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New Features Coming From Yahoo’s Livestand (Video Demo)

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 08:28 PM PST

LiveStand.mov

Later this month Yahoo plans to release new features for its iPad based app, Livestand, which was launched in November and Yahoo describes as a “digital newsstand” where users can “create a personalized magazine based on topics” they find interesting.

Debra Weissman, VP Product Management with Livestand, Yahoo offered us a brief early look at what consumers can expect to see. Offerings include a “recipe finder” app that allows people to create a list of ingredients to share with others, a “local deals” service for browsing discounts based on geographic location and an “improved guest mode” feature those not signed in as users.

Evidence Supports Facebook’s Plan To Monetize Mobile With Sponsored Story News Feed Ads

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 04:50 PM PST

Facebook Mobile Sponsored Stories Mockup

For the first time, Facebook may start showing ads in its mobile apps and HTML5 site, sources close to the company’s ads team tell me. The ads would come in the form of mobile news feed Sponsored Stories — social ads that show a friend’s interaction with a brand rather than traditional display ads which don’t fit on mobile screens. Bloomberg News published earlier today about receiving similar information from undisclosed sources. When I asked Facebook’s ad representative Brandon McCormick a week ago about the potential for mobile news feed Sponsored Stories, he coyly told me “I think that could be interesting.”

More evidence for the plot: Facebook has begun showing Sponsored Stories in its website’s Ticker, possibly to test for backlash. Also, Facebook recently declassified one ad type from being a Sponsored Story to make sure they all require a user action. The strategy could open a major new revenue stream for Facebook in the ramp up to a potential $100 billion IPO.

Two weeks ago I began hearing that through mobile, Facebook might mix ads into the primary news feed — something it has never done before. When I grilled McCormick on whether Facebook would follow this path to mobile monetization, he told me “it’s about getting the mobile experience to be really good, then we’ll think about ways to monetize it. We want a solution that’s going to work for people, we don’t want it to be interruptive, but we want it to be effective for advertisers.”

That sounds like Sponsored Stories, considering a study conducted in May showed the social ads have a 46% higher click through rate and 20% lower CPC. This shows they’re attractive to both viewers and advertisers.

Only permitting Sponsored Stories on mobile would prevent advertisers from injecting irrelevant content that could significantly pollute the news feed. Sponsored Stories are different because they show content that could appear in the news feed organically such as a friend Liking a brand’s Page, checking into a Place, or using an app. Brand advertisers pay to guarantee visibility of these stories, but first must trigger them by courting authentic user interaction.

Because Sponsored Stories actually include the activity of friends, they’re much less likely to piss off Facebook’s historically whiny user base. Last month, Sponsored Stories began appearing in the secondary Ticker feed on the right side of the Facebook web interface and there has been little sign of user protest. As Facebook pulls the news feed for its native mobile iPhone and Android apps from its HTML5 site, it would only have to start showing Sponsored Stories on its mobile website’s news feed to have them reach hundreds of millions of users a day.

Before September, advertisers could pay for “Page Post” Sponsored Stories to have their Page updates gain more visibility amongst their existing fans. However, since these ads didn’t require friends to have taken action, Facebook moved this ad unit type out of Sponsored Stories and renamed it “Sponsored Page Post”. This subtle change could pave the way for mobile news feed Sponsored Stories that always include a friend’s actions, and therefore force brands to focus on driving engagement, not just spending money.

It’s unclear whether advertisers would be able to choose to have their Sponsored Stories shown specifically mobile, or whether Facebook would allocate them across web and mobile. Either way, mobile news feed Sponsored Stories could become a huge revenue driver for Facebook as US mobile ad spend is predicted to reach $1.8 billion in 2012.

To date, Facebook has kept mobile ad-free to fuel widespread adoption, especially in the developing world where there’s still high potential for user growth. But it also may have been waiting until unobtrusive Sponsored Stories were ready for mobile deployment. In the years since its mobile apps and site launched and grew to account for half of the site’s daily active users, Facebook has been stockpiling monetization potential.The company may have planned to announce this new revenue stream just before its IPO to drive up investor interest. The cat’s out of the bag now, though, and secondary market share prices might rise accordingly.

Battle Of The Browsers: iOS 5′s Browser Is Still (Slightly) Better Than Android’s

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 03:49 PM PST

Little Fighters

Alright, fanboys: get your flamethrowers ready. HTML5 framework development house Sencha has just put a wide array of performance tools to use to answer one of life’s geekiest questions: Who’s got the better browser, Android 4 or iOS 5?

I’d save the answer until the end, but I suppose the headline gives its away: while Android 4′s browser is a “major step forward” for the platform, iOS 5′s offering still wins out in the end — but just by a hair!

Sencha tested both browsers on four primary metrics: rendering accuracy, rendering performance, HTML5/CSS3 feature support, and Javascript performance.

With regards to rendering, both browsers fared about the same: they both nailed perfect scores on the industry standard Acid3 test, and, while both had minor rendering artifacts, they were trivial enough that the scores went unaffected.

Sencha then went on to test each browser’s SunSpider performance. SunSpider is a series of tests built to push Javascript to its limit, testing a device’s performance on heavy-duty tasks that are currently (or likely to soon be) commonplace. See a graph of the results below (note that they used an iPad 2 rather than an iPhone 4S for this test as the CPU is closer to that found in the Galaxy Nexus, and that a Kindle Fire and Playbook were thrown in for curiosity’s sake):

(Also note: smaller bars = shorter time = better performance)

Outside of that one strange (but mostly irrelevant) Kindle Fire outlier under string performance, performance across all devices is… about the same. While each device has its own respective highlights and weakpoints, the performance differences we’re looking at here are measured in milliseconds.

Finally, Sencha dove into head-to-head into specific HTML5 capabilities, which ended up being the only test with a clear-cut winner. While both devices offered up a rather impressive HTML5 armory, iOS 5 had a leg up on Android in a handful of noteworthy places:

Of those, the most important markers are Web Sockets and Web Workers — which, to oversimplify things, respectively allow for two-way communication between web sites/devices (for realtime functionality) and for multiple scripts to run simultaneously locally on the device. In even simpler terms, they’re big parts of letting web apps work more like native apps.

Sencha also dives a bit deeper into some metrics specific to their animation tools, which you can find in their full report.

In the end, the differences are subtle enough that most folks (read: non-developers) would never even notice them. At this point, it’s absolutely a matter of personal preference and itty-bitty nuances. I’d take iOS’ browser over Android’s, for example, almost entirely because the former lets me jump to the top of the page with a tap of the status bar, rather than a zillion swipes. When everything is equally lightning fast and tailored to a tee, it’s all about the little things.

Microsoft Kinectimals Appears On The iPhone, As Cute As Can Be

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 03:36 PM PST

microsofts-kine

Microsoft has ported Kinectimals, the Xbox 360 game that involves the care and feeding of dangerous animals in the wild, to the iPhone, suggesting that (at least in the short term) even Microsoft sees the value of releasing on iOS.

The $2.99 game recreates the Xbox version fairly faithfully but without the Kinect motion controls. Interestingly, the app also allows you to “unlock” new cubs on the Xbox, proving that paid DLC can hide in multiple guises.

The game supports the iPad and iPhone and follows the launch of the Xbox App for iPhone and iPad that came out in conjunction with the Metro update.

Product Page via DVice



Destroy Your Friends With FaceInvaders

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 03:15 PM PST

full1

Do you hate your Facebook friends? Do you want to blow them all up in fiery blasts of laser light? Sure, we all do.

FaceInvaders allows you to shoot down your social graph. The game is a simple Space Invaders clone with a twist – each alien is a face randomly selected from your Facebook account. You shoot down friends hither and yon, allowing you to passive-aggressively destroy the people who you pretend to love.

Once you’ve beaten all of the waves, you fight off the boss friend (also chosen at random). Interaction with the Facebook API allows you to post high scores on your wall.

Built by start-up Appek, the game costs $1.99 and is available now. While it’s nothing new, it’s definitely clever and it might be a nice way to see how your friends have update their profile pictures. It also allows you to destroy them in secret, finding sweet release in the blaze of energy emitted as they explode into space. In some ways, it’s better than a relationship status update.

Product Page



As webOS Goes Open Source, HP Loses Another Developer Relations Guy

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 01:21 PM PST

hp

Yikes, talk about unfortunate timing. With HP having just recently announced that webOS is going open source, the last thing they need is for their (small, but surprisingly capable) developer community to start falling apart. They lost Richard Kerris, VP of Worldwide Developer Relations, to Nokia back in late October — and today, another of their Developer Relations guys is headed for the door.

Chuq Von Respach, Community Head for webOS Developer Relations who describes his job as being the “primary contact point between HP and it’s webOS application developers”, has just disclosed (via the developer relations forums, in fact) that tomorrow will be his last day at the company.

While Chuq says that his leaving “has nothing to do with any of the announcements in the last couple of weeks” and that the decision to open up webOS is one he “support[s] fully”, he says that he’d already started planning the departure after an unnamed company recruited him back in October.

Alas, this just makes HP’s already difficult mission of properly opening up webOS that much more challenging. Beyond working through a mess of licensing and somehow ensuring that they’re not shining a spotlight on vulnerabilities in existing (and potentially difficult to update) handsets, they’re starting to run low on people whose job it is to keep their developer pack intact.

Best of luck, Chuq.

NTSB Recommends Nationwide Ban On Mobile Device Use While Driving

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 01:21 PM PST

NTSB-Logo

If the National Transportation Safety Board has their way, talking (or texting, or tweeting) on the phone while driving would be a thing of the past. The regulatory body recommended today that use of any handheld device while driving a car should be banned nationwide.

The recommendation came about while the NTSB board discussed a tragic multi-vehicle motoring accident in Gray Summit, Missouri that began when a driver using a cell phone crashed into the back of a tractor trailer.

Several states have already enacted “distracted driving” laws that deal with what consumers can and can’t do while behind the wheel, but the NTSB’s preferred course of action would extend even farther than states have dared to go. The board’s recommendation doesn’t just stop at mobile devices — hands-free devices would also be banned as well.

NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said of the decision that it was difficult, but “it's the right recommendation and it's time.”

Now, the NTSB is purely an investigative body, and doesn’t have the legal authority to enforce such a ban. Even so, when the NTSB speaks, people tend to listen (as evidenced by all play this story has gotten). It wouldn’t surprise me at all if some enterprising congressman has already started drafting a bill that mirrors the NTSB’s sentiments, although how far it would ever get is highly questionable.

Still, one can’t help but wonder what would happen if a nationwide ban ever became a reality. With hands-free kits no longer allowed, wireless accessory companies like Jabra and Plantronics would see a considerable portion of their markets disappear. In-car phone connectivity is becoming more common as the model years wear on, so would that too be subject to the ban? The nebulous wording of the recommendation mentions that exceptions would be made for devices “designed to support the driving task,” which leaves plenty of room to argue the and pros and cons of each pertinent technology.

Skype For Android Gets Picture And Video Messaging Support

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 10:08 AM PST

android picture

The holidays are drawing ever closer, and with the holidays usually come embarrassing family moments. The folks at Skype, perhaps sensing the potential for capturing some comedic gold around ye old Christmas tree, have updated their Android app with support for picture and video messages.

The functionality works over both WiFi and 3G data connections, so even the most random holiday snafu can be easily sent to your Skype contacts. The update also packs a fix meant for Tegra 2-powered devices that have experienced lower battery life and iffy video quality, so G2x owners will want to get on the ball.

Interestingly, Skype’s Dan Chastney also notes a handful of new devices have been whitelisted for Skype video calling, including the unreleased Motorola DROID4. If that isn’t a big hint that Verizon’s next QWERTY-packing handset will be hitting shelves soon, then I don’t know what is.

If all that talk has got you itching to send some homemade cat videos to your Skype buddies, hit the Android Market to download the update now.



Google Acquires Clever Sense, Creator Of Local Recommendations App Alfred

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 10:04 AM PST

alfredshot

Google is acquiring the Silicon Valley-based startup Clever Sense, both companies are announcing today. Clever Sense, as you may recall, is the maker of the mobile application “Alfred,” which delivers personalized recommendations for nearby restaurants, coffee shops, bars and nightclubs using a combination of artificial intelligence and machine-learning algorithms.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Clever Sense team will be joining Google’s local services division immediately, the home to the business directory and reviews service Google Places.

According to Clever Sense CEO Babak Pahlavan, the company is beyond happy to be joining Google. “Happy doesn’t quite cut it,” he says. “This is an incredible opportunity for us and the team, and it’s amazing the way it’s happening.”

Which may actually mean: fast.

Only last week, the company was said to have been in talks with Groupon, although, not surprisingly, Pahlavan can’t comment on that report. He will say, however, that Google was simply a good fit for his company’s core vision. “Ultimately,” he says, “it was a question of how can we take this to a whole new level?” At Google, he says, the people there believe in the same vision. “They’ll allow us to work on this, but just make it bigger. Google is totally on the same page – it’s kind of scary how much,” he added.

So what was Clever Sense’s vision, then? Restaurants and other local venues (bars, clubs, etc.) were just the start. The company was also talking about using its technology to move into making deal recommendations next, like those from daily deal outlets such as Groupon and Living Social. But further down the road, the company saw itself as being able to recommend other things, like local activities, entertainment, and more. (A tie-in with Google Schemer, perhaps? Google won’t say.)

This idea of personalized recommendations speaks to Google’s vision of a “serendipity engine” something which Google’s Marissa Mayer has talked about in the past. She referred to Google’s vision of being able to surface “serendipitous” suggestions on mobile phones based on where you are. This year, she suggested that such a technology may emerge sometime within “a two-year horizon.”

With Clever Sense, however, that window may be narrowed. And ideally, Clever Sense, too, will be able to continue along its same path with access to more resources and Google’s scale.

Although Google has a history of acquiring technology companies then shutting down their existing products (see: Jaiku, Slide, Aardvark, etc.), a Google spokesperson says that the plan is to leave the Alfred app up-and-running for the “foreseeable future.” We can only hope.

The official statement to be published to the Clever Sense website reads:

When we embarked on our mission to curate the world around us, we knew we were taking on a huge challenge. We worked hard to build the Clever Sense Platform to tackle the problem of information overload in the real world. Using that platform, we built Alfred to create a simple, enjoyable and powerful way to discover new places and help make decisions on the go. It's exciting to see that our passion turned into something people around the world use regularly to make everyday decisions that are just right for them.

Today, we are excited to join Google and start a new chapter in curating the world around us! Together with the Google team, we will accelerate our efforts toward this shared vision. Google helps local businesses connect with potential customers, and its worldwide presence can bring the value of Clever Sense to a much larger audience. Discovering local information is extremely important to both users and businesses, and the acquisition of Clever Sense will benefit both.

The journey has been nothing short of incredible. Our vision has only become bigger, and our commitment stronger. With Google and Clever Sense working together, our entire team looks forward to building more intelligent, serendipitous and magical services!

We didn't achieve this success alone. We sincerely want to thank our users, investors, our amazing board and superb advisors. We will be your loyal fans for life.

Smiles,

Babak Pahlavan
Co-founder and CEO

Meanwhile, Google’s statement reads:

"The Clever Sense team is at the forefront of developing a recommendation engine that connects the online and offline worlds by delivering personal and sophisticated information to users at the right time, the right place and within the right context. By combining their technology and expertise with our team and products, we'll be able to provide even more people with intelligent, personalized recommendations for places to eat, visit and discover."

Report: Android Apps Make Only 24 Percent As Much As iOS Apps

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 09:13 AM PST

Flurry iOS vs Android

Google chairman Eric Schmidt recently boasted at Le Web that “Android is ahead of the iPhone.” And that may be true in terms of how many mobile devices with the Android operating system are being activated daily (550,000 versus 450,000 daily for Apple’s iOS, at last count). If Android has the numbers, why aren’t more developers flocking to Apple?

The answer is simple. They make more money on Apple devices. MG suggested as much in a recent post based on anecdotal evidence, but now we have some real data to back that up as well. Flurry, which has 135,000 apps across both Android and iOS using its analytics, just released some very interesting comparison numbers. It looked at a sample of in-app purchase data from apps with more than a million daily active users with versions on both Android and Apple. Flurry found that the Android apps produced only 24 percent as much revenue as the same apps on iOS.

Flurry doesn’t say what the sample size was, and this only measures in-app purchases, not paid downloads, for instance. So it is not conclusive, but it does suggest why developers are still sticking with iOS. Looking at the 50,000 apps for which developers set up analytics in 2011, iOS continues to dominate, representing three quarters of new project starts in the past six months.

YouSendIt Ups Its Game With New Desktop & Mobile Apps

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 08:50 AM PST

yousendit f

YouSendIt, a cloud collaboration company that got its start long before “cloud” was cool, is today launching new mobile applications for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices, plus new Mac (beta) and PC desktop clients. The suite of apps will allow users to securely sync files across devices, while also offering unlimited storage.

YouSendIt’s primary value originally came from providing a service that mainly appealed to behind-the-firewall customers who were unable to send large files via email due to Microsoft Exchange limitations. As software developed, for internal corporate I.T. customers and consumers alike, sharing via email became less of a hassle. Attaching a dozen photos to an email, while not the most efficient way to share, is no longer going to guarantee you a bounced email in return.

Plus, there are a number of alternatives to email-based file sharing, especially for consumers, thanks to the rise of social networking services like Facebook, mobile apps, and even good ol’ MMS. That said, consumers have still found value in file storage and syncing services, like Box.net, Dropbox, SugarSync, Syncplicity and others, which serve as easy ways to move both personal and work-related files between an increasing number Internet-connected devices.

With YouSendIt’s refresh, the goal is to now cater to this new breed of file sharers, while differentiating its service via its feature set. One notable feature is YouSendIt’s security, which is a huge focus for the company. YouSendit not only encrypts files during transit (which is common), but also while stored on the company’s servers and on the devices themselves. (Dropbox doesn’t do client-side encryption at this time, meanwhile). Files are locked behind a PIN when on mobile devices, too.

In addition to the file-sharing, folder-sharing and collaboration aspects to the service, YouSendIt also allows users to sign documents (such as contracts) online, something that should appeal to the company’s business users.

YouSendIt now has 23.5 million users in 193 countries. Its service is available as a freemium product, with Pro plans starting at $9.99/month. (Pricing details here). To get started, you can download the YouSendIt desktop apps here and the mobile apps here.

Mindjet Buys Thinking Space, Launches Mind Mapping App For Android

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 08:44 AM PST

mindjet

Mindjet, a developer of mind mapping, work management and collaboration software, has launched a free Android app. What isn’t mentioned in the blog post announcing the new app, is that it wasn’t actually made by Mindjet. Rather, they’ve acquired the small company behind the Thinking Space app to make their way onto the Android Market more rapidly and build upon an existing user base.

A couple of months ago, Mindjet’s Chief Product Officer, Blaine Mathieu, wrote a blog post on the company’s mobile strategy, highlighting their support for the iOS platform. To date, there have been roughy 325,000 downloads of Mindjet’s iPhone and iPad apps.

Thinking Space has actually seen more success with its Android app, clocking more than 1.1 million downloads.

Mindjet for Android is essentially a pocket productivity tool that helps users capture ideas, create business plans and organize thinking in order to boost productivity.

Update: Financial terms of the acquisition of Thinking Space were not disclosed, but the company did offer a statement on when the deal was forged:

The acquisition of Thinking Space, the leading information mapping solution for Android, was finalized in late summer for an undisclosed price. Key members of the Thinking Space team have joined Mindjet and will lead the continuing development efforts as we integrate it into the Mindjet platform.

Also read: Mindjet Buys Cohuman, To Debut Cloud-Based Collaboration Tool Mindjet Connect

Topsy Launches Realtime Search Engine For Mobile Devices

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 07:59 AM PST

home

Topsy Labs is releasing a social, realtime search engine for mobile devices today, enabling users to discover relevant chatter about any topic based on data from Twitter and Google+.

The search engine comes with a nifty "Social Time Machine" feature that enables users to look up results on a timeline that can be controlled with a slider (see screenshots below).

Also useful: search queries can be automatically saved so users can revisit specific results at any time, and any piece of social content can be referenced historically for any topic, term or link.

Topsy cites a Performics study that says 32 percent of people search more on mobile phones than they do on computers, and that 75 percent of people think that mobile search makes their life easier.

Headquartered in San Francisco and founded in 2006, Topsy is backed by BlueRun Ventures, Ignition Partners, Founders Fund and Scott Banister.

Also read: Topsy Launches Realtime Search Engine For Public Google+ Posts

Jotly Lives! Parody App Goes Live In iTunes

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 07:37 AM PST

jotly

You remember Jotly, right? The hilarious and absurd spoof of our mobile/local/social app obsession? To refresh your memory, Jotly’s humor was so on target, people wondered if creator Alex Cornell (founder of Nosh) was actually making fun of Kevin Rose’s Oink with this parody video. He swears he was not, just of the “proliferation of absolute ridiculousness when it comes to apps and startups these days.”

Well, guess what? Jotly is now an app itself. Says Cornell, “we just couldn’t help ourselves.”

According to Cornell, the folks over at Firespotter Labs (the team behind Nosh) never intended to make Jotly an actual thing. “But with the absurd amount of ‘rate things’ style apps flooding the market after our video came out,” explains Cornell, “we figured it just had to exist for real. The Oink similarity was hilarious, then Stamped…it seemed to just keep getting better and better…”

So the team spun it up over the last couple of weeks, and it’s launching today here in iTunes.

“People can can finally stop making social apps now. Jotly exists for real and the high watermark has been established,” Cornell jokes.

As it turns out, if you like rating random things like hiding spots and space helmets, the app looks pretty good. It’s attractive, well-designed and easy to use. How funny would it be if it actually came out on topo of Oink and Stamped et al. in the whole “rate things” game?

And for more fun, the description in iTunes carries on with Jotly’s sense of humor:

- Search for nearby items. Even if it’s a piece of lint, it might be really awesome. Jotly will help you find it
- Find the best and worst things at any place. Like ducks? Jotly will show you big and little ducks…

Everything about your life is exciting. To everyone. Ever. Download Jotly.

Dude, consider it done.

GOGII Adds Free Calls To textPlus, Celebrates 20 Billion Messages Sent

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 07:23 AM PST

1_Registration

For all the work that GOGII has put into their free textPlus messaging app, they have spent much of the last two or so years letting users do essentially one thing: communicate via text. As of today, that’s no longer the case: with the launch of their Free Calls app, GOGII’s trying to stake their claim in the voice space too.

Sure, GOGII tested the waters with the textPlus’s Voice Note functionality, but the Free Calls app takes that concept and runs with it. Current users will find no reason to fret: they can stick with their existing textPlus phone numbers while new users will get a U.S. phone number of their very own.

Once everything is set up, users can make calls to cell and landline numbers using either WiFi or their phone’s data connection. The app comes bundled with a few free trial minutes, but after that users will have to buy buckets of minutes from within the app itself.

Of course, textPlus has managed to pick up quite a few users since their debut in 2009, so “in-network” or textPlus to textPlus calls will be free.

And that’s not all the the folks at GOGII have to celebrate — they tell us that textPlus has just recently tip-toed over the 20 billion messages sent milestone. Astute readers may remember that it took the company nearly 2 years to hit the 10 billion message mark, so there’s little question that the free messaging service is picking up steam.

The voice shift seems like a pretty drastic one for the company, but it’s not exactly unprecedented for players in the messaging space to branch out into voice service. In fact, competition is getting pretty fierce: Pinger’s Textfree has similar voice call functionality, and big players like Skype have been combining voice and messaging service on mobile devices for a while now.

For now, textPlus’s new calling functionality is limited to devices of the Apple persuasion, but an Android-friendly version of the app should be out before the end of the year.

Security Flaw In Windows Phone 7.5 Kills The Messaging Hub (Video)

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 07:16 AM PST

Mango-Integrated-Messaging

While most of the Windows Phone 7.5 operating system is playing catch up to Android and iOS, the Messaging Hub truly shines as a stand-out feature. It allows you to thread Facebook messages, IMs and texts all into one unified conversation — exactly what a messaging app should be.

The only problem is that there seems to be a security flaw that disables the Messaging Hub entirely, all from receiving one malicious text.

WinRumors first reported on it this morning, mentioning that the issue has already been reported directly to Microsoft. According to a video of the attack, the message itself isn’t displayed, but the alert tone/vibration occurs at which point the phone instantly reboots. After that, any attempt to open up the Messaging Hub will prove impossible. The attack can also occur with the receipt of a Facebook or Windows Live message.

WinRumors suspects that this isn’t a device-specific bug, but rather an issue with the Windows Phone OS. No word on a fix yet, but we expect to hear something out of Redmond very soon with regards to a fix.



Life360′s Family Safety App Grabs $3.5 Million Series A

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 06:00 AM PST

life360-phones

Family safety startup Life360, which makes a freemium mobile security app by the same name, is today announcing it has secured $3.5 million in Series A funding. The round included investment from Fontinalis Partners, Kapor Capital, 500 Startups, Bessemer Venture Partners, Venture51, Bullpen Capital, Social Leverage and Eghosa Omoigui's EchoVC Partners, as well as existing investors LaunchCapital, Seraph Group and Mark Goines.

The latest investment brings the company's total funding to $5 million. The company says it will use the new funding to move into other verticals, including cars and homes.

For those unfamiliar with Life360, the app provides a number of features targeted towards families, including family locator services, private “check-ins,” alerts, neighborhood safety notices, identify protection, and more. Some of the features are available for free, while others are available for the app’s premium subscribers.

The move to freemium caused a big uptick in growth, as Jason Kincaid reported back in January. At the time, the company was nearing 1 million families. Now it has 6 million families (10 million users).

With the additional investment, the company says it’s expanding its focus beyond mobile, with plans to automatically link vehicles and homes to the service, without requiring additional hardware. This would allow users to enable vehicle tracking and home monitoring features which would be accessible via their mobile phone.

Currently, Life360 is available on the Android and iPhone platforms, but is listed as “coming soon” to both Windows Phone and BlackBerry. You can grab a copy for yourself from here.

Correction: The signups number from before was referring to families, not users. This has been corrected.