The future of mobile is a hard one to predict but hats off to network operator Three for having a go. It’s rather splendid infographic tackles the big topics such as how many global internet users there will be (5.4 billion by 2015, thanks for asking), the number of internet connections made via mobile devices (expected to reach 80% by 2025), smartphone and tablet growth, the number of mobile money transactions and the new buzz phrase ‘The Internet of Things’. And let’s not forget a subject close to our heart: how may apps will be downloaded. With 81,442,000,000 downloaded in 2013, Three projects this will grow to more than three times to a staggering 309,606,000,000 by 2016. Take a look at the infographic below for a full run down. Read the rest of this entry »

App analytic and market intelligence specialist, App Annie released its 2013 retrospective report on the key trends from last year and it reveals some major shifts in terms of download market share and emerging app markets. Definitely take time to download the free report and read it. You can get it here.

In the meantime, here are the potted highlights: Read the rest of this entry »

Once upon a time there was only one mobile eco-system worth developing apps for: iOS.  Why?  Because that was where the money was.  It was generally accepted that the only place that people would pay for apps was the Apple App Store.

Not any more.  A recent article in the Financial Times (free subscription required) suggests that, whilst the revenue generated from the top 200 apps on the Apple App store has risen from $15 million per month to $18 million, the Google Play store has seen an astonishing growth from $3.5 million to $12 million.  And this does not include regions where the Google Play store is unavailable and where third party app stores might bolster this number even more. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been difficult to keep quiet over the last few months such has been our excitement but we can finally reveal some big news: MagicSolver has been working with Disney to bring you the 12 Day of Disney app. This iOS app recommends a free Disney app every day from 14^th – 25^th December and is chock full of exclusive new titles and free in-app purchases with every game.

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Released in September, Apple’s shiny new iOS 7 operating system delivers some nifty new features for app developers to integrate API into its apps while also offering some new opportunities to improve engagement with users. These include automatic updates, letting users find apps ‘Near Me’, a facility to target your app to a specific age group, greater presence on the device’s App Store and a ‘Wish list’ function enabling users to earmark an app their like to download at a later date.

According to reports some 200 users (and counting!) have upgraded to iOS 7 so the decision whether to optimise your apps shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you’re one of the undecided then perhaps this infographic below from India-based IT Company Dot Com Infoway might persuade you to take the plunge.

Source: Business 2 Community

We can officially start getting excited about Christmas! Well we can from this Saturday, 30^th November, when our annual Advent 2013, 25 Christmas Apps app launches. This year’s iOS and Android app is even bigger and better. Users still get to discover and download a new, free, top quality app everyday until 25^th December but this time we’ve cranked up the production values and fun quota on the mini games.

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Christmas is a busy time for MagicSolver, not least because we are readying our Advent 2013 calendar app. While we are poised to launch our festive app next week, around the same time shoppers in the U.S will be gearing up for the post-Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza known as ‘Black Friday’. For those unaware of this special day, it is where retail outlets slash the prices on their goods and wares and American citizens go crazy trying to pick up amazing bargains to put under the Christmas tree.

Shopping via mobile is already on the rise but this year the smartphone will play a big role in the way people buy gifts for Xmas, according to a survey conducted by technology protection specialist Asurion. 58% of smartphone owners said their device will be very important to them on ‘Black Friday’, with 49% claiming they will make purchases via the device.

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Since 1975, National Tree Week has been run to encourage everyone to appreciate the importance of the role of our leafy friends play in our lives. Often called the lungs of the Earth, trees provide oxygen and a natural habitat for thousands of wildlife. We admit the MagicSolver team are guilty of trees for granted, so to make amends we have compiled three of the best tree-related apps in honour of our tall perennial plants.

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A news story on Mobile Entertainment today has revealed that 99 per cent of mobile malware attacks are aimed at the Android platform. It’s no surprise to see Google’s open source OS an easier target for malware violations but what is also surprising is the lack of concern from Android users: 40 per cent of smartphone and 42 percent of tablets users fail to take action to prevent attacks, according to research from Kaspersky Lab.

Mobile malware comes in many guises including malicious apps waiting for unsuspecting users to download them. And this strain of malware is growing at a rapid rate: last year, Kaspersky Lab discovered 35,000 malicious apps; in the first half of 2013 47,000 have already been detected.

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