By Nitasha Tiku 10/10/11 4:04pm

Pics or It Didn't Happen

Mr. Muchnick, right, with some unidentified broad.

CEO Avi Muchnick on Why Aviary Distanced Itself from Flash and Pivoted Towards Mobile

Aviary, the  Made in NYC startup behind a robust suite of editing software,  announced the release of an iPad SDK today. It’s been just a few weeks since Aviary launched its mobile SDK. But as AllThingsD reports, the iPad SDK as well as several new API extensions represents a big pivot away from Flash.

In fact, although Aviary started out by bringing Adobe-esque multimedia editing to Web browsers via Flash, CEO Avi Muchnick says Aviary will no longer be adding to that tool set and will instead focusing on mobile. “It wasn’t part of the road map for the company,”Mr. Muchnick told Betabeat. After watching mobile  grow to 50 percent of overall Aviary usage in just a few weeks, it appears the company is onto something big. Read More

By Ben Popper 8/23/11 8:31am

Get Smart(Phones)

The big green monster is growing

Android and iOS Extend Their Lead on RIM and Windows

Google’s surprise purchase of Motorola led a lot of pundits to declare that the window was now open for Microsoft and RIM. They could forge partnerships with some of the manufacturers and carriers who would be wary of allying with a Google that was planning to build its own phone. But the raw data paints a grim picture for the also-rans in the smartphone world.

John Paczkowski at All Things D posted this chart from NPD showing the change in market share when it comes to the smartphones consumers are buying. Android has solidified a massive lead with 52 percent of the market, up from 33 percent this time last year. Apple is the clear second place with 29 percent, up from 22 percent in 2010. Blackberry saw its share dip from 28 percent to just 11 percent. And poor Microsoft saw its last place gap widen, as it fell from 0 percent to just four percent. Read More

By Guest Post 7/29/11 8:09am

Android Agony

What has become of me?

Why My Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

This is a guest post by Ben Duchac. You can find his work here.

The other day I bought the newest, fanciest flagship Android phone for my mother and it was an unmitigated disaster. She has an iPhone now, which she loves, and when I read that 30-40 percent of Android devices are being returned, I honestly wasn’t surprised.

With a user experience as bad as I saw on a brand new Android device, I’m considering an iOS device for my next phone, and I’m a big Android fanboy and proud PC owner. Of course, that 40 percent number is very hard to verify and I’d guess that it’s a bit of an exaggeration – but still, something is rotten in Android town. Read More

By Ben Popper 4/04/11 3:40pm

Ecosystem Play

fight debate conflict

Android vs Apple – Investor vs Developer

There has been an interesting little debate going on between two New York heavyweights over which mobile operating system is the best platform on which to build a new business. The dispute reveals the dichotomy between different poles in the tech industry when it comes to the future of mobile.  Read More