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<br /> <keyword id="1956517" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Paisa-Swipe">Paisa Swipe</keyword>, India’s No.1 <keyword id="2003312" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mobile-lockscreen">mobile lockscreen</keyword> ad and <keyword id="1659188" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="content-discovery">content discovery</keyword> network, has raised $350K from US-based angel investors, sources told Business Insider India. The eight-month-old start-up will use the <keyword id="6357455" type="EVENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Funding">funding</keyword> to launch its <keyword id="1335034" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Windows-app">Windows app</keyword> by March 2014. In October last year, the start-up launched its <keyword id="956764" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Android-app">Android app</keyword> (http://bit.ly/1cqWVim) in beta and one can download it for free from <keyword id="963171" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google-Play">Google Play</keyword>.<br />
 <br /> Last we checked, total downloads at Google Play stood at 35,000 and the rating was 4.2 out of 5. According to <keyword id="170488" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="co-founder">co-founder</keyword> and India head <keyword id="1956519" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Revanth-Mittapalli">Revanth Mittapalli</keyword>, the app is currently seeing 1,000 downloads a day, has crossed 20 million ad impressions and is witnessing at least 600,000 ad impressions per day. The company is also eyeing expansion in five more countries in order to grow its user base.<br />
 <br /> The <keyword id="940588" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="mobile-ad-network">mobile ad network</keyword> was founded in May 2013 by a global team of three with expertise in the mobile business. CEO <keyword id="1956515" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jian-Tam">Jian Tam</keyword> has extensive experience in digital marketing and prior to Paisa Swipe, he had played a key role in setting up two other companies. Director <keyword id="1956516" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chris-Marshall">Chris Marshall</keyword> has studied in London School of Economics and specialises in the wireless space. Earlier, he held leadership roles at three companies and one of them, AePONA, was sold to Intel. Revanth Mittapalli is the India head with focus on digital marketing and four years of industry experience. The start-up has headquarters in Hyderabad and New York.<br />
 <br />
So what’s unique about this start-up? As mentioned in our earlier <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/This-Mobile-AdNetwork-Lets-You-Control-What-You-See-Pays-For-Ad-Viewing/articleshow/26583316.cms">coverage</a>, Paisa Swipe not only connects brands, content and consumers, but also pays mobile users for viewing the ads. All you need to do is log in and provide more information about your interest areas. Now every time you turn on your phone, an advertisement appears on your lockscreen, related to your interests. The ‘earning’ part is also easy. If you like the content, simply ‘swipe’ it to learn more and you will get paid by the Paisa Swipe advertisers.<br />
 <br /> As of now, each member gets up to 60 paise per ad display, but the monthly earning cannot exceed Rs 300. But people can earn even more and win <keyword id="2003297" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Referral-prizes">referral prizes</keyword> if their friends sign up. These include cool prizes such as movie tickets, electronics, vacation packages and more. When the ‘encashment’ point (Rs 50) is reached, one can use the amount to cash out at <keyword id="1105324" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Freecharge-in">Freecharge.in</keyword>, which offers recharge services for mobile, DTH and data cards. You can also donate to charity with the money you earn here.<br />
 <br /> In spite of overall positive response, Paisa Swipe has also drawn flak for copycating <keyword id="5565" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="South-Korea">South Korea</keyword>’s <keyword id="2003304" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Cash-Slide">Cash Slide</keyword> that runs a similar app. However, we must not forget two things in this context.<br />
 <br /> Blindly cloning a successful business does not guarantee success. Instead, much depends on the contextualisation of the concept and finally, the execution. Berlin-based <keyword id="1965711" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Rocket-Internet-GmbH">Rocket Internet GmbH</keyword>, a venture arm of the Samwer brothers and known for cloning several successful online business models of the US in other markets, could be a case in point here. Although Rocket-backed start-ups at home and abroad are famous for their fast and furious cash burn, none is close to profitability yet and some ventures like Gurgaon-based 21Diamonds had been shut down. In contrast, Paisa Swipe has kept a close tab on the market pulse and is evolving accordingly – crucial factors that lead to success. Much of it will also depend on growing the user base and tying up with big brands. Once that is done, it will be interesting to watch if the US angels-backed <keyword id="1948071" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-start-up">Indian start-up</keyword> can make successful foray into global markets.

Mobile Ad Network Paisa Swipe Raises
Funding From US Angels, To Launch Windows App

<ul><li><strong>The Poco F3 GT is the latest flagship smartphone from the company.</strong></li><li><strong>It is Poco’s return to form, promising to deliver great value for money just like the company’s first phone, the Poco F1.</strong></li><li><strong>Poco has tried to strike a good balance between price, performance and overall desirability of the F3 GT. Does it succeed? Read our review to find out.</strong></li></ul><br />For long, Poco fans have been yearning for a true successor to the Poco F1, the company’s first smartphone that launched back in 2018. The Poco F3 GT, the latest smartphone from the stable of the Chinese smartphone maker, promises to deliver the goods to Poco fans and gaming enthusiasts alike.<br /><br />Since the Poco F1’s launch in 2018, the now-independent smartphone maker has launched several smartphones across the budget and mid-range segments. However, most of them have failed to elicit the kind of response that the Poco F1 did – one of the reasons is the price, and the other is, the phones were not targeted at gaming enthusiasts like the F1 was.<br /><br />The Poco F3 GT has a lot going for it in terms of hardware and design. The GT moniker is becoming increasingly common – the Realme GT is another smartphone that is worth a shoutout in this price segment. While this branding is just that – branding – it is intended to suggest that the companies are aiming at gaming enthusiasts.<br /><br />Poco has been subtle with its lines and hasn’t gone overboard to justify the GT moniker, but it has a couple of neat tricks up its sleeve that promise to offer more value.<br /><br />Without much ado, let’s dive into the full review of the Poco F3 GT.<br /><br /><strong>Poco F3 Gt price in India<br /></strong><br />The Poco F3 GT is priced at ₹26,999 for the 6GB + 128GB variant, ₹28,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant and ₹30,999 for the 8GB + 256GB variant. It is available on <a href="https://www.flipkart.com/poco-f3-gt-gunmetal-silver-128-gb/p/itmb891fb5c95470">Flipkart</a> in Gunmetal Silver and Predator Black color options.<br /><br />In this price range, the Poco F3 GT competes with the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/realme-x7-pro-5g-mobile-phone-performance-and-design-review/articleshow/80966967.cms">Realme X7 Pro 5G</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-nord-ce-5g-review/articleshow/83508015.cms">OnePlus Nord CE 5G</a> and the <a href="http://ews/oneplus-nord-2-mobile-phone-review/articleshow/85040249.cms">OnePlus Nord 2</a>.<br /><br /><strong>How is it to use the Poco F3 GT in day-to-day life?<br /></strong><br />Right off the bat, the Poco F3 GT makes a mark with its clean design. It has a few lines on the back to make it look a little different, and the camera module, too, is different from the bland designs that have become a little common these days.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Poco F3 GT" msid="86007058" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Poco F3 GT&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />But the biggest takeaway here is how good it feels to hold the phone. It sits very nicely in the palm and despite being a fairly large phone, it felt easy to hold and manage the phone thanks to the curved sides.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Poco F3 GT" msid="86007079" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Poco F3 GT display.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The front of the phone is dominated by the flat 6.67-inch AMOLED display. Combined with the 120Hz refresh rate, the Poco F3 GT offers a fluid experience. The MIUI experience is now cleaner than ever before and it has been optimized well, making it a breeze to use. The new control centre and notification panel, for example, does away with blurred background and odd iconography, presenting the notifications and control options clearly.<br /><br />Another key aspect of a smartphone experience is the launcher – it’s often overlooked, but given how often we interact with the homescreen and the app drawer, it is important to have a fast, smooth launcher.<br /><br />This has been improved radically over the past few iterations of MIUI. It is clean, fast and yet, customizable, and if you are a purist, you can simply disable or remove the extra fluff for a smooth, distraction-free experience.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="20210906_121226" msid="86007105" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Poco F3 GT gaming buttons.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Another interesting aspect of the Poco F3 GT is the dedicated gaming buttons on the right side of the phone. Poco calls them ‘maglev’, but essentially, these are trigger buttons that you can use while playing games. They can be toggled using their respective sliders next to the buttons. The power button is placed towards the centre on the right side, and it also doubles up as the fingerprint sensor. The volume buttons are placed on the left side.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="20210906_121146" msid="86007139" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Poco F3 GT fingerprint sensor.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Overall, all the buttons offer very good tactile feedback. The fingerprint sensor is fast and has a high success rate. The buttons are neatly tucked while still being easy to detect.<br /><br /><strong>Poco F3 GT gaming, performance and battery life<br /></strong><br />Out of the box, the Poco F3 GT offers a familiar experience if you have used a Xiaomi smartphone before. It runs on the latest Android 11 update with MIUI 12.5 on top. Overall, the user interface has been cleaned up really well and regardless of which Android smartphone you’ve used before, you should feel mostly at home on the Poco F3 GT.<br /><br />As usual, MIUI offers plenty of customization options, right from the lockscreen to the shape of the app icons. There are plenty of options to choose from for the always-on display screen as well, which is another useful feature.<br /><br />The phone does come with a few pre-installed applications, but thankfully, you can uninstall them.<br /><br />Powering the Poco F3 GT is the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset, paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The phone handles everything, from games to media apps, with ease. From app loading times to the smoothness of the user interface, everything worked well.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="20210906_121244" msid="86007154" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Poco F3 GT gaming triggers.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />I played popular games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Battlegrounds Mobile India, which the Poco F3 GT handled with ease. The gaming triggers are a nice little addition that makes the experience a little more enjoyable.<br /><br />As for the battery, the Poco F3 GT is powered by a 5,065mAh unit and supports 67W fast charging. It charges from 0-100% in less than 50 minutes, and a full charge usually lasts me an entire day of usage with ease. This includes social media, messaging, calls, streaming a few videos and a few gaming sessions.<br /><br /><strong>Poco F3 GT camera performance<br /><br /><div type="image" title="20210906_120959" msid="86007167" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Poco F3 GT rear camera.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br /></strong>The Poco F3 GT sports a triple camera setup on the back, with a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide angle snapper and a 2MP macro camera. The front has a 16MP camera for selfies and video calling. The camera app is straightforward to use, with adequate options for different shots.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Daylight" msid="86006815" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Poco F3 GT daylight image.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />In daylight conditions, the Poco F3 GT performed well for the most part, but the sharpening is slightly on the aggressive side. This tends to make images look a little artificial when zoomed in, but they are serviceable for the most part.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="lowlight sky" msid="86006845" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;An image of the sky in low light conditions.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Under challenging outdoor lighting, the Poco F3 GT tends to lose detail and the colours are a little too punchier when compared to the actual colours.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="indoor" msid="86006861" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;An image captured indoors.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Surprisingly enough, images clicked indoors come out really well even under challenging artificial light.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="FotoJet" msid="86006937" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;0.5x, 1x and 2x image in daylight.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />It is worth noting that while indoors, the primary and ultrawide angle cameras produce relatively similar colours, but the macro camera tends to lack details.<br /><br />Overall, the phone is fast enough when it comes to focusing. There are plenty of options available in the camera app, like HDR and AI modes, portrait, short video, panorama, night mode and a dedicated document mode for when you want to click a photo of a piece of paper.<br /><br /><strong>What could have been better?<br /></strong><br />The Poco F3 GT’s direct rival is the Realme X7 Max 5G, with both offering comparable performance thanks to the Dimensity 1200 chipset. Both the phones also face similar issues when it comes to camera performance, so there really isn’t a lot that sets the two phones apart.<br /><br /><strong>Should you buy the Poco F3 GT?<br /></strong><br />The Poco F3 GT fares very well when it comes to performance. The Dimensity 1200 chipset is fast enough to handle even graphic-intensive games with ease. The display quality is good, and Poco has done a good job with the way the phone feels in hand.<br /><br />MIUI is now cleaner and gets out of your way when it comes to using the phone. The large battery, 67W fast charging, a bright and smooth display and the two dedicated gaming triggers make the Poco F3 GT a very good smartphone in this price segment.<br /><br />Other phones in this price segment include the OnePlus Nord CE 5G, OnePlus Nord 2 and the Realme X7 5G.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/realme-gt-5g-mobile-phone-review/articleshow/85478447.cms">Realme GT Review — Pocketable powerhouse but not perfect</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oppo-reno-6-pro-5g-mobile-price-camera-and-other-specification-review/articleshow/84813286.cms">Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G review – buy it if you want a mid-range smartphone with some interesting camera features</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-nord-2-mobile-phone-review/articleshow/85040249.cms">OnePlus Nord 2 review — catching up to the hype</a></strong><br />

Poco F3 GT review – a return to form for Poco

<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Business Insider/Julie Bort</span></p><p class="caption">Microsoft's Julie Larson Green</p></div><p></p></div></div>Microsoft has bought a popular Android app called <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.doublelabs.androscreen.echo&amp;hl=en">Echo Notification Lockscreen</a>, which lets you personalize what appears on your phone or tablet when it's in lock mode.</p><p class="p1">This actually makes Echo the second Android lockscreen replacement that Microsoft owns.</p><p class="p1">Last year, the company's Microsoft Garage research division launched the popular <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.next&amp;hl=en">Microsoft Next lockscreen for Android</a>, which promises to provide you enough information and control at a glance that you don't have to unlock your phone nearly as much.</p><p class="p1">It may seem weird that Microsoft would have one lockscreen for Google's Android, let alone two. But Microsoft Chief Experience Officer Julie Larson-Green says it's all in the name of "[taking] productivity to the next level" and "[keeping] you in the moment."</p><p class="p1">The problem with the current default lockscreens on Apple, Android, and even Windows Phone, Larson-Green says, is that it's not at all personalized - it's just a list of alerts, one app at a time.</p><p class="p1">"It's a list of what apps want you to know, not necessarily what's important to you," Larson-Green says.</p><p class="p1">This problem falls right into her role as Chief Experience Officer, which she's held for the year or so since Satya Nadella came into the CEO role at Microsoft and shook things up. A big part of Larson-Green's mandate there is to come up with new ways for people to access their information, in ways that are both contextual and personal.</p><p class="p1">To that end, Android is a great platform for rapid experimentation, Larson-Green says. Android has lots of users (compared to Microsoft's 3% mobile market share), and gives developers like Microsoft a deep access to the operating system compared to Apple. In other words, it's the perfect research testbed.</p><p class="p1">Echo Lockscreen has 50,729 reviews on the Google Play app store at the time of writing: That's a lot of feedback that can make its way back into the product.</p><p class="p1">A lot of what Microsoft comes up with via the Microsoft Next and Echo lockscreens will make it back to Windows 10, Office, and any other Microsoft products that send out notifications.</p><p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>screenshot</span></p><p class="caption">Microsoft Next lock screen.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p class="p1">But by handling it as a separate app first, Larson-Green says, it means that they won't accidentally ship a half-baked or just user-unfriendly feature to the millions of Windows users out there. That's especially important when dealing with Microsoft's main revenue stream of business users.</p><p class="p1">"You buy Microsoft for your business, you want to feel good about the products we've been building," Larson-Green says.</p><p class="p1">It's also the logic behind recent experimental Microsoft apps like screen-grabbing tool Snip, mailbox sorting tool Clutter, and the forthcoming GigJam, Larson-Green says.</p><p class="p1">By releasing them as standalone products, it helps Microsoft refine concepts and play around with ideas, without the baggage of making them an integral part of the operating system.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-edge-new-features-windows-10-2015-7">Meet 'Edge,' Microsoft's bold answer to Google Chrome</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="92OTZrdjq8hoE0ZvMElCcFUu9wNUpZFq" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Microsoft has bought a popular lock screen app - for Android

<div style="float: right; margin: 15px 0 20px 20px;"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><a href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/category/chart-of-the-day"> </a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/chart-of-the-day"></a></td><td><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-is-literally-everywhere-except-china-2016-1"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Kim Kardashian's new cartoon emoticon app, Kimoji, shot up to the top of the App Store's paid app chart on its first day of release. Three weeks into its release, Kimoji still remains <a href="https://www.appannie.com/apps/ios/top/?device=iphone">the number one paid app</a>.</p><p>The massive popularity of Kimoji reflects a broader trend in the smartphone app market: the huge growth of personalization apps. </p><p>According to <a href="http://flurrymobile.tumblr.com/post/136677391508/stateofmobile2015">data from mobile research firm Flurry</a>, charted for us <a href="http://www.statista.com/">by Statista</a>, personalization apps, like Kimoji, saw a whopping 332% annual growth in usage last year, the fastest among any other app category. That's nearly 6-times the 58% average growth the entire app market saw in the same period. Flurry defines usage as opening and recording a "session" with the app.</p><p>Personalization apps include everything from Android lock-screens to simple emoji keyboard apps. But Flurry noted that most of the growth in personalization apps came from emoji apps similar to Kimoji that let users share customized emoticons across multiple platforms, like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Snapchat.</p><p>News and magazine apps saw the second highest growth, followed by utilities and lifestyle/shopping apps. Surprisingly, game apps were the only category that dropped in usage rates last year.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Statista</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-s6-apple-iphone-6s-comparison-features-2015-12">7 ways the Samsung Galaxy S6 is better than the iPhone 6s</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RvcmIyeDrz5o1xUM5hqpulpdksh9vTWQ" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

This chart shows why Kim Kardashian's new emoji app is a genius money-making move

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Instagram</span></p></div><p></p></div>Good morning! </p>
<p>Here's what you need to know:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><a href="http://www.cdixon.org/2014/04/07/the-decline-of-the-mobile-web/">1. People are spending more and more time on mobile web.</a></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><a href="http://gigaom.com/2014/04/07/the-technology-behind-android-tv-how-google-wants-to-reinvent-apps-for-the-living-room/">2. The technology behind Android TV: Google is working on yet another platform for the living room, and it doesn't just want to compete on looks alone: The company has come up with a novel way to develop TV apps and make use of their data.</a></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><a href="http://venturebeat.com/2014/04/07/uber-is-launching-an-on-demand-courier-service-tomorrow-exclusive/">3. Today Uber will launch an on-demand courier service in Manhattan, allowing users to request item pickup and delivery via a smartphone app.</a></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/08/nokia-soft-china-approval/">4. Chinese regulators have approved Nokia's planned sale of its devices business to Microsoft, taking the $7.2 billion deal one step closer to closing.</a></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-cracks-down-on-Airbnb-rentals-5381237.php">5. San Francisco is cracking down on Airbnb rentals.</a></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/07/lyft-spring-pricing/">6. Lyft is cutting its prices after raising $250 million.</a> </strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><a href="http://9to5mac.com/2014/04/07/amazon-a9s-vp-of-search-heads-to-apple-to-fix-up-maps-search/">7. Benoit Dupin, Vice President of Amazon A9′s Search Technology group, has left the high-profile search technology firm to take up a job with Apple.</a></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/07/google-legal-action-against-turkey-youtube-ban/">8. Google is taking legal action against Turkey's YouTube ban.</a></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/07/twitter-acquires-android-lockscreen-app-cover-moves-deeper-into-mobile-services/">9. Twitter is buying Cover, an Android lockscreen app that lets you customize what apps you see and when.</a></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><a href="http://www.vice.com/read/reasons-why-san-francisco-is-the-worst-place-ever">10. Here's why San Francisco is the worst city ever, according to VICE.</a></strong></p>

10 Tech Things You Need To Know This Morning

<p>The number of people actively using Twitter by tweeting or creating new accounts peaked in August 2014 and is now in decline, a source with access to Twitter's user data tells Business Insider.</p><p>According to Twitter's official disclosure of "monthly active users" (MAUs), the platform's audience hit a high of 288 million in Q4 2014. But MAUs are defined as any user who logs in to Twitter, even if they do not do anything. MAUs thus count a lot of people who use Twitter passively, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-maus-with-no-discernable-user-action-involved-2015-1">for instance through mobile phone lockscreen apps that ping Twitter automatically for updates</a>.  </p><p>Twitter does not break out the number of people who tweet or create an account within a given month. That number - which we're referring to as "<em>people</em> actively using Twitter" for the purposes of this article - is interesting because it describes the users who aren't just logged in automatically because they failed to log out from the month before. Rather, it describes users who are actively, intentionally using the system - Twitter's core audience, in other words.</p><p>That core might be in decline according to our source. <em>People</em> actively using Twitter hit a high of 145 million in August of last year, but since then the number tumbled to 129 million:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Business Insider" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/553e6256dd0895d5228b459e-960/twitter maus.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></div><p></p></div></div><br /></span></p><p><span>Last year, Twitter's stock price was hammered down to lows of about $30 when investors realized that its MAU growth was going to be nowhere near the scale of Facebook's. But in the meantime, TWTR recovered nicely to above $50 as investors decided that Twitter's revenue performance - which is healthy - was more important than the growth of its user-base.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">We also don't know whether the decline comes from a seasonal blip - the high was just after the World Cup - or a long-term trend.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>This morning, Bank of America Merrill Lynch put out an investor note from Justin Post and his team that says most investors are expecting MAUs to grow to </span><span>302 - 304 million in Q1 2015. If Twitter reports a number beneath that level it will be regarded as a negative surprise. However, Twitter can still grow MAUs even when people actively using Twitter are in decline. So whether a decline in people actively using Twitter is meaningful or not won't be answered specifically on tomorrow's earnings call.</span></span></p><p><em><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Disclosure: The author owns Twitter stock.</span></em></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/11-amazing-facts-about-apple-steve-jobs-tim-cook-wozniak-iphone-2015-4">11 amazing facts about Apple</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="81NXJwdDpvpCWU9TzcCB8vU1kMSnBMQT" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The number of people actively using Twitter may actually be in decline

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Apple / Jim Edwards / BI" title_caption="Apple CEO Tim Cook would very much like to know where you are." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/539201f46bb3f7986e7d6bd9-960/tim cook red.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Apple / Jim Edwards / BI</span></p><p class="caption">Apple CEO Tim Cook would very much like to know where you are.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Apple has embarked on an ambitious program to use the sensors in its iPhones to map the large indoor areas of stores, offices, event spaces and commercial buildings, according to Onyx Beacon CEO Roman Foeckl, who attended Apple's WWDC conference for developers. (<a href="http://www.onyxbeacon.com/">Onyx both markets beacons</a> and provides management software for beacon owners.)</p>
<p>The effort isn't a secret - Apple has been seeding commercial spaces with its iBeacon technology for months.</p>
<p>But most people don't know that iBeacon exists, or what it is for. And Apple is using a range of technologies in addition to iBeacon to create its indoor maps. Business Insider asked Apple for comment but we didn't hear back.</p>
<p>Foeckl says Apple is likely now ahead of Google when it comes to indoor mapping. That is significant because indoor maps will generate revenue in the future for stores and shops in malls and arenas. It could also generate revenue for Apple.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBeacon">Wikimedia, CC</a></span></p><p class="caption">An assortment of different iBeacons from various vendors.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Of course, there are privacy and surveillance issues that the public has not yet begun to understand or debate. It's one thing to not have privacy while walking down a street in public where anyone can see you. It's quite another to be tracked inside, behind closed doors, on private premises.</p>
<p>iBeacons are small devices that detect the Bluetooth signal coming from iPhones. They can be used to ping the iPhones of people walking by with offers or useful messages, such as "hey, you're walking by a Starbucks." (An example: At a recent wearables hackathon, ReadWrite editor <a href="https://twitter.com/owenthomas/status/474974955298226176">Owen Thomas found his iPhone being pinged by iBeacons continuously</a>.) Some iPhone users have already started to receive lockscreen <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-silent-about-ibeacon-2014-6">notifications on their iPhones from Starbucks based on iBeacons</a>.</p>
<p>The indoor map strategy is also interesting because Apple's last major mapping launch, the Apple Maps app, was a disaster. It was intended to compete against or replace Google Maps for iPhone users, but it turned out to be filled with errors and distortions, some of them hilarious - the Brooklyn Bridge imagery was so twisted it looked like it was collapsing into the East River.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Apple" title_caption="Apple's disastrous Brooklyn Bridge map." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53921fceeab8ead72f7d6be4-960/20120920-105147.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Apple</span></p><p class="caption">Apple's disastrous Brooklyn Bridge map.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Apple has since fixed Apple Maps, and now it may have a jump on Google in the indoor sector.</p>
<p>"Apple has learned from its mistakes from the initial launch of map services and won't repeat with launch of indoor mapping," Foeckl says. "We'll have to wait for Google iO [the search giant's developer conference] to see what their next move will be for indoor maps. Apple's vision and roadmap has become more transparent after the announcement of indoor mapping."</p>
<p>Now, Apple needs businesses to get with the program, Foeckl says. "It will be important to see how fast venue owners adapt to the technology and add venues. Google has more venues mapped at the moment, but it looks to be easier to add venues to Apple's new indoor mapping service."</p>
<p>To give you an idea of just how aggressively your movements can be tracked when you have an iPhone, consider the technology being used. iBeacon, using Bluetooth, works within a few feet. You can easily imagine stores or event hosts requiring you to stop at a display or booth in order to get a code or message allowing access to further benefits, for instance. Employers could track the whereabouts of their workers down to a few inches. No more hiding in the bathroom!</p>
<p>Users can also be tracked indoors by wifi, GPS, and the cellular signal. Google has been creating indoor maps by triangulating wireless and GPS signals, but those maps are imprecise compared to Bluetooth signals from iBeacons. There are a dozen or more other companies like Indoor Atlas, xAd, and Euclid Analytics devoted to tracking customers inside shops via their phones.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="IndoorAtlas" title_caption="IndoorAtlas's app at work." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5392207869bedd9a360ba14e-960/screen shot 2014-06-06 at 4.10.25 pm.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/mapping-our-interiors/?_php=true&amp;_type=blogs&amp;_php=true&amp;_type=blogs&amp;_r=1"></a><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5QOJzDxPMw">IndoorAtlas</a></span></p><p class="caption">IndoorAtlas's app at work.</p></a></div><p></p></div></div>IndoorAtlas uses an ingenious analysis of magnetic field distortions to figure out where people are inside a building it has no access to, by inferring the position of walls and doors based on where the humans are not.</p>
<p>As if to underline Apple's new interest in all things local, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/06/06/spotsetter-a-social-search-engine-for-places-acquired-by-apple/">the company just acquired Spotsetter,</a> a local recommendation search engine.</p>
<p>Apple will use a combination of technologies to build its indoor map capabilities. <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2014/06/05/apple-taps-into-m7-motion-sensors-for-indoor-positioning-in-ios-8-signing-up-venues-to-contribute/">It is providing a CoreLocation API for app developers</a>. (An API lets outside companies plug in their apps to Apple's iPhone operating system.) And the iPhone's M7 processor will generate data from its motion sensors.</p>
<p>iBeacons don't specifically create indoor maps. Rather, Apple appears to be hoping to persuade building owners to upload a map of their space, and then iBeacons could in theory be used to automatically validate the map's accuracy as iPhones receive their signals. That automation would be a huge step - currently, Google is validating its indoor maps by hand, using a human to check each uploaded map, we're told.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Flickr user Bruce Stockwell" title_caption="She won't be lost for long." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/52f9219869bedd863b092e41-960/teen girl shoping grocery drug store.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bas68/4899292099">Flickr user Bruce Stockwell</a></span></p><p class="caption">She won't be lost for long.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Foeckl says privacy concerns are valid. People have not been electronically tracked indoors on a mass scale before. But iBeacon and Bluetooth are opt-in technologies. You have to choose to switch them on, and you can turn them off anytime. Apple's updated iOS 8 mobile operating system will also come with much more detailed privacy controls, in part for this reason.</p>
<p>If Apple wins its indoor maps race, it could gain a fortune. Google has fully capitalized on its outdoor maps, which link a phone user's location to the ads they're served both on the mobile web and in other apps. Mobile ads are a multi-billion-dollar business for Google (the company has not disclosed specifics but some <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/04/08/googles-mobile-division-to-fuel-revenue-growth-in-2014-and-beyond/">estimate its mobile revenues at $9 billion in 2013</a>).</p>
<p>Indoor maps could be even more lucrative, because users are just a few inches from the products being sold and the checkout where they pay for them. iBeacons will let marketers know that a shopper is in the candy aisle, looking not just at the chocolate display, but at the milk-chocolate-macadamia-nut section. It's that precise. Clearly, that would be a good time for a candymaker to reach the user with a location-aware ad in Apple's iAd system.</p>

Apple Is Launching A Vast Project To Map The Inside Of Every Large Building It Can

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #999999; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 15px!important; line-height: 25px; overflow: auto; vertical-align: middle;"><a href="http://clk.atdmt.com/IWC/go/467219464/direct/01/" target="_blank"></a> <em>This post is part of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/coming-home"><em>"Coming Home"</em></a> series, profiling members of the military who have successfully transitioned from active duty to civilian lives.</em> <em><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/coming-home">"Coming Home"</a> is sponsored by USAA.<a href="http://businessinsider.com/category/coming-home" target="_blank"><strong> Read more posts in the series »</strong></a></em></div><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Robert Seo</span></p><p class="caption">Robert Seo on patrol during the invasion of Iraq. </p></div><p></p></div>As a Marine, Ironman Triathlon participant, Wharton Business School graduate, and co-founder and co-CEO of <a href="https://www.getslidejoy.com/">tech startup Slidejoy</a>, Robert Seo knows something about success. And he learned the most important lessons about how to succeed from his time in the Corps.</p>
<p>"If there's anything that I got from the military," Seo told Business Insider, "it's that I don't have any limits. The limits are what I set for myself."</p>
<p>Seo's proven it. Having "run away" from undergraduate work to join the Marine Corps, Seo served in the invasion force's vanguard during the initial push into Baghdad in 2003. </p>
<p>After completing his service, Seo received a BA in economics and a minor in mathematics from the University of Maryland. He went on to take part in an Ironman Triathlon to <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/jericho-walls-house-returning-vets-new-housing-vets-breaks-ground-kingsbridge-article-1.417240">raise funds</a> for the Jericho's Veterans Initiative in South America, before working a quick stint at Goldman Sachs and receiving a double major from the Wharton School in Entrepreneurial Management and Finance.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">After graduating, Seo decided to embrace the inherent risk of launching a new company and co-founded Slidejoy. </span></p>
<p><span><span>"I come from Wharton," Seo said. "I think I could get a job in finance or wherever I want and make X amount of money. To make that step into entrepreneurship is scary, but it was something I had to do." </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Slidejoy is a mobile application that presents targeted ads on cell phones' lockscreens. Users can swipe left or right on the ad, choosing to engage it or ignore it. Whatever the choice, the user earns money, and the advertiser gains exposure. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"You look at your phone 50 to 100 times a day," Seo said. "That view is so so valuable. And you do it all the time. Having access as an advertiser to that screen is huge." </span></p>
<p>Seo told Business Insider that his run of success hinged upon five lessons he learned in the military:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">1. Happiness is a choice</span></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">During the invasion of Iraq, Seo realized that happiness depended on his attitude at a given time. Although he was homesick and in a difficult environment, Seo could still choose how he felt in any given situation.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"You make that choice to be happy," Seo said. "I chose not to think about the things at home that I missed. Instead I would focus on the things that I have here."</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>2. A successful team values itself more than the individual</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"The importance of brotherhood is something I've been able to bring onto Slidejoy. I'm not just looking for world-class talent, which we have. I know how to recognize people who are great at what they do, but also have the selflessness, that dedication to something bigger than themselves." </p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>3. You have to learn how to be truly courageous </strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"<span>For anybody out there, for anyone who wants to take a big step, they're not that special. We're all the same.</span> Courage isn't not being scared, but instead recognizing that it is the ability and fortitude to move forward in the face of fear."</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">4. Anti-fragility is key</span></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Fragile people break and crack under pressure. Resilient people will bounce back from failure to the same level they were at before. Anti-fragile people will take those setbacks and bounce back harder to a new level. I think that anti-fragility is something you need as an entrepreneur, and that is something I learned in the military."</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">5. Live with a sense of purpose</span></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"No matter what I do, I will live my life to its full potential ... That sense of purpose is what drives me today. Being able to find the right people you're happy with and being able to find that purpose that makes you want to give your all is what drives me. It should be something that everyone looks for." </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Slidejoy has gone on to win first place in the Wharton Business Plan competition. </span></p>

5 Keys To Success That An Entrepreneur Learned In The Marines

<p class="has-media media-640">
	</p>
<p class="first-text">
	<a href="http://gizmodo.com/windows-8-1-review-little-changes-make-a-big-differenc-1446625571">Windows 8.1's recent update</a><inset id="1446625571"></inset> was a subtle but effective boost. Windows <em>Phone</em>'s 8.1 power up follows the same cues. It's not mind-blowing, it's not world-changing, it's nothing to jump around and scream about, but it turns Windows Phone into something it's never quite been before: an OS that's totally good enough.</p>
<h3>
	What Is It?</h3>
<p>
	It's Live Tiles: The Mobile Operating System. The brains behind the smallest screen in <a href="http://bit.ly/1mKPGsA" target="_blank">Microsoft's unified computing dream</a>. The newest version of the perpetually scrappy up-and-comer that hasn't quite up-and-come. A third pass at making Windows Phone <em>great</em>. Or at least perfectly adequate.</p>
<h3>
	Why Does It Matter?</h3>
<p>
	While Android and iOS duke it out for dominance, Windows Phone has been huffing and puffing as it trots up from the back of the pack. It's far from a lost cause, though; WP has always been refreshingly unique in its design and style, a necessary innovator in a world of mobile operating systems that feel similar, even stagnant. It's been the software brains behind <a href="http://bit.ly/1nmqZ3d" target="_blank">some really interesting hardware</a>. The one thing it's never been is cohesive.</p>
<p> Windows Phone 8.1 is Microsoft's chance to do for mobile what <keyword id="656949" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Windows-8">Windows 8</keyword>.1 (and furthermore <a href="http://gizmodo.com/windows-8-1-update-hands-on-terrific-tweaks-for-the-m-1556697548">the Windows 8.1 Update</a><inset id="1556697548"></inset>) did for the desktop: to make an operating system that feels not just competent but complete. And frankly, it may not have many more goes before it gets left behind entirely.</p>
<h3>
	Design</h3>
<p>
	At first glance, Windows Phone 8.1 is pretty much identical to Windows Phone 8. That's great! Windows Phone's signature style has always been a strong suit. Its visual identity is and always has been way more consistent and appealing than the competition.</p>
<p>
	Giant, no-caps headings are still a terrific alternative to the tired and needlessly skeuomorphic concept of "tabs." Windows Phone's almost complete lack of borders in favor of cleverly utilized bands of negative space still makes it one of the best looking interfaces around. Live tiles are still colorful, and striking, and a somehow weirdly <em>fun</em> take on icons, even if an army of widget-squares maybe isn't quite as nice as having a proper notification hub.</p>
<p>
	But wait! Windows Phone 8.1 has a notification center now! And that's the perfect place to start.</p>
<p class="has-media media-640">
	</p>
<p>
	If it looks relatively familiar and unassuming that's because it is. It's very reminiscent of the notification centers you'll find on Android and iOS, especially Android. It shows you stuff that happened and also has a few (customizable) toggles. There's not much special to the design but that's its biggest strength: it just works, and in a way that you're probably familiar with.</p>
<p>
	In its own right it looks nice, though it doesn't <em>quite</em> fit with the Windows Phone aesthetic. It's trying, with colors that match your theme, and that same stark squares-on-black look. But it's one of the few (the only?) place where lines of plain text and colored squares mingle, and that looks a little weird. Not to mention the toggle buttons up top don't seem to adhere to live tile proportions, which can make you twitch a little when you notice it.</p>
<p>
	In addition to the notification center, Windows Phone 8.1 offers some new options for how to pretty up your lockscreen, though that will come in the form of non-native-but-still-Microsoft apps we haven't had the chance to test out yet. Their arrival date is still a big question mark, as is what <em>exactly</em> they'll be able to do. That said, the images we've seen so far look sliiiiiick.</p>
<p class="has-media media-640">
	</p>
<p>
	And of course there's Cortana, the new digital personal assistant (read: Siri/Google Now analog) that pops up from the search button. Cortana's design is simple and straightforward-as it should be-again borrowing smartly from competitors. Like Siri, her landing screen is spare, but like Google now, she'll offer info on the weather where you are and some top headlines from popular news sites you might be (but probably aren't) interested in when you scroll down.</p>
<p>
	When you open the app you're greeted by her wonderfully minimalist avatar, which fits perfectly into the stark, Windows Phone aesthetic. Her loading animation in particular is wonderful.</p>
<p>
	All in all WP 8.1 one still has that Windows Phone style you know and love, but with subtle tweaks and additions that offer new users who are coming from another OS something a little more familiar. The real changes are under the surface, and finally solve WP's more systemic problems.</p>
<h3>
	Using It</h3>
<p>
	The flashiest feature of Windows Phone 8.1 by far is Cortana. She's futuristic, she's fancy, she's a Halo nerd's dream come true. Whatever. She's not Windows Phone 8.1's <em>best</em> new feature. Not by a long shot. Let's talk notification centers. Awwwwwww yeaaaaaaaaah.</p>
<h4>
	Notification Center</h4>
<p>
	<em>Oh come on</em>, you're thinking. <em>Notification centers are boring</em>. Yup. Windows Phone 8.1's notification center is nothing special, and that's exactly what makes it great. Whether the absence of a notification center until now was a design choice or just <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5956318/winpho-8-doesnt-have-a-notification-center-because-microsoft-ran-out-of-time?rev=1397408946">a symptom of time constraints</a><inset id="5956318"></inset>, its nonexistence was glaring. It was Windows Phone's most gaping hole.</p>
<p>
	Windows Phone 8 had notifications, just no place to go look at them after they disappeared, which made you feel like you were missing something if you didn't catch every word on any given pop-up. Yeah sure you've got your constantly updated live tiles, but a mail icon with a "4" on it just isn't as convenient or informative as a drop-down list of more in-depth info. Better to have both, which Windows Phone 8.1 now does.</p>
<p>
	Moreover, the notification center just works. It's boringly but conveniently familiar, complete with customizable toggles and a link to go to the settings menu. It's a lot less original than Windows Phone's previous "look at your live tiles!" approach, but there was no need to reinvent the wheel here. Besides, it's not like your live tiles have disappeared.</p>
<p>
	But for as much as a notification center does to make Windows Phone more usable and convenient than ever before, it still has its issues. Where Android notifications will compress themselves depending on how many other notifications are around or how many notifications there are from the same app, Windows Phone 8.1 will not.</p>
<p>
	The result is that one particularly heated Twitter conversation will devour your entire notification space and shove everything else off-screen. A minor inconvenience but one you'll probably notice.</p>
<p class="has-media media-640">
	</p>
<p>
	During workdays, I found that the constant deluge of pitch emails was enough to bury most other apps with more interesting and relevant update virtually all of the time. Instead of minimizing updates from apps that are blowing up, the WP 8.1 notification center sometimes feels like it's featuring them. Yes, phone, I am aware of my 999+ emails, but it's my single Facebook notification that's interesting.</p>
<h4>
	Cortana</h4>
<p>
	And then there's Cortana.Cortana, like the notification center, addresses a basic need without breaking new ground. It, too, is basically a mash-up of other existing-and proven!-features from Android and iOS. She has a personality and likes to talk, much like Siri does, but she <em>also</em> tries her hand and giving you information before you need it, like Google Now.</p>
<p>
	She's not quite as prescient as Google Now is (especially if you're steeped in the Google ecosystem, using Chrome and desktop search as you likely are) but she's not <em>bad</em> either. When you first set up Cortana, she'll walk you through a series of questions to gauge your interest in certain topics. and while that's not quite enough info for her to suss out what <em>kind</em> of "entertainment" stories you're into, it's enough to keep sports scores out of your feed if that's not your bag. And when it comes to voice-controlled anything, Cortana is a serviceable analog to either Google Now or Siri. When we ran some tests we found all three to be very much on par. That's especially impressive given that Cortana hasn't had as much time to marinate as its more established competition.</p>
<p class="has-media media-640">
	</p>
<p>
	That's not to say Cortana doesn't have any tricks of her own. In fact, she's got some good ones. Cortana's notebook feature offers some much needed privacy to paranoids and/or anyone else who is just a little uncomfortable uploading every single aspect of their lives to a company that likes to use that data to target ads by letting you specific what apps and what contacts Cortana is allowed to snoop on. maybe it's OK for her to read your work email, but not personal emails to your wife. She also lets you set up person-specific reminders that pop up depending on whom you're talking to. "Remind me to bring up the blood-pact next time I talk to Steve" will give you a handy notification the next time you call him <em>or</em> open up one of his texts.</p>
<p>
	And aside from those bonuses, Cortana works just fine if you try to use her exactly like Siri or Google Now, which for the most part you will.</p>
<h4>
	 </h4>
<h4>
	Apps</h4>
<p>
	The idea that the Windows Phone Store is a wasteland is definitely outdated, but there's still some truth to it. It used to be that Windows Phone's app selection was like a plain hamburger sitting on a paper plate, offering the barest necessities but not much more. Now with apps like Vine and Instagram and Pocket, Windows Phone has filled out the fries and soda and condiments, and offers a totally acceptable meal.</p>
<p>
	What's still missing though is dessert. The real zeitgiest-y fluff like Flappy Bird or Candy Crush. You don't <em>need</em> that, of course, but its an absence that can still make Windows Phone feel a little off-brand, especially after Android gets <em>its</em> delayed-but-inevitable port of whatever iOS app-de-jour.</p>
<p>
	But you <em>can</em> find some really amusingly heinous rip-offs of Threes.</p>
<p class="has-media media-640">
	</p>
<h4>
	Everything else</h4>
<p> If you are into Microsoft services, Windows Phone 8.1 will treat you right. Just like Windows 8, OneDrive makes sharing data from your phone to your computer or vice versa a breeze. Far easier than iCloud or Google Drive. If your Outlook account happens to be where you hoard your contacts, you'll automatically be able to share your home Wi-Fi with all your contacts. And if you like <keyword id="6377887" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Skype">Skype</keyword>, you can make Skype calls directly from Cortana. At least in theory. I couldn't quite get it to work because none of my contacts had what Cortana considered a "VOIP number" and I couldn't figure out how to add one.</p>
<p>
	Speaking of number types, Windows Phone 8.1 is <em>maddeningly</em> literal. One night I found myself struggling to figure out how <em>the hell</em> to text my girlfriend for roughly 5 minutes. Her number was listed as part of her contact information, but there was no option to send a text. Likewise typing her name into messaging app brought up no options either. I wound up typing in her number directly, like a peon.</p>
<p>
	Turns out her number was listed as a "Home" number instead of a "Mobile" number over on her Google contact info I pulled in, so Windows Phone wouldn't let me try to text it because it is theoretically a landline. I get that that is ostensibly a feature, but it brought back flashbacks of being similarly frustrated at earlier versions of Windows Phone. Also, it might be OK if you were whipping up a new contact library from scratch, but considering you're probably working with an ages-old Gmail disaster like I am, it's not great.</p>
<p>
	Elsewhere Windows Phone 8.1 doesn't quite pay <em>enough</em> attention to detail. Its built-in Maps app never <em>actually</em> steered me wrong, and worked great with voice commands through Cortana. But it STILL doesn't show the actual letters for New York City train lines if you're going by public transit. And if the directions take you to a station with more a half-dozen lines and you are in a hurry, that can be a big problem.</p>
<h3>
	Like</h3>
<p>
	It bears repeating that the mere presence of a notification center works wonders to make Windows Phone 8.1 a more palatable alternative to anyone who has grown up on a different mobile operating system (i.e. pretty much everyone). Just like Windows 8.1 (and its ensuing update) throws a much needed-if also very late-bone to loyal Windows 7 users who just <em>hate</em> change, Windows Phone 8.1 throws a bone to Android and iOS users who have rightly become accustomed to certain features. Microsoft has finally shown up to the table with the ante.</p>
<p>
	Likewise, Cortana is by no means revelatory, but she is a totally workable analogue to both Siri and Google Now, at least to the extent that you can ask her for things with your voice and she will provide.</p>
<p>
	In addition to just "getting up to speed with the competition" Windows Phone 8.1 has some fantastic small features all its own. Many offer passive benefits, or just aren't the kind of thing you would use every day, but they add up.</p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Cortana's ability to remind you to ask someone something the next time you talk to them (a feature which offers up notifications during calls <em>and</em> texts) is not an everyday necessity, but comes in <em>super</em> handy if you remember to use it.</li>
	<li>
		Wi-Fi Sense auto-login is wonderful if you routinely login to the same public Wi-Fi networks and don't want to agree to the same inane Terms of Service each time. And Wi-Fi Sense's sharing feature-which lets you extend your home Wi-Fi to Facebook friends and Outlook contacts without sharing the password-could be great for the frequent entertainer. If a lot of your friends have Windows Phone anyway.</li>
	<li>
		The new lockscreen apps-which unfortunately have no review builds-look great.</li>
	<li>
		Cortana's "Quiet time" mode complete with a list of exempt "inner circle" contacts. It matches up neatly with iOS's "do not disturb" mode, and makes Android seem behind by not having an equivalent.</li>
	<li>
		Cortana's ability to accept natural language as an analogue for more stilted commands can be amazing; "do I need a coat today" as a substitute for "show me the weather" comes off as a little gimmicky, but being able to say "yeah, whatever, close enough" instead of "yes" when she asks you to confirm a reminder with strange words that she didn't hear quite right is strangely wonderful.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	All in all, Windows Phone 8.1 is just so much more welcoming than any iteration before it. Because our 8.1 review phone took a Verizon nano SIM and I rock a T-Mobile micro SIM, I had to keep both phones in reach just to stay in touch. And when both chirped from the same notification, I found myself reaching for the Windows Phone not because <em>ugh I guess I should use the review phone</em>, but because I actually wanted to use it.</p>
<p>
	I've never felt that way about a Windows Phone before.</p>
<h3>
	No Like</h3>
<p>
	Windows 8.1 still has a lot of little fit and finish issues. Between the notification center's tendency to get flooded and 8.1's madding adherence to classifying different phone numbers by type, there are plenty of areas of improvement for Windows Phone still, even if now they're more along the lines of "fix this pet peeve of mine" instead of "add this feature everyone else has had for years."</p>
<p>
	8.1 has brought Windows Phone to the point where switching to it from Android or iOS is more a lateral move than a step down. Typically mere adequacy isn't much to celebrate, but Windows Phone got off the starting line so long after the race already started that catching up is a serious accomplishment.</p>
<p>
	Still, in and of itself, Windows Phone 8.1 doesn't offer much that would make you want to switch. Fine is great, but when you're spending your hard-earned money on a phone you shouldn't grade on a curve.</p>
<h3>
	Should You Buy It</h3>
<p>
	There's not much in Windows 8.1 to make it appealing over other options, and if you're a true fanboy on either side of the iOS/Android divide, Windows Phone 8.1 offers little reason to switch.</p>
<p>
	But! If you are OS-curious and Windows Phone hardware calls to you-specifically the 1020's camera magic-8.1 <em>finally</em> makes that a fling worth having. The inclusion of a notification center and voice assistant finally makes the entire operating system feel natural and full in a way it never did before. The update to 8.1 makes Windows Phone not only average, but inclusive to people who "grew up" with other operating systems in a way that's really promising for the future of Windows Phone, and the future of the mobile OS power-balance on the whole.</p>

Windows Phone 8.1 Review: Gloriously Good Enough

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Foursquare</span></p><p class="caption">Foursquare accurately predicted iPhone sales by analyzing foot traffic to Apple stores around the country.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the top-rated pizza places in Brooklyn on Foursquare is called Lucali.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The first time I went there for dinner a couple of months ago, I sat down at a table, picked up the menu, and felt my iPhone vibrate. It was Foursquare sending me a notification with one of the app's millions of user-submitted tips.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The calzone," the tip read. "Ask for marinara with a huge amount of basil. Sex on a plate."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I didn't tell Foursquare that I had sat down for dinner at a pizza place I'd never been to before, but the app knew anyway. Delivering that tip to my lockscreen at the right time is what Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley tells Tech Insider is the company's newest "superpower" and "magic trick."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The technology that makes Crowley's magic trick possible is a computer brain the company has been building since the early days of the iPhone called Pilgrim. According to Crowley, Pilgrim "is </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">the</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> thing" that separates Foursquare from not just competitors like Yelp but every other app in the App Store. And now he wants it powering every other app on your phone.</span></p><h2><strong>A company in transition</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley onstage at TechCrunch's 2015 Disrupt conference in New York.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Foursquare is in a period of crucial transition. Since basically inventing the location check-in concept on mobile phones in 2009, the app has slowly faded into relative obscurity.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To date, Foursquare has raised over $120 million dollars in venture capital and reportedly turned down acquisition offers from the <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/22/facebook-and-microsoft-check-in-with-foursquare-will-crowley-sell/">likes of Facebook</a> <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/15/sources-yahoo-in-talks-to-buy-foursquare/#.wrbsh3d:dbXz">and Yahoo</a>. But its valuation is also said to be dropping as it works to raise more cash in a so-called down round, according to recent reports <a href="http://recode.net/2015/12/22/foursquares-value-will-be-cut-by-more-than-half-in-a-new-funding-round/">by Peter Kafka of Re/code</a> and <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/12/21/foursquare-is-raising-a-down-round/">Matt Lynley and Katie Roof of TechCrunch</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That means Foursquare's investors no longer think the company is worth as much as it was before, but we won't know anything for sure until the company officially announces its new round of funding. A Foursquare spokesperson declined to comment on the recent funding and valuation reports.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The company's two location discovery apps, Foursquare and Swarm, haven't come anywhere close to cracking the App Store's top downloads chart in the last year, according to <a href="http://www.appannie.com">App Annie</a>, an analytics firm. Meanwhile, social networking rivals like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat continue to dominate the App Store charts.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>App Store</span></p><p class="caption">Foursquare's main app focuses on location discovery and recommendations, while Swarm lets you check into places and compete with friends with virtual currency.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Foursquare is still in a state of change after a bold decision the company made in spring 2014. The iconic check-in aspect of the app, which had users competing with friends for bragging rights by seeing who could check in at venues the most, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/foursquare-just-gambled-everything-and-split-its-business-in-two-2014-5">was stripped out and put into a new app called Swarm</a>. Since then, the main Foursquare app has abandoned the check-in concept and focused on delivering personalized restaurant recommendations and expert tips from its 50 million monthly active users. It has also introduced <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/foursquare-launches-trending-this-week-2015-11">features like Trending this Week</a>, which surfaces new, hip restaurants in a city based on where other Foursquare users are eating.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Foursquare</span></p><p class="caption">Trending this Week was introduced in the main Foursquare app in November 2015. It wouldn't exist without Pilgrim.</p></div><p></p></div></div>A feature like Trending this Week, which collects aggregated and anonymized foot traffic data from Foursquare's users, wouldn't have been possible without Pilgrim. "We have this real pulse of a city now," Foursquare head of engineering Andrew Hogue told Tech Insider in a recent interview. "We know where people are going."</span></p><h2><strong>Meet "Pilgrim"</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since Pilgrim went online in early 2014, the company has started "finding interesting things to do with the data" it collects, Crowley says. It already licenses data to Twitter, Pinterest, Yahoo, Microsoft, and others to enhance their location features (Foursquare used to power location tagging in Instagram before it was replaced by Facebook's own tool.) In the last year, Foursquare has started offering business analytics with its foot traffic data, which Crowley describes as "an incredibly lucrative market."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Advertisers, for instance, can pay to see if their campaigns actually drove people into a Macy's or car dealership. Because Foursquare knows where its users are going, banks that give small business loans pay Foursquare to know if a business actually exists and isn't a scam. It works too. In September, <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/foursquare-nails-early-iphone-6s-sales-2015-9">Foursquare accurately predicted Apple would sell 13 million iPhones</a> during the iPhone 6S opening weekend based on its foot traffic data around Apple stores.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We had all these people from financial institutions saying, 'What data do you have that we don't have?'" Crowley says. The answer is Pilgrim.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Crowley gets excited when he explains how Pilgrim works. "We have this superpower," he tells me from across a conference room table in Foursquare's New York City headquarters. "We have this awesome thing that we built, and it only lives in two apps - Foursquare and Swarm."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So what exactly is Pilgrim? It's an engine that runs in the background and records every time a phone with Foursquare or Swarm installed stops moving. When it stops moving, Pilgrim tries to figure out where exactly you are, if you've been there before, or if there's anything going on in the area you might be interested in, like a happy hour at an oyster bar. It has to decide if you're stopped at a traffic light, walking down the street, or entering a coffee shop. Pilgrim makes these decisions millions of times per day.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Crowley walks over to a large whiteboard and starts drawing a map of the intersection between Bleecker Street and Bowery in downtown Manhattan. He frequents Think Coffee, which is located at that corner.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When people check in at Think Coffee, he explains, it's not always logged from inside the building. A check-in could happen across the street or a block away. A cell tower could be broken, there could be other signal interference, or it could be a cloudy day. Foursquare takes scattered check-ins and smooths them out to show the general area around a place, and by extension, how a smartphone phone actually sees the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Foursquare</span></p><p class="caption">The points where people check in are smoothed over to create the shapes Foursquare uses to identify places in the real world.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These shapes Foursquare forms around places like Think Coffee represent the WiFi fingerprint, Bluetooth signals, and different GPS signals in the area. Shapes grow and shrink throughout the day. Think Coffee's shape will shrink at night, while a bar's shape might stretch and morph as more people arrive in the evening.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When you enter one of these shapes with the Foursquare or Swarm app on your phone, the app tells Pilgrim the shape it's detecting, and Pilgrim makes the final call about what shape you're actually inside. That's how Foursquare knew I had sat down at Lucali for the first time. It knows that Think Coffee's shape is more active in the morning and that Crowley has been there many times, so it decides to not ping him with a tip. If I went to Think Coffee at the same time as Crowley, I would get a tip from Foursquare because I've never been there before.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Foursquare</span></p><p class="caption">This map shows how Foursquare users check in at Central Park.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Foursquare needed the check-in button to get this kind of location data in the app's early days, which defined the company "for better or for worse," according to Crowley. The biggest misconception, he says, that still exists about Foursquare is that it's reliant on manual check-ins. Pilgrim has made it possible to check in without taking your phone out of your pocket. And Foursquare knows more about where its users are going than ever before.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2016, Crowley says Foursquare will be focusing more on how its data can be used in other apps.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Can you make a game that's different if you're playing it in a coffee shop versus if you're playing it in a bookstore or a bus station?" Crowley asks. "Can your exercise app be different if you went to a burger place for dinner yesterday or if you've been going to salad places for the last three weeks? Can the app that you use to hail a car be different if it can recognize that you're in an unfamiliar city?"</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Foursquare</span></p><p class="caption">A visual demonstration of how Foursquare sees check-ins and WiFi signals at the Westfield Mall.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Crowley says that it's this hyper-contextualized, location-aware approach that makes Foursquare different from competitors like Yelp, which still feels very much like a digital phonebook. Apple Maps recently started using Foursquare's business listings, but the competition is still strong. There's Google and Facebook, the latter of which is continuing to invest more in helping businesses and restaurants list themselves and communicate directly with customers.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With Pilgrim, Crowley thinks Foursquare has technology that's applicable in nearly any app.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />Whether it's because of Pilgrim or not, Crowley firmly believes that apps will only get better at understanding your habits and doing things for you"You have a hundred apps on your phone," he says. "If there was a Foursquare-style notification coming from some of those apps, what would they be? All these companies want to make them, they just don't have these shapes."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"If we fast forward five years into the future, this is how apps talk to you," he says. "The app will recognize when it's time to tell you something about the world and it will wake up and tell you that."</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/overpriced-food-drink-menu-items-restaurant-price-money-waste-2015-12">Chefs reveal the most overpriced items on the menu </a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="w2czBieToaxS_TmkQfdBbgoZFNlJHfHY" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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