mobile apps

Mobile app use outpacing Web browsing, report says

People are spending more time each day using mobile apps than browsing the Web, according to a new report from research firm Flurry.

Looking at data compiled over the past year, Flurry discovered that the average user spends about 81 minutes a day using mobile apps, compared with 74 minutes spent surfing the Web both on PCs and mobile devices.

In December and June 2010, Flurry found Web browsing still took up more minutes per day than did mobile app use.

The amount of time spent using mobile apps has jumped 91 percent over a year ago, which Flurry attributed … Read more

T-Mobile boards daily-deal bandwagon with More for Me

Daily deals are big business, and an opportunity that T-Mobile is grabbing with its new More for Me application.

Beginning today, Android smartphone owners can download the T-Mobile More for Me beta app from the Android Market. Groupon competitor LivingSocial is one deal broker supplying the app's offers, along with Tippr, Goldstar, and other social coupon services.

Just like other services, you can tailor your preferences by category and location. Offers range from discounts on food, magazines, services, and recreation to even tech-specific things like accessories.

In addition to manually checking in on deals, you'll can opt to … Read more

Microsoft limits daily approval of Windows Phone apps

Microsoft is now restricting the number of Windows Phone apps that it will approve from a single developer to 20 per day.

In a blog posted yesterday, Microsoft said the new restriction is aimed at cutting down on "bulk app publishing," a process through which developers can flood the Windows Phone Marketplace with hundreds of apps over the course of just a few days.

Though these apps may meet Microsoft's certification guidelines, the company is concerned that such apps can push other recently-published apps out of the "What's New" category, thereby degrading and "… Read more

Tweetbot iPhone app one of the best out there

Tweetbot is the latest Twitter app for the iPhone and one that's been getting some buzz since its debut this week.

Available from Tapbots, Tweetbot gives iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users yet another alternative to Twitter's official mobile app and other Twitter mobile clients. And though it'll cost you $1.99, Tweetbot offers a nicely designed look and feel and a healthy array of features, easily turning into it one of my favorite Twitter apps.

After you log in for the first time, Tweetbot provides a quick tutorial. From there, you're taken to your timeline … Read more

The breach felt 'round the Web (week in review)

Last week, Epsilon was a little-known e-mail marketing firm, a behind-the-scenes player in the Web-marketing world. This week, it's held a prominent place in the headlines as the target of a massive data breach that exposed names and e-mail addresses for a broad swath of customers at dozens of prominent companies.

E-mails from the likes of Citibank, Chase, Capital One, Walgreens, Target, Best Buy, TiVo, TD Ameritrade, Verizon, and Ritz Carlton--have been flooding in-boxes since Epsilon announced its system had been breached. Some people (this writer included) have reported receiving as many as four of these warnings.

Companies like … Read more

Pandora gets subpoena in grand jury app probe

Online music provider Pandora Media disclosed in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission today that it has received a subpoena related to a federal grand jury investigation about sharing customer information in its smartphone app.

The company, which filed for an initial public offering with the SEC earlier this year, added the latest tidbit of information regarding the grand jury subpoena to its S-1 today. The disclosure was listed under potential risk factors for investors interested in participating in the IPO.

Pandora said in the filing that it believes it is one of several Internet publishing companies with … Read more

Banking via mobile device jumps 54 percent

The number of people accessing their bank or brokerage accounts through mobile devices surged 54 percent in the fourth quarter last year compared with the same period in 2009, according to a new report from ComScore.

During the fourth quarter of 2010, 29.8 million Americans tapped into their bank, credit, or brokerage accounts via cell phones and other mobile devices, according to the Mobile Financial Advisor report released yesterday.

Drilling down further, 18.6 million people accessed their financial accounts via a mobile browser, 10.8 million used a mobile app, and 8.1 million used text messaging, said … Read more

Facebook to acquire app maker Snaptu

Facebook has agreed to acquire Snaptu, an Israeli start-up that makes apps for feature phones, for an estimated $70 million.

Facebook recently worked with the mobile development firm to build an app for lower-end cell phones that will be accessible free of data charges in a handful of overseas markets. The company says its app provides a smartphone-like experience to more than 2,500 devices.

The deal was announced today by Snaptu in a company blog:

Earlier this year, we announced the launch of a new Facebook mobile application to give people a great mobile experience on a broad range … Read more

Microsoft's mobile fortunes tied to app developers

PopCap Games doesn't usually race to be among the first to develop for a new platform of any sort, be it a console or a mobile operating system. But the company is breaking from its tradition and working hard on porting its popular Plants vs. Zombies game to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform.

"With Microsoft and Windows Phone 7 we saw a strategic opportunity," said Garth Chouteau, vice president of public relations for PopCap.

Before you scoff, don't think the developers at Popcap have blown a gasket. Chouteau said that even though there isn't … Read more