Apps for Chromebook are an Underrated Opportunity in 2017
Here are a couple facts. One: Chromebooks outsold Macs in 2016. Two: every Chromebook launching in 2017 will be compatible with Android Apps. So what’s the big picture? In short, “more opportunity for Android app developers.” Bringing the full contents of the Google Play store to the Google-driven desktop experience puts the Chromebook on tier […]
Developers Look Back at 10 Years of iPhone Fever
The iPhone, arguably the most iconic product of the century (so far), had it’s 10th birthday this week. For iPhone app developers, it’s hard to believe it’s been a full decade since that first announcement — you know, the one with Steve Jobs pacing the stage in his trademark black turtleneck, pitching the smartphone concept […]
Mobile Startup Targets Old-School Online Forums
Remember online forums? For anybody with an Internet connection in the 90s and early 00s, forums were as central to online life as Facebook and Twitter are today. (Especially if you had a weird or offbeat hobby, like keeping exotic snakes or collecting Star Wars action figures.) For better or worse, forums have mostly gone […]
Overlooked Communities Are Overlooked by EdTech Startups
EdTech EdTech has been hot in the startup world for several years now. Far from just a “tech for techies” code bootcamp scene, EdTech has grown to encompass a variety of platforms and startups catering to a wide range of verticals. That said, NYC iOS app developers have mostly focussed on the upwardly-mobile demographics iOS […]
E-sports Services Are a Huge Startup Opportunity in 2017
Two new patents entered the e-sports space this past week, as the app developers behind Skillz launched their service for scaling mobile games to spectator-ready tournaments. (For the unfamiliar, “e-sports” means “competitive gaming.”) Skillz operates on a simple but whip-smart premise: making it simple for brands to turn any mobile game into a competitive event, […]
Zuckerburg Authorizes $6 Billion Facebook Stock Buyback
Big news is coming for social media giant Facebook in the first quarter of 2017, as founder Mark Zuckerberg has authorized a huge stock buyback. To the tune of $6 billion, the move is being reported as a reaction to Facebook’s slowed growth (to be fair, most people in the world use the platform at […]
Snapchat Prepares for IPO, Drawing Developer Speculation
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal (not to mention the tech rumor mill), SnapChat is starting to close in on an IPO for as early as this coming March. It’s been a great year for tech IPOs, so app developers and investors are cautiously optimistic that the messaging and social media Unicorn […]
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 […]
Studies Show Diverse Startup Teams Outperform Their Peers
Diversity is more than just a buzzword in Silicon Valley. A study in the last year by McKinsey found that ethnically diverse teams outperformed their peers by as much as 35 percent. MIT, Columbia University, and other leading research institutions have made similar findings. Overall, homogenous teams tend to make more predictable decisions — and […]
5 Hot NYC Mobile App Startups to Keep an Eye On
New York is a unique startup hub for US iOS app developers, sort of like the dark twin to sunny San Francisco’s thriving tech economy. Here are some of the hottest mobile app startups of 2016 coming out of the tech scene in Brooklyn and Manhattan. 1. Button App fatigue is real, and the NYC […]