Starbucks is introducing a new app for iPhones that allows customers to order and pay without having to visit the checkout counter. The beta service launched this week in Portland, Oregon. Starbucks plans to follow up by launching “Mobile Order & Pay” city-by-city throughout 2015, and introducing an Android version. The massive reach of a company like Starbucks places it in a position to successfully link mobile devices to in-store retail, an issue Silicon Valley has been trying to address for years. Continue reading Starbucks Order & Pay Service Links Mobile to In-Store Retail

BlackBerry’s deal to acquire Secusmart, a German security vendor known for its voice encryption technology, was recently approved by the German government. Secusmart’s tech will offer BlackBerry users the ability to encrypt voice and data communication. Given that Secusmart is a company used by the German government, the deal went through a careful assessment process. BlackBerry first announced its plan to purchase the company in July and was only recently granted approval to move forward. Continue reading BlackBerry to Acquire Secusmart for Encryption Technology

Startup Haltian has created a hardware device for the Internet of Things so that developers do not have to worry about designing and manufacturing the gadget. Developers can get straight to finding new ways to implement the open-source Thingsee One device, which is packed with different types of sensors that can send notifications back to an app. Thingsee One uses a 2G radio to communicate with the mobile app, so that battery life can last up to a year without charging. Continue reading New Hardware Lets Developers Make Their Own Smart Devices

Technics announced it plans to launch Technics Tracks, a high-resolution music download service, in the U.K. and Germany starting in January. In addition to tens of thousands of 24-bit FLAC tracks, the service will also carry CD-quality tracks up to 16-bit/44.1kHz. All purchases will be stored in a cloud locker, available for download to multiple devices. The service, custom built by platform operator 7digital, will be accessible from Macs, PCs, and apps for Android and iOS. Continue reading Technics to Launch Hi-Res Music Download Service in Europe

Cambridge, UK-based CSR has developed a new technology that can monitor your every move by tracking information from your mobile device. The technology, known as SiRFusion, was designed to provide users with instantaneous directions for areas that often go undetected by other GPS apps, but also has compelling advertising potential. The technology makes use of GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cloud computing to yield accurate results. CSR recently unveiled an SDK for Android developers. Continue reading New SiRFusion Tracking Tech Can Follow People Everywhere

According to Adobe’s 2014 Digital Index Online Shopping data, 29 percent of online sales on Thanksgiving Day and 27 percent on Black Friday took place via smartphones or tablets (led by iOS shoppers). New online sales records were set for both days, while Singles’ Day also set a new record and could surpass Cyber Monday this time around. Meanwhile, the CEA reports that consumers are purchasing more TVs, thanks in part to more affordable UHD offerings. Continue reading More U.S. Shoppers Turn to Mobile Devices for Holiday Deals

Sometimes a smartphone’s surface is just not big enough to make the most of mobile and social gaming. Even today’s largest smartphone screens have limitations that can hinder the multiplayer gaming experience. That is where Fuffr comes into play. The company has designed a mobile case that projects infrared lights to the surrounding areas of the phone, so that these areas too, can be used as multitouch surfaces for gameplay and a variety of other applications. Continue reading Fuffr Develops Multitouch Tech with Focus on Mobile Gaming

VSN Mobil has begun shipping its $399 V.360, billed as “the first device to capture 360 degrees of video or still images with a 4K/16 megapixel imager in full 1080p high definition.” The camera, currently available via Amazon and VSN Mobil’s store, could become the GoPro of panoramic video, an emerging market sector growing in popularity amongst manufacturers. The V.360 joins a variety of panoramic offerings, including the 360cam, the Bublcam, the Centr, the Giroptic and the Panono. Continue reading VSN Mobil Device Joins Crowded Field of Panoramic Cameras

Researchers at security firm Lookout have been tracking mobile malware for almost two years. As the firm predicted, millions of mobile users have been affected by a recent mobile epidemic of viruses and spam. Hackers are finding new ways to deceive mobile device users via techniques involving email and implanting harmful codes on websites. As attackers become more sophisticated in their methods, mobile users should be more careful of their online activity.   Continue reading Android Users Warned They Are at Risk of Malicious Software

WhatsApp, currently one of the most popular messaging services in the world, wants to make it nearly impossible for anyone to snoop on its users. The company announced that it is taking privacy a step further by implementing end-to-end encryption for its 600 million users. This is considered to be one of the largest deployments of this type of encryption, which scrambles messages so that even the company doesn’t have access to its users’ unique cryptographic keys. Continue reading WhatsApp Messaging Service Launches Encryption Protection

As part of Twitter’s growth strategy, the social network is launching a host of new features, the first of which rolled out last week. The new feature enables users to share public tweets with their friends via direct messages. Mobile users press on the tweet for at least a second before “Share via Direct Message” pops up in the app. The follower that receives the message will receive a push notification. The shared tweet will show up directly in the direct message conversation, just like links and photos. Continue reading New Twitter Update Lets Users Privately Share Public Tweets

Snapchat users will now have the ability to send and receive money from friends using a new payment feature called Snapcash. The feature is the latest upgrade to a mobile app that originally began with simple photo-sharing capabilities. To make payments possible, Snapchat partnered with Square, a payments company that recently launched a similar feature to work for email and its own mobile app. Snapcash is available for Android users, with an iOS release coming soon.  Continue reading Snapchat Partners with Square to Offer New Payment Feature

Following a positive response to the Shield Android tablet, Nvidia hopes to win gamers over once more with the launch of its game-streaming service later this year. The Grid cloud-based service is slated for a North American launch later this month with Europe and Asia scheduled for next year. Nvidia will aim to release new games frequently, every week or so, to quickly amass a library that exceeds 100 games. The gaming service hopes to capture consumers of the Shield products market. Continue reading Nvidia to Stream Games via Grid Cloud-Based Gaming Service

Pop star Taylor Swift’s new music video “Blank Spaces” comes with an app that offers fans an interactive experience in the video’s pristine mansion setting. The app is available for iOS and Android, and it gives viewers a chance to explore the scenes featured in the music video, see Swift dance just a few feet away, and discover Easter eggs with extras such as Polaroids. This app may point to the future of music videos, and could provide an ideal testing ground for virtual environments. Continue reading Taylor Swift Music Video Offers a New Take on Virtual Reality

Microsoft announced that it will offer the mobile version of its Office suite featuring Word, Excel and Powerpoint for free. This is a major departure for Microsoft, which usually charges a premium for its software. However, with people doing less on their desktops and more on their smartphones, Microsoft is finally focusing on today’s push into cloud computing. The company hopes that the free mobile apps will entice new users to buy the desktop software, too. Continue reading New Direction: Microsoft Offers Office Suite Free for Mobile