Shots Continues to Find Traction with Millennial Users
Shots, a mobile app centered around the sole function of allowing users to share selfies with one another, has found itself subject to quite a bit of media negativity in recent weeks. Celebrity partnership with the likes of Justin Bieber has done little to alleviate the problem. Regardless, Shots has continued to grow; current active […]
Flywheel Aims to Replace Taxi Meters With TaxiOS Platform
While all the buzz in transportation apps and the sharing economy focus on big-picture services like Uber, the mobile app developers at startup Flywheel have quietly launched a smart new platform targeting a more humble issue: the old-school taxi meter. According to company sources over 80 percent of San Francisco taxis are already working with […]
Investors and Developers Cautious as Square Goes Public
Square recently filed IPO (initial public offering) paperwork; the current offering is listed at $275 million. Given Square CEO Jack Dorsey’s reinstatement as CEO at Twitter the week prior, investors have voiced some concerns as to how Dorsey’s split commitments will affect operations at both companies. Square’s filing notes that “[Dorsey’s renewed involvement at Twitter] […]
Google Cardboard App Takes VR to the Streets
Armchair explorers, virtual reality enthusiasts and iPhone app developers rejoice: the Google Cardboard app is officially available, and it support Street View. It’s on Android, it’s on iOS, and it works in 39 languages across 100 countries worldwide. For a peak at some of the incredible experiences available through the new app, take a look […]
End-to-end Encryption Reaches Line Messaging App
Line, the Japanese chat app well known for it’s cute stickers and bubbly mascot characters, has just adopted a more serious feature: end-to-end encryption. 211 Million people use the app currently, but with only about 10 million users in the United States it’s fair to say adoption outside their target audience in Asia (54 million […]
Microsoft Re-Enters Smartwatch App Market with Band
Microsoft unveiled an update to the Microsoft Band this week, including some new features that make it an intriguing alternative to the more expensive Apple Watch. The device is surprisingly feature-heavy at the $249 price point, giving smartwatch developers at the New York launch event plenty to talk about. Microsoft arguably “almost” created the smartwatch […]
Postmates Launches 15-Minute Delivery Service
Popular delivery service Postmates has launched a new service specifically for users in the South of Market Street (SoMa) area of San Francisco that promises to deliver lunch items within a blazing-fast 15 minutes. Users interact with the new service, called “Pop,” via a branded icon within the regular Postmates app, choosing from selections of items pre-stocked […]
Fighting Churn: Localytics Solves Problem for App Industry
Getting users to download an app is notoriously difficult for San Francisco mobile app developers. Getting them to stick around for the long haul is even trickier. Even an enthusiastic user has dozens of other apps competing for their digital attention span, and the average app loses around 80 percent of signups. The “churn” in […]
“Been Choice” brings Ad Blocking to Native Apps and iTunes
Ad blockers rejoiced while advertisers cringed last week with the release of Been Choice, the first ad blocking app targeting native iPhone apps. The controversial tool uses a combination of Safari content blocking and VPN service, allowing users to filter out advertisements in both web applications and native apps including Facebook, Pinterest, and Yahoo. While […]
YouTube Announces YouTube Red Subscription Service Launch
The subscription model trend has reached a new titan in the industry; YouTube Red, YouTube’s new subscription-based service, is available as of October 28. Users on the fence about whether a subscription is worth the expense will have a chance to try a one-month free trial. When that trial ends, however, there’s a catch for […]