Anyone familiar with non linear editing (NLE) for video on Apple Macs and PC’s will have probably heard of AVID, and in my opinion a f**** nightmare to use and totally defunct when you have equally capable (for most instances) options such as Adobe’s Premiere Pro which has grown over the years to be very capable and nice to use and Apple’s Final Cut Pro (FCP) which has stayed rather stale until very recently but still packs a punch and works pretty well.

Having said all this I will not judge this application based on the fact that I dislike AVID on PC’s with a passion and would advise any sane member of the human race to steer clear.

So let us begin:

AVID App review:

With the iPad showing its versatility and strength in the music production department which I covered last week with the Akai MPC Fly review, I am pleasantly surprised to see this new release of the video editing AVID application for the device.

And at £2.99/$4.99 it is cheap enough to trial for 30 days (with the full app costing a couple more pounds after this period £4.99/$7.99).

But, does the app need you to already own the daddy AVID on your desktop to make any use of it, or can you use this application like a cut down version much like iMovies is intended?

Well the answer is, it is up to you. But you do not need the fully blown Avid software for a desktop PC at all to use this iPad application.

With the application working with video, audio and photos, it does mean you can edit more than just some crappy video footage on your iPad and are able to bring in a bit more to spice things up.

Effects and transitions:

As you would expect from an application that has iMovie to compete with, it includes some basic effects and transitions to add a touch of your own style to the video editing process, even though you will see that less is more in this art form as you gain more skills and confidence…;)

But with Photobucket stating that they have seen Photo Sharing Trends with mobile uploads of content such as photo and video to their site on the increase, it is perhaps likely that we will see many more videos been shot with smartphones and tablets and edited on the same devices and released pretty much without ever leaving this framework of technology, WOW.

Exporting options:

With options to upload and export to Facebook and Youtube, this will seriously add another weapon in the armory of the mobile journalist or person who simply wants to have some fun, your movie will also be included in the devices camera roll for exporting and bringing back into a real AVID.

I think this application would be best served in making more people aware of AVID and then perhaps bringing out a decent version of the desktop option for PC and Mac’s that could compete with Adobe Premiere and Apple’s FCP in terms of usability and the ability to manage work-spaces on the desktop more effectively which is an area that AVID sorely missed out on in the past, and saw many potential converts (myself included) steer well clear once we had tested other options that worked easier and pretty much did everything we wanted and perhaps more.

Talking of the shift in user behavior in how we now create video, Avid VP Tanguy Leborgne stets:

“We’ve seen a shift in how creation is happening, and it’s really happening on almost any device, we think the tablet is more than just a consumer device; more and more people are creating on it.”

I still find it really strange that AVID Technology does not bring out a version of the Avid studio software for Mac users when most creatives I know use Macs to work on, such is the level of fear most people who need their PC to work effectively daily have for windows based operating systems, yet they bring out an Apple iPad application that works on the PC version of the software.

Odd…but all in all I rather like the look of this application and will be looking forward to giving it a trial soon.

*This app works on both iPad and iPad2’s.

Do you know someone who has bought a nice new iPad or iPhone who live in another country than where their bank account details perhaps show.

A very common situation is for people who have permanently left their native land such as the UK to keep their existing bank accounts open for ease of use in many areas where there are still financial ties with the country of origin, in the case of Expats this could be for pension payments or simply paying bills that are perhaps still needed back in the homeland.

And with the selling point of credit and debit cards being the fact that they are universally accepted it appears odd that we have an issue like we have seen here.

But in the case of Cyprus expats (and we assume others) those of you who have bought a new iPad for instance, are finding it impossible to access the market that makes this device so great, the Apple app store.

The reason people are having problems is apparently due to the apple app store not accepting credit card details with an address in a separate country from the one where your issuing bank is located.

A Nicosia resident who owns an iPad and a UK credit card states:

“I can’t get into either the UK or Cyprus iTunes stores. I understand it is because I have a UK card but a Cyprus billing address.”

Apple have stated that you can only register for the Cyprus iTunes store with a Cyprus issued credit card, despite having a change of address from her UK cards stating her new address in Cyprus, the trouble is compounded by the fact that she can not even go back to the UK version of iTunes and the app store and ask for acceptance there unless she had a genuine UK address and changed all these details back which would not be an option in may cases.

Her only way forward is to open a new account up in Cyprus and get a new Cyprus credit card using her address details in Cyprus and go forward using that card, though this seems like a pain in the bu** for many.

License issues appear to be the reason:

As usual when Apple are concerned it all boils down to who owns what and where the legal boundaries lie with content owners rights and the sale of these digital assets in a global world, or at least this is what Apple woudl tell you but I suspect that there is a more worrying reason that Apple try to mitigate with this policy:

App Hustling:

Apple need to know that you as a buyer do not reside in a country other than the marketplace you access to buy content, this makes some sense when there are potentially financial gains to be had from “app hustling” where you would simply find the cheapest marketplace with the best conversion rate for your currency and join this as opposed to being dictated to, the problem Apple would then face would be that potentially only one store would reign supreme as we would all jump ship to the cheapest “per app” store, (where possible).

A few ways around these issues:

As the situation currently stands, the problem Apple may be looking to mitigate is actually causing more problems than it would ever solve as buyers of Apple devices are being barred from the very life blood than makes the gadgets so desirable; Apps, some free and some paid.

There are a few ways around this current issue though unfortunately not one of these is particularly desirable especially if you have no one to call back home who can lend a hand or you are afraid of losing your warranty or scared about tinkering with your devices software….here are your options though currently:

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• Change your billing address back to the UK or wherever your card originates from in terms of the actual bank if this is causing issues
• Jailbreak – Follow this link and then use your Mac or PC to install this amended new operating system and remove the license restrictions that are currently applied to Apple iOS software, thus allowing you to access a new app store with all the same godoies and get many free applications without the need for credit card details.
• Get a friend to open a new account in iTunes with their credit card details

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It has to be said that when users only want to access basic applications that are free it does appear to be pretty damn annoying especially if this is your first apple device, and I wish Apple would look into this matter and allow a little more freedom to people who do not sit perfectly into the safety zone of what Apple deem to be legal when it comes to jurisdictions further away from “home”.

Source: Cyprus Mail

With the news that the iPad is hovering above the 55% of overall tablet sales globally and that Apple for a brief period have become the globes most costly company on paper beating Exonn once again, it is interesting to hear of the actual figures from the transfer of cash to developers that keep Apples iOS platform and app store as the market leader.

Huge amount paid out:

Yes, since June 2010 when the figure was still a staggering $1 billion, the official figure today suggests that Apple have now paid out around $4 billion to app developers globally,

iPad 3 to arrive in two months or less?

This figure is likely to see a surge as new devices are brought out into the market, first to be seen is likely to be the iPad 3 and later on we are told to expect the new iPhone 5 which has been a long time coming but could see a larger screen and totally new design, either way, these new devices will mean an increase in the iOS consumer base.

As a result, the growth and sale of applications should continue growing for some time coming, much to the glee of those very app developers who seem to be onto quite a lucrative thing!

Android catching up:

Of course Googles Android O/S is huge also, and Eric Schmidt is seen stating that their own marketplace will continue to grow as more developers make Android “a priority” over Apple, this is an inevitability of a very popular O/S but will not for one minute mean that Apple lose ground in a way that causes any major issues to the company….for now!

With Apple’s Siri taking the voice controlled services world by storm and proving that you can actually get a decent working piece of software that can enhance the way we work smartphones and mobile devices, it was only a matter of time before competitors surfaced and tried to muscle in on the limelight.

Step forward Cluzee:

This is Android’s first real Siri competitor in the form of Cluzee, which is marketed as your “intelligent personal assistant” and if the video demonstrations are anything to go by below, it looks like Cluzee has some pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve and certainly seems to have a few positives over Siri currently.

For instance in a demo used when asked “What does my schedule look like today” the software not only runs down the usual itinerary that Siri can offer, it also pulls in data from mapping programmes and online data that can potentially warn of roadworks while out and about on that schedule of work.

As a personal assistant more than a voice controlled helper, it can also find bargains, read your emails, and find flights, book restaurants etc among other pretty clever functionality.

Tronton CEO Ashish Patwa said in a statement:

“We don’t need all of the information available, all of the time. We just need the right information at the right time, which Cluzee intelligently provides, making us more productive. Technology created the problem, but we’re using smarter technology to solve it.”

Siri for Andorid?

We already reported on the fake Siri for Android app on the Android marketplace well readers of that article may be glad to know that this application is available in the Android marketplace, with the company behind the application, Tronton, looking to add a cloud based version in the near future.

It does however seem like the app has pretty average reviews by and large!

What do you think of this kind of software, is it the next logical step forward in the evolution of computing, I personally thinks it will be huge and will change the way we work our devices, and also hopefully aim to eradicate unnecessary RSI….I look forward to testing the application out soon and doing a review, so stay tuned.

The only noticeable improvement to the iPhone 4 with the release of the iPhone 4S was the inclusion of Siri, the voice activation control technology software.

Having just got a pretty perfect message from a friend who used Siri, I must admit it is all new to me, so this new Android application seems like just the perfect time to go and give the new language based control technology from Apple a little run for its money.

STOP right there though!

The thing about this new Siri app for Android is that it is a complete hoax and not worth downloading, as all it does is redirect you to “Google’s Voice Actions”, which is essentially a very poor mans Siri. Once again highlighting how simple it is to add a totally useless application into the Android marketplace, so when Google tell you how rich and large their app market is, beware that a hell of a lot of these applications are utter and total dross.

Indeed, I am totally lost as to why a company with such a huge amount of capital behind them would not want to put some kind of measure of quality control on their marketplace, maybe not as stringent as Apples, but pretty damn close, especially now that they can claim numbers which of course may have been the underlying reason to not stop people submitting crappy apps in the first place, for fear that the Apple App Store simply killed Android dead in terms of numbers, and as we can see quality, when they first opened.

In all honesty you would be a little stupid to not read that this app was indeed nonsense, as the application publisher (not sure developer could be warranted here) does state:

Siri, now for your Android device! This application is a Siri icon that opens “Google’s Voice Actions” app.

But it has been downloaded more than 1000 times so, you do your own conclusions there!

With Cluzee being released late last month and which is apparently a half decent Siri competitor, we have to say that you may be best downloading a fake Siri app than using the Android version of the atrocious Vlingo voice recognition software!

Smartphone and tablet adoption is exploding and fuelling the use of mobile applications and a mobile lifestyle globally.

While the thought of creating a custom mobile app can be overwhelming and tumultuous, there’s an easy-to-use platform that is rethinking innovation in the app world and redefining mobile communities.

TownWizard is a mobile app platform that has inspired over 150 apps in seven countries in the past year. Designed for local entrepreneurs and organizations on a budget, and for those with limited technical knowledge, TownWizard provides all the know-how customers need to build a hyper-local iPhone and Android app–at a fraction of the cost and time. Estimated custom app development costs range from $20,000 to $250,000, a king’s ransom compared to TownWizard’s one-time set-up cost of $795 and a monthly fee of $249.

Founded in 2010 in Florida by an entrepreneur pursuing a hobby, TownWizard was created for aspiring entrepreneurs to develop hyper-local mobile guides. Complete with strong community-building functionality and a companion website, TownWizard customers share their knowledge of the local scene and build a loyal following that advertisers demand. Over the past year, TownWizard has blossomed into a global phenomenon in the app world, serving a myriad of different purposes.

Google recently revealed that one-third of all mobile searches involve some aspect of local news and information. Google, together with countless unconnected mobile options for dining (Yelp, UrbanSpoon), Social / Check-Ins (Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare), News/Info (Yellow Pages, Weather Channel) and Deals (Groupon, LivingSocial) make navigating local life nearly impossible. While the tech industry typically focuses on large metropolitan cities, TownWizard’s hyper-local mobile guides provide authentic, not automated, information from hometown experts for residents to connect daily and for town visitors to receive immediate access to the local flavor.

TownWizard’s low-cost, easy-to-use platform has also attracted small business owners, large companies and other business users looking to build a custom app to stay competitive connect their audiences and expand their brand experience. From large luxury resorts to publishing companies with hundreds of employees, to local events organizers, TownWizard has helped redefine the mobile community beyond geographic boundaries.

With the proliferation of wireless technologies, TownWizard is expected to grow 50% in 12 months to over 200 locations and double its global reach in 12 months to 14 countries.

So this is not exactly a brand new application, but the current offer that marries up with this app is new, and one you may want to consider using, more on that later.

Back to the war on the high street:

The last thing any high street retail store or chain wants to hear right now, is that a huge online competitor going by the name of Amazon is going to aggressively highlight how retailers current roles as “agents” or “middlemen” of the high street, is not serving the public’s best interest when it comes to value for money!

Shock horror! You can get that thing cheaper online?

We all know this to be true in many cases, but the fact of the matter is that convenience and habit is what make us humans very funny indeed, and we are still more than happy to just get out and do “the shop”, but all this is about to change as we start to seriously alter our buying behaviour.

Two forces at work:

This behavioural change is born out of two major factors:

Technology:

Recent mobile technology has allowed us to utilise applications on the go, and it was only a matter of time before we were all checking online while shopping and putting back that toaster or TV when we can see that a bargain is to be had online.

Economic distress:

Times are damn tough for many right now, so finding a bargain is pretty much the way forward for many people, and if this means altering buying habits by adopting new technology then trust me, if you make it easy to do, and it works the people will follow.

Saving is the new spending:

Yes what you can save on one thing you can spend on another, and Amazon know this all too well.

They have not only just released their cut price tablet the Amazon Kindle Fire, which has aggressively entered the tablet market promising to bring price reductions across the board for the average consumer.

But now they have also brought out a price comparison application that is set to revolutionise the way we shop for good.

With Tesco in the UK saying they have not had a great run of recent, this form the store that was rumoured to process one pound for every ten pounds spent in the UK. The fact is that many retail outlets and chains are on the brink of collapse globally.

Death of the high street:

Are we seeing the slow inevitable death of the high street once and for all?

I fear most for the technology stores initially. You know, the ones you would not be seen dead in when you can get almost everything in them at a considerable discount online.

Then there is the big shed equivalents like Wal-Mart and in the UK Tesco and Asda, now these stores have branched out considerably over the last decade into being much more than your large grocery store, and offer electrical goods, and various other “big ticket” items, Wal-Mart even stocks the Amazon Kindle Fire in the US.

So have Amazon picked a fight with the wrong people? Probably not at this stage.

So back to the Amazon price check app:

As a high street retailer, you would also not want to hear that the online store that has its eyes firmly set on your current customers has just released a price check app. One that offers genuine convenience when comparing what you are buying to their own online prices.

What is more, Amazon, the veritable behemoth of E-commerce are going to give you the tool for free to ensure that you always find the cheapest price by using an application that checks prices in their store when you are out shopping on the high street.

How to use the app?

The app is hugely versatile and will allow you to take photos of the product you want to check, scan the barcode, say its name, or simply search for it, and will then deliver the price in seconds, pretty cool tool.

So in a flash, the application will tell you if you are onto a bargain or not.

Current offer from Amazon:

To show you that Amazon mean business with this app, they are currently offering users the chance to claim rewards for using the app.

On December the 10th if you use the application in-store Amazon will give you a 5% discount capped at $5 on up to 3 eligible products.

This offer is a great way to get new users started with using the technology and will surely mean more people get introduced, and intrigued and carry on using it after the deal is gone….job done as far as Amazon are concerned.

And why is that?

Amazon are masters of cutting out the middle man, and have done this since their inception. Their whole business model is based on this. They have no need for expensive rent other than their huge out of town warehouses which are less in number and also cheaper to run than most supermarkets. No need for huge staff costs beyond the warehouse guys. No need for massive utility bills beyond the huge sheds that they work from.

Amazon can and will compete on price all day long, and will be doing, you mark my words.

Is Amazon going to make life better for all?

Amazon are going to make things cheaper for you, but we have to ask at what actual cost?

Have you used this application or others?

And if so, what do you think of them? And are you worried that smaller retailers may be affected negatively or is it the likes of Wal-Mart and Asda, who will see their existing shoppers going Amazon’s way as a result of this type of technology?

This Wednesday saw the arrival of the much anticipated tablet and smartphone application version of Onlive.

If you have not heard of this technology and service before, and you like your games, then you are in for a treat.

Essentially, the app will allow you to stream high bandwidth (quality) games from their own cloud servers directly onto your device. Now there are a number of benefits to this, which I will come to soon.

What is Onlive?

Firstly let us take a look at Onlive and see how it works.

This free application will stream games via Wi-Fi and 4G LTE, which will enable full HD gaming via low latency cloud streaming anywhere where you can pick up a 4G or Wi-Fi connection.

So what games are currently available, and how have they been adapted for the touch screen devices we are seeing grow in popularity?

Current titles that have had the Onlive mobile device treatment include:

LEGO Harry Potter, L.A. Noire, LEGO Batman, as well as some 25 other titles, this is set to increase as more and more people trial the totally free application.

So let us get on to the benefits, apart from being able to play really cool games!

In their own words:

“OnLive harnesses the power of the cloud to instantly deliver high-end games on demand over the Internet with the simplicity of streaming video, OnLive’s breakthrough cloud gaming technology has enabled gamers on PCs, Macs and TVs to instantly jump into console-quality games on demand, without discs or lengthy downloads, regardless of the performance of their local device. With today’s launch, gamers can experience the same instant-play, top-tier games on tablets and smartphones, despite the fact that these games require vastly higher performance than is achievable on a mobile device.”

As you can see, some of the issues I have raised relating to Battery life on the iPhone 4S and other devices should hopefully see some improvements if high end gaming is what is killing your device, though right now it is unlikely you will be too far from a power source if you are needing to be hooked up to Wi-Fi to currently use Onlive, so this benefit is partially negligible till 4G LTE is more readily accessible, then this benefit should start to really shine through.

Another great part of having an account with OnLive is that you will be able to stop your game on one device and then carry on playing where you left off on another device, which will actually be quite a useful bonus in this world of plenty when it comes to mobile powered “smart” devices.

Wireless controller option:

Another option that is coming soon, will be the ability to hook up a wireless controller purpose built for OnLive and mobile devices which utilises the company’s “exclusive adaptive wireless technology” and will search for the optimum wireless connection for your smartphone, tablet, PC, Mac, TV, Blu-Ray player etc.

“As always, any game purchased on one OnLive app device (TV, PC, Mac, tablet or mobile device) can be played instantly on any other OnLive app device with full cloud save game data intact, allowing users to start play on one device, and continue playing on any other device, whenever and wherever they want, OnLive’s cross-platform capability extends to multi-player gaming, enabling, for example, a tablet gamer to play with TV, PC, Mac and smartphone gamers.”

Android application to be released first:

The first app to be released will be the Android Onlive app, with other app stores taking a little longer to clear up any legal issues and general partner relationships.

This application is however just what mobile apps are all about when marketed right.

A totally free method of gaining access to a new technology that enhances what is currently on offer, with the full functionality provided to you in many ways that suit each person.

Here is how the payment part will work:

There will be an option to rent titles for 3 days, 5 days or gain a “full pass” which essentially means you have bought the game, or a pretty reasonable subscription service which gives you access to a huge growing library of games for $9.99 a month.

So which Smartphones and Tablets support the new application?

This is a preliminary list of mobile devices which will support the application and allow you to utilise the full gaming features that Onlive offers:

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Tablets:

• Acer Iconia Tab A500
• ASUS Eee Pad Transformer
• HTC Flyer
• HTC Jetstream
• Motorola Xoom
• Samsung Galaxy Tab
• Sony Tablet S
• Toshiba Thrive

[/arrowlist]

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Smartphones

• Motorola Droid 2
• Motorola Droid X2
• Motorola DROID BIONIC 4G
• Motorola DROID RAZR 4G
• Motorola Photon 4G
• HTC EVO
• HTC Nexus One
• HTC Rezound 4G
• HTC Sensation
• HTC Sensation XL
• Samsung Galaxy S II 4G

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Let us know your thoughts once you have played around with the app!

In a move seen to celebrate the milestone of 10 billion application downloads. The Android marketplace is offering 10 premium applications for only 10 cents (or 10 pence in the UK) each day for a period up to Christmas.

They will be offering this for the festive period and will change the apps on offer every day.

Today’s offerings include:

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• SwiftKey X Keyboard
• Endomondo Sports Tracker
• Great Little War Game
• Fieldrunners HD
• SoundHound
• SketchBook Mobile
• Minecraft – Pocket Edition
• Asphalt 6
• Paper Camera
• Color & Draw for kids

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With app downloads expected to reach around 18 million in 2012 according to research firm Ovum, this will be an increase from around 7 billion in 2010, and the 2012 figure will be made up of some 8 or so billion Android applications.

Of course this could be seen as a cynical ploy to make sure that as many people as possible have registered their debit or credit card details with the big G, so they can entice you to spend a little more bit by bit. But I say when an offer is around and it looks good, sod it, and grab it now!

So what premium Android applications are you hoping will be offered in this promotional give away?

Or they will do in the next few hours at least!

Thanks to an interesting set of data provided by mobile application search specialist MobileWalla, we can see that as of today the mobile application market for all camps is pretty much at the 1 million mark.

Apple still lead App market in terms of numbers:

The iOS platform still has the largest share of apps in their marketplace almost by a factor of 2 to all the other combined though it is obvious that currently the only real contender in terms of volume of available applications is the Android platform.

We have covered an article about how the Windows App Marketplace is growing, but it can be seen that the current size is almost insignificant compared to the combined total of Apple iOS and Android apps.

In the US, CTIA-The Wireless Association, has agreed to provide a voluntary ratings system which will be launched for all releases of applications and games.

The move aims to help parents and will be backed by the following “storefronts”: Sprint, AT&T, Microsoft, U.S. Cellular, T-Mobile USA, and Verizon Wireless.

A recent report by Common Sense Media, a Californian based children’s advocacy group, has shown that 52% of children between the ages of 8 and under have access to smartphones and tablets.

Voluntary does not mean it will work:

While there may be some good intentions behind the move it appears that Google, who have perhaps the most abused marketplace in Android, and Apple will not be signing up to the system and want to keep things just as they are.

In an email to BusinessWeek, Christopher Katsaros, a Google spokesman, said :

“While we support other systems, we think it’s best for Android users and developers to stick with Android’s existing ratings.”

Apple are also not reported to have signed up just yet which currently means that the system is nigh on useless.

Process in more detail:

When a developer submits an application to a “storefront” they will have to complete a series of questions related to the apps content. Once done, an almost instantaneous result will emerge and the application will have duly been classified and rated.

This process will not need to be repeated again when submitting the app to other storefronts in the scheme.

CTIA said of the process:

“Each rated app is issued a certificate and a unique identifying code that may be subsequently submitted to other storefronts during their respective onboarding processes, avoiding the need for developers to repeat the rating process, this means consistent ratings across participating storefronts and a convenient, cost-free process for app developers.”

The announcement is an addition to CTIA’s 2010 Guidelines for Application Content Classification and Rating, CTIA said.

Do you think this will actually make a difference to app availability and consumption, or is it an exercise in looking like they care, while creating more bureaucratic jobs in the process?

It has been a long time coming, but according to the daily, Microsoft are working hard on delivering official tablet versions of the hugely popular Microsoft Office Suite.

With no actual sources cited this is all firmly in rumour mill territory but looks to be a likely punt if you were a betting person.

The actual date of release looks set to be mid 2012.

Apple and Microsoft Office buddies:

The relationship between Apple and Microsoft when it comes to the Office package has been one of mutual respect. The Apple version on OSX is very stable, capable and works perfectly well, and so this relationship of “quid pro quo” between the two companies has proved to be one area that the competing brands have enjoyed a happy friendship in.

Lack of Office on tablet PC’s an issue:

With reports of tablets slowly taking over laptops as the go to PC for pretty much everything, one distinct area currently lacking is the familiar Microsoft Office package for your every day writing/publishing needs.

Windows 8 version of Office will help differentiate their tablet:

There is an argument that Microsoft should wait until their own tablet is released, prior to an iOS office application going on sale.

It would make sense that they brought out their tablet variety of the Microsoft Office package with their new Windows 8 Tablets. This would give them a unique selling point and add to the differentiation needed for a newcomer to enter a relatively mature market. The common man/woman knows and loves Office, and seeing this available on a Windows 8 tablet first will surely help push units in that all important initial period.

Windows will struggle to gain traction with Windows 8 tablets:

Forrester research analysts are of the opinion that the rise of subsidised, cut-price versions of tablets from Amazon, WhSmith and Barnes and Noble will mean that Windows 8 tablets will face tough competition from cheap varieties and also well established tablet manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung and Blackberry.

Maybe time to start earning from competitors traction:

Let’s face it nothing is concrete in tech land. The shifting sands of fortune have seen two giants falter in the last few years (Nokia and Microsoft), so you can never really tell what is around the corner.

Microsoft have got it tough with the tablet market, but why?

Here is a non exhaustive list:

Latecomers, a new O/S to educate people on, a new application market with currently only a small amount of apps, competitors already on versions 2,3,4 of their own devices O/S and build, and cut price tablets that look nearly as good as the high end versions entering the market.

Yes 2012 will be interesting and tough for Microsoft so perhaps it would be best if they get that Office Application out ASAP and start making some cash from the huge Apple and Android market.

So should Microsoft wait until they release their own Windows 8 tablet and use this application to help leverage their own marketing efforts or should they simply get it released now and sold in as many markets as possible?

The New York Times have revealed in a report that Rovio have turned down a stupidly large amount of cash for their company, madness or wise owls, birds…whatever?

With Rovio’s insane Angry Birds series making the company a cool fortune in the last two years or so.

The success of both Rovio and Zynga as software producers is largely down to their games social appeal, but in the case of Angry birds it was also perhaps a simple, fun and cutesy idea executed with aplomb, much like Tetris in its day….and well know cutesy makes a good film…etc etc!

With Zynga being extremely quiet about what went on, in what is being described as a pre-IPO “lip-sealed” period, no one at Rovio can confirm the story either, though the New York Times has suggested three sources that were “briefed on the situation” in an aim to add validity to the story.

Zynga fail to acquire other game companies:

It would appear that Zynga are not very good at acquiring other companies either after there failed attempt to get hold of PopCap Games who create Plants V’s Zombies and Bejewelled, in this case PopCap rejected a sum of $750 million, though in their case getting snapped up by EA for around $1 billion shortly after means that they made a very wise choice.

Rovio intend to go even bigger with the overall brand with ambitions on becoming a full on media company that will probably look to incorporate many more media entertainment conduits than just applications and games.

Zynga and Rovio a good match?

There may be many reasons not to join forces from Rovio’s point of view in relation to there core business models.

Where Rovio go cutesy and social, Zynga sway a little more into the “gangster” territory, with more adult based revenue models based on casino games and such like with the added area of “virtual currency”. There also appears to be a pretty tough “go get em” culture at the “darker” of the two companies. This may not have sat well with the Rovio board who see a perhaps slightly different future.

With so many vendors now tapping into the desire for applications, it is interesting to take a look at some statistics relating to the Windows marketplace and see how quickly they are catching Android and Apple in terms of sheer volume of choice.

Windows app marketplace boosted by Nokia?

With the Nokia Lumia Series on Windows Phone O/S it seems that this has really boosted the marketplace in terms of developers who are looking to write applications for the relatively unadpoted Windows O/S, though with Nokia choosing this operating system as its O/S of choice for the Lumia series, it seems likely that this figure will grow steadily despite predictions that the Nokia 800 will not sell very well in the UK.

All About Windows:

AAWP has delivered reports about the Windows application marketplace using their own tracking system and has some interesting facts to share:

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• 11,000 Apps were submitted din the last three months
• 5,000 were within the last month
• 68% are free downloads
• 23% were premium
• Reminder were “freemium” models
• Estimated to reach 50,000 apps by January

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Microsoft’s application marketplace still seriously behind rivals:

With Apple boasting over 1/2 a million applications in the “original” app store, and Google’s Android marketplace pushing over 300,000 apps then we can see that the Windows machine needs to start multiplying their current figure by factors of ten or more to start competing in volume….which many will tell you is not the be all and end all.

Nokia Lumia’s to be give out free to developers:

With the drive to compete taking real significance for Nokia now that Ex Microsoft VP Stephen Elop is in charge of Nokia, the choice to dish out 25,000 free Nokia Lumia’s to developers is a wise one.

I have tested out the device and can inform viewers that the O/S is amazingly responsive and potentially quite a competitor to Apple and Android on sheer ease of use and look and feel….but it needs more apps as we all know!

Pocket-lint has reported that Starbucks is to add to it’s current technology offering on UK shores by allowing users of iPhones and iPads the option to pay for their Coffee via an app once it is released.

This will be on top of introducing a version of iTunes “pick of the week” in shops, and free Wi-Fi for its patrons.

I have covered a similar app when Pizza Express rolled out their new payment options via an application way back in the middle of 2011, so it is not like Starbucks are blazing a trail here, and in all honesty I fail to see just how much more convenient or indeed cool it would be to pay for your coffee using an app in many situations.

However it appears that Starbucks are listening and the people, they want apps.

Busy shop means queuing:

I must admit it is fair play if your local Starbucks is a nightmare to get served in and this is your coffee shop of choice. I am pretty impatient myself when push comes to shove, though I must admit that removing human interaction more and more actually makes me slightly worried about where the “human condition” may develop in the near to distant future…..”Ahhhhhhh it has real hands and talks just like me!”

Technology:

In terms of the technology used to work the app Starbucks decided against NFC right now as they did not want to wait and instead had a custom built application that provided users the ability to pay for their goods. Apparently the one touch app will allow you to make that all important coffee purchase in 10 seconds, which seems pretty quick to me.

Brian Waring, VP of Marketing & Category for Starbucks UK and Ireland states:

“We wanted to find a way for [our customers] to pay in the quickest way possible, because our customers want it, we have created our own custom-built mobile payment technology rather than waiting for the near field communication technology which is currently not widely available, we’re always thinking of new ways to add value to our customers and give them more reasons to choose Starbucks.”

Android version?

There is no talk on when or if an Android version will appear but I am sure if it proves to be a success like many retail apps have been, then it will not be long before the Android version appears.

With Google being such a beast, that hides behind one of the most minimal facades on the planet, it sometimes takes a while for people to realise significant changes have been implemented at the search giant.

New search option arrives without any Fanfair:

For instance the news that “Applications” is now a filter choice next to “Blogs” “News” “Images” “Videos” on the left hand side of your google search results comes as a surprise to me. I can however confirm that this feature is not currently working for google.co.uk search options but does work when I switch to .com and there is indeed an “Application” filter in the google result options on the left.

This feature does make a lot of sense as finding “apps” is often a nightmare, though this move does potentially hit GetJar and such like where it hurts.

I say potentially, as it could be a possibility that the sheer rank weight of a site like GetJar may end up giving favourable results for them, its all gravy in the end for Google really.

I have not fully tested how the algorithm might work, another reviewer seems to suggest that only applications themselves are offered with a screenshot to highlight this, but I see blended results of marketplaces and content such as reviews, and Apple are fairing high in the results which suggest it is hopefully not too biased in nature!

A very interesting addition though that should aid developers and users alike to find that perfect application for their individual needs in the swathes of apps out there!

What do you think? Do you have a certain place you find applications? Word of mouth or simply browsing using your chosen devices marketplace?…That is my main method currently though I may start using this more often now.