Темы
Разделы
Интересы
Top 20
 |
| 331 | The rumor mill is churning about a Nokia tablet that would run Windows 8. Nokia's design chief Marko Ahtisaari told the Finnish magazine Kauppalehti Optio that "we are working on it," according to a Reuters report.
CEO Stephen Elop has indicated he has his eye on the possibilities of a Nokia tablet. The key for Nokia and Windows 8 would be, of course, to give tablet users compelling reason to buy a Nokia tablet over an iPad. Nokia could not immediately be reached for comment.
"Nokia has not articulated any tablet plans," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis. "It certainly wouldn't be much of a surprise if they chose to go with a Windows 8 tablet rather than, say, an Android tablet."
The Windows 8 Ecosystem
Windows 8 has been making plenty of tech news headlines since Microsoft announced the availability of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview about two weeks ago. Talk of Windows 8 on tablets has been rising.
The Windows 8 Consumer Preview marked the beta opening of the Windows Store, which offers new Metro style apps from both third-party developers and Microsoft. During the Consumer Preview, Microsoft is making the apps available for free. The Windows Store will also offer personalized recommendations.
Windows 8 gives users the ability to take their apps and settings with them across multiple PCs, and offers integration with content via the cloud. An optional additional sign-on with a Microsoft account gives users access to features like the ability to roam all settings, use cloud storage, communicate with e-mail, calendar and contacts, and connect to services.
At the same time, Microsoft re-worked Internet Explorer 10 specifically for the Windows 8 experience on mobile devices. And, of course, Microsoft has its productivity suite, Office, as well as other native apps that will run on Windows 8 on... newsfactor.com » | | 332 | Deciding which apps to download is not something that should be done lightly. Not all developers take the same care when it comes to keeping your personal information safe. And (sad as it is) some are in the fiddle from the start. Read more Learn more about AppAppeal.com in Dataopedia.com Find out how much AppAppeal.com is worth with Stimator.com killerstartups.com » | | 333 | If you've loaded up your smartphone or tablet with free apps and find your battery life taking a turn for the worse, it's not likely a coincidence.
The mobile advertisements on which free app developers depend to earn their profits are using up enough 3G or Wi-Fi connection to seriously drain your battery, say two researchers at Purdue University working with a Microsoft researcher.
In fact, Purdue's Abinhav Pathak and Y. Charlie Hu and Microsoft's Ming Zhang in their research paper said they believed that up to 75 percent of the energy that free apps like Angry Birds and The New York Times consume is spent marking your location and fetching suitable mobile ads to throw your way.
They used eProf -- "a fine-grained energy profiler for smartphone apps" -- to measure the performance of top apps from the Android Market, including Facebook, Angry Birds and Android browser, finding that in six of them "65% to 75% of energy is spent on third-party advertising modules."
The paper was first reported by the Web site New Scientist.
No Going to Sleep
The researchers noted that even as the app market explodes into a projected $38 billion industry by 2015, "their utility has been and will be severely limited by battery life," which makes optimizing power consumption crucial.
Still, using the eProf profiler, the team found that in the most popular apps, performing the task related to the purpose of the app, chess in a chess game for instance, consumes just 10 percent to 30 percent of power demand.
The apps prevent a phone from going into sleep mode with "wakelocks" that override the operating system's sleep policies, keeping the connection to the application program interface open for a short period even after use of the app is complete.
Apps that depend on other phone features such as the camera... newsfactor.com » | | 334 |  Хабы: Стартапы,Разработка под iOS,Блог компании Squeek Дорогие Хабрадрузья! В течение последних 6 месяцев мы готовили к выпуску наше iOS приложение App in the Air для тех, кто часто летаeт. И вот мы уже на финишной прямой. В процессе работы поменялось название, несколько раз перерисовывались экраны, переписывался код практически с нуля, но результаты нам самим очень нравятся.
Ну а так как нам пока что нечего рекламировать — мы еще не выпустились — мы хотели бы поделиться с вами несколькими инсайтами, возникшими в процессе разработки. Это ты мысли, которые бы мы мечтали сказать нам самим полгода назад.
Читать дальше → habrahabr.ru » | | 335 | Mobile applications that contain ads may be creating privacy and security risks for cellphone users, U.S. researchers say.
In a study of 100,000 apps in the official Google Play market, researchers at North Carolina State University reported more than half contained so-called ad libraries, and hundreds of the apps included aggressive ad libraries that could download and run code from remote servers.
"Running code downloaded from the Internet is problematic because the code could be anything," computer scientist Xuxian Jiang said. "For example, it could potentially launch a 'root exploit' attack to take control of your phone -- as demonstrated in a recently discovered piece of Android malware called RootSmart."
To generate revenue, many free apps incorporate "in-app ad libraries" provided by Google, Apple or other third-parties that retrieve advertisements from remote servers and run the ads on a user's smartphone. Every time an ad runs, the app developer receives a payment.
The problem arises because ad libraries receive the same permissions the user granted to the app itself when it was installed, regardless of whether the user was aware of granting permissions to the library.
Jiang said some apps use libraries "that made use of an unsafe mechanism to fetch and run code from the Internet -- a behavior that is not necessary for their mission, yet has troubling privacy and security implications."
Hackers could use the libraries to bypass existing Android security efforts, he said, since the app itself may be harmless and won't trigger any security concerns -- but its ad library may download harmful or invasive code after installation. newsfactor.com » | | 336 | | | 337 | Like its competitors, Microsoft is moving its ERP apps to the cloud -- and it's good news for small- and medium-size businesses. Earlier this week, the software giant confirmed at its Business Solutions Convergence Conference in Houston that its Dynamics enterprise resource planning products would evolve into online versions.
The products include GP, NAV, and AX in the 2013 versions. Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) tend to be big cloud users, at least in part because of the lower IT maintenance costs. "Budgetary and IT maintenance issues have kept" SMBs away from ERP solutions, noted Pund-IT's Charles King. But, he added, cloud-based apps are "a model that are valuable to both SMBs and larger enterprises, so everybody wins."
Everybody, Except...
Everybody, that is, except possibly the channel partners that Microsoft has developed over the years to deliver its premise-based software. King said Microsoft has indicated they would involve the channel partners in some fashion, although the particulars are undefined.
The software giant intends for the same ERP apps to be available for on-premises deployment, or utilization from either a private cloud or an Azure public cloud. It will also allow companies to use the apps in a mixed-mode approach, with some functions on premises, and others in the cloud.
Even though updates in the cloud are theoretically seamless to the user and the IT department, in practice frequent updates can mean functionality or user interaction changes. In order to make the ramp-up after updates a bit less steep, Microsoft is saying users will have up to a year to determine when they transition to the newest versions.
ERP in the cloud has become quite common, including offerings by Oracle, Fusion, Salesforce, NetSuite, Workday -- and even SAP, which emphasizes its on-premises approach.
Systems Center, HTML5
The rollout schedule for Microsoft's ERP move to the cloud is... newsfactor.com » | | 338 | Almost any discussion about competing with the Apple iPhone includes apps. Nobody can touch Apple's App Store when it comes to the sheer number and variety of apps. But Microsoft and Nokia are sure going to try.
The companies plan to invest $24 million over the next three years into a mobile app development program at Aalto University. The AppCampus program aims to foster the creation of innovative mobile applications for Windows Phone and other Nokia platforms, including Symbian and Series 40.
"We want to turn a new leaf in the mobile industry and foster Finland's role as a center of excellence for mobile technology," said Klaus Holse, president of Microsoft Western Europe. "Such investment into early-stage concepts has rarely been seen in this sector, and this demonstrates how highly both Nokia and Microsoft value Finnish mobile expertise."
Microsoft Gets Aggressive
The initiative kicks off in May. Aalto University will lead and manage the program. The university has a reputation as a hotbed of new startup companies. AppCampus hopes to attract thousands of application proposals from students and entrepreneurs from all over the world.
The AppCampus program will offer support, training in mobile technology, design and usability, and funding to create innovative mobile apps and services. Mobile industry veterans will mentor program participants, offering them insights and coaching to help them commercialize their ideas without giving up intellectual property rights.
Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis, called the program a smart move by Microsoft and Nokia. The best part, he said, is that the applications that come out of the program are exclusive to Microsoft and Nokia platforms.
"Windows Phone is a wonderful operating system with a rapidly growing application store. But when you compare it to iOS or Android they are certainly behind," Greengart said. "It's entirely possible in terms of sheer numbers that... newsfactor.com » | | 339 | Android and Windows are separate worlds, right? Not according to BlueStacks. The Campbell, Calif.-based company has released a beta of its App Player for PC, which uses patent-pending technology to allow Android apps to run on XP, Vista and Windows 7 PCs.
The patent-pending technology is called LayerCake, an appropriate label since Google has named versions of Android after desserts, such as Ice Cream Sandwich or Cupcake. It enables Android apps designed for ARM processors to run on PC x86 hardware, and to use hardware graphics acceleration.
'Disruptive Technology'
With the BlueStacks app, Android software written for smartphones and tablets can run full-screen on Windows machines. Smartphone features, such as pinch-to-zoom and accelerator-tracked tilting, can be used on the PC through the mouse and keyboard arrows. Users of BlueStacks on a PC can download Android apps directly, even if they don't own an Android device.
In its announcement, BlueStacks quoted AMD corporate vice president Manju Hegde, who called LayerCake "a disruptive technology" that leverages "the advanced graphics capabilities of AMD APU and GPU platforms."
BlueStacks' investors include AMD as well as Citrix Systems, Andreessen Horowitz, Ignition Ventures and others.
This beta follows an alpha test of a more limited version of the software that ended late last year. In the three months of its release, the alpha attracted more than a million users in over 100 countries, running more than 4 million Android apps.
BlueStacks CEO Rosen Sharma noted that the porting of the Angry Birds game to Chrome was considered "a big deal," as was Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's announcement at a trade show that "Cut the Rope had been ported to IE9." But with BlueStacks, he said, "it's 450,000 apps coming to Windows at once."
Supports 'Mobile First'
The makers of several leading Android apps are allowing their software to be pre-loaded into the beta version.... newsfactor.com » | | 340 | There's a new cloud specifically for enterprise users of mobile devices. On Wednesday, Box introduced its Box OneCloud, intended to unify the use of business information among various apps and devices.
OneCloud provides a suite of more than 30 productivity apps, enabling content to be accessed, edited and shared securely from smartphones and tablets. CEO and co-founder Aaron Levie said in a statement that today's worker has to deal with "thousands of mobile applications storing data in a variety of information silos," while OneCloud "unifies your business applications" in the post-PC era.
Integrated Workflow
OneCloud initially targets Apple's iOS devices, but will soon move to Android as well. Box noted that, according to industry research firm Forrester, about one-third of devices in businesses do not use the Microsoft platform. Forrester also predicted that Windows-based devices will drop below 50 percent within four years.
The applications within OneCloud are integrated to some degree, such as ones from the company's key integration partners -- Quickoffice, Adobe EchoSign, Nuance PaperPort Notes and PDF Expert.
These four have a "round-trip workflow," where content updates from each app are immediately stored in the Box cloud, with integrated functions between these apps to provide advanced document editing, secure e-signature, digital note taking, and PDF annotation. Round-trip workflow includes, among other things, the ability to save a file back to Box into its original location.
Quickoffice offers the ability to edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. ReaddleDocs' PDF Expert provides functions to highlight and make notes on PDF files, Nuance Communications' PaperPort Notes has voice dictation and recording, and Adobe EchoSign gives users the ability to sign and send documents.
10 Million Users
Other apps in OneCloud, with varying degrees of integration, include BrainShark, Call Trunk, DocuSign, Fileboard, GoodReader, JotNot, Openera, and Podio.
On the Box company's blog, VP of Platform Chris Yeh... newsfactor.com » | | 341 |  Google предложила клиентам автоматически перехватывающий, архивирующий и индексирующий электронные письма и IM-сообщения, сервис. Google предложила клиентам своего коммерческого облачного пакета Apps for Business для коммуникаций и совместной работы над проектами опциональный сервис, автоматически перехватывающий, архивирующий и индексирующий электронные письма и IM-сообщения п it.siteua.org » | | 342 |  В среду Google рассказала о некоторых изменениях, сделанных в Chrome Web Store, чтобы облегчить пользователям поиск нужного приложения из десятков тысяч приложений и расширений. ibnews.com.ua » | | 343 | Six years ago, a white plastic rabbit that was connected to my home Wi-Fi network read some news headlines and played a few songs. Colored lights on his belly lit up a few times throughout the day, reminding me that he was alive.
It was a novel product at best, a solution in search of a problem at worst.
Under new owners, Aldebaran Robotics, the smart rabbit is back. As Easter approaches it seems to be a fine time to look at the latest version of the robotic rabbit. Now dubbed Karotz ($129), the rabbit has learned a few new tricks.
Unfortunately, those few new tricks don't quite keep pace with other smart devices, namely phones, that permeate our personal belongings. This hare is finishing last in the rapidly evolving technology race.
Karotz -- as in the veggie rabbits adore -- connects to Wi-Fi networks much as it had before. It was simple to set him to recognize my network by connecting him temporarily via USB to my Mac or Windows computer.
The next step is to add applications from Karotz's online marketplace to get news, Facebook updates and more. Karotz doesn't need to be connected to my computer for that part. I just need to create an account online and link it to my rabbit.
There are more than 200 free apps to choose from. They are a mix of apps made by Karotz's creators and by outside developers. The product is still relatively obscure, and the bulk of the available apps are streaming radio stations, which in the age of Pandora and Spotify felt underwhelming.
Once I've set up Karotz, the rabbit knows to access the apps and deliver their content as long as he's online. He speaks through a speaker and accepts voice commands to launch some apps by pressing a button on his... newsfactor.com » | | 344 |  (Reuters) - Research In Motion said it will shortly release a slew of updates for its BlackBerry apps, making it easier for users to stay connected with their messenger community.
Reuters: Internet News » | | 345 | LONDON (Reuters) - Ads within smartphone applications such as the popular puzzle game Angry Birds are turning into a key driver for mobile advertising, as apps become the main distribution method for media on mobile phones, according to a report.
Reuters: Internet News » | | 346 | TORONTO (Reuters) - Trying to fit in a last-minute bike ride or a picnic but not sure if the weather will cooperate?
Reuters: Internet News » | | 347 | A new service that grades how each of Facebook's top third-party apps respects consumers' privacy was released late Sunday by research firm PrivacyChoice. The free tool, Privacyscore for Facebook, spells out privacy policies and tracking practices of more than 200 top Facebook apps, including games, work-related programs and sharing apps.
Online tracking is fueling a heated national debate over whether new do-not-track laws are needed to safeguard consumers' online privacy. Leaders in the online advertising industry use a version of Privacyscore to self-police the tracking practices of online advertising networks, and thus head off new laws. Privacy experts welcomed the consumer version.
"This certainly is going to be a useful tool for consumers, but it may actually be even more useful in pushing application developers, who don't like getting poor grades, to look more closely at their own privacy practices," says Jules Polonetsky, director of the Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington, D.C., think tank on data security.
Facebook's pervasive Web presence comes with "a responsibility to hold people who are developing apps on their platform accountable for the (privacy) assertions that they're making," says Craig Spiezle, executive director of the Online Trust Alliance.
Facebook's David Swain noted that the company requires app developers to agree to its privacy policies. "If we find an app has violated our policies we take action," Swain says.
According to PrivacyChoice, 140 different tracking entities routinely collect information about users of the top Facebook apps. Trackers can correlate that data to profiles of individuals' browsing behavior across multiple Web pages in order to deliver more relevant ads. "It's up to users to know the privacy risk of sharing personal data with apps," says Jim Brock, PrivacyChoice founder and CEO.
Privacyscore's top score is 100. Deductions are made for sharing data with an excessive number of tracking entities, failing to honor... newsfactor.com » | | 348 |  Хабы: ASP, .NET
Pluralsight предоставляет условно-бесплатную подписку на данный курс в течение одного месяца. Для того, чтобы получить подписку, необходимо выполнить следующие действия: Читать дальше → habrahabr.ru » | | 349 | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apps and mobile devices are increasingly becoming tools for savvy air travelers, according to a new survey that showed nearly half of all fliers use them to check the status of flights.
Reuters: Internet News » | | 350 | Research In Motion on Tuesday rolled out the BlackBerry 10 platform at BlackBerry World in Orlando. Now, RIM is trumpeting success in attracting developers. But is it enough to turn the ailing smartphone maker around?
RIM execs are putting on a good show and have been working hard with app developers to make sure the next generation of BlackBerry devices have plenty of content and apps available at launch. RIM just released a developer toolkit in beta for BlackBerry 10 so developers can build and test their apps before new devices roll out later in 2012.
Martyn Mallick, vice president of global alliances and business development at RIM, said she hears from partners every day who want to start building apps for BlackBerry 10. RIM trotted out a handful of developers to support that point -- and even ventured into China with an app contest.
Massaging Developers
"RIM has got it right with the BlackBerry 10 platform. They have really streamlined the app-development process," said Adam Linford, Truphone head of labs and mobile applications. "The platform's support for open-source components flattens the learning curve, enabling us to build a new application quickly and cost-effectively and have it ready to go when the first BlackBerry 10 devices debut."
Gameloft is also on board. Ludovic Blondel, vice president of OEM at Gameloft, said the company already has 11 titles, including its popular physics-based puzzle game Shark Dash and more hard-core games such as N.O.V.A. 3: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance being optimized for the platform.
"When evaluating the technical viability of a platform, we consider three areas: camera, sensors, and processing and graphics capabilities," said Jeffrey Powers, Occipital co-founder and CEO, makers of 360 Panorama, a panoramic photo app. "BlackBerry 10 met and often exceeded our expectations for each of these areas."
RIM is even working to encourage university... newsfactor.com » | | 351 | Research In Motion is doing what no smartphone maker has done before -- offering developers guaranteed income for apps.
Alec Saunders, RIM's developer guru, told listeners during his keynote at the BlackBerry Jam developer event on Tuesday that the company will guarantee apps they make for the BlackBerry 10 platform will earn $10,000 in the first year they are on the digital App World store shelves.
But it's not just an empty promise. If the app doesn't pan out at least $10,000 in the first 12 months of availability, RIM pledged to pay the developer the difference. The only two stipulations: it has to be a "certified BlackBerry 10" app -- there isn't any information yet as to what exactly what means -- and the app has to earn at least $1,000 on its own.
RIM's Subsidies
We called Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis who spent some time at BlackBerry World in Orlando this week, to get his thoughts on RIM's unusual tactic.
"The application development guarantee is a different way of attacking the problem that we've seen with other mobile operating system vendors," Greengart told us. "There have been a lot of contests to come out with good apps. Some offered cash prizes. There's been a lot of app funds. Microsoft has been going around writing checks to people to port apps over to the Windows Phone 7."
As he sees it, RIM is making an interesting plea to app developers, basically saying, "You should be developing for the BlackBerry because you are going to make money, which is the reason you develop for any platform. If you don't believe me we'll make sure you make money."
An Offer Devs Can Refuse?
Instead of paying for the port RIM is sort of offering an insurance policy. But can the insurance policy woo enough... newsfactor.com » | | 352 |  Браузер Opera Mini теперь доступен в магазине приложений Samsung Apps. Теперь владельцы смартфонов от Samsung с ОС bada и Android могут скачать его еще и оттуда. Программа, как и прежде, бесплатна. Согласно последним данным, браузером Opera Mini пользуются 168 млн человек.
#vk ixbt.com » | | 353 | SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc unveiled a new hub for consumers to find games and other apps on the social network, including its first storefront for selling paid apps, in the company's latest effort to expand the ways it makes money from its massive audience.
Reuters: Internet News » | | 354 | Businesses now have a choice of another collaboration platform. Citrix debuted this week its team-based collaboration platform, called Podio, which is based on technology obtained during the recent purchase of the cloud service by the same name.
The unveiling of Podio is accompanied by Citrix's announcements of new integrations with other productivity and collaboration services. These include Citrix's own GoToMeeting and Sharefile, Evernote, Google Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive and SugarSync. The intent, according to the company, is to create new solutions for distributed teams -- and especially mobile ones -- to work together in the era of the cloud.
'Natural Extension' of GoToMeeting
Citrix had already announced integrations with Box, Dropbox, and Google Docs, and said that the new enhancements mean that Podio supports all major cloud file and document sharing services, as well as several popular cloud-based business tools and services, including FreshBooks, Google Apps, Campaign Monitor and Zendesk.
Bernardo de Albergaria, Citrix vice president and general manager of Collaboration, said in a statement that the social power of the Podio collaboration platform makes it the first to provide "this type of integrated, cloud-based support for team-based collaboration."
The platform allows users to connect and create workspaces for their teams, get free apps from the hundreds of free ones available in the Podio App Market, and extend or otherwise modify apps. The company said the platform is a "natural extension" of its GoToMeeting and related products.
The enhancements for GoToMeeting include the ability to connect meetings to workflows in Podio, in order to manage meetings more productively. A Podio meeting app can also be structured to support particular meetings, such as providing required content for specific tasks.
Podio also provides an Application Programming Interface, or API, for companies and outside developers to integrate the platform with other services, and to build new tools and other apps on... newsfactor.com » | | 355 | With more than 50 percent of U.S. mobile phone users now equipped with smartphones, demand for mobile apps continues to soar. The average number of mobile apps per smartphone jumped from 32 apps to 41 apps during 2011 -- a 28 percent rise in comparison with 2010, according to a new report from Nielsen.
However, U.S. smartphone owners spent about the same amount of time using mobile apps each day in 2011 as they had during the previous year -- 39 minutes per day versus 37 minutes per day, Nielsen said.
Nielsen researchers said 70 percent of the survey's respondents expressed "concern over personal data collection" and 55 percent were "wary of sharing information about their location via smartphone apps." So we asked Al Hilwa, director of applications software development at IDC, what developers need to do to address privacy concerns as well as prod U.S. smartphone users to spend more time using their apps.
Hilwa said he expected to see the development of new app types as well as the further expansion of apps into other areas of life.
"And developers will continue to chase ever narrower opportunities" while hoping to "hit areas that have not transitioned fully from Web to mobile, or aspects of life not digitized fully yet," Hilwa said Wednesday. "But at some point this pace of growth will slow down."
Claiming More Minutes
Privacy and security considerations definitely stop some people from using apps.
"And that may be another area where the industry can move to claim more minutes of app usage by increasing the confidence in apps," Hilwa said.
Clearly, users ramp up the most toward app usage in their first few months of smartphone usage.
"After that, a steady state ensues, and it is a challenge for the app ecosystem to keep existing users engaged," Hilwa said. "There... newsfactor.com » | | 356 | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nearly two decades since the start of online dating, the match-making sites that launched millions of relationships are spicing things up with online games and going high tech and offline to produce more happy ever afters.
Reuters: Internet News » |
|
| |
|