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Fam lets you do group videochats directly within iMessage
In my opinion, one of FaceTime’s major flaws is the lack of group video chat. Sure, apps like Skype, ooVoo and now Messenger let you do group video chats, but it’s just not as seamless as FaceTime. And while Houseparty has also recently entered the group video chat race, they are focused more on providing a shared space for all of your friends to pop in and out of a video… Read More
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The new Microsoft under Satya Nadella is still looking good on Wall Street
Almost three years ago, Microsoft named Satya Nadella as its CEO. Since then, Microsoft has reversed its fortunes and returned to being a growth stock after stagnating for nearly a decade — and 2016 was not an exception to that. Indeed, as Microsoft continued its transition to cloud-based services and adopting multiple platforms, as well as taking big bets like buying LinkedIn for… Read More
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Duolingo gets social
Duolingo, the popular language learning app, has long made learning a new language accessible to anybody with a computer or smartphone. Unlike being in a traditional class environment, though, using Duolingo was always a rather lonely experience. The company, whose app has now been used by over 150 million people, realized as much and today, with the launch of Duolingo Language Clubs… Read More
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You can now register to find out when Super Mario Run hits Android
Nintendo gave Apple a timed exclusive with Super Mario Run, but ‘timed’ means that it was bound to arrive on Android sooner or later. Now, Android users can register in the Google Play Store to get notified when it is actually available, much like iOS users could prior to the game’s launch on Apple’s mobile devices. The Play Store entry for Super Mario Run features a… Read More
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Twitter introduces 360-degree video live streaming
Twitter is taking another step into getting into live video by introducing 360-degree live streams through Periscope. Anyone on Twitter and Periscope can watch 360-degree live video, though currently only select partners can go live in 360 via Periscope, the company announced in a blog post. While it’s only available for a limited number of partners for now, it makes sense that Twitter… Read More
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Oculus acquires eye-tracking startup The Eye Tribe
The direction you look could one day control your VR or mobile experience thanks to Facebook and Oculus’ latest buy, The Eye Tribe. Oculus confirms to me that this is an official acquisition. The startup has developed a $99 eye tracking device developer kits for computers, and software that can bring gaze-based interfaces to smartphones and potentially virtual reality headsets. The Eye… Read More
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Facebook & Google dominate the list of 2016’s top apps
Mobile applications from Facebook and Google dominated the new list of the year’s top apps released today by Nielsen. Not surprisingly, Facebook again grabbed the number one spot on the list, with more than 146 million average unique users per month, and 14 percent growth over last year. In fact, Facebook scored several spots on the top 10 chart, thanks to Messenger (#2) and Instagram… Read More
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Volkswagen purchases PayByPhone for parking
PayByPhone, the app that lets you pay for parking (and parking tickets) with a smartphone, has been acquired by Volkswagen Financial Services. PayByPhone is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and operates in Canada, the US, France, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Australia. In 2016, company processed $250 million in parking payments from 12.5 million users. Volkswagen Financial Services… Read More
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Fitbit gets another holiday bump and much-needed breathing room
The holidays have come and gone and — as usual — Fitbit got a bit of a lifeline. Once again, everyone is buying Fitbits for gifts. We won’t know exactly how many, but if you just take a quick look at the download charts, Fitbit hit the top of the App Store (even in the presence of the gargantuan promotions of Super Mario Run). In fact, it looks like it’s a pretty… Read More
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Crunch Network
How to grow your app
The app ecosystem is strong and growing. By 2020, App Store consumer spend is supposed to exceed 100 billion dollars. Mobile now represents 65 percent of digital media time; 86 percent of this time on phones is spent in apps. Building a mobile app is building the most frequently used digital property type on the most frequently used digital device. Sounds like a solid place to start a business. Read More
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Cyanogen failed to kill Android, now it is shuttering its services and OS as part of a pivot
It’s been a rocky few months for Cyanogen, the ambitious startup that aimed to build a better version of Android than Google. It has laid off staff, let go of its CEO and parted ways with another co-founder — now it is shutting down its services and nightly software builds on December 31. Read More
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After Super Mario Run, Nintendo plans 2 or 3 new mobile games per year
Super Mario Run may have its detractors, but it’s also managed to rack up nearly 10 million downloads per day in its App Store debut, officially topping 50 million downloads as of Friday. Those numbers, combined with its early revenue generating power, have Nintendo still keen on exploring more in mobile, with plans to release around two or three new mobile games per year beyond… Read More
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Now Snapchat has “Filter Games”
Snapchat wants you to play with your face, not just take pictures of it. New Selfie Lens filter games are starting to appear to users, creating an addicting new Snapchat feature that also inspires competition between friends and could become a powerful ad revenue driver. Snapchat confirms this is the launch of a new, native games feature. Back in March, Snapchat tested a limited run of a… Read More
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Glu Mobile acquires QuizUp in deal valued at $7.5 million
The developers of popular celeb-themed games including Kim Kardashian: Hollywood and Nicki Minaj: The Empire, Glu Mobile, acquired Plain Vanilla Corp., and its mobile social trivia game QuizUp this week, according to an SEC filing. The deal was valued at $7.5 million, including forgiven debt, according to sources familiar with the deal. This is undoubtedly a disappointing fate for the… Read More
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Twitter overcharged video advertisers, issues refunds
Now it’s Twitter copying Facebook… but in the worst way. Following several embarrassing disclosures of inaccurate metrics by Facebook, today Business Insider’s Alex Heath broke news that Twitter overcharged some advertisers. Between November 7th and December 12th, a source tells BI that video ad buyers were overcharged up to 35 percent. Twitter apparently informed these… Read More
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Facebook kills off exact location sharing in Nearby Friends, adds “Wave”
Nearby Friends didn’t turn into the Foursquare-killer it could have been, but Facebook is still trying to help people meet up in person… with a few changes. Facebook has removed the precise location-sharing feature from Nearby Friends, which now only lets you opt-in to broadcasting your approximate distance from friends and current neighborhood. Unmapped Previously, you could select… Read More
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Uber lawsuit alleges employees were misled on equity compensation
An Uber employee has filed a lawsuit accusing the company of misleading employees about their equity compensation. Uber “devised a fraudulent scheme to recruit highly sought software engineers,” according to the case. The lawsuit claims that Uber promised a more tax favorable type of options at the time employees were hired and then later changed the plan. The… Read More
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Twitter didn’t fix itself in 2016 and Wall Street isn’t happy
Layoffs, a borked acquisition and continued tepid user growth defined Twitter in 2016. And these are all things that make Twitter’s future uncertain, which we know Wall Street does not like. Jack Dorsey’s one-year tenure as CEO was more or less defined by a continue decline in its stock price and, amid all its attempts to try and re-make the service and make it more palatable… Read More
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Pokémon Go arrives on the Apple Watch
Following an erroneous report claiming that Niantic’s plans to bring Pokémon Go to the Apple Watch were canceled, the company today put those rumors to rest with more than a mere statement: it has now launched the Apple Watch version of its popular game. The new smartwatch app lets you more easily play Pokémon without having to always pull out your phone. Instead, you can tap to… Read More
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