App Store Developer Payout Hits $50 Billion, July Sets Record as Biggest Month Ever

Apple CEO Tim Cook today announced on Twitter that a new App Store record was set last month, with July seeing Apple’s highest ever monthly billings for the App Store and the largest amount of money paid out to developers.

According to Cook, Apple has now paid out more than $50 billion to developers over the lifetime of the App Store, which first launched for the iPhone in 2008, a year after the iPhone was released to the public.

App Store revenue has been growing rapidly over the past several years, with Apple citing its success as the reason behind its steadily increasing services category.

July was a record-breaker for the @AppStore! Highest-ever monthly billings and money paid to developers.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 3, 2016

During Apple’s most recent earnings call, Cook also said that Apple saw its highest quarterly App Store revenue ever, with a 27 percent growth rate year over year. Apple also set a new record for customers making purchases through the App Store, with the average amount spent per customer reaching the highest level the company has ever seen.

Cook expects that over the course of the next 12 months, revenue from Apple’s services category (consisting of the App Store, iTunes Store, Apple Music, iCloud, and AppleCare) will “be the size of a Fortune 100 company.”

.@AppStore developers have now earned over $50 billion! Congratulations on your success and such inspired creativity.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 3, 2016

In July, the App Store’s most notable release was Pokémon Go, which launched in the United States on July 5 and then in multiple other countries around the world throughout the month.

Pokémon Go set an App Store record for the most ever app downloads during its first week of availability and it is already considered the biggest mobile game in U.S. history. Pokémon Go is now estimated to have been downloaded more than 100 million times and it is said to bring in $10 million in revenue daily across the iOS and Google Play app stores.

Tags: App Store, Tim Cook
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The Fugoo Tough XL Bluetooth speaker can handle your extreme lifestyle

When big just isn’t big enough.

Whether you’re trying to make the most of limited time out in the wilderness or just need hardware that can take a beating from every day life, there’s definitely a market for extra-sturdy speakers. We’ve had a look at a wide range of rugged Bluetooth speakers to complement such rough-and-tumble environs, but the Fugoo Tough XL is easily one of the most impressive we’ve seen of the bunch.

It’s a system that consists of two parts: a waterproof speaker and a removable sleeve that provides hardcore impact protection. The exterior bears a gruff design, aluminum and stainless steel construction, big hardware playback buttons, and a collection of mounting options.

A dedicated key on the top lets you activate Google Now commands that’ll work well with the included noise-cancelling microphone. A sealed plug on one short side hides the DC charging port, USB charging port for your phone, and Micro-USB plug for firmware updates. The other short side hosts the power key, Bluetooth pairing key, and 3.5 mm port if you’d rather wire your tunes in.

This thing is seriously big … and tough

The front and back each feature a 62 mm mid/sub driver and two 28 mm tweeters, while either short edge has a 105 mm x 66 mm passive bass radiator. Combine that with an 8 degree upward tilt all around, and you’ve got an even spread of 360-degree sound. The sound quality on this speaker is quite good. The maximum volume you can reach is altogether startling, and a special outdoor mode makes that sound travel even farther. It produces a lot of bass, at times enough to cause some buzzing.

Generally when cranked up all the way, I didn’t hear a lick of distortion from my music. Fugoo lists the speaker as having 39 watts of audio power, with 19 watts per speaker, and create 97 decibels of sound pressure. This is powerful enough to fill a campsite, compete with noise of a speedboat, or the engine of an ATV, or whatever other crazy situation you may find yourself in.

This bad boy is rated IP67 for protection against dust and water, which translates to being submerged up to 3 feet for 30 minutes. I don’t exactly go skydiving every day, so a lot of the Fugoo Tough XL’s ruggedness is lost on me. Most days it just lived in my shower, where the most punishment it had to sustain was shampoo residue. Still, I tossed it into shallow water at the beach about a dozen times.

It has a sandy bottom, but plenty of loose rocks. This scuffed some paint, left a few dents, and the USB port cover slipped open at one point. After removing the sleeve, I noticed the cone on one of the tweeters was partially pushed in. To be fair, the Fugoo Tough XL is tested for 3-foot drops, and I was chucking it farther than that, but everything still functioned perfectly well. I have no doubt this thing could survive a few rowdy outings.

The Tough XL sleeve splits in two town the middle once you loosen 8 screws with the included Allen key. These secure four bars along the short sides. The longer ones along the bottom provide plenty of room to be attached to, say, a carabiner. The top ones are a bit skinnier, but provide room for a strap to be threaded through.

35 hours of use is downright bananas.

To that end, Fugoo offers a Hand Strap and Shoulder Strap which uses these top bars for easy carrying. Soon they’ll have an Anywhere Strap to facilitate flexible mounting using the bottom bars. Unfortunately, accessories available to the smaller Fugoo Tough aren’t out for the XL version, such as replaceable sleeves for more low-key occasions and extra mounting options.

The 37 Wh battery is rated at 35 hours of use at 50% volume, which is downright bananas. I’ve easily gone a week of casual use without needing to charge it. Even then, a full charge only takes 35 minutes with the DC plug. If for whatever reason you need the battery to last longer, you can set it to automatically turn off after a period of inactivity. The USB-A port can pump out a charge to your phone at 1 amp, which is handy, especially if you’re streaming your music. In many instances I’m plenty happy to leave my phone next to the speaker, so use the wired 3.5 mm connection instead of Bluetooth.

As great as the Fugoo Tough XL, there are a few caveats that would stop me from jumping on a purchase. For one, it’s pretty expensive; at $330, you need to be equally dedicated to music everywhere and the adventurer lifestyle. Secondly, the Fugoo Tough XL is big (13 inches across) and heavy (over 4.5 pounds). Those qualities are largely out of necessity for impressive sound and protection, but it does limit your ability to bring it around casually. My outdoorsiness is limited, but I can easily imagine road warriors going out every weekend of the summer who would get good mileage out of the Fugoo Tough XL, regardless of the amount of space it takes up.

The Fugoo Tough XL is the hardest Bluetooth speaker I’ve come across.

Lastly, there’s a distinct lack of software tie-ins. Supporting phones can apparently show the battery level, but I’ve only had luck doing that with iOS. By comparison, Jawbone’s companion app lets you do all sorts of customization to their speakers wirelessly. Needing to install a PC app to sideload updates over the micro USB port is a hassle (though not uncommon with Bluetooth speakers).

Those are minor nitpicks in the grand scheme of things. The Fugoo Tough XL is the hardest Bluetooth speaker I’ve come across, and delivers clear, high-quality sound. Anyone who qualifies their life as “high-octane” will want to give this a shot.

See at Amazon

First comparison: Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge

What’s the difference between the Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy S7?

The Galaxy Note 7 isn’t part of the Galaxy S series in name, but it sure is in spirit. The latest Note has a ton of high-end specs and features, but most of them can be found in the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge that were announced some six months earlier.

The specs are nearly identical, the cameras are the same and most features are shared — so where are the actual differences between these three phones? Let us explain.

On the inside

We’re all pretty familiar with the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, and so much is shared internally between these three phones that it makes more sense to simply focus on the differences — let’s get to it.

The biggest notable differences between the three are screen size, where the Note 7 tops out at 5.7-inches, the Galaxy S7 edge is 5.5-inches and the Galaxy S7 is a relatively small 5.1-inches. They all have the same screen technology and resolution, meaning you’re getting an awesome display on each one.

Different screen, battery and storage sizes

Further, you’ll find 64GB of storage on the Galaxy Note 7, compared with 32GB in the other phones, though all three have a microSD card slot that can handle up to 2TB cards … once they become available. The Note 7 has a larger battery than its predecessor at 3500 mAh, but that’s a touch smaller than the Galaxy S7 edge’s 3600 mAh (remember, you need room for the S Pen) — they both beat the Galaxy S7’s 3000 mAh.

You’ll also see a USB-C port on the bottom of the Note 7, while the other phones are stuck on last-gen Micro-USB connectors. That doesn’t make a difference in terms of charging, though: all three make use of Samsung’s Fast Charge tech, which is compatible with Quick Charge 2.0 accessories. You also get both Qi and Powermat wireless charging.

And now, a full breakdown of how the specs line up:

On the outside

Externally, the similarities are very clear. You’re looking at the same glass-and-metal combination across the three, though Samsung has tweaked the formula a bit on the Note 7. You’ll find tighter corners around the Note 7, leading into a frame that’s symmetrical with the same glass curve on the screen as the back glass. Though the Galaxy Note 7 and S7 edge both have curved “edge screens,” the Note 7’s curves are much smaller and tightly curved, increasing usability with fewer accidental touches. The Note 7 has the latest Gorilla Glass 5 covering both sides as well, decreasing the chances of cracking from drops.

There are extremely subtle design changes sprinkled all around this hardware

The Note 7 also has a couple new color options to differentiate from the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, including an all-black color that anodizes the metal frame a deep black color to match the front and back, and a “blue coral” combo with a bright blue front and back accentuated by a pinkish coral metal.

You’ll also notice a couple of extra holes up at the top of the Note 7 flanking the earpiece — they’re used for the new iris scanning technology. An infrared light on the left and a secondary camera on the right are capable of reading your irises to give you access to secure data on the phone.

More comparisons coming

As we spend more time with the Galaxy Note 7, we’ll be evaluating exactly how it stacks up against the other leading Galaxy phones of the year. In the meantime, you can catch up with our Galaxy note 7 coverage, and get back up to speed with everything we’ve done with the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge!

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 hands-on preview
• The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
• Here are all four Note 7 colors
• Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
• The Galaxy Note 7 uses USB-C
• Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!

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Sprint

OnePlus 3 will be temporarily unavailable in many European countries starting August 9

OnePlus has announced some changes that will be taking place on the OnePlus 3 availability in parts of Europe, and the news is not what you want to hear. From August 9 to September 12, OnePlus will temporarily pause availability in various countries like France, Greece, Ireland, Italy and others. The company says it needs to take this course of action because of an overwhelming response and the lack of invites to control it this time around.

From OnePlus:

You might have noticed that when you place an order for the OnePlus 3, the estimated shipping date kept getting longer as time went by. The reason for this is simple. We were confident in the OnePlus 3 when it launched, but sales in mainland Europe have been way better than what we expected. Therefore, we’ve decided to temporarily pause sales in some countries in order to give inventory time to replenish.

Sales for the following regions will be temporarily paused on oneplus.net from August 9th 0:00 (CEST) until September 12th 23:59 (CEST):
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. Sales in Hong Kong will also be paused during this time frame.

If you live in one of these areas, odds are you are not excited by the news. Unfortunately things happen, and we will let you know as soon as OnePlus resumes the sales.

YouTube Kids app now works with YouTube Red to offer ad-free videos

Google has announced that its YouTube Kids app now works with its paid YouTube Red service in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. It now allows videos on the apps to no longer show ads, among other features.

In a blog post, Google says that parents who sign up for YouTube Red will now be able to access these features in the YouTube Kids app:

• Ad-free videos: Let your kids learn and laugh along with their favorite characters without paid ads.
• videos: In the car or on grandma’s couch—always have videos when you need ’em, even if you don’t have a connection.
• Uninterrupted music: Keep family sing-alongs going while you use other apps on your phone.

YouTube Red costs $9.99 a month with a free 30-day trial. Google added that is working to add more features to YouTube Kids in the near future “that’ll give parents more choice on how to customize the content that appears or doesn’t appear in their YouTube Kids experience.”

Be the worst of the worst with these Suicide Squad wallpapers

We’ve had a lot of superheroes in the last few years. Here’s to something very, very different!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s been damn near impossible to avoid the Suicide Squad in the last few months — just watch the ridiculous set stories Comic Con remix I can’t take off repeat. Suicide Squad is DC’s answer to Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool, and while Suicide Squad wallpapers are harder to come by than the millions of Batman or Deadpool walls out there, we’ve got a bit of help this week in that the artwork for this film has been kinda incredible.

Let’s get bad, shall we?

Harley Quinn by s2lart

Maybe it’s the contrasting textures between the fishnets and Margot Roobie’s sculpted legs or the subtle detailing like the symbols for each member under the logo, but this poster by graphic artist s2lart is phenomenal. You may not want to put it on your work phone, but this simple poster is a simple delight and I adore it on my home screen.

Harley Quinn by s2lart

Captain Boomerang by ColourOnly85

Captain Boomerang is rude, crude, and less useful on the squad than most of the super-powered members roped into the mission at hand, but he serves up a lot of humor and attitude in a dark, dark film that’s gonna need a lot of both. And his trademark swagger is being delivered by Aussie actor Jai Courtney, so bring him on. We’d join him for a beer… just lock up anything valuable or tossable first…

Captain Boomerang by ColourOnly85

Harley’s Tattoo Parlor

At SXSW this year, WB set up a fully-functioning tattoo parlor and offered free temporary and permanent tattoos for our favorite DC badasses. The film also tweeted posters featuring these tattoos, and their muted color pallette and brought a brilliant insight into each of the film’s characters, even Enchantress and Rick Flag, who were left out of a lot of the film’s promotional materials….

Harley’s Tattoo Parlor

Amanda Waller

The brains behind Task Force X is a devious and possible souless woman by the name of Amanda Waller. In the words of her actress Viola Davis, Waller completely lacks remorse, and is ‘ready to pick up a gun and shoot anybody at will’. This is a stone cold killer and a master tactician, frequently going toe-to-toe with Batman and other brilliant minds throughout the DC universe in the name of control and good old American dominance.

Amanda Waller

Official Suicide Squad Posters

Suicide Squad has a lot of characters to fit on their posters, so they’ve given everyone (except Waller, sadly) their own acid-washed stylized skull poster to rock with their own distinct flair. While the colors may make you feel like you dropped acid when you look at your phone, you can’t deny they’re powerful designs and remind us that while in other superpowered movies there are people we consider ‘safe’… no one is safe in a Suicide Squad movie.

Suicide Squad Posters

What Suicide Squad member do you roll with? Are you looking forward to catching Suicide Squad in theaters tomorrow night? Who else misses Harley’s old costume?! Sing out in the comments, and excuse me as I go put Sucker for Pain on a loop. Again.

1Password launches subscription service, offers first six months for free

AgileBits has announced a new subscription service for its 1Password suite of password management apps. The cost of the service will be $2.99 a month and, from now until September 21, you can get the first six months for free.

In a blog post, AgileBits stated that this new offering will give individuals the same features that it included in its 1Password Families and 1Password Teams services earlier this year. They include:

• Built-in automatic sync across all devices
• Data loss protection
• Web access to your data on 1Password.com
• Item History for restoring deleted or changed items
• Secure Document storage
• Brand new multi-factor security model

It also includes free updates and upgrades for all 1Password apps. The free six-month trial does not require adding a credit card to access it.

Sign up for a 1Password account

Dropbox’s Document Editing Tool ‘Paper’ Launches iOS App and Begins Open Beta

Dropbox today announced the expansion of its collaborative document editing service “Paper” onto mobile devices running iOS and Android. Paper originally required an invitation to join its beta, but the company is now also opening up access to anyone who’s interested in trying out the service, either on desktop or mobile.

Paper lets work teams tackle projects at the same time, within a singular document, and even embed videos, images, and more to create successful projects. With feedback from its first beta users, Dropbox has introduced a few new feature updates to Paper as well: image galleries are easier to create and edit with drag-and-drop functionality, both web and mobile apps now have notifications, and Paper’s search has been boosted “to help you quickly find the docs you need.”

“From a strategy perspective, Paper’s right at the center [of Dropbox],” Dropbox project manager Kavitha Radhakrishnan said. “We’re looking at Paper as being a core part of the Dropbox experience, and our momentum over the last year should be a pretty strong signal about how seriously we’re taking this.”

In an in-depth dive taken by Engadget, Paper’s new iOS app positioned itself as a mobile companion to its desktop counterpart. With the app, users will be able to read notifications, check out which team member is editing and participating in what document, and respond to direct messages sent their way, but any robust editing or creation tools are left out of the mobile app. Still, “basic document editing features” will allow for quick text and image edits, and the app even automatically saves any document marked as a favorite so it can be worked on and edited offline.

Dropbox is encouraging anyone interested to sign up for the open beta of Paper today, as well as downloading the free app from the iOS App Store [Direct Link] and Google Play Store.

Tag: Dropbox
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