For some time now, Android has been on top in terms of daily device activations and market share, but how does that translate into sales of applications on the respective app stores?

We are used to most major developers bringing their apps to iOS first (although there has been a slight shift in recent months), and it was for good reason. Consumer spending on applications in iOS has always been higher. While that is still the case, Google Play seems to be making ground on iOS since last year.

A report published by Distimo, a mobile app analytics firm, in May revealed that the top 200 applications in Apple’s App Store earned a total of $5.1 million in revenue per day during the month of April. Compare that to the $1.1 million in the Google Play Store for the same period, and it’s easy to see why there would be a discrepancy between app releases on the two platforms.

As you can see in the depicted figures above, we are seeing a steady increase when it comes to Google Play. Back in November 2012, Android only accounted for 19% of total combined revenue for all mobile apps. In April 2013 the figure was more favourable for Android, at 27%. That is still a big difference to the top 200 figure, which is around 17% of combined revenue for Android in May.

One example stated by Distimo is EA’s The Simpsons: Tapped Out. This mobile game earned a combined $4.8 million in the month of April alone. That’s a big sum, and of that, 79% of the revenue came from the iOS App Store, which means the remaining 21% came from Android.

Another factor that skews the figure in Apple’s direction is the fact that a lot – if not most – of the Apps tend to cost more on iOS. As Android continues to dominate global sales, we should see developers spending more time and effort in developing bigger, better apps for Google’s ecosystem.

Source: Apple Insider

Samsung has had no trouble peddling its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone. There are also plans for different variants of the phone, with the likes of the Galaxy S4 Active (dust and waterproof variant), the Galaxy S4 Zoom (S4 with a massive camera) and the Galaxy S4 Mini (smaller, cheaper version). Now we hear that they plan to launch another variant of the popular smartphone – one that will transmit data at nearly twice the normal LTE speeds we are seeing today. (more…)

According to a report by My Broadband, First National Bank (FNB) has plans to launch its own mobile network and is currently in discussions with Cell C to do so.

The network will offer FNB customers a variety of new mobile products and with the current opportunity for customers to purchase tablets and smartphones at discounted price, the move will enable FNB to ship and sell such devices with its own SIM cards.

While talks remain confidential, Virginia Magapatona, FNB’s head of corporate communications said that, “We continue to hold discussions with various operators on various matters and will only be in a position to formally announce any new features once launched.”

This is not a long shot for, nor a surprise from FNB, that has succeeded in executing a strong and pioneering digital marketing strategy that uses technology to differentiate it from other SA banks to make a smarter, easier and more efficient banking experience for its customers.

Microsoft has announced the release of  Office Mobile for iPhone.

Office 365 Home Premium and Office 365 ProPlus subscribers can download the app for free from the App Store (U.S only for the moment) where they can access and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.

Once signed-in the formatting and layout of documents will remain the same when viewing or editing as a result of support for charts, animations, SmartArt graphics and shapes. So, when you view documents on a Mac or PC, they look exactly as they should.

Content can be accessed in the cloud on SkyDrive or SkyDrive Pro and with device syncing recently edited or viewed documents can be found in the Recent Documents panel.

The app has been optimized for the smaller screen of the smartphone – The Slide Navigator allows you to page through PowerPoint presentations quickly while Speaker Notes help you practice presentations on the go and you can pick up where you left off reading a document with the Resume Reading feature.

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Myspace has returned having officially launched  on Wednesday now under new management and with a slight change in name – notice there is no capital S.

In addition to a fancy launch party held in L.A and attended by a slew of celebrities including actor, singer and investor Justin Timberlake, owners Tim and Chris Vanderhook have poured $20 million into an advertising campaign to ensure the public know of its revival.

Now centred around music allowing users to connect with one another based on their song and artist preferences, Myspace returns with a complete redesign and free mobile app for iOS.

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The next generation of consoles will be among us by the end of this year, with the Xbox One and the PS4 both being released in the holiday season of 2013. The new Xbox has been confirmed as a November release, whereas we don’t yet have the exact date for the PS4.

Gaming has truly evolved since the previous generation of consoles though, and these giants of the gaming world are also now becoming all-encompassing entertainment systems rather than just a vehicle for big budget games.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2013 started on Monday, 10 June and we finally saw what the PS4 looks like, with many other morsels of news being announced for both the consoles. Both Microsoft and Sony are preparing for a mammoth battle, so let’s see how things are shaping up. (more…)

Apple fans were probably nailed to their PC’s last night to see what Apple’s software guys have been brewing for the last year. The anticipation was more than usual this year – iOS’s development leadership structure had a reshuffle a few months ago, and Jony Ive has taken over the design of the new iOS7.

A New Look.

Jony Ive is the guy responsible for Apple’s hardware design until now. His work until now gives you an idea where his preferences lies. Simplicity and well thought out “golden rule” approaches can be found all over the new iOS7. App icons are all redesigned (after 5 years of very subtle changes) using a grid like design within the icon. All the 3D looking gradients of past icons are gone. Simple flat icons might take some getting used though.

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So it is that time of the year again, with Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference taking place this week. But what can we expect from Cupertino? We already know that they will unveil the new versions of iOS and OS X, and they are garnering more interest than in the past. The mobile operating system from Apple has evolved very little since their initial release and are facing pressure from investors and consumers alike to come up with something bright and new.

It is indeed an important time for Apple as they have not been performing at their stellar levels in the last 12 months. The stock price has fallen dramatically in recent months, and for good reason. iPhone sales aren’t growing as fast as it did in the past and the first half of this year lacked any kind of innovation or new product launch. (more…)