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Posted by on May 17, 2013 in Android News, Apps, iOS Updates, Mobile | 0 comments

FTC Begins Sending COPPA Letters to App Developers

FTC Begins Sending COPPA Letters to App Developers

The US FTC has begun sending out letters (two) to app developers in attempt to ‘prepare’ them for changes to the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act taking effect on July 1st. The letter warns on several topics, one of which is the: restrictions on collecting the personal data from kids under 13.  As well as now covering things like video or audio bearing a “child’s likeness”. Currently, regulations only cover the gathering of information such as: names, addresses, and phone numbers. The FTC went on to further elaborate: “The revised COPPA Rule requires all developers of apps that are directed to children under 13 — or that knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 — to post accurate privacy policies, provide notice, and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing any ‘personal information’ from children,” The only parties currently exempt from the impending changes are the app platforms: Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows 8, and Blackberry World which tend to hav etheir own ‘self-appointed’ privacy...

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Posted by on May 17, 2013 in Apple | 0 comments

Apple to Open New San Francisco Store in Union Square

Apple to Open New San Francisco Store in Union Square

While this is hardly news I care to write about at all, I only am because I just went to the Apple Store on Stockton and Ellis last Saturday and am likely going to GO BACK because my freaking’ iPhone 5 power button is broken (thanks Apple). Evidently they’re going to have to swap the whole device, got it covered so no biggy. First spotted by AllThingsD, Apple said in a statement: “We’re thrilled to be working with the city of San Francisco on a new Apple retail store at Union Square…. Our store on Stockton Street has welcomed over 13 million customers since it opened nine years ago, and we look forward to serving them in an amazing new location when this project is complete.” The new building is said to give Apple 45% more space than its current location, will add about 50 jobs (on-top of its current 350 employees), and look cooler.   Judging by the renders, Apple is looking to move forward with a more modern...

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Posted by on May 17, 2013 in Apple, iOS Updates | 0 comments

iOS Devices Approved for Use on US Military Networks

iOS Devices Approved for Use on US Military Networks

Spotted earlier by 9to5 who has been following reports all month on the Department of Defense and the process of approving iOS 6 for “non-classified communications and widespread use by government agencies,”. Today Apple has been officially granted approval. One thing that can’t help but cross my mind is: “Isn’t iOS 7 just around the corner? I mean, if it took them this long to get it approved and now it’s already out dated..” While both Samsung and Blackberry have been approved for some time it was in February that the US Defense Department confirmed its plans to open up their network to 100,000 new devices from both Apple and Google. At the the time, the Pentagon’s network consisted of about: 470K Blackberrys, 41K Apple products, and 8.7K Android devices. There was however a large shift from Blackberry to iPhones over just this last year, and surely many more to come as of this...

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Posted by on May 17, 2013 in Mobile | 0 comments

Juniper Predicts 2 Billion+ Mobile Viewers by 2017

Juniper Predicts 2 Billion+ Mobile Viewers by 2017

As the insatiable appetite for video and mobile continues to grow, this comes as no big surprise seeing as devices are becoming faster and have better displays than what they just a couple years ago. With that being said, Juniper Research predicts that over 2 billion mobile and tablet users will watch TV and video content from their devices globally by 2017. From the looks of things, Western Europe is set to account for the majority of users and account for over 1/5th of the global user base in 2017. The data reinforces news that users are becoming more fond of devices with larger screens, with 4.5-inches as the preferred size. Juniper’s own Siân Rowlands had this to say: “We are now seeing companies such as YouTube trialing paid channels to get a slice of the marketplace. This will have incredible repercussions throughout the mobile space given YouTube comes pre-installed on an immense number of devices and the Android platform’s billing options.” Juniper notes that they are unsure whether...

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Posted by on May 16, 2013 in Android News, Apple, Apps, Mobile | 0 comments

Not So BREAKING News – Apple Hits 50 Billion App Downloads (first day of I/O Conference) Google Hits 48 Billion w/ 900 Million Activations.

Not So BREAKING News – Apple Hits 50 Billion App Downloads (first day of I/O Conference) Google Hits 48 Billion w/ 900 Million Activations.

Yesterday Google Announced it had reached 900 Million activation  Up 400 million from this time last year. Earlier this year Eric Schmidt even said: “we’re seeing around 1M android activation’s a day“. As a result of these activation’s there has been over 48 Billion app installs for developers who use Google Play. Working hard to sway developers to choose Google Play as their first OS over iOS, we’ll see if this in addition to their new Play Games Services will do the trick. Android and Chrome Lead Sundar Pichai said: “Android started with a simple goal to bring open standards to the world. Today, it is the most popular mobile operating system in the world.” The company was also quick to make clear that there are 7 billion people in the world, so they have a long way to go as far as installations are concerned. These last couple days have been very good for Google, particularly in terms of their stock which was at around $915 in after-hours trading yesterday, up from $835 before the...

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Posted by on May 16, 2013 in Android News, Apps, Mobile | 0 comments

Google Finally Gets a Gaming Center (Google Play Game Services)

Google Finally Gets a Gaming Center (Google Play Game Services)

Yesterday at Google’s I/O Conference Google announced it’s new Play Games Service API, which will allow game developers to save game states and sync them between different machines. Surprisingly, the service will also be available for iOS Developers (in addition to Google Play). Google made sure to mention that the game will have the usual ‘achievements, leaderboards, and multiplayer services’ that developers have come to ‘expect’ from ‘similar services’ (Game Center). With the new API already being rolled out, Google says: “it will allow for real cross-platform gaming experiences and ensure that users can easily switch between their phones and tablets without losing their game states.” Th multiplayer aspect of the service will serve primarily as a ‘matchmaking feature’ but also attempt to connect you with your friends on Google+. As of now, these are the 11 games I found that are already using the API. World of Goo Super Stickman Golf 2 Riptide GP Shine Runner Beach Buggy Blitz Osmos HD Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour Townsmen Farm...

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Posted by on May 16, 2013 in Apps, Mobile | 0 comments

Rovio Announces: Rovio Stars

Rovio Announces: Rovio Stars

Just when you thought that Angry Birds – Walking Dead was right around the corner, the company Rovio (notorious for creating Angry Birds) has made an interesting move where it will be featuring third-party titles in its own line-up. As stated no the company’s blog: “We want to help the developers to give these games that last coat of polish, publish the games and find their audience,” said Rovio’s Director of Development Kalle Kaivola. “We’re focusing on a small, select number of games, and each Rovio Stars launch will be an event of its own.” This means that Rovio will actually be assisting its partners as they’re finalizing their game and in post-production. The company is said to be on a lookout for titles in “an advanced stage of production” meaning, has a working demo. Additionally, Rovio adds that it will mentor developers to “turn their games into blockbusters,” on top of marketing for them, PR, and distribution related assistance. If you’re a developer looking to jump on-board and become one of ‘Rovios Stars’ then you...

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