If there's a better way to wipe off the morning grogginess than by washing down sugary treats with a strong cup of joe, we haven't found it yet. In the meantime, we consider coffee and baked goods a perfectly acceptable way to start off the day, and if you're a fan of Dunkin' Donuts, you don't even need to fumble through your wallet for loose bills now that the chain accepts mobile payments.
Time is running out if you're a fan of Adobe's Flash Player plugin for Android and haven't yet downloaded it. On August 15 (tomorrow), Adobe will yank its plugin from Google Play as a readily available download, and only devices that already have Flash Player installed will see any future updates. The move is intended to avoid any compatibility conflicts with Google's Jelly Bean build (Android 4.1).
The good news for Windows Phone developers is that support for in-app purchases is being added to your platform of choice, helping to level the playing field with Android and iOS. Unfortunately, the same courtesy isn't being extended to Windows Phone 7.8, a move that will leave existing WP users and developers in the cold, provided they're interested in the whole upsell business to begin with.
Shares of Zynga plummeted 40 percent to $3.03 in after market trading after the social game developer reported a net loss for its second quarter ended June 30, 2012. Zynga tried to put a positive spin on the fact that its Q2 revenue of $332 million represents a 19 percent year-over-year increase and that its six months year-to-date revenue of $653 million is a 25 percent year-over-year increase, but the numbers still added up to a $22.8 million net loss for the quarter, and a $108.1 million net loss for the six month period.
Universal compatibility is a strong selling point in today's always-connected world; one of the reasons Netflix has spanked its competition (thus far, at least) is because it supports virtually everything out there, with over 800 compatible devices. Hulu Plus isn't quite as entrenched, but it's making good inroads thanks to newfound support for several top Android tablets.
Coming out of left field (from a 'fowl' hit? *groan*) is Rovio Entertainment's announcement that it has acquired Futuremark Games Studio, the gaming arm of benchmarking software developer Futuremark. Rovio, of course, is the developer behind the hugely popular Angry Birds franchise, which was just recently launched into space in the latest multi-platform installment, Angry Birds Space.
App stores grow up quick, don't they? Amazon's Appstore for Android launched a year ago on March 22, 2011, and in the seven days leading up to its first birthday, popular paid apps will be sold at deep discounts, starting with Plants vs. Zombies, an addicting tower defense game everyone has either already played or at least heard of. If you fall into the latter category, now is your chance to see what all the fuss is about, as it's available for $0.99, 67 percent below it's normal selling price of $2.99.
Google's app store is no longer called Android Market; it's now Google Play. Take a moment to wrap your head around that one if you must, and then see how long it takes to mentally transition to Google's rebranding effort. More than just a name change, however, Google Play is fully-fledged digital entertainment hub for purchasable content, including apps and games, music, eBooks, and videos.
Microsoft reached a key milestone in the development of its popular Office productivity suite when it launched the “Office 15” Technical Preview Program late last month. At this stage, Office 15 (codename) is being tested by “a select group of customers under non-disclosure agreements.” However, not everyone seems to be complying with the NDA.
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