Bulk-SMS App Maker Bazuc Responds to Lookout’s Claims, Says Consumers Should Pay Attention to Risks

The man behind Bazuc acknowledges that there are risks to his app, which offers to pay users to send text messages through their account.

Lookout Warns App That Pays for Unused Text Messages Is a Big-Time Security Threat

The app, called Bazuc, proposes that users allow them to send text messages from their plan. In exchange, it offers to pay users a tenth of a penny for each message sent.

2013 Was a Huge Year for Android Gaming

And paid apps on both Android and iOS are falling deeper into obscurity.

News Byte

Japan Overtakes U.S. in Apple/Google App Store Revenue

Japan is now the top country worldwide in revenue from Apple’s App Store and Google Play, according to a new report from App Annie. The app analytics company attributed the surprising shift to rapid smartphone adoption over the past year in Japan — where feature phones have held on for longer — and explosive growth in Google Play spending, outpacing global trends due to the availability of carrier billing as an alternative to credit cards.

LG G Pad and Sony Ultra Z Both Get the Google Play Treatment

The Google Play edition isn’t quite a Nexus device, but represents another pure Android option.

Survey Says Mobile Gamers Prefer Kindle Fire Over Tablets With Google Play

But Android phones are still huge, and, thanks to the iPod touch, Apple is on top, overall.

So You Got a New iPad. Here’s Some Free Stuff to Read.

For the plane, train, or flight delay.

Indie Platformer Badland Finally Comes to Android, but With a New Business Model

Premium downloads don’t work on Android, Frogmind’s COO says.

PlayPhone Adds SingTel to Its Roster, Betting on “Not Yet Mature” Emerging Markets

And it’s a safe bet, too. Just don’t expect a whole lot of change overnight.

News Byte

Google’s Alternate-Reality Game Ingress Opens to All Android Devices

Google’s Niantic Labs plans to take its year-old mobile alternate-reality game Ingress out of beta on Dec. 14, the company announced today. The game will no longer require an invite code, and is now open to all Android device owners through the Google Play store. Ingress is structured around narrative seasons, and the December date coincides with the end of the current season, #13Magnus. An iOS version of the game is planned for 2014.

Google Moving On as Nexus 4 Sells Out in U.S.