Google launches in-app subscriptions on Google Play
For developers building mobile and tablet apps, in-app billing is an indispensable monetization tool.
After all, it's often easier and more profitable to give an app away for free and then charge for extra features. This is particularly true for gaming apps.
But there's another monetization tool that many developers, particularly those building content-rich apps, have been eying: in-app subscriptions.
Yahoo builds a browser, and people actually like it
Yahoo has made a lot of big mistakes over the years, and today it finds itself in the fight of its life to stay relevant on the modern web.
The big questions: what can Yahoo do to recapture some of its past glory, if anything at all?
One possible answer is so obvious that nobody thought of it earlier: build a browser.
Online shoe fitting app reduces returns by 23%
An app which allows customers to find more accurate information about the shoe size they need to order has managed to reduce fit-related returns rates by 23%
US retailer Running Warehouse has been using the Shoefitr app on its product pages since 2010, and the tool has been very popular with consumers.
By reducing fit-related returns, the app has enabled Running Warehouse to increase its profit margins by 2.5%.
Facebook's App Center: the exciting bit is mobile
Last week Facebook announced that it would be creating its own version of an app store, aptly called the App Center.
Facebook software engineer Aaron Brady made the announcement via the company’s blog, explaining that: “In the coming weeks, people will be able to access the App Center on the web and in the iOS and Android Facebook apps”.
This will create a central place to find apps that use Facebook Open Graph, from Facebook.com or within the two most-popular mobile apps.
Facebook launches its own app store
Facebook has built a multi-billion dollar ecosystem with its application platform, but much of the growth of that platform has been driven by social games created by companies like Zynga.
In an effort to help the 900m-plus Facebook users discover apps of all shapes and sizes, and create new monetization opportunities for app developers, Facebook yesterday announced the launch of its own app store, the App Center.
Angry Birds Space becomes fastest-growing mobile game ever
While nobody can deny the massive popularity of Rovio's Angry Birds franchise, there are plenty of skeptics who question whether Rovio's cash cow will remain popular forever.
And for good reason: in today's fast-paced and highly-competitive gaming market, which now includes millions of social and casual 'gamers', producing hits is difficult but keeping them hits is often even more difficult.
Robert Scoble's nine hottest tech companies
We’ve all heard of Google Goggles and self-driving cars, but will these futuristic inventions actually become part of our lives or are they just a nice idea like the jetpacks we were all promised?
Blogger and startup enthusiast Robert Scoble passionately believes they will become part of our everyday lives, and what's more he has a good idea of how we will make use of them.
During a speech at TNW 2012 Scoble gave a fast paced run through of his favourite tech companies, and here’s a few of the highlights.
Box, Microsoft fight back against Google Drive
After years of waiting, Google finally launched Google Drive this week.
Naturally, Google's entry into the online storage market raised questions about some of the companies that have established themselves in the space, such as Dropbox. Will Google make it harder for them to grow and thrive, or will it fail to gain traction?
The five Cs of connected TV
When two very different industries like traditional broadcast television and digital collide, it’s difficult to ignore the implications on both sides.
While analysts predict that 60% of households will be watching internet TV by 2014 and many companies are trying to capitalise on shifting viewing habits, the connected TV market is still in a nascent stage.
To coincide with the recent release of Econsultancy’s Connected TV Smart Pack, we’ve identified five key elements of this emerging ecosystem that any marketer needs to be aware of.
These are what we call the five Cs of connected TV...
Is your mobile app better than your website?
The apps versus mobile websites debate isn't going away any time soon.
It's not an either-or proposition, and companies that get too focused on picking a winner may lose sight of more interesting and important subjects that apps and the mobile web have created.
