Skype announced that it is acquiring GroupMe for an undisclosed sum. Acquiring the young mobile group messaging service expands Skype's arsenal of communication tools and gives Skype (and by extension Microsoft once the purchase of Skype is complete) tools to compete with the Huddle feature of the Google+ mobile app.
The concept of social productivity is gaining momentum, and I've covered some prominent social productivity tools previously on this blog. As a general sort of thing, social productivity sounds like a good idea. It makes work collaborative, emphasizes communication, and keeps everyone informed of a project's status. In practice, however, it's often noisy, kludgy, haphazard, and annoying. But after taking a look at new mobile apps from a service called myBantu yesterday, I'm a little more open to the notion of this kind of social work.
A look at how mobile phone technology has changed over the years
Rumours and Apple go together like summer and baseball. They are virtually inseparable. One of the prevailing Apple rumors right now is that the iPhone 5 will launch sometime in September. If that rumor comes true, smartphone rivals better buckle up because it could be a bumpy ride.
Isis, a mobile payment provider established by AT&A, T-Mobile and Verizon in 2010, announced a deal with Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express Tuesday. Isis offers mobile payment options based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which allows users to "swipe" their phones in front of a scanner to make a payment.
RIM is dead.
There's no shortage of terrible to-do apps in the Android Market, yet there are only a few good ones. Astrid ranks high on the short list of great Android productivity tools.
Don't put any dirt on Nokia's coffin just yet--the company still has some life in it. A victory in its patent war with Apple means a new revenue stream for Nokia, and a stronger position to enforce its patent portfolio with other mobile device makers.
The good thing about being an adult is you get to make your own decisions. The bad thing? You get to make your own decisions - and live with the consequences.
Apple iOS app developers are being threatened with patent infringement lawsuits. But, the app developers are simply following the rules that Apple mandated, so ultimately the ball is in Apple's court to find a resolution.
In a move to secure fraying market share against their bourgeoning competitors, RIM and Microsoft are partnering. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made a surprise keynote earlier Tuesday at the Blackberry World expo in Orlando, Fla. Microsoft will integrate its Bing search and map application at the device operating system level, he said. "We're going to invest uniquely into the BlackBerry platform."
BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) is unveiling a suite of features and phones in hopes it will reenergize the company's direction. RIM has received mixed responses on its PlayBook tablet release, and has been steadily losing market share as iPhone and Android-based phones grow in popularity.
Square, a mobile credit card processing startup, received an undisclosed strategic investment from Visa, the world's largest credit card company. The investment is strategic because Square probably doesn't need the cash. The company was started in 2009 by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, and recently closed a $27.5 million round of funding at a $240 million valuation.
Fragmentation of the Android platform is being blamed for a decline in developer enthusiasm for the platform, but the real fragmentation challenge for app developers is a much broader issue that just Android.
It is no surprise that Samsung retaliated against Apple's claims of patent infringement with some patent accusations of its own, but the fact that Samsung chose to file lawsuits internationally against Apple in three different countries seems a bit perplexing. While it may seem like a random move on the part of Samsung to include the world in the patent silliness, there is a method to the madness.