Google Play Store makes 10 times less revenue per device than the App Store

The App Store made $0.34 more revenue per download in Q1 2018.

It’s rather commendable just how much better the Google Play Store is compared to the Android Market we had a few years back, and while Google’s now on a more even playing field with Apple than ever before, there’s still one area where the App Store reigns supreme — revenue.

According to Morgan Stanley Research, the Apple Store Store makes around four times more in net revenue from apps and games compared to the Play Store. Switch things over to money made on a per-device basis, and the App Store dominates Google even more with ten times as much revenue.

In Q1 2018, the App Store saw $0.44 in revenue per download while the Play Store made only $0.10. Alternatively, $5.08 was generated per device with the App Store during Q1 compared to only $0.47 with the Play Store.

Apple’s seen a growth of over 119% in revenue earned from the App Store over the last four years, and while the Play Store’s made progress as well, its revenue’s only climbed by around 14% during that same time.

Apple has a big advantage here thanks to its closed-source nature, and while these numbers don’t really affect you and me, it is fascinating to see how much of a discrepancy there really is between the two software marketplaces.

How often do you spend money on the Play Store?

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The Acer Chromebook 13 Spin could be the Pixelbook for the masses

Acer has been making Chromebooks for a long time. The company is really good at it. But 2018 is proving to be when Acer turns a corner and aims to be the name you look to when you want anything that runs Google’s Chrome OS.

And after seeing the company’s latest, I think they may very well succeed.

The Chromebook 13 Spin is the Chromebook most Pixelbook buyers should purchase.

In particular, I’m talking about the Chromebook 13 Spin in case the title didn’t give it away. It’s not what you think of when you hear Chromebook. The 13 Spin takes design cues from Samsung’s Chromebook Plus and Google’s Pixelbook yet keeps Acer’s traditional industrial look and feel, and includes the hardware that makes the Chromebook 13 Spin the perfect alternative to the Pixelbook for many of us. The $1,000 price tag is not included and that makes the Chromebook 13 Spin the power-user model most of us should be buying.

Not your average Chromebook

You don’t need to include the latest and greatest components inside a Chromebook. ARM processors, traditionally found in mobile devices like phones and tablets, are a staple and perform admirably. Likewise with large amounts of RAM — you’ll find most Chromebooks ship with 2 GB or 4GB and that’s all they really need. The list goes on and high-resolution 3:2 displays or large desktop-class amounts of storage just aren’t the norm. Chromebooks are usually an inexpensive alternative to a Windows PC because of the price.

This is because of how Chrome OS works. It’s an operating system written from the ground up to be lightweight, have excellent resource management, yet still provide a complete application platform. Software engineers have learned a lot in the past 20 years, and Chrome as a platform is very well optimized — the full Chrome browser runs better on a Chromebook with low-end specs that it will on a powerful gaming PC. That’s because the operating system stays out of the way.

But when those high-end parts are included, as they are on the Chromebook 13 Spin, a Chromebook becomes a completely different beast.

The Chromebook 13 Spin mixes Acer’s beautiful premium laptop design with current generation components — this is not your normal Chromebook.

The 13 Spin’s base hardware is impressive by Chromebook standards. Starting with its 13.5-inch 2256 x 1504 IPS display with a 3:2 aspect ratio, the Spin is built for performance. Pair a display at that quality with an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 or Core i3 processor, up to 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM, and 128GB of eMMC storage and you have a laptop that is as powerful as most Windows or Apple laptops and just as capable.

The Spin also has a 2-in-1 design that allows you to flip the keyboard back and use it like a tablet. This follows Google’s lead that turns a Chromebook into the best Android tablet you can buy and brings a whole new way to be productive or have some fun. There is even support for a Wacom stylus you can use with hundreds of applications to take notes, annotate pictures or create digital artwork. The Chromebook 13 Spin truly is the complete package for almost any Chrome power user.

Prepared for the future!

Acer has built a Chromebook like this in preparation for what comes next. Google announced support for Linux applications to run securely and seamlessly inside Chrome at Google I/O 2019, and that brings potential support for thousands of intensive, professional-grade applications. This includes outstanding titles for industrial, engineering, medical, and graphic arts use as well as thousands upon thousands of more mainstream applications. Support starts in beta form for the Pixelbook, but Google says that other 64-bit Intel powered Chromebooks with specs able to keep up is planned shortly afterwards.

What makes the Chromebook 13 Spin exceptional is not the specs — it’s the retail price.

What really makes the Chromebook 13 Spin stand out though, is the price tag. With hardware that rivals Google’s Pixelbook and Acer’s sleek premium laptop design, you would expect to see similar pricing. The Pixelbook starts at a cool $999 and the pen is an additional $99. We don’t know the final pricing for the Chromebook 13 Spin just yet and do expect it to be higher than most other Chromebooks, but nowhere near Google’s $1,100 total pricing for the Pixelbook and pen. It’s reasonable, and expected, that you’ll save hundreds with the Chromebook 13 Spin compared to the Pixelbook.

It could be the Chromebook we’ve been asking for

We’re not going to question the idea of a company like Acer building a Chromebook with these specs. That’s something our entire Chromebook team here at AC has been asking for since the unveiling of the original Chromebook Pixel. We’ve seen other models come close — Samsung’s Chromebook Pro and ASUS’ Flip C302 come to mind — and hope we see those refreshed with current-generation components, too. We do know there is room for such an animal in the Chrome landscape, and we can’t wait to get our hands on a Chromebook 13 Spin to verify that this is the one.

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Verizon cancels plans to create its own TV streaming service

The company will instead integrate its own content with an existing service.

In mid-January, a report popped up claiming that Verizon was working on its own Internet-based TV streaming service to compete with the likes of Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, and others. According to a Yahoo! Finance interview, however, it looks like these plans have been canceled.

Commenting on the company’s intention to create a TV service, CEO Lowell McAdam said —

Our view is that we should partner with those that are in the linear game. Let them be very good at what they do. We’ll add digital content into that mix, and we’ll position ourselves for where we become more of an over-the-top video culture versus the linear model that we have today.

Verizon wants to integrate content from Oath into an existing service, and according to Lowell, a partner should be chosen for this deal soon with plans to launch by Q4 2018.

Despite this change of mind for Verizon, we’re still expecting streaming services from competitors T-Mobile and AT&T. T-Mobile acquired Layer3 in mid-December last year to kickstart its plans in this niche, and AT&T recently announced that it’ll soon come to market with a streaming plan that costs just $15/month as part of a new AT&T Watch service.

What do you think about Verizon’s decision here?

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Sony’s upcoming Days of Play promotion will bring big savings and new limited-edition hardware

Sony has announced that from June 8 through June 18 the company will be discounting nearly all of its PlayStation related products. From the PlayStation 4 Pro gaming console to PlayStation VR Bundles, exclusive game titles, and even its PlayStation Plus subscription, there are some deals here you won’t want to miss out on. After seeing success last year, the company decided to bring back its “Days of Play” promotion, which not only slashes some prices for you but also includes a new limited edition PlayStation 4.

This year, the limited-edition console features a Days of Play blue color with the iconic four PlayStation button symbols placed on the top in a gold color. It comes with a matching DualShock 4 controller, and will only be available during this limited promotion.

Hardware, software, and service subscription discounts will be available from Sony and a bunch of other retailers across the U.S. and Canada during this period. The Jet Black PS4 Pro will drop to $349.99 and PlayStation VR bundles will be starting at $199.99. All colors of the DualShock 4 controller will drop to $39.99, and some gaming titles, like Farpoint and The Inpatient, will be available for $14.99.

You’ll be able to add another year to your PlayStation Plus subscription for $49.99 during this time period as well. If you haven’t checked out PlayStation Vue, the company’s streaming service, this will be a good time to do that. You’ll be able to save $10 per month off the price of the Core Plan for the first two months, making it $34.99 a month instead of $44.99.

It’s not immediately clear which retailers will have these price drops available, but as soon as the sale begins and we know more, we will be sure to let you know where you can get the best deals.

Fortnite for Android: Everything You Need to Know!

The hottest game of 2018 will be coming to Android in the coming months.

Fortnite has been blowing up lately. Millions of people have become obsessed with the game, both as players and just watching popular Twitch streamers play the game.

Interested to learn more about what the heck Fortnite is all about? Just keep reading.

What’s new with Fortnite?

May 18, 2018 — The Android version will be here “this summer.”

Fortnite’s iOS version has been out for a hot minute now, and to ensure the experience is as good as can be, Epic outlined a heap of improvements coming to the game — including a customizable HUD, voice chat, improved controls, and more.

You can read through all the changes here, but the most exciting news has to do with Fortnite’s Android release. Epic notes that the game will be here “this summer”, and while that’s not as specific as we’d like, it’s still a step in the right direction.

May 4, 2018 — Season 4 has begun, but still no word on Android app release date.

While we patiently wait for Epic Games to finish the Android version of the game, the game itself continues to evolve with the start of Season 4.

The latest update for the game started out with a bang, with a meteorite crashing into the Dusty Depot on the map and introducing a new upgrade called Hop Rocks that, when consumed, let you jump and float in the air, defying gravity. Other changes have come to the map and you can learn all about it from our friends from iMore.

Meanwhile, still no word on a firm release date for Android. We’re sure Epic Games is eager to get Android users in on the fun, but until then you can sign up for your Epic Games account and let them know which phone you’re planning to play on.

Sign up for Fortnite Mobile

What is Fortnite?

Fortnite is what would happen if you combined two of the most addictive games out there — Minecraft and PUBG.

Fortnite offers a free 100-player Player Vs Player (PvP) Battle Royale game mode. Just like PUBG, you’re dropped onto the large island map and must arm yourself and outlive your competition. But in Fortnite, you always start out armed with a pickaxe which can be used as a melee weapon or for harvest raw supplies for building walls, ramps, and shelters.

It certainly adds extra layers of strategy to the format, creating essentially a perfect storm of addictive gaming action that’s as fun to watch as it is to play. Oh, speaking of storms all the action takes place in the eye of a deadly electrical storm meaning you can’t just hunker down and hide out the whole game. You got to keep moving.

How do you play the game?

Just like PUBG, your goal is to be the last man standing — with up to 100 players involved in each match, that’s no small task.

Each game starts with the players jumping out of the flying “Battle Bus” and parachuting down onto a giant island. Once landed, you must loot nearby buildings for items, guns, and ammo to defend yourself and attack other players.

You also need to keep an eye on the map, as every few minutes the storm closes in on the play area. If you’re caught in the storm, you slowly die so you do not want to forget to regularly check where you are on the map. Eventually, the play constricts to a tiny area for the final showdown between the remaining players — there can only be one winner!

Unlike PUBG, you’re able to carry more than two guns. Instead, you’re limited to the number of weapons and items you can carry at one time. Also, guns are color coded to denote their rarity — from grey (common) to orange (legendary) — and the rarer the gun, the deadlier it is.

Then there’s the crafting element. Every player starts out with a pickaxe which can be used as a melee weapon or used to break down trees and buildings to harvest the raw resources. You can then use these raw resources to build your own structures, whether it be a defensive wall to provide cover from an advancing enemy, a set of stairs to reach the second floor of a building or your own watchtower to snipe players from across the map. The resources you mine will determine the strength. Steel is stronger than brick, which is stronger than wood.

When will it be available for Android?

Fortnite has been available for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 for a few months now, and is now widely available on iOS devices after a brief invite-only beta.

There have been no firm dates set for an Android release by Fortnite’s developer, Epic Games, but they have said to expect support for Android to come in the next few months. For now, Android users can head on over to Epic Games, log in or create your Fortnite Account, and then let the developers know which device you plan to play on which will also add you to the mailing list to be informed when the game eventually drops.

Until then, at least we’ve got PUBG to tide us over.

Yeah, but I found this site that offered an APK file for…

Stop. The game is not out for Android yet, so any website you see offering a version of Fortnite for Android is a scam.

Since Epic Games announced the Summer release window for Fortnite on Android, a bunch of fake websites have popped up claiming to offer an early version of the APK. I’m not going to link to them but unless you see an announcement from Epig Games themselves or we report it here, don’t fall for the scam.

If you want to be notified from the developers as soon as the game is available, you can sign up at the Fortnite Mobile website.

Will it be free to play?

Epic Games has so far released the PvP Battle Royale game for free across all platforms including the mobile version for iOS. The console version also has a paid game mode called Save The World that’s Player vs Environment (PvE). Save The World plays more like Minecraft, where you’re harvesting more resources and stocking up on loot to survive waves of AI enemies in a sort of tower defense-style of gameplay.

The PvE mode will not be available in Fortnite Mobile due to CPU limitations and, frankly, it’s the PvP mode that everyone is crazy for so that’s quite alright with us.

However, the mobile version will offers in-app purchases for cosmetic items to customize your player and people sure have been buying stuff. According to this report from Sensor Tower analtyics, Fortnite Mobile players spent more than $1 million during the first 72 hours of its release on iOS. Wow.

So, to answer the question, you have the option to spend money on Fortnite if you want a cool looking character, but the game is free to play and you won’t need to pay to win.

Will there be support for Bluetooth controls?

Epic Games has indicated that Bluetooth controller support will be coming later, but as of right now only touchscreen controls are available.

Is it cross-platform?

Epic Games have indicated that you will be able to play Fortnite across all platforms. Your Fortnite profile can be connected to all the platforms you play on so you can add to your stats however you connect to the game.

Don’t be worried about getting mismatched as the one mobile player in a server of PC and console players. If you’re playing solo on mobile, you will only be matched up against other mobile players. If you join a squad with friends playing on another platform, then that squad will be matched against a multi-platform population, essentially making cross-platform play opt-in.

• Learn more about Fortnite Mobile

Are you hyped for Fortnite?

We’ll be sure to let you know when the game launches for Android. Until then, you can create your Epic Games account and start playing on one of the other platforms to start getting a handle on the game

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These discounted Greenworks outdoor tools will help you have the nicest yard on the block

Keep your lawn looking top-notch.

Amazon is running a one-day sale on a bunch of Greenworks outdoor power tools, including string trimmers, blowers, cultivators, and more. These are all battery-powered tools, some of which include the battery and others don’t. Spring may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean your lawn doesn’t still need some care for a few more months.

You can grab this 20-inch mower for $235.58 with a battery or $211.49 without. Be sure to keep your property edges looking fresh with a new string trimmer for $122.48, and clean up after yourself with a cordless jet blower for $96.75.

There’s also chainsaws, cultivators, and even garden carts on sale today as well.

Be sure to check out the whole sale now, before it ends.

See at Amazon

Elago Launches ‘Wrist Fit’ Accessory to Store Your AirPods on Your Apple Watch Band

Elago, the company that previously launched the W3 Stand to turn an Apple Watch into a classic Macintosh, this week announced the “Wrist Fit” for Apple’s AirPods. The $14.99 Wrist Fit is a small silicone strap that slides onto an Apple Watch band, providing two small slots where you can store your AirPods and reach them with ease.

The company says that Wrist Fit is compatible with “most” Apple Watch bands, like the Sport Band, Sport Loop, Classic Band, Leather Loop, and more. It also promises that the accessory will “securely” hold your AirPods so that they will “not get loose or slide out over time.”

Lightweight and slim fitting. Perfect place to store your AirPods while you work out or when you run out of battery.

Hold your AirPods securely. It does not get loose or slide out over time. Keep your AirPods close at all times!

The Wrist Fit provides two options for carrying AirPods on your wrist: you can use the included black silicone strap to only carry the AirPods, or take off the small silicone attachment and slide it onto a compatible Apple Watch band. Elago says the attachment fits both 38mm and 42mm Apple Watch bands.

Elago has a few other AirPods-related accessories, including a Waterproof Hang Case, Silicone Case, Leather Case, Carrying Clip, EarPads, and more. The company also has a colorful line of Duo Cases for AirPods that lets users switch out parts of the case to add a hint of personalization to the AirPods Charging Case.

Following the success of the W3 Stand, Elago released the M4 Stand to make an iPhone 7, 6s, or 6 look like an old Macintosh computer from 1984. Similar to the Apple Watch accessory, the M4 Stand lets users slide their iPhone into the side of the silicone housing, and a pass-through rail underneath the stand allows for Lightning cable organization.

In terms of price, the W3 Stand is currently $9.99 on Amazon and the M4 Stand is $25.99 on Amazon (both in “Classic White”). More recently, Elago debuted the W4 Stand to mimic Apple’s colorful iMac G3 line of computers from 1998.

For now, the Wrist Fit only appears to be available on Amazon in the United States, and it’s running for $14.99.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4Tags: Elago, AirPodsBuyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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HomePod Launching in Canada, France, and Germany on June 18

Apple today announced that its HomePod speaker will be available in Canada, France, and Germany on June 18, according to BuzzFeed News.

The smart speaker originally launched in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, with orders going live on January 26 ahead of a February 9 debut. At the time, Apple announced that HomePod would launch in France and Germany “this spring”.

Pricing and other details should be available shortly.

Related Roundup: HomePodTags: Canada, France, GermanyBuyer’s Guide: HomePod (Buy Now)
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iOS 11.4 Launching Today With AirPlay 2 and Messages in iCloud, HomePod to Get Multi-Room Audio And Stereo Pairing

Apple today announced that iOS 11.4 will be publicly released today with support for AirPlay 2 and Messages in iCloud.

The news was first reported by BuzzFeed News, which appears to have published ahead of Apple’s embargo time, so iOS 11.4 isn’t available just yet. The software update should be available shortly after 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

AirPlay 2 support will enable multi-room audio and stereo pairing on HomePods and other compatible speakers. When you add a HomePod to more than one room, for example, the speakers will instantly communicate with each other, allowing users to play the same music everywhere or different songs in different rooms.

More details to follow…

Related Roundup: HomePodBuyer’s Guide: HomePod (Buy Now)
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Elgato Announces New HomeKit-Enabled Eve Aqua and Eve Flare Lamp

Elgato today announced the launch of two new HomeKit-enabled accessories, the Eve Aqua and the Eve Flare.

The Eve Aqua is a HomeKit-enabled smart water controller, timer, and usage meter that’s designed to control your sprinklers. With Eve Aqua, you can control your sprinklers or other irrigation system using the Eve app, the Home app, or Siri voice commands.

There is an auto shutoff feature so you can enable the Eve Aqua via a voice command and then trust it to shut off after a period of time. Like other Eve products, the Eve Aqua connects to a HomeKit setup using Bluetooth.

Using HomeKit timers and automations, you can create autonomous schedules for your sprinkler system with the Eve app, and if you have an iPad, Apple TV, or HomePod as a home hub you can control your outdoor irrigation while away from home.

In addition to offering control over your water system, the Eve Aqua is able to track water consumption based on an irrigation system’s flow rate, with the information visible in the Eve app.

The Eve Aqua is UV and water resistant and can be left connected up to your irrigation system all the time.

Elgato’s new Eve Aqua is priced at $99.95 and can be pre-ordered from the Elgato website in the United States starting today.

Along with the Eve Aqua, Elgato is also debuting the Eve Flare, a HomeKit-enabled portable LED lamp that’s available exclusively in Europe.

The Bluetooth-enabled Eve Flare is a round multi-colored indoor/outdoor lamp that’s water resistant and able to offer six hours of illumination. It charges wirelessly and features a carry and hang handle. Like other HomeKit-enabled lamps, it can be controlled through Siri voice commands or through the Home app, and it can be set to any color of the rainbow.

Elgato is making the Eve Flare available for pre-order in Europe starting today for 99 euros.

Tags: HomeKit, Elgato, Eve
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