THE BUSINESS OF TECHNOLOGY
Most often, CEOs are hired to replace a predecessor in times of troubles with the mandate to fix things. Once again, the British-based startup Shazam is an exception. Founded in 2000, the last 13 years have brought both traction and a venerated position in pop culture’s mobile hall of fame as an all-time, top 10 most downloaded iPhone app. The … [Read more...]
Mobile advertising startup Locket has successfully set customers a-clicking. The company has approximately 100,000 users, a quarter of whom downloaded Locket within two days of launch. The company announced a new program, “My Ads,” last week that asks users to recommend ads they want to see on lock screens; and now Locket says engagement through … [Read more...]
Facebook has acquired Mobile Technologies, the 12 year old company behind Jibbigo, a speech recognition and machine translation app. The app is the first to offer speech to speech translation in both offline and online environments. It enables users to text or record voice content in over 25 languages that is then translated on screen or read aloud … [Read more...]
Even when your phone’s off, you might not be off grid. The OFF Pocket, a metalized-fabric case currently on Kickstarter, blocks signals to mobile phones and ensures users digitally disappear. The product’s designed to give users privacy and peace of mind, as well as a chance to disconnect. “The pocket functions effectively to protect your … [Read more...]
It’s rare that consumers celebrate ads on their devices. But they may be singing a different tune after downloading Locket, which pays them for their time. Adding to the pros: Locket CEO Yunha Kim promises the Android app won’t just make mobile ads less annoying––it’ll make them entertaining. “What we’re trying to do is change how mobile … [Read more...]
There’s an adage in business: If you’re early, you’re on time, and if you’re on time, you’re late. But to land a job in the first place, you’ll need to beat the clock as well as other applicants to the punch––which is where Proven, the job search platform for desktop and mobile, races in. “Proven is changing the way people apply and experience the … [Read more...]
Microsoft leaders announced its biggest overhaul in five years to improve its innovation and streamline its product line as it plays catch up with competitors in mobile and cloud computing efforts. The company will reorganize itself into four engineering groups, reorganize executive positions, and realign its product teams as it struggles to unify … [Read more...]
Smartphone growth may have reached its saturation point in already developed markets, but mobile advertising revenue is just beginning to hit some impressive speeds. Global mobile advertising spend earned $8.9 billion in 2012, an 83 percent spike over the previous year’s $5.3 billion, according to a new study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau … [Read more...]
India has surpassed Japan in the smartphone market, becoming for the first time the third largest in the world behind the US and China, a new report from Strategy Analytics points out. The first quarter of 2013 alone saw India’s smartphone adoption grow an impressive 163 percent, four times faster than the global average of 39 percent. India also … [Read more...]
by Matt Gallagher, Red Herring Journalist Though their messages may self-destruct in 10 seconds, Snapchat’s potential at monetizing its massive user base that has eclipsed the likes of Instagram and Vine is far from a mission impossible. At least that’s what Institutional Venture Partners are betting after leading a $60 million Series B round that … [Read more...]