Apple released two new ads in the same vein as the previous Hollywood, Together and Alive ads for the iPad. These two – Discover and Brilliant – focus on the apps that are available on the iPhone.
Discover
Brilliant
Tell me if the photo above isn’t familiar – propping your iPhone up with something (in my case, my wallet) while catching the last episode of your favorite show over lunch?
From the guy who brought you the Smarter Stand for iPad, comes a new Kickstarter project which provides you with a portable kickstand for your iPhone or iPod touch and also serves as an earphone cable organizer.
Dotan Saguy’s second Kickstarter project is the Smarter Stand for the IPhone which works with or without a case. It’s slim design helps you organize your earphones and yet small enough to slip into your pocket.
For just US$15 (including shipping), you get a Smarter Stand for iPhone and if you fork out US$25 (including shipping) you get both Smarter Stand for iPhone and also the Smarter Stand for the iPad. (Both options are the early bird pricing which at posting are still available.)
Do note that this is recommend to be used with Apple’s earpods or in-ear headphones to give the best secure fit.
The project has already reached its funding target and will stop taking orders in a months time. For more details check out its Kickstarter’s page.
Stream the album live from iTunes Music Store
Justin Timberlake’s back with a new album The 20/20 Experience and for a limited time, you can stream the full album straight within iTunes Music Store on your computer or iPad. If you like it, you can also pre-order the album for S$14.98.
In the mean time, see him in action in last week’s Saturday Night Live.
Be safe out there: f-secure.com/static/doc/lab…
— Philip Schiller (@pschiller) March 7, 2013
The tweet above from Phil Schiller, Apple’s Worldwide Marketing SVP points to a report from F-Secure on the mobile threat landscape as seen in the fourt quarter of 2012 with a short message:”Be safe out there”.
Android takes the lead with 79% of all mobile threats on its platform
As you can see from the chart, most of the mobile threats known in the world targets the Android platform, growing over the years as their marketshare increases.
From the report:
Android malware has been strengthening its position in the mobile threat scene. Every quarter, malware authors bring forth new threat families and variants to lure more victims and to update on the existing ones. In the fourth quarter alone, 96 new families and variants of Android threats were discovered, which almost doubles the number recorded in the previous quarter. A large portion of this number was contributed by PremiumSMS—a family of malware that generates profit through shady SMS-sending practices—which unleashed 21 new variants.
So good luck to you Android users out there. Like how the Android devices’ screens get bigger and bigger, the bulleyes on your back for Malware writers to target just grows…be safe out there.
Download the report here.
Facebook is partnering with telcos worldwide to provide “free or discounted data access to Facebook messaging for their subscribers”. With version 2.1.1 of the Messenger app, Facebook users can have voice chat with other Facebook friends straight from the app (US-only) and also send audio messages to their friends. This new partnership will bolster their presence in the midst of heavy competition from other messaging apps like WhatsApp, Line and Viber.
Through this promotion, free or discounted data access will be available in the coming months on Messenger for Android, Messenger for iOS and Facebook for Every Phone, which is now optimized for chat.
This promotion will be available from more than 18 operators in 14 countries. Operators committed to special pricing for Facebook messaging include TMN in Portugal, Three in Ireland, Airtel and Reliance in India, Vivacom in Bulgaria, Backcell in Azerbaydzhan, Indosat, Smartfren, AXIS and XL Axiata in Indonesia, SMART in Philippines, DiGi in Malaysia, DTAC in Thailand, Viva in Bahrain, STC in Saudi Arabia, Oi in Brazil, Etisalat in Egypt, and Tre in Italy.
None of the 18 operators are from Singapore and I doubt this will1 happen as local Telcos (SingTel and Starhub) are more interested in developing their own platforms to counter declining use of the more traditional SMS messaging.
StarHub, for example, is working with its alliance partner Vodafone to launch a new, interoperable service in the second half of this year. Using just one platform, users can make video calls, share photos or music on one single platform, without the need to download different applications.
SingTel is also looking to launch its own apps in the coming months, as it seeks to “shape the app market”. “This requires a total strategy in terms of apps and content, handsets, network enhancements, price plans and customer experience,” Mr Johan Buse, SingTel’s Vice-President of Consumer Marketing, said.
To be honest, their money will be more well spent if they invest on improving their existing 3G/4G network and such services are almost saturated with customers already entrenched with their favorite messaging platform. It will take much more than a miracle for them to switch.
As for M1 customers, there is a glimmer of hope this Facebook-collaboration might happen:
A spokesman said: “Rather than telcos developing their own Internet-based messaging apps to compete, we believe app developers and owners will work with the telcos in future to ensure that their users have access to their applications in an efficient and affordable manner.
What is your primary app/platform for messaging with your friends – SMS, FaceBook, MSN, WhatsApp?
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SinTel does offer a service where you can access Facebook via a strip-down version of the site without having to pay data charges ↩
