Mobile Apps and Services - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Microsoft says Windows Phone apps growing

  While it sounds miniscule next to Apple's App Store and its more than 350,000 apps, the Windows Phone Marketplace now offers 9,000 apps and games and is growing by an average of 100 apps a day.

• Researcher blows $15K by reporting bug to Google

  A security researcher lost a sure $15,000 at this week's Pwn2Own hacking contest because he had earlier reported the bug to Google, which has patched the vulnerability in its Android Market.

• Google throws 'kill switch' on Android phones

  For only the second time, Google last weekend remotely deleted Android apps from users' phones.

• Google yanks over 50 infected apps from Android Market

  Google has pulled more than 50 malware-infected apps from its Android Market, but hasn't yet triggered automatic uninstalls of those programs from users' phones, security experts said today.

• Infected Android app runs up big texting bills

  A rogue Android app that's been tweaked by hackers can hijack a smartphone and run up big texting bills before the owner knows it, Symantec said today.

• iPhone dev knocks Apple over vague new sub rules

  An iPhone developer today said trying to get information from Apple about its new subscription model is like "hitting a brick wall," and remains unsure whether his app will have to toe the new line.

• Twitter suspends rival's mobile apps

  Twitter on Friday suspended three major mobile third-party applications for allegedly violating the company's use policies.

• Apple's new App Store rules affect Amazon's Kindle

  Apple today unveiled the details of its App Store subscription plan, and confirmed that it will demand its usual 30 per cent from publishers who sell content within their apps.

• Rhapsody blasts Apple's 30% cut from in-app subs

  Music streaming service Rhapsody today blasted Apple's decision to take a 30 per cent cut of all in-app subscription and content revenues, saying that the move makes its iPhone business model unsustainable.

• Cisco sees 26-fold hike in mobile data traffic by 2015

  Words like "staggering" and "huge" don't adequately describe Cisco's projected growth of mobile data traffic through 2015.

• Apple rejects Sony e-reader app; Is Kindle next?

  Apple's decision to reject Sony's e-reader application today sparked speculation that Apple would soon yank Amazon's popular Kindle software from the App Store.

• Some say NFC mobile payments will catch on slow, even with Apple involved

  Reports that the next iPhone and iPad could include Near Field Communication (NFC) technology have raised the prospect that many more consumers in the U.S. will soon be able to use their devices to pay for almost anything -- a candy bar, a subway ride, a parking space, or a bag of groceries.

• Apple could disrupt mobile payment industry, analysts say

  Apple could cause some serious disruption in the mobile payments space if it enters the field as reported, say analysts.

• Apple, News Corp. to launch all-digital newspaper next week

  Apple and News Corp. will launch the latter's The Daily iPad-only newspaper next week in New York, according to invitations sent to members of the press.

• Mobile phone e-mail use jumps 36%

  As the number of smartphones continues to grow, e-mail usage on mobile phones is also soaring and has become mainstream in the U.S., according a study by ComScore.