FierceMobileContent

Zynga teams with Hasbro to extend social games to toys

Jason Ankeny — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:37:10 -0500

Social gaming giant Zynga is teaming with toy manufacturer Hasbro to develop a range of products inspired by titles like FarmVille, CityVille and Words With Friends.

Per terms of the agreement, Hasbro will license Zynga brands to develop and distribute products across a number of toy and game categories--the firms add that the deal also creates opportunities for co-branded merchandise featuring a combination of both their brands. The first fruits of the partnership are expected to hit retail this fall.

Hasbro properties include Transformers, G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, Magic: The Gathering and Monopoly. The company has previously licensed its brands to mobile gaming developers like Electronic Arts and Activision. Last year, Hasbro teamed with Discovery Communications to launch multi-platform gaming venture The Hub.

Late last year, Zynga raised $1 billion in its initial public offering, selling 100 million shares at $10.00 each to generate the largest offering by a U.S. technology firm since Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) raised $1.9 billion in 2004. The IPO values Zynga at as much as $7 billion. In its original SEC filing, Zynga reveled that its daily active users across mobile platforms grew more than ten-fold from November 2010 to June 2011.

For more:
- read this release

Appcelerator expands cloud capabilities with Cocoafish buy

Jason Ankeny — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:13:02 -0500

Cross-platform development solutions provider Appcelerator has acquired mobile app infrastructure firm Cocoafish. Financial details were not disclosed.

Cocoafish offers more than 25 cloud-based features designed to boost mobile user engagement, including push notifications, location, social integration, sharing, user management and photo manipulation, complete with APIs, pre-defined objects and simplified backend setup to ease integration. Appcelerator will incorporate Cocoafish's JavaScript APIs into its Titanium Studio cross-platform integrated development environment, enabling app publishers leveraging Objective-C, Java, PhoneGap, Sencha and HTML5 technologies to create and configure a scalable server-side backend and add network features without writing server code.

Appcelerator will relaunch Cocoafish under the Appcelerator Cloud Services brand early in the second quarter of 2012. In addition to integration with its Titanium Platform, Appcelerator will offer complete iOS, Android, REST and JavaScript SDKs for non-Titanium customers.

The global Appcelerator network now touts more than 1.6 million developers, with more than 35,000 applications created using Titanium resources. The Cocoafish deal is its third major acquisition in the last year, following purchases of HTML5 development platform Particle Code and web IDE Aptana. Last November, Appcelerator raised $15 million in a Series C round led by Mayfield Fund, Translink Capital and Red Hat.

For more:
- read this release

LinkedIn adding advertisements to mobile apps

Jason Ankeny — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:19:30 -0500

Professional networking platform LinkedIn will integrate advertisements into its mobile applications. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner announced the move Thursday during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call; Weiner said LinkedIn has been working to implement an advertising infrastructure but offered few additional details on the effort, stating only that the firm will "start to introduce advertising in our mobile solutions."

Weiner said mobile is now LinkedIn's fastest-growing category, generating 15 percent of all unique member visits. "We're seeing a sharp rise in activations across both [Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL)] iOS platform and [Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG)] Android," he added. "We're seeing more activations in iOS but both are growing very healthy rates." Weiner also said LinkedIn plans to invest in improving and expanding its mobile services over the year ahead.

LinkedIn launched redesigned iOS and Android apps in August 2011, concurrently introducing an HTML5-based web app optimized for all current mobile browsers. The LinkedIn app touts improved speeds across all features, including search and update streams. The app also reorganizes content into four key areas: Updates (including new developments within the user's network as well as LinkedIn Today alerts), Inbox (which combines all invitations and messages in one place), You (the user's profile, connections and information sharing tools) and Groups & More (browsing and interaction solutions as well as the People You May Know feature). Based on user feedback, LinkedIn Mobile now starts with the Update stream and adds access to millions of LinkedIn Groups discussions.

The LinkedIn network spans more than 150 million professionals across 200 countries, including executives from all current Fortune 500 companies. The company reported fourth quarter revenues of $167.7 million, compared to $81.7 million in the year-ago quarter.

For more:
- read this TechCrunch article

Microsoft rolls out MSN mobile magazine for Apple's iPad

Jason Ankeny — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:51:55 -0500

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) introduced MSN for iPad, promising Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) tablet users a magazine-like experience featuring content assembled from sites and services across the MSN digital network.

Click here to watch a video about MSN for iPad.

The free, swipe-enabled MSN for iPad is highlighted by news and video from MSNBC.com and FoxSports.com, alongside entertainment news and celebrity gossip from Wonderwall, lifestyle updates from MSN Living, and car information and advice from MSN Autos. All content is handpicked by the MSN editorial team and set up for sharing via Facebook, Twitter, Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger.

MSN for iPad also introduces Lasso, a new search tool enabling users who've identified a word or phrase they wish to know more about to hold the left or right margin with their thumb, circling the content in question to launch a Bing search on the subject. The app also incorporates a homepage grid to simplify content updates and supports offline reading.

MSN for iPad is the latest in a series of Microsoft applications designed for Apple's iOS platform. Late last year, Microsoft launched My Xbox Live via Apple's App Store, for the first time extending features of its gaming network to iOS. While the free My Xbox Live does not offer actual gaming experiences, the app enables iPhone and iPad users to track and compare Xbox achievements, connect with Xbox Live friends and rivals and revamp their 3D Avatars. Gamers may also review Xbox titles, discover new games and apps, access tips and tricks and read Xbox news updates. A week later, Microsoft added iPad support to the latest version of its OneNote productivity app.

For more:
- read this MSN Blog entry

Google working on fix for Wallet security flaw

Jason Ankeny — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:13:13 -0500

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) is at work on a patch for a security flaw identified in its Wallet mobile payment service, urging consumers to set up a screen lock to secure their Android smartphone against hackers.

Earlier this week, security firm Zvelo revealed that the Google Wallet PIN, the code required to confirm purchases made with Android devices, can be cracked using an exhaustive numerical search. That means if a rooted Android phone without a screen lock is lost or stolen, thieves could access the encrypted file that stores the PIN and exploit the user's Google account.

Tech blog TheSmartphoneChamp subsequently discovered a second method of attack that impacts all Google Wallet users, regardless of whether their Android phone is rooted. This flaw enables thieves to access Google Wallet app settings and tap "Clear data," erasing all Wallet information stored on the device; the next time Wallet is re-opened, it offers the initial setup process again, including entering a new PIN and tying the tap-and-pay service to a Google account. The setup process also enables the thief to re-attach the default Google Wallet prepaid card to the app; as TheSmartphoneChamp notes, Google Wallet is tied to the device itself, not the Google account, it adds the same prepaid card previously attached to the phone, meaning thieves have access to all funds added by the original owner, complete with a new PIN enabling them to easily complete payment transactions.

Google confirmed the security hole, and said it is formulating a solution. "We strongly encourage anyone who loses or wants to sell or give away their phone to call Google Wallet support toll-free at 855-492-5538 to disable the prepaid card," Google said in a statement issued to The Verge. "We are currently working on an automated fix as well that will be available soon. We also advise all Wallet users to set up a screen lock as an additional layer of protection for their phone."

Introduced last year, the Near Field Communications-based Google Wallet enables consumers to make purchases by tapping their Android smartphone at 300,000-plus MasterCard PayPass-enabled merchant terminals. Google Wallet also includes support for SingleTap, enabling users to redeem coupons and/or earn rewards points.

For more:
- read this Verge article
- read the SmartphoneChamp blog entry