MobileCrunch |  |
- Kicksend Goes Mobile With A New iPhone App For Instant, Asynchronous Sharing Of Big Files
- “Goodbye, With. Hello, Path 2.” Morin Migrates Users to New App
- Aetna Reveals It Acquired Healthagen, Developer Of The #1 Mobile Health App iTriage
- Review: Grand Theft Auto III 10th Anniversary for iOS
- MyYearbook Hits Half A Million Daily Mobile Users, Launches iPad App
- Your Nexus S Could Taste Ice Cream Sandwich As Early As Today
- Sprint “Disabling Use” Of Carrier IQ On Affected Devices
- T-Mobile’s White Samsung Galaxy S II Is Going For $99 This Weekend Only
- AT&T, Sprint, Samsung, And HTC Weigh In On Their Use Of Carrier IQ
- Kinek Goes Mobile: Lets Online Shoppers Pick Up At Local Stores
- Curate Your Own Digital Magazine With Scoop.it For iPhone
- Snag This Glowing Apple iPhone 4 Mod Before Apple’s Lawyers Do!
- Cloth Lets You Store Your “Outfits” In Your “Phone”
- New “Android Training” Program Helps Developers Make Better Apps
- The Echo Nest To Power New Spotify Radio (Which Begins Rolling Out Today)
- Samsung Releases Extended Battery Bundle (With Cover) For Your New Galaxy Nexus
- EA Releases The Sims FreePlay For The iPhones And iPad
| Kicksend Goes Mobile With A New iPhone App For Instant, Asynchronous Sharing Of Big Files Posted: 16 Dec 2011 11:40 PM PST  Last we covered Kicksend in November, the Y Combinator-incubated web file-sharing tool for the non-technical crowd, had just raised $1.8 million in funding from True Ventures, with participation from Digital Garage, SV Angel, Start Fund, and Milo Founder and CEO Jack Abraham. The team was heads-down fixing, tweaking, and developing some new features for their file-sharing service. But, today, the startup is going mobile with a new iPhone app to let users take all of their photos videos they have stored on their phone and instantly send them to any friend, list of colleagues, or email address, instantly — across platforms. For those unfamiliar with the service, Kicksend has launched web and desktop apps that connects users in realtime, enabling them to drag and drop big batches of files from their desktop and have them delivered instantly to their desktop and web apps. And now this functionality has arrived on mobile. Kicksend’s advantage over other file sharing media is that it has no size limits, is private, and works asynchronously — unlike IM. With Kicksend, there is no need for share folders and permissions, and now with its mobile app, the startup is live on all the major platforms. Like its desktop and web apps, Kicksend allows users to send large batches of high-res photos and videos from their phones to any friend, instantly, regardless of whether or not they’ve downloaded the Kicksend app. Basically, Kicksend has enabled simple file-sharing on the iPhone, so if users send documents from other apps, or, say, you’re using GoodReader and you view a PDF, users can choose “Open in Kicksend”, you can share that with any other user in realtime — something that will be awesome for all those holiday photos. Thus, documents, photos, and videos will appear instantly on the recipient’s desktops and mobile devices in realtime, or, in turn, users can view, send, and comment privately on PDFs, documents, photos, videos and more. If recipients don’t have the Kicksend app, they can receive files via email with links to download within minutes. There are a ton of file-sharing services out there, but Kicksend has a great user interface, is extremely simple to use, and pretty much allows users to send any size file easily, instantly, to any device, across any platform, offering notifications and statistics to boot, so that users can see how many people in a group have downloaded the file. It’s a great tool. For more, check out the app here.
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| “Goodbye, With. Hello, Path 2.” Morin Migrates Users to New App Posted: 16 Dec 2011 08:29 PM PST  Dave Morin and Path’s secondary standalone app With “is winding down”, according to a tweet, email, and blog post from Path. “Now tweet who you’re with directly from Path”, the email explains. The encouraged migration signals the end of Path’s experiment with a stripped down, single feature experience. Details are sparse but this looks like an early warning to With users that the app will be sunsetted soon, though it still currently functions. Path’s blog posts says “After a long and friendly coexistence, two apps have become one. And the pair has settled on a name: Path 2.” With’s end just 6 months after its launch resurfaces the standalone vs comprehensive app debate. Companies have to decide whether their apps should provide many functions but bury them in menus, or offer rapid access to one function. Path recently released its more comprehensive 2.0 update, which has led to 30x growth of the app’s user base. Rather than force users to waste home screen space and choose what they want to do first, Path 2.0 simply integrates With’s functionality. In addition to tagging who you’re “with”, you can share your sleeping habits, music, and now standard content like photos and location. Morin’s former employer Facebook is moving in the opposite direction. This summer it released its standalone Messenger app based off of its acquisition Beluga, and we hear it’s still working on its standalone mobile photos app that leaked in June. I see this as a slippery slope where instead of bloat you get a fractured experience. I like comprehensive apps that let me bounce from once use case to another without having to exit to the homescreen, so I’m happy to see With go. Often times the functions split between apps are highly related, and saving one extra click through a menu doesn’t seem to warrant downloading and updating an extra app. The With wind down will also keep Path’s team focused on building a distinct experience from Facebook and Twitter where you share a lot but to only your closest friends.
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| Aetna Reveals It Acquired Healthagen, Developer Of The #1 Mobile Health App iTriage Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:58 PM PST  At an investor conference yesterday, health insurance and tech giant Aetna revealed that it acquired Healthagen, the developer of mobile app iTriage, though it did not disclose the price. Aetna’s Chairmen, CEO, and President Mark Bertolini told investors “About a month and a half ago we bought at little company called iTriage…the fastest growing consumer application in healthcare today.” iTriage lets users check symptoms, find doctors, make appointments, and do medical shopping. It will be augmented with new features and become part of Aetna’s accountable care organization. Bertolini said ”We’re going to begin to change the health care industry by giving people tools they can put in the palm of their hand.” Aetna’s goal is to get customers more engaged with their health care via iTriage, and thereby prevent them from sliding to other providers. Bertolini said iTriage will aid “retention, which is the catalyst for growth.” The app’s 3 million iTunes downloads will also bring Aetna new potential customer, and Healthagen’s digital relationships with hospitals and urgent care facilities. The privately held Lakewood, CO-based Healthagen hasn’t announced any funding, and also offers iTriage for Android tablets. iTriage recreates the experience of popular web-based symptom checkers like WebMD, but for mobile. Not only can these apps act as portal to expensive purchases and services, they can collect valuable data on trending ailments. Considering iTriage’s early lead in app vertical, the acquisition looks like a smart move for Aetna. MobiHealthNews‘ deep coverage of the investor conference indicates that Aetna will add cost estimation to iTriage. This will help Aetna’s customers to ”be a partner in reducing the cost of care”, according to Dr. Charles Saunders, Aetna’s Head of Strategic Diversification. This could significantly reduce Aetna’s own costs. Additionally, Bertolini said regarding Aetna’s iNexx health care app platform, “we will give away the SDK for both the consumer platform and the provider platform to allow anyone to write apps to be sold on our platform.” This could create more opportunities in the mobile healthtech market that is projected to quadruple to $400 million by 2016.
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| Review: Grand Theft Auto III 10th Anniversary for iOS Posted: 16 Dec 2011 04:37 PM PST  In October of 2001, Rockstar Games dropped a bomb on the gaming world. That bomb was called Grand Theft Auto III. In just one release, Rockstar shifted their flagship 2D series into a 3D world, introduced an enormous chunk of the population to the concept of massive sandbox games, and stirred up the first of many controversies that the company has since become known for. Just over 10 years later, GTA3 is back — but now it’s mobile. As of yesterday, it’s available for iOS and Android. Same game, same grit, same campy over-the-top action… but in your pocket. So, how has the game held up? How well did it make the jump from controller to touchscreen? Is it worth your $5? Lets go ahead and answer those immediately: Surprisingly well, moderately okay, and probably. For a game that’s probably older than the TV sitting in your living room, Grand Theft Auto 3 is still remarkably entertaining. I won’t wax on too much about the gameplay itself; many hundreds of reviews did that a decade ago, and it’s still the same game (save for a few little perks ported in from modern GTA games, like instant retries on failed missions) it was then. What worked well then still works well today: you run around, explore, go on a few hundred missions, then blow up everything in sight whenever all that gets boring. It’s not what most would call “gorgeous” by today’s gaming standards (read: it’s no Infinity Blade II), but it really does still look good. The audio is also wonderful, with an absurd amount of dialog, sound, radio chatter, and music crammed into the 500 MB package. At the very least, it’s a wonderful testament of how far technology has come; what required a big ol’ dedicated gaming console just a decade ago now runs effortlessly on an itty-bitty battery-powered slab of glass. To say it “runs effortlessly” requires a bit of a caveat, though. Rockstar claims support for all of the more recent iOS devices, including the iPhone 4, iPad 1, iPhone 4S, and iPad 2. On the latter two, it’s butter. On the iPad 1, graphic quality takes a massive hit (see the comparison shot above) — and still, framerate issues tend to rear their head. (Alas, I don’t have an iPhone 4 handy to test it on, so I can’t comment on the compatibility there.) Look up at the screen shot above. The buttons! They’re everywhere! You can feel your hands cramping already. It’s actually quite playable — in most cases, at least. The D-pad drops wherever you put your thumb when you’re hoofin’ it, and the other buttons are big enough that they’re not too much trouble to find (Oh: and if you think you could layout a better control scheme, you can re-arrange/re-size them in the settings screen.) Driving isn’t too bad either (though, man is it easy to flip your car now. I don’t know if they tweaked the physics engine or something, but it’s far easier to find yourself upside down and covered in flames than I remember.) Shooting, however, is a rather terrible experience… which is unfortunate, considering how crucial it is to the game as a whole. The game has an autolock system which, even after fair amount of playtime, never seems to work the way I expect. It’s not so bad as to make the game impossible (just quite frustrating at times) but is detrimental enough that it influences my recommendation. As for said recommendation: if you’ve never played through GTA3, I wouldn’t suggest having the mobile experience be your first. The controls, while acceptable, just take away too much of the magic. GTA3 is a great game and was far ahead of its time; if it’s going to be played by a newcomer, it deserves to be played as originally intended. If you played through the original (or started it, and never got a chance to finish before Mom slung the PS2 at a garage sale) and are just looking to swim in nostalgia, however, it’s easily worth the 5 bucks. You can find GTA3: 10th Anniversary in the App Store here
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| MyYearbook Hits Half A Million Daily Mobile Users, Launches iPad App Posted: 16 Dec 2011 04:10 PM PST  It’s hard being a social network not called Facebook, but myYearbook isn’t one of those erstwhile rivals being sold off for assets. Instead, it’s been seeing strong mobile growth and revenue growth over the last year, building on its $100 million merger with QuePasa in July. Expect both to accelerate with the launch of its new iPad app today (available here). The company is now reaching half a million mobile users daily across major operating systems, chief operating officer and cofounder Geoff Cook tells me, with 200 million (unduplicated) monthly sessions in total. Android has grown to be the largest, beating iPhone usage by two to one. The set of mobile app developer acquisitions that the company did earlier this year seems to be paying off. Revenue is also up. After posting revenues of $23.7 million last year, it’s grown to $36.3 million in the 12-month span through September. The new iPad app, which you can download here, improves on the existing mobile interfaces by adding a multi-pane interface for doing things like flipping through profiles while using specific features like apps. Look for it to get more of the main myYearbook.com site features early next year, Cook says. MyYearbook has transitioned from its roots as a high school social network to, in its words, the place to “meet new people near you.” That obviously translates to lots of dating-oriented features. It’s been launching games and other apps in-house, powered by its own virtual currency, that are designed to bring strangers together. The iPad app already has some of those features in place, but so far it’s been monetizing through ads. The virtual currency is coming to mobile next quarter, Cook says, along with the games, which should help mobile monetization increase considerably. Dating apps, including mobile ones, have been quiet but substantial businesses. Cook also says that the iPad launch should be a hit with its users, a company survey recently showed that a large percentage of them are expecting iPads from Christmas. He’s aiming for a repeat of last year, when the sales of iPod Touches helped fuel the year’s growth.
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| Your Nexus S Could Taste Ice Cream Sandwich As Early As Today Posted: 16 Dec 2011 01:38 PM PST  Nexus S owners rejoice! While your Galaxy Nexus-toting friends have been rubbing a bit of Ice Cream Sandwich in your face, the year-old Nexus S will soon get its own taste of Android 4.0. According to the Android Google+ account, the rollout to Nexus S users will begin today and will continue through “the coming month.” Ah, but there’s a bit of a catch — from what I can tell, the update is only meant for users of the bog-standard GSM Nexus and not the slightly more flashy 4G model. Sorry Sprint folks, you’ll just have to wait a little longer for your chance to shine. Or will you? If waiting’s not really your thing (it certainly isn’t mine), there’s no shortage of custom ROMs to flash that will get you running Android 4.0 as fast as you can say “rooted.” Sure, it’ll take a little more effort than wailing on the “Check for updates” option on your device’s Settings screen, but for some it’ll beating waiting for who-knows how long. Google has even offered up a list of tips for Gingerbread users who finally get to update. If you haven’t gotten a chance to play with ICS yet (or if you’re waiting for your update to install), take a look — things have changed just enough so you’ll have to reset your Android-oriented muscle memory.
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| Sprint “Disabling Use” Of Carrier IQ On Affected Devices Posted: 16 Dec 2011 01:08 PM PST  Just a day after Minnesota Senator Al Franken published reports on how carriers and device vendors use Carrier IQ, Sprint seems to be taking steps to distance themselves the mobile monitoring company. According to MobileBurn, Sprint has confirmed that they will be disabling their use of Carrier IQ software on affected devices. They’ve got a lot of them too: in response to an inquiry from Senator Franken, Sprint recently revealed that 26 million Sprint devices have made it into customers’ hands with Carrier IQ on-board. For now, it seems as though Sprint simply won’t be “tasking” devices for diagnostic data, and that the software will remain on those devices. That may change soon though: a report from Geek.com indicates that HTC and Sprint’s other hardware partners have been asked to push out over-the-air software updates that don’t include Carrier IQ. Sprint representatives offer no comment. The one thing Sprint doesn’t make mention of is what the next step is. If this turns out to be the end of the two companies’ long-term relationship, then it stands to reason that Sprint will no longer be asking hardware partners to integrate Carrier IQ’s software going forward. That is, at least, until they can figure out another way to get that much-needed diagnostic information. Now that a major carrier has discontinued their use of Carrier IQ (at least for now), an important question comes to mind: what does this mean for Sprint’s network? The two companies have worked together since 2006, and I doubt that their relationship would have continued for so long unless it actually resulted in improvements for the network and for customer satisfaction. Sprint’s email mentioned “evaluating options regarding this diagnostic software as well as Sprint’s diagnostic needs,” which to me speaks to the importance they place on maintaining their network. I can’t help but wonder if we’ll see how valuable Carrier IQ’s data is to carriers if/when the two companies part ways.
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| T-Mobile’s White Samsung Galaxy S II Is Going For $99 This Weekend Only Posted: 16 Dec 2011 12:01 PM PST  The Samsung Galaxy S II is a very special phone. Even though it’s been on the market for quite some time now, it’s still one of the more beastly competitors on Android-flavored shelves. Of course, it’s always had the price tag to prove it, going for between $230 and $250 just about everywhere. But T-Mobile has a pretty sweet deal going on a white Samsung Galaxy S II for this weekend only, and it could save you up to $130. The white Galaxy S II hasn’t been available for that long, so if the new new thing is all that matters to you then fear not. The deal is only available online, so don’t go traipsing into a T-Mobile asking for your $99 Samsung Galaxy S II. After a $50 mail-in rebate and a signature on the dotted line of a two-year contract, T-Mobile is slashing $130 off one of the most popular phones of the year. I have yet to see such a great deal on the GS II, so if you’re into white phones and are ready to sign your soul over to T-Mobile (possibly, again), head over to T-Mo’s web site and get the ball rolling. [via Unwired View]
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| AT&T, Sprint, Samsung, And HTC Weigh In On Their Use Of Carrier IQ Posted: 16 Dec 2011 10:12 AM PST  Senator Al Franken pressed AT&T, Sprint, Samsung, and HTC over two weeks ago for answers about their use of Carrier IQ, the controversial monitoring software that sparked fears that our personal data was being tracked without consent. Now that the deadline has come and gone, Senator Franken had a chance to review their statements and publish them in full on his website. After reviewing each company’s official responses to his questions, Senator Franken noted that he’s still “very troubled” by the situation at hand: “People have a fundamental right to control their private information,” he said. “After reading the companies’ responses, I’m still concerned that this right is not being respected. The average user of any device equipped with Carrier IQ software has no way of knowing that this software is running, what information it is getting, and who it is giving it to-and that’s a problem.” Everything began with Carrier IQ, who was the first party Senator Franken asked for more information. Their response [PDF] was one of those published on the Senator’s website, but given how transparent they have been after their initial attempt to contest Trevor Eckhart’s findings backfired, there isn’t much new material to cover. In short, they state that Carrier IQ’s data collection consists of carrier-specified metrics, doesn’t track the content of emails or text messages, doesn’t happen in real-time, and is encrypted. They also fess up to a recently-discovered bug in which SMS messages may inadvertently be sent to Carrier IQ along with other diagnostic data, but they’re apparently hard at work on a fix. Not bad, but some of the really juicy stuff comes from everyone else Franken wanted answers from. Let’s take a look: AT&T: |
| Kinek Goes Mobile: Lets Online Shoppers Pick Up At Local Stores Posted: 16 Dec 2011 08:26 AM PST  Doing some online shopping but don’t want the package shipped to your house? Maybe you won’t be home, or worry about packages left on your doorstep. Or maybe the package is a gift for someone in your household? Here’s a cool idea: pick up your online orders at a local store instead. That’s the premise of the young startup called Kinek, which has partnered with a number of brick-and-mortar stores across the U.S. and Canada to serve as “KinekPoints” – secure locations where you can pick up your deliveries. Now, the company is releasing its first iPhone application, allowing you to find nearby KinekPoints, check their hours, get directions, track packages and receive push notifications when the package has arrived. For consumers, there’s no monthly or sign-up fee to use Kinek, but there’s sometimes a small per-package fee applied by the individual KinekPoint location. The high range for the fee isn’t too bad – usually around $5 for a regular-sized package. Some retailers don’t charge a fee at all, though, because they benefit from the foot traffic that comes from being a KinekPoint. However, all retailers have to pay to be a KinekPoint partner on a per-parcel basis. Currently, Kinek has partnered with brick-and-mortar retailers including Medfast, Storage-mart, Pharmasave, and DoItBest (the latter two in select locations only, not the entire chain). It has also partnered with online retailers Sierra Trading Post and Monoprice to provide online shoppers with an alternative shipping address when the company doesn’t ship to their home. The company now has over a thousand locations across 42 U.S. states and nearly all Canadian provinces. KinekPoints are most popular in major metro areas like San Francisco (73), Los Angeles (59), Chicago (32), San Diego (30), Kansas City (28), Atlanta (27), Miami (27), Toronto (24), Dallas (23), Washington D.C. (23), New York (22), Philadelphia (14), Seattle (13), Orlando (12) and Montreal (10). But it has really taken off in rural areas along the U.S./Canadian border, as it offers Canadians a way to avoid international shipping and handling fees. They just have the package sent to their favorite KinekPoint address, then drive across the border to pick it up. The iPhone app serves as a great complement to this handy service, especially because it provides mobile access to package tracking and push notifications. You can choose to have messages sent to you via SMS and email, too, if you prefer. Kinek launched in December 2009, and was started by CEO Dr. Kerry McLellan, Ph.D., who is also CEO of Applepeak Inc. and owner of Clean Earth Ltd. He previously was COO of 724 solutions from 1998-2000. Kinek is personally funded by McLellan, but is in talks with investors at this time. The idea for the startup clearly has merit – after all, Amazon is doing the same thing. The Internet retailer has been testing a “delivery locker” system at select 7-Eleven stores in the U.S. in recent months where the convenience store serves as sort of a 24/7 post office for Amazon order pick-ups. You can grab the new Kinek for iPhone here.
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| Curate Your Own Digital Magazine With Scoop.it For iPhone Posted: 16 Dec 2011 07:03 AM PST  News curation startup Scoop.it has arrived on the iPhone today, allowing you to create your own digital magazine while on the go. The app, which works alongside the Scoop.it web service, essentially lets anyone be a publisher for any topic. Or perhaps, the more correct word is not “publisher,” it’s “aggregator.” Scoop.it “publishers” aren’t always writing and producing their own content, although that is an option. But Scoop.it’s main focus is on its content aggregation tools. Publishers select the best content from around the web and then publish it in a magazine-like format that looks similar to something created by Pressly or OnSwipe. Previously, this curation process was done either through a browser bookmarklet, by accepting content submission from others, or by accepting a post suggested by Scoop.it’s own recommendation engine. Now, with the new iPhone app, curation can be done from your mobile, too. Using the app, Scoop.it users can select, edit and publish posts, review suggestions and share to their connected Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr accounts. The app is a handy companion for Scoop.it itself, but only for those who already have their magazine up-and-running. You have to first set up your magazine’s topics via the web – you can’t begin the process using the app. That’s a shame since, for many people, the first time they’ll ever encounter Scoop.it is via the App Store. News aggregation can be a touchy topic – is it right to re-publish others’ work and brand it as your own, even if you’re sending the sites traffic? Some would say no. But aggregation has proved a successful business model in many cases, and the human-assisted curation that accompanies it, such as what’s provided by Techmeme for example, makes curation a form of content creation itself. Who’s to say that Scoop.it couldn’t form the basis of a thousand tiny, niche Techmeme’s in the future? Scoop.it is currently a freemium service. Individuals can publish up to 5 topics per account, but have to use Scoop.it’s own branding. Business accounts offer more topics and features, including domain hosting and analytics for $79/month. The Scoop.it iPhone app is here.
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| Snag This Glowing Apple iPhone 4 Mod Before Apple’s Lawyers Do! Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:51 AM PST  Set the rear-facing Apple logo aglow with this simple mod. Per the video demo below, it only takes 5 minutes to install and seems relatively simple. Just pop off the back cover of the iPhone, remove 5 internal screws, disconnect the screen’s cable and install the mod. From there, you’re a hop, skip and jump from having a glowing Apple logo every time the iPhone’s screen kicks on or displays a notification. But there’s a catch. The retailer knows it won’t be able to sell this thing forever. Apple will no doubt release its legal hounds as soon as it catches wind of the unofficial mod. K.O Store is currently selling the kit for $42, but only for a limited time. Per a countdown timer on the website, the kit will go into hiding in just over two days from now unless of course Apple gets to it first. So? Do you want it or not? The retailer states that it will take 14 days to ship the kit and the new back panel doesn’t change the iPhone’s dimensions. It will still work with standard cases and bumpers. Buyers also have the option of opting for the traditional Apple logo or the Steve Jobs Tribute logo designed by Jonathan Mak. But with either logo and a little work, you’ll end up with a very unique iPhone. Just don’t wait. Order it while it’s still available. [K.O Store via M.I.C Gadgets] Update @ 10:30 am: Looks like we crashed the store or Apple retaliated with an orbital bombardment.
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| Cloth Lets You Store Your “Outfits” In Your “Phone” Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:47 AM PST  If you are a “female” you apparently choose clothing in the form of “outfits,” a sort of ritualized selection process that allows you to look “good” in a different set of clothes each day. While I subscribe to Thoreau’s maxim – “Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and, incidentally, when your neighbors come over to your place on Walden and catch a whiff of you, you’ll be even more alone” – it is my understanding that some “ladies” like to change their “clothes” daily and they often need help facilitating this process. But what is a lady to do if she cannot remember what outfits she has worn in the past month? Cry? Yell at the barista? No. She uses Cloth. Cloth is an iOS app that lets you store outfits. You can make multiple outfit folders for different events (weddings, work, mall openings), ensuring you never wear the same outfit twice. You can also create ensembles based on various themes, including Holiday, Blood-letting, and Book Signing. You can share outfits with friends or send your outfits to the main Cloth site so the entire world can see how you look (which, I suspect, is the real point here, let’s be honest). The app also includes badges and awards for sharing your outfits. It’s available now and costs $1.99. But, as they say on the TV, you’re worth it. Former TC writer Seth Porges created the app with his model/fashionista/technologist girlfriend Wray Serna. Both Porges and Serna are very well-dressed so I can only assume this will help you be like them. Considering my “outfit” today consists of shorts, flip-flops, and a Goonies baseball jersey, I suspect I could use their assistance.
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| New “Android Training” Program Helps Developers Make Better Apps Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:06 AM PST  Listen up, Android developers: if you’re spinning your wheels on a particular project, or are just looking for some new best practices, Google’s Android team may have exactly what you need. The team has just recently rolled out a new beta initiative called Android Training, which as you may be able to tell from the name, is meant to teach developers how to create better apps. The new (and free!) program spans a number of topics, from monetizing an app to optimizing a device’s battery life to developing apps for an enterprise. The list goes on, and each “class” goes into pretty considerable depth, so there’s plenty of meat for developers to dig into. To wit: developers looking to up their game can pore over the program’s many articles, tutorials, and sample code snippets for just the inspiration they need to make their new (or existing) app a winner. It’s still early days for Android Training, and the team hopes to expand the program’s scope to include new topics and courses over the next few months. In the meantime though, developers can jump into the program now to see what they could be doing better.
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| The Echo Nest To Power New Spotify Radio (Which Begins Rolling Out Today) Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:00 AM PST  For a long time now, Spotify has had its own Radio experience, but, to be honest, it hasn’t been very good. Then, last week, the Swedish-turned-America music service announced that it was redesigning its radio experience from the ground up, offering unlimited stations and unlimited “skips”. And it’s no mistake that, during his presentation of the new Spotify Radio, CEO Daniel Ek happened to compare his app to Pandora. Since its IPO, Pandora has been on a kick, but Spotify is doing everything it can to continue nipping at its heels and has added 7 million new users since integrating with Facebook at f8. At the end of November, Spotify hosted its first big American event, announcing a “new direction” for the service. A big part of this is Spotify’s new platform for third party developers, who are now able to integrate Spotify’s massive collection of music into their own apps. And today, Spotify will begin officially rolling out “Radio” to its users on top of its new app platform. But, what Spotify hasn’t been talking about until today is what kind of technology is powering its awesome redesigned Radio functionality. Enter: The Echo Nest, a music intelligence startup whose technology powers many music apps from media companies and independent developers. The Echo Nest is now providing its music intelligence technology to power intelligent radio and radio playlisting within the new Spotify Radio app as it rolls out today across the country. Given The Echo Nest’s relationship with app developers and record labels (it recently partnered with EMI to open its catalog to app developers), this relationship makes a lot of sense. The Echo Nest will now essentially be powering Spotify Radio, allowing users to create personalized radio stations based around songs or artists in Spotify’s roster of over 15 million tracks. Partnering with The Echo Nest allows Spotify to enable users to build playlists dynamically around any song or artist for a far deeper radio experience than Spotify has offered previously. As The Echo Nest has one of the more sophisticated playlist engines out there, combining this playlist intelligence with Spotify’s huge catalog and deep social integration should definitely give Pandora pause. Users will be able to find Spotify Radio located within Spotify Apps, which will now be available to users of its free service as well as Unlimited and Premium Subscription users. For more, check out Spotify at home here or The Echo Nest at home here.
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| Samsung Releases Extended Battery Bundle (With Cover) For Your New Galaxy Nexus Posted: 16 Dec 2011 05:42 AM PST  The Galaxy Nexus is a beautiful phone, no doubt about it. That gorgeous 4.65-inch Super AMOLED Plus display paired with LTE support and a fresh build of ICS thrown in there for good measure is about as good as it gets. But the same things that make this phone great — its massive screen and LTE radio — are also the things that will leave you screaming at it at 4p.m. on a Thursday, when it’s completely dead. But Samsung has prepared for this, launching an extended battery pack/cover bundle specifically for the Galaxy Nexus. It includes a Lithium Ion Extended Battery Cover, which is meant to offer extra coverage for your battery. A 2100 mAh extended battery is also included in the bundle. Getting a battery life solution out to the masses early is a smart move by Samsung. Some of the biggest complaints about phones these days tend to revolve around battery life, especially when LTE is in the mix. The bundle costs $49.99 and is available now.
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| EA Releases The Sims FreePlay For The iPhones And iPad Posted: 16 Dec 2011 05:24 AM PST  Get ready to set your house on fire! The Sims are back and are awaiting their invisible leader — you. Players have full control over a number of Sim characters just like The Sims of old. As the omnipotent creator, gamers have the ability to cause Sims to fall in love, live their life and watch them go to the bathroom. For free! No word on a naked cheat code, though. The FreePlay app allows for 16 different Sims with 1,200 customization options for their domicile including a select number of pets. With The Sims FreePlay, EA is slowly expanding its mobile portfolio by dipping into its library of blockbuster hits. "The Sims FreePlay app is a huge step forward in our mobile strategy," said Bernard Kim, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for EA Interactive stated in a released statement. "We've taken a franchise that is a best-selling brand in nearly every major video game market worldwide, optimized it for iPad and made it free for all iOS users. That opens the door for our mobile business to continue to grow while immersing new fans in a brand as wildly popular as The Sims." The Sims FreePlay is currently in the App Store and available for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.
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