Mobile App Roundup: BoltJS, Funding, Mergers & More

BoltJS for Building Mobile Web Apps -- Facebook is apparently building a new platform by the name of BoltJS. It is a UI framework that is intended to help developers build mobile web applications in both HTML5 and Javascript. Additionally, as TechCrunch points out, the project currently focuses on mobile WebKit browsers, suggesting that BoltJS could be related to the secretive Project Spartan. Eddy Cue Becomes Apple SVP of Internet Software & Services -- Last week, Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple, leaving the role to Tim Cook, the company's COO. Now, 9to5Mac is reporting that Cook has appointed iTunes VP, Eddy Cue, as Apple's new SVP of Internet software and services. Isis to Recieve $100 Million -- According to Bloomberg, the mobile payment network of Isis is reported to receive $100 million from parent companies AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Though nothing has been confirmed, "anonymous sources" state that the money is intended to make Isis more competitive against other similar services. CloudOn Raises $7.7 Million -- CloudOn is a company looking to create "a mobile, enterprise, cloud-based workspace" in order to help workers with productivity. According to an SEC filing, the company has just raised a first round of funding worth $7.7 million. Woozworld Raises $6 Million -- Children's virtual world Woozworld has announced the raising of $6 million in funding, reports VentureBeat. The company is looking to use the money to expand Woozworld onto mobile platforms. Game Closure Raises Seed Round -- Game Closure first displayed its HTML5, cross-platform game engine and SDK for multiplayer mobile and Facebook games a few months ago. Now, the startup has quietly announced that it has raised a seed round, reports TechCrunch. Though the amount is undisclosed, investors and angels include SV Angle, Yuri Milner, Joi Ito, Charles River Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Greylock Partners, and General Catalyst Partners. AppRedeem Launches In-App Deals -- AppRedeem has announced the launch of its new AppRedeem Deals network in order to help developers convert free app users to paid app users by offering users rewards. A recent top free iOS app, The Moron Test: Section 2 is an early example, offering users a discount for the full paid version app upon reaching a Game Over. Microsoft Sued for Collecting Windows Phone 7 Location Data -- According to InformationWeek, Microsoft is being sued by a class action lawsuit for collecting user location data on Windows Phone 7. The issue, is that it is doing so -- through its camera application -- even after users opt out. GameFeed Extends Onto iOS -- Social-mobile game network, OpenFeint launched its GameFeed enhancement back in June, but now the company is expanding the feature to its iOS SDK. Additionally, it is worth noting that the feature was extended to Android first, making GameFeed cross-platform. Appsfire Announces Open Source UDID -- Not too long ago, Apple set out to deprecate UDIDs from iOS. Following the OpenFeint announcement that seeks to replace UDIDs, Appsfire is now introducing OpenUDID. According to TechCrunch, OpenUDID is an open source UDID initiative in which all stakeholders can participate. Spotify Releases libspotify API -- Spotify has released a new API by the name of libspotify 9. Through the API, iOS developers to incorporate Spotify, and its 15 million+ tracks, within their applications. Android Holds 40% of Smartphone OS Share -- Nielsen released a new research report noting that 40 percent of mobile devices owned in the U.S. are smartphones, with 40 percent of that share being Android. Additionally, amongst users looking to buy a new smartphone, approximately one-third are opting for iPhone and another third looking at Android. Mobile App Ad Inventory to Meet Online Web Ad Demand -- Analytics firm Flurry released an interesting set of data this week. The growth of ad inventory in mobile apps has been growing at a rate so quickly that it will soon be able to meet all of the demands for online ad spend for display ads in United States. Should the growth trend continue, it will be far surpassed by the end of 2012. [Legal] AT&T Merger with T-Mobile Blocked -- According to a report from Bloomberg, the U.S. government has blocked the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile stating that it would "substantially lessen competition" for the wireless market. However, Reuters has noted, today, that AT&T is planning to present a plan to the Justice Department in an attempt to salvage its $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile. Samsung Unveils Galaxy S II -- Samsung officially announced the coming release of the Galaxy S II phone in the US, reports VentureBeat. It will be available on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint (under the name Epic 4G Touch) and is slated for release this fall. [Announcement] NetDragon Websoft Announces Completely Free iPad & Facebook MMOG -- Chinese online games developer and operator, NetDragon Websoft has announced that it will be bringing Conquer Online to iPad and Facebook as a free-to-play MMOG. The company states that the game will host no download fee, no subscriptions, and no in-game "Shopping Mall." [Launch] EA Releases Free Version of Tetris on Android -- EA Mobile has announced the launch of the classic puzzle game of Tetris on Android. Released earlier this week, the game is free-to-play and was actually ranked at #31 on the top free Android apps list yesterday. [Update] The Marbians Adds 16 Levels for Free -- Previously profiled puzzle game, The Marbians, has received a new update making the first 16 levels of the game, for iOS and Android, free-to-play. After level 16, players can purchase the full version in-app. [Announcement] Sprinkle Hits 100,000 Sale Mark -- Swedish mobile games developer Mediocre has announced its first milestone for the newly released mobile game, Sprinkle. The title is stated to have sold over 100,000 copies in less than a week.

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Mobile App Roundup: BoltJS, Funding, Mergers & More

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