*By Tracey Cheek*
AppOnboard is looking to reinvent the app store by letting users instantly experience an app or game without having to download it. The company just raised $15 million in funding, bringing its total to $30 million this year.
“We’re really excited to really re-invent the way that users consume apps,” Bryan Buskas, AppOnboard's chief operating officer told Cheddar on Thursday. He said the new funding will focus on two things: international expansion, including into Europe and China, and improvements in the platform.
he two co-founders, Jonathan Zweig and Adam Piechowicz, developed 14 of the first 100 iOS apps when the App Store first launched. Their goal for AppOnboard is to deliver on demand app experiences for Android users.
“Consumer expectations are \[that\] at the push of a button you get a car or you get a pizza, and everything is on demand,” said Buskas. “But if you look at the app stores, it really is the last place of digital content where you’re expected to download a full file before you even try something out.”
Google Play users are not the only ones who can benefit from using AppOnboard,. Buskas said the app also offers product insights for developers.
“The data we see is that consumers who use the 'try now' button and experience the app before they commit to the full download have 30 percent better retention, better monetization ー its a lift across kind of all metrics because you’re pre-qualifying the user into an experience that they know they want,” Buskas said. “We’re excited to think all app stores in the world will someday be like this.”
Apps have grown five times larger since 2012, and larger files lead to lower conversion rates, slower downloads, higher uninstalls, and lower update rates, according to Google. The “Demo Before Download” company is hoping to combat storage problems that many users face.
“For the biggest apps and games in the world, things like 'Fortnite' are three gigabytes in file size, so that's like 10 minutes just of download it to even get in,” Buskas said. “Why can’t you just start playing it right away to see what the fuss is all about?”
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/apponboard-demo-before-you-download).
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickup trucks across the U.S. because of an instrument panel display failure that’s resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
Nvidia reported a 56% increase in second-quarter revenue and a 59% rise in net income compared to a year ago.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos claims audiences don't want to watch Netflix movies in theaters, but that seems not to be the case recently.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
