| The Good e-Reader Android and Blackberry App Store has been going strong for almost three years. We have an extensive curated library of almost 100,000 Apps and Games available anywhere in the world, for free. Until now, our entire team has been responsible for finding new content and uploading it to the website. Today, we are proud to launch our fully functional Developers Portal, that will allow indie developers and app companies to upload your own apps into our App Store. The Developer Portal will allow you to upload free or paid apps. We have the best royalty structure in the business with 100% going right to the developer, via PAYPAL. Every payment is delivered automatically and done in real time. Our brand new Developer Portal will allow people to upload an app, version number, description, app icon, 3 featured images and a Youtube Video. We allow you to select one relevant category for your app. Apps right now are automatically accepted and visible on our website and within our Android Client. The Good e-Reader Android App Store has 60,000,000 people visiting our site and using our smartphone/tablet app on a monthly basis. The Developer Portal will really allow companies to gain more exposure to their content. We accept apps internationally, and don’t have a bulk SDK like Amazon or Barnes and Noble does. One of the big features we are happy with is the Metrics and App Usage Statistics. You can get a sense on how many app downloads you get on a daily, monthly or yearly basis. If you upload many apps, you can get a sense of the 5 top ones on your Dashboard. You can register for a free account and find out further information by visiting our official Developer Portal. Good e-Reader App Store Launches New Developers Portal is a post from: E-Reader News |
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Good e-Reader App Store Launches New Developers Portal
Wearable Tech Increases by 500% for the First Half of 2013
| The mantra of mega companies like Qualcomm is to usher in a new era of “the internet of things.” Wearable tech such as smartwatches, wristbands and competitors of Google Glass is taking off in a big way. Close to 200 million bands like Fitbit were shipped out in the first half of 2013 the industry has grown by almost 500%. “Samsung’s marketing and promotional efforts with the Galaxy Gear resulted in shipments of over 800,000 units in its first two months on sale, establishing the company as the new market leader,” said Chris Jones, VP and principal analyst at Canalys. “Pebble continues to grow rapidly with its smartwatch. iOS 7 integration and an updated SDK with additional APIs give Pebble’s partners a great opportunity to increase the watch’s appeal while maintaining its excellent battery life.” “The market for smart wearables is extremely dynamic. This space is going to look very different in 12 months’ time,” noted Canalys analyst Daniel Matte. “A successful wearable device depends on the connectivity of a smartphone, which increasingly serves as the new digital hub for mobile users. Wearables entail a unique set of constraints for vendors and platform owners more experienced with the smartphone and tablet markets.” Smartwatches and augmented reality glasses are in their infancy and there is no clear market leader in any of these segments. Likely 2014 will be a turning point and many growth opportunities will be available. One of the barriers of wearable tech right now is battery life and screen technology. These components will need to be designed specifically for wearables, working alongside sensor hubs that help reduce power draw. The integration of new types of sensors not included in smartphones, such as those for heart rate monitoring, will be another important trend. Wearable Tech Increases by 500% for the First Half of 2013 is a post from: E-Reader News |
285 Million Mainstream Tablets are being used Worldwide
| Apple redefined what a tablet was in 2011 when Android 2.1 devices were running rampant. Many users have gravitated towards the iPad, but Samsung, Acer, Asus and Microsoft have really committed themselves to carving out a niche in an ultra-competitive market segment. Just how many tablets are out there in the world right now? ABI Research claims that there is 285 million mainstream tablets currently in use. The largest market for tablet consumption from known brands has been the United States. The insatiable appetite to play games and install apps represents more than 70 million tablets currently being used on a daily basis or about one for every four persons. “Apple’s early tablet lead is not as evident three years into the market’s boom,” said senior practice director, Jeff Orr. “The initial iPad shipments are aging out with the first wave of replacement tablets expected over the next six months. We believe about 51% of the tablet installed base is coming from iOS and 40% Android when all is said and done in 2013.” When it comes to the success of ANdroid devices, Samsung currently leads the pack. The company has experienced 20% growth in the 3rd quarter of 2013. The company has significantly increased its marketing with television advertisements all over the place and also in traditional media. Many experts believe that Samsung controls 70% of the Android tablet market, due to their extensive portfolio and their ability to reach a wider audience than Sony or Asus. 285 Million Mainstream Tablets are being used Worldwide is a post from: E-Reader News |
Social Platform Storyful Bought by NewsCorp
| Everything that is great about social media–all cat videos and hilarious memes aside–revolves around the ability to share completely unfiltered information to the entire internet at the click of a button. While ridiculous relationship statuses and Twitter hashtags tend to rule our day to day social activity, no one can argue with the power social media had to push forward the Arab Spring or the news that JK Rowling was, in fact, actually the true identity of Robert Gilbraith. One of the key sources that makes newsrooms around the world stay up to date on the actual news is social media newsroom Storyful, which works to bring the most relevant social media content to journalists while protecting the interests of the rights holders of that viral-worthy content. Today, Storyful and NewsCorp announced the purchase of the site for $25 million. “Storyful has become the village square for valuable video, using journalistic sensibility, integrity and creativity to find, authenticate and commercialize user-generated content,” News Corp CEO Robert Thomson said in a statement. “We see significant value, especially on the video end, to marry your own video with viral video that is out there,” continued Raju Narisetti, senior vice president of strategy at News Corp. While personnel changes among Storyful’s top tier are not expected to be drastic any time soon, one major change under the new deal will be extending the power of Storyful’s social media content garnering to advertisers, helping them leverage genuine social traffic around their brands.
Social Platform Storyful Bought by NewsCorp is a post from: E-Reader News |
Top 5 Predictions for the e-Reader Industry in 2014
| With the way things have gone in 2013 in the e-reader and tablet sector, some people may be optimistic about the future. I for one, am not. Endeavoring to capitalize on the quintessential Top 5 gravy train, I am looking ahead at 2014 to see what the future may hold for us. Things don’t look good. E Ink Diversifies away from e-Readers E Ink is responsible for 85% of all screen technology found in all of the e-readers that are popular today. Kindle, Nook, Kobo and many others employ it. The company has been in trouble for the last 1.5 years as every quarter they are basically losing money. The e-Reader industry is on the decline in North America and the UK. Sales are down across the board and the one saving grace has been aggressive international expansion on Amazon and Kobo’s part. E Ink has slowly started to gravitate away from e-reader tech and instead is using their technology in digital signage. It currently only makes up 6% of their total cash flow, but in 2014 they will double this figure and expand into new markets. Barnes and Noble Suspends e-Reader Development Barnes and Noble has been flip-flopping all year long on whether or not they would stay in the hardware game, or if they would abandon it altogether. The company is heavily invested in full color content, such as Magazines, College Newspapers, Apps and other content not indicative shining on an E Ink device. The Barnes and Noble Nook Glowlight is their second generation device featuring front-lit technology to allow customers to read in the dark. They actually pioneered this whole glowlight revolution that almost every other company has emulated. The problem, is their e-readers don’t do well sales wise. Each iteration does less than the one prior. The trouble is most e-reader owners are not upgrading their device whenever a new model hits the market. Unlike smartphone owners, there is no monetary incentive to upgrade. In 2014 Barnes and Noble will completely abandon the e-reader sector and only release two new tablets. They are making more money on digital content sales and Microsoft is helping them offer their wellspring of content on a global stage with deep Windows 8 integration Reading on Tablets will decline in 2014 Over the course of 2012 and 2013 tablet sales have been steadily increasing with 45.2 million units being shipped out in Q1 2013 alone. The growth may stymied as Taiwan manufacturers are shifting away from tablet production and making more smartphones. In 2014 242.72 million smartphone touch panels and 51.81 million tablet touch panels will be produced. This increases the smartphone production segment by 11.7% and decreases the tablet market by a whopping 29.4%. So we will obviously see less tablets being made in 2014, as the market is overly saturated. We will start to see more smartphone readers, as the segment is growing at a rapid pace. 75% of all Canadians have a smartphone and 65% of the US does, these things never leave our pockets. It will be the mobile reader of choice going forward. eBooks will Decline in 2014 Over the course of the holiday season eBook sales have tapered off and there is a renewed vigor to purchase hardcovers and paperbacks. It is next to impossible to gift eBooks, as most of them are tied into very specific ecosystems and the whole eBook Giftcard revolution has failed to takeoff. The Association of American Publishers, which collects monthly data from about 1,200 publishers, said last month that eBook sales had been flat or in decline for most of 2013. In August, eBook sales were approximately $128 million, a 3% decline from August 2012. In 2014 eBooks will begin their inevitable decline and readers will once again be populating their local bookstore. "I don't know if it's a saturation point with digital," Len Vlahos, the executive director of the Book Industry Study Group, said in a recent interview. "But all the data we see suggests that we’ve hit a state of equilibrium. The trend lines have flattened out. Three years ago, it was a nascent market, but now it looks like a maturing market." To me? It looks like the novelty of buying eBooks has worn off with the vast majority of casual readers. I know hundreds from message boards who all said, they have so many books on their e-reader, that they are completely overwhelmed and likely will never have to buy an eBook again. Also, something has to be said about bookstores being used for after-hour parties in New York or late night events. Sony Abandons Consumer e-Readers Before Sony got into the smartphone sector in a big way, they were all about e-readers. Over the course of 2007 to 2010 the company tended to release three different models every year and rode the wave of e-readers as they gained headlines all over the world. For the last three years they have only released a single reader and even suspended marketing them to the USA a few months ago. In 2011, Sony accounted for 28% of all e-readers sold in Canada. In 2012, its presence diminished to 18% and in the first quarter of 2013 dropped down to 12%. Sony is focusing on tablets and a more multimedia based experience to sell their devices. They continue to own and operate their Sony Reader Store in Canada, and Europe, but most of the sales stem from tablets. It seems they are getting out of e-readers all together after the dismal sales of Sony PRS-T3. All signs in the retail sphere are pointing to the device that has sold the least amount of units since the il-fated PRS-950. The only e-reader they will release is their 13.3 inch device, but it is not being aimed at customers. Instead, its in Japan right now and aimed strictly at schools and will likely make it to the USA, but only available to be purchased by established businesses. Top 5 Predictions for the e-Reader Industry in 2014 is a post from: E-Reader News |
