Google announced today at I/O that it is adding a new feature called Auto Awesome that combines photos together automatically to create new ones. It will link multiple images together to create a motion gif, for instance. Another feature will combine multiple images together where some people are smiling and others are not to craft one good one where everyone is. HDR processing is also an option, as is automatic panoramic images from ones taken side by side. These features are all completely automatic and done for you without any intervention. In fact, Gundotra says, Google has been going through your photos on Google+ and making a bunch of these for you automatically over the past few weeks. Keep up with all our Google I/O 2013 coverage
Read More...

Google on Wednesday announced an update to its Google Search app for Android, adding new features such as reminders, upcoming content, and real-time public transit. You can grab the new update now from Google Play. First up the Google app now lets you set reminders. This plays into the integrated Google Now functionality, except that instead of simply predicting what information to give you at a given time, you can teach it to what to remind you when. Amit Singhal, Google’s head of search, said reminders means you’ll get the updates you need “at the right place at the right time – whenever you need them.” That being said, Google is still adding some predictive features. The company has added Cards for upcoming books, albums, TV shows, and video games you may like. Curiously, movies is missing from this list, which is odd because of all these it would probably be the most useful. Last but certainly not least, Google now features real-time public transit updates right in the app. This is limited to certain cities, a list of which hasn’t been posted yet. Here’s the full changelog, which notes these features are only available for Android Jelly Bean: Reminders (e.g. say “remind me to buy milk this evening”, “remind me to take out the trash when I get home”). Upcoming books, music albums, tv shows and video games you may like. Real time public transit updates (select cities). Last train home (Japan only). Those last point two points are both features we want to see in as many places as possible. As a night owl, that last one would be particularly useful to me, especially when traveling. We’ve been checking to see if Google’s iOS app has been updated as well, but alas it has not. We’ll let you know when Apple users get these features too. See also – Google brings conversational voice search to desktop, along with Knowledge Graph statistics Top Image Credit: toprankblog / Flickr
Read More...

Google has today announced Hangouts, a new messaging service that replaces the numerous Google services that currently help you have real-time conversations with other users, such as Google Talk, Google Voice and Google+ Hangouts. It will launch on most major platforms later today, including iOS, Android and the Web. Hangouts is a new, standalone application, which Google says is about “conversations which last” and “with people that you love.” It’s a standalone app, which comes with its own icon both on Android and iOS. The home screen shows a list of conversations with profile photographs on the left-hand side and a ‘plus’ symbol at the top for starting a new message. There’s also a scroll bar down the let-hand side for what appears to be quick navigation throughout the app. Conversations can either be one-on-one or in larger groups; the new Hangouts app can do both. Hitting the aforementioned plus symbol brings up a new window, with a panel of six frequently used contacts. There’s also a list of secondary contacts below, followed by the option to set up either a text-based discussion or video call. As with many other apps, such as WhatsApp or even iMessage, conversations support multimedia content, including high-resolution photographs. The design leans heavily on the pale grey found in Google+ and the latest YouTube redesign, showing a renewed consistency from the company. Google says it wants the conversations carried out in the new Hangouts app to be long-lasting. A party from a month ago, a wedding from last year or even just a simple video call from last night; it’s all there. “Of course, we give you the ability to turn off history,” Google’s Vic Gundrota said on stage today at Google I/O 2013. “Of course we give you the ability to delete those things. But having the ability so save those conversations, I think is delightful and amazing.” People involved with the conversation appears as small, square icons at the bottom of the screen, which also expand as the user begins to type. While in a text-based conversation, it’s also possible to drop all the users into an instantaneous video chat by hitting the camcorder icon in the top right-hand corner. It’s also worth noting that notifications will be synced across accounts; so if you read a conversation on the Web, it’ll be changed accordingly on the Android app, and vice versa. Reports of a unified messaging service from Google have been circulating since March, when Geek.com suggested that it would be called ‘Babble’. Droid Life followed up with a report that it would in fact be called Babel, a name that stuck amongst Google-watchers’ speculation until Tech Radar reported last week that the service would go under the ‘Hangouts’ name and launch at I/O. Catch up with all our Google I/O 2013 news.
Read More...

At the Google I/O developers conference today in San Francisco, Google announced that Google+ would be getting 41 new features that affect the Stream, Hangouts and Photos sections. Google’s Vic Gundotra announced the new multi-column design for the Stream, which will go live today. The redesign features a bunch of clever animations and cards that look a lot like Google Now, with strong hints of Pinterest’s masonry-style layout. One of the new features is the ability to click on a photo to flip it over and view related photos under that same hashtag. I’m sure this will be popular for some, but it seems that it could lead to a lot of completely random stuff that will feel clever at first and overwhelming later. Gundotra says that you will be able to exempt your photos from the ‘related’ hashtag.  Google clarified that the new design is responsive and will adjust to screen sizes. In addition, this 3-column layout will make its way across devices. If you’re not a fan, Google will also allow you to view the stream in a single-column layout. You can follow all our coverage from Google I/O here.
Read More...

Today at its I/O event, Google announced Google Play for Education: A version of the Play store that is aimed and curated for young kids. Applications that are in the Play for Education store are sorted by age and genre. So, users can find math-based applications that are appropriate for their kindergartener, who wants to learn more math. However, what is most interesting about Play for Education is the ability for administrators to send out applications to their entire tablet fleet. So, if a school wants to send an app to their 200 Nexus 7 devices, they can do so, by simply inputting the group’s name. The app will be pushed out by Google. Also, given that schools don’t operate by giving individuals credit cards, app purchases can be charged against an account that a school has on file. More than apps are supported. In the Play for Education store, books and video will also be supported. In explaining the push into education, Google stated that educators that it spoke wanted it to manage the app distribution and sorting. Play for Education answers those demands. It is a space where the company intends to invest, according to Google. You can follow all our coverage from Google I/O here.
Read More...

Google has announced at I/O, its annual developer conference held in California, that everyone attending the first keynote this morning will receive a free Chromebook Pixel. Sundar Pichai, Google SVP of Chrome and Android, revealed the news on stage: “Our goal behind the Pixel was to literally to build the best laptop possible out there,” he said. “Do you have any idea why there’s one up on the screen and why I’m holding one in my hand?” At this point, the crowd goes into overdrive; it’s fair to say they knew what was coming next. “We are going to give each and every one of you a brand new Pixel – I’ve been told to say that it’s not ready until 2pm so please do’t leave int he middle of the keynote! But we’re very excited,” Pichai added. You can follow all our coverage from Google I/O here.
Read More...

Google likes the Samsung Galaxy S4 so much, it wants to spin its own “Nexus version” of it. Today at I/O 2013, Google demoed an S4 device, but with a stock version of the most recent build of the Android operating system. In short, everything Samsung did in terms of software has been scraped off. This new version of the S4 will be sold via Google Play for $649 starting June 26. The device will be unlocked, and compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile. It will have 16GB of internal memory, which is expandable via the the SD card slot, naturally. The unit will be bootloader-unlocked, something that brought cheers from the crowd here at the I/O event. Critically, the device will receive system updates “promptly,” according to Google. This is basically the Google Nexus Galaxy S4. In short, whether you are an Android developer or an Android enthusiast, and you want a device that has top-notch performance for work or for play, this version of the S4 may be it. The only real problem here is the price. For whatever reason, Google has decided that it will charge more for its version of the S4 than you can get Samsung’s flavor in store (almost everyone offers it for around $600, but still less than Google’s $649 price tag). This seems like an odd move to us. Then again, Google has yet to offer a Nexus phone that sells very well. Price is always a factor, as is country availability, not to mention supply problems (the Nexus 4 comes to mind in particular). It’s a bizarre strategy, but it seems like Google is more interested in seeming like it sells phones than actually selling phones. Follow our Google I/O 2013 coverage See also – Samsung Galaxy S4 gets Pentagon approval, breaking BlackBerry’s hold on the US government and AT&T is taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S4, $639 upfront or $199.99 on a two-year contract
Read More...

At its annual developer-focused I/O conference in California today, Google lifted the lid on a new testing service for Android app developers. The idea is that once you’ve already issued a successful, money-making app, you may want to trial new features within the app before launching it fully to the public. This is standard practice, but it can be a difficult process to implement. Now, within the developer console, there’s three tabs – one for alpha testing, beta testing and product. Through the Google Play Developer Console, developers can select a small test group from Google Groups and Google+ to alpha test the new app update, with subsequent feedback posted back to the developer rather than on Google Play, of course. The app is then escalated through beta and finally onto launch. When it’s time to push a production version of the app out, developers can select a percentage of users who will receive the update, and increase it from, say, 10% to 100% over time when they iron out any bugs. This is sure to prove a popular feature with Android developers, as it makes it much easier for them to test, iterate and launch without worrying about shipping something that’s not quite ready. It’s something that iOS developers will surely be jealous of. This announcement was made as part of a series of Google Play Developer Console updates today, which included tips on how to optimize apps, an integrated app translation service, usage metrics and referral tracking, and, of course, beta testing with staged rollouts. Earlier, Google announced 900 million Android activations to date, culminating in 48 billion app downloads. Meanwhile, you can follow all our coverage from Google I/O here.
Read More...

Today at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco, Google announced a new music streaming service called Google Play Music All Access. The service will compete with other entries to the market like Spotify, Rdio and Pandora. Google Play Music All Access will run $9.99 in the US, with a 30-day free trial and it launches today. If you start your subscription by June 30 the price drops to $7.99 monthly. “Music unites us, it’s universal,” says Google’s Chris Yerga. “We set out to build a music service that didn’t just give you access to a world of music, but helped to guide you through it.” The service build a list of songs that automatically updates based on your tastes and what you listen to. Songs can be swiped away and removed from your playlists with a ‘Mailbox-like’ gesture. The service will combine music from your locker with ‘millions’ of songs on the service itself seamlessly, says Yerga. The service also includes a Listen Now feature which is reminiscent of Apple’s Genius Mixes, but with full access to its streaming library. The service will roll out in the US first and then other countries “thereafter.” ➤ Google Play Music All Access (US only) For more new from Google I/O, you can head here.
Read More...

Today at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco, Google announced that it would now let developers request language translations of their apps right in the Developer Console. This will ease the transition of apps from one locale to another, increasing the arenas in which an app will be available for sale and helping to boost sales. Developers can submit a translation order with a couple of clicks and send off their strings to the translation company (for a fee) and get the localized strings back all within the console. Translating apps to other languages is a prime way for developers to expand their offerings to other countries. Keep up with all of our Google I/O 2013 coverage.    
Read More...

At Google I/O 2013 on Wednesday, Google announced its Cloud Messaging (GCM) service is now part of Google Play Services, and has gained three new features as part of a major upgrade: persistent connections, upstream messaging, and notification synchronization. The new GCM features will be rolling out progressively; developers can sign up today and also attend an I/O session specifically for the new features. Persistent connections means developers can serve a large number of messages to many devices very quickly. Upstream messaging means developers can now send data in the other direction: from their apps to their servers. Last but not least, Google has launched a new GCM API synchronizes notifications for developers. Google also revealed it is now delivering 200,000 GCM push messages every second, or 17 billion messages per day. Furthermore, the average latency is now 60ms, which is about 30 percent faster than when it launched a year ago. For those who don’t know, GCM first arrived for Android last year at Google I/O. The service lets developers send data from their server to their users’ Android-powered device: The GCM service handles all aspects of queuing of messages and delivery to the target Android application running on the target device. GCM is completely free no matter how big your messaging needs are, and there are no quotas. Last week, Google decided to bring GCM to Chrome. The company didn’t mention this today, at least not yet. Moving forward, it appears GCM will be pushed for both Android and Chrome. These new features announced today will presumably be available for both platforms – if not today, sometime in the near future. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more. See also – Google announces Android Studio: An IDE built just for Android developers and Google announces 900 million Android activations, 48 billion apps downloaded Top Image Credit: Wong Mei Teng
Read More...

Today Google announced Android Studio at its I/O Developer conference, an integrated developer environment built for Android developers. The move is not surprising, given that Microsoft and other companies that provide platforms to developers often offer full-featured developer tools. Android Studio, according to Google, will make developers “faster and more productive,” and is a replacement for Eclipse. Android Studio is built off of the IntelliJ IDEA, which, in Google’s estimation, means that it is a fully-featured environment. Google intends to integrate Cloud Messaging into Studio, along with other services; it should be a single hub by which Android developers can build new apps, and refresh old applications. According to Tapadoo founder Dermot Daly, moving to an IntelliJ-based IDE is smart, as many Java developers rate its performance above that of Eclipse. Eclipse is now passe. For more new from Google I/O, you can head here.
Read More...

Google has unveiled a video game center for its Android mobile operating system today, called Google Play Games. Rumors of a dedicated platform aimed at both casual and ‘hardcore’ gamers, featuring achievements, lobbies, leaderboards and multiplayer support, have been circulating for some time now. Today, at the annual developer-focused I/O conference in California, those rumors have been confirmed. Google describes it as “a comprehensive multiplayer system for real-time gameplay”, and promises to manage all of the network connection problems for players and developers, as well as match-making online. It also features cloud save, which will let players pause a game and pick-up from where they left on another device; be it an Android smartphone, tablet or perhaps even a Chromebook. Google says “many games” will be launching with the new features through the new Google Play Games Services API, and be supported by handsets running Android version 2.2 (Froyo) and higher. Android Police stumbled on the new feature during an investigation last month into the apk file for MyGlass, a companion app for its upcoming Google Glass hardware. The code spotted by reporters mentioned support for both passive, turn-based multiplayer and real-time, co-operative and competitive play. The platform was also rumored to support notifications, particularly during turn-based play when there’s a long period of time between moves. Previous reports suggested the platform would be called Google Play Games – something that was corroborated today by the notes included in an app update for video game Eufloria HD. Video games have become a huge part of the iOS platform; a movement that has been helped in some small way by Apple’s Game Center app. Android has the potential to enjoy this same success, but Google has struggled to build a significant catalog with the same level of quality across its titles. Providing an umbrella platform for its mobile operating system is a sensible move if Google is to create the same sort of structure and reputation enjoyed by Apple. You can follow all our coverage from Google I/O here.
Read More...

Today at its I/O event, Google announced three new Android APIs as part of its set of developer tools for mobile developers. Combined, these APIs will help applications track user location without heavy battery use, will enable the use of virtual fences, and will track user physical activity with new accelerometer tools. The Fused Location Provider rewrites the algorithm by which sensors take in data, which will help mobile devices more quickly find the location of users. Also, a new low-power “finding solution” will apparently draw less than 1% of battery life per hour, while in use. As you may know, location services are notorious for cutting battery life significantly. On to the new Geofencing API, Google claims it will allow developers to set up virtual fences around geographical areas, triggering when users leave set locations. Developers can use more than 100 per application. According to Google, this has been a “big ask” among its developer community. Finally, the Activity Recognition API will help users track their physical activity. The new API uses the accelerometer and machine learning to discern if a user is cycling, walking, or driving. According to Google, these new APIs will allow for a “whole new category of awesome apps.” For more new from Google I/O, you can head here.
Read More...

Google has announced at its I/O developer conference that there have now been 900 million activations of Android in total. The company also says that it has crossed 48 billion app downloads and that Google has paid out more to developers this year than it did last year. Currently, Android is seeing 2.5 billion app installs per month. “People are adopting these devices at an amazing pace,” said Google SVP of Chrome and Android Sundar Pichai. “When you look at all of these computing devices, it’s a multi-screen world…they have sensors, they can look, they can feel.” “We view this as one of the most important moments in computing…at the heart of this journey is the impact we can have on people around the world.” “We are fortunate at Google to have two incredible platforms…Android and Chrome. Android started with the simple goal of bringing mobile standards to mobile computing. Today, it’s the most popular mobile operating system in the world.” Of note, Apple is currently counting down to 50 billion apps downloaded, a goal which it is set to hit within days. For more new from Google I/O, you can head here.
Read More...

500px on Wednesday announced the launch of its new Professional Photo Portfolios, redesigned from the ground up. The Canadian company also revealed that it is now serving over a billion page views per month – a milestone it passed just two months ago and has maintained ever since. 500px’s new Portfolio UX gives photographers their own URL, backup system, tabs, pages, and zero maintenance or incremental hosting fees. As before, your Portfolio page links directly to your 500px account. 500px boasts the following three principles features for its new rollout: Showcase your photos in beautiful, lush and textured layouts with rich options for people to interact with you and your photos. Setup and customize your Portfolio page in just a few minutes, seamlessly updating your photo collection as it grows. Create a unique look and feel to your page design. With Portfolios you’ll get access to more features, like full CSS customization (for the brave), Store integration so your visitors can buy your photos straight from your portfolio, and Blog integration that lets you to stay in touch with your customers and readers. 500px portfolio profiles will be getting more features, in terms of photos of course, but also with additional themes and customizations. The company recently also increased storage limits for all its accounts, and the prices for its paid memberships. Free accounts can upload 20 photos per week, while Plus ($25 per year) and Awesome ($75 per year) will accept larger size of photos (up to 100Mb per file) and have unlimited storage. In an industry that is simply overloaded with products and services vying for a piece of the photographer’s pie, 500px continues to grow very quickly. Furthermore, the fact it is launching offerings while increasing prices shows the Canadian firm is managing to offer something users actually want enough to pay up. See also – Nearing 500k downloads, 500px for Android updated with better friend and photo discovery features and After passing 1m downloads, 500px releases faster iOS app with Flow for iPad and support for followers Top Image Credit: Miguel Saavedra
Read More...

ZTE has unveiled the Grand X2 In, a new mid-range Andoid smartphone sporting a 4.5-inch HD display (1280×720) and an Intel Atom Z2580 processor clocked at 2Ghz. The device was unveiled at the MedPi conference in Monaco today and comes with an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, contrasted with a 1-megapixel version on the front. ZTE says the “socially-smart” camera has one of the quickest burst modes on the market, capturing up to 24 frames per second with no shutter lag whatsoever. The Grand X2 In runs Android version 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and comes with 1GB of RAM to play with, in addition to 8GB of internal storage for storing apps and multimedia content. There’s also a MicroSD slot for up to 32GB of additional space and a 2000 mAh battery to make sure it’s still ticking along at the end of the day. “We are proud to announce the ZTE Grand X2 In smartphone pursuing our multi-year strategic collaboration with Intel,” said William Chhao, Terminal Director at ZTE France. “The ZTE Grand X2 In is set to build on the success of the ZTE Grand X In, our first flagship smartphone in Europe to feature Intel Inside, and further increase ZTE’s growth in the high-performance smartphone market segment.” The device follows the launch of the 5.7-inch ZTE Grand Memo, which TNW went hands-on with at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, as well as the ZTE Open for the upcoming Firefox OS platform. The Grand X2 In will launch in Europe sometime during the third quarter of 2013; pricing, colors and specific release dates are yet to be confirmed. Image Credit: STR/AFP/GettyImages
Read More...

With Google I/O 2013 just an hour away, where the company is widely expected to announce Android 4.3, there comes a stark reminder that the mobile platform may be first in market share worldwide, but it is still second (to iOS) in profits. The Android platform accounted for 43 percent share of the entire smartphone industry’s operating profits in Q1 2013, of which Samsung captured a huge 95 percent share. The latest estimates come from Strategy Analytics, which says the smartphone industry reached $12.5 billion worldwide in the first quarter of this year. Samsung’s Android smartphone shipments generated $5.1 billion of operating profit worldwide in Q1 2013, leaving the remaining Android players in the dust: The only other player that Strategy Analytics felt was worth breaking out was LG, but it doesn’t have Samsung’s efficient supply chain, wide array of products, nor marketing power to drive such an impressive profitability. We would argue the main reason LG could even grab such share in the first place was mainly due to the Nexus 4, a phone that Google of course invested a lot in (money which LG didn’t have to put in, hence a larger profit). The problem for Google is starkly underlined here, even despite the Nexus line of products. The American company can’t make any major decisions for Android without first consulting its South Korean partner. In fact, the situation may be much worse than it might first appear in the above table, according to Strategy Analytics: Samsung is, for now, the undisputed king of the global Android smartphone industry. We believe Samsung generates more revenue and profit from the Android platform than Google does. As a result, Samsung is the only Android player with real market power. As has been argued before, it could potentially use its position to influence the future direction of the Android ecosystem; for example, Samsung could request features it specifically wants to see on the platform, ask to get updates of new software before rival hardware vendors from Google, or even request for exclusive updates. The good news is that there has been no indication this is happening. So far, Google appears to have been playing a more or less fair game: Samsung’s competitors just need to step up. We’ll see today if Google has anything up its sleeve to help them. Top Image Credit: Greg Wood/Getty Images
Read More...

Microsoft will abandon the Points system used by players to purchase video games and downloadable content on its Xbox 360 console when it launches its successor later this year. An article by The Verge reports that Microsoft will be moving away from the virtual currency, which consumers acquire by purchasing gift cards or online with a credit or debit card, in favor true currency. An image published by The Verge today shows two gift vouchers, in blue and orange, showing what appears to be a new method of purchasing content across all of Microsoft’s hardware. The cards can be used to redeem games, as well as apps, music, movies and TV shows from a Windows Phone device, Windows 8 computer or Xbox video game console. Unifying the payment method used across Microsoft’s various online marketplaces would be a wise choice. Windows 8 has already adopted true currency across its online store and there’s a groundswell of support for doing the same on the next Xbox. Apple has seen the most success with its iTunes and App Store vouchers; in March, Google launched a similar offering for the Google Play store in the United Kingdom, before expanding into the United States through Target, Walmart, GameStop and other retail outlets. The Points system found on the Xbox 360 was introduced by Microsoft to encourage users to disconnect from the real-world value of their purchases. Working out the equivalent value of these Points was often a tricky business, forcing many players to simply submit and load up their account with an excessive amount. The tradeoff, however, has been a potential disconnect with purchases made on the Xbox 360’s storefront. The worry that consumers might be ripped off has discouraged them from making purchases at all; the friction involved with loading up Points has also likely caused Microsoft to lose potential revenue along the way. By introducing a true currency system to the next Xbox, it highlights a renewed push on Microsoft’s behalf to move consumers to a digital-only distribution model. It also helps to unify the experience across Windows Phone and Windows 8, something which Microsoft has been moving towards since the last major dashboard update. Microsoft will be holding a press conference on June 10 to unveil the next Xbox ahead of E3, arguably the biggest video game trade show of the year. There have been numerous rumors about it being ‘always-on’, or requiring the user to have a consistent Internet connection in order to verify video game purchases. The subsequent backlash triggered an internal memo, seen by Ars Technica, which suggested that there would be a number of scenarios where an Internet connection wasn’t required. Related: If the next Xbox and PlayStation block used games, the whole industry will be shaken to its core Image Credit: Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images / The Verge
Read More...

Buffer, a mobile app and browser extension that helps users to schedule posts on their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and App.net accounts, is rolling out support for native retweets today. The company says it’s one of the most widely requested features from their feedback forum, and follows “many months” of testing and tweaking. It’s refreshingly simple to set up. From the Web, users need to download the Buffer browser extension and then hit the Buffer button from underneath the tweet on Twitter.com. Users can then sign in with multiple Twitter accounts and decide whether to use the modern Retweet method (with the circular symbol displayed) or the old-school “RT @username” by rolling their cursor over the message. Hit Buffer, and the retweet will be automatically added to the users’ queue with a pre-designated time. By default, these are 09:46 am, 12:07 pm, 04:58 pm and 09:10pm, although it’s possible to change these from the dashboard on the Buffer website. Users can  delete retweets or manually reschedule them from here too. Creating the same effect from the native apps is a little trickier. Users need to find the URL for their tweet – which can be difficult depending on the client you’re using – and then send it to the “secret e-mail address” allocated to each user. Buffer then does all of the heavy lifting, adding it to the user’s queue at an appropriate time. If you’re unsure, your secret Buffer email address can be found here. They’re usually a little long and cumbersome though, so it’s worth noting that the email address can also be added to your device’s address book from within the iOS and Android app. Many Twitter clients, such as Tweetbot and the official Twitter app, support a “mail Tweet” option which should ease some of the friction surrounding this process. Hopefully we’ll see some deeper integration between Buffer and some of these high-profile Twitter clients down the line. Buffer integrates with a bunch of useful news readers and Web services, including Feedly, Reeder, Pocket and Instapaper. The company passed the 500,000 user mark back in February, and announced a new app for BlackBerry 10 devices earlier this year. We first covered the app in February 2011, and have since watched it hit numerous milestones, such as being the first app in Apple’s App Store to support the subscription-based social network App.net. The development team also introduced a number of new key features, including better analytics and a ‘Top Posts’ section, last December along with support for dozens of additional third-party apps such as Newsift, FeedsWire and Caffeinated. Buffer is a novel idea, especially for so-called “power users” who are worried about putting off their followers with an overwhelming amount of content. Likewise, if you want to publish a post later in the day – say to coincide with a specific time zone, or when you know you’ll be busy and probably forget – Buffer is still easily the best option. ➤ Buffer | Web | iOS | Android Feature Image Credit – Thinkstock
Read More...

Berlin-based product comparison platform company VERSUS IO has secured $2.8 million in a Series A round of funding from Earlybird, 500 Startups, and angel investors Lars Dittrich and Dario Suter. Dave McClure, founder of 500 Startups, invested $100,000 in the company in December 2012 alongside angel investors Lars Dittrich and Dario Suter. Another investor in the startup is High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF). VERSUS IO had raised $1 million to date, so this round brings the total of capital secured by the startup to $3.8 million. In essence, VERSUS IO enables users to compare consumer technology products like smartphones and tablets with a simple, clean interface that is designed to remove clutter and present complex data quickly. It also works for cities: To pull this off, VERSUS IO employs a natural language algorithm and user interface styling. Today, there are approximately 25 million comparisons available to consumers on the site, in 18 languages. Since its launch in July 2011, VERSUS IO says its traffic has increased on average by 35 percent every month, growing to 2 million unique visitors for April 2013. McClure believes it can do even better: “VERSUS IO’s ability to take a sophisticated algorithm and make it so incredibly simple to use is one of the main reasons it caught my eye. I’ve enjoyed working closely with Ramin in recent months and I’m looking forward to the next stage of VERSUS IO’s journey. I’m predicting big things.” Image credit: Flickr / purplbutrfly
Read More...

Verizon has teamed up with privacy and business virtualization firm VMware to offer its Horizon Mobile virtual workspace solution on the LG Optimus Vu – known as the LG Intuition in the United States – and the Motorola RAZR M. The concept is similar to BlackBerry Balance, a technology designed to separate and protect data stored for work and personal use on a single smartphone. LG said today that the new software built into the Optimus Vu “essentially divides the smartphone’s operating system in half”, creating a safe space for corporate-controlled business applications and information. The LG Optimus Vu, which offers a rather square 5-inch HD-IPS display (768×1024 resolution) and a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8660 Snapdragon processor, will be reintroduced with the new software -despite being overshadowed by its successor, the Optimus Vu 2. The LG Intuition was designed to go up against the Samsung Galaxy Note and Note II when it launched in the United States in September last year, but failed to gain any sort of meaningful traction with consumers. The device was met with some mixed reviews, but Samsung’s colossal marketing spend was no doubt a contributing factor. The Motorola RAZR M, meanwhile, is an LTE-enabled Android smartphone with a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display and a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon processor. It’s not a bad device by any means, but neither is it one of Verizon’s most sough-after handsets. Precisely why these average smartphones were chosen over any other devices offered by Verizon is unclear. Regardless, data protection is becoming an increasingly important element of any smartphone or tablet. As more businesses adopt the ‘bring-your-own-device’ policy in the office, consumers are having to address the best way to separate this data on a daily basis. The addition of VMware Horizon Mobile lets users run a second operating system on both the Motorola RAZR M and the LG Intuition, keeping both work and personal applications isolated. It’s a better option than the current range of app container-based solutions, according to LG. “LG and VMware are addressing the challenges IT departments face every day due to BYOD and the consumerization of IT,” said Boaz Chalamish, senior vice president and general manager of end-user computing at VMware. “Creating a separate virtual workspace on a mobile device enables IT to provide security and control, while also reducing the burden and liability of managing the entire device. This approach strikes the best balance between addressing IT security needs and end-user freedom.” Verizon says support for additional devices will be made available as the year progresses. Image Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Read More...

Skift has raised a healthy $1.1 million seed round, as the travel intelligence and news startup looks to take on new hires and develop its myriad of tools and services. The brainchild of PaidContent founder Rafat Ali, Skift officially launched last July offering a mix of news, insight, data and other tools to those with a (vested) interest in the travel industry. This latest funding round is led by Lerer Ventures, with participation from four new seed funds – Ironfire Angel, MESA+, Advancit Capital, and Growlabs/LX Ventures who are investing together. New angles have also joined this latest round, including Jason Calacanis, Michael Cunniff, Duncan Jennings, Sean Keener, Shakil Khan, Martin Nisenholtz, Paul Noglows, and Michael Yavonditte. They are joined by existing investors Chris Ahearn, Luke Beatty, Gordon Crovitz, Craig Forman, Jim Friedlich, Tom Glocer, Vishal Gondal, Jason Hirschhorn, Peter Horan, David Lerner, Alan Meckler, Mohamed Nanabhay, Sanjay Parthasarathy, Amol Sarva, Chris Schroeder, and a few others. So, a varied and mixed bag for this seed round, and this takes Skift’s total funding to $1.5 million. Ali says the latest cash injection will be used to double Skift’s head-count to ten, bringing in two new developers, one sales lead, one social media manager and one reporter. They will be based in a new NYC office, which will open within the next month. The story so far Rafat Ali launched PaidContent back in 2002, a Web-based publication that focuses on the burgeoning digital media industry. Ali sold PaidContent to The Guardian Media Group in 2008 (which later sold it to GigaOM). Ali then co-founded Skift with former Frommer’s Online Editor Jason Clampet last summer, the first phase kicking off as a news, information and data portal for travel brands. Part of the problem, as Ali saw it, was that the travel industry was being served by pre-Web legacy media brands that don’t even have mobile on their roadmap. Meanwhile, other sectors such as media, technology and finance are used to “digital native, 24/7, breaking news, analysis and opinion, with social hooks,” as Ali put it. Skift wants to be the homepage for the travel industry, serving up an all-encompassing data-fueled news service. Back in January, Skift declared it was aiming to build a Bloomberg-like data dashboard for the travel industry. Part of this plan constitutes SkiftSocial, a social media dashboard for travel brands – this includes airlines, hotels, resorts, startups and more. The tool includes rankings, comparisons and other metrics, covering Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Klout and YouTube. Want to know how Heathrow Airport uses Twitter? SkiftSocial can tell you. Skift: The lingo of the travel industry? Although Skift is proving to be a good resource for anyone with an interest in travel, the startup is focusing on brands for revenue and Ali says that users are “more likely” to be executives and managers from the likes of Expedia, JetBlue, Starwood, Kayak, Qatar Airways, Lonely Planet, Conde Nast, American Express and so on. Skift also has syndication deals in place with the likes of CNNTravel, NBCNews, LinkedIn and AdAge, meaning a selection of its news stories are re-published on their sites, though given the increasingly data-centric direction Skift is heading in, it’s safe to assume it will be looking to syndicate its data too. This month, the company is forecasting more than half-a-million unique visitors to Skift.com, with 25% of its traffic stemming from its mobile portal. And as Skift approaches a year in business, Ali says that Skift is well on its way to becoming “the lingo of the travel industry.”
Read More...

Kakao, the South Korean company behind Kakao Talk, has continued its push to monetize its popular mobile messaging service after landing its first international ad partner, Tapjoy. The deal marks Kakao’s first deal with a major ad space provider with global operations, thereby allowing Kakao to widen its international roster of advertisers. The news come hot on the heels of the Seoul-based firm announcing a deal with IGAWorks, a Korea-based ad firm with international clients. Adding Tapjoy brings new, international opportunities for developers to make money from its fast-growing Kakao Games platform. In 2012, Kakao reported earning an annual revenue of $42 million, and had its first profitable year, netting $6.5 million. Meanwhile, it’s Kakao Games platform, which launched only last year, has been a boon – the company tells us that its gaming arm itself is generating monthly revenue of approximately $40 million, and that the number of games since last November has increased fivefold to over 130 titles. Amidst fierce competition in the Asian chat space, the deal with Tapjoy is just one of Kakao’s many recent efforts intended to broaden its influence. Yesterday, launched KakaoHome for Android, a FacebookHome-like launcher that puts Kakao at the center of the user experience. Earlier this month, Kakao announced it would collaborate with Evernote to integrate note-taking and sharing functionality into Kakao Talk, the company’s flagship messaging service. While Kakao has yet to dominate the whole of Asia as it competes with like-minded messaging apps like Japan’s Line and China’s WeChat, it remains the preferred option for most South Koreas, and last month announced it had garnered 10 million downloads in Japan – a mere ten percent of that app’s global reach. Related: With 110 million monthly users, Tapjoy connects its billionth device to its mobile advertising platform   
Read More...

Warner Music Group’s (WMG) acquisition of iconic UK label Parlophone has just edged one step closer, with the news that the deal has been cleared by the European Commission (EC). News of the proposed acquisition was first announced by WMG back in February, with the $765 million all-cash transaction expected to be completed some time in mid-2013, subject to various regulatory approvals around the world. Parlophone is the EMI-owned British label that signed the Beatles, and today is home to well-known names such as Coldplay and Kylie Minogue. Parlophone was sold following orders from the EC in the wake of EMI’s £1.2bn acquisition by Universal Music Group (UMG) over anti-competition concerns. In its statement, the EC said: “The Commission’s investigation confirmed that the proposed transaction would not raise competition concerns, in particular because following the acquisition, WMG will continue to face competition from the two remaining major music companies, namely Universal Music Group (“UMG”) and Sony, as well as from independent music labels.” The EC added that some respondents to their investigation said that the proposed transaction could actually “reinforce competition, as it may lead to an increase of the competitive pressure exercised by WMG on both UMG and Sony.” Parlophone comprises the majority of EMI’s assets, including the Parlophone label, which UMG said it would divest to gain the Commission’s clearance to snap up EMI’s recorded music business. It’s worth noting here, however, that UMG will retain the Beatles’ catalogue. So, this is a major step towards regulatory clearance in the West, with the US and Brazil already giving the go-ahead. And it’s likely the acquisition will be finalized by the summer as expected.
Read More...