1. Google searches on mobile devices now exceed those performed on personal computers, according to the company. This poses new challenges for the search engine giant, since many of these searches are not performed by typing a keyword into a box. The company said it is working hard to improve voice recognition and to index more apps, since the best answer to many mobile search queries can often be found inside an app.
This week Google launched an open source project for content providers to make mobile browsing faster. The company said the goal is instantaneous loading of video, animations, graphics and smart ads.
2. Apple is removing some apps from its App Store because they have the potential to compromise user security. Some applications block ads within apps by installing root certificates, but these can intercept more than just ads.
3. Amazon is reaching out to mobile app developers with a new mobile hub that offers access to data storage and analytics. Amazon is one of the world’s largest providers of cloud hosting services, and wants to extend its reach by hosting key elements of popular apps. Amazon also launched an IoT platform this week at its developer conference.
4. Security researchers from Volexity say that about 12 successful hacks have been executed against Cisco’s Clientless SSN virtual private network. The attackers are able to log into corporate networks by stealing user names and passwords.
5. Strategy Analytics is predicting a surge in shipments of single-mode LTE modems — connectivity chipsets that support LTE only, not 3G. The analysts say that many M2M devices will move towards LTE-only, jumping straight from 2G to LTE. Shipments are expected to increase 50-fold between 2014 and 2020.
