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Tablets still popular, but sales are down 0

Tablet devices continue to gain in popularity, but their sales may be slowing a bit.

More than 217 million tablets were sold worldwide in 2013, a 50 percent increase from the year before, Mobile Entertainment reports today.

And what did people want for Christmas? Tablets.

The holidays were particularly strong for tablet sales, say analysts at Framingham, Mass.-based IDC. Sales in the fourth fiscal quarter reached 77 million,  up 62.4 percent compared to the previous quarter, and 28.2 percent from the year before.

However, says IDC …

“While the market’s growth rates remain impressive, they’re down dramatically compared to the year-over-year rates of the same quarter one year ago (87.1 percent) and indicate a significant slowing of the overall market.”

Apple’s iPad is the market share leader, sending out 26 million of the devices in the fourth quarter, with Samsung stitting in second place. Apple owns a third of the worldwide tablet market. Good numbers but, IDC says, lower than the industry average.

 

 

Hospitality websites the most mobile friendly, study says 0

The hospitality industry is best when it comes to mobile-friendly websites, while those in the building and construction industry are among the least, according to a new survey.20131114-094440.jpg

New research from Hibu, which provides digital marketing solutions and websites for businesses, shows 63 percent of websites by hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts are good at attracting local customers researching services on the go via tablets or smartphones.

Restaurants come in second in terms of mobile accessibility satisfaction, but not by much, with 52 percent of websites considered mobile friendly.

Locksmiths must be doing something right, or maybe they realize the importance of mobile information for consumers. The research finds that 45 percent of these businesses’ websites are accessible easily on mobile devices.

On the other hand, only 20 percent of websites by building and construction companies are mobile accessible, Hibu’s research shows. Electricians, at 25 percent, are not too far ahead of construction firms.

 

 

 

Super Bowl in the palm of your hand 0

The chances are excellent that on Feb. 2, you will be watching the XLVIIIth edition of the big pro football championship game in your nice warm home with a cold beer in your hand, instead of the frigid and seriously pricey confines of MetLife Stadium.

That doesn’t mean you can’t access the full Super Bowl experience with your mobile device — unless you were in, say, East Rutherford, N.J.

CNN Tech offers some tips here to fans seeking an enhanced game experience with their tablets, smartphones, iPads and iPhones.

 

 

 

 

Facebook joins the news biz with Paper 0

Facebook today introduced a new mobile app called Paper that presents users a personalized stream of news and information.

The app will launch for the iPhone in the U.S. on Feb. 3.

The news content in Paper comes from curated news sources and outlets posted publicly and on friends’ news feeds. Users can customize Paper with a choice of sections about various themes and topics.

It’s the latest move by Facebook to expand beyond its social media beginnings by becoming more of an essential part of the lives of its users.

Read more about Paper here on Techcrunch.

Check out this demo video of Facebook’s Paper app here.

 

 

When winter wreaks havoc 0

It took but 2 inches of snow to turn metro Atlanta into the largest commuter parking lot in the South.

A critical convergence of snow, freezing weather and an exodus of hundreds of thousands of homeward commuters wreaked havoc on the region Tuesday afternoon, leading to colossal traffic jams on the interstates and access roads and stranding motorists in their cars overnight in many locations.

The past 24 hours have been rough on those living in Atlanta and throughout parts of the Southeast, in places where this winter storm cut an icy swath. With that in mind, we came across this CNN Tech piece from last year on several smartphone apps that it says can be helpful in the event of a winter storm.

One in particular, the Winter Survival Kit app developed by the North Dakota State University extension service and downloadable for Android and Apple devices, would have been especially useful to the thousands who were stuck on the ice-slick highways.

Maybe these apps will come in handy when the next big one hits.

Focus on this: Google Glass to be sold by prescription 0

Google Glass can now be used with prescription lenses.

The company early Tuesday announced it will begin selling several designer pairs of glasses that are compatible with the wearable mobile device. Google is also partnering with vision insurance giant VSP to make the prescription lenses and subsidized frames for the computer-powered eyewear.

The new styles will be available to Explorers, users who’ve participated in the Google Glass development program.

Here’s how it’s all explained in Mashable.

Your hotel room key: There’s an app for that coming 0

The coded plastic key, which replaced metal keys in hotels years ago, could soon be a thing of the past as well.

The Starwood lodging chain is trying out a new lock system in a couple of its hotels that connects via Bluetooth to an iPhone or Android app, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Guests at these properties would receive a message on a Starwood app containing the virtual key, which would unlock the door with a tap or twist of their phone.

Stamford, Conn.-based Starwood is hoping to introduce the virtual key at all its luxury W Hotels and Aloft hotels, which today represents 123 properties.

The benefits are substantial but not without risks, especially when it comes to hackers.

One way to ensure security for guests is to make the app downloadable only while on the premises, mobile security expert Chetan Sharma tells NBC News Digital.

So be prepared, business or vacation traveler, for the latest innovation to your mobile life. You can check it out here.

Just don’t say “Open, sesame.”

 

 

Charge it up: Power Tower, McDonald’s team up in NYC 0

Those living the mobile life at the Super Bowl, you’re in luck.

Chicago-based tech company Power Tower is partnering with McDonald’s to provide free mobile device charging stations at five Manhattan locations in the days leading up to the big game. The Super Bowl is at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., this year, and the New York metropolitan area is awash in football festivities.

The charging locations will be only blocks away from the NFL-sponsored Super Bowl Boulevard Engineered by GMC. Ten blocks of Times Square and parts of Broadway will be closed off to offer fans the ultimate football experience.

Now, you’ll have the means to power up the smartphone to document all the fun.

Power Tower markets and manufactures state of the art power charging stations and kiosks compatible with nearly all mobile devices, including iPhones and Blackberry and Android devices. Each station has the ability to charge up to 18 devices at once.

Here’s the company talking about it.

The charging stations will be at the following McDonald’s restaurants from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1:

  • 341 5th Ave.
  • 490 8th Ave.
  • 556 7th Ave.
  • 220 West 42nd St.
  • 1560 Broadway

It’s a big app world on the way 0

Apple introduced its App Store in July 2008. Google opened its Android Market for business a few months later in October.

We mention this as we consider the findings of a new report from Gartner on where things stand with the future of mobile apps. Gartner believes that by 2017 mobile apps will be downloaded more than 268 billion times and generate revenue of more than $77 billion.

Gartner predicts that as a result, mobile users will provide personalized data streams to more than 100 apps and services every day.

Gartner also believes that mobile apps will become even more significant as they expand to wearable devices, home appliances and connected cars.

Here’s what Gartner has to say.

The digital game: NFL preps for mobile users at the Super Bowl 0

In less than two weeks, some 82,000 fans will descend on MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for the Super Bowl. And many of them will be tweeting, Pinteresting, Instagramming and Facebooking the experience from their smartphones, iPads and tablets.

The NFL is getting ready to accommodate them. Here’s a piece from Time Warner Cable’s NY1 news on how the league is making the technology adjustments for fans wanting to document their time at the game via their mobile devices.