• 500,000 iOS apps in the App Store and Counting

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Featured, Infographic, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors 1 Response

    The App Store has apparently crossed 500,000 app approvals in two years and ten months since its inception. The news came from Chomp, 148apps and EA-owned games publisher Chillingo. They posted an awesome infographic which you can see below. According to Fortune’s Philip Elmer-DeWitt:

    Sometime after midnight Tuesday morning,  the iTunes team pushed through a batch of app submissions that sent the total over a six-figure milestone. In 34 months, Apple has approved more than 500,000 iPhone, iPad and iPod touch apps for the company’s U.S. store. (Through attrition, replacement and withdrawal, number of apps currently available for download is 20% lower, around 400,000.)

    To celebrate the event, three app-related companies — mobile app blog 148apps, search company Chomp and game developer Chillingo — have issued a jumbo-sized infographic, a portion of which is reproduced above. The fact-packed poster includes a timeline, loads of factoids and a best-seller list topped by Angry Birds, which spent 275 days in the No. 1 spot.

    As of January, more than 10 billion apps had been downloaded from Apple’s App Store. Its closest competitor, the Google Android Marketplace, launched 8 months later, currently boasts 294,000 apps and 3 billion app downloads.

  • Over 500 New Features in the Upcoming Windows Phone 7 Mango

    // Gradly // blog, Microsoft, Mobile, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors, Software No Responses

    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has promised over 500 new features for the next release of Windows Phone 7 dubbed ‘Mango’ and will get version 7.5.

    Speaking at Japanese Microsoft Developer Forum 2011, Ballmer promised the features to be unveiled in the Mango event today. The software giant is also expected to unveil new developer tools for Windows Phone applications. Microsoft is currently hard at work on “Mango”, its next major release of Windows Phone. Nokia is also reportedly waiting for the next release of Windows Phone before it unveils its first Windows Phone device. Watch Ballmer speaking about the 500 new features in the video below:

    Neowin is adding additional rumor before today’s Mango activities kick out. Windows Phone 7.5 may be released to Manufacturers today, and will be coming out to all phones in September.

  • iPhone 5 to Adopt Curved Glass?

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Gadgets, iPhone, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors 2 Responses

    iPhone 5 may employ a curved cover glass, according to a Digitimes report.

    The latest buzz being circulated around the supply chain in Taiwan is that Apple is going to adopt a curved cover glass for its next generation model, according to industry sources.

    Apparently, iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S would not be similar to the iPhone 4, If we are to believe what Digitimes says:

    However, in order to push forward the production of curved glass, Apple reportedly has purchased 200-300 glass cutting machines to be used by glass makers, said the sources.

    The glass slicing machines are currently being stored at associated assembly plants and will be brought online once yield rates for the production of curved glass reaches a satisfactory level, the sources revealed.

    Samsung Nexus S was the first smartphone with curved glass and Apple’s iPhone 5 might be the next.

  • Apple Signs Deals With Sony, EMI and Warner Group Over Cloud Music

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Cloud, News, Rumors 1 Response

    Apple has reached agreements with three major record labels to let users of its new music service access their song collections from handheld devices via the Internet, as reported by Bloomberg tonight:

    The new iTunes offering will let users store content on Apple’s servers and access it using the Web, rather than loading songs into a device’s memory, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public. The plans could be previewed as early as Apple’s developers conference, set to begin June 6, the people said.

    Apple has reached licensing accords with Sony music division, EMI Group and Warner Music Group, the people said. Universal Music Group, the largest recording company, is close to a deal. The company also would need to reach agreements with music publishers, which control different rights than the labels.

    Apple’s cloud music service is said to be part of a major MobileMe overhaul which said to be unveiled in WWDC this June.