MobileCrunch |  |
- Show Your Old-School Gaming Love With These Sega Console iPhone Cases
- Apple Releases iOS 5 Beta 7 To Developers
- Mobile TV And Video Platform MobiTV Files For $75 Million IPO
- HTC Sensation Redux To Sport Beats By Dre Audio?
- HTC: The Thunderbolt And Droid Incredible Will Be Updated to Gingerbread In September
- Mobile Ads Could “Theoretically” Absorb Online Display Spending This Year, But They Won’t
- New TechCrunch Mobile Site: You Can’t Escape the Logo
- AT&T Responds To DoJ: The Facts Will Prevail In Court
- Mobile App Inventory On Track To Match Online Display Ad Spend By Year-End
- Pushpins Launches SimpleUPC: Product Information-As-A-Service
- Sony Ericsson Announces The Xperia Arc S Smartphone
- Apple May Have A Web-Based Diagnostics Tool In The Works For iStuff
- iPhone App Downloads Drop In July, Incentivized Install Crackdown To Blame (Thank?)
- Is Sprint’s Early Termination Fee Jumping To $350? (Update: Confirmed)
| Show Your Old-School Gaming Love With These Sega Console iPhone Cases Posted: 31 Aug 2011 05:16 PM PDT  I don’t always post about iPhone cases… but when I do, I prefer retro gaming ones. Sure, you could have a cool metallic case, or go all-leather, or make your phone look like R2-D2 — but when you can have a Dreamcast on the back, those other options seem to lose their luster. It’s one of those things you can have that passively sorts through the crowd and only grabs the attention of those who are in the know. I have an Evangelion shirt that does the same and I’m proud. Anyone who sees you rocking a Genesis on your ear will come up and give you a Sonic-style fist bump. You too will feel as cool as the guy in the picture does. You have a choice of Saturn, Dreamcast, or the aforementioned Genesis. All cost ¥2100, or 27 of your United States dollars. Plus a few ¥ for shipping, of course. Wait, where’s the Nomad? You can’t rewrite history, Sega! [via GameSetWatch]
|
| Apple Releases iOS 5 Beta 7 To Developers Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:47 PM PDT  Hey, what do you know! It’s been just shy of two weeks since Apple’s last Beta release of iOS 5, and just like clockwork, they’re back with another serving. You guys all know the drill at this point: as usual, this Beta release is for developers (and “developers”) only — but on the upside, that Beta version number probably won’t climb too much higher before this thing gets released to everyone. Plus: at this point, the releases seem to be boiling down to bug fixes and tiny tweaks. If you’ve managed to hold out this long, you’re probably not going to miss too much that you wouldn’t have seen in the first 6. Alas, Apple doesnt really release a “change log” pointing to all the fun little gems (other sites may post what they call Apple’s “change log”, but these are just Apple’s developer-oriented API notes/tweaks. These notes are almost identical from Beta to Beta, and have little to do with user-facing changes.) With that said, we’ll keep an eye out for big, notable changes and update this post as we come across them — be sure to let us know down in the comments if you spot any! Like the past two releases, Beta 7 can be downloaded as a slim update over-the-air, or as a full image through the Apple developer portal. Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer,...
|
| Mobile TV And Video Platform MobiTV Files For $75 Million IPO Posted: 31 Aug 2011 03:09 PM PDT  Mobile TV and video platform MobiTV has filed its S-1 with the SEC this afternoon. In the public offering, MobiTV plans to raise as much as $75 million. For background, MobiTV was founded in 1999 and was one of the pioneers in bringing live and on-demand TV to mobile devices. The company boasts partnerships with a number of carriers and content providers such as NBC, ESPN, Disney, CBS, Warner Music and more. And MobiTV has raised approximately $115 million from a wide range of investors, including Menlo Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Adobe Ventures and Hearst Ventures. According to the filing, the company is the national provider of mobile television services for AT&T U-verse Live TV, NFL Mobile on Verizon, Sprint TV and T-Mobile TV, among others. The company’s technology works on 375 different types of mobile devices, across wireless and broadband networks and all major operating systems, including Android, Apple iOS, BlackBerry OS and Windows. MobiTV licenses content from major television studios, including ABC, CBS, Disney, ESPN, Fox, MTV Networks and NBC; and in 2010 delivered over 3,000 live events to mobile devices. The company grew its mobile minutes streamed from 264 million minutes in 2007 to 1.4 billion minutes in 2010. For 2010, MobiTV’s total revenue was $66.8 million in 2010. In the six months ended June 30, 2011, the company made $37 million. Revenue for 2008 and 2009 was $55 million and $62 million, respectively. Unfortunately, MobiTV has yet to make a profit. The company has taken a loss for the past three years. In 2008, 2009, and 2010, the company posted losses of $25 million, $14.6 million and $14.7 million, respectively. In the first six months of 2011, MobiTV lost $8 million. And the company warns in the filing that it depends on three customers, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, for most of its revenue and if any of those customers were to limit or terminate their relationship with MobiTV, “it could be difficult or impossible for us to replace that revenue.” Sprint represented 56%, 69% and 54% of the company’s revenue in 2008, 2009 and 2010. AT&T and T-Mobile combined represent 24%, 17% and 24% of the company’s revenue in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively, and 42% of its revenue in the six months ended June 30, 2011. To make matters worse, beginning September 2012, MobiTV’s agreement with Sprint converts to a month to month contract. T-Mobile will automatically renew in December 2011 for a one-year term but the agreement is subject to T-Mobile's right to terminate on 30 days notice. AT&T’s contract expires in January 2013. MobiTV is just the latest in a slew of companies who filed to go public in the past two weeks. Angie’s List, Brightcove, and Jive both threw their hats into the ring last week. MobiTV powers white-labeled mobile media services such as AT&T U-Verse Live TV, T-Mobile TV, Sprint TV, NFL Mobile on Verizon and more. In addition to user benefits, its new...
|
| HTC Sensation Redux To Sport Beats By Dre Audio? Posted: 31 Aug 2011 01:17 PM PDT  Since HTC’s purchase of a majority stake in Beats Electronics, the big question was which of their snazzy new handsets would be the first to benefit from an audio overhaul. Rumor had it that the Vigor may be the first to get a taste of the Dr. Dre treatment, but according to a leaked spec sheet, it may be a refreshed version of HTC’s Sensation that nabs the distinction. Perhaps best known for being one of the first handsets to be privy to HTC’s bootloader unlock process, the HTC Sensation may see new life as a special edition model, CNET reports. The spec sheet outlines a bump in processing power (1.5 GHz, compared to the original 1.2), onboard memory (4 GB, up from 2), and a more robust battery. The device will reportedly debut with a £520 ($846) price point sans contract, which can largely be explained by the inclusion of Beats tech. If true, the new Sensation will sport audio processing that promises optimized sound quality, and a nifty pair of in-ear headphones with remote control. UK customers hankering for the updated device can expect to nab one for free (!) with the signing of a two year contract. With pricing details already in place, the Special Edition Sensation seems poised for a launch sooner rather than later. While the slide deck all but guarantees a UK launch, the hardware refresh could also soon find its way to China — the device is listed as having support for the TD-SCDMA network, which is the hallmark of China’s wireless industry.
|
| HTC: The Thunderbolt And Droid Incredible Will Be Updated to Gingerbread In September Posted: 31 Aug 2011 01:00 PM PDT  Good news, HTC Thunderbolt/Droid Incredible owners! You’re gettin’ some Gingerbread! It’s a bit late in the game (Gingerbread has been around for nearly 10 months, after all) but HTC has just announced that both the Incredible and the Thunderbolt should be updated to Android 2.3 sometime in September. As usual, there’s no mention of a specific date — but hey, at least it’s officially on the way! It’s beyond disconcerting to think about just how long it’s taking for some devices to get Gingerbread, especially with Google having made very little mention of their Android Update Initiative since announcing it back in May. For those keeping count: as of August 1st, less than 1/4 of the Android phones floating around out there were running Android 2.3+. HTC Corp, (TAIEX: 2498) produces smartphones running the Android and Windows Mobile operating systems for themselves and as an OEM to other manufacturers. Since launching its own brand in...
|
| Mobile Ads Could “Theoretically” Absorb Online Display Spending This Year, But They Won’t Posted: 31 Aug 2011 12:34 PM PDT  With more than 600,000 apps available for an estimated 350 million Apple and Android mobile devices, it’s not difficult to see how mobile app advertising could soon eclipse online display advertising. In fact, app analytics company Flurryput this chart together to show how mobile app inventory is growing so fast that it could absorb all of the money spent on online display ads by the end of the year. Now, just because there is enough mobile app ad inventory to absorb that spending doesn’t mean it will, but the chart does show the potential of mobile app advertising. How did Flurry come up with these numbers? The mobile app analytics company drew on its own data, which it tracks across 100,000 mobile apps, and extrapolated from there. It found that the average app session is 4.2 minutes, and 4.3 ads are shown per session. Flurry applied those numbers to the entire mobile app market, and assumed a $2.50 average CPM (cost per 1000 impressions). It plugged in its assumptions about mobile app ad impression growth and, presto, it came up with the chart above, which shows mobile ad spending theoretically catching up with the $1 billion a month spend on display ads by the end of the year, and growing to $4.5 billion a month by the end of 2012. I say “theoretically” because these estimates assume that all of that mobile ad inventory will be filled at $2.50 CPM. In fact, a very large portion of mobile ad inventory goes unfilled. So this is partly wishful thinking on the part of the mobile app industry, but it does show the potential of mobile app advertising. If only mobile ad networks could fill all of those ad slots. To put this in perspective, estimates of actual mobile ad revenues in the U.S range from $700 million (Gartner) to $1.1 billion (eMarketer) for 2011. Online Display in the U.S. will be about $12 billion. So the industry would need to see a 12-fold increase in actual dollars spent in order for mobile to catch up with display. All that Flurry’s data shows is that there is enough ad inventory in mobile apps to get there. What the data doesn’t show is why marketers aren’t spending more money on mobile. Maybe it’s because most of those ads simply aren’t as effective as they should be quite yet. Flurry increases the size and value of mobile application audiences, already helping more than 50,000 companies in over 100,000 applications across iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and J2ME platforms....
|
| New TechCrunch Mobile Site: You Can’t Escape the Logo Posted: 31 Aug 2011 10:41 AM PDT  If you’ve visited TechCrunch on your mobile you know it’s been a generic experience…until now. With the introduction of our new look and snazzy/abominable logo it was time for something better: the all-new TechCrunch.com mobile site. The AOL Mobile web team have done a great job adapting our desktop experience for a plethora of small screens. And when I say a plethora I’m not kidding: iPhone and Android (of course) but also BlackBerry, webOS and feature phones. It’s lean, it’s mean, it’s a no-nonsense TechCrunch in your pocket. But it’s also the complete experience: not just articles but video, comments, and more. Tap the menu button to get at categories and hot topics. It’s perfect for getting your fix of tech news while waiting for the train. Thanks to Sharon Kasimow and Pete Ferrara (Product); David Robinson, Monirom Southakaoumar, and Aaron Martin (Design); Umesh Rao and Ravi Pasala (Dev Leads); Mary Li (QA); and Steven Meijer (Project Manager) for their hard work in making this happen. You can check it out simply by visiting TechCrunch.com on your mobile device (or hit it directly at m.techcrunch.com). And stay tuned: the team tells me there’s more to come, including apps for smartphones and tablets. TechCrunch, founded on June 11, 2005 by Michael Arrington, is a network of technology-oriented blogs and other web properties.
|
| AT&T Responds To DoJ: The Facts Will Prevail In Court Posted: 31 Aug 2011 09:05 AM PDT  Following today’s reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has filed a complaint opposing the $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T, the big blue carrier has issued a response stating plans to ask for an expedited hearing “so that the enormous benefits of this merger can be fully reviewed.” The DOJ cites antitrust issues in its complaint, saying “AT&T's elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low- priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market.” Though FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski says that the review process is not yet complete, this is still another large obstacle for AT&T and T-Mobile in their road to matrimony. Should this prove too large an obstacle to overcome, AT&T will have to pay T-Mobile’s parent company Deutsche Telekom upwards of $6 billion. In other words, AT&T isn’t having the best day. The following is a statement provided by Wayne Watts, AT&T senior executive VP and general counsel:
T-Mobile is a mobile telephone operator headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom. T-Mobile has 101 million subscribers making it the worlds sixth largest mobile...
|
| Mobile App Inventory On Track To Match Online Display Ad Spend By Year-End Posted: 31 Aug 2011 08:57 AM PDT  Mobile app analytics firm Flurry released a new report comparing the U.S. mobile app inventory to traditional Internet display advertising spend, and the results are impressive. According to data pulled from over 100,000 mobile apps on Flurry’s network, app inventory is poised to absorb the equivalent of the U.S. online display ad spend by the end of 2011, says the firm, assuming current trends continue. The best way to visualize this trend, is with the chart Flurry provides. You can see that, over the past 2 years, “mobile app inventory has grown so aggressively that it can now meet the demand of a mature, 15-year-old form of online advertising,” the analytics firm says. To arrive at these numbers, Flurry tracks the average number of ads shown per session, which was 4.3. The average application session time is 4.2 minutes. For comparison purposes, the average website session length is under 1 minute. Flurry then looked at the number of sessions across its network. The company tracks around 20% of all sessions in the market, so it grew the numbers to come up with a market size and positioned that data against the net spend on display advertising in the U.S. It also assumed a CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) of $2.50 for mobile app inventory, which the firm says is “conservative.” Flurry says the market is growing so quickly because of smartphone, publisher and session use growth as well as an increasing number of publishers integrating ads within their apps. This latter item could also be related to the increasing market share of Android and its predominately ad-supported app ecosystem, although Flurry doesn’t mention that particular factor in the report. Mobile Ads Target Attractive Demographic Using U.S. Census Bureau data, Flurry also found that the smartphone user demographic was attractive to advertisers, thanks to higher household income levels and educational achievement levels. App users are more likely to be younger and trend slightly more female, too. Flurry increases the size and value of mobile application audiences, already helping more than 50,000 companies in over 100,000 applications across iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and J2ME platforms....
|
| Pushpins Launches SimpleUPC: Product Information-As-A-Service Posted: 31 Aug 2011 08:21 AM PDT  Pushpins, Inc., the makers of a mobile app for saving on groceries, have launched a new service called SimpleUPC targeted towards mobile app developers. SimpleUPC, which is available as an API (application programming interface), provides product information as a service for the use in mobile apps like barcode scanners, shopping lists and nutrition trackers. The API contains data on over 120,000 food, beverage, personal care and household goods from over 15,000 brands and nearly 5,000 manufacturers. Explains Jason Gurwin, Pushpins CEO, when the company was building its mobile couponing app Pushpins, it received hundreds of requests per month asking for a simple web service like this. So the Pushpins team decided to fill that need. “There are other things out there – like Google Product Search, but they return crappy information,” scoffed Gurwin. “I didn’t know that they put guns in Gerber Baby Food,” he said referring to this glaring mistake found in the data his competitors’ provided, where instead of a baby food photo, a case for handguns was pictured. Gurwin speaks from personal experience when it comes to the difficulties in building accurate product information databases, thanks to his work with Pushpins. Now, other developers don’t have to go through the same thing he did – they can just plug into the RESTful SimpleUPC API instead. The new API includes traditional product information (UPC, manufacturer, brand, size, container), as well as nutrition facts (the entire product label) and manufacturer-approved images. To license this data from other sources, the cost is often very high (Gurwin says one company wanted $100,000 for its UPC database, for example). Generally, the data would not include nutritional info or images, either. SimpleUPC, however, now offers more affordable options for small businesses, starting at $99/month for 50,000 searches and product info. For $249/month, you get 300K searches plus nutritional info and for $499/month, you get 500K searches, plus nutritional info and images. To showcase the API’s capabilities, the company built an iOS app called Food Fight! which is waiting App Store approval. You can also check out the SimpleUPC demo here. To sign up for SimpleUPC, visit this page on the company’s website. Company: PUSHPINS APP Website: http://www.pushpinsapp.com/ Pushpins is the next-generation mobile coupon application that delivers instant coupons and rewards when users scan the barcodes of products in the grocery store. Pushpins, Inc. is based in Menlo...
|
| Sony Ericsson Announces The Xperia Arc S Smartphone Posted: 31 Aug 2011 07:44 AM PDT  Today at the IFA conference in Berlin, Sony Ericsson announced its new Xperia smartphone, the Xperia Arc S. Unfortunately, details were pretty sparse in the initial announcement, but here's what we do know: The phone will first be available in October of this year. It'll run on a 1.4GHz processor and will sport Sony's Reality display powered by Sony's mobile Bravia engine. The Reality Display on the original Xperia Arc has a pixel density of 854 x 480, which is a slight upgrade from the more standard 800 x 480 resolution we're used to seeing on high-end handsets. What really makes the Reality Display special is the support of Sony's Mobile Bravia Engine, which is meant to improve color and detail in a fashion similar to that of Bravia TVs. The phone will also have the ability to shoot 2D panoramic photos with its Exmor R image sensor. The images can be converted to 3D, at which point you can view those images on one of the company's 3D Bravia TV sets. From the looks of things, this is pretty similar to its predecessor the Xperia Arc, but with a couple extra boosts like that processor upgrade. We're also seeing images of both black and white versions, but it's not clear if there will be more color flavors. More on this as it develops.
|
| Apple May Have A Web-Based Diagnostics Tool In The Works For iStuff Posted: 31 Aug 2011 07:40 AM PDT  If ever your iPhone or iPad starts acting wonky, chances are you pack it up and head on over to your nearest Genius Bar. It's a hassle, but it's a small price to pay for your beloved iStuff. Ease of use is one of Apple's key standards for a device, and that extends way past a navigable interface. That said, Hardmac is reporting that Apple has internally announced a new web-based diagnostics tool for iOS devices that can be used remotely. In other words, future problems with your iPhone or iPod just got a lot easier to fix. It basically works by sending an email with a URL to the device that's acting weird. When Safari loads up the URL (which can also be typed in to the browser), the phone will begin running tests to check internally for any issues. The results are then transferred back to Apple technicians who can try to fix the problem over the phone. Obviously, if you're device is too damaged to boot up and get Safari off the ground, this won't be an option. The new tool can check the device's health, battery level, time passed since the last charge, minimum level at which the battery was discharged, which version of iOS you're running, and whether or not the phone was shut off properly the most recent time. It's unclear whether or not the tool tests to see if the device is jailbroken, although it seems a bit silly if it can't. Jailbreaking your iOS device effectively ends your warranty, which would mean that whatever support Apple is providing to fix your issue isn't exactly… well, warranted. Hardmac claims that the new tool will be rolled out in the next coming months. Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer,...
|
| iPhone App Downloads Drop In July, Incentivized Install Crackdown To Blame (Thank?) Posted: 31 Aug 2011 06:18 AM PDT  Marketing technology company Fiksu has released new data that shows a downward trend in mobile application installations on iPhone. The increase, in broad terms, is marginal, given the size of the iPhone’s user base, but any non-upward movement is curious. Says Fiksu, there was a drop from 4.505 million iPhone app installs per day in June to 4.25 million app installations per day in July. The Fiksu App Store Competitive Index measures the average aggregate daily download volume of the Top 200 free iPhone apps in the U.S., and sourced its data from 2.7 billion mobile app actions recorded by the apps on the Fiksu for Mobile Apps user acquisition platform. These actions include app launches, registrations and in-app purchases, among other things. Says Fiksu CEO Micah Adler, “one reason [for the downward trend] could be the absence of incentivized promotions which many had been using to bulk buy downloads and boost rank. App marketers are now starting to reallocate budgets into non-incentivized promotions that can deliver a higher loyal user conversion rate at a lower net cost.” As you may recall, Apple clamped down on incentivized installs in April, and began rejecting apps that use pay-per-install or offer walls from the iTunes App Store. Fiksu also notes that the cost for acquiring a loyal user (according to its Cost per Loyal User Index) decreased, too. In July, following four months of increases, the cost dipped 5.5% to $1.20. So is Apple’s crackdown on incentivized installs really to blame here? For this, we turned to market leader in application distribution and monetization, Tapjoy. Interestingly, it had no comment. But Peter Farago of Flurry Analytics confirmed that the general trend is correct from April to mid-summer. However, he couldn’t vouch for Fiksu’s specific numbers. “With lower cost price per acquisition removed (incentivized installs), we are seeing prices go up,” he notes. Fiksu, Inc. is a new marketing technology company. Fiksu™ for Mobile Apps is the company's first solution designed to help mobile app brands achieve their business goals faster and...
|
| Is Sprint’s Early Termination Fee Jumping To $350? (Update: Confirmed) Posted: 31 Aug 2011 06:09 AM PDT  This whole system of two-year contracts and early termination fees is far and away the worst thing about owning and enjoying a smartphone. Granted, contracts reduce the actual price of the phone by quite a bit, but it’s still super annoying to sign on with some brand new superphone only to have some super-duper phone launch a few weeks later. And if the contract itself wasn’t annoying enough, Sprint decides to raise its early termination fee by $150. Thanks to a pair of eagle eyes over at Sprint Feed, we’ve gotten a sneak peek at some “Dealer News” that says the current $200 ETF at Sprint will now be a $350 ETF. Starting September 9, breaking your contract on any smartphone, tablet, netbook and notebook will result in you coughing up $350. That means if you already have a contract with Sprint, and choose to opt out of it for something like the Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch that was freshly unveiled last night, you’ll only owe Sprint $200. But if you’re considering a move over to “the now network,” you best jump on it. You only have a little over a week to lock yourself in. Sprint’s been positioning itself as the one carrier that still offers unlimited data. In the wake of the proposed AT&T-T-Mobile merger, being the network that “looks out for the people” will go a long way for Sprint. But even CEO Dan Hesse has said that “nothing is guaranteed forever.” Is this price hike on the early termination fee a sign of things to come? We certainly hope not, but only time will tell. Update: Sprint has confirmed with PhoneScoop via email that it will in fact raise its ETF to $350 starting September 9. Here’s the official statement:
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from TechCrunch » Mobile To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
