How Startups Can Succeed as “Mega-Apps” Dominate App Store

Apps are like people — they tend to congregate in the interest of convenience. User behavior has changed dramatically in recent years, and there’s no longer a feeling of excitement about seeking out, downloading, and learning to use smartphone apps. Instead, users expect things to “just work.” Between Google’s predictive information services and the prevalence […]

App Store Sees 106% Growth as iPhone 7 Launches

This has been a huge week for iPhone app developers. First, thanks to an unintended (but much appreciated) social media gaffe, Apple users all over the world got a first look at promotional materials for the new iPhone 7 — and the first look doesn’t disappoint. Second, in a press event to support the iPhone […]

Google Analytics Come to Cards for Mobile App Developers

Google’s Analytics suite has been growing steadily larger on the back end, adding new features and functions to help websites and app developers understand their products better. The biggest problem, though, has been information overload. When you can know everything about what visitors to your site are doing, how can you decide what information is […]

Lack of Regulation Makes Drones a Danger and an Opportunity

Drones are undeniably on the rise. Consumers are already getting used to the idea of drone package delivery, and San Diego mobile app developers are working with hardware developers to create ever-more user-friendly autopilot experiences. The big problem: drones are largely unregulated. The big opportunity: drones are largely unregulated. Every new technology goes through a […]

FAA Forecasts 600,000 Commercial Drones Airborne Within 2016

According to a statement released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), commercial drones are skyrocketing into the mainstream. Some 600,000 are expected to be registered within a year period. (For context, about 20,000 are registered as of this post. That’s steep growth even by iPhone app developer standards.) But don’t call in the eagles or […]

Could Mobile Tech Revolutionize Government?

We may not be seeing it in their actions, but at least on paper politicians are starting to come around to the idea of digitalizing government processes. In an age where everything is efficiently available at the push of a button, why should basic functions like taxes still be operating via pen and paper? (Or […]

MedTech and Diversity Themes at Y Combinator S16 Demo Day 1

Y Combinator is lifting the curtain on this year’s batch of disruptive mobile startups. While the products are diverse and often unexpected, a few themes shine through: MedTech and diversity. Seeing health-focussed startups in significant numbers is encouraging, as mobile app developers have been trying to break into the medical industry for years with limited […]

Founder Problems: Mobile Advertising Is Fundamentally Broken

Have you surfed the web on your iPhone or Android without an ad blocker lately? I certainly hope not — it’s a dark, cluttered place. For those not using ad blockers, driving down the Internet superhighway feels more like hitchhiking on a shady dirt road. iPhone app developers haven’t had to deal with this problem […]

Alleged NSA Leak Raises Alarms over Digital Security

While users often think of their phones and laptops as digital safe deposit boxes, the truth is that data is frequently more vulnerable than we’d like to think. In the wake of security contractor Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks, a group of hackers claims to have obtained even more critical NSA data this past week, and […]

App Developer Input Could Make MedTech Mainstream by 2019

It’s been a big year for MedTech, and mobile app developers building medical products are partly responsible. The healthcare industry has been one of the slowest to adapt to our digital times, but ACT The App Association and other developer groups are confident that the pressure put on legislators to update medical systems will soon […]