How Many Apps Do You Need?

Having bought a  new smartphone (Moto X - yes, I love it!) I considered what apps, if any to install. My new smartphone came with all the needed functionality of Google services, and as a result, I have installed no apps. I didn't need to--with responsive design of websites for the mobile web, and continuing progress of HTML5, I've yet to find one application I need to install. I just bookmark the site, and if use frequently, add the bookmark to home screen. Easy, and doesn't waste battery power and other smartphone resources! Now if you are a teenager, it might be a different case --

"For the past five years, we have watched mobile disrupt every industry, in every country, and continue to break its own records year after year," Flurry CEO Simon Khalaf wrote in a blog post. "What is surprising, however, is that the rate of growth (of messaging and social apps) dramatically outpaced other popular categories. This type of growth could explain the high valuation Facebook has allegedly put on SnapChat, or Facebook’s rush to add direct messaging in Instagram, an app frequented by teens." Messaging, social apps drive 115 percent surge in mobile app usage | ZDNet

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Are We Running Out of Spectrum? (video)

Are We Running Out of Spectrum? Wireless companies say that smartphones are threatening to overwhelm their networks, and are asking the government for help. But some experts maintain that technology already has the answers.

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Good News for Android Users

China finally figured out what the EU and US did quite a while ago--the Google-Motorola Mobility deal is good for everybody except maybe Apple and RIM (BlackBerry):

China Approves Google Acquisition of Motorola Mobility | PCWorld: " . . . A Google spokeswoman confirmed the deal was approved early Saturday and that it should close within the week. Motorola Mobility ships phones and tablets with Google's Android operating system. The close of the deal means that Google has a hardware manufacturing arm with which it can closely work to develop Android. Google will also have control of Motorola's massive patent portfolio. Motorola Mobility has said that it owns or has applied for more than 24,000 patents. The deal has already been approved by antitrust authorities in the U.S. and Europe. Chinese authorities have approved the deal on condition that Google keep Android free and available to other mobile device manufacturers for five years, according to a source close to the deal. . ."

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