Mobile

Apple buys mobile mapping start-up

March 24, 2013 7:49 pm by April Dembosky

Apple has bought WifiSlam, an indoor mobile location service, as the Silicon Valley giant continues to compete with Google in mapping capabilities.

The deal closed recently for $20m, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed source.

WifiSlam’s technology uses ambient wireless signals that are already present in buildings to pinpoint the location of smartphones, as opposed to the space-based satellite signals relied upon for larger-scale GPS mapping and navigation systems. Read more

Tags: apple, google, gps, mapping
Posted in Commerce, Internet, Mobile | Permalink

Google is working on a smart watch, too

March 21, 2013 11:24 pm by Tim Bradshaw

At the South by Southwest Interactive festival, the annual geek gathering in Austin, Texas, a new Google gadget was the talk of the town – literally. Google’s “talking shoes” crammed a tiny computer, sensors, speakers and a Bluetooth wireless controller into a pair of Adidas that shout at their wearer when they aren’t moving around enough.

Google’s latest venture into wearable technology was more an attention-seeking gimmick than a serious new venture. But with the search giant ploughing significant resources into Google Glass, it’s another indication that Google is serious about moving from the digital to the physical – plans that seem to include a smart watch, too. Read more

Tags: google, smart watch, smartwear, wearables
Posted in Hardware, Mobile | Permalink

Glitzy Galaxy launch shows Samsung’s confidence

March 14, 2013 11:09 am by Financial Times

As New York braces itself for Samsung’s heavily hyped launch of its latest Galaxy smartphone, complete with coverage on giant screens in Times Square, the choice of venue reflects the company’s conviction that it has gained the upper hand in its battle with Apple, writes Simon Mundy.

In 2010, with Apple still dominant in the smartphone market, the first Galaxy handset was launched at a modest event in Singapore. A year later, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Samsung unveiled the second in the series; by May 2012, it was confident enough to launch the Galaxy SIII at a high-profile standalone event in London. Now, as Thursday’s New York launch demonstrates, Samsung is going all out to attack Apple’s grip on its home US market. Read more

Tags: apple, galaxy, samsung, smartphones
Posted in Asia, Hardware, Mobile, Tech | Permalink

Rovio taps 1.7bn Angry Birds downloads to create “Looney Tunes for the mobile generation”

March 11, 2013 5:12 pm by Tim Bradshaw

Angry Birds developer Rovio has already become the first app maker to successfully transfer its brand from digital to physical, with all sorts of merchandising and toys.

Now the Finnish company is making its most ambitious play yet to become – in its words – a “fully fledged entertainment powerhouse” with the launch of a weekly cartoon series this weekend. Read more

Tags: angry birds, mobile apps, mobile games, Rovio
Posted in Digital media, Europe, Games, Mobile, Tech | Permalink

Story of the Week: Facebook’s newsfeed makeover

March 10, 2013 3:11 pm by Maryam Nabi

Interesting commentary from around the Web on the tech story that made headlines this week.

A more visually engaging newsfeed with additional streams was the focus of Facebook’s redesign this week. Bigger photos, however, didn’t bode well for a few tech observers who argued that the facelift won’t make up for deeper problems with the social networking site’s algorithm. Read more

Tags: Facebook, newsfeed, redesign, story of the week
Posted in Digital media, Internet, Mobile, Social, Tech | Permalink

From Investment Strategy March 3, 2013

All bets on mobile internet

Mikhail Zverev, Standard Life Investments’ global equity rising star, is betting on mobile internet companies to drive his fund into the big league.

Edinburgh-based Standard Life has lagged behind rival fund companies such as Aberdeen, Carmignac and M&G in the global equity stakes in recent years, in spite of efforts to boost its presence, including a US distribution push.

Posted in Mobile | Permalink

TuneIn radio offers stronger personalised signal

February 28, 2013 1:00 pm by Chris Nuttall

TuneIn, the leading internet radio aggregator, is launching new features making it easier for listeners to find more of what they like among its more than 70,000 radio stations.

TuneIn Live is a new tiled interface on its website and featured in an updated iPad app launched today that surfaces favourite artists and programmes based on genres chosen by listeners. Read more

Tags: TuneIn
Posted in Digital media, Internet, Mobile, Personal technology | Permalink

Apple to compensate millions of parents whose kids splurged on apps

February 26, 2013 2:24 am by Tim Bradshaw

As a now-famous YouTube clip from 2010 shows, kids as young as 2 can operate an iPad, quickly learning how to open apps and play games. Unfortunately, some parents who used their iPad or iPhone as a babysitter ended up with a steep bill when their kids spent hundreds of dollars on virtual items in “free” games.

Five disgruntled parents blamed Apple for failing to provide appropriate controls around in-app purchases, and together filed a class-action lawsuit against the iPhone maker in 2011.

After fighting the case for two years, Apple agreed to settle last week, according to court filings first spotted by GigaOm. Read more

Tags: apple, apps, class action lawsuit, kids
Posted in Digital media, Mobile | Permalink

Samsung teases Galaxy S4 launch event in March

February 25, 2013 7:12 pm by Tim Bradshaw

Samsung’s latest flagship Galaxy smartphone looks set to be unveiled on March 14, according to the company’s postings on Twitter and Facebook, as the Korean giant prepares its latest volley against Apple’s iPhone.

A flyer for the launch event, held in New York and livestreamed on YouTube, invites fans to “come and meet the next Galaxy”, expected to be the S4. The device will be the follow-up to its best-selling Galaxy S3 and is rumoured to include a larger, 5-inch display with full-HD, 1080p resolution. Read more

Tags: galaxy, samsung, smartphones
Posted in Hardware, Mobile, Tech | Permalink

HP sells webOS to LG for smart TVs

February 25, 2013 5:59 pm by Chris Nuttall

HP has sold its webOS operating system, developed by its Palm acquisition for smartphones and tablets, to LG Electronics, which plans to adapt it for consumer electronics devices such as smart TVs.

The move comes as little surprise – HP had abandoned development of webOS-based products and announced an Android-based tablet at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the weekend. Read more