Apple launches iBooks 2 for iPad replacing regular textbooks (USA)

On 01.23.12, In Mobile, By Editor

Apple US giant Apple Inc has launched iBooks 2 for iPad, featuring iBooks textbooks, an entirely new kind of textbook that’s dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. iBooks textbooks offer iPad users fullscreen textbooks with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, unrivaled navigation and much more.

Acording to company reports, iBooks textbooks can be kept up to date, don’t weigh down a backpack and never have to be returned. Leading education services companies including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson will deliver educational titles on the iBookstore with most priced at $14.99 or less, and with the new iBooks Author, a free authoring tool available today, anyone with a Mac can create stunning iBooks textbooks.

Philip Schiller, senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, Apple, has said that education is deep in Apple’s DNA and iPad may be their most exciting education product yet. With 1.5 million iPads already in use in education institutions, including over 1,000 one-to-one deployments, iPad is rapidly being adopted by schools across the US and around the world. Further, with iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love.

The new iBooks 2 app is available as a free download from the App Store. With its fast, fluid navigation, easy highlighting and note-taking, searching and definitions, plus lesson reviews and study cards, the new iBooks 2 app lets students study and learn in more efficient and effective ways than ever before.

iBooks Author is also available as a free download from the Mac App Store and lets anyone with a Mac create stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books and more, and publish them to Apple’s iBookstore.

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Apple approves video-game subscription app by Big Fish (USA)

On 11.25.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Apple Inc., had reportedly permitted Seattle based game publisher Big Fish, to offer users subscription to dozens of titles for $6.99 a month. Prior to this, users were able to access the games one at a time and were required to download individual applications. However, recent reports reveal that Apple has removed the subscription service application from its App Store, within days of approving the same.

According to sources, Paul Thelen, Founder, Big Fish has said that this service allows players to jump in and out of different games without having to make a bunch of downloads. He added that the popularity of the iPad, along with the easy payment method provided by Apple’s App Store, will help make the offer more attractive.

As per reports, apart from the subscription plan, the agreement also includes a free version of its game service offered for a limited 30 minutes, inclusive of advertising. Further, Thelen has reportedly said that the subscription will initially cost $4.99 and will increase early next year to $6.99 after more titles are added. Apple’s commission for the deal was fixed at 30 percent.

Regarding the removal of the app from Apple’s store, Thelen has reportedly said that they’re trying to follow up with Apple to try to figure out what happened. He added that he had not anticipated the move as the company had worked with Apple for several weeks to ensure that it met the requirements for recurring monthly charges made through the App Store, a method most commonly used by magazines and newspaper publishers.

 

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Malicious software invades the Apple app store (USA)

On 11.09.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Recent reports reveal that security expert and hacker Charlie Miller has created a malicious software to reveal the vulnerabilities in Apple Inc.’s app store. According to reports, the code which had been deigned to look similar to a stock price tracker was able to steal data, and was a serious threat to the app store.

As per sources, the company included the program to its iTunes app store a couple of months back. Mr. Miller recently revealed that the code included malware which was able to remotely download pictures and contacts. He reportedly said that a recent upgrade in Apple’s operating system allowed the InstaStock app to add non-approved code to the installed apps.

Industry analysts have reportedly listed this as the most significant threat to Apple’s app store, and have hinted that while Apple’s security is still better than most of its rivals, this may not be the last malicious software for the tech giant.

 

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Orange Tunisia to set up app store at end of May

On 05.16.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Orange Tunisia will be offering its subscribers one-click access to hundreds of local and international apps for a broad range of smartphones using the major operating systems (Android, Blackberry, Java, Symbian and Windows Mobile)on 31 May.

Orange has been working with local talent on developing Tunisian apps since October 2010 and opened a mobile software development centre in Tunis in December.

The new app store is intended to enable developers to reap the fruits of their labour, with a revenue share of 70/30 in their favour. The operator informs the developer community that anyone with an app to offer can register at http://developpeur.orange.tn/ and that both free and pay apps will be made available.

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Mobile app stores $3.8 billion biz in 2011

On 05.04.11, In Mobile, By Editor

A recent research report has shown that the apps people buy on their mobile phones continue to bring in big business, and there are few signs of it slowing down.

As per the report, revenue from app stores owned by Apple, Google, Nokia, and Research In Motion is set to grow 77.7 percent, reaching $3.8 billion by the end of the year and eventually rising to $8.3 billion in 2014. By comparison, 2010′s mobile app store combined revenues stood at $2.1 billion, up from $830.6 million in 2009.

According to researcher, with consumers continuing to show robust, unflagging interest in downloading games and other applications to devices like smart phones and tablets, collective revenues from the four stores will climb sharply this year.

Apple as the frontrunner among the four companies, pulling in $2.91 billion in revenue from the App Store by the end of the year and the company calls it a gargantuan three-quarters share of the total market.

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SK Telecom closes down adult material zone in application store (South Korea)

On 05.02.11, In Mobile, By Editor

SK Telecom will shut ‘hot zone,’ a category in its application store T Store that offers some 600 obscene materials, including photos, cartoons and videos.

The move comes after regulator Korea Communications Commission stated that it will look into ways to solve the problems of teenagers being exposed to obscene content in smartphone application stores. The KCC added that it is debating such measures as setting up separate application stores for adults and teenagers, among other options.

According to KT, its application store Olleh Store does not have a separate category dedicated to adult material. There are some obscene photos on certain applications, but when the company finds them, they send a notice to the developers to delete them, a company official said.

As per LG U+, it will come up with ways to tackle the availability of adult material to its teenage users. X-rated material is also being distributed through foreign application stores like Apple App Store and the Android Market with some restrictions. In the case of Apple’s App Store, the KCC found more than 2,500 examples of obscene material among 300,000 available applications.

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Intuit offers GoPayment iPad app on App Store (US)

On 04.25.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Intuit is offering iPad-optimized GoPayment app on the App Store. The GoPayment mobile payment app is designed to allow sellers of products or services to get paid on the spot by processing credit cards.

In addition to the same features as the GoPayment app for iPhone, the GoPayment app for iPad enables users to view orders on a large screen, find products with photos, create orders on one screen, as well as review past transactions in one spot. The iPad version of the GoPayment app features a new layout that takes full advantage of iPad’s large, high-resolution display and multi-touch interface.

It also includes new features such as the ability to add product photos, making it easier to find a product and complete a sale. GoPayment is also compatible with the free Intuit Credit Card Reader enabling users to swipe credit cards instead of entering card data manually.

 

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Microsoft launches Office 365 for public beta, plus apps store

On 04.18.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Microsoft’s next-generation cloud productivity service, Office 365, has been launched for public Beta, including web versions of Microsoft Office, SharePoint, Exchange and its unified comms technology Lync.

The technology giant has revealed that until now more than 100,000 organizations (70% of them small businesses) have signed up to test the technology.

The public beta is available to millions of users in 37 countries and 17 languages, including Irish firms.

According to Jeremy Showalter, business manager, Information Worker, Microsoft Ireland, they are excited that Office 365 beta gives Irish businesses an easy way to benefit from cloud computing and to gain new capabilities in unified communications directly from Microsoft Office.

Microsoft has also unveiled the Office 365 Marketplace, which gives customers a simple way to find partner apps and services for Office 365.

Office 365 for enterprises has an array of choices for mid-size and large businesses, as well as government organizations, starting for as little as US$2.54 per user, per month for basic email.

Office 365 for enterprises also includes the option to purchase Microsoft Office Professional Plus desktop software on a pay-as-you-go basis, for the first time ever.

 

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Fresh Android Apps launched

On 04.18.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Command your Android to act without asking using Impel and then upgrade your track coach technology with Relay Tracker.

Impel (Free)

Impel lets you define tasks and actions like a simple software program. For example, you can set a nighttime mode, where between certain hours, your phone’s ringer is silenced and Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other battery suckers are shut down.

Set tasks based on time, location, or when accessories like Bluetooth ear buds or a wired headset are connected.

Relay Tracker for the Relay (Free)

Spring means sunny days, warm weather, and track!
Throw out your clipboard and stopwatch and pull out your Android. Timing the legs of a relay race can be tricky so let this app do it for you. Just enter the runner’s names and their positions in the relay and go.

Post results up the web with a single button press. That way, parents and fans alike can follow along with you.

 

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Patch, Viddy, iShop Green: Fresh iPhone Apps

On 04.18.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Three new fresh iPhone apps launched this week, the Patch, Viddy and iShop Green.  Patch brings hyper-local news, headlines and weather right to your iPhone for your distinct area, and iShop Green is all about finding environmentally responsible products, both locally and online. And right in the middle of both is Viddy, an Instagram-like app for stylizing and sharing video clips rather than photos.

Patch (iPhone, iPad) Free

Hyper-local news service Patch brings the latest and most relevant news for your area. The service covers lots of towns all over the country, so finding the news that matters the most to you is simply a matter of finding your area on Patch’s coverage list. Once you’re keyed in, the news service brings you weather, headlines, business listings and events near you.

There’s a lot of information to be had on Patch, and the app breaks it down by area and category the way it is in various other news outlets’ apps. It also comes with all the social networking functions you’d expect to see from other services, like the ability to share stories by email and on Facebook and Twitter.

Viddy (iPhone, iPad) Free

Viddy is kind of like Instagram, but with video. The free app allows you to shoot short video clips and share them within the Viddy social network, as well as to adjust the clips with stylized filters. Viddy includes “cinematic production packs,” which allow you to filter and adjust your video to create clips the way you want them.

Adjust a clip to your liking and it’s just one more button to send it out to the Internet and your friends. In addition to getting feedback through Viddy from your network of friends and family, the app also connects to various social networking services, including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. And when you’re not sharing video of your own, you can wander the annals of films shot by other users.

iShop Green (iPhone, iPad) Free

If you’re looking to reduce your impact on the environment the economy, iShop Green is looking out for you. The app is filled with information about shopping with an eye toward being a responsible environmental custodian — like finding foods that are grown locally and sustainable products to buy online.

Products on iShop Green are delineated by category to help you find a green alternative for exactly what you’re looking for. In addition to using your iPhone’s GPS to track down local green shops for you, the app also contains some social networking features, including message boards where you can discuss green products and get recommendations and the ability to share what you find on Facebook and Twitter.

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