Twitter working with startup to offer service offline in emerging markets

Twitter is said to be working with a startup in Singapore to offer their service offline, according to a report by Reuters. The offline access is targeted at emerging markets, where a data connection is not always available or necessary. The company, U2opia Mobile, currently works with Facebook for similar functionality.

The service offers users who enter a code to get Twitter information from nearby twitters using location sharing. It will populate the Twitter feed with popular and trending tweets from others in the area, but won’t allow for viewing of pictures, videos, or other media. More than 11 million users currently take advantage of U2opia’s service for Facebook and the expiring Google Talk.

U2opia uses Unstructured Supplementary Service Data, or USSD. That protocol is for text only, which is what makes it impossible to view pictures and video. In those areas where U2opia is utilized, 80% of people still don’t access data on their mobile phones. CEO Sumesh Menon says their work with Twitter is “hand in glove because Twitter has by design a character limit, it’s a very text-driven social network”.

U2opia’s main customer base remains outside of the US, in emerging markets like South America and Africa. They work with local carriers like Vodafone to supply the service, and get a 30-40% cut from the carrier for access to the service. For Twitter, it’s a war ro grow a service that needs attention to move forward after an IPO that valued them at $25 billion. For consumers, it’s a new way to communicate with the increasingly shrinking digital world.

Fear not, for we are working on a new Android Central app

We've mentioned this in the forums and teased a little bit on Google+, but it deserves mention here: Yes, we're hard at work on a new Android Central app.

The short version is that our old app was never really up to snuff (and frankly probably never should have happened in the first place). We unpublished it some time ago. But we can't do anything about folks who still have it installed, except to say uninstall it and hang tight. Something much better is on the way.

We don't have any ETAs to give yet, but I can say things are progressing nicely, and this new app has far more features (and far less ad spam) than the old one.

See my post in our forums for a more detailed explanation of the old app, our new app, and better things to come.

Google reportedly working on an entry into the smart watch market

Making a "smart watch" type of device seems to be the new hot thing, and Google is reportedly eyeing its own entry into the quickly expanding market. According to a source of Financial Times, the watch is coming not from Google's famous X Labs that produced Project Glass, but rather from the Android division directly. Long-rumored upcoming smart watches from the likes of Apple and Samsung, along with actual devices like the Pebble watch are creating a market that could be ripe for a killer entry from Google. 

There's no indication as to when (or even if) the Android-powered watch would be coming to market, again according to FT's sources. We have to think that Google would want to get Glass out into the market first before trying to reinvent mobile computing once again. but Google is certainly capable of running multiple projects at once.

Would you be interested in a smart watch from Google running Android? Or would it depend on the functionality and form factor? Sound off in the comments and let us know.

Source: Financial Times; Via: The Verge

Motorola Electrify 2 has an official Jelly Bean update working its way around

The Motorola Electrify 2 is the latest handset to get a Jelly Bean update, as Android 4.1 is currently rolling out to users in the usual slow, cautious manner. 

Motorola reminds us of a few Jelly Bean features like expanded notifications, Google Now, and voice search at their announcement page, but there's also plenty under the hood that makes Jelly Bean an incredible upgrade for any phone or tablet. Project Butter anyone?

As mentioned, the update is coming in phases. To check if it's your turn to have a crack at it, go to the settings and look for a system update. If you see one, holler in the comments and let us know how it's working out!

Source: Motorola