Mozilla is teaming up with major phone manufacturers as part of a plan to offer sub-$50 smartphones in emerging markets. The company is looking at international regions with growth potential as the global market for smartphones continues to take off. Mozilla is also pushing for more mobile devices to run its Firefox operating system, which it is pitching as an alternative to dominant systems from Google and Apple. Continue reading Mozilla Planning Affordable Smartphones for Firefox Adoption

Pandora is launching a new Facebook application called the Pandora Timeline App that integrates its mobile applications and website so that users can easily share their favorite music and discover new artists that are popular with their friends. The app has been updated with the new Facebook feature for iPhone and Android users. Users can customize which music they opt to share and can specify which categories (listening activity, likes and follows) to share. Continue reading Pandora Timeline App Hopes to Leverage Mobile and Social

The Android version of the Google Drive mobile app has been updated to include a number of new features, including the ability to scan receipts, business cards and other documents with your camera phone and save them in the cloud via Drive. In addition to the ability to scan documents, the update uses an optical technology in order to search the stored images. And according to Google, a new grid view makes it easier to find files. Continue reading Google Drive Update: Mobile Android App Features Scanning

Elevatr is a new mobile app from 23-year old CEO David Spiro and New York-based app development agency Fueled. The free iOS app is designed to help entrepreneurs keep track of their concepts and develop effective models, in hopes of turning innovative ideas into practical business plans. Elevatr is basically a note-taking app that makes a traditional business plan accessible for concept development on mobile devices. Continue reading Map Out Your Startup Business Plan with Elevatr Mobile App

ABC will upgrade its app for iPhones and iPads this week with a “live” button that will allow viewers in the New York and Philadelphia areas to live-stream local ABC programming. The live stream, which will also be offered via ABC-owned stations in six other cities this summer, will be made available only to cable and satellite subscribers. ABC is in talks with 200 affiliates to offer “live” in their markets as well. Continue reading ABC App to Offer Live Streams of TV Shows for Subscribers

Pixtr is a new iPhone app that creates subtle changes to facial features of people in photographs, serving almost like an airbrush tool to manipulate mild imperfections. “It uses facial recognition software to scan the photo and make minor adjustments like slimming a nose or a jawline, trimming eyebrows, correcting camera distortion,” reports Business Insider. “It takes into account things like sex, hair color, age.” Continue reading Pixtr App Uses Facial Recognition to Make You Look Better

Many companies plan to lower costs by encouraging employees to bring their own electronic devices to work. Gartner released a study that predicts the number of workers using mobile apps in the workplace will double by 2015. “BYOD strategies are the most radical change to the economics and the culture of client computing in business in decades,” claims David Willis, VP and analyst at Gartner. “The benefits of BYOD include creating new mobile workforce opportunities, increasing employee satisfaction, and reducing or avoiding costs.” Continue reading BYOD: Companies Encourage Employees to Bring Their Own

IBM Research now claims the world’s smallest movie with “A Boy and His Atom.” The 60-second movie — certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s smallest stop-motion film — shows the story of a boy comprised of individual atoms who befriends an atom and interacts with it while playing on a trampoline made of atoms. It illustrates how scientists at IBM’s Almaden Research Lab can precisely move and manipulate individual atoms. Continue reading IBM Releases Smallest Stop-Motion Film in Cinema History

Tech evangelist Robert Scoble spent two weeks evaluating Google Glass, during which he delivered five speeches while wearing the device, passed through airports four times, and let hundreds of people try it out. He wrote that he had “barely taken it off since getting it other than to sleep.” Scoble offers high praise for the device’s potential, and suggests its adoption depends largely on the product’s eventual price. He says that if Larry Page can get it down to $200, he’ll have a “major hit” on his hands. Continue reading Scoble Praises Google Glass: Says Device is Life-Changing

The team behind DJ-focused music service Turntable.fm debuted a new smart-radio service called Piki last week that offers a new take on music discovery. Unlike other streaming music sites such as Pandora, Piki creates playlists based on what your friends are currently listening to. Other developers like Rdio and Fuzz have created similar services, but have yet to make a significant impact. Continue reading Music Streaming App Piki Lets Friends Pick Music for You

Soap operas “One Life to Live” and “All My Children,” which ABC cancelled in 2011, will have a digital revival starting later this month when they return online. Production company Prospect Park licensed the soaps from ABC and plans to launch new episodes via Hulu Plus, iTunes and its own Online Network. The revamped shows are said to have more provocative content in order to attract a younger, contemporary audience. Continue reading Cancelled Soap Operas Return as Online Only Programs

According to Ad Age, the Intel Media TV Service has all the components that consumers want. The interface is beautiful, the remote is simple and the cloud-based DVR doesn’t require anyone to hit “record.” Algorithms are built in to learn what users like and recommend new content, it syncs easily with social networks, there is effortless co-viewing with distant friends, it works on mobile devices and more. Continue reading Intel Stands to Reinvent Cable TV with Media TV Service

Led by the popular photo-sharing app Snapchat, a number of startups are challenging the belief that everything one posts online is destined to be online for eternity. Even social networking giant Facebook recently released a Snapchat-like feature called Poke, which enables users to send notes, pictures and videos to their friends that dissappear after an allotted amount of time. Continue reading Snapchat and Fleeting Messaging Apps Grow in Popularity

According to the Wall Street Journal, there is no doubt that the smartphone is the current, dominant computing device. Just consider the numbers: Nearly 700 million smartphones were shipped worldwide last year, according to Strategy Analytics. That’s nearly twice as many PC shipments. And it was only a few years ago that PCs were atop that statistic. Now people are using smartphones for a wide variety of functions. Continue reading Tech Giants Battle to Control Evolving Mobile Experience

While fans celebrated opening day, marking the start of another baseball season, MLB executives were having a celebration of their own as the official Major League Baseball app “At Bat” was accessed 6 million times on opening day alone. This number is more than twice the amount of users that accessed the same app on opening day last year, and significantly higher than other apps that the league has launched for baseball fans. Continue reading MLB Hits a Home Run with Mobile App on Opening Day