UPDATED 09:07 EDT / APRIL 18 2013

Thou Shall Not Lend Your Google Glass – Unless Google Approves

In today’s mobile and social news roundup: Google Glass restrictions grow; Nokia Q1 reports record-breaking Lumia sales; Twitter #Music launching today; Amazon smartphone rumor fueled by Evi acquisition; and LinkedIn updates apps for a more personalized experience.

Google Glass restrictions grow

After Google’s big reveal on Google Glass’ tech specs, API and app this week, it wasn’t long before eyebrows raised over the surprisingly high number of developer restrictions that comes with the upcoming spectacles.  But Google is not stopping at developers.

If developers are restricted from making apps that would help them monetize from Google Glass, owners can’t loan them to others without the search giant’s permission.  Aside from that, Google stated that you are only allowed to buy one device and you’re not allowed to resell, loan, transfer, or give your device to any other person except if you’re giving it as a gift.  If found violating said rules, the device will  be deactivated and the original owner and the receiver/buyer will not be refunded, nor entitled to product support or product warranty.

Nokia Q1 report

Nokia has posted its Q1 2013 interim report, which showed that it sold 5.6 million units of Lumia handsets in the quarter that just ended, up from the 4.4 million units sold in the previous quarter.  Though this may seem reason to celebrate, it can’t be ignored that overall net sales fell by 20 percent, down to 5.9 billion euros, compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

Still, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop remains positive with the results, stating that, “At the highest level, we are pleased that Nokia Group achieved underlying operating profitability for the third quarter in a row. While operating in a highly competitive environment, Nokia is executing our strategy with urgency and managing our costs very well.”

Twitter #Music launching today

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest tweeted last week that he was playing with the Twitter #Music app, which was reported to be launching at Coachella.  A lot of people got excited and wanted to try the app out, but unfortunately, unless you’re a really famous celebrity, you don’t have access to Twitter #Music.

But the wait is finally over, as the Twitter #Music web and mobile app will be officially launched today.  No news yet as to the exact time the apps will go live, as it still shows the “coming soon” message at the time of writing.

Amazon smartphone rumor fueled by Evi acquisition

E-comm giant Amazon is rumored to be making a smartphone that could compete with Apple’s iPhone.  So what ignited the rumor?  Amazon’s speculated acquisition of Evi Technologies, a British startup behind the Siri-like app, Evi.  The the acquisition may have some truth to it, but that doesn’t automatically mean that a smartphone is in the works.  Amazon could just easily use the technology for its web services, or incorporate it in its existing or future line of tablets.

LinkedIn updates apps for a more personalized experience

After LinkedIn’s acquisition of news aggregator Pulse last week, the enterprise-centered social networking site is showing how serious it is in its mobile efforts with its iPhone and Android app updates.  The updated LinkedIn app now features a personalized activity stream, better navigation, sponsored content, ads, and bigger photos.  LinkedIn saw that more people are using their mobile devices, and it needed to adjust to its users.

“We were seeing that people are engaging a lot more on mobile, and so we wanted to make the experience more efficient,” says Kiran Prasad, head of mobile engineering for LinkedIn. “That meant moving away from an HTML5-based app and to more of a native app experience.”


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