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Archive for the ‘Mobile’ Category

If You Already Have An iPhone 5, Do Not Buy One Of Apple’s New iPhones This Year by Kevin Smith Business Insider

Posted in Apple, Business Insider, iPhone 5, Mobile, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on September 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

If You Already Have An iPhone 5, Do Not Buy One Of Apple’s New iPhones This Year by Kevin Smith

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Apple Announces New iPhone 5S That’s Twice As Fast And Has A Fingerprint Sensor

By now you’ve heard that Apple unveiled its newest iPhones yesterday, the 5S and 5C.
The 5S is a faster version of the iPhone 5, which is being discontinued in favor of the colorful iPhone 5C.

If you already have an iPhone 5, you’re probably not considering an upgrade to the 5C. The 5C is essentially the same phone as the iPhone 5, but wrapped in a plastic shell.

I’ve had every iPhone that’s been released since the iPhone 3G, so my first instinct is to automatically want the 5S.

But is it worth it for most people to upgrade every year like I did?

In short, the answer is no.

Physically, the 5S looks exactly like the iPhone 5. The 5S has the same display, nearly identical design, and same screen size as the iPhone 5.

The 5S only separates itself from the 5 with a new gold color, a fingerprint sensor, a faster processor, and a better camera.

The best thing going for the 5S is its new fingerprint sensor, or “Touch ID” as Apple calls it. This new technology lets you use your fingerprint instead of a passcode to unlock your device.

Megapixel-wise the iPhone 5S’s camera is the same as the iPhone 5: 8MP. The difference is that the 5S’s has a better sensor that lets in more light. The flash also has two tones so it will give you more accurate image colors.

Sure, the new camera’s slow-motion feature sounds cool, but there are a ton of apps —Slowpro, for example— that will give you this same ability.

If you have an iPhone 5, you can still update your software to iOS 7, which will give your phone the same look as the 5S along with a ton of the new software features.

For most people, all those new features in the iPhone 5S won’t be enough to justify shelling out the cash for the upgrade. Plus, most carriers only let you upgrade your smartphone at the subsidized price every two years. That means if you have an iPhone 5 but still really want the iPhone 5S, you won’t be able to get it for $199. You’ll likely have to buy it unlocked for at least $650.

Basically, if you are an iPhone 5 owner, it really doesn’t make sense to upgrade unless you are the type of person who always has to have the latest and greatest. You should only upgrade if you have an iPhone 4S or earlier iPhone model.

Plus, there’s a lot to look forward to next year. If Apple follows its pattern, it will introduce a new iPhone with a new design in 2014. And there’s already chatter that next year’s iPhone could have a larger screen.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-5-vs-iphone-5s-2013-9#ixzz2ecgLuUIf

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Tech More: Mobile BI Intelligence – Why Local-Mobile Marketing is Exploding by Josh Luger, Business Insider

Posted in Business Insider, Mobile, Mobile Applications, Mobile Marketing, Uncategorized, tagged , , on June 26, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Tech More: Mobile BI Intelligence Mobile Ads Mobile Advertising
Why Local-Mobile Marketing Is Exploding

Josh Luger      –         BI Intelligence

Location-based mobile marketing promises the sky: high conversion rates, surgical targeting, and rich consumer profiles.
But does it deliver? According to many accounts, it does.

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Not surprisingly, retailers, brands, and agencies are scrambling to hone their location-based approaches. These encompass everything from “geo-aware” and “geo-fenced” ad campaigns, to hyper-local efforts keyed to Wi-Fi hotspots, and algorithmic location-based targeting of audience segments like soccer moms, bargain hunters, coffee enthusiasts, etc.

In a new report from BI Intelligence on location-mobile marketing, we take a look at key stats on the location-based services marketplace that indicate it’s supremacy in mobile marketing, explain how the most important techniques (such as geo-aware, geo-fenced, audience-based local-mobile campaigns) work, examine the cornerstones – such as data and audience building – to a successful location-based mobile strategy, look at who has the valuable location-based data, and analyze the six most effective local-mobile marketing tactics.

Here’s an overview of the location-mobile marketing explosion:

Location is the new cookie: Collecting data has always been difficult because mobile does not support third-party cookies that travel easily across the ecosystem, allowing for straightforward tracking and data-gathering. That’s where location-based mobile technology comes in. It gives marketers new ways to identify and track mobile audiences, and with the aid of algorithms, it can also group them into behavioral and demographic segments for targeting.
Money is flowing into location-based mobile marketing: A recent survey of 400 brand executives by Balihoo found that 91% planned to increase their investments in location-based marketing campaigns in 2013. Finally, a study by Berg Insight found that location-enabled ad spend reached about 8% of total mobile ad spend for 2012. This proportion is expected to increase to 33% by 2017.
Location-based data is driving much of the interest – and success: Enabling campaigns with local data produces measurable results. In a study of over 2,500 of its mobile marketing campaigns, Verve found that its location-based ad efforts were about twice as effective as the mobile industry average click-through rate (CTR) of 0.4%. Geo-aware ads, geo-fenced ads, and location data paired with audience demographics or purchase intent are all proving to be extremely successful.
Location is extending beyond the smartphone: The location conversation may have started out as a way to take advantage of mobile phones, but as technology continues to evolve, the conversation needs to broaden. In 2012, only 12% of smartphone owners and 17% of tablet owners said they used their device throughout the entire shopping process. This year, one-third of smartphone and tablet owners said they did so. Additionally, more tablet consumers are beginning their shopping process on their tablets. This shows that location ads should be targeted to tablets as well as smartphones, because the first search for a local business might take place on a tablet.
In full, the report:

Takes a look at key stats on the location-based services marketplace that indicate it’s supremacy in mobile marketing;
Explains how the most important techniques, such as geo-aware, geo-fenced, audience-based local-mobile campaigns, work;
Examines the cornerstones – such as data and audience building – to a successful location-based mobile strategy;
Looks at who has the valuable location-based data;
Analyzes the six most effective local-mobile marketing tactics.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/local-mobile-marketing-exploding-2013-6#ixzz2XHehbbNw

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Spotflux Introduces Advanced Security And Privacy Solution For Mobile Devices, Protecting Consumers And Small/Medium Businesses From Malicious Activity On The Internet

Posted in appscovery, Inetellectual Property, Internet Privacy, Internet Security, Mobile, Mobile Applications, SpotFlux, Technology, tagged , , on May 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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NEW APP   Applications » Tools

Spotflux Introduces Advanced Security And Privacy Solution For Mobile Devices, Protecting Consumers And Small/Medium Businesses From Malicious Activity On The Internet

Malicious software targeting mobile devices has risen 185 percent in less than a year, according to a 2012 report from the Government Accountability Office. Published reports have also warned that 2013 is the year in which mobile security threats will increase. To combat this issue, Spotflux,a leader in security and privacy solutions for the Internet, today announced the completion of the worldwide roll out of its proprietary cloud-based advanced security and privacy solution for Apple iOS mobile devices now available in the United States, Canada and Western Europe. This simple-to-use and affordable download protects consumers and small and medium-sized businesses from malicious activity with the same rigor once reserved only for large corporations. The Spotflux mobile solution for Android devices will be available this June.

Spotflux integrates advanced technologies, including a worldwide geographically dispersed VPN; a robust security stack that identifies and blocks malware, viruses, identity thieves, and unwanted tracking; privacy tools that detect and remove tracking code; and a bandwidth compression paradigm that saves users cost on their data plans.

“Spotflux provides a safe connection to the Internet that immediately reacts to and protects against malicious activity and unwanted tracking before it lands on your mobile device, all while guarding your privacy,” said Chris Naegelin, CEO and co-founder of Spotflux. “Reports have warned that 2013 is the year in which mobile security threats will increase, especially as we see the rise in employees bringing their own device to work. It’s critical that consumers and small and medium-sized businesses throughout the world have an affordable way to protect themselves from all types of malicious activity on their mobile devices.”

Spotflux’s mobile and desktop solutions are now available worldwide and can be downloaded at www.spotflux.com. There is a free trial for the mobile solution followed by a minimal charge of $1.99/month or $5.99/year. The desktop version is free.

Spotflux was conceived and launched by a team of passionate software visionaries who anticipated the evolution of increasingly sophisticated threats that would emerge in the wake of exploding wireless Internet availability on mobile devices. By taking rigorous enterprise grade security technologies typically available on costly appliances and adapting them to a scalable and proprietary cloud architecture, Spotflux brings the unification of threat management and privacy protection into the hands of consumers and SMBs. The Spotflux service provides a managed and trusted connection to the internet that immediately reacts to and protects against emerging threats and unwanted tracking that affect mobile devices and desktop computers. Since its launch in March 2012, the service has acquired more than a million users around the world.

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The Daily Startup: VCs Buy In to Mobile Game Maker Supercell- Venture Capital Dispatch

Posted in Investments, Mobile, Mobile Applications, Technology, Venture Capital, Venture Capital Dispatch, Wireless on April 18, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Venture Capital Dispatch

An inside look from VentureWire at high-tech start-ups and their investors.

 

  • April 18, 2013, 10:02 AM

The Daily Startup: VCs Buy In to Mobile Game Maker Supercell

 

Top stories in today’s VentureWire:

 

dailystartup_D_20090806101628.jpgArt by Mike Lucas

 

Eager to own a slice of the wildly profitable Finnish mobile game maker Supercell, venture investors have purchased existing shares totaling $130 million at a $770 million valuation. Index Ventures led the deal with participation from Institutional Venture Partners and Atomico. Founded in 2011, SuperCell is currently the highest-grossing iOS game developer with “Clash of Clans” and “Hay Day” now bringing in $2.5 million of revenue daily.

 

Enlighted raised $20 million in Series C funding led by Rockport Capital for its lighting-controls technology, as it operates in a quickly changing market where the price for lighting emitting diodes is declining. The company makes sensors and software that is installed in commercial spaces and that helps decide when to dim lights. A newer application of the technology would also allow the sensors to measure temperature and occupancy, and control not just lighting but also air conditioning.

 

Also in today’s VentureWire, Reduxio Systems has raised a $9 million Series A round led by Jerusalem Venture Partners and Carmel Ventures. Reduxio is developing storage systems that make use of both flash memory and hard drives…Smart-home startup Zonoff has secured a $3.8 million Series A round for software that makes all kinds of smart-home devices work smoothly together and makes them easier to set up and control…and Crowdtilt has raised $12 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz to bring a new twist to crowdfunding. Crowdtilt’s apps give groups an easy way to fund their own initiatives, rather than asking for money from strangers online.

 

(VentureWire is a daily newsletter with comprehensive analysis of all the investments, deals and personnel moves involving startups and their venture backers. For a two-week trial, visit our homepage, scroll to the bottom and click “try for free.”)

 

Elsewhere around the Web:

 

Launching mobile game apps is getting expensive. Case in point: ZeptoLab says it will spend about $1 million to launch “Cut the Rope: Time Travel” but it spent almost nothing to promote the first “Cut the Rope” game’s release in 2010, The Wall Street Journal reports. What has changed is the mobile games business, which is now so competitive that word-of-mouth marketing is no longer enough.

 

 Jon Flint, a founder of venture firm Polaris Partners, got into the hair-care business after his stylist suggested that he take a meeting with a colleague in New York who wanted to start a company. Flint and his partners turned to MIT”s Robert Langer to come up with innovative products. Flint talks with WSJ about the company that resulted, Living Proof, which is co-owned by actress Jennifer Aniston.

 

Silicon Valley startups are increasingly hiring testing companies to vet apps before releasing them to the public, WSJ reports.

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Spotflux showcased at RSA Conference

Posted in Internet Privacy, Internet Security, Mobile, Net Neutrality, SpotFlux, Uncategorized on March 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Spotflux showcased at RSA Conference

February 25, 2013 – San Francisco – Spotflux, the leading global cloud based security and privacy service provider for PC’s and smart mobile devices, was selected as one of 10 finalists in the RSA Conference, Innovation Sandbox.

The need for proactive defense against a wide range of threats that can assault a computer or wireless device (PC, tablet or smartphone) is coming into acute focus. The rising sophistication of the criminal element, access to inexpensive signal interception hardware (~$25) and unwary public, create an environment for significant, widespread fraud. Spotflux’s simple and elegant security solution has gained the recognition of the RSA judges and has the honor of being a finalist in the 2013 Innovation Sandbox.

Spotflux was founded with the mission to address the imminent threat to anyone using a device that connects to a public network or an unsecure connection to any network. Integrating Spotflux into your PC and mobile devices provides two powerful benefits: 1) preempting the hijacking of your connection which exposes you to a wide range of threats from merely annoying to truly catastrophic and 2) protecting you with real time privacy filters and analytics.

Through a simple download of an application to a PC or Mac (and soon to smart mobile devices) consumers will have a direct, protected channel through the internet directly to the destination they wish to go.

Importantly, Spotflux was designed to compliment / augment the antivirus software most computer owners have already installed on their PC’s. Unlike this kind of software, which is “reactive” (i.e. it reacts to a threat once it has entered the PC and then neutralizes or quarantines it), Spotflux “proactively” defends against threats before they reach the PC – think of it like a “deflector shield” for your PC. Together, Spotflux and antivirus software provide a formidable, multi-layer defense. As if that were not enough, in the unlikely event that a virus or other malicious code does evade the Spotflux “deflector shield” and the antivirus software and starts exporting your sensitive personal information, the Spotflux “shield” has a second chance to review the data being sent and put a stop to unauthorized exfiltration of your data.

Altogether, these features of the service combine to provide our users the freedom and confidence to use the internet to the fullest extent, born from the knowledge that a world class security firm is protecting them and that they now have control over who and what they will allow to find and reach them.

However, as innovative as this service is, it is the underlying business model that completes the total innovative package: it’s Free. Spotflux believes that by offering the initial PC-based level of service on a complimentary basis to consumers will be able to sample the product and experience the benefits first hand. “Our fastest path to growth rests on the advocacy of our users and we will do everything right by them to earn that support” said Chris Naegelin Spotflux, CEO. Upon earning customer confidence, additional features and services (i.e. coverage extension to smart mobile devices) will be available for a reasonable fee. “Our initial PC based product is our first deposit into the ‘relationship bank’ with our customers. It is an investment we are willing to make because we plan on having our customers for life”, said Naegelin.

The company’s confidence in this approach is validated by adoption of the service by over a million users worldwide in less than 12 months of its launch and vociferous demand for the mobile and other features.

About Spotflux

Spotflux, was conceived and launched by a team of passionate software visionaries who anticipated the evolution of increasingly sophisticated scams that would emerge in the wake of exploding wireless internet availability on powerful mobile devices compounded by the adoption and usage by an unwary mass market consumer. Spotflux is the only proactive security solution that averts scams and threats by disguising and insulating your internet traffic and personal information from interception, capture and misuse by others. Since its launch in March 2012 the service has acquired over a million users around the world, mostly by word of mouth. Go to www.spotflux.com and download the app for free and see for yourself what we are doing right.

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