store

Today Google announced a redesigned Play store app for Android users running Android 2.2 and above.

The redesign will begin showing up for users over the coming weeks, but if you're the type who doesn't like to wait, you can download and install the update yourself.

We knew it would only be a matter of time before the update was posted for all to enjoy, and thanks to Droid Life, you're a few seconds away from looking at the new Play store on your Android device.

Head on over to this post and follow one of … Read more

AppGratis, an app-giveaway service that Apple removed from its stores last week, posted its side of the story this morning, noting that it has tried vehemently to make its app available again.

"I'm still in absolute shock as to what is happening to us," Simon Dawlat, the company's CEO, wrote in a blog post.

In a missive that breaks down the company's storied communication with Apple, Dawlat noted that AppGratis had dealt with rejections of its app before but was able to make changes to get them approved.

The company's version of the service … Read more

Google released an AdMob SDK for iOS developers today that completes its transition away from allowing apps access to Unique Device Identifiers, weeks before Apple's official deadline for retiring the system.

UDIDs are the unique string of numbers that individually identifies each cellular device. Typically, they have been used by developers to track app installations across Apple's user base. Tracking users lets companies tailor advertising to each individual, but it also raises a host of privacy concerns.

In response to those concerns, Apple announced last month that, as of May 1, it would no longer accept new apps or app updates … Read more

As people around the world become increasingly more reliant on their mobile devices, the app market continues to grow. New research from market analyst firm Canalys shows that the top four app stores hit 13.4 billion downloads worldwide in the first quarter of 2013. This is an 11 percent increase over all of 2012 combined.

"Apps have had a huge impact on the way consumers use mobile devices, what they value, and what they expect from smart phones and tablets," Canalys chief analyst for analytics Adam Daum said in a statement. "They are now central to … Read more

AppGratis, a service with 10 million users that offers a free or discounted app once a day on Apple's App Store, has been mysteriously removed.

The software disappeared from the App Store late last week, Pocket Gamer reports. That's despite being approved, and on Apple's platform, since last December.

AppGratis began as "an email newsletter shared among friends," before evolving into a business. The company brokers deals with developers to make their software free for 24 hours, something that can help get unknown apps discovered, and potentially even boost their profile in the paid section … Read more

Apple's iTunes Store in China has kicked out an iOS app that offered electronic versions of books banned by the Chinese government.

Hao Peiqiang, the developer of the bookstore app, yesterday posted a letter that he received from Apple informing him that the app would be removed, because "it includes content that is illegal in China."

Apple's letter explained that while the app is no longer available in China, it can still be downloaded from the iTunes store in other countries.

Apple's form e-mail didn't specify which content was illegal. Known as "Jingdian … Read more

Nokia has closed its flagship store in China, once touted as its largest worldwide.

Nokia told ZDNet that the Shanghai store, which opened in 2007, shut down at the end of March. CNET also confirmed the closure.

"For a while now, Nokia has been focusing on growing its presence in operator and third-party retail outlets, rather than through our own physical stores," according to a company representative. "We are, of course, also continuously beefing up our online presence."

Nokia is shuttering the store even as it presses further to regain lost ground in China, considered one … Read more

DALLAS -- Samsung has opened a new front in its battle for smartphone supremacy: the storefront.

The Korean electronics giant plans to set up mini Samsung stores inside all U.S. Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile venues within the next couple of months -- just in time for the Galaxy S4 launch. The "Samsung Experience Shops," which start rolling out Monday, will be in 500 big-box Best Buy stores and all 410 Best Buy Mobile locations by early May. Best Buy's remaining 550 large-format Best Buy stores will feature the shops by early June.

A larger … Read more

We're in an Apple store.

All the employees are terribly agitated. They're wearing green. Is it St. Patricks' Day? Not quite. It's a new ad -- sent to me by reader Marrec Selous -- that tweaks, pokes, teases, and tickles at Apple's softer parts.

The ad is on behalf of a British cider called Somersby. And the excitement within it mirrors that of an Apple product launch.… Read more