Google just announced that it’s shutting down Checkout as it transitions to Google Wallet. This change will affect Checkout merchants, Google Play developers, and Chrome Web Store developers.
Google Play developers and Chrome Web Store developers will automatically be transitioned to Wallet.
Google has updated the Google+ Android app today to match the revamped designs on the desktop version of the social network. Google+ for Android now gives users access to automatic photo enhancements and Auto Awesome while they are on-the-go. Other features that have been added to the Google+ Android app includes instant hashtagging and improved notifications.
Newsle is a news discovery company that has raised $1.65 million in Series A funding. This round of funding was led by Advance Publications. Other investors that participated in this round includes Maveron Venture Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Transmedia Capital, and Launny Steffens. Previous investor Rockwell Schnabel also participated in this round. Whitney Shaw, the president of American City Business Journals, has joined Newsle’s board of directors.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) reported in the first quarter that the average revenue per store was around $13 million. This is the highest level for a non-holiday quarter. According to Asymco, Apple hit a record $57.60 in revenues per visitor with around $12 of that figure being profit. Apple is outperforming all other retailers on a per-square-foot basis in the U.S. by a large margin too.
Perk is a web browser that lets you earn Perk points when you search the web and shop at stores. You can redeem Perk points for rewards like cash, gift cards, airline miles, etc. Perk has announced today that users now have the ability to turn rewards (Perk Points) into Bitcoins. Perk has partnered with over 2,000 top merchants including BestBuy.com, Urban Outfitters, drugstore.com, and 1-800-Flowers.
Finland based mobile company Jolla has announced their first smartphone. We first wrote about Jolla in July 2012 when a group of former Nokia engineers decided to develop MeeGo-based devices. The first smartphone made by Jolla was developed by Jolla and is based on the Sailfish OS. The device sports a 4.5-inch screen, a dual-core processor, 16GB of internal memory, and 4G LTE connectivity. It also has an 8-megapixel camera. The operating system has a home screen that shows notifications for application updates, calendars, call activity, Facebook photos, and more.
Sony Corporation has announced that the Xperia Tablet Z is now available for sale worldwide through multiple channels. Sony officially announced the Xperia Tablet Z back in January with a 10.1-inch touchscreen (1200 x 1920 resolution), which is equal to a 224 pixel density. The tablet also appears to support the Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2. The multitouch feature on the tablet can support up to 10 pressure points at any one time. Another great feature is that the Tablet Z has a waterproof rating.
Seamless and GrubHub have announced that they are merging. The combined companies will run continue to run their websites and mobile apps that allow users to order food online to their homes or offices. GrubHub has over 20,000 local takeout restaurants across 500 cities in the U.S. while Seamless has over 12,000 restaurants in the U.S. and U.K. Seamless and GrubHub have overseen $875 million in combined gross food sales to local takeout restaurants in 2012. The combined companies have revenues of over $100 million. No one will be laid off as a result of the merger.
