The Gadget 411 – Gadget Reviews & Tech News

Google Inc. launched a new Web-based store for applications that run on mobile devices powered by its Android software, one of several moves by the Internet company to keep up with rival Apple Inc. in the wireless sector.

Users of Android devices such as Motorola Mobility Inc.’s Droid or HTC Corp.’s Evo smartphones have previously had access to the app market via their devices, but many app makers have complained it was difficult to get noticed there because the marketplace was partly built around lists of featured apps and top downloads.

Google’s new app market, available at Market.Android.com, is aimed at letting users discover new apps more easily from their computers, as well as to see recommendations by friends and download apps to their mobile devices. That could help level the playing field with Apple, which has had an edge over Android because it allowed users to find apps and buy them through the iTunes program on their computers.

These “important changes to the Android market meet the needs of both users and developers,” said Chris Yerga, a Google engineering director, at the event at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

Google on Wednesday also said developers could create Android apps that charge users for in-app purchases of virtual goods in games, among other things—a feature already available on apps running on Apple devices. Google said developers could set prices for their apps in foreign currencies, which previously they had been unable to do.

Google’s new moves come as Android overtook Nokia Corp.’s Symbian as the most widely used operating system globally in the fourth quarter, based on the number of devices shipped, according to studies released Monday. Apple came in third, those studies showed.

But most of the revenue generated by mobile apps, which research firm Gartner Inc. projects will triple this year to more than $15 billion, occurs through Apple’s iPhones and iPads. Revenue is generated through purchases of paid apps or through iadvertising and purchases inside apps.

Google doesn’t generate revenue from the sale of Android devices because it gives the software away free to handset makers. But it takes a cut of app purchases and in-app advertising revenue, and the proliferation of Android devices ensures that its search engine and other key services are a mainstay on mobile devices.

Google executive Eric Chu, who works on Android, last week said the company was “not happy” with the level of purchases of apps in its app market but was taking steps to increase them. There are more than 350,000 mobile apps available on Apple devices compared with more than 100,000 on Android devices.

Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google is trying to improve the Android app market by designing high-quality apps for the system, in addition to relying on third-party developers. The company plans to hire dozens of software developers to create apps, people familiar with the matter have said.

Google on Wednesday also showed off features of Honeycomb, a version of Android software that is tailored to tablets that will rival Apple’s iPad. Motorola’s Xoom tablet, slated for launch later this quarter, is powered by Honeycomb.

Hopefully they will include this in their new Sprint Kyocera Echo — A Dual Screen Android . Lets Hope!

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Apple® today announced that the Mac® App Store? will open for business on Thursday, January 6. By bringing the revolutionary App Store experience to Mac OS® X, the Mac App Store makes discovering, installing and updating Mac apps easier than ever. The Mac App Store will be available in 90 countries at launch and will feature paid and free apps in categories like Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity and Utilities.

“The App Store revolutionized mobile apps,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun. We can’t wait to get started on January 6.”

The Mac App Store lets you browse new and noteworthy apps, find out what’s hot, view staff favorites, search categories and read customer ratings and reviews. Like on iPhone®, iPod touch® and iPad™, you can purchase, download and install apps in just one click and start using them immediately. Purchased apps can run on all of your personal Macs and updates are delivered directly through the Mac App Store so it’s easy to keep all of your apps up to date. The Mac App Store is available to Mac OS X Snow Leopard® users as a free download through Software Update.

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Kaleidescape, Inc., creator of the movie server product category, today announced shipment of the industry’s first Blu-ray movie server. The Kaleidescape System stores exact copies of your Blu-ray Discs on its hard drives, and transforms your collection of movies into a magical experience. Kaleidescape’s simple and elegant user interface makes choosing something to watch part of the fun.
“Blu-ray offers the highest fidelity for my discerning clients, but if you thought watching a DVD was frustrating, just try a Blu-ray Disc,” said Jeff Cherun, owner of Teatro Custom Installation, Inc. in Los Angeles, California. “With the Kaleidescape System you’re enjoying any of your Blu-ray movies in seconds instead of minutes. My customers will never go back to an ordinary Blu-ray player.”
The Kaleidescape Movie Guide enables an unparalleled movie-watching experience. High resolution cover art combined with a brief synopsis of each film and many other details make it entertaining to explore your collection of movies. Video bookmarks and triggers enable the system to start a movie instantly and automatically adjust lighting, curtains and screen masking during playback. With over 145,000 titles, Kaleidescape’s exclusive Movie Guide is the largest database of its kind.
“The simplicity and elegance that we have achieved for watching Blu-ray movies required significant hardware and software innovation, legal analysis and user interface design,” said Michael Malcolm, Kaleidescape’s founder, chairman and CEO. “My family and I enjoy the freedom to jump to a favorite scene in a movie or to any song in a concert. For the first time, all of our Blu-ray movies are literally at our fingertips, at any screen in our home.”
The new Kaleidescape Modular Disc Vault completes the Kaleidescape Blu-ray movie server. Paired with a Kaleidescape M-Class player, the disc vault imports, houses, and organizes your Blu-ray Discs. The copies stored on the server are then ready for instant playback. With a capacity of 100 discs, the Modular Disc Vault simplifies ownership by automating the import process. Any number of Modular Disc Vaults may be added to a system, but each must be connected to its own M-Class player.
The Modular Disc Vault is priced at $1,495 MSRP in the United States and Canada, and is available now. The M500 Player and M300 Player have been shipping since May 2010 and are priced at $3,995 and $2,495 MSRP, respectively, in the United States and Canada. Any Kaleidescape System can be upgraded to be a Blu-ray movie server with the addition of an M-Class player and a Modular Disc Vault.

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We’ve been wondering what the Microsoft’s retail shops are going to be like. Well, according to a Powerpoint presentation leaked to us, it’s going to make the Apple Store look downright boring. UPDATE: Microsoft comments.

The presentation is by Lippicott, a “design and brand strategy” consultant firm with extensive retail experience that it appears Microsoft has hired to help develop the store’s concept, principles, and design. It looks pretty legit to us–if it’s a fake, it’s fairly elaborate, with detailed graphics, research, plans and even rough store layouts.

Essentially, Microsoft is taking the best elements from the Apple Store, Sony Style and other “flagship” stores. The main focuses are going to be Windows 7, Xbox, PCTV (Windows Media Center) Surface and Windows Mobile, revolving around this concept customer they call “Emily,” who’s basically a younger version of your mom, since they make all the buying decisions.

Frank Shaw w/ Waggener Edstrom, left a comment below on behalf of Microsoft, implying that many of these concepts are merely that and not final plans:

“As a part of our process in briefing creative agencies, we shared some early prototypes and concepts of our retail store plans. No final decisions have been made. As we previously announced, we are on track to open retail stores this Fall.”

That said, it’s still probably a pretty good indication of how Microsoft and its consultants are thinking about their store, at least at the beginning of this month, since the presentation is dated July 7.

Here are the highlights of the slides, if you just wanna skip to the meat of the 140 slides we got and the 54 we posted:

• There’s going to be a Digital Media Wall–a massive screen–that wraps around the entire store showing various messages, which you can see in some of the slides
• Personalization is something they’re stressing big time, with fancy areas devoted to customizing computers and gadgets using an “Xbox style” interface at various kiosks
• Here’s a sample store layout
• Lots of Surface demos
• Stage areas for Windows 7, Windows Media Center (PCTV) (it’s kinda surprising how much they’re pushing PCTV, actually), Windows Mobile and netbooks
• Their take on the Genius Bar is the Answers Bar (or Guru Bar or Windows Bar, depending on which slide you look at, showing it’s slightly up in the air, though we prefer Answers Bar since its sounds like slightly less like a Genius Bar ripoff)
• Apple Store-style table layouts
• Some of the stores they profiled for ideas are Nike, Nokia, Sony, Apple and AT&T
• They’re already planning out huge demos and events around Project Natal and their secret mobile project Pink
• A fancy Microsoft shopping bag
• You can pay to have your birthday party at the Microsoft Store

In short, if it’s anything like what Lippincott is planning, it sounds absolutely amazing, and we’ll be lining up the first day it opens.

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