Skydrive for iOS in jeopardy over in-app subscription upgrades!
This is not really a surprise but it seems Microsoft will have to start coughing up 30% of their 'subscription fee' for the upgrade to Skydrive if you upgrade through the iOS app.
It's quite clear why this will be an issue for Microsoft. The upgrade path, which is new to their iOS app gives users the ability to upgrade their SkyDrive subscriptions straight from their Apple phone or tabler. This functionality though makes the purchase an 'in-app' purchase and as such Apple will be taking their 30% cut from the sale.
Unsurprisingly, Microsoft is not on the same page as Apple when it comes to that size of cut and because their SkyDrive subscriptions aren’t exclusive to iOS, Microsoft is arguing that they should be exempt from the 30% charge!
We understand why Microsoft has a problem here, but by the same token Apple's 30% cut has been their since the inception of the App Store. We're sure Microsoft could find a work around, but for the mean time your in-app upgrade for Skydrive may well be disappearing!
Via
TheNextWeb.
Larry Page offers a rare interview: talks about Apple, Android and a Motorola Nexus!
It's not every week that we get interview from Tim Cook, Eric Schmidt and Larry Page! But a terrible tech trio has been rounded out this week with Larry Page stepping forward to offer some views! This week he sat down with Miguel Helft from Fortune to go through a variety of issues from a Motorola Nexus to Apple's "island-like approach" to its platform.
Lets start with the gossip about Apple! He said that Apple's "island-like approach was somewhat a shame for users." He said he though it:
"would be nice if everybody would get along better and the users didn't suffer as a result of other people's activities. I try to model that. We try pretty hard to make our products be available as widely as we can. That's our philosophy. I think sometimes we're allowed to do that. Sometimes we're not."
Page also had Android high on the agenda. He explained how he thought that availability and sharing were fundamental to the successes Android has seen. Naturally he linked Google Plus into that and said how Google had "18 different ways of sharing stuff before we did Plus. Now we have one way that works well, and we're improving." Google are also reportedly exploring ways of monetizing Android, Page said, " I think we're in the early stages of monetization. The fact that a phone has a location is really helpful for monetization."
Lastly, when probed about a Nexus device from Motorola, Page offered the simple answer that Google hasn't "owned the company long enough." Interestingly he doesn't pledge a Motorola Nexus but he said that Google plans to develop "amazing innovative devices" with it's wide range of partners. Whether these partners are new or old Google has pledged to keep them as happy as possible!
Fortune500 Via
Slashgear.
HTC announce the One SV: LTE on a budget!
HTC's newest mid-range smartphone, the One V was not the runaway success it's Wildfire named predecessors were and the HTC One S was a relatively popular mid-range device. These two things and that lovely new LTE network from EE in the UK, may go some way to explaining that shiny new device pictured above!
This phone is the HTC One SV, a new LTE compatible phone with a solid amount of power for a mid-range handset. To start with there's a new 4.3-inch 480x800p LCD2 screen, Beats Audio, burst photography and a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon S4 processor. It'll be powered by the slightly ageing Android 4.0 and you'll be able to snap 5-megapixel images with f/2.0 lens, which can also record 1080p video. To round it off there's a microSD card slot, which is compatible with cards up to 32GB's and there's NFC too!
In other news:
- Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour was finally launched on the Google Play Store late last night. That was after a previous delay. Unfortunately it seems Gameloft has another problem with the game and it has been pulled from the Play Store once again. The best guesses of the interwebs are that it'll be back in the next couple of weeks! We'll keep you informed!
Via Phandroid.
- It seems iOS will have a new untethered jailbreak on December 22nd! It comes from a new dveloper called 'Dream JB', we've never heard of him before but everything looks legit on his site. Although, the world is supposed to end on December 21st so this could well be a very dedicated troll effort! We'll have to wait and see!
Via Slashgear.
- Hot on the heels of the subscription offered by UK newspaper, the Times, which came with a Nexus 7 at a lower price, the Financial Times is also offering a new deal. If you're willing to cough up for a Premium FT.com subscription that will set you back $446.50 for the year or the Newpaper bundle price will be $597.48, then you will get a complementary Nexus 7! Although, this is the 8GB model, which Google doesn't sell any more, but if you want some FT news and you want a Nexus 7, you could do worse!
Via AndroidCommunity.
- Sony has launched a new app for all Android users called 'Xperia Lounge'. The app is pegged as a 'new entertainment application with exclusive content and competitions across different genres including music, film, gaming, and sports.'
The apps content will be limited though, with Xperia users getting access to all of the goodies; things such as live concerts and exclusive content from Coldplay! If you want to try the app you can get it here!
Via Slashgear,
- SkyGo for Android has finally been updated! The new version of the app works with the full list of devices you see below! It's also now compatible with all versions of Android from 2.2 to 4.2.1! (Excluding Honeycomb). If you want to start that streaming hit this link!
Via Coolsmartphone.
And finally, Angry Birds has just celebrated its third birthday today! Appropriately the game has received updates to version 3.0.0 and this has brought with it 30 new levels which are in the 'Happy Birdday' world! See what they did there?!
