apps

Google edges into the mobile download game

With nearly every smartphone manufacturer and carrier creating its own application storefront for downloading mobile apps, we suppose it was only a matter of time before Google got into the game one way or another.

Starting Wednesday, searching Google.com for iPhone and Android apps--from your iPhone or Android phone--will likely yield a mobile app as its result. The trick, it seems, is to enter the magic word, "download," before the name of the app you seek.

The resulting link and surround context, like a star rating and number of user reviews, isn't a direct download URL … Read more

Free Motorola app details hands-free driving laws

Motorola kicks off National Safe Driving Month by launching the Smart Handsfree mobile app for Android that helps users to navigate the often confusing local hands-free driving laws.

Upon downloading and launching Smart Handsfree, the app will use the Android handset's location service to discern what state the user is in and display an overview of whether there exists a handheld or texting ban or if there are any special conditions for novice drivers. Having this sort of information at your fingertips is fairly useful. For example, while we knew that the state of California has bans on using … Read more

Audi A2 to get app store

For a car that doesn't yet exist, it has a solid marketing plan. The Financial Times reports that Audi is targeting its rumored all-electric A2 toward megacities with populations of more than 5 million people.

And, of course, there will be an app store.

The hypothetical app store will let A2 owners download upgrades for their car from the comfort and convenience of their home, Peter Schwarzenbauer, Audi's head of marketing and sales, told the Financial Times. The apps will let drivers customize their car's interior, driving style, as well as add features.

Potentially, Audi may … Read more

2 million iPads sold in under 60 days

Apple has sold more than 2 million iPads since the device debuted April 3, the company said Monday.

It's safe to assume that the vast majority of those sales came from the U.S. market, as the iPad went on sale less than four days ago in Australia, Japan, Canada, the U.K., Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. Apple didn't say how many of the 2 million iPads were sold internationally.

Speculation that Apple is having a hard time keeping up with demand for the iPad seems to have been confirmed by Apple CEO Steve Jobs in … Read more

Reporters' Roundtable: App stores are good for software biz (podcast)

The working title for this show was, "How app stores are killing software." But the conversation, with Evernote CEO Phil Libin and SoftTech venture capitalist Jeff Clavier, painted exactly the opposite picture. These two execs, both of whom are making money from software in the current economy, say that the gated, paid app stores are in fact the best things to happen to software developers in years. Watch the show to learn why.

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Show notes and talking points… Read more

Car Tech Live 170: Electric car reality check (podcast)

Tesla looks like a real car company all of a sudden; lifetime free traffic looking like the norm for GPS; new Pioneer AVIC gets married to Pandora mobile; TV broadcasts in your car have hit a snag; and we roll in our favorite sports sedan: the AMG C63.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 170 SHOW NOTES

• Toyota, Nissan make big moves on electric car factories

• We drive--and love--the Mercedes C63 AMG

• New Pioneer AVIC adds Pandora mobile app

• 85 miles in the Mitsubishi i-Miev

• Magellan Roadmate 3065 GPS worries about commute so you don't have to… Read more

Kindle, Kobo apps follow iPad international launch

With the Apple iPad's international launch on Friday, consumers worldwide gained access to Amazon.com's Kindle app and Kobo's e-reader--apparently ahead of Apple's own iBook store.

Amazon's free Kindle iPad app is now available to all countries where the iPad is offered, Amazon said. The app lets people download and read e-books from Amazon's online bookstore without need for Kindle hardware.

Meanwhile, Kobo announced Friday that it has expanded the reach of its free iPad app to Canada, the U.K., and Australia. The regional versions offer local content and merchandise, according to Kobo. … Read more

Microsoft does right by freeing Outlook archives

Plenty of people like to demonize Microsoft, but the company is capable of doing the right thing, too, even if that might not help its bottom line. A case in point: giving away the keys that had locked up customers' own Outlook records.

Microsoft has been gradually opening up the PST file format that stores personal data such as e-mails, contacts, and calendar entries. The latest move, on Monday, was the release of two open-source tools to see the contents of PST files; Microsoft also has shared PST documentation and put the PST data under the Open Specification Promise, under … Read more

Barnes & Noble launches iPad app

While Amazon had its Kindle for iPad app ready in time for the launch of the iPad, Barnes & Noble decided to take its sweet time before releasing its BN eReader for iPad, which is finally available as a free download in Apple's App Store.

Like Amazon, Barnes & Noble is trying to give its customers access to its e-book store from a wide array of popular mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, and next month, Android smartphones. Users can store content in one master digital library and shuffle content between devices.

Barnes & Noble is touting the fact that it's designed this version of its eReader app from the ground up, specifically for the iPad. It's also highlighting its e-book lending option, which lets you lend out certain e-books to friends one time for a 14-day period.

Here's a look at the key features:

Two options for displaying your library (Library Grid and Library List views) Choice of colors for text; pages (background); highlights; and links Eight typefaces and five text sizes Variety of margins and customizable spacing options LendMe feature (limited lending of certain e-books) All e-books and most periodicals purchased through the Barnes & Noble eBookstore are accessible on your iPad Built-in dictionary Google and Wikipedia integration for quick searches of terms and words

Mobile-gaming revenue to hit $11.4 billion in 2014

Gaming on cell phones has long promised to be an important revenue generator for mobile carriers and game developers, but it took quite awhile for it to drive real revenue in the U.S. But worldwide, especially in Asia, mobile gaming has been emerging as an important revenue generator for a number of years.

Last week, research firm Gartner predicted that worldwide mobile-game revenue will grow 19 percent, reaching $5.6 billion in 2010 with an expectation to more than double to $11.4 billion in 2014.

Mobile gaming is a very broad classification which also includes new and interesting … Read more