Category: Apps

uTest is back but has changed its name to Applause.

The software testing company recently updated and in addition to announcing its name change from uTest to Applause, the company also revealed that it has acquired the German company Testhub, which specializes in crowd-testing and gives Applause the ability to make the most of real-world testing of desktop, web and mobile apps.

Applause and Testhub have a collective total of seven years experience in crowd-testing.

Furthermore, they have worldwide access (including 200 countries and territories) to more than 140,000 testers, combined. This will help Applause’s goal to provide companies with mobile tools and analytics to help them achieve “360° app quality”.

Both firms have produced more than one million test reports and have done business with thousands of companies, including big names like Amazon, Netflix, Google and USA Today. Over the course of six years, Applause has raised $80 million in funds by itself and has expanded its business across Europe and North America. Testhub will become Applause EU and will be the company’s base of operations in Europe.

In-the-wild testing for mobile apps and desktop and web applications will enable developers to test their apps in real-life scenarios.

Applause’s real-world testing services allow their clients to test their products beyond a lab. They can conduct testing on localization, usability of software, as well as conduct security and load checks for customer privacy.

Moreover, they provide their clients with a mobile SDK that will report bugs and crashes, as well as collect valuable feedback from Android, iOS and Windows Phone app users. Additionally, developers can monitor their mobile applications throughout all of the chief app stores by using the company’s Mobile Analytics dashboard, which gives a full view of their app’s progress starting at the development stage.

According to Applause CEO Doron Reuveni, “Modern app quality is no longer just a developer or QA problem; it’s a CIO problem, a marketing problem, a sales problem and a CEO problem. As Applause, we bring together a range for testing services and app quality tools to enable companies to achieve this.”

Developers of mobile apps can select the Applause products and services they need, allowing them to customize their experience instead of having to buy what they do not require.

Even though the wearable technology market is rapidly building in devices, applications are nearly nonexistent.

The wearables market is quickly flooding with smartwatches and other types of mobile gadgets that are worn on the wrist or other places on the body, but at the same time, there are very few applications that are available in the app stores for these devices.

Now that Android Wear has been released by Google, that is expected to change rather quickly.

Mobile app developers are already starting to enter into the race to become the leaders among the applications available for smartwatches. The popularity and growth of wearable technology is allowing them to be able to take hold of an opportunity that has been increasingly challenging – to the point of impossible, for many – when it comes to putting out a hit mobile app. As the number of applications for Android and iOS devices is now in the millions, it is difficult for a developer to stand out.

The number of apps for smartwatches is notably lower, making it far easier to be noticed by users.

What will be interesting is whether it will be games that will become the most popular among wearables – as is the case with smartphones and tablets – or whether it will be fitness and health tracker apps that will lead the way in these even smaller screen mobile gadgets.

BI Intelligence has recently released a report that provides some insight regarding the current ecosystem for wearable apps. It looked more closely at precisely why the present environment for wearable tech device applications is as limited as it is. Moreover, it also examined the way that certain categories for apps could help to make not only the developers, but also the device category, a tremendous mainstream success.

The report didn’t look exclusively at the market for smartwatches, but also looked at the broader spectrum of wearables and their apps. For example, the Google Glass apps space was examined, and the battle for dominance between Google and Apple were also discussed. Among the primary barriers that was identified was the fact that the wearables sphere is currently highly segmented. That may, however, not remain the case with Android Wear now in play, and with an iOS launch expected at some point this year.