Instagram Introduces In-App Shopping for Brands
If Twitter is the poster child of angry users and poor monetization attempts, Instagram is the opposite — a massive mobile app startup that’s somehow perfectly balanced monetization and user experience. That balance in on display currently as the company just launched “shoppable tags,” which allow select brands to display purchase information embedded within tags […]
Want to Get into Y Combinator? Check out This Data.
Jared Friedman of Y Combinator has shared a fascinating talk that looks at formerly closed data from Y Combinator companies and applications throughout the program’s history, uncovering some fascinating trends in tech funding and cultural interests. For Los Angeles app developers, the presentation is a gold mine of inspiration and “food for thought” about how […]
How and Why to Create User Personas for your App
User personas are one of the most mysterious parts of the app user experience (UX) design process for non-designers. They’re also one of the most important parts of app development, and apps that reference user personas throughout all stages from idea to launch are much more likely to succeed. Stereotypes are never a good thing. […]
Hackers Wreak Havoc Using IoT Exploits
This past Friday, much of the United States’ internet access came to a crashing halt. Services like Twitter, Spotify, Reddit and Netflix were rendered inaccessible because of a Mirai botnet attack on servers owned by Dyn (the source code was actually released a few weeks ago and the creator of the code, a hacker dubbed […]
How Peter Thiel’s Political Stance Affects Startups
Ellen Pao of Project Include took to Medium this week to explain why they were breaking off ties with prominent startup accelerator Y Combinator. The reason, in short: Peter Thiel’s increasingly unpredictable endorsements and behavior. While Thiel has drawn criticism from the tech community before thanks to his support of floating cities, morality-bending age extension […]
Mobile Forecast: Where Will FinTech Be in Five Years?
FinTech is an exciting place for Los Angeles app developers to be right now. Startups have been disrupting everything from stock trading to credit card payments, translating to big wins for smartphone users and financial institutions alike. Perhaps the best part of the FinTech revolution has been watching how it’s opened up opportunities for lower-income […]
Siri Needs an Upgrade for the Google vs Apple Mobile Battle
Google has been making serious advances into the premium-class smartphone market that Apple’s iPhone has dominated since the invention of smartphones. The Pixel phone could be a major chink in Apple’s armor, although reports that it levels the playing field are somewhat exaggerated considering Apple’s lead in upscale brand identity. Ultimately, the Apple vs Google […]
Resumes Fail Developers: Stack Overflow Seeks to Fix It
App developers and the recruiters looking to hire them can agree on two things. One, job hunting is a headache. Two, paper resumes are virtually useless in determining a coder’s relative skill, commitment, and quality of work. Thankfully, Stack Overflow just came up with a great workaround to the paper resume problem. “Developer Story,” a […]
Language Learning Is an Opportunity for Chat App Developers
Duolingo recently launched a new “chatbot” feature that’s been garnering a lot of interest in the language learning scene. The company’s iPhone app developers already hold a place of esteem thanks to their innovative language practice app. Now they’ve created a chatbot for iOS that allows users to practice their casual conversation skills in real […]
Snapchat Prepares for IPO, Drawing Developer Speculation
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal (not to mention the tech rumor mill), SnapChat is starting to close in on an IPO for as early as this coming March. It’s been a great year for tech IPOs, so app developers and investors are cautiously optimistic that the messaging and social media Unicorn […]