Finally, A “Turk” That Works for Bootstrapped Startups
Algorithms and machine learning are pretty much a given for serious mobile startups these days. Unfortunately, machine learning takes data, and data isn’t always available — at a startup-friendly price point, anyway. A new startup out of India called Playment aims to solve that problem, and their clever solution deserves a spot in any mobile […]
Immigration Ban is a Disaster for the Tech Economy
On January 27, Trump issued an executive order banning immigrants from select Muslim-majority countries. The shock waves are still rolling through the app development community, creating massive political backlash even from actively non-political tech giants. Critics are quick to suggest that tech companies are simply trying to protect H–1B visa programs. Fair point — H-B1 […]
What Happens When App Growth Hacking Backfires
If, like the vast majority of Americans, you have a phone and a few friends, you probably heard of “ChitChat” last week when a “friend” invited you via SMS. You might be thinking the mobile app developers behind the app are celebrating a growth hacking victory. On the contrary, they’re probably in the process of […]
App Store Reviews Will Let Developers Respond in iOS 10.3
If you’ve ever combed through reviews in the Apple App Store deciding which app to choose, you’ve probably noticed something weird. Unlike Google Play, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and most other review-based digital ecosystems, Apple doesn’t let developers respond to reviews. This is too bad for iOS app developers, because it leaves them completely at the mercy […]
Study Shows Half of App Store Growth From Chinese Users
2016 was a stellar year for app sales—especially on Google Play. Bay Area app developers saw record-breaking statistics quarter after quarter, leading into the strongest holiday sales season of all time. (Or at least, the ten years of the iPhone era.) According to a new study from analytics group App Annie, we might have a […]
On-Demand Startups Save Money by Increasing Employee Pay
The on-demand marketplace is one of the most controversial topics in the great American tech growth spurt, and for good reason. Depending on your perspective, the part-time contractors who make apps like Uber and Sprig function are either liberated from traditional work, or trapped in a dog-eat-dog game of diminishing returns. While big-player apps like […]
Could Tech Automation Disrupt 50% of the Job Market?
50% of jobs, wiped out in twenty years. That’s the figure that pundits have been pushing lately — and while it’s largely based on speculation, the fact is that we’re already losing jobs to automation. Quickly. While it’s often presented as a negative thing or a sign of American failures, let’s be honest: if tech […]
White House Report Highlights Pros and Cons of AI on Economy
The White House issued a follow-up to their fall report on artificial intelligence in the US economy this week, stirring up important debate among NYC app developers involved in ushering in the future of mainstream AI products. While mostly positive in it’s outlook on how AI app development will affect the country, the researchers behind […]
What “Anti-Smartphone” Products Have To Teach Developers
App fatigue is an epidemic, and smartphone users feel more overwhelmed by technology than every before. The proof is in the market — and KickStarter has demonstrated widespread public interest in a series of unique “anti-smartphone” products that strip down the phone until it’s basically a flip phone in a smartphone shape. Case in point: the […]
Who Decides Which Emojis You Get on Your Smartphone?
The Unicode Consortium does a lot of good for the world. It’s thanks to the efforts of this mostly volunteer organization that smartphone users can type in Chinese and rest assured that it’ll be readable on any other device. For speakers of obscure languages like Fulani, the consortium’s work literally pulls a whole culture across […]