Google Adds Android App Subscriptions to Play Store

Back in April of last year, Apple introduced in-app subscriptions, via iTunes. Realizing they had to keep up, the folks at Google quickly responded by adding...basic support for in-app purchases. Well, we suppose you've got to start somewhere.

Working on the theory that it's never too late, here in May 2012 Mountain View finally catches up with their mobile sector rival. Google's Play Store now provides end-to-end subscription support for all Android applications sold there...

FB Status: Scanning a Pint of Guinness

(Guinness reminds you to never scan and drive.)

Explanations, first: Yes, our lead photo (above) depicts a glass of a very dark liquid with a foamy head. And, yes, that pattern on the glass really is a QR code, the fancy computer-generated barcodes you're starting to see just about everywhere.

To be specific, the fluid is Guinness Irish stout beer, made by the world-famous Irish brewers Guinness & Co.; the unusual container is a Guinness 'QR cup' -- a beer glass with etched QR code -- and that's the creation of world-famous New York ad agency BBDO.

So, Ok -- tasty and clever. Got it? But the true genius is harder to see...

Android Fragmentation FTW! Week in Mobile

Shout out to da sheeple!

Samsung's Not Just Flocking Around

...Plus 9 More Tails from last Week's Mobile News

Is Cable Giant Comcast Cheating on Their
FCC Net Neutrality Agreement?

Do we really need to tell you?

Successful Android Games Developer
Says,"We like fragmentation."

Surprisingly, they weren't joking. Or drunk.

Nokia Tops Apple in Two Important Metrics:
Factory Explosions = 0; Roof-Jumpers = 0

Ups and downs in the mobile phones biz.

Insane Windows Installathon! Week in Tech

What will they think of, next?

Insane Windows Installathon: DOS 5 to Win 8, in Sequence!

...Plus 9 More Surprising Stories from the Week in Tech

The Interface that Made Milwaukee Famous?
Disposable Touchpad Made from Beer Bottle Label

New Record for Wireless Transmission: 3 GBps
Old Record for IEEE Standards Process: 7 Years

GM to Facebook's Zuckerburg: 'Your Site Sucks'!
Analysts Say Google Has 10x Better Click-Through

Samsung Galaxy S3: 9 million Pre-Orders?

9 million Galaxy S3s: cool. 9 million iPhones: baaaaaad.

According to Reuters, 9 million units of Samsung's Galaxy SIII have been pre-ordered by mobile operators, around the world.

Wasn't it only two months ago we learned Samsung has shipped 20 million Galaxy S2 phones? Now that model's nominal successor, the Galaxy SIII, is halfway there on the basis of pre-orders alone. And since Samsung's been silent about any US release-date, that "100 operators" bit really means, "not America".

Yet.

Samsung's on a tear...

Google Bashes Facebook for GM Ad Loss

There's no love lost between these two.

Everybody knows Google's famous internal mantra, "Don't be evil." So, is it evil to kick a competitor when they're down? Less than 24 hours after news that Facebook is losing General Motor's $10 million ad campaign, we were a bit surprised to see one Google executive tweeted a public slam of his employer's social media rival.

And MobilePhonesFan saved a copy for you...

GM Says Facebook Ads Don't Pay Off

General Motors votes with their advertising dollars.

With a long-awaited Wall Street IPO scheduled for this Friday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg must have a million -- or maybe 100 billion -- things on his mind.

Between taking calls from bankers, conferring with lawyers, meeting with staff, fending off reporters, plus killing and slaughtering his own food -- well, we'd guess he's one busy guy. With all that going on, the last thing he needs is word that one of his top customers has taken their money and gone home.

But that's exactly what he got, yesterday...

70% of Mobile App Users Are Cheapskates

I said, the rent is too dam high !

This just in from the tech consultants at ABI Research: 70% of mobile app users are cheapskates who buy very few apps. And even when they do get around to buying some,  they tend to pay very little.

Wait, do you hear that...sort of a high-pitched shriek, somewhere off in the distance? Unless we're mistaken, that's the sound you get when several thousand mobile developers all scream, "No s#@t!"

Apple Inc. Earns More than New Zealand

Rumor has it, Apple are planning to patent 'numbers'.

With a market-cap of some $520 billion, Apple, Inc., is the world's largest corporation.*

You may wonder how Apple got to be 'biggest' in value when they seem relatively small in other metrics. After all, WalMart has more employees, Best Buy has more stores and Exxon-Mobil takes in more cash...

Apple 'Fixes' Siri on 'Best Cell Phone' Issue

"According to my database, Blackberries have cooties."

Well, that didn't take long.

After a day of ribbing from giddy Windows Phone fans, somebody at Apple gave Siri a lecture in brand-loyalty. Or maybe they employed the old duct tape, screamed abuses and rubber hose method. Either way, she's been 'corrected'. Now, if asked 'What's the best phone', Siri gives a coy, playful response but basically demurs.

And Siri absolutely, positively does not check in with Wolfram Alpha.

Virgin Atlantic OKs Cellphones In-Flight ...Sometimes

Making her virgin mobile call on a Virgin Atlantic flight.

Bad news for people who enjoy quiet flights.

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways will be the first UK carrier to allow personal cell phone use, in-flight. All passengers will be free to make or receive calls except at takeoff and landing, or when otherwise directed by the crew*. The plane's onboard network works throughout the cabin -- no restrictions.

Best (and perhaps most surprising) of all, there's no extra cost. Just sit down, buckle up, then start gabbing.

Easy peasy, right? Still, if only to show that you're a smart consumer, you might want to ask MobilePhonesFan if there's a catch...

T-Mobile Doubles Your Fun Next Week

When T-Mobile offers a deal like this, jump on it.

In the market for a new phone?

How about two phones, one for you and one for a special someone? Let's say you're a happy T-Mobile customer whose contract is nearly up and you need a second line. Or maybe your current plan is with a 'top 3' US mobile carrier, but for some reason -- your meds ran out?* -- you'd like to sign with T-Mobile...and add another line?

MobilePhonesFan suggests you think, uh, twice. A hot deal's coming up, next weekend...

Video History of Windows OS ...in 77 Min.

Let's all be thankful that he skips 'Windows ME'

Ah, Microsoft's Windows™ -- love it or hate it, we've all been forced had occasion to use it. If you're older than the age of consent, then you likely grew up doing 100% of your computing in a Windows PC environment. Even after Apple Computer entered their renaissance period, anyone engaged in serious commerce -- anywhere in the world -- still needed ready access to the Windows Office™ Suite, on occasion.

Of course, nothing lasts forever. MobilePhonesFan kicked the Microsoft habit a few years back, after a disturbing experience with the black sheep of the Windows family, Vista. Still, we do have fond memories of PCs past. Assembling your first Windows box from scratch is a character-building experience. And we were plenty excited about the release of Windows 95, especially after the Rolling Stones commercials.

So this YouTube "History of WIndows" video by thePatrickMonroe takes MobilePhonesFan back...

Smart Car Co. Has Smart Twitter Ad

You've got to see the brilliant tweet-stream advertising by the smart folks at SmartCar of Argentina.

Think 'flip card animation'. Try it for yourself, right after the break...

White HTC One X, Looking Kinda Blue...

MobilePhonesFan's argument against matte-finish plastic.

Ok, this won't take long so listen up...

Remember when you first saw your pristinely new, white HTC One X?

Well, this is your pristinely new, white HTC One X ...on bluejeans dye.

Any questions? A matte finish is a terrible thing to waste.


via: Reddit

Nokia Dev City (Rack City parody)

Catch a falling phone and put it in your pocket...

n.b.: Some links have changed. Be sure to read our updates, at the end.

To help spread the word that their Windows Phone platform desperately needs 3rd-party developers (developers, developers, etc.), Nokia and Microsoft are sponsoring a whirlwind tour they're calling the Ready.Set () {Code} Challenge.

It's a series of fourteen hackathons in 13 North American cities, beginning in Ohio this Saturday (12 May) and finishing with a date in Vancouver (BC), mid-June. Each event will last ~12 hours, with winners announced same night.

To kick things off, the Nokia Dev Forum offers a parody of Tyga's hit song Rack City. With the subtitle 'Nokia Lumia Rap', it turns the subject from Las Vegas (AKA: 'Rack City') to...well, developing for Microsoft's Windows Phone mobile OS...

Google Buys Gold's Gym...Revenge of the Nerds?

Do Larry and Sergey have interns lift the weights for them?

BloggerJason Stern reports that Google has inked a deal to buy Gold's Gym.

Yes, that wacky crew of Silicon Valley propeller heads will soon own the world's most famous monument to sweat and muscles. But they didn't buy the Venice, California, icon as a going concern. Instead, Stern says they bought Gold's for the real estate...and possibly because they drove past it every day.

Have Fun with Windows Phone, Win a Prize!

For once, the folks in Redmond may be onto something here. Unlike previous offerings,  Microsoft's Free Time Machine is a fun contest ...with a neat twist...

Apple, Samsung Get 99% of Mobile Phone Profits

tl;dr: If your company makes mobile phones and your company isn't Samsung or Apple, then we wish to extend our deepest sympathies for your pitiful share of profits.

That's right; just two mobile phone companies rake in 99% of the profits.

According to mobile industry analyst Horace Dediu, the split goes 73% for Apple and 26% for Samsung. He says this reflects a market disruption, with a growing number of users transitioning from feature phones to smart phones. To compete in this new market, phone makers had to change their approach to design, manufacturing and marketing.

Amtrak Adopts iPhones in Place of Ticket Punchers

"I've got 274 fart apps in my pocket..."

(image: Amtrak)

America's favorite money-losing government program rolls boldly into the 21st century. Amtrak claims train travel will soon be paperless: schedule and pay on-line, before boarding. When the conductor asks for your ticket, simply flash the special bar code on your iPhone or Android device.