Category: Mobile Apps

Mobile app spending exceeds $100 Billion Last Year

Jorge Gonzalez
Mobile App Spending - Man with Phone

New research reveals that mobile consumers were big spenders in mobile marketplaces in 2018. Mobile analytics firm App Annie has found that consumer mobile app spending reached a milestone in 2018. Mobile consumers spent more than $100 billion downloading software and paying for services from Apple’s App Store and the Google Play store last year. This is a 75% increase from two years ago. The $100 billion mobile app spending milestone, which also included in-app purchases and in-app subscriptions, is reportedly a 75% increase from 2016. What’s more App Annie’s…

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Mobile game addiction blamed for negatively impacting student exam scores

L. Green
Mobile Game Addiction - Teen Using Mobile Phone

Student association in India wants to ban PUBG. The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association in India has called for a ban on the popular mobile game version of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). The student association claims that students are suffering mobile game addiction from playing PUBG Mobile and it is causing poor test results. The students association says the mobile game is more addictive than drugs. The student body reportedly appealed to the governor of Jammu and Kashmir state to ban PUBG Mobile. The association claims that the game is extremely…

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Mobile banking facial recognition tech implemented by Singapore’s OCBC Bank

John Montgallo
Mobile banking facial recognition - Man with iPhone and backpack

OCBC Bank allows Malaysian customers to use facial biometric technology for authentication. Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (OCBC Bank), has launched OCBC OneLook, a new mobile banking facial recognition service. By simply looking at their mobile device, customers of the Singapore-based bank can access their account balances and transactional activities. The new service can be accessed by iPhone X users. Presently, the mobile banking facial recognition service introduced by OCBC Bank, can be utilized by Apple users who have an iPhone X, iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR models. Customers who…

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Square In-App Payments processing becomes a reality

L. Green
Square In-App Payments - Square Reader Mobile Phone Payments - YouTube

Square has launched a customizable SDK in-app payment solution for iOS, Android and Flutter. Square In-App Payments SDK (software development kit) has been launched by the San Francisco-based financial tech company, enabling developers and sellers who use its services to accept in-app payments. While Square has products to help sellers accept payments on the web and in person, this is the first time it will be available in mobile apps. Buyers can securely pay for physical goods or services purchased via mobile app. With the Square In-App Payments SDK, developers…

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“OK Google” – Google Maps to be updated with Google Assistant

Amanda Giasson
Google Assistant - OK Google - Smartphone

Google Maps will allow users to control navigation with their voice. Thanks to Google Assistant, Google Maps will become an even more hands-free tool, enabling both Android and iOS smartphone users who use the app to control navigation with their voice, further simplifying the process. The integration allows users more than just the ability to use voice-control navigation. Once the update has been rolled out to Google Maps users across the globe, they will be able to enjoy the convenience and freedom of simply using their voice to ask the…

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Military mobile app design challenge may help to prepare for future challenges

Jennifer Goula
Military mobile app - Space Shuttle

A video game could be an important part of future space training in the U.S. military. MGMWERX, an Air Force innovation hub located in Montgomery, has issued a military mobile app challenge. This goal is to come up with a mobile game designed to teach important concepts to prepare for future space challenges. The challenge is a part of the Air Force’s Blue Horizons initiative. The best ideas collected from the challenge will be put together at a design session in January. MGMWERX, which opened in Montgomery back in August…

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Smart license app for divers to be launched in Thailand

John Montgallo
Smart license app - Cars in Thailand

The new app will mean drivers will no longer need to carry a hardcopy of their license. The smart license app to be launched by the Department of Land Transport (DLT), will provide drivers in Thailand with the convenience of no longer having to carry a physical copy of their driver’s license. The digital version of the ID will be available to holders of personal, public and special driving licenses. The app will also feature a QR Code for police convenience. The smart license app is free and drivers who…

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New Target augmented reality tech helps make holiday home decorating easier

Jennifer Goula
Target augmeted reality app feature - Christmas Tree

American retail giant rolls out new augmented reality (AR) feature for its app. If you still need to put up a Christmas tree or you have some last minute holiday decorating to do, the new Target augmented reality feature introduced in its app earlier this month, could be a big help. The “See It in Your Space” tree feature helps you find the perfect artificial tree for your space. All homes are not created equal. Rooms come in all shapes, sizes and angles, which can make finding the right sized…

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mHealth anemia detection app could identify anemia from a smartphone photo

Sam Lambert
mHealth anemia detection app - Needle - Blood - Syringe

Atlanta researchers are working on a mobile health app that could revolutionize anemia detection. Those who suffer from chronic anemia or who think they might be anemic, could one day be able to detect this condition via their smartphone using an mHealth anemia detection app. The app is currently being developed by Atlanta researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Emory University. The app can detect anemia via a smartphone picture. The Atlanta researchers revealed via a study published in the journal Nature that they have developed an…

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New Formula 1 VR channel to revolutionize the experience of F1 fans

Jennifer Goula
Formula 1 VR - Formula 1 Racing

Formula 1 (F1) has signed a deal with virtual reality (VR) company Dream VR. The prestigious and popular racing series Formula 1 will soon provide its fans with an immersive virtual reality experience via a new Formula 1 VR channel. This will be made possible through the motorsport’s partnership agreement with The Dream VR, which provides VR 360º experiences. Via the new experience fans will gain access to unique behind-the-scenes content. The Formula 1 VR experience will give viewers the chance to get a unique look at some of the…

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See Johannes Vermeer’s paintings with new Vermeer augmented reality app

Amanda Giasson
Vermeer augmented reality app - Vermeeer Painting - The Milkmaid

Those who want to see Vermeer’s famous paintings don’t have to travel the world to do it. The Mauritshuis museum has teamed up with Google Arts & Culture in Paris to develop a Vermeer augmented reality app. The AR app creates a virtual museum that features all the artists’ works, including what is arguably his best (and most well-known masterpiece), “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” which is on display at the Maurithuis. Museums from around the world have contributed images of the Dutch artist’s famed work. Only 36 paintings are…

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