Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NYC, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sixth graders from the  NY Bronx Academy of Promise have taken top honors in a national app design contest. The students created an app called Quest Math to help encourage students to improve their math skills using mythology.

They were part of the winners of The Verizon Innovative App Challenge sponsored by the Technology Students Association and the Verizon Foundation. The goal was to boost student interest in math and science, much like many of the efforts NYC is making recently. Justina Nixon-Santil, of the Verizon Foundation, said that she was impressed with the Bronx student’s app that was creative, unique, and able to be incorporated with sciences

Over 1,000 schools entered the competition, and ten winners nationwide received a $10,000 Verizon Foundation grant, each contestant a Samsung Galaxy Notes 10, and the ability to work with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab to further develop their app.

New York Daily News

Graffiti, Lower East Side, NYC (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Thanks to a NYC-based startup called PublicStuff, NYers will have an easier time reporting miscellaneous problems around the city, such as graffiti, potholes, and weird smells.

The three-year old company provides a digital communication system for both residents and local governments who want to participate and so far over 200 cities are using the platform and give residents push notifications for alerts or status of service requests. Any municipality can download the app though.

The CEO hopes to be able to use PublicStuff to help motivate NYC residents to become more active in the improvement of their communities. So far, they’ve encountered a communication gap for participants of different languages. So solve it, they created an instant translation technology for 16 languages.

Fast Company

English: New York Cab – Toyota Prius (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With plans for an e-hail app for yellow cabs put on hold, GetTaxi is focusing on a new app that will help arrange rides with black car cabs. The product, G-Car will allow users to arrange for a livery car through an application on their smart phone where they will be shown the driver’s name and photo. Drivers will be supplied with tablets and the app to accept passengers and alert passengers of estimated arrival times.

The riders can have their credit cards on file to pay for the ride and the rates will be the same for all rides, although they have yet to release the rates. G-Car differs from it’s competitor Uber in that it is more for everyday use whereas Uber markets itself as being like having one’s own personal driver.

Crain’s New York Business 

Foursquare (Photo credit: brennanMKE)

The updated Android app for Foursquare features recommendations for popular restaurants, shops and tourist destinations. The recommendations will pop up when the app is opened and will be available in a searchable format for both locals and tourists.

Cnet says that this is part of the shift from a check-in based social network to more of a comprehensive search engine.

Cnet

New York Daily News logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The N.Y. Daily News has now released a City Guide application to help users customize their stories and listings. The Daily news has partnered with MyCityWay, an 2009 app that helps users navigate their city including mass transit reports, news,weather, and event listings. In addition to Daily News articles, users of the app will be able to search for the closes WiFi hotspot, sign up for local deals, or browse through nearby Instagram photos. The news content itself will be able to be customized by news angle and will have a QR reader that can scan stories from the print edition.

AdWeek

Union Square (Photo credit: 28 Dreams)

The Union Square-based online moving startup Moveline, which is now expanding outside of NYC, is part of the growing online moving business over the last few years. Moveline has raised $1.5 million in seed capital and see potential in developing technology that aids consumers in organizing, comparing prices, and decision-making in regards to a move.

One of the key features of the application is that users are able to film the contents of their home and using that footage, Moveline creates a list of all of their belongings. Each customer also receives a personal assistant to monitor his/her move.

The company began in 2011 with $400,000 and has since participated in the NY-based accelerator Tech Stars. Moveline also faces competition from the London-based Move Guides and Union Square-based company Unpakt.

NY Daily News

Image via CrunchBase

The New York Times has launched a version of the newspaper for the Android and Kindle Fire Flipboard application to add to their iPad and iPhone versions. This app delivers stories with special formatting designed specifically for Flipboard.

The launch is part of the NYT Everywhere initiative to help expand the reach of the Times‘ to readers on third-party platforms. With the app, users will be able to log into their subscribed account and few all content. On Android, they will also be able to subscribe if they aren’t already.

Net News Check

Barclays Center (Photo credit: HorsePunchKid)

The Barclays Center in Brooklyn has just released a new mobile app for iPhone and Android in hopes of keeping sports fans in the arena. The app, run by Cisco, is the first to be offered by an arena, according to the New York Times.

Although some of the features are available anytime, there are new features that only work on the Wi-Fi network in the arena. On that network, the app allows fans to order and pay for food, and then pick it up in a special line. The app also offers a live stream of the game at different angles with up to 30 seconds of replay.  The arena also may add a feature that will allow fans to pay for lower tickets after they’ve already gotten to the arena.

The New York Times

Foursquare (Photo credit: brennanMKE)

Foursquare has now added a button to their site that allows members to share venue links with other non-members through the generation of a URL that doesn’t require logging in. It’s a step towards the company becoming an open ratings and local search platform, the cost of which would cost the loss of the location data from an estimated 3 billion check-ins from users.

Social Times

iPad 2 with Smart Cover running iMovie. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Huffington Post has launched a new iPad app in the iTunes App Store. Mobile Insider writer Steve Smith says that the new version is completely re-engineered for touch screens. The new interface makes it easier for users to bookmark, personalize, share, and comment on articles.

The new app also integrates video and slideshow content better with live feeds. There is also a separate app for the digital video channel. Publisher Janet Balis said that the new app is a representation of the way that the social experience around news has shifted. The app also increases the range of marketing opportunities for advertisers because AOL will sell adds as part of cross-platform execution.

MediaPost

Buildings with fire exit ladders in Soho. New York City 2005 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The NY City Buildings Department has a new app called NYC Buildings, which sends alerts to users about inclement weather and how it applies to them. Tony Sclafani, from the department, says that the app is part of a push towards the digital age and is intended for both those in the construction industry itself and apartment seekers who may want to learn about the history of a particular building.

Users will be able to enter an address and find information about the building on the site from records of complaints, inspections, and safety reports. They will also have the ability to scan QR codes to find out what is happening at a construction site.

The New York Times

Image via CrunchBase

Vimeo announced the acquisition of Echograph, an app for making videos appear as if they are animated GIFs. The app plays videos on a loop, similar to Vine from Twitter, and was Editor’s Choice in the App Store for over 130 different countries.

With the acquisition, Echograph will be a free download for iPhone and iPad instead of costing $2.99 in the iTunes store.

Social Times

Image via CrunchBase

Fans of crowdfunding website Kickstarter will now be able to donate money or ask for donations via an official iPhone app. It’s the first time that Kickstarter has made a move towards a mobile presence and they said that with the app they focused on finding new projects, keeping up to date with already backed projects, and offering tools for creators of projects.

In the app, users will be able to browse projects by category, pledge to projects, and connect with Social Media. There is also a dashboard for project creators to keep track of new pledges.

The Guardian

Map of the New York City Subway Español: Plano del es:Metro de Nueva York Français: Carte du métro de New York en octobre 2011. Română: Hartă a metroului din New York. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NY City Subway riders will now be able to navigate better with the just released interactive version of the MTA online subway map. With the new map, riders can zoom into sections of the map and easily access route information for each line whereas before the map could only be enlarged by opening a PDF.

There are also links to each line above the map that will pull up the full list of stops and running hours for that line.

The map accounts for the most recent version of the printed subway map including service changes from Hurricane Sandy.

City Room- New York Times

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The NY Civil Liberties Union has released an iPhone version of their Android Stop and Frisk Watch application. The mobile application was designed with the goal of helping citizens document NYPD abuse from the controversial “stop and frisk” program. On the app, users are able to upload video, audio, and location data when they witness police stops and the information is instantly sent to the NYCLU. Users can also turn on a “listen” function that alerts users when someone nearby is also using Stop and Frisk Watch.

The Android version, which has been out for seven months, has been downloaded over 20,000 times and has contributed over 5,000 videos and 1,000 written reports with reportedly only 200 actually documenting police incidents. According to the NYCLU, the iPhone version came so long after the Android because of the slower Apple review process as well alterations they needed to make for the functionality of the app on the iPhone platform.

Mashable

duane reade (Photo credit: Paul Lowry)

Widespread NY Drugstore Duane Reade has partnered with Ingress, the augmented reality game by Google. Users will now have to go into the store and scan a code in order to check into the location and play the game. This move is part of an effort to keep the game free while not having to use banner ads in the app. Zipcar and Jamba Juice are next in line and have deals in place for integration with Ingress, according to Geek O System. 

Geek O System

PC World

Etsy’s Android app

Brooklyn-based Etsy launched a new Android app allowing buyers to purchase items on mobile devices. According to VentureBeat, the app lets customers peruse over 17 million products from 800,000 sellers worldwide–in multiple languages. The Android release follows Etsy’s iPad and iPhone apps.

VentureBeat

Cablevision Systems

MultiChannel

Image via CrunchBase

 Vimeo just released its latest iPhone app. Their mobile team said Vimeo 3.0 is “awesomer, sleeker, more beautiful, way awesomer, and also much more awesomer than ever before.” The NY-based company’s app allows users to record video and upload it directly to the web without leaving the application. The new app also has sharing features and the ability to quickly search for videos throughout the entire Vimeo catalog. An iPad update is also in the works, but there’s no word on a new Android app.

PC Magazine

The app, which debuted at the paidContent 2012 conference in NY earlier this week focuses more on the consumer-based audience.  With more than 50 channels to choose from, including the AP, Reuters, Bloomberg, etc., Newslook applies metadata and places the selected videos into multiple searchable taxonomies.  In addition to adding more than 150 new videos daily, a search and tabs function will help the user find trending topics and featured video clips.

Fred Silverman, Newslook founder and former CBS producer, said to GigaOm, “there’s a lot of content out there, we sift through the crap so you don’t have to.”  He hopes to have 200 video sources by year’s end.

In the end, Newslook “looks” to funnel only professional sourced content into their platform and avoid the user-created videos.  The company also plans to offer a share feature to link to viewers’ Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts.

GigaOm

The app does not, however, show living TV programming.

Broadcasting & Cable

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The Guggenheim Museum has introduced its first app for the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan for his exhibition, “All” available at $3.99 for iPhone and Android. For the app, the Guggenheim installed a Wi-Fi network in order to facilitate the use of it. The American Museum of Natural History will also put forward an app in recognition of the opening of a new exhibit, Beyond Plant Earth, free for iPhone users, after installing a $1 million dollar Wi-Fi network last year. The museum has also put forth touchscreens throughout the exhibit, which allows for users to smell the moon or play a video game reflecting the exhibit, enhancing user interaction by augmenting reality. The Guggenheim, however, is using its app for the Cattelan exhibit for a physical information standpoint. The exhibit is not label-friendly and some of the pieces require back story, which is exactly what the app provides. The Guggenheim wants the app to work as a substitute for those who cannot visit the museum, a major goal for most museums.

According to the New York Times, Philip M. Katz of the American Association of Museums, explains “that half of its member museums will be using mobile devices in some way by the end of the year.

The New York Times

Image by Michael McDonough via Flickr

With today’s New York City Marathon starting shortly, fans will be able to live stream the entire 26.2 mile race via an app for iPhone, iPad and Android based phone sponsored by New York Road Runners. According to Fierce Cable‘s Steve Donahue, who plans to run into the race today, the app will change the way fans can view the race, as the most popular and anticipated feature will be the ability to track individuals runners. Donahue explains the importance of the app, as he thinks, “it’ll help motivate runners to finish the race” know that his friends and family will be able to track him throughout the ordeal.

Though Donahue does admit one drawback of the app: a users battery life can only last so long on the phones the runners keep on to broadcast their location.  To avoid this dilemma, he plans on turning off his 4G capability during the race in order to extend his battery life on his Samsung Droid phone.

Fierce Cable

Image via Wikipedia

New York Road Runners, in conjunction with MapMyRun, have launched a free app for fans to download via  iPhone, iPads and Android devices for tomorrow’s New York City Marathon.  The app lets fans track up to 10 non-elite runners, with costs of $2.99, a dollar less than last year, and the same price to have text alerts sent to their cell phones. Fans without a smartphone will also be able to track up to five runners free on the Road Runner site.

According to The New York Times, Ken Winell the head of digital technology at Road Runners,  expects  “about 100,000 people to download it this year, twice as many as in 2010, thanks to the growing number of people who own iPhones and iPads.” The app will include new features such as a course guide, tips for the best spots to watch, live feeds, behind the scenes clips, locations of live music along the course and the aforementioned Friend Finder, which allows runners to be tracked off the course.

The New York Times

City Harvest

According to Fast Company the in-app donation is a tech innovation, explaining that when you, “Bring the charitable request to the potential donor and eliminate as many barriers as possible and you increase the chance of a gift.”

Fast Company

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MSG Varsity, the high school sports network of Cablevision, has created a free app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch which allows access to scores, news, photos and game highlights for the general public.

In addition, the app allows Cablevsion Optimum Online subscribers access to view the  network via live stream. Users can also share content, recieve text alerts and customize pages for teams or schools the user wants to follow.

Broadcasting & Cable

Image by david_shankbone via Flickr

A new social media app has hit home with the protestors at Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in Lower Manhattan. Created by Hazem Sayed, Vibe is an anonymous, location-based, and temporal Twitter-esque messaging system. The app has proven to be helpful at the protest as users can choose how long, anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 days, and the distance, 160 feet to worldwide,  they want their message to appear, which can be helpful for protesters who are concerned about the police monitoring their tweets.

BetaBeat

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New York’s magazine’s Vulture blog has launched its first iPhone app, Clickables, Based on the segment of the blog of the same name, the app send Vulture’s “must see” quick links to videos, pictures or songs gaining buzz on the Internet.  Some of its other features of the app include a favorites screen to keep track of “clicks” and the ability to electronically share the links with friends.

The app is free of charge.

FishbowlNY

Image by gisele13 via Flickr

The U.S. Open is offering a smartphone app, now also available in Android, for fans to follow the tournament whether at the games this week of in Queens or elsewhere. The app, in its third year, includes new features such as shopping from the stands and live video of the games broadcasted on CBS.

Though only available in iPhone, one of its key features entitled Around Me, enables users to “augment reality” to serve as an official guide of the tournament. Options for this feature include finding the nearest restroom and the ability to see the score of a match by pointing the phone a certain way. The only complaint for the application is the connection quality at the Open due to bad cellular service.

The price of the application is free.

The New York Times