Category Archives: Mobile applications
GoMo stumbles across UK banking app for BlackBerry
Rating: HSBC UK finally releases app for RIM phones, we think
You can never be quite sure about these things but GoMobile News thinks we have discovered that the HSBC Bank (in the UK) has finally released the version of its Fast Balance app for those with RIM BlackBerry smartphones. Our guess that this is a news scoop is based on the fact that the BlackBerry App World app store says the current version of this app was released on July 25th 2012. We’ve double-checked and it very definitely is still June 2012. The second clue was the fact that the QR code for downloading the BlackBerry version of this app suddenly appeared on the standard (HTML) version of the HSBC web site. Continue reading
Formula One app for Sony TVs discovered by chance
Rating: Came across this Beeb app when researching connected TV
Chatting with Jim Somers, who is chief marketing and strategy officer, from Antenna Software, he let slip that if mobile/cellular is going to face a challenge in the future it will be from IP/connected TV. That challenge will especially apply when it comes to shares of the global advertising pie. GoMobile News had always assumed that IP TV is always allied to fixed broadband but Somers pointed out that that’s not necessarily the case. In rural areas connectivity could be supplied by some form of 4G – whether it’s LTE or WiMAX based. So whilst doing some background research, we discovered that the BBC has just announced the availability of a Formula 1 app for Sony TVs. Continue reading
Junaio browser takes AR to a new level
Rating: Brand new version of this popular augmented reality browser
Metaio has just released of the latest update to junaio which it claims is the world’s most advanced AR (Augmented Reality) browser and open development platform. It is available immediately for download on iOS and Android mobile devices. The browser now features a brand new user interface. In the past, augmented reality apps have been clunky, unintuitive and almost impossible to navigate. Metaio claims the new junaio brings a fresh start to mobile AR, with a seamless swipe transition between the different features. It also builds on thousands of content channels from developers, designers and popular brands. Visit this page to be redirected to the correct version of the app for your mobile device. Continue reading
Vungle comes clean on $1m incentive scheme
Rating: Just stick an in-app video trailer into your mobile app or game
Around six weeks ago, the mobile video ad-network, Vungle came out of stealth with the announcement of its $2 million seed capital from investors. The good news is that the company has announced that half of the funds raised ($1 million) is going towards a fund designed to attract mobile app developers to its platform. To date, the Vungle mobile app video trailer network was in closed beta but from today [June 12th 2012], the network will be going self-serve. Since Vungle has come up with an entirely new ad-unit for mobile, the company needs to sign up as many publishers as they can to meet their advertising demand. Hence the S1 million incentive programme. Continue reading
Marketers to spend circa £340K on mobile projects in near future
Rating: Dissatisfaction driving more projects in-house
Antenna Software has just released the results of research into brands’ mobile projects. The research was conducted by Vanson Bourne, who interviewed 1,000 business decision makers for the survey. The main finding from the research is that marketers intend to invest on average £340,000 in consumer mobile projects over the next 12-18 months. Significantly, the research also found that only on in five UK and US businesses have seen their customer-facing mobile projects adopted by ‘the majority’ of the consumers they were targeting. The research also indicates that investment in the use of outside creative agencies will likely decrease as brands look for more control over the development and management of their mobile initiatives. Continue reading
BCS searches for the Innovative Mobile App of The Year
Rating: Ernest institution wakes up to power of the mobile app
The BCS ( formerly the British Computer Society), which is the Chartered Institute for IT, has begun its search for the most Innovative Mobile App of 2012 as it launches this year’s UK IT Industry Awards, in conjunction with Incisive’s Computing magazine. You’d better huryy, however, because the closing date for entries is 5pm on Friday July 6th [2012]. Judges are looking for mobile apps that run on mobile phones or other devices with built-in 3G or 4G capability. These apps should show an innovative use of the technology in the phones, and possibly of on-line services. They should be publically available – they can be either free or paid-for. Continue reading
P&G reveals Beauty Recommended mobile app courtesy of Grapple
Rating: We think you have to be female to understand it
If you had an online magazine which already reaches an audience of 1.8 million people, then you’d almost certainly want to create a mobile version of your product. Which is exactly what Procter & Gamble (P&G) has done courtesy of Grapple Mobile. It has just introduced a free mobile app for iPhone and Android called Beauty Recommended. This app features three interactive, virtual tours of London called ’Beauty Spots’. The app is timed to coincide with the swarm of visitors to London this Summer for the Olympic Games. The tours apparently showcase the UK capital’s best known and loved destinations – as well as revealing historical and hidden beauties to even the most seasoned of Londoners. Let’s just hope the general public understand what this app has to offer. GoMobile News was perplexed. Continue reading
Nokia to acquire staff and technologies from imaging specialist, Scalado
Rating: Lund base will become Nokia’s imaging software R&D centre
In a very interesting development in the production of imaging software for smartphones, Nokia has announced its intention to acquire Swedish software developers, Scalado. The terms of the transaction are confidential but it is clear that Nokia intends to centre its imaging software R&D around Scalado’s base in Lund. Not only will Nokia acquire Scalado’s technologies and intellectual property but it will also take on the company’s people, too. Continue reading
Vungle comes out of stealth too quick
Rating: Watch this space
We thought that Vungle came out of stealth mode today [June 12th 2012]. Actually, it didn’t happen. We’ll let you know when it really happens.
UPDATE: It was today [June 19th 2012].
GoMo discovers neat F1 Timing app on official site
Rating: A great way to keep track of your favourite Formula One driver
Here at GoMobile Towers we’re pretty much a bunch of petrolheads and the Formula One Grand Prix is our special favourite. The snag is that currently here in Blighty (the UK), certain races are only shown live on pay-per-view TV. In our case, BSkyB’s Sky F1 channel. Now the normal way for any Brit to deal with such a situation is to go down the pub (bar) and watch F1 on the big screen. The trouble is that the UK is a nation of footie and rugby fans and there’s a Spain versus Italy soccer match right in the middle of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. Trying to sort out this mess, GoMobile News happened to visit Formula One’s mobile friendly web site – http://mobile.formula1.com/ where we noticed the official F1 2012 Timing app. We just had to download it. Continue reading
Masabi’s Android app can display Oyster-style card info
Rating: Still at proof-of-concept stage
UK rail m-ticketing specialist, Masabi, has revealed a proof-of-concept Android application called ‘Smart Card Buddy Beta’. The company claims the technology paves the way for smartcard (such as London’s Oyster card) ticket validation on low-cost smartphones and will allow passengers to buy rail tickets or ‘top-up’ credit for their smartcard on their handset rather than at a station. This facility is courtesy of its ability to read and display the contents of ITSO-based transport ticketing smartcards. Continue reading
Guest Post: Stella Rabecca on how the smartphone could be overshadowing our lives
Spyware apps have provided some check and balance for parents
Technology has given a lot of power to everyone. For some this is a good thing and can be used positively but on the other hand, it is sadly being used negatively by many. Technology is bringing more negatives than positives as a result of which, children and people are exposed to things they should not know. These could include sexual content, interaction with unknown people which could lead to other menaces like drug dealing as well. Continue reading
Appcelerator says developers’ interest in Android is waning
Rating: By contrast, Apple’s iPad still extremely popular
Although Google’s Android mobile OS was supposed to rule the world by now, support for developing apps for Android is actually waning. That’s according to Appcelerator, which provides a platform for developing for Android, iOS and HTML5. The company has regularly surveyed the 300,000 developers currently in its network. The data shows that over the past three Quarters, interest in developing mobile applications to run on Android platforms (both tablet and smartphone ) has fallen off more than 10 per cent. Continue reading
USA’s National CineMedia upgrades its CinemaSync
Rating: Sadly it appears to only be available in the USA
National CineMedia (NCM) has recently upgraded its CinemaSync mobile technology. The company also plans to syndicate CinemaSync to other film and entertainment apps, allowing more film goers to interact with the cinema experience in a whole new way. NCM’s ‘Film Night Out with CinemaSync’ app is available for both Android and iOS but sadly appears restricted to the US market so GoMobile News couldn’t test it. To date the app appears to have had over 1.2 million downloads. The app is designed to bring the entire cinema experience to life via smartphones. Continue reading
Parrot launches hands-free text/email messaging
Rating: GoMobile News discovers how to do so with Nokia Lumia 800
French supplier, Parrot, best known for its Android power vehicle audio centre – the Asteroid, has just launched a service which it is calling ‘TextFriendly’. The whole aim is to provide a service whereby any mobile phone user can manage his or her own communications such as text messages or emails – hands-free. Obviously, TextFriendly works using voice recognition technology but weren’t not sure which major player has provided it. Nuance, perhaps? We’re also guessing that it is actually a white-labelled offering – possibly from a company called QRC. Anyway, GoMobile News has tested the system out and provided it works really quite well. The snag is that we don’t quite know what the costs are. Continue reading
