US Judge Throws Out “Appstore” False Advertising Claims By Apple

amazon appstore US Judge Throws Out Appstore False Advertising Claims By AppleSome of you guys might have remember that a couple of years ago, Apple and Amazon went to court over the “Appstore” name, with Apple claiming that the “App Store” was their trademark and that Amazon truncating it to “Appstore” was not good enough. Amazon then asked the courts to throw out the lawsuit against them and it looks like Amazon has finally gotten their wish, or at least a part of it. A US judge has ruled that Amazon’s use of the Appstore name is not false advertising which Apple claimed it was. It should be noted that this does not mean that the entire lawsuit is over and done with, but the allegations against false advertising is now out the window, although Amazon will still have to contend with Apple’s claims that the “Appstore” name is a trademark infringement.

According to Judge Hamilton (via Wall Street Journal), “Apple contends that because its App Store offers so many more apps than Amazon’s Appstore, consumers will be misled into thinking that Amazon’s Appstore will offer just as many […] There is no evidence that a consumer who accesses the Amazon Appstore would expect that it would be identical to the Apple App Store.”

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple In Negotiations With Waze To Rescue Its Maps App [Rumor], Apple Eyeing New Display Technology From Innolux [Rumor],

Final Fantasy IV headed to iOS on December 20, Android version to follow in 2013

Final Fantasy IV headed to iOS on December 20, Android version to follow in 2013

That Nintendo DS re-make of Final Fantasy IV may add 3D graphics, a variety of bug fixes, and a fresh localization, but who wants to lug around their old Nintendo DS? Thankfully, it won’t be much longer before the same version of FFIV ends up on iOS, as spotted by the folks at gaming forum NeoGAF. The game arrives on the iOS App Store for both iPhone and iPad starting on December 20, and is headed to Android sometime next year. As of now, it’s only got a Japanese pricing of ¥1800 ($21.77), but we expect it’ll cost about $17.99 when it launches Stateside. In anticipation of the pending release, Square’s marking down prices of its other iOS FF games (which are usually priced absurdly high), so now’s a good time to snap them up on the cheap. If you’d like to take a gander at the first images of the iOS port, Japanese publication Gamer has a first-look.

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Via: NeoGAF

Source: Square Enix

Amazon Appstore Hits 500% More Downloads

Do you find it to be extremely interesting that without having to have a platform of its own, Amazon has managed to do just fine where its mobile apps are concerned. In fact, Amazon recently announced that “[a]pp downloads in the Appstore have grown more than 500 percent over the previous year.” Now that is a huge figure by any margin, and you can say that the two biggest drivers of such growth will, in all probability, be due to Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet line that was first introduced to the masses in September 2011, followed by strong developer support for programmers in order to develop compelling Android applications for Amazon’s tablets.

Do you think that Amazon’s own mobile devices are the main engine of growth for the Appstore’s explosion, or does it have to do with other Android-powered smartphones and tablets manufactured by other folks. In fact, there are a few handsets that come with the Amazon Appstore pre-installed, although the majority of them do not.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Enjoy A Moon Holiday By 2020, Google Stops Offering Free Version Of Google Apps For Businesses,

Amazon publishes vague numbers surrounding Appstore performance, but they’re sure looking good

Amazon publishes vague numbers surrounding Appstore performance, but they're sure looking good

At this point, expecting Amazon to actually divulge genuine numbers surrounding its Kindle business would be akin to expecting that so-called “fiscal cliff” to just vanish overnight. That said, the company’s playing a little less coy than usual in a new press release that announces A/B testing capabilities for app developers. The useful nuggets are here: app downloads in the Appstore have grown more than 500 percent over the previous year, and the number of GameCircle enabled games available on Kindle Fire has more than doubled since the launch of Kindle Fire HD.

We’re also told that total downloads of the SDKs for In-App Purchasing and GameCircle have more than doubled since the Kindle Fire HD launch and availability of the Kindle Fire HD development resources, while the number of devs with In-App Purchasing incorporated in their apps more than doubled in the third quarter of the year. Of course, it’s hard to draw any serious conclusions without knowing a serious baseline, but much like another company in Washington, it seems that blasting out hard figures is something reserved for those “want-to” moments.

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Via: GigaOM

Source: Amazon

Foursquare refreshes iOS app for streamlined exploring, speedier check-ins

DNP Foursquare refreshes iOS app for streamlined exploring and checkins

Building upon redesigned version 5.0, Foursquare has updated its iOS app (sorry, Android users, our guess is that you’re coming up next). The refresh provides a number of cosmetic changes, including a tighter check-in screen that omits addresses in favor of a map view of your surroundings (and seems to forget that we have that elongated iPhone 5 screen nowadays). We also get a more robust Explore tab featuring recently opened businesses, validating the app co-founder’s insistence that Foursquare is primarily a “discovery and recommendation engine.” Head to the app store at the source link below to download version 5.3.5, which Foursquare duly notes is its first palindromic version number since 3.0.3. Roy, am I mayor?

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Via: TheNextWeb

Source: App Store

Amazon Appstore for Android rolls out in Japan

The Land of the Rising Sun has had its first taste of the Amazon Appstore for Android, which means that its customers based in Japanese (and who are able to read Japanese in that part of the world, of course) are now able to gain access to a slew of apps as well as games on their Android-powered device – be it smartphones or tablets. Today’s announcement would deliver features such as localized content and a localized mobile store, the hugely popular Amazon Appstore features like the “Free App of the Day”, and the ability to purchase an app or game just once, followed by enjoying it across a variety of Android-powered devices including Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD tablets.

Not only that, Amazon marches onward, developing a valuable marketplace so that developers are able to build, market and monetize apps and games, while offering access to the Amazon Web Service platform, in addition to new audience engagement features alongside GameCircle APIs, awareness-building programs like Free App of the Day, and In-App Purchasing and Subscriptions.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nexus 4 Backorder Stretches To 2013, Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Available For Purchase From November 29 Onward,

Appstore continues Amazon’s bid for global dominance with expansion into Japan

Amazon Appstore continues Amazon's bid for global dominance with expansion into Japan

Move over various European countries — Japan’s the latest region to receive Amazon’s Android “Appstore” (no, that isn’t a word). The store went live today in Japan, bringing with it all you’ve come to expect from Amazon’s virtual mobile store: Angry Birds, Facebook, and much, much more. Also in-tow is Amazon’s “Free App of the Day” initiative, and a variety of unique app selections from Japan-specific developers like Square Enix and NTT Docomo. The Japanese version of the Appstore features the same cross-device functionality found in other regions, meaning one app purchase suffices for all your Android devices. Amazon isn’t saying if any major, expected apps are missing from the store, and our Japanese isn’t so hot, so we’d appreciate you letting us know if you spot any major whiffs in the selection department.

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Source: Amazon

Amazon Appstore updates with new UI and bugfixes

Those who rely heavily on Amazon‘s Appstore for Android (especially for their Free App of the Day promo) will be pleased to know that the user interface got a facelift, and many of the annoying bugs that have been plaguing your experience with the app have now been fixed, including the multi-user login issue for Android 4.2 users.

The app has been updated to version 4.3.14.3C, and the user interface refresh is a welcome one. While we weren’t necessarily getting tired of the old interface, it’s nice to see that Amazon put a little more life into the app. The new UI of the Appstore looks similar to what you would experience on the Kindle Fire HD.

There’s also a much-needed Android 4.2 compatibility fix for the Amazon Appstore. In the past, switching user account on an Android 4.2 device would require you to log into the Appstore on each user account every time you switched, but this has now been remedied. Other bugs, including one that was responsible for battery drain, have been fixed as well.

If you don’t have access to the Google Play store, the Amazon Appstore app is a wonderful alternative. The update is available now on Amazon’s website, or you can go ahead and update it right from your device if you already have it installed. We have to say, the Amazon Appstore is worth it just for the Free App of the Day promo alone.

[via Android Police]


Amazon Appstore updates with new UI and bugfixes is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Amazon adds Adobe’s Photoshop Touch to Kindle Fire Appstore

Amazon Appstore adds Adobe's Photoshop Touch to list of available Kindle Fire apps

Kindle Fire owners with a penchant for on-the-go image editing will want to take note: Adobe’s Photoshop Touch is now live on the Appstore. The app, already a mainstay on iOS and Android’s respective markets, has been optimized for Amazon’s recent tablet lineup, scaling up for both the 7- and 8.9-inch form factors and retailing for the same $9.99 price. Unfortunately, it won’t work for owners of the original Bezos-backed tab since it still runs on the Gingerbread kernel. Sorry early adopters, but that’s the price you pay for progress.

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Amazon adds Adobe’s Photoshop Touch to Kindle Fire Appstore originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bloomberg’s App Portal brings its financial market terminals into the app store age

Bloomberg's App Portal brings its financial market terminals into the app store age

Monitoring financial data and trading stocks in the big leagues often means using a locked down Bloomberg terminal pre-loaded with sanctioned software, but now the platform has caught the app store bug. Starting today, stock market buffs will be able to purchase apps on the Bloomberg App Portal, which underwent more than a year of testing and has software from over 40 developers. As for revenue, Bloomberg’s taken a page from Apple’s book and will keep 30 percent of earnings made from sales on its storefront. Since a single console sets customers back $20,000 each year according to the Financial Times, we imagine $0.99 apps will be few and far between. It’s unlikely that Rovio is going to barge into this app marketplace, so day traders will probably be busy playing stocks instead of Angry Birds.

[Image credit: Perpetualtourist2000, Flickr]

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Bloomberg’s App Portal brings its financial market terminals into the app store age originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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