Thursday, February 25, 2016

Foxconn Buys Sharp For $6.2 Billion


Sharp has reportedly agreed to be acquired by Foxconn for $6.2 billion. Sharp also was supposedly being looked at by government run fund Innovation Network Corp. of Japan. The fund was rumored to have put together a $2.5 billion bid for Sharp that would have added a $2.67 billion cash infusion, and a $1.78 billion line of credit.

Sharp manufactures Apple’s iPhone displays, Sharp's purchase by Foxconn would give the manufacturer access to parts it needs to have in stock while manufacturing the Apple iPhone.

Source: Nikkei

Microsoft Officially Cancels Project Astoria



Microsoft has revealed it has officially canceled plans to offer developers bridge tools to port Android apps to Windows 10 Mobile known as "Project Astoria".

"We received a lot of feedback that having two Bridge technologies to bring code from mobile operating systems to Windows was unnecessary, and the choice between them could be confusing. We have carefully considered this feedback and decided that we would focus our efforts on the Windows Bridge for iOS and make it the single Bridge option for bringing mobile code to all Windows 10 devices, including Xbox and PCs. For those developers who spent time investigating the Android Bridge, we strongly encourage you to take a look at the iOS Bridge and Xamarin as great solutions."

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced its plans to acquire Xamarin a company that has created tools for making mobile apps for iOS, Android, and Windows that can share common code making for a be quick release for all three platforms.


Source: Windows Developer blog

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Apple Releases iOS 9.3 Public Beta 3


Apple has released the third iOS 9.3 public beta to non developer testers today. iOS 9.3 public beta 3 adds new features for iPhones and iPads including Night Shift mode to change the display temperature for evening reading, Touch ID/secure passwords to protect Notes, new 3D Touch shortcuts on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, enhancements to the Health and Activity apps, and iCloud for iBooks PDF syncing.


Changes in iOS 9.3 beta 3 included:

  • Verizon Wi-Fi Calling
  • Fixed Control Center icons in landscape
  • Apple News settings in Sweden, possibly other countries (although no app)
  • Tweaked Night Shift explainer in Control Center
  • Tweaked Lock/Unlock toggle in Notes outside of the share sheet

How to register and install iOS 9.3 beta profile...

Source: Apple

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

ZAGG To Acquire Mophie For $470 Million

Zagg today announced it has acquired Mophie, Randy Hales President and Chief Executive Officer of ZAGG said that the acquisition will allow the two companies to work together and deliver an even better customer and investor experience than they could as independent companies. 

Daniel Hung Chief Executive Officer of ZAGG had similar comments, saying that the partnership will see both brands grow around the world and continue to innovate in the mobile market.

Source: ZAGG

Microsoft Purchases Third Party Keyboard Maker SwiftKey For $250 Million


The Financial Times is reporting that Microsoft has purchased third party keyboard maker SwiftKey for $250 million. 

Microsoft recently ported their Windows Phone keyboard to iOS. If Microsoft will continue to support SwiftKey is unknown. We hope to find out more details when the deal is officially announced.