The growing ubiquity of smartphones in the US is helping to drive the surge in app downloads, but as Nielsen reports the average number of apps per device has also increased significantly over the past year.

The data measurement and research company notes that this time last year, 38% of US mobile subscribers had a smartphone, whereas that figure sits at 50% today. And Nielsen says that Android and iOS users accounted for 88% of people who downloaded an app in the past 30 days.

Apps hungry

Interestingly, however, in the past twelve months the average number of apps per smartphone has risen to 41 from 32, representing a 28% rise. The rise in app installations per device corresponds with the amount of time people are spending on apps vs. perusing the mobile Web, with Nielsen reporting that users are consuming 8% more time on native Android and iOS applications than this time last year.

While Facebook is the most popular app across iOS and Android, you probably won’t be surprised either to learn that the next four are the usual Google-centric suspects – YouTube, Google Play (though that probably shouldn’t count…), Google Search, and Gmail.

So, why are people downloading more apps to their smartphone? Well, there are more apps than ever being launched for starters. But over and above this, it seems that apps are simply becoming so ingrained in our lives, that we expect there to be an app for everything. And where there is a demand for something, supply is normally never too far behind.

That said, even where you wouldn’t think there is a significant demand for something, interest can grow into the stratosphere, seemingly from nowhere. Who would’ve thought a retro photo app would exit for $1bn?

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for more apps to add to your 41 (give or take…), you may want to check out our Apps channel.

Working with the mindset that an Apple rumour isn’t confirmed until the Wall Street Journal comments on it, a new report from the newspaper has suggested the company will finally increase the display size of its next-generation iPhone to 4 inches.

The WSJ says that the smartphone will be increased from its traditional 3.5-inch design, according to its sources, and will begin production in June with the view to a launch later this year:

Apple Inc., which is expected to launch its next-generation iPhone later this year, has ordered screens from its Asian suppliers that are bigger than the ones used in iPhones since they debuted in 2007, people familiar with the situation said.

Production is set to begin next month for the screens, which measure at least 4 inches diagonally compared with 3.5 inches on the iPhone 4S, the latest phone from Apple, the people said.

However, the report is somewhat contradictory with its statements that Apple is “trying to make its popular smartphone more appealing amid intensifying competition from rival Samsung.”

Further down the article the WSJ quotes an analyst as saying that a new iPhone with a larger screen “wouldn’t mean that Apple is making changes because of what its rivals are doing.”

We are more inclined to agree with Mizuho Investors Securities analyst Nobuo Kurahashi:

“The smartphone market has become diverse, but the iPhone still sets the agenda,” with the whole industry watching Apple’s every move, he said. He said that the iPhone’s strength lies in the overall experience including its user interface and applications, and the screen’s size wouldn’t be its defining feature.

“If Apple ever released a lower-priced iPhone, that would be more of a sign that the changing market environment is beginning to affect the company,” he added.

Apple’s new displays are set to be supplied by LG, Sharp, and Japan Display (a Sony, Hitachi, and Toshiba joint-venture).

Passengers in London’s Hackney carriages will soon be able to make the most of their time when stuck in traffic jams or on the move.

VeriFone, known for its payment systems, has announced an agreement with Sky News to broadcast bulletins in licensed cabs in the capital. Breaking news from the Murdoch news network will appear on screens in the vehicles with ads from the VeriFone Digital Network, VNET .

VNET’s TaxiTV has already been making great connections with media markets in the US. Last year VeriFone struck a deal with NBC owned television stations to provide in-cab content. NBC Universal content now appears in 12,000 taxis in New York, Boston, Chicago and Las Vegas. The company also provides a service to petrol forecourts and and convenience stores in America.

Ads for a captive audience

Advertising to taxi passengers is a smart move for brands looking to target an audience that will be in one place for a fixed amount of time. This especially makes sense when passengers are likely to have smart phones to play with while sitting still and may well follow through to e-commerce sites spotted on in-cab screens.

“In addition to providing passengers with access to entertainment and news, VNET provides advertisers with a unique opportunity to engage directly with their audience through targeted promotions and information, reaching affluent business professionals and consumers inside the London black cab when they are at their most receptive and least distracted,” said VeriFone Vice Chairman Bud Waller.

The Sky News deal works well for consolidating brand presence for the broadcaster too. With no option but to grab the news from one specific channel in a cab, it’s an opportunity to influence audience habits.

Andrew Hawken, Editorial Director, Sky News Digital, commented: “Sky News aims to provide breaking news to users in an as many places as possible. This deal allows us to bring news directly to a large market across London, providing an innovative service in a new location. We are delighted to have the opportunity to allow people to enjoy our news on a high quality screen in the comfort of a black cab.”

Passengers can watch Sky News as soon as the taximeter is activated, controlling settings with a remote just as they would their own TV. Delivered on a 14-minute loop cycle that matches the length of an average London taxi journey, the Sky News content is refreshed between six to eight times daily.

Changing cabs

Over the past 12 months, VeriFone has helped to upgrade the experience of taking a cab in London. The firm has eased the payment process with the deployment of ‘tap-and-go’ system for journeys that cost less than £15.

The company has been active in the London taxi market since 2010, combining card payments with in-taxi media screens and enabling taxi drivers to securely take debit, credit and contactless cards.

Already the London black cab represents a sense of trust that the driver will have ‘the knowledge‘ and can be relied upon to get you where you need to be. The addition of in-cab news and easier payment methods means that this iconic way to travel will continue to be a first choice for many passengers in the capital.

Facebook has filed yet another amended S-1 form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). After raising its price range to between $34 and $38 yesterday, the social networking juggernaut is now offering 84 million extra shares.

Don’t burn your fingers, ladies and gentlemen, because this IPO is HOT.

The increase of shares was rumored earlier by CNBC and Reuters, who both cited ‘sources familiar with the matter’ – who seem to be working overtime to leak absolutely everything about the Facebook IPO before it hits the SEC website.

Anyway, Facebook is now offering 421,233,615 shares instead of 337,415,352 to potential investors as previously indicated. That’s a difference of 83,818,263 (roughly 84 million) shares if you’re keeping count.

Reuters says Facebook may now raise up to $16 billion in its offering. CNBC pegs it at $18.5 billion, for what it’s worth. They’re both right, depending on if you include the 63,185,042 shares of Class A common stock that might be sold to cover over-allotments (see below).

If all 421,233,615 shares on offer are sold at the high end of the current price range (meaning $38), and the 63,185,042 additional shares that will be sold by underwriters to cover excess demand are effectively sold, that means Facebook will net roughly $18.4 billion, according to our calculations.

Either way, the blockbuster IPO will likely value Facebook at a staggering $100 billion or more.

These are some of the changes spotted in the filing:

PROSPECTUS (Subject to Completion) Issued May 15,16, 2012 – 337,415,352 421,233,615 Shares

Facebook, Inc. is offering 180,000,000 shares of its Class A common stock and the selling stockholders are offering 157,415,35 2241,233,615 shares of Class A common stock.

The holders of our outstanding shares of Class B common stock will hold approximately 96.3% 95.9% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock following this offering, and our founder, Chairman, and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, will hold or have the ability to control approximately 57.3% 55.8% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock following this offering.

We and the selling stockholders have granted the underwriters the right to purchase up to an additional 50,612,302 63,185,042 shares of Class A common stock to cover over-allotments.

The last bit means underwriters can now sell more stock than originally indicated.

FYI: The social network boasts over 900 million monthly active users, 526 million daily active users on average and roughly 488 million monthly active mobile users.

It recorded $1 billion in net income on revenues of $3.7 billion in 2011.

Facebook is expected to go public on Friday. Co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be hanging out at Facebook HQ when its stock finally lists.

Facebook has been approved for listing on NASDAQ under the symbol “FB”.

Also read:

Facebook’s revised SEC filing says $1 billion Instagram acquisition may not close in Q2 2012 after all

GM to drop Facebook advertising, citing poor results

It’s been less than a week since Evernote unveiled its dedicated Chinese service, but already downloads of standalone Yinxiang Biji app are “off the charts”, according to Troy Malone, the company’s general manager in Asia Pacific.

Ordinarily, Evernote was adding around 4,500 new users per day to its 1.1 million user base in China but, following the launch, downloads there have rocketed. Based on the first week, Malone says that daily new user numbers in China has been greater than its two biggest markets — Japan and the US — combined.

“The US and Japan have traditionally been by far our largest user registrations, but China just eclipsed both of those. It’s like we unlocked a whole new Earth that we didn’t even know existed,” Malone told The Next Web.

At this early stage Evernote is, understandably, not revealing raw user numbers, however Malone is confident that the new service will see it attract new users at higher rates than before, even as the initial burst of interest quiets as the launch effect wears off.

Evernote will continue to offer its US-based service in China, while giving users the option of a more localised option through Yinxiang Biji, but the company realised it needed to make a local move in order to realise its potential, according to Malone.

“It got to the stage where we just couldn’t ignore it any longer,” he says, and the new service will provide a faster and more customised service, with the team working with local developers to build bespoke features for Chinese users.

Any move to China brings up security issues, of course, and Evernote CEO Phil Libin recently admitted that the company would likely be unable to stop authorities making legal requests for user data.

Indeed, the blog post announcing the new service contained an important warning for prospective Yinxiang Biji users:

The laws and practices controlling data stored on servers in China are evolving rapidly and Yinxiang Biji will comply with Chinese regulations applicable to the service. This means users of Yinxiang Biji should be aware that Chinese authorities may have the right to access their data according to current regulations.

China is the latest market that Evernote is focusing on but it already has  number of notable successes across Asia thanks to a policy of scaling in key markets early.

The company has 6 million registered users in Japan, serviced by an office of 8. Elsewhere, it has a team of 2 in Korea and has just hired a pan-Asia marketing executive who is primarily tasked with helping to build the service across the greater China region.

Playing catchup in the Android smartphone market to Samsung and in some respects HTC, Korean electronics giant LG has today launched an updated version of its custom Android user interface — Optimus UI 3.0 — making it easier for handset owners to interact with their LG smartphones.

With HTC now offering version 4.0 of its Sense UI and Samsung recently overhauling TouchWiz to include a whole host of new features inside its new flagship handset, the Galaxy S III, LG has introduced new unlock functions, new Quick Memo functionality and voice interactions.

The Quick Memo feature built into Optimus UI 3.0 builds upon the recent trend of drawing and stylus applications, providing a way for handset owners to jot notes on their LG device using their finger. These sketches can then be shared on social networks, text messages and e-mails.

Also coming with the release of Optimus UI 3.0 are new unlocking gestures, which can wake a smartphone by dragging anywhere on the screen. Users can also set the Pattern Lock feature to immediately launch a preset function (including launching the camera), as soon as it is unlocked.

Apps are sorted in order of their use and photos can now be set as icons and shortcut images. LG has included a new ‘Voice Shutter’ function that can snap photos using just your voice.

The new UI will be included on the LG Optimus LTE II launching this week in Korea, with the rest of the world getting it when they buy the LG Optimus 4X HD from June.

]]> http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2012/05/16/lg-debuts-optimus-ui-3-0-to-compete-with-htc-sense-and-samsung-touchwiz/feed/ 0 Optimus UI 3 1 500 500x245 photo lg-op32 http://thenextweb.com/apps/2012/05/16/juggle-launches-to-help-the-uk-public-get-things-done-ahead-of-imminent-arrival-of-taskrabbit/ http://thenextweb.com/apps/2012/05/16/juggle-launches-to-help-the-uk-public-get-things-done-ahead-of-imminent-arrival-of-taskrabbit/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 09:50:59 +0000 Jamillah Knowles http://thenextweb.com/?p=391462
If you find yourself wondering where time goes and wishing you could have a few extra hours in the day to get things done, then the Juggle app from LetsAllShare...]]>

If you find yourself wondering where time goes and wishing you could have a few extra hours in the day to get things done, then the Juggle app from LetsAllShare could be what you are looking for.

Launched in time to defend the UK shores from the imminent arrival of TaskRabbit, Juggle is a real-time market place for local tasks so you can get qualified people (called Jugglers in the app) to get things done for you when you’re unable to do them yourself.

There are plenty of things the Jugglers can do for you from fetching your lunch, mowing the lawn, feeding the cat, doing a grocery run or collecting dry cleaning. Users download the app and register to post a task that needs to be done. Then set a budget and deadline to make the task live and see people bid on the task.

Once you have picked a Juggler to do your bidding, you can then liaise with them to arrange completion and payment within the app.

 As you can see from the screen caps, if you are looking for something to do, then there’s a handy map to spot things that might be near by and a bit easier to complete.

Verified Jugglers

The app makers hope to ensure that things actually get done by verifying its users. Verified Jugglers get an icon for others to see and when bidding on tasks are more likely to win.

Users who request verification get a welcome pack and verification code via snail mail. All information for verification remains confidential.

The service was founded by two London professionals – Stas Murzynowski and David Marrinan-Hayes – to solve some problems they had observed themselves. Marrinan-Hayes says “Most people I know are too busy to do everything that needs to be done. I even lost my own moped because I was too busy to pick it up from the garage, so we wanted to create a service that would allow people to outsource some of the things they just don’t have time to do.”

If you’re good with delegation or run off your feet, this is not a bad idea. Everyone finds themselves in a tight spot now and then where friends and family might not be around to help, this app should provide more options for people who turn overextension into an art.

The service is available for iOS devices at the moment, with an iPad-optimized version, Android and an online version coming soon.

➤ Juggle

While Instagram has no Web-based interface to speak of, there is certainly no shortage of third party sites trying to fill that void. Instadash is yet another site we can add to the list of ways to access Instagram from a desktop browser. The question is, how does it compare to its competition?

To decide how Instadash sizes up, we’ll be comparing it to two of our favourite sites for accessing Instagram from our computers – Ink361 and Pinstagram.

Instadash, which was created in 12 hours as part of Stockholm’s Startup Hack on May 12th, by Arno Smit and Magnus Johansson, gives you instant access to your Instagram feed. You can also keep up with the most popular photos, check out your own profile and photos you’ve added to your favourites.

Instadash’s layout is similar to Pinstagram (and by extension Pinterest), without the ability to actually pin photos.

The site’s clean grid layout puts the focus where it should be – on the photos, whereas Pinstagram’s layout can sometimes be seen as something of a distraction.

Opening up any given image gives you the option to like it, leave a comment, or follow the user. You can also see other likes and comments each image has received.

Unfortunately, what you can’t see is the entire image – although we’re told this is a temporary glitch and will be resolved by tomorrow at the latest. At the moment, you have to scroll down to take it all in.

This is also particularly problematic when it comes to photos accompanied by long descriptions, and renders the site unusable on the iPad, which is definitely a selling point for any third-party Instagram site.

Pinstagram isn’t fully usable on the iPad, whereas on Ink361, you can interact fully with the site, while full iPad support for Instadash is coming.

A great feature, which we’ve seen on other Instagram-related sites, but never done this well, is the ability to view all photos taken in one location. Clicking on the ‘location’ of any given photo, will open up a grid of all the other photos taken in the same area – and it looks pretty good. Speaking to The Next Web, Smit told us that the map itself will be seeing some improvements as well.

Another feature Instagram power-users will no doubt appreciate is Dropbox integration, allowing you to back up your photos, while Facebook and Twitter integration are also expected by Friday. (If you’re looking for a way to back up your Instagram photos to your desktop, be sure to check out SocialFolders.)

More changes coming to the site include pagination or infinite scrolling, so you can view more than just the 30 most recent photos, as well as adding a search function.

Instadash’s clean layout definitely wins it points in our books, and the fact that the site was thrown together in 12 hours is an impressive feat. Once the issues listed above are fixed, the site could very well steal a little bit of its competition’s thunder.

Instadash is a sleek site, and one we’ll be keeping our Instagram-obsessed eyes on.

The final product, once finished will look even sleeker:

Individual photos will be displayed like this:

And location pages will look more like this:

➤ Instadash

Originally linked with a $113 million takeover by Apple, German TV maker Loewe has again distanced itself from reports after Rainer Hecker, chairman of the board, yesterday told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting that there had been ‘no contact’ between the two companies.

German newspaper Handelsblatt reports that Loewe’s management have received no information that Apple would be willing to enter talks with Loewe, adding that none of the company’s shareholders had been notified of  any such contact.

Reports of an acquisition began with an AppleInsider report that suggested Apple had entered negotitaions with the manufacturer, tabling a €87.3 million (around $113 million) bid.

However, the company denied rumours with a company spokesperson stating that the report had “absolutely nothing to it,” distancing itself from a takeover.

Today’s report all but cuts any connection between the two companies, with Loewe’s previous response possibly being construed as a direct denial of a acquisition, not that the companies may have entered talks for other business-related reasons (licensing, partnership, supply deals).

One of Loewe’s major shareholders is Sharp, a company that is said to be supplying panels for Apple’s new television sets, which didn’t help matters.

The BBC has given the biggest indication yet of what its digital offering will look like for the London Olympics, and The Next Web was on hand yesterday to get a glimpse of the action.

Back in January last year, the BBC announced it was reshaping BBC Online. The underlying premise was to concentrate on fewer things, but do those things better.

With that in mind, the London Olympics has become an unofficial milestone for the BBC to get its digital affairs in order, and leave a legacy for all future BBC service-users to tap into.

2011 and 2012 saw a slew of digital developments emanate from the BBC. For example, dedicated iPlayer apps for ioS and Android were rolled out, and we reported on the new TV-friendly version of iPlayer too. The BBC’s vision is to take iPlayer beyond the tech-savvy, beyond catch-up, beyond the PC and embed it firmly in the mainstream.

But what about the Olympics? This year so far, we’ve already seen the BBC’s 3D plans for the Olympics, with its modest toe-in-the-water restricting this initiative to three events and a series of highlights packages. Sports and News apps were launched for Virgin Media’s TiVo service too. But with one of the world’s biggest sporting events kicking off in London in almost two months, the BBC has announced what it really has in store for the UK public. And it is pretty impressive.

London 2012: The first truly digital Games

Cast your mind back to the Beijing Olympics in 2008. It actually doesn’t seem all that long ago, but in technology terms it was eons ago. There were no real consumer market for apps as we know it today, tablets hadn’t yet taken off and the concept of watching live TV on our mobile phones was a novel one to say the least.

Fast forward to 2012, and it’s a completely different landscape. Connectivity is the name of the game, and in what the BBC is calling the “first truly digital Games”, it’s setting out to ensure nobody misses a thing. Here’s an overview of what you need to know about the BBC’s coverage.

The BBC’s main televisual coverage will be beamed across BBC 1 and BBC 3, with catch-up and hand-picked alternative events available on the BBC Red Button and, as usual, through iPlayer. For radio fans, BBC Radio 5 Live will be on call too, but the BBC is also launching a special radio station just for the Olympics – BBC Radio 5 Live Olympics Extra, which will be available online and through Freeview.

All screens

In terms of online and “in apps”, here’s what you really want to know. Audiences will be given full control over when and where they watch Olympic events – PC, mobile, tablet and connected TVs, the latter encompassing smart TVs, games consoles (PS3) and the BBC Red Button.

In Beijing, the BBC offered six additional streams of live coverage. In London, the BBC will offer four times the coverage, with up to 24 live streams available across four screens – PC, mobile, tablet and connected TVs. That will be around 2,500 hours in total, with users able to switch effortlessly between the various streams.

If you’re a Sky, Virgin or Freesat user, the BBC’s Red Button will let you access the full 24 live streams, whilst Freeview and BT Vision customers will be able to access a 24-hour channel with additional Olympics content via the Red Button. They will get a second channel showing alternative content between 7pm and 5.30am.

So, this will double the choice on offer from the main TV broadcasts – meaning that in the evenings, audiences will have at least four television services plus the full 24-stream service via its website.

During a live demo in London, we witnessed one particularly cool feature of the BBC’s online interactive video player. It will let users leave live coverage of events to catch another key moment of another event, then jump straight back into the live action. And there will also be chapter markers to let users navigate to key moments within an event.

Here’s former footballer and BBC presenter Gary Linekar with a quick demo of the soon-to-launch service:

Through the player, you’ll be able to access sports guides during live streams, offering five key facts about events you may know little about. So if your knowledge on the rules of Tae Kwon Do are bit sketchy, this should help you out. And there will also be ‘alerts’ highlighting other key events happening elsewhere, so you can switch over to watch something that’s more appealing to you.

Moreover, every athlete will have their own page on the BBC site, as will every sport, venue and participating country. Audiences will be able to follow and favorite accordingly, and access Twitter visualisations and social media commentary.

Mobile apps

Given that we’re in the decade of mobile, the BBC has produced native BBC Olympics Sports apps for iOS and Android devices, which will launch just before the Olympics kick-off at the end of July.

Users will be able to access the same 24 live streams and video highlights available on all other platforms. Crucially, unlike the iPlayer app, the Olympics app will stream across 3G on all UK mobile networks, and it will have offline access too for users to read stories when they don’t have access to their network or WiFi.

We’re told that this app will eventually morph into a dedicated BBC Sports app, similar to its existing News app.

The BBC has also developed a mobile-optimized site for those using other handsets, which will essentially mirror the standard Web version.

So, we’ll start hearing more about these digital services as we approach the start of the Olympics on July 27. And we’ll be sure to bring you more news on these when they’re rolled out to the public.

Meanwhile, we managed to grab a few demo videos yesterday, which helps to showcase what you can expect these services to look like. Here’s a quick snapshot: