisco's Elastic Core
> Whitepaper: Touch Technology Extends Mobile Gaming
> eBook: Making Money from Multiscreen
Jobs > Wireless Store Manager – Florham Park, NJ – Cricket Communications
> Sr. Account Executive – San Diego, CA – Cox Communications
> Inventory Specialist /Revenue Analyst – Oklahoma City, OK – Cox Communications
> Field Auditor I – Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – Cox Communications
> SAS Administrator – Atlanta, CA – Cox Communications
> Senior Director, Technology Delivery Assurance – Atlanta, CA – Cox Communications
> SMB Account Exec (Cox Business) – San Diego, CA – Cox Communications
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* General ad info: Click here | Today's Top News 1. Isis m-commerce network rolling out nationwide, expanding to iOS, Windows Phone
Isis, the Near Field Communications-based mobile commerce network spearheaded by Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) and T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS), will expand services nationwide later this year after completing pilots in Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas. The company also pledged to extend its mobile wallet beyond Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android to support Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS, Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone and BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY). Isis kicked off tap-and-pay consumer pilots in the fall of 2012, enabling customers to fund purchases, use store loyalty cards and redeem discounts and coupons across thousands of contactless-enabled merchant locations, including Macy's, Jamba Juice, Aéropostale, Foot Locker and Whole Foods. Isis also is partnering with cashless payment services firm USA Technologies on mobile loyalty programs optimized for the vending machine industry. To begin using Isis services, consumers must first visit an AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile US or Verizon Wireless retail store to obtain a secure element SIM card and ensure their Android smartphone model is NFC-enabled. From there, users must download the Isis application from the Google Play digital storefront and load either an eligible American Express, Capital One or Chase credit card into their Isis wallet or leverage the Isis Cash Card inserted into every account. The three Isis carrier partners cumulatively offer 35 handsets supporting the service, with more expected later this year. At present, the iPhone does not support NFC; Isis did not disclose how it plans to extend payment capabilities to the Apple smartphone. Isis said its national expansion will incorporate feedback from the Salt Lake City and Austin trials. On average, active Isis Mobile Wallet test users tap more than 10 times per month: Two-thirds of users opted in to receive offers and messages from their favorite brands, following an average of seven brands each. Consumers engaged in Isis loyalty and offers efforts tap up to two times more frequently than users who exclusively make payments, the company added. For more:
- read this release Related articles:
Isis, USA Technologies team for mobile wallet loyalty program
Isis: Average user makes five transactions per week
Isis, USA Technologies team to expand mobile payments to vending machines
Isis launches consumer trials with nine NFC-equipped Android phones
Isis confirms Oct. 22 launch, up to 20 payment-ready devices by year's end
Isis payment trial will use SIM cards, Samsung Galaxy phones Read more about: Android, iOS
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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. Sprint, PlayPhone team on preloaded Android social gaming app
Sprint (NYSE:S) is partnering with PlayPhone on a new social gaming application that it will preload on forthcoming Android devices, enabling subscribers to discover and play interactive mobile titles with the click of a button. The deal mirrors previous PlayPhone agreements with Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) and Claro Brazil. "This is the first social gaming platform for Sprint. They haven't done anything like this in a long time and we're bringing over 500 games to the service," PlayPhone founder and CEO Ron Czerny told Forbes. "The PlayPhone app is going to be directly available on the Sprint Zone and part of Sprint's preload package. There's going to be a games widget that enhances discoverability and helps users find new games that they'll enjoy." PlayPhone enables on-network gaming app stores for carrier partners, supporting social features like user recommendations, achievements, friend invites, incentives and leaderboards. PlayPhone offers developers and publishers a single integration SDK as well as marketing and monetization tools; recent additions to the company's developer partner stable include Big Blue Bubble, Handy Games, Dragon Play, 11Bits, FDG Entertainment and Baltoro Games. "We're really approaching things with a two-pronged attack," Czerny said. "We're bringing a discoverable suite of social games for carriers and an easy-to-use SDK for developers. We're also seeing rapid growth in the realm of HTML5 games… Android and HTML5 titles are bringing quality and quantity fast." Japanese operator giant SoftBank recently acquired 78 percent of Sprint for $21.6 billion. Sprint serves roughly 55 million subscribers across the U.S. For more:
- read this Forbes article
- read this GamesBeat article Related articles:
Verizon to preload PlayPhone's Game Portal onto all new Android devices
NBC Universal taps PlayPhone to power mobile storefront
PlayPhone nabs $9.1 million in funding
Sprint, Skyfire team for Lumen Toolbar mobile ad service for Android
Sprint scoops up Handmark, OneLouder to boost mobile ad aspirations
Sprint Zone attracts 13 million customers every month Read more about: Android, PlayPhone
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3. Facebook launches Mobile Games Publishing pilot program
Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) unveiled Mobile Games Publishing, a new pilot program offering select game developers promotional support across the social networking giant's mobile apps in exchange for a share of resulting revenues. Facebook reaches more than 819 million monthly mobile users and more than 260 million gamers, and said it will leverage that reach to help drive mobile game installs. "With our unique targeting ability and mobile users who like playing a diversity of games, we'll help the right people discover your game," Facebook said. "We'll also share analytics tools and the expertise we've gained from helping games grow on our platform for many years." Facebook Mobile Games Publishing is looking for iOS and Android titles across all genres and audiences. Developers may apply here. Facebook did not disclose the size of the revenue cut it claims in exchange for ad placements. TechCrunch reports Facebook has already signed up around 10 developer partners, including startups Space Ape, Kiwi and Brainbow as well as more established publishers like Gameloft, a publicly-traded French firm valued at $652 million. Facebook earns more than $800 million a year from payments and virtual currency transactions inside of social games across the desktop, but it has been unable to replicate that model on the mobile platform, where Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) claim a 30 percent cut of all in-app sales across their respective iOS and Android operating systems. Facebook instead relies on advertising to support its mobile efforts: The social network reported second-quarter 2013 ad revenues of $1.6 billion, with mobile generating 41 percent of that total. Mobile game developers contribute to Facebook's bottom line by purchasing mobile app install ads that target consumers based on the apps and games they already access on their smartphones: Developers select their intended audience demographic, budget and method of payment, and Facebook inserts ads for their apps directly into targeted users' mobile news feeds. Market research firm eMarketer predicts Facebook will capture 13 percent of the global market for mobile advertising this year, up from 5.4 percent last year. eMarketer nevertheless anticipates Facebook will continue to trail Google for the foreseeable future, predicting Google will command 56 percent of the mobile advertising market this year. For more:
- visit the Facebook Developers portal
- read this TechCrunch article Related articles:
Facebook posts blowout quarter, with mobile gains leading the way
Facebook trialing mobile game ads inside notifications tab
Facebook expands mobile app install ads to specific Android, iOS devices
Facebook: Mobile now generates 30 percent of advertising revenues
Facebook: Mobile users outnumber Web users
Facebook introduces device, OS targeting for mobile advertisers Read more about: Mobile Advertising, Mobile Social Networking
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4. Microsoft ports Office to Android smartphones, tablets not supported
Roughly six weeks after extending its signature Office productivity suite to Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is porting its free Office Mobile application to smartphones running Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android, enabling Office 365 subscribers to access, view and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on the go.  | | Microsoft's Office is now on Google's Android. | Office Mobile for Android is virtually identical to its iOS predecessor: The app offers access to documents stored in Microsoft's SkyDrive, SkyDrive Pro and SharePoint cloud services, as well as files recently viewed on the desktop and email attachments. All Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents are optimized for the Android form factor, with all formatting and content remaining intact, complete with support for charts, animations, SmartArt Graphics and shapes. Users may also create new Word and Excel files on their phone, view and edit recently viewed documents offline, review and add comments and share files via email or save them to SkyDrive or SharePoint. Office Mobile access is limited to current Office 365 subscribers, meaning services are not available to Android handset owners who purchased the most recent Office desktop suite as a standalone product. The typical Office 365 subscription runs $99.99 per year and is available for purchase from the Microsoft Office website. Office Mobile is supported on smartphones running Android 4.0 or later and is not optimized for Android tablets. The app is available for download now from the U.S. outpost of the Google Play digital storefront. Microsoft said it would expand the app to additional languages and markets in the near future. For more:
- read this Office News blog post
- read this Verge article Related articles:
Microsoft finally expands Office productivity suite to Apple's iPhone
Analyst: Microsoft forfeiting $2.5 billion a year by keeping Office off Apple's iPad
Report: Microsoft pressuring Apple to adjust revenue split on Office for iOS
Report: Microsoft balks at Apple fees, jeopardizing SkyDrive for iOS
Report: Microsoft Office apps coming to iOS, Android in early 2013
Microsoft reveals Office features coming to Windows Phone Read more about: Microsoft
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5. Report: Android fragmentation tripled over last year
The number of distinct devices running Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) open-source Android mobile operating system has tripled over the past 12 months, according to a new report issued by crowdsourced carrier coverage mapping firm OpenSignal. Close to 12,000 distinct Android devices have downloaded OpenSignal's Android app in the past several months, increasing from roughly 4,000 a year ago at this time, the firm notes. Eight different Android OS versions are currently in use: Android 2.3.x, a.k.a. Gingerbread, leads at 34.1 percent, closely followed by 4.1.x Jelly Bean at 32.3 percent and 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich at 23.3 percent. By comparison, 95 percent of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) devices run the current iOS 6. Samsung Electronics controls 47.5 percent of the Android device market, OpenSignal notes. Sony Ericsson is a distant second at 6.5 percent market share, trailed by Motorola Mobility at 4.2 percent and HTC at 3.9 percent. "Key to the success of any app is getting the UI right, and Android presents two particular challenges to developers in this regard," OpenSignal said. "Firstly, brands have a tendency to produce their own variants on the system UI (Samsung's TouchWiz and the HTC Sense being two such examples), which can change the look of various default elements. Secondly, no other smartphone platform boasts such a proliferation of different screen sizes." Despite the challenges Android fragmentation poses for the developer community, OpenSignal contends that the proliferation of devices creates opportunities as well. "The availability of cheap Android phones (rarely running the most recent version) means that they have a much greater global reach than iOS, so app developers have a wider audience to build for," OpenSignal said. "It may be tricky to do, but the potential reward definitely makes it worthwhile. For consumers, extreme fragmentation means that they can get exactly the phone they want--big or small, cheap or expensive, with any number of different feature combinations." High-profile critics of Android fragmentation include Apple CEO Tim Cook, who blasted the platform during his company's annual Worldwide Developer Conference last month. "This isn't just bad for users… this version fragmentation is terrible for developers," Cook said. A recent Juniper Networks report also blames Android fragmentation for the operating system's security vulnerabilities, noting that the vast majority of devices run older versions of Android, preventing them from receiving new security measures delivered by Google and leaving users exposed to threats. At Google's own I/O conference in May, Android engineering staffers said they are working diligently to ensure that operating system updates are rolled out in a more efficient manner, reducing fragmentation concerns. "[Fragmentation] is something we think about a lot," said Dave Burke, engineering director for the Android platform. "And we're working internally to streamline the development process and make the software more layered." For more:
- read this OpenSignal report Related articles:
Android co-founder Miner calls fragmentation fears 'overblown'
Google vows to streamline Android development, combat fragmentation
Apple's Cook blasts Android fragmentation
VMware targets Android fragmentation with Horizon Mobile
Apple exec Schiller slams Android user experience, fragmentation
Juniper Networks: Mobile malware threats explode 614 percent year-over-year Read more about: Metrics, Android
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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... Simplifying multiplayer mobile game development  Creating and operating mobile multiplayer games is a great opportunity, but can also require more time and resources than indie developers can afford. That could be changing, however: Last week, Google officially launched its Google Play Games app, which will help Android gamers find friends based on their Google+ social networking circles. While Google simply said the app was designed to help "turbo-charge gaming on Android," Developer Relations Manager Woolf Dobson's Google I/O presentation suggests that the multiplayer approach could drive engagement across almost any platform. "That's how games become evergreen, like basketball, which people have been playing for 120 years," Dobson said. "That's what you want: to turn your game into a sport."
Google Play Services, of course, aren't the only way for developers to enter the multiplayer arena. Last week also saw the debut of a multiplayer platform for developers from GoInstant, a Canadian company based in Halifax, N.S., which was acquired last year by Salesforce.com. The GoInstant platform will give developers access to a compute stack to manage user presence, access control, real-time messaging, state storage and a security suite. Like Google, GoInstant is arguing that using its platform will free developers to focus more on user experience than upkeep of a system that can handle multiple players. "We asked ourselves, 'What if we were to develop an app from the ground up and design that for multi-user use cases? How would that change the decisions we make around the menus and the design and how would UX be different for multiple users?'" said Gavin Uhma, GoInstant's co-founder and CTO. Feature Quick news from around the Web. @FierceMobiCo: Mobile ad giant Velti is in trouble: Layoffs, exec departures, and now delinquent payments to Mobclix developers. Article | Follow@FierceMobiCo > Apigee closes $35 million financing round. Release > OpenTable trials mobile payments. Article > Distimo debuts App Trends data service. Release Wireless News > Sprint CFO: SoftBank deal lets us take Clearwire's spectrum nationwide. Article > Samsung Galaxy S III beats iPhone 5 in customer satisfaction study. Article And finally… Armed robbers steal cash, phone, chicken wings. 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!
| > Whitepaper: Knowledge Management: 5 Steps to Getting it Right the First Time This eBook sets out 5 simple steps for optimizing customer service and support with an effective, best-practice-led knowledge management initiative. Download today! > Whitepaper: eBook: Smarter Service: The Contact Center of the Future This eBook explores the challenges facing traditional contact centers and the benefits of deploying the contact center of the future. You'll find links to further resources on the final page. 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 > Whitepaper: Touch Technology Extends Mobile Gaming Get the latest in touch and sensory technologies. This edition explores the frontiers of touch computing, mobile lifestyles and more. Learn more today. > eBook: Making Money from Multiscreen Cable operators and networks are slowly building a platform that could make multiscreen programming and advertising a much bigger business. Learn more today.
| > Wireless Store Manager – Florham Park, NJ – Cricket Communications Cricket Communications offers nationwide wireless voice and mobile data services over high-quality, all-digital wireless networks. Every day, our Store Managers at Cricket run all aspects of the Cricket retail business including, but not limited to, financial management, business operations... Learn More > Sr. Account Executive – San Diego, CA – Cox Communications The Sr. Account Executive - Enterprise is responsible for meeting or exceeding sales goals for large accounts. The position is responsible for initial contact with customers, follow-up, proposal preparation, making customer presentations and seeing the sale through to the signing of a contract...Learn More > Inventory Specialist /Revenue Analyst – Oklahoma City, OK – Cox Communications The Inventory Specialist is responsible for providing accurate and detailed reports regarding inventory sell-out levels with recommendations and guidance to assist sales leadership in yield management through the development of optimized rates...Learn More > Field Auditor I – Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – Cox Communications The Field Auditor will maintain the security of the cable system by designing and implementing an effective and efficient audit program, asset and loss prevention programs; investigate internal and external security problems; implement internal and field security programs with other departments... Learn More > SAS Administrator – Atlanta, CA – Cox Communications SAS Administrator is responsible for providing senior level expertise on overall technology, infrastructure and administration as it relates to the SAS Grid enabled architecture, installed on RHEL/JBOSS server platform. Manages, configures and supports SAS...Learn More > Senior Director, Technology Delivery Assurance – Atlanta, CA – Cox Communications This position is accountable for driving Standard Processes, Governance, and Continuous Process Improvements across the Technology organization to improve the consistency and repeatability of our delivery processes. This role supports all technology organizations and closely partners with our enterprise portfolio management team...Learn More > SMB Account Exec (Cox Business) – San Diego, CA – Cox Communications The SMB Account Executive promotes, sells, and retains commercial business solutions for voice, data and video to SMB level customers. Sell bundled telephony, data and video products to existing/new commercial business customers based on assigned revenue targets...Learn More > Commercial Development Executive – Anywhere – WhistleOut This is an easy, 'open and shut' opportunity for an experienced and well-connected telco executive who is looking for a fresh opportunity in digital marketing with a unique, innovative and fast growing online comparison engine. This position is tasked with enhancing the depth of relationships with carriers and resellers in the US and Canada... Learn More > Director of Operations Engineering – Tyler, Texas – Suddenlink Communications Suddenlink Communications is the 7th largest provider of broadband cable, internet, phone and security services in a multi-state environment. We are currently seeking a Director of Operations Engineering to support our Texas and Oklahoma markets. This position requires cable gurus with the following experience...Learn More > Need a job? Need to hire? Visit FierceWirelessJobs | |
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