Virus Shield , a virus to your money | Top Android Paid app a Scam

Before it was flagged and removed, one of the most successful apps on Google Play for over a week was an "antivirus" app that did nothing other than change an image.

Average apps don't earn the way we thought ! How Much Do Average Apps Make? About $1 per download

The last few years have seen an unprecedented number of people rushing to develop mobile apps for iOS and Android. But looking at the installed user base on each platform and information on the payouts made by the different companies, it appears that the vast majority of developers will find themselves with little revenue to show for.

With different forums aimed at attracting developers, each company handles announcing the size of their markets differently.The consensus around the industry is that Google dominates the mobile market with 900 million users, while Apple follows with 600 million iOS devices purchased, and Microsoft comes in third place with an estimated 12 million Windows Phones sold (the vast majority of those, 81%, being sold byNokia 

Apple, at its WorldWide Developer Conference, talked about 1.25 million apps in the app store accounting for 50 billion downloads and $5 billion paid off to developers in the last year. To the company, it is a sign of pride to be able to pay this developer community. Internal data from the app store, gathered from sources close to the company, indicate that the numbers are in line with the actual payments made to developers.

At Google I/O, the largest Android developer conference, Google touted 150,000 developers responsible for over 800,000 apps. While the company does not break out revenue numbers on their apps, recent data in their financial filings seemed to indicate somewhere around $900 million in pay-outs to developers “over the last 12 months” and discussions with external research analysts put the number of downloaded apps from the Google Play store at around 48 billion, close to what Apple has claimed.

Microsoft, meanwhile, has been claiming 160,000 apps in their store from 45,000 developers. In a recent interview, Microsoft officials claimed that the average user downloaded 54 apps, which would put their download count at 650 million to date. While the company does not break out data for its mobile division, looking at the variations in the accounts payable line of their 10-Qs over the last few quarters before and after they introduced their app store shows a variation of up to $100 million since 2011 that could be attributed to the app store.

So taking all that data into account, we can summarize it as follows:

Looking at this, it is clear that Apple is winning the game in terms of total number of apps and money paid to developers. But lost in the shuffle is how much money developers can actually make on those platforms.

Meager dollars per download

Taking the data in front of us, we can get a sense of how many apps the average developer creates and what kind of revenue a developer can expect from those apps, on average (granted, power laws dictate that a small number of developers will do extremely well while the vast majority will fail, but we’re trying to look at averages here).

Based on this, the average developer on those platforms is pretty busy, developing 3 to 5 apps depending on the platform. Interestingly, Android is the big winner on downloads for a given app but this is largely offset by substantially lower revenue, with the average app download bringing in around 2 cents to its developer; Apple fairs 5 times better, bringing in a dime for every one of the 40,000 potential app downloads a developer could strive for. But the interesting thing is that Microsoft’s platform may be substantially more rewarding for its developers, bringing in $.15 per download (a fact that is offset by download numbers shown to be only 10 percent of what the other platforms can offer).

With the average paid app retailing for $.99, what we see here is the direct impact of free apps on those marketplaces. Android’s substantial lead in offering free apps cuts deeply into the average revenue paid out to developers while the smaller availability of free apps on the Windows platform may work to its advantage.

But what does that mean in terms of actually revenue?

Impact on developers’ wallets

Multiplying the average revenue per app by its average number of downloads, we can get a sense as to what an average developer can expect to make on an app today. Taking the same number and multiplying it by the number of apps an average developer creates, we get a sense of the revenues one can pull from going that way:

What we see here is that while decent amounts of money can be made on an app, a hard-working developer on iOS will be able to get a new car, while Android and Microsoft developers will be forced into the used car market if they plan to take those earnings on the road. At $4,000 in average revenue per app, Apple has a lead but it still begs the question as to how many developers can actually make a living directly from apps on any platform. Direct revenue from the apps themselves may not be able to justify large development teams but other revenue sources (advertising, for example) may help developers increase their take.

Of course, these are average values and many hope to find the next big hit, the one that will be on the higher end of the median. But for every app that goes north of those numbers, the average for the remaining apps drop.

Where are the opportunities?

There is, however, some hope. While Apple has developed a rich market for developers, Google and Microsoft both have opportunities to improve. For Google, the focus should be on improving the numbers by helping developers monetize their apps so they can come more in line with what Apple can offer. Even if they only reached half of what Apple does in terms of revenue per download, they would be able to match the revenue developers make. For Microsoft, the story is all about the number of users. If they were to manage their average revenue per app while growing their user base, they could potentially out-earn all the other platforms.

In all three cases, however, there is much work to be done to increase monetization of free apps. And that may be the next growth opportunity for any developer as it presents an opportunity that is substantially larger than the existing one.

Every app developer hopes to build the next big hit but, as is the case for any hit-driven market, a large group will be left behind with little to show for their efforts. At the end of the day, the model for mobile apps is no different than any other of the past: whether it is gold in the Yukon, websites in the 1990s, or app developers today, larger amounts of revenue will go to those who enable development than to those who are doing the development. Levi Strauss made his fortune selling picks and shovels to gold prospectors; Adobe, Amazon, and Google made theirs enabling web developers; and as the mobile revolution takes hold, some new players will emerge providing tools to create apps and those may be the biggest winners.

VIA Forbes 

New Instagram 4.1 brings video import feature and support for Android 4.0 ICS

Facebook's Instagram, which had recently added short video sharing support to its mobile application, has now issued a new update for its mobile apps on Android and iOS platforms . The biggest update is the ability to import video from your library, meaning you can share video you've previously recorded with another app. There's also a straightening tool for iOS users, which fixes your photos that are slightly crooked.

Mind you, this may not work for your several minutes long videos(Once the video is uploaded, providing it's shorter than 15 seconds, users can choose to record more video after the pre-recorded footage.). Using the new Instagram app 4.1 , users can import videos and then trim the best parts they wish to be portrayed in the short video. The square-crop will let the user place the action scenes in the center. After trimming, user can apply the filter and choose a frame as the cover.The great thing about the update, which might not so good news for Vine, is that users can add two or more shorter pre-recorded videos into one Instagram post until the 15-second limit is reached.This gives a way for those Vine users who fancy transferring their social video skills to Instagram to upload two of their saved six-second Vine video files from their camera roll into one Instagram post, giving them a reason to leave the Twitter app for good.Those who aren't Vine users wanting to convert to Instagram can now spend time in the app editing together old video clips into one post. However, it does pave the way for the posting of many more nonsense posts, such as ads, spam and pornography.

"We've also made it so that you can choose how you square-crop your clip so you can keep the action front and centre," Instagram wrote in a blog post."There are few things more distracting than a crooked horizon in a photo," Instagram explained. "We're happy to announce that we've developed a brand new technology that brings you straight photos instantly."

The new app also brings automatic straightening of the photos instantly on the iOS mobile platform. The new Straighten icon will appear after the user has clicked an image using the Instagram's in-app camera.Straightening for iOS is a very basic addition, allowing users to straighten their photographs before posting. Unfortunately there's no straightening for Instagram videos.

Instagram has also extended the support of the app to the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update running significant number of devices out there. Previously, video was only available to Android users running 4.1 and up.

The Instagram app 4.1 is already available in the Google Play store for Android devices and Apple App store for the iOS devices.

Dhingana music app for WindowsPhone8 launched

Indian music streaming service Dhingana has launched an app for Windows 8 smartphones, as it seeks to broaden its presence across all key mobile platforms.Dhingana today announced the launch of its app for Windows 8 phone devices. Already available on Windows tablets, the Dhingana app lets consumers access a library of over 1 million tracks in over 40 different languages across genres.This will allow the music lover to access over a million of tracks in over 40 different languages across genres through the Dhingana app. “We are thrilled to add Dhingana to the hugely popular and rapidly growing Windows Phone Store. Given the appetite for music in India, we are sure it will be a must-have app for all music lovers”, said Microsoft Corporation India pvt ltd, Windows phone business group, director Vineet Durani.

The application can now thus be downloaded from the Windows Phone store.

"The launch of the Dhingana app for Windows smartphones is testimony to our mobile first strategy that will enable us to consolidate our leadership across all key mobile platforms. Our Windows 8 app resonated very well and we expect that this launch will only add to the growth of our loyal listenership across the Windows ecosystem," said Swapnil Shinde, co-founder and chief operating officer of Dhingana.The key features of the app include minimalistic design and great user experience with a focus on user-friendliness; discover new music; choose any genre and listen to the most popular music through top songs and featured albums; and share songs and playlists with friends via Facebook, Twitter or email.

Based on the album or playlist the user is listening to, Dhingana suggests more albums or playlists. Also, you can search music on the basis of genre.

You can also share songs and playlists with friends via Facebook, Twitter or email.

Dhingana is available on the Web, mobile Web and as an app for Windows tablets and smartphones, iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry.

Google shuts Google+ Local For iOS, App Now Pulled From iTunes App Store today

Google + Local app is considered as an important and helpful tool for local marketing. That is because the app helps iPhone and iPad users enjoy special and customized features. First, the app enables checking out feedbacks from Google connections about local businesses. Second, it provides reviews of businesses that were patronized as well as the places they have gone to.

As a social network feature, Google + Local app facilitates sharing of information about local venues and businesses that users have found online. There is easier and quick access to online local information where available. Lastly, the app enables users to perform specific searches by category covering local businesses like cafés and restaurants.Google+ Local for iOS, Google’s mobile search and discovery app, will cease to exist on August 7th, just over one year after it made its appearance on iPads and iPhones.

According to an email from the Mountview company, Google+ Local for iOS will no longer be available as a standalone app on mobile Apple devices. However, of the app’s entire functionality will be merged into the Explore feature in Google Maps.

As mentioned, most of the ideal features of Google + Local app for iOS would be integrated into Google Maps for iOS. Thus, the useful features would not be completely gone for Google customers. First, Google Maps would now enable search for places and businesses by category, making it easier to find coffee shops and restaurants in an area.

Second, Google Maps would now provide more information about places and businesses in a locality. There would be reviews, addresses, street views, and average price estimates. Third, the app would monitor feedback from Google + circles about places and establishments in a locality.

Google+ Local for iOS, formerly known as Google Places, lets users voice search for nearby restaurants, check Zagat restaurant ratings, and read and post reviews of local establishments. The app was itself a rebranded version of Google Places.

According to the email, all user reviews and ratings will remain accessible via Google Maps and one’s Google+ profile. Users would also be allowed to review and then rate places and establishments where users have been to. Lastly, there would be a feature to share locations. It goes without directly saying that Google + Local app would continue to live on but under the ‘Explore on Maps.’

And because ratings and reviews features would be preserved on Google + profiles, the death of the app may not be completely felt. Anyone looking for a good night out in an unfamiliar locality could still turn to other designated Google apps. However, as far as we can tell, the app has already been removed from Apple’s iTunes App Store, and links pointing to the app, when clicked, provide the message that “the item you’ve requested is not currently available in the U.S. store.” However, the actual link to the app from a Google Search result or other webpage is currently broken. In addition, a search inside the iOS App Store for all Google apps shows that the app is no longer available there. (Though we did spot what appears to be a beta test of something calledGoogle Coordinate. Oops, that’s an enterprise product. We knew that.)

Google+ Local for iOS isn’t the first location-oriented service that Google has phased out as it revamps its mapping and local search offerings. Two weeks ago the company stated that Latitude, its map se-based location-sharingrvice,would retire on uAgust 9th.

Earlier this year Google initiated a sizable overhaul of its Maps application, which included enhanced navigation, live traffic updates, the new Explore feature, and on the Apple front, improved visuals on the iPad. Last June the company acquired Waze, the Israeli social traffic and navigation app, for over $1 billion.

Intel releases educational tablets bundled with educating apps for students with mediocore specs

More and more classrooms around the world are going digital. Paper textbooks are gradually being replaced by electronic copies, which are loaded with interactive content, thus significantly improving the education process. And of course, the tablets on which virtual books are being used are much easier to carry around than their hardcover counterparts.Intel has listed information about two new educational tablets on its site. They have both a 7" and a 10" version, aimed specifically at educational uses, and powered by cost-effective Atom processors and Android 4.0 or 4.1.

The smaller and presumably cheaper of the two comes with an Atom Z2420 chip running at 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, and a 7-inch, 1024 by 600 pixel display. There are also 8GB of storage, a built-in speaker and mike, basic front and rear cameras, and a sealed battery that should last through 8 hours of usage. That the tablet is resistant to some water and shock damage, bearing IP41 certification, is worth noting.

The larger of the two Intel Education Tablets is powered by a 1.6GHz Atom Z2460 processor backed by 1GB of RAM and its 10.1-inch display has a resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels. It offers twice the built-in storage, 16 gigs, but has a slightly shorter battery life of about 6.5 hours. You also get both front and rear cameras, built-in speaker and a microphone, and a stylus. Again, the device is resistant to drops and water damage. 

Obviously, these Intel Education Tablets aren't built to crush the benchmarks, rather to be as useful in the educational process as possible. As such, they come with accessories that may be used in class, including a temperature probe and a magnification lens that snaps on the rear camera. Lots of educational software comes bundled as well, including e-reader and notes applications, painting tools, laboratory experiments, and software allowing teachers to manage the class' activities. McAfee Mobile Security keeps malware away, while Intel's Education Theft Deterrent makes the slates harder to be stolen.

Intel does not say when these tablets are going to be available for purchase and for how much. Chances are that the slates will be sold directly to schools in bulk so seeing them on any retailer's shelves is not likely.

Although not exactly the same caliber tablets Apple will be providing to the Los Angeles Unified School District, Intel's alternative will certainly be able to power the host of included educational apps, and offer a low cost solution for school districts on a tight budget. Intel's new education-focused tablets won't stir much envy among the iPad-toting kids of L.A., but they may suit more budget-conscious school districts.Apple's contract on the other hand will see the company bring31,000 high end iPads, worth about $678 each, to teachers and students across Los AngelesAs you may note, the hardware specs for the devices are not the greatest. It seems likely Intel intends to sell these at a low price point directly to school systems. .

The Intel Educational Tablets come bundled with apps like Kno Interactive eReader, Intel Education Lab Camera by Intellisense, My Notes Keeper and PASCO's SPARKvue science along with applications specifically for teachers, art applications and educational video content.

At this point we don't have specific details on pricing for either of the Intel Educational Tablets. For more information, head over to the official information page on Intel's site.

Intel is also set to reveal the Bay Trail-T processor, its next gen Atom tablet CPU, at IDF in September.

Ever wanted to cut short the number of chat apps you have in your smartphone? Here is a list of just 6 that will do your work efficiently

Android phones and tablets have been rocking the mobile world nowadays (I hope youhavent forgotten that Android holds 80% of the maket) which is great and lot of chat application are around now but knowing the best android chat app matters which will not give you problems at all. These chat apps are really taking over the messaging world and holding it firm, am very sure it has been a long time you have type a text message to a friend who is one of your contact on one of your chatting apps.In this post I will show you 6 most wanted and used chat apps for android users so you won’t be able to miss out in any way, if you really love chatting you can decide to have all this chat apps on your android phone, yes it all possible.

6 Best and Famous Android Chat Apps

1. WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a very common and famous chat app for android but it is not only for android user, whatsapp is also available for almost all smartphone and recently also on all java phones, it is available on Nokia, BlackBerry, iPhone, Bada and so on. This whatsapp chat app is a must have for all in your smartphones. it is the quickest way to message a friend and no need for logins it is attach to your cell phone number and your phones so once a message enters you will receive it instantly. The apps also tells you when your contact is online or offline it also allow have the app for free totally but you can also pay for the app which is just one dollar a year which totally worth it. but you can also have the app for free since the payment has not been made compulsory. It has 1billion users and unless you are a non-smartphone user (which is geuss is vey low) you already have it

2. EBuddy Messenger

Ever heard of ' All in one? " Ebuddy messenger is one of the oldest chat application that stands for all in one and it still keeps providing one of the best in providing a union (as i call it) of the most common social networks and sometimes some mail sites such as  Orkut, MSN, Facebook, Yahoo, AIM, ICQ, GTalk, MySpace & Hyves which is great for user to do all social media all in one app. so if you have this app you don’t need to have these social media apps one by one. A great messenger or chat app for android users. 

3. Skype

I personally I really skype, it a most have for android users, it also allows you to do video calls and message chats which to me is great with amazing features for free, you can make phone calls from your computer with skype must you must have skype credit for that. It a great app you should try them out. 

4. WeChat

WeChat is another great chat app for android users, the chat app is available in some countries which allows you to chat with your contact, the app is available in two version which is the free and the pro version but the free version is also gives you features to voice call, chat and even video call for free. You should this app out its one of the best chat app for android users.

5. Viber Chat

These is another very great app which allows you to add unlimited contact as far the contact as installed the app on it smartphone, the app is also available in some OS such as Android of course and iOS platform which is great for you to have good contact from different mobile platform. The apps allows you to send unlimited messages to your contacts and also allows HD video calls all for free. 

6. ChatPlus

This is another great chat app which is available for android devices, you can just download the app for free and chat with friends who have the contacts and you can exchange anything on these chat app such as photos, songs, document and files. These apps allows you to have a quick and faster experience when chatting.

I know I havent mentioned Line and ofcourse the massive BBM but this is an overall performance & it is based on features and not the number of downloads

You are free to mention your own favorite chat apps for android, so you can use the comment box to mention that. thanks

BlackBerry joins hands with Samsung, will offer BBM on Samsung Apps earlier than Google Play

World's No 1 smartphone maker, Samsung has now joined hands with BlackBerry to bring the later's BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service for its Galaxy range of devices. Notably, BlackBerry is expected to launch the BBM service on Android and iOS platforms this year itself . However, by this move, Samsung is perhaps hoping to give some early mover advantage to its Galaxy range of devices. It’s a hint at what BlackBerry wants to do with BBM, now that it’s opening access to its proprietary messaging platform.

BBM has long been a staple in terms of one-to-one communication on mobile devices, and recently BlackBerry debuted BBM Groups, which allow for one-to-many broadcasts using the same messaging tools BBM users are used to. Especially in some key developing markets, including Indonesia and Africa, BBM has underpinned not only communication, but local commerce and business as well as a pretty much universal means of communication that’s more reliable, more affordable and potentially more trustworthy than SMS.The tag-team promotional efforts are telling: they show that not only is BlackBerry releasing its messenger for users on iOS and Android, it’s going to be actively involved in promoting that availability, even where it seems to run counter to its own interests. Samsung benefits here by being able to offer users new to its platform a familiar and trusted means of communication, giving them even more reason to continue to migrate away from dedicated BlackBerry devices; what BlackBerry gains isn’t so immediately apparent.

BlackBerry is looking at a dwindling user base, both for its devices and across its services, so what it gains from the deal is access to a growth market. Giving up the BBM platform advantage may cause some to scratch their heads, but it’s not much of an advantage anymore, which is clear from the dwindling BlackBerry market share. At this point, it matters little if the company adds fuel to the fire by expanding availability to iOS and Android devices.

In terms of potential upside, BlackBerry could lock in more users for a platform that could become very valuable in terms of data, advertising and other initiatives like BBM Money. If, in partnering with competitors to reach more users, it makes it easier for a few platform-jumpers, that’s a small price to pay at this stage in the game.

The app will be available from the Google Play store and will be a part of the Samsung messaging hub as well.

Announcing the partnership, Samsung Electronics' Africa vice president and chief operating officer, George Ferreira said: "At Samsung we are all about collaboration, innovation and driving consumer experience based on choice, value and customization to suit every lifestyle. As such, bringing a top tier messaging service such as BBM is another way that we are expanding the catalogue of our messaging services and offering customers an amazing way to stay instantly connected with colleagues, friends and family."

The BBM application for Samsung Galaxy devices will first be made available in Africa and gradually in other parts of the world but Samsung has not cited any particular reason for the same. Samsung has also not said much about the BBM service that is to be made available for Galaxy devices.

At launch, the app will be available for download from the Samsung and Google Play Stores, at no cost.

However, as reported earlier, the BBM Android version is expected to bring chatting facility with multi-person chats and voice note sharing or voice messaging. Along with that the applications will also include BlackBerry Groups, where BBM users would be able to set up groups of up to 30 people and share calendar, photos, files and more with rest of the participants in one go. So all in all the BBM application aims at competing with Whatsapp and other similar apps.

State Bank of India app shines for Windows Phone devices

State Bank of India has updated its official app - called State Bank Freedom - for the Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows Phone 8 platform. This app is a definitive mobile banking solution offered by the State Bank of India. The State Bank Freedom app shows how simple, clear and neat mobile banking app user interface should be.

State Bank Freedom app allows important banking services such as Funds Transfer, Immediate Mobile Payment Services, and even m-Commerce support. Apart from that, the mobile app also allows the Account holders to request for cheque book and also call for demat account Enquiry. Bill payment is also supported through the mobile App. Not only that, one can also book tickets from IRCTC if one is lucky enough to get through.

All these options offered as neatly laid down tiles and easy to utilise user interface. State Bank Freedom app for the Windows Phone devices is available from the Windows Phone store .Users can avail all these options through this app as it has easy to operate user interface.The State Bank Freedom app was released for Android back in 2011 and for iPhone back in 2012.Features of State Bank Freedom app for Windows Phone

• Funds transfer (within SBI or other Bank’s account)
• Immediate Mobile Payment Services (IMPS) : Fund Transfer, Merchant Payments 24 x 7
• Enquiry Services (Balance Enquiry / Mini statement)
• Cheque Book request
• Demat Account Enquiry
• Bill Payments (Utility bills, Credit Cards, Insurance premium), Donations, Subscriptions
• Mobile Top up
• M-Commerce (DTH Recharge of Tatasky, BigTV, SunDirect, DishTV, DigitalTV and Videocon d2h connections, SBI Life insurance premium, etc.)
• Booking of train tickets over the IRCTC portal through IMPS

Download State Bank Freedom app for Windows Phone (7.5 and later) from the Windows Phone Storefor free.

Prince of Persia : The Shadow And The Flame for Andorid and iOS

The sequel to the very first Prince of Persia, at least canonically, namely Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame is now available on iOS and Android. It is a side-scrolling adventure that has been developed by Ubisoft Pune, located in India. It will follow the events of Prince of Persia: Classic.

The game is actually an HD remake of Prince of Persia 2 released in 1993. Despite being a 2D platformer, the game features 3D environments and players will be able to either use touch-based mechanics for controlling the Prince or by using a virtual joystick. It will also have revamped sound and a more friendly difficulty curve in comparison to the original while still remaining challenging.

Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame is currently retailing for Rs 200 on the Google Play store. It is available on Apple iTunes for Rs 170. As always, make sure to check system requirements before purchasing the game for either platform.

Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame will allow players to jump into environments that have been modeled in 3D, but still, stay true to those portrayed in the original game. These include 14 levels that will be set in 5 distinct environments. Moreover, it has also been revealed that Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame will be seen heralding the introduction of a fresh combat system

Said to put forth tactical challenges through multiple enemies, this system will feature new combo moves as well. And that’s not all; the developers also tell us that fresh weapons have been infused into this game. The controls in Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame have of course been designed for touchscreens, and gamers will have the option of choosing from two different schemes. While they will be allowed to play with gesture-based touch commands, the classic joystick will also be made available to them virtually.

More reason for switching from iOS to Android: Google Play is now the largest app store with over 1 million apps surpassing App Store

Google’s Play Store is now officially the largest app store with 1 million apps surpassing Apple’s App Store, which has about 900,000 applicationsit is now finally outgrown the Apple App Store and its 900 000 applications. That's a huge achievement for Android, the platform that launched as the underdog, after Apple first started the app revolution. Now, the tide has clearly changed. 

The news was brought by Sundar Pichai at the Android event earlier today. Google Play now has the largest collection of digital books, millions of songs and thousands of TV shows. And starting in August the repository will be getting a new Textbook category that should be appreciated by Android-rocking students.

Mr. Pichai also revealed that Google Play Store developers have increased their revenue 2,5 times in the last twelve months. Perhaps this also has a lot to do with the 50 billion app downloads milestone that was crossed recently.

Line reaches 5M users in India , 200M users worldwide

Free calling and messaging app, Line that was announced this month has successfully managed to cross the 5 million registered users mark in India across platforms. On the other hand, Line has crossed 200 million user mark globally.

The Line messenger, which competes with products such as Whatsapp, WeChat and Viber, offers lifetime free utility for sending and receiving text and voice based messages along with creative stickers that is one of the major USP of Line messenger. The sticker are made available to the users free of cost as well as in form of in app downloads which users can purchase to express themselves better.

Commenting on the achievement, Jun Masuda, chief strategy and marketing officer, Line, said, "We are extremely happy with the response to our service in India. This is the testimony that we are in the right market with the right product and at the right time."

He further added: "Our aim is to achieve 10 million users in India in a few months. We are confident with our feature rich product and market specific localization, India will be one of the key markets contributing to our global growth."

Along with that Line messenger also extends its functionality by offering features such as interactive games in between chat participants and users can even make in app purchases for improving game play. Also Line offers users to share files and even recorded messages along with live calling on the go making it a one stop solution for users.

Line as a part of its 200 Million global user landmark celebration is offering users premium stickers free of cost. These stickers can be downloaded by visiting the sticker shop and will be valid for a period of 180 days from the date of download. Line app is available across multiple platforms including iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Nokia Asha Tech2 reports that the company looking to even support several Indian languages soon and is also looking to tie-up with telecom operators to provide offers with the app.

Delhi Transit Bus info Android app launched

DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd), a joint venture of Delhi government and IDFC Foundation, has launched an Android application which aims to make public transport a much smoother and reliable experience.

The application will help users to get vital information like estimated time of arrival of buses, bus routes, track location of a bus, location of bus stops etc.

"The Delhi Transit Bus Info application will be available both on the Internet and on Android-based devices. Bus passengers can either go on to the DIMTS website www.dimts.in and click on 'Bus information for orange-coloured Delhi transit buses' or view the application on the beta version 'Delhi Transit Bus Info', which can be downloaded from Google Play Store," said DIMTS in a press release.

The application is currently available for only Orange coloured Delhi Transit buses, except for the Trip Planner feature which gives data of the DTC bus routes also. The information for DTC operated buses for the rest of the features will soon be integrated into the application.

The application will help the passenger get all the information on the click of a mouse or a button, all in real time, claims DIMTS. Users can give their feedback on the system through a feedback form that has been made available in the phone application.

The application is currently available in beta version on Android app store. DIMTS though will soon launch its iOS , Blackberry and Symbian versions.

Google to release Chromoting remote desktop app for Android

Third party apps to remotely control a computer from an Android device already exist, but Google is working its own. The software will work with devices running the Google Chrome browser, tying the two platforms together even more.Google is developing a new application for the Chrome Remote Desktop but for the Android platform this time. Google Chrome web browser offers an extension that allows accessing the host computer remotely through Chrome web browser or Chromebook (Chrome OS running laptop). The Next Web spotted a note by Google open-source Chromium developer that clearly stated the Chromoting Android app.

As per the Chromium Code Review listing, the Chromoting app can be used to authenticate the device using a Google account on the phone. Users can use the app to connect and communicate with the host machine. Establish peer to peer channels for communicating the host service.

Chromoting app is currently under development and two of the most crucial features missing in it are - capability to display the host desktop and handle any kind of input. Basically, Google is trying to create an app that will let you access your computer from anywhere over an Android phone with the help of a Google Account.

The reason is likely because the app currently has very few capabilities; so far it can only:

• Authenticate using a Google account on the phone.
• Query and display the host list from the Chromoting directory server.
• Connect to and communicate with the host service over XMPP/ICE.
• Establish peer-to-peer channels for communicating with the host service.

The developers behind it note the app still can’t display the host’s desktop or handle any kind of input. In other words, this is very much in the prototype or alpha stage.

For those who don’t know, the original Chrome Remote Desktop is an extension for Google’s browser. It was first released as a beta in October 2011 and could be used to control another one of your own computers as well as a friend’s or family member’s (usually to help with IT issues).

When it came out of beta a year later, our own Paul Sawers explained how it worked:

To authorize the connection between the machines, the app generates a code which you must share with the other person. So, for example, if you wish to share your desktop with a tech-savvy friend to fix an on-going issue, you’d send them a 12-digit code that looks roughly like this:

We presume Chromoting for Android will be similar, although there will definitely be some limitations due to the mobile platform. You’ll probably enjoy using the app more on a tablet than a phone, although Google will surely try to make it work well with both. We’ll keep you posted as Chromoting’s development continues.

Several such remote desktop services driving apps such as LogMeIn and Citrix GoToMeeting are available in the Google Play Store. With this Chromoting app, we can see yet another feather in Google's Hat for its Android as well as Chrome based ecosystem.

iOS users love free apps , 90% apps free in App Store

iOS users love their free apps, and developers have taken note.

A full 90 percent of all iOS apps available in the App Store are now free purchases, according to a report from Flurry Analytics.

Apple’s online app warehouse, which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, has always been a hub for free downloads. According to Flurry’s data, which is collected from the 350,000 apps that use its analytics platform, the number of free apps in the App Store has hovered between 80 and 84 percent since 2010. But this year, that number has spiked upwards.

Free apps are often ad-supported versions of an app that costs money, or “light” versions of paid apps which rely on lower-quality content. And, as Flurry says in its report, the majority of app consumers are OK with that.

“People want free content more than they want to avoid ads or to have the absolute highest quality content possible,” the report reads.

Many apps use the in-app purchase model, which makes a free version available in the App Store, then encouraging users to upgrade the free version for a few bucks to unlock advanced features.

RunKeeper is one of these. While the company says that it has grown the app’s paying user base significantly this past year, those paying users are still a small percentage of the total users (it wouldn’t disclose exact figures).

But if RunKeeper wasn’t a free download, the company wouldn’t be able to reach the casual downloaders or have the opportunity to turn them into dedicated (paying) users. It also wouldn’t have as many people building profiles, logging their runs, and interacting with others — all things that bring value to RunKeeper’s service, which relies on runners sharing their achievements.

“We would never be able to create network effects and unlock the value in our aggregate data if we operated at the restricted scale of a paid app,” says RunKeeper VP of product Fareed Mosavat.

And then there are ad-supported apps. Including ads is a common way for free apps to monetize — so common that it may not present a problem to most app users. But there are inherent trade-offs to using a free, ad-supported app that do concern iOS device owners.

“When a user gets a paid app, he knows that he paid for something and expects a certain amount of value,” says Denys Zhadanov, a developer for productivity app-maker Readdle. “When a user gets a free app, he is concerned on how his data might be used and how the developer will monetize this download in the future.”

We’ve seen that time and again with free apps like Path, which downloaded users’ address book information without their consent in early 2012. Also, Instagram and Facebook have each caused freakouts among users when features changed or terms of service updates occurred.

Flurry’s report also found that many developers who originally debuted their app for a price eventually decided to make their app free after conducting A/B pricing experiments. In 2010, 65 percent of price-tested apps were free. As of April 2013, that number is up to 80 percent.

“I don’t know anyone building a paid app,” RunKeeper’s Mosavat says. “In-app purchases allow for broader distribution and more control over what you charge for and what the experience is for paying users.”

On Android, users crave free apps even more than on iOS. The average price of an app as of April of this year was $0.06 on Android, $0.19 for iPhone apps, and $0.50 for iPad apps.