Tag Archives: Google Play Store

Do it yourself

How to Lock Down & Prevent Android Apps from Exposing Your Privacy on a Nexus 7 Tablet (Jelly Bean 4.3)

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Privacy has been a heated topic in recent months, with everyone now up in arms over unauthorized leaks and exposures. And guess what—tablet and smartphone users are just as vulnerable.

Remember, the Google Play Store is unfiltered, so malware can just as easily make its way onto your Android device just like it can your computer. It could be masked as a seemingly harmless puzzle game, a fancy wallpaper, or pretty much anything else you can think of.

If you download apps from third-party stores or directly from developers, you can be at greater risk. Last month, Juniper Networks analyzed… more

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Source: Wonder How To

Computers

Microsoft releases Office Mobile for Android phones (tablets need not apply)

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Office Mobile for Android PowerPoint

Microsoft Wednesday added Android to the list of mobile operating systems now supported by Office Mobile. But Office Mobile for Android only covers phones, not tablets, limiting its utility.

The Android version, Office Mobile for Android, is also arguably the weakest of the bunch, in terms of compatibility with Microsoft Office. Microsoft is still tacitly encouraging users to buy Windows Phones, which come preloaded and activated with Windows Mobile and don’t require an Office 365 subscription to use. The problem is, within the Android world, there are a number of other office solutions that provide very good direct competition to Microsoft’s offering.

Microsoft
Holding your phone vertically allows you to edit your PowerPoint slides.

Nevertheless, Office Mobile for Android is free and downloadable from the Google Play Store. The only requirement is that your phone must contain Android 4.0 or higher, and you must already have purchased Office 365.

In a break with Office Mobile for iPhone, Microsoft doesn’t even offer the option to purchase Office 365 from within the app; instead, users must sign up outside the application itself. And without Office 365, Office Mobile for Android is virtually useless.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Facebook readies iOS app update featuring 'Chat Heads' messaging

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Chat Heads, the buzzy messaging feature released as part of Facebook’s Home software for Android-based smartphones, is now coming to the iPhone and iPad.

The app, which is designed to let users chat with their friends even while they are doing other things on their phone, will launch on the iPhone and iPad later on Tuesday as part of an update to Facebook’s apps on those devices, the company said.

Home is a family of apps that Facebook made available for Android-equipped smartphones last week in the Google Play Store. The product isn’t an operating system, but it sits on top of the Android OS and is intended to add a range of social features to people’s phones. Currently, the product works on several different phones made by HTC and Samsung.

Home essentially Facebook-ifies people’s smartphones. One of its most striking features is Cover Feed, which replaces the traditional home and lock screen on the phone with the user’s News Feed, so the first thing people see when they pick up their phone are photos and posts from their friends.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

From: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2034839/facebook-readies-ios-app-update-featuring-chat-heads-messaging.html#tk.rss_all

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Is the Google Stock Rally Over for Now?

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By Tim Beyers, The Motley Fool

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Each week, I endeavor to report the results of the Big Idea Portfolio, a collection of five tech stocks that I believe will crush the market over a three-year period. I’ve done it before; my last tussle with Mr. Market ended with me beating the index’s average return by 13.35%.

Real money was on the line then as it is now, which means any one of the five stocks you see below could cause me a lot of public embarrassment. This time, Google fell slightly in a big week for the market indexes. Facebook and Microsoft deserve most of the blame.

Google stock retreated about 80 basis points last week as thousands awaited Friday’s official release of Facebook Home for Android. That appears to have been an overreaction. As of Sunday, more than 3,000 had downloaded and rated the app at Google’s Play Store. Of those, nearly 1,600 give the app 1 out of 5 stars. Overall, they give it 2.4 stars.

“No widgets, kinda clunky, and pretty much just Facebook with access to your apps drawer. Meh, an unimpressive launcher compared to most others,” wrote reviewer Jeremy Noah, who called the app “good for Facebook-ophiles” after trying the app on his Samsung Galaxy S3.

The message? Facebook has much work to do before Home becomes a suitable substitute for Google’s existing Android interface. In the meantime, Microsoft has allied itself with 16 others to urge European regulators to take action against the search king for what it deems “predatory” efforts to control the market for mobile software and devices.

We don’t yet know how EU officials will respond to Mr. Softy’s urging, or Google’s own efforts to settle existing grievances. The resulting uncertainty appears to be weighing on Google stock.

What’s the Big Idea this week?
Elsewhere, a small move in Apple shares fell short of the market‘s overall rally, costing me  another 135 basis points in my three-year battle with Mr. Market. All four indexes reported strong gains.

This time, the Nasdaq led the way with with a 2.84% surge, followed by the S&P 500’s 2.29% rally, the Russell 2000’s 2.12% jump, and the Dow’s 2.06% gain, according to data supplied by The Wall Street Journal. Here’s a closer look at where I stood through Friday’s close:
 
Company Starting Price* Recent Price Total Return

Apple

$416.26**

$429.80

3.3%

Google

$650.09

$790.05

21.5%

Rackspace Hosting

$41.65

$48.40

16.2%

Riverbed Technology

$25.95

$14.60

(43.7%)

salesforce.com

$100.93

$169.52

67.9%

AVERAGE RETURN

—

—

13.04%

S&P 500 SPDR

$124.39**

$158.80

27.66%

DIFFERENCE

—

—

(14.62%)

Source: Yahoo! Finance.
* Tracking began at market close on Jan. 6, 2012.
** Adjusted for dividends and other returns of capital.

Notable newsmakers
Among the other tech stocks making news last week:

Do it yourself

How to Install the New Facebook Home Launcher on Your Nexus 7 Tablet

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Facebook Home was just released in the Google Play Store a couple days ago, and for those of you eagerly waiting to get it on your Nexus 7, you’ll unfortunately be stuck with this message: The new Facebook Home launcher app is blocked on the Nexus 7, because Facebook only released it for a few select Android phones. Home for tablets probably won’t appear for months, but that’s okay, because you don’t have to wait that long! In this article, I’m going to show you how to get Facebook Home installed and working perfectly on your Nexus 7 tablet.

Before You Begin

Make sure you’ve backed up your… more

From: http://nexus7.wonderhowto.com/how-to/install-new-facebook-home-launcher-your-nexus-7-tablet-0146337/

Do it yourself

How to Install Flash Player on Your Nexus 7 Tablet to Watch Streaming Web-Based Flash Videos

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You’ve probably see this a million times on your Nexus 7 tablet: On some streaming sites it’s “You need to upgrade your Adobe Flash Player to watch this video,” and on others it may be “You need to install the Adobe Flash plugin.” Whatever it is, you have the same problem—Flash does not work on your Nexus 7.

So what do you do? There’s no Flash Player or Flash plugin in the Google Play Store anymore, so now what? Out of luck? NO WAY!

Today, I’ll show you how to manually install the latest Adobe Flash plugin for Android Jellly Bean on your Google Nexus 7 tablet and get streaming video sites to… more

From: http://nexus7.wonderhowto.com/how-to/install-flash-player-your-nexus-7-tablet-watch-streaming-web-based-flash-videos-0146315/

Computers

California AG Harris urges app developers to respect users' privacy

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The wealth of personal data that mobile apps collect on their users needs to be conspicuously stated to consumers or developers could face legal heat, California attorney general Kamala D. Harris said Wednesday.

Rather than resorting to subpoenas and enforcement actions, the California attorney general’s office is in the midst of a crusade of sorts built around encouraging app developers, and Internet services firms in general, to become compliant with state privacy laws on their own accord.

Last year, for instance, the office reached an agreement with a number of major tech companies, including Facebook and Google, to make the privacy policies for those companies’ mobile apps available to consumers in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store before the download process rather than after. The idea is to encourage technology companies that have access to users’ personal identifiable information such as geolocation and contact lists to better inform consumers how that information is used so consumers can make better decisions about using the app in the first place.

California has some of the strongest privacy laws in the country and is often seen as a bellwether for how other states nationwide will grapple with the ongoing issues surrounding consumer privacy and mobile apps. Striking the right balance between innovation and protecting users’ privacy, therefore, is an issue high on Harris’ agenda.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Hampstead Academy Students Win National Mobile App Design Competition; Will Work With Massachusetts

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Hampstead Academy Students Win National Mobile App Design Competition; Will Work With Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab to Develop Apps


Verizon’s National Innovative App Challenge Aimed at Boosting Students’ Interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

HAMPSTEAD, N.H.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– A team of eighth grade students from Hampstead Academy are winners of a national competition to develop mobile applications that address a need or problem in their school and community. Their Chow Checker app concept is one of 10 winning designs. The app will help people with food allergies avoid foods and ingredients they are allergic to – such as milk, eggs, peanuts and shellfish.

The Verizon Innovative App Challenge was created by the Verizon Foundation in partnership with the Technology Student Association to help boost student engagement and interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The students were asked to use their STEM skills to design app concepts that provided real-world solutions for issues in their communities or schools.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab will continue to work with the Hampstead Academy “Chow Checker” team to refine their project. Verizon will provide the teams with professional support and training to help bring their concepts to market. The final products will be made available for download from Google’s Play Store. In addition, Hampstead Academy will receive a $10,000 Verizon Foundation grant to advance STEM education at their school, and each team member will receive the new Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, courtesy of Samsung Mobile.

“The Hampstead Academy students’ work on the App Challenge is further proof that innovative ideas can be found and fostered everywhere, and at any age,” commented Christine Berberich, regional president for Verizon Wireless. “We’ve all seen examples of young inventors and entrepreneurs turning their ideas into life-changing solutions, and the ‘Chow Checker‘ team has thought of a way to help those living with food allergies. We look forward to following the student’s progress as they leverage mobile technology to bring their concept to fruition.”

“The Verizon Innovative App Challenge demonstrated how STEM can be utilized in a classroom setting with all students, not just those who may have an aptitude for science and math,” stated Chris Sousa, Grade 8 faculty advisor for the winning Chow Checker app at Hampstead Academy. “The Challenge completely engaged our diverse …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Android Mobile Usage (Finally) Surpasses Apple

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By Steve Heller, The Motley Fool

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Despite Google Android’s market domination, Android has had a difficult time converting its market share into smartphone usage. It wasnn’t until near the end of 2012 before Android really began surpassing Apple‘s smartphone usage share in terms of web traffic. Fast-forward a few months later and Android’s usage share has reached 37%, far above Apple’s approximate 25% share. Earlier this year, Apple senior VP Phil Schiller boasted how Apple controls 75% of the profit with just 20% of the share. Is Apple about to eat Schiller’s words?

Key differences
Before we proclaim that Apple is flat-out losing to Android in nearly all aspects, there’s an obvious difference between the businesses. For one, Apple is primarily engaged in selling high-end devices for a ridiculous markup and Google is more entrenched in the usage business above anything else. Although Android devices have begun to be collectively “used” more than Apple devices, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Apple’s profit share is drastically waning. It simply means that Android’s existing users have begun to utilize their devices more as mobile computing devices. Naturally, that’s a great thing for Google, which is banking on Google Search and its resulting mobile ad business to continue flourishing without the help of overly demanding partners.

Chicken or the egg
What came first: iOS developers or iOS users? To this day, the App Store remains more profitable per user than the Google Play Store, indicating that Apple developers aren’t likely to immediately migrate over to Android. However, should Android continue to show evidence of increased usage, and its app revenue per capita starts rising, Apple may be at the mercy of developer attrition. Under this scenario, developers would be likely to prove most loyal to the ecosystem where they have the greatest chances of making the largest potential profit.

Turning a corner?
The running joke of Android has been that its users don’t use their smartphone for smartphone purposes. Contrary to comedy, the evidence is beginning to suggest otherwise, indicating that Android users have become more acclimated with using their devices for mobile computing. I do, however, find it humorous to think it took Android needed nearly three times as many users than Apple, but I suppose it’s always better to be late than never.

It’s more important than ever to understand each piece of Google’s sprawling empire. In The Motley Fool’s new premium research report on Google, we break down the risks and potential rewards for Google investors. Simply click here now to unlock your copy of this invaluable resource.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance