Xiaomi inks Microsoft patent deal and agrees to pre-install Office apps on its phones

 Xiaomi is moving closer to launching its smartphones in the U.S. market. Today the Chinese company announced a partnership with Microsoft that includes a cross-license and patent transfer agreement and the pre-installation of Skype and Microsoft Office products on Xiaomi devices. Read More

Instagram officially announces its new business tools

 Instagram this morning officially announced the launch of its tools for business users, including new business profiles, analytics, and the ability to turn Instagram posts into ads directly from the Instagram app itself. The launch comes following a series of leaks and reports of the tools’ imminent launch, and largely confirms details we already knew – like how the profiles would… Read More

Nearly 1 in 4 people abandon mobile apps after only one use

 Apple’s iTunes App Store is home to over 1.5 million apps and Google Play hosts over 2 million, but the number of apps that actually get installed and used on consumers’ devices is still quite small. We already knew that people only interacted with a small handful of third-party apps on a regular basis, and now, according to a new study on mobile app usage, we learn that about one… Read More

Sirin Labs shows off $14K, super private Solarin smartphone, on sale June 1

 Is the world ready for another smartphone? How about one that will cost $14,000 for its most basic model? Today, Sirin Labs — a startup put together by a team of founders out of Israel — used an event in London to unveil the Solarin, a privacy-first device “aimed at the international businessperson who carries a lot of sensitive information but doesn’t want to… Read More

With its new wireless ecosystem, Mophie wants to remove cords from your life

 More often than not, mobile devices are a permanent dash from power socket to power socket. Mophie is the #1 brand in extending your range between charges, and with the launch of “Charge Force”, the brand wants to remove incessant plugging and unplugging from your life, too, with a brand new wireless ecosystem. Read More

Facebook set to foster popularity of branded content

 Branded content was already becoming more attractive to many marketers and publishers trying to navigate the shoals of the online media ecosystem. Now, thanks to Facebook, it’s set to really take off. I think this sector will grow quickly, and in some interesting new directions. Read More

What Facebook Live and Periscope need is a waiting room

 Livestreams start boring because broadcasters don’t want to begin the real action until more people have tuned in. That can take a few minutes, even with streams being rapidly distributed via push notifications, tweets, and the News Feed. But by that time, the initial audience may have bounced, and the recorded replay won’t entice viewers later. Facebook Live videos auto-play… Read More

Comixology CEO shows off new Unlimited subscription service

 Comixology recently launched Comixology Unlimited, a subscription plan that offers unlimited access to thousands of digital comics for just $5.99 per month. Given the “all you can read” model, it’s natural to compare the new service to Netflix, but CEO David Steinberger told me that Amazon Prime’s video offerings are a closer match — and no, not because of the… Read More

Two-year, $25M study finds positive effect of cell phone radiation on some cancers in male rats

 A major study conducted by the National Toxicology Program has found a slight, but significant, positive correlation between radio-frequency radiation exposure (like that given off by phones) and certain cancers in rats — though only male ones. Read More

Copyright questions remain after Google’s fair use victory

 If you didn’t already know the jury’s decision in Oracle’s long-running lawsuit against Google, you wouldn’t have been able to guess it from looking at either company’s legal team yesterday. Moments after the verdict was read, both sets of high-powered intellectual property lawyers huddled up and spoke softly, without any outward signs that Oracle had just lost… Read More

Skillz snags Chief Product Officer Bill Mooney from EA Mobile

 A San Francisco startup whose technology can turn any video game into a tournament played for cash prizes, Skillz, has a new Chief Product Officer, ex-Electronic Arts’ mobile vice president Bill Mooney. Skillz quietly brought Mooney on in February this year. Earlier, at EA Mobile, he managed teams that were responsible for games in the Simpsons and Star Wars franchise. And before that,… Read More

Google app for iOS gets support for AMP and keyboard shortcuts

 Google launched an updated version of its Google app for iOS today. Typically, these are minor updates, but today’s version brings a couple of interesting new features to the app. The most immediately useful of these is the addition of support for fast-loading AMP pages to the app. Google previously teased this launch, which follows AMP integration into Google News and Search earlier… Read More

Photomyne grabs $2.6 million to bring your old photos online

 If you have albums and shoeboxes stuffed with old photos, a startup called Photomyne wants to help you scan those photos, in order to bring them online where they can be saved and shared. Now the Tel Aviv-based company has raised $2.6 million in seed funding to continue to grow its business, which today is closing in on its first million users, over half of whom are paying customers.… Read More