Foursquare up for Sale?
Foursquare, the mobile location-sharing service who recently struck a partnership with the Wall Street Journal, has been rumored to be in acquisition talks lately, with Yahoo as one potential buyer. However, now CEO Dennis Crowley is saying that the company will decide within a few weeks whether or not to sell.
It’s interesting timing for such an announcement, considering that Foursquare just reached 1 million users. With a reported price tag of $100M, that’s valuing each user at $100 for their lifetime. Doesn’t seem like an awful lot, but then again, checking-in your current location — whether at a bar, restaurant, gym, library, or wherever — isn’t exactly a common practice and brings its own privacy concerns. It’s hard to say at this point whether it ever will be without some changes to the way check-in apps work.
Via The Where Business.
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Motorola Choosing Skyhook Over Google Android’s Location Services
Motorola might produce Google Android-based phones but when it comes to mobile location services, they’re choosing a system by Skyhook Wireless over Google’s native solution. Why? Apparently Skyhook’s system uses triangulation based on known WiFi hotspots instead of GPS or cell towers. According to Silicon Alley Insider, Skyhook’s location services are faster than GPS and more accurate than cell tower positioning. The system also works indoors.
Motorola is the first Android phone maker taking this step, and the change will likekly be transparent to application developers. Phones will still have access to location services via cell tower and GPS. Apple Inc. already uses Skyhook in its mobile devices and Mac OS.
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Foursquare Partners With The Wall Street Journal
Foursquare, the popular mobile location check-in app, has just partnered with The Wall Street Journal. In the deal, WSJ will provide tips and three new check-in badges: Urban Adventurer, Banker, Lunch Box. Each badge will have its own challenge for New York, ranging from checking in to different boroughs, the financial district, or reviewed restaurants.
Other Foursquare partners include Bravo Media, SPIN magazine, Metro News and New York Times. The latter partnership related to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The Foursquare API has been used to build a number of location-based services (LBS) applications. Currently, Foursquare has apps for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Palm and other devices.
Via Mashable.
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Apple’s iPad Camera Connection Kit Supports Other USB Devices
The new camera connection kit for the Apple iPad offers some hidden USB-related features. People who have received their connection kit have been trying it with USB keyboards, speakers, mics and even VoIP headsets, all with success. While you can already make a VoIP call over WiFi in apps such as Skype, and using the built in iPad mic with earphones (or using Apple earbuds that include a mic), reports are that using a proper VoIP headset plugged in to the appropriate USB dongle produces high quality audio. The camera connection kit comes with two dongles, one for an SD card and another supposedly for only USB cameras but obviously supporting other devices.
Via Into Mobile.
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Geotagging Your Pics With MoPho’s MoPho.to
The list of all the location check-in apps on smartphones is truly staggering and they just keep coming, with one of the latest being MoPho.to, but for geo-tagged photos. At least, that’s what it appears to be, but when you look into the iPhone app maker, ChoiceVendor, you see that their main site offers B2B (Business-to-Business) reviews. The idea is in fact to take pics at events and places, such as at a restaurant.
As TechCrunch writer Leena Rao points out, other location-sharing apps such as Gowalla do allow geo-tagged photos, though MoPhoto emphasizes the photo aspect over checking-in to locations. I’m not sure that that is a strong enough distinction. Location-sharing as it stands now, with most mobile apps, is awkward and provides no incentive. People who do it either because they’re testing the technology (possibly to write about) or just having some fun being early adopters. Personally, despite my intense interest in mobile apps development, I already have location check-in fatigue, and it’ll take a lot more features and incentive to impress me. However, being a long-time photography buff, I do like that MoPhoto’s emphasis is on photos.
DIY Cellular Networks
In the May/June 2010 issue of MIT Technology Review, there’s an article on building your own cellular network. You thought only cellular providers had the ability to offer such service, right? Well, thanks to an open source project called OpenBTS, you can too, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot.
The article is reproduced at the Technology Review website and goes into detail about why and how you would create a custom cellular network. The OpenBTS system saves considerable costs by eliminating typical hardware needs and using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). In particular, it uses the open source Asterisk software.
The interesting thing about the OpenBTS setup is that users of a custom cellular network can reach each other even if the system is not connected to the Internet. But an internet connection is required to reach anyone outside of the local network. As a result, this setup is often useful for outdoor events, on oil rigs, in other remote areas. It’s based on GSM technology, so only GSM phones can use this system. (Since GSM is the most widely used cellular communications standard, that’s not a big problem for most people worldwide.) The only drawback is that certain frequencies have to be used which might interfere with commercial carriers and thus be prohibited in some countries, including the U.S.
Facebook Needs Palm WebOS?
Kevin Tofel puts forth an interesting idea: that of Facebook being a potential buyer of Palm, Inc. Exactly why would Facebook, a non-handset maker, want to do that? One reason, Tofel explains, is that the WebOS Synergy feature already integrates Facebook contacts into Palm phones. But then, Apple’s iPhone OS 4.0 hints at the same sort of possibility, plus additional benefits gleaned from recent Apple patents. Don’t forget the fact that there are also more Apple phones out there than Palm phones. Then again, if a search engine (Google, who seems to be anything but these days) can have their own Mobile OS and phone, why not Facebook, who is challenging Google online in a number of ways? It just might be something of value to both companies.
Consumers Would Pay More For Apps on iPad Than iPhone
Alex Ahlund, CEO of AppVee, writes an analysis over at TechCrunch of how he sees the Apple iPad changing the iPhone gaming industry. The gist is that, due to a combination of market-determined pricing and consumer psychology, iPhone game apps cost much less than their counterpart editions for other devices and platforms. On the other hand, because the iPad has a larger screen, there is a larger perceived value by consumers, and they’re likely more willing to pay for a higher priced app, especially for games
I can confirm that feeling, at least for myself. I’m not a gamer per se, but only because I get very addicted and intentionally tend to stay away. But lately, I’ve been playing 3-4 games (7 Cities, IQ Bloxing, Flood It 2 and especially Avatar, pictured above) made for the iPhone but on my iPad, and I am addicted. I’m embarrassed to admit they take up more of my time than they should. On top of that, I find myself wishing there were iPad-specific versions, for which I would pay extra for.
I already have put $9.99 each into several music apps made for the iPhone. However, they are worth it. For example, Korg’s iElectribe costs $9.99. Back in 2000, I bought 3 versions of the Electribe in hardware form, and the synths were barely bigger than the iPad in width and depth, but about 1-2 inches thick, if I recall. They also cost $300 each, and I bought three. That’s $1,000 after taxes. Here I have the functionality (almost exactly) of the hardware version but for $9.99. Sure, it’s missing all the MIDI sync, etc., and the tactility of a physical synth, but I get what I’m perceiving has the same audio quality or better. I can even pipe out the audio to a mixer or to recording software and know there’ll be digital quality in the end product
In a similar manner, iPad-specific games could deliver an amazing experience and warrant a higher price point that will help the development community thrive. But if iPad apps go the $0.99-1.99 route, once again, most developers will be making squat while a few make it big enough that media will write about it and developers that don’t know any better will think they can make a living.
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Image via Avatar iPhone game, copyright Fox Mobile Entertainment/ Twentieth Century Fox.
Android App Market Hits Milestone: 50K Apps
Boy Genius Report says that AndroLib is claiming that available Android apps number over 50,000 now. AndroLib tracks these sorts of figures. Google says they know of roughly 40K. So Android is catching up to Apple’s iPhone OS fairly quickly.
Still, the Apple App Store has over 185,000 apps, and now there are also iPad-specific apps. What’s more, the upcoming iPhone OS 4.0 has some killer features, so I think it’ll be a while before Apple has to worry.
Via Boy Genius Report, The Next Web.
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Palm CEO Rubenstein Has a Plan
Palm CEO Jon Rubenstein, a former Apple employee, says that he has a plan. If so, share it with us, I say. Do you read websites, Jon? You’re likely about to be ousted. Better implement that plan fast, or hire someone with marketing skills. Heck, why not ask one of your primary investors to do be a Palm spokesman. His name is Bono and he’s a rock star, if you didn’t know. That might revive interest in the company, if Bono appeared in media saying how much trusts the company to recover, yadda yadda yadda.
Here are a few plans for you: license Palm WebOS (yes, you said you would), get Bono front and center, come up with more apps, offer free tutorial videos to get people developing, change the fee structure, come up with a killer device. And maybe even add an Android wrapper around WebOS. You’re welcome.