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The Mobile App Market To Be Worth $27 Billion In 2013 As Tablet Revenue Grows - ABI Research
Just One Small Problem With Smart Watches: They’re All Terrible
Barnes & Noble Bails Out Of Tablet Business
GoBank Ready for the Masses: Bank Account Now Available on Mobile Phones Nationwide
TopXNotes touch for iOS Free During MacZOT Sale
Belkin Introduces Air Protect Case to Provide Reliable, Cart-Compatible iPad Protection for Students
View All Your Social Media In One Place with Free Socialblend for iOS
The Mobile App Market To Be Worth $27 Billion In 2013 As Tablet Revenue Grows - ABI Research
ABI Research projects the mobile app market will value at $27 billion in 2013, as mobile apps continue to be a critical factor in the battle between the mobile OS contenders. BlackBerry and Windows are slowly augmenting their apps catalogue as they compete for the 3rd ecosystem slot, but remain far behind Apple and Android.
"iOS continues to lead the way, and the OS is projected to generate over two-thirds of the revenues for smartphone and tablet apps in 2013," says senior analyst Josh Flood. "Although Google's Android OS recently surpassed Apple in terms of total app numbers, iOS users continue to prove they're more willing to depart with their cash. The revenue gap between the two leading OSes looks unlikely to close over the next 18 months."
An interesting aspect of the mobile app market is revenues generated by smartphones versus tablets. Thus far, app revenues generated from smartphones have significantly dwarfed app revenues from tablets. However, tablet revenues are quickly catching up and it is projected that tablet app revenues will overtake those generated by smartphones by 2017. The inclination is for tablet users to pay more for apps than smartphone users, with the larger screen size and better user experience for gaming and reading being the primary drivers.
These findings are part of ABI Research's Mobile OS, Browsers and Applications Research Service (http://www.abiresearch.com/research/service/mobile-applications/). The Market Data product presents ABI Research's forecasts on the amount of revenue generated by native mobile applications and device types for all the major regions and key countries. The revenue sources considered are: pay-per download (provided separately for books); subscription; in-app purchase; and in-app advertising.
For more information visit:
http://www.abiresearch.com
Just One Small Problem With Smart Watches: They’re All Terrible
Quartz's Christopher Mims says that more than ever, smart watches are looking like MP3 music players before Apple unveiled the iPod and began a lineage of mobile computing that would eventually turn the world of personal computing upside down, with shortcomings of current smart watches being manifold, ranging from inadequate battery life (think of charging your watch daily, like your smartphone) to low-resolution screens, and a lack of third-party apps.
Ergo, smart watches have yet to have their iPod or iPhone moment, which Mims says leaves the field wide open for Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft, all of which are reportedly working on smart watches.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://goo.gl/G3x8i
Barnes & Noble Bails Out Of Tablet Business
Forbes' Jeremy Greenfield reports that Barnes & Noble announced on Tuesday in its fourth quarter and full-year earnings release that it will no longer be producing Nook tablet devices, and will henceforth focus on a partnership model where it distributes its content through apps on other manufacturers' devices and on e-readers.
For the full report visit here:
http://goo.gl/V257Q
GoBank Ready for the Masses: Bank Account Now Available on Mobile Phones Nationwide
Ushering in the next generation of consumer banking, Green Dot Corporations GoBank has announced it is open for general availability. Since January, GoBank has been an invite-only service for beta members. A GoBank account is an FDIC-insured bank account that is specially built for the smartphone generationdesigned from the ground up to be opened and used on a mobile device.
Beginning immediately, anyone can sign up for GoBank on the app for iPhone or iPod Touch (available for download from the Apple App Store) or at GoBank.com (by clicking or tapping JOIN). GoBank is one of the few banks that let users sign up for an account right from a mobile app.
"Creating GoBank, the world's first bank account designed to be used entirely from a mobile device, has been a labor of passion for everyone involved in the project. GoBank seeks to reinvent the traditional checking account in two key ways. Firstly, GoBank is a feat of technology that brings traditional bank accounts into the era of the app. Secondly, GoBank is a feat of consumerism that offers consumers a wide array of features and services with fair, simple and transparent pricing. Were very proud of the product and are hopeful that consumers will be attracted to GoBanks high tech/low price proposition," says Steve Streit, founder and CEO of Green Dot Corporation (GoBank's parent company).
National Promotions
GoBank has formed a national partnership with MetroPCS to distribute the GoBank mobile application across MetroPCSs compatible Android device portfolio.
Also, leading up to July 4, GoBank will begin in-store promotions for GoBank. Rite Aid promotions are the first to launch, shortly followed by Barnes & Noble College bookstores and other previously announced retailers. Store partners will feature information on GoBank that includes an offer for a free custom GoBank debit card with the members choice of photo (a $9 value).
Digital Distribution and Marketing
To generate high-impact consumer buzz, GoBank will also be featured as the official financial sponsor on the upcoming 12th season of Lifetimes Project Runway, premiering July 18. Throughout the season, contestants will utilize GoBank accounts showcasing the slide for balance feature, Fortune Teller, debit cards and person-to-person money transfers.
Additionally, GoBank will be digitally distributed by a number of companies, including WePay, Check, Tango Card and Rewardable.
GoBank's MAin Features
- Massive ATM Network: With one tap, members can locate fee-free ATMs in their immediate area among the GoBank network of more than 42,000 locations nationwide.
- We Work for Tips: GoBank puts the power in the hands of its members, offering a pay what you want model, where members can elect to pay anywhere from $0 to $9 for their monthly membership fee (like a monthly tip). GoBank members get all of the same account features regardless of the amount they decide to pay GoBank every month. The other fees on the account are limited to a 3% foreign transaction fee, out-of-network ATM fees ($2.50 for a withdrawal and $1 for a balance inquiry), and if the member wants to customize their debit card or order a replacement custom card, it costs $9.
- No Overdraft or Penalty Fees: GoBank has no overdraft fees and no minimum balance. The full overview of its simple fees can be found at GoBank.com/NoWorries.
- Peek at Your Balance Without Logging In: The #1 reason a person logs into their bank account is to check their balance. GoBank allows members to use Slide for Balance on the apps login screen to take at peek at their available balance without logging in (members opt into this feature).
- Advice on Spending from the Fortune Teller (TM): Remember that time you won the lottery? I dont either. This is a response a member might see from GoBanks Fortune Teller if they try to spend beyond their budget. Fortune Teller cross-checks the price of an item with the members integrated GoBank budget, and if they cant afford it theyll be advised in real-time to pass on the purchase.
- Send Money Instantly: Members can instantly send money at no charge via email or text message. If money is sent to a non-GoBanker, the person has the option to open a GoBank account or move the money out to PayPal.
- Quick Account Set-Up: Compared to typically long processes associated with opening a traditional bank account, setting up a GoBank account can take just minutes. This includes the time it takes to create an optional custom Visa debit card with a members own photo.
- Check / Payroll Deposit: GoBank has a variety of ways to deposit money into the account. Members can deposit checks by snapping a photo through the app. Direct deposit is available for paychecks, federal benefits or tax returns.
- Adding Cash: GoBank members can add cash to their account at over 3,900 locations nationwide, by swiping their debit card.
- Mobile Checkbook and Bill Pay: Members can pay any company or any person online or on their phone, and GoBank will mail a paper check to any recipient that doesnt accept e-payments.
- Money Vault: The Money Vault is an integrated bank account, with deposits insured by the FDIC, where members can easily put money away for savings. In real time, members can move money in and out for free.
- Robust Account Alerts: Members can fine-tune a wide range of notifications about their money to fit their needs with alerts about specific transactions, as well as overall account updates.
With GoBank, members have full access and control of their money from their iPhone, iPod Touch or Android device, and can withdraw cash from more than 42,000 fee-free ATMs in the U.S. People can sign up for a GoBank account at GoBank.com and via app from the Apple App Store and Google Play. In March, GoBank was named a Gold Winner for 2013 PYMNTS Innovator Awards. For more information about GoBank, visit:
http://GoBank.com
You can also visit:
http://facebook.com/GoBankUS
or
http://twitter.com/GoBank
TopXNotes touch for iOS Free During MacZOT Sale
Tropical Software has announced its TopXNotes touch is available in a MacZOT, 3-Day Sale. TopXNotes is an award-winning, full-featured personal information manager. TopXNotes is available for 50% off its regular retail price through midnight PDT, Wednesday, June 26, 2013 for this exclusive promotion. During this promotion, TopXNotes touch is free in the iOS App store or through iTunes.
TopXNotes is a very popular full-featured personal note manager. Create, view, organize, secure, and instantly access your Mac notes with TopXNotes. You can organize your Mac's information and encrypt sensitive information in the same product with TopXNotes. You can also send your notes to your Apple touch device or Classic iPod for quick reference when you are away from your computer. If you need a simple, easy to learn, easy to use personal information and task manager, you will like TopXNotes.
With versatile, easy to learn and easy to use TopXNotes you can:
(*) Create notes easily with drag and drop, by typing, or importing existing text
(*) Access frequently used notes instantly no matter what you are doing with exclusive QuickNotes(TM)
(*) View notes in multiple ways with our exclusive MultiView(TM) feature
(*) Organize your important information with Categories and Groups
(*) Secure critical information from prying eyes with our unique encryption process
(*) Sync to TopXNotes touch for iPhone and iPod touch
TopXNotes was recently awarded 4 out of 5 mice in a full review by Macworld 5 and stars by Macworld UK who stated, "There are tons of note-taking apps for the Mac. The QuickNotes feature is a good reason to pick this over the rest."
TopXNotes was previously awarded 4 out of 5 mice by Macworld magazine in their "Summer of Mac Gems" series of reviews, by Macworld Australia, and recently by Macworld UK.
TopXNotes was 9 of 10 by Macsimum News (now part of MacTech), and highly rated by the Macintosh Guild and Mac360. Macworld praised TopXNote's "clean, single window interface that puts controls for highlighting and marking up your text right at your fingertips," as well as for its "killer" QuickNotes feature.
Device Requirements:
(*) iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
(*) Requires iOS 4.3 or later
(*) 10.8 MB
TopXNotes touch is available for 50% off its regular retail price through midnight PDT, Wednesday, June 26, 2013 for this exclusive promotion, from MacZOT online. During this promotion, TopXNotes touch 1.2.3 is free in the iOS App Store in the Productivity category.
TopXNotes:
http://www.tropic4.com/topxnotes.html
Apple App Store:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/topxnotes/id368084877
Purchase TopXNotes from MacZOT:
http://www.maczot.com
Download Free Trial (zip):
http://www.tropic4.com/download/TopXNotes.zip
Facebook Profile:
https://www.facebook.com/TopxNotes?ref=hl
LinkedIn Profile:
http://www.linkedin.com/company/1783255?trk=tyah
Twitter Profile:
https://twitter.com/macnotesguy/statuses/209773818691072000
Trackback URL:
http://goo.gl/80cmD
Belkin Introduces Air Protect Case to Provide Reliable, Cart-Compatible iPad Protection for Students
Belkin has announced the introduction of its newest product for the education market, the Belkin Air Protect Case for iPads. The Belkin Air Protect Case uses ultra-protective, closed-cell foam that dissipates and absorbs shock to provide reliable, cart-compatible iPad protection without unnecessary bulk or weight.
Apple iPads are important, effective learning tools in many modern classrooms that often represent a significant investment of limited school resources. Transporting iPads between classrooms, added to the daily wear and tear by enthusiastic students, puts the devices at risk. The Belkin Air Protect Case offers a practical, affordable solution that provides complete coverage for the edges, bezel, and back of the iPad, effectively protecting it from bumps and short drops. The Air Protect Case passed U.S. Military Drop Testing requirements (Independently tested to meet the conditions outlined in the U.S. Department of Defense MIL STD 810G, Method 516-6, Procedure IV – transit drop).
The kid-friendly, ergonomic design is comfortable for small hands, and the thin profile fits most charging carts. Its the perfect way to optimize technology in the classroom while protecting the schools iPad investment.
The new case is available in two sizes for the iPad 2/3/4, and the iPad Mini. It is also available in three colors: black, green, and blue. Other key features of the Belkin Air Protect Case include:
((*))Lightweight and ultra-protective
((*))Closed-cell foam and innovative air pocket design
((*))Full edge, bezel, and back coverage
((*))Hassle-free assembly, perfect for large iPad deployments
((*))Open ports and buttons facilitate easy device management and usability
((*))Front-facing speaker channel directs sound toward the user, not the back of the iPad
The Belkin Air Protect Case uses the same lightweight, high-grade material that is found in shock-absorbing running shoe in-soles and protective athletic helmets, said Jon Roepke, senior product manager, Business Division, Belkin International. The kid-friendly, ergonomic design is comfortable for small hands, and the thin profile fits most charging carts. Its the perfect way to optimize technology in the classroom while protecting the schools iPad investment.
For a video demonstration of the Belkin Air Protect Case, visit:
http://youtu.be/5NMdlUeITdI
General Availability of Belkin Store and Charge, Tablet Stage and Stage App
In addition to the new case, Belkin also announced the general availability of its recently announced Store and Charge mobile device management system for K-12 education environments, and Tablet Stage and Stage App that combines the convenience of a document camera with the power of an interactive whiteboard. Store and Charge offers an elegant, accessible, and affordable mobile device management solution designed to optimize digital learning. With the ability to store and charge up 10 devices simultaneously, the station makes it easy to keep tablets, thin and light laptops, and e-readers organized, available, fully charged, and ready for classroom use.
The Belkin Stage App for iPad enables educators to sketch and annotate over live video for engaging tutorials. The Tablet Stage is an ergonomic stand for tablets that makes classroom presentations easy to deliver. The result is cost-effective, connected learning that boosts student success.
Belkin offers a range of solutions designed to enrich the educator and student experience with technology in the modern classroom. Belkin will showcase the Belkin Air Protect Case, Store and Charge Mobile Device Management System, and Tablet Stage and App at ISTE 2013 in San Antonio, Texas, June 23-26.
ISTEs Annual Conference and Exposition is hosted by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). ISTE is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in advancing excellence in learning and teaching through innovative and effective uses of technology. ISTE members include individuals, regional and international affiliate organizations, and corporations. With its affiliate network, ISTE represents more than 100,000 education leaders throughout the world.
Belkins products for education will be available for demonstration at ISTE booth #5247.
For more information, visit:
http://www.belkin.com
View All Your Social Media In One Place with Free Socialblend for iOS
Fling Soft has announced the availability of Socialblend for the iPhone and iPod touch. Socialblend provides a single unified view into all of your social media services including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.
Socialblend is a free application for the iPhone and iPod touch that was built out of a need felt by its own development team, friends, and family. "I found myself waking up everyday and opening 3 to 4 different apps to interact with my connection's photos and then I realized I wasn't the only one", says Mike Dewey, Fling Soft's Head of Creative. "We started concepting and realized that unifying these services led to this very visual discovery of media you might have otherwise missed. Its simplicity is really what makes the concept so powerful."
Socialblend allows you to connect your social services and then displays your media from these services in a single simple timeline view. You can tap to enlarge a photo and pinch to zoom or if its a video simply tap the play button to start watching. Within the timeline you can double tap to like photos and videos and touching the Like or Comment icons will allow you to read additional comments or post your own comment. These actions are then posted directly back to those services without any additional steps. Also, using an icon in the top left you can call a slide-out where you can selectively choose which services you would like to see, allowing you to fully customize the timeline.
Socialblend is also rapidly adding new services. "We are already working on additional filtering features and on the services side we will quickly be adding Flickr, Vimeo, and more" says Jay Mantri, Fling Soft's Head of Business. "Our goal is to allow users to interact with as much of their social world as possible from a single location, we have almost 20 different services in our roadmap".
More than just being a simple seamless user experience, Socialblend is really a unified social media platform built on multiple levels of API integration with all the various services in market. "We feel we have developed a foundation for unifying users' social media and we can only grow it from here", says Jeremy Krall, Fling Soft's Head of Technology. "This first iteration has many of the everyday features user's expect such as Liking and Commenting, but we are already beginning to create layers that will allow even greater unification and powerful interactive filters for various services."
Launch Contest:
To celebrate the launch of Socialblend, the team is giving away an iPad Mini to one lucky user! Simply visit us online and then download the app, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter. In 30 days, we will select a lucky winner to receive a free iPad Mini!
Socialblend allows you to manage all of your social media from a single unified timeline. Users can like and comment directly on their media just like they do currently and it posts directly back to the corresponding service. Simply connect the services you would like to use and Socialblend does the rest.
Device Requirements:
(*) iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch and iPad
(*) Requires iOS 6.0 or later
(*) 4.3 MB
Socialblend 1.0.1 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Social Networking category.
Socialblend 1.0.1:
http://www.getsocialblend.com
Download From iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/socialblend/id653717317
iPad Mini Giveaway:
http://www.getsocialblend.com/giveaway/
Facebook Profile:
http://facebook.com/socialblendapp
LinkedIn Profile:
http://www.linkedin.com/company/976448
Twitter Profile:
http://twitter.com/socialblendapp
Trackback URL:
http://goo.gl/TbWyI
Tags: News ď Tech-Industry ď iPhone ď iPhone News ď
