UPDATED 10:08 EDT / APRIL 16 2013

Google Launches MyGlass for Android, SoftBank Still Gunning for Sprint

In today’s mobile and social news roundup: Google Glass tech specs and API out; Softbank still confident in Sprint deal; China has most malware on mobile devices; Twitter to launch TV Online soon;  and YouTube updates iOS app with live stream support.

Google Glass tech specs and API out

Google has released the tech specs of Google Glass, its API and the companion app, MyGlass, is already up on Google Play.  The Glass features durable frames with adjustable nose pads, a camera capable of taking 5MP photos and 720p videos, connects with any Bluetooth-enabled phones that has the MyGlass app installed, and connects to WiFi for internet connectivity.

Developers may not be too happy about the Google Glass API, however.  There’s several restrictions for distributing and monetizing an app built for Google Glass. See our earlier coverage, complete with specs and developer restriction details here.

Softbank still confident in Sprint deal

News came yesterday that Dish has bid $25.5 billion to acquire Sprint Nextel.  Dish is confident that its offer will be considered since it more than what Softbank is offering at $12 billion.

But SoftBank is confident that its deal with Sprint will close by July, stating that “the agreed terms of our transaction with Sprint offer Sprint shareholders superior short and long term benefits to Dish’s highly conditional preliminary proposal.”

China has most malware on mobile devices

According to the latest report from NQ Mobile, mobile malware is on an alarmingly high level, up by 163 percent from 2012, and Android devices are still the number one target.  The top three malware delivery schemes are app repackaging, malicious URLs, and smishing.  And it only gets worse as mobile hackers sell private data to cybercriminals.

“The security industry’s ‘discover-first-and-inoculate-second’ strategy is no longer enough,” said Omar Khan, Co-CEO, NQ Mobile. “We need smarter systems that can discover threats before they infect consumers as well as more education so consumers can better spot and avoid these new mobile scams.”

The Top 5 countries infected with mobile malware are China with 25.5 percent of devices infected with malware, India 19.4 percent, Russia 17.9 percent, United States 9.8 percent, and Saudi Arabia with 9.6 percent.

Twitter to launch TV Online soon

Coachella came and went, but no Twitter Music was announced.  But don’t lose hope, the music discovery service is just around the corner, as Twitter already updated the music.twitter.com site with a “coming soon” message.

Twitter won’t be stopping at delivering music to its users, as the microblogging site is said to be launching an online TV offering through its partnership with Viacom Inc. and  Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal.  Twitter has an existing partnership with  Walt Disney Co. (DIS)’s ESPN, Weather Channel LLC and Turner Broadcasting System Inc, to deliver content to its users.

With the new partnerships, Twitter will be able to stream videos on its site, and money earned will be split with the networks.  The deals could close by mid-May and more deals with other networks are expected to follow.

YouTube updates iOS app with live stream support

Google has updated its YouTube iOS app to support live streaming, which is now included in the newest version of the app on the iTunes store.  Many iOS users were disappointed when they were not able to view the live stream of Coachella over the weekend.  Though the update was late, at least iOS users will no longer be left out in live streamed events on YouTube.


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