Flurry: 1.2 Billion Mobile Apps Were Downloaded Over The Holidays

With nearly 7 million new Android phones and iPhones activated on Christmas Day, an app-downloading frenzy was a foregone conclusion. App research firm Flurry estimates that a combined total of 1.2 billion apps were downloaded during the holiday week between December 25-31. That compares to an average of 750,000 mobile apps downloaded per week earlier in December, or a 60 percent jump. This is the first time app downloads surpassed the one-billion mark in a single week. About little less than a quarter of those apps (242 ...
Stop! It’s A Really Bad Time To Buy Most Gadgets!

Did you know that your brain releases dopamine when it processes something new? At least that’s what the Internet told me . Apparently dopamine is key in establishing a craving, which could be why ever-updating sites like blogs or Reddit are so popular. There is always something new. It could also be why some people always crave more gadgets. You’re bored with your Galaxy SII and hope the Galaxy Nexus will satisfy that burning desire, which it probably will ( unless you’re MG ). But don’t do ...
Facebook’s Mobile App Has A Big Holiday Week On iPhones, Bigger On Android

Millions of new iPhones and Androids got activated during and after Christmas this year — and what have people done with their new devices? They’ve downloaded Facebook’s mobile apps, of course. I’ve been watching this trend for a few years, and the past week has been the biggest yet, based on the numbers visible in the AppData app tracking service. Facebook’s iPhone app grew by 4.1 million monthly active users and 1.7 million daily actives, which was beat out by its Android app, which gained 5.2 million ...
A Web Of Apps

It is remarkable to think that we’re in the early days of the app era, when there are already close to 600,000 iOS applications and nearly 400,000 on Android (source: Distimo ). The growth of these app ecosystems has been rapid, exponential and shows no signs of slowing down. As well it shouldn’t: the untapped, addressable market for mobile apps involves hundreds of millions of users. And yet, app discovery remains a challenge. Whether in an app store, on the device itself , or via a third-party service. ...
The Gizmon iCA Might Be The Ultimate iPhone Camera Case

There are iPhone cases and then there are…more iPhone cases. There are probably close to a gazillion different iPhone cases available now. But none are as elaborate as the Gizmon iCA — at least none I have seen. The case — if you call it just a case — is made of 32 different polycarbonate parts, it features a conversion lens mount with additional optional lenses, and adds a working shutter button and optical viewfinder. There is even an optional faux pancake lens for additional street cred ...
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas (Revisited)

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not an ultrabook was whirring, not a touchpad nor mouse . The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, With hopes they were stuffed with Thunderbolt MacBook Airs . The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of Galaxy Tabs danced in their heads. And ma in her ‘kerchief, and I with my apps , Had settled our texting thumbs for a long winter’s nap. When out on the lawn there arose such ...
Swype gets a new beta, adopts Dragon Dictation for speech to text (video)

Look, either you love or hate Swype -- there's just no two ways about it. Those that can't imagine life without the gesture-based virtual keyboard will probably only fall deeper in amour with it when greeted with the latest beta. Eagle-eyed observers might notice the microphone key in that image above has been replaced with a tiny flame logo that should be familiar to any fan of Nuance's voice-to-text apps. Swype now has Dragon Dictation baked ...
Last-Minute Gift Guide 2011: iOS Apps

Looking for a quick last-minute gift? Not feeling up to fighting the holiday traffic, crowds and checkout lines? Just too lazy busy to shop? Then you may want to consider giving the gift of an iOS app. You can gift any paid app from iTunes on your computer or from the app’s description page on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Just scroll down past the screenshot and look for the “gift this app” button. All you’ll need is the recipient’s email address to complete the transaction. This ...
Siri, What Were Your Top 5 Hacks And Mods Of 2011?

2011 saw the rise and fall of Siri. What was initially hailed as something just short of the savior of mankind turned out to be a limited voice control system . Apple insists Siri is still a beta product. They say it will get better. But some out there couldn’t wait for Apple. And so, with a little imagineering, people made Siri do all sorts of unconventional tasks in 2011. These hacks led to her opening beer, playing the piano, and even warning owners about what’s on ...
SigFig Shows Its iOS-Owning Investors Big on AAPL, Its Android-Owning Ones Not So Big On GOOG

A study by investment analysis startup SigFig suggests that iPhone-owning investors are 20% more likely than the average investor to also own Apple stock, while investors with Androids are 25% less likely to own Google than average. This is just one startup’s limited data, so don’t get all excited and assume that this is the case worldwide. But still, it makes for an entertaining look at just how loyal those Apple fans are. SigFig gets the data from its Wikinvest site, which tracks $20 billion in investments. ...