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BBC Reaches 1M Downloads Of Its iPlayer Radio iOS App; Android Coming In 2013
Dec 13, 11:03AM
Some music to the BBC's ears: the UK broadcasting giant today said that it has passed the 1-million-download mark for its iOS iPlayer Radio app -- launched two months ago as part of the corporation's big push into digital to drive more revenues and hold on to its audience as they scatter for the hills of apps, Spotify, Netflix and other OTT services.Research: UK Smartphone Penetration Hits 58%, Tablets At 19%. Brits A Nation Of Online Shoppers: £1,000+ Now Spent Online Per Year
Dec 13, 10:38AM
Research by Ofcom suggests the U.K. leads international markets for mobile device adoption and usage, driven by mobile social networking. Internet shopping on mobiles is also on the rise, while the U.K. leads for online shopping generally -- with Brits spending £1,000+ per year buying stuff online. The rate of on-demand online TV viewing is also at world leading levels in the U.K.Google Extends Magazines To The UK Google Play Store; Next Stop Europe?
Dec 13, 10:03AM
A little sweetening of the deal for would-be Android holiday tablet and smartphone and buyers in one part of the world: today Google announced that it is expanding its Magazines section of Google Play apps to the UK. Some Android users started to notice the store appearing yesterday; today is the formal launch where it will be available to everyone.As Seen On TV: Virtual Fitting Room Metail Gets Dressed Up For ITV's This Morning
Dec 13, 9:00AM
Metail, the virtual fitting room startup, has scored somewhat of a coup. Kicking off today, it's partnering with the UK television broadcaster ITV as part of a fashion segment on the channel's day time show This Morning. Along with potentially exposing the startup's tech to millions of viewers, even if it is largely hidden behind the TV program's own branding, the move suggests that Metail may have a 'second screen' string to its otherwise B2B retail bow.'European Square' iZettle Expands To Spain, Taking Total Markets To Seven
Dec 13, 8:40AM
The mobile payments landgrab is on in Europe. Today, iZettle announced that it is now open for business in Spain, taking its total number of markets to seven. The company, which has received $46.7 million in backing from companies and VCs that include MasterCard and American Express, is now able to take mobile payments by way of a dongle attached to an iOS or Android device in Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom and Germany.U.K.'s First 4G Network To Expand To 17 More Towns By March 2013; Carrier EE Also Upgrading 3G To Fastest Variant: DC-HSPA
Dec 13, 8:39AM
EE, the carrier behind the U.K.'s first 4G network, 4GEE, has announced its rollout will expand to 17 more towns by March 2013. It will also increase the network density in metropolitan areas already covered by its 4G rollout. In tandem it's upgrading its 3G network to fastest variant DC-HSPA and upping the capacity of its mobile backhaul to Gigabit Ethernet.Cabulous Rebrands As Flywheel, Plans Major Marketing Push To Bring E-Hail To Cabs Across The US
Dec 13, 8:01AM
Mobile transportation startup Cabulous launched in 2010 with plans to bring Uber-like e-hailing to taxi fleets throughout the country. And while it's been fairly successful in getting cabs signed up and attracting new customers, the company has decided to rebrand as Flywheel, and will be making a big marketing push around the new name in urban markets like New York City and San Francisco.Gift Guide Review: Golla's Carter Sling Camera Bag
Dec 13, 7:00AM
My first encounter with Golla bags happened at the Mobile World Congress in 2012. Their vibrant display at the event was hard to ignore. Even now, it's hard to ignore the breadth of designs and options they give you for protecting and toting your personal gear. They sent over their Carter Large Pro Sling Camera Bag for review and I must say there is a lot to like about it.New Voxeet Mobile Apps Offer Stereo HD Sound For Conference Calls With No Audio Bridge
Dec 13, 6:38AM
Voxeet has new apps for the iPhone and the Android that provide stereo HD sound for conference calls without any audio bridge. I had a demo last week and I was definitely impressed. My Android HTC Sensation has awful sound quality.Amazon Kindle Might Finally Arrive In China Following iOS And Android App Launches
Dec 13, 6:33AM
The long-anticipated release of Kindle devices in China may finally become a reality. On Wednesday, the Kindle iPhone and iPad apps launched in the Chinese App Store; the Android version is also available for download. Meanwhile, Amazon China's Kindle bookstore is now stocked with about 22,500 Chinese language titles.Michael Dell: 64,000 Servers From Number One Position Worldwide And An Official Commitment To OpenStack
Dec 13, 5:23AM
Michael Dell said onstage at his Dell World keynote today that Dell is No. 1 in market share for servers in North America and Asia and 64,000 servers from the number one spot worldwide. Dell did not cite a source for the number one spot claim. There is no public statement about the total. I was told to ask IDC Analyst Matt Eastwood about the numbers. So I did. Eastwood replied to me on Twitter: “Dell’s #2 in server units & #2 in x86 server revenue. They are #3 in server rev overall (pesky mainframes).” Dell has been steadily gaining in server sales. It was the only server company to see increased share in the third quarter in a market that is showing an overall decline in sales. Eastwood’s remark about mainframes refers to the big bucks that companies like IBM still get for selling its big boxes. Dell counts market share by shipments, not revenues. In terms of revenues, IBM is in the top spot with $3.5 billion in revenues and HP comes in second with $3.3 billion servers sold. Dell does $2.1 billion in sales. Servers get packed into racks as dense as hens in a chicken factory. Every few days, a technician walks the aisles, plucking the dead ones that died in the heat of the server room. Servers are a commodity. They’re cheap and provide little margin for Dell and the other vendors. But Dell did not invite a few thousand people to Austin this week for Dell World just to sell servers. Dell wants to sell solutions. That’s where OpenStack enters the picture. Today, Dell made it official in its support for the DIY open cloud effort. Dell will build its private and public cloud platforms on OpenStack. As a first step, today Dell is releasing a technical preview of its private cloud, Dell Cloud Dedicated, with OpenStack. So where does this put Dell? Well, it’s not going to copy Amazon Web Services, as it appears HP is trying to do. Instead, look for Dell to dress things up for customers so they don’t have to do it all themselves.Dan Frommer Is Launching A Startup. It's A Mobile Travel Guide. And It's Not Called Frommer's.
Dec 13, 4:34AM
The illustrious Dan Frommer, a tech writer and editor, formerly of SplatF, Business Insider and ReadWriteWeb fame, is launching a travel startup this evening. And no it is not called Frommer's because Google now owns that, but yes, it is also a novel approach to the very crowded local guide space. You know how all you want to do when you get to a new city is have an amazingly cool, connected friend tell you where the five great places to go are? Well City Notes wants to be the mobile app version of that -- only offering users 10-25 suggestions per city, starting with NYC Holiday suggestions and expanding as people catch on.Google Makes SDK Available For Its Native iOS Maps App So That Developers Can Bypass Apple's
Dec 13, 4:16AM
To go along with its brand-new, built-from-scratch iOS Maps app, Google has released a new SDK that will allow developers to utilize its service within their own apps. The key is that the SDK allows access to a URL scheme that lets you call up the app from anywhere you like within your own. Say you have a contact management app. If you surface a person’s address, you could choose to launch Google Maps by default, rather than Apple’s iOS 6 offering. Tonight, Senior Product Manager on Google Maps, Andrew Fost, wrote about it on the Google Geo Developers blog: The SDK features vector-based maps that load quickly, allowing users to easily navigate 2D and 3D views, rotating and tilting the map with simple gestures inside your app. Developers can also change the Google maps view to include information such as traffic conditions, and control camera positions in 3D. Access to API keys is being progressively rolled out to developers who register interest. Yes, along with calling up the app, it can be fully woven in, so if you have developed an app like Foursquare, you could choose to use all of Google’s real-time data, information and graphics. Tapping a routing button within any type of app can fire off Google Maps: The SDK documentation, along with URL scheme instructions, are available on Google’s Developer site now. Sadly, developers will have to register for API access, which means that there’s no telling how long it will take to see our first apps with Google Maps woven in. Of course, it’ll be after that Apple App Store “Holiday Freeze,” so look for them in the New Year. Choice is good for developers, but most importantly, for consumers. [Photo credit: Flickr]Google Launches Native Maps For iOS, And Here's The Deep Dive On Navigation, Info Sheets And More
Dec 13, 4:16AM
As we hinted at time and time again, Google has released its native Maps app for iOS…before Christmas. The timing couldn’t come soon enough, as many people have become frustrated with the built-in iOS 6 Maps that Apple offers. Even Apple’s own CEO took it upon himself to apologize for the not-so-polished product, a stand-up act which I actually applauded. Today is about Google Maps, though. The company has spent the past seven years refining its offering, making its internal systems run quickly to keep up with as many detours, traffic conditions and new apartment complexes that it can. All of that hard work paid off with this app. It’s absolutely gorgeous, runs as smooth as a videogame and is a complete user experience overhaul from any Google Maps experience you’ve ever had. The new swipe gestures to bring up menus, as well as the great detail in which information is displayed, are clear as soon as you open the app. Good thing, because 50 percent of the Google Maps usage comes from mobile devices, obviously. Now here’s the bad news on this version of Google Maps: there are no biking directions; offline mode (although as soon as you get a route, it is cached on your device), indoor maps; or offers as of yet. This would seem to be incomplete, but clearly the team wanted to put together a fantastic Maps app that serves the needs of iOS users right now. Yes, Google didn’t want to pack everything in too tightly until the world had a chance to play with it. Fair enough, but some of these things would have been nice. But yes, overall, it’s that good. I took it for a spin yesterday and was able to figure out its new UI immediately. Basically, the map is the UI. All of the menus are neatly tucked away, pulled up and out with gestures that are masterfully designed for iOS. If Apple had only waited a bit longer, this could have been the experience that shipped with iOS 6. It also includes a brand new SDK so that developers can start integrating it into their apps. I spoke with Daniel Graf, director of Google Maps for mobile, and while he said that Google didn’t hold out as long as it possibly could to release this, I would say that waiting until Apple’s infamous Holiday App Store freeze says otherwise.After Going Dark For The Second Time In Two Weeks, Tumblr Is Gradually Coming Back Online
Dec 13, 3:36AM
We reported earlier this evening that popular blogging engine, Tumblr, was suffering from another outage, as users across the country were reporting slow loading, intermittent errors on pages and total Tumblr darkness. The company almost immediately confirmed the issue, reporting via Twitter that it had "taken the site down in order to resolve a network issue." While Tumblr didn't offer any reasons as to why it was forced to take the site down, it finally offered an update, saying that dashboards were on their way back up and that other features would be rolling out incrementally. As of now, while still a little slow, Tumblr is officially back up and operational (at least for TechCrunchers).biNu Partners With US State Dept. To Distribute English-Language Learning Materials
Dec 13, 3:22AM
The US Department of State and mobile startup biNu just announced that they're working together in a public-private partnership. It's not, perhaps, the most obvious partnership, but biNu says that its app platform for feature phones and lower-end smartphones is already used by an audience of 4 million people, largely in emerging economies. That's an audience that the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs wants to reach, so it will be using biNu to distribute its English-language learning materials, such as e-books, audio, and games.Content Curation Startup, Scoop.it, Rolls Out Big New Redesign To Help Businesses & Pros Increase Their Visibility Online
Dec 13, 3:00AM
Scoop.it launched last November to give anyone and everyone the ability to create their own digital magazines -- to aggregate and distribute content from across ye olde Internets according to their particular interests -- not unlike Pressly or OnSwipe. In December, the startup released its first mobile app and has since been adding integrations with services like Hootsuite, SlideShare and Buffer to expand its reach into social media marketing. As Steve wrote in September, through these integrations, Scoop.it now offers users the ability to optimize their presence on social media by allowing them to time-shift or schedule tweets, posts and updates while they curate their topic-based news items.Kickstarter Testing New Video-Centric 'Leanback Mode'
Dec 13, 2:53AM
I was poking around Kickstarter yesterday when I was hit with a big black screen telling me that I was about to experience a "brand new, super secret, full-screen internet party" — in other words, I was about to test out the site's "Leanback mode." Basically, in Leanback mode, Kickstarter starts playing project videos automatically. (I would have included a screenshot, but it's literally just a video filling up your browser.) As each video ends, a new one begins, prefaced by a brief screen describing the project. If you're bored with a video, you hit the left and right arrows to skip. If you find one you like, you visit the project page by hitting the down button.Who Is This? (Sprint + Google Voice Is Hopeless)
Dec 13, 2:29AM
You can’t say I didn’t give it an honest try. It was over a year ago now that I tried switching from an Android phone to the iPhone. The main reason I had waited so long was my tether to Google Voice – I’m all in there after porting my phone number to them a few years ago. And Google Voice never worked natively on the iPhone. Until Sprint, that is. Their partnership with Google let me use my Google Voice number as my Sprint iPhone number, bypassing Apple completely and letting me use Google Voice natively for SMS, phone log dialing, etc. So I switched to Sprint and enabled Google Voice and I thought all my problems were fixed (putting aside Sprint’s awful signal and data issues). I even got one of those Sprint Airwave boxes to get a signal at home. I was committed to making this work. It doesn’t work. It never really has. I give up now. Phone Calls: If I initiate a call from Google Voice in the browser to my iPhone everything works great. If I initiate the call directly from the iPhone, then about half the time my caller id shows my Google Voice number, and half the time it shows the original Sprint number. It tends to do this in bunches, so as soon as I think it’s settled on one number or the other it switches on me again. People have no idea who’s calling them, and eventually they end up storing both my phone numbers and it’s a mess. SMS: Same thing. If I text from the browser it’s all good. But when I use my phone it mostly uses the original Sprint phone number. Text messages sent to my Google Voice number sometimes, but don’t always, show up on my phone. Text messages from my phone only show up in Google Voice in the browser if the phone happened to use the Google Voice number that time. A common (daily) sms exchange with me looks something like this: You: Hey Mike Me: Hey You: Who is this? That’s because they send a SMS to my GV number. It was forwarded to my phone (which sometimes happens, sometimes not). I respond but Sprint uses the old Sprint number, so it sets up a whole new thread on the other person’s phone. They have no idea who I am. Then we
An Apple-Foursquare Hookup Could Mean The End Of Yelp Reviews In iOS
Dec 13, 1:54AM
Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue sent an interesting 31st tweet today. It's a Foursquare check-in at Apple's HQ, indicating that Cue is trying out the service at work. Moreover, Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley is spending a week in San Francisco. These two circumstantial bits of information incite speculation: could they be talking about an acquisition, or a deep software integration in iOS?If at any time you'd like to stop receiving these messages, just send an email to feeds_feedburner_com_techcrunch+unsubscribe-hmdtechnology=gmail.com@mail.feed2email.net.
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