Google Acquires Email App Maker Sparrow
Sparrow today announced that it has been acquired by Google for an undisclosed sum. Sparrow offers a Gmail client for Apple computers and for the iPhone. The company said that it will be joining Google's Gmail team, to "accomplish a bigger vision ... that we think we can better achieve with Google." Sparrow will continue to support its current products and customers.
HTC Says Jelly Bean On the Way for One X, One XL, One S
HTC confirmed that it is preparing Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for several of its devices. "We know HTC fans are excited to get their hands on Google's latest version of Android," said spokesperson Jeff Gordon in a statement to The Verge. "At this point in time, we can confirm that we have plans to upgrade our HTC One X, HTC One XL and HTC One S to Jelly Bean. Please stay tuned for more updates regarding device upgrades, timing and other details about HTC and Jelly Bean." HTC didn't specify if the U.S. variants of these devices will be updated or not. The One X is sold by AT&T; and the One S is sold by T-Mobile. Noticeably absent from the list is HTC's most affordable One series device, the One V. Few other handset makers have come forward with their plans for Android 4.1 updates.
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Rebtel Launches App for Windows Phone
Rebtel made a version of its VoIP-based calling service available to the Windows Phone platform earlier this month. Rebtel for Windows Phone connects calls with local numbers and uses the owner's wireless plan minutes instead of their data plan. It does not pass VoIP calls over 3G or Wi-Fi as it does on the Android and iOS platforms, and Rebtel says local carrier fees may apply. Rebtel says the app provides low-cost calling, low-cost SMS, and native integration with the Windows Phone People Hub. Rebtel didn't indicate if or when the app would gain feature parity with those offered to Google's Android or Apple's iOS platforms. The application is free to download from the Microsoft Market for Mobile.
Sony Music Unlimited Gains New Phone and Tablet Powers
Sony today announced new updates for its Music Unlimited Android smartphone and Android tablet applications. Music Unlimited Android Mobile app version 1.4 lets device owners access the "My Channels" feature. This feature gives users the ability to create and control customized radio stations. The update for tablets adds the ability to cache music for offline listening. Both the smartphone and tablet versions of Music Unlimited are free to download and install, though some features require a monthly subscription in order to access them.
RIM Updates BlackBerry 10 Developer Tools
Research In Motion today provided BlackBerry developers with an updated set of tools to use for creating BB10 apps. The three most significant new features include an application invocation framework, push APIs, and a new version of BlackBerry App World. The application invocation framework will give developers the ability to tie their applications to native BlackBerry 10 features and to other applications. The Push APIs will let developers push content from their application servers directly to end users. The App World update allow developers to target the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha test device for applications. The Dev Alpha was released to BlackBerry developers in May. The new tools can be downloaded directly from RIM's developer web site.
Virgin Mobile Opening First Flagship Store in Chicago
Virgin Mobile USA is opening its first company-owned flagship store in Chicago today. Traditionally, Virgin Mobile has sold devices and service within other retail stores, such as Best Buy. The new flagship store is not focusing on device sales, however, so much as it is focusing on providing an introduction to the Virgin Mobile USA brand and in-store tutorials on what users can do with their devices. "Employees at the store will do everything they can to keep you a fan, coming back," said Ron Faris, head of brand marketing at Virgin Mobile, to The New York Times. The store is not explicitly designed to be a retail space, but has more of a relaxed, lounge atmosphere. According to Virgin Mobile USA, it will serve as the blueprint for more company-owned stores to come.
Swiftkey Updates Keyboard to Work with Jelly Bean
Swiftkey updated the most recent version of its Android keyboard to make it compatible with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. In addition to Jelly Bean support, the minor update also includes several bug fixes. Both the free and paid versions of the app for phones and tablets has been updated.
Google Play Music Version 4.3 Adds Playlist Reordering
Google recently released Google Play Music version 4.3 for Android devices via the Google Play Store. The updated app adds a handful of new features, most notably the ability to reorder tracks in a playlist on the fly. Other changes include a new user interface for navigation controls in the action bar; a larger view of album art; and new playlist art. Last, the home screen widget now displays album art and adds the ability to "thumbs up" a track from the widget without requiring users to open the full app. Google Play Music 4.3 is a free download from the Play Store.
Google Releases Full Android 4.1 Jelly Bean SDK
Google today announced that the full software developers kit (SDK) for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is now available to developers and can be downloaded through Google's developer portal. In addition to the SDK, Google released SDK Tools revision 20.1.1 and NDK revision 8b, both of which contain only bug fixes. With these new tools, developers can create and publish applications that take advantage of new features in Android 4.1. Google encourages developers to use the Nexus 7 as their base for creating good app experiences, and says that developers should "keep up" with the example set by the Nexus 7's native apps with respect to performance and appearance. The developer tools can be downloaded immediately.
HP's Enyo 2 Graduates from Beta
HP today announced that its Enyo 2 platform has moved out of beta and is now "production ready." Enyo stems from Palm's webOS software, which HP said it would open source in late 2011. HP released Enyo 1, which used webOS code, in January. HP says that Enyo 2 has a bevy of new features, including new Onyx widgets, a new sampler for developers, and a new sign-off process for developers looking to contribute code. HP explains that Enyo allows developers to create cross-platform applications that will run in mobile and desktop browsers from iOS to IE8. HP says that Enyo has received a lot of support form the developer community. "We see a web-centric future in which there aren’t iOS apps, Android apps, Mac apps and Windows apps – there are just apps: apps that let you access your content and get stuff done, wherever you happen to be, on whatever device is handy," said HP. The company concedes that there is still plenty of work to be done, but today's milestone is a notable one for the platform's future.
AT&T; Adds Carrier Billing Support to Samsung's Media Hub
Samsung and AT&T; today announced that owners of devices such as the Galaxy S III will be able to charge purchases in Samsung's Media Hub directly to their AT&T; account. Direct carrier billing will first be supported in the GS3, Captivate, and Galaxy Exhilarate. It will be added to the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II upon updating to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. AT&T; customers will be able to buy or rent movies, television seasons, and individual television episodes, and the charges will appear on their next wireless bill. Samsung says Media Hub purchases can also be shared across five Media Hub-enabled devices, such as Samsung's Galaxy Tab and Smart TVs.
N-Trig Creates Single Controller for Pen and Finger Input
N-Trig today announced that its fourth-generation DuoSense input technology can support both pen input and multitouch input with a single controller chip. According to N-Trig, it is the first company to offer a single-chip solution for displays that support both input modes, and competing products still require separate controllers. The benefit of this design, says N-Trig, is that it will be easier for smartphone and other handheld device makers to integrate pen and multitouch functionality into slimmer mobile computing products. Right now the technology can be used in devices with screens measuring 5 - 15 inches. N-Trig didn't say if the technology will eventually be scaled for use in devices with smaller screens.
Apple And Samsung Denied Bids for Document Secrecy
U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh has denied petitions filed by both Apple and Samsung to keep select documents and information secret during their pending patent trial. "It appears that the parties have overdesignated confidential documents and are seeking to seal information that is not truly sealable," wrote Koh in an order issued on Tuesday. "Only documents of exceptionally sensitive information that truly deserve protection will be allowed to be redacted or kept from the public." Koh ordered Apple and Samsung to refile their sealing requests within one week. Companies typically request that sensitive corporate data be kept from the public during such trials in order to protect company secrets. The trial is set to begin July 30.
SkyHook Boasts of Battery Efficiency in Latest SDK
SkyHook has released a new software developers kit for app creators that will allow location-based services and applications to access smartphone location data for an entire day without affecting battery life. SkyHook says smartphone users can opt-in to share their location data with the new Always-On feature, which SkyHook can check as often as once every 30 seconds with no impact on battery. SkyHook said the new SDK also contains a novel feature that allows smartphone applications to track users even when they are aboard an airplane. Some of SkyHook's partners are working on apps that will identify points of interest to passengers as they fly over them at elevations up to 40,000 feet. SkyHook believes these new location-based software tools will be most beneficial to social networking applications. Developers may download the SDK from SkyHook.
Samsung Invests $5M In LTE Tech Company
Samsung's investment arm has made a $5 million investment in a company called Stoke Inc. Stoke makes an SSX Multi-Service Gateway product for networking infrastructure providers that secures voice, data, and video traffic transiting across LTE networks. Samsung makes is own wireless networking gear, and indicated that the investment will help it differentiate its own LTE product offerings.
HTC Hits Apple with Patent Counterclaim
HTC has filed claims against Apple in Florida that allege the iPhone maker is violating two patents that HTC acquired from HP. The first patent pertains to "installation of network services in an embedded network server" and the second pertains to "method and system for central management of a computer network." Between these two patents, HTC says a number of Apple devices violate its intellectual property, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac computers and certain software programs. The countersuit was filed in retaliation for a lawsuit from Apple accusing HTC os similar patent violations.
PayPal Acquires Card.io to Bolster Mobile Payments
PayPal recently announced that it has acquired Card.io, a San Francisco company that lets businesses capture credit card information using a smartphone's camera. The employees at card.io will join the PayPal global product team in San Jose, where PayPal expects it will help the company develop better ways for businesses and consumers to accept/use smartphones for making mobile payments. PayPal said that Card.io's technology will remain open and available to developers to use in their own applications. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
AT&T;'s Shared Data Plans Arrive Late August
AT&T; today responded to Verizon Wireless's shared data plans by announcing its own. AT&T;'s Mobile Share plans offer unlimited voice minutes and messaging, and offer varying data options from which customers can choose. The plans are compatible with smartphones, tablets, feature phones, laptop dongles, laptops, and mobile hotspots, but at least one device must be a smartphone. The plans require a basic monthly access charge that varies depending on how much data the customer wants. The breakdown costs $40 for 1GB, $70 for 4GB, $90 for 6GB, $120 for 10GB, $160 for 15GB, and $200 for 20GB. Customers then pay an additional charge per device added to the plan. For example, customers who choose the 1GB plan must pay the basic $40 access fee, plus an additional $45 for each smartphone. So, 1GB with unlimited voice and text and two smartphones would cost $130 per month ($40 + $45 +$45). Adding feature phones costs an additional $30 per month; adding a laptop, netbook or dongle costs an additional $20 per month; and adding a tablet or gaming device costs an additional $10 per month. AT&T; points out that there are no changes to its device upgrade or grandfathered unlimited data policies. Existing customers, including customers with unlimited data plans, don't have to switch to a shared data plan or pay full price for the device when they upgrade. Overages for the AT&T; Mobile Share plans cost $15 per gigabyte.
