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Apple buys Burstly, owner of TestFlight beta-testing platform
Re/code is confirming the news first reported by TUAW sister site TechCrunch that Apple has purchased Burstly. The company is best known for mobile analytics tool FlightPath, and acquired TestFlight in 2012. Burstly also provides the SkyRocket ad monetization service. iOS beta testers and developers alike are quite familiar with TestFlight, which is used to distribute pre-release versions of apps to limited audiences for beta testing purposes. TechCrunch reported that on Wednesday, TestFlight announced that it would be dropping Android support as of March 21 as well as discontinuing its TestFlight SDK. TechCrunch also noted that FlightPath, which never made it past beta, has also been shut down. Links to FlightPath began being redirected to the TestFlight home page on about February 11. At this point, nobody is quite sure what plans Apple has for Burstly and TestFlight, but we're sure to hear more details as time passes ... perhaps not until the 2014 WorldWide Developer Conference.
Burstly restructures, now offers three services for code-to-ship functionality
Burstly acquired the beta testing service TestFlight just a few months ago, and TestFlight released a mobile analytics service called FlightPath soon after that. Now, Burstly has announced that it is restructuring its offerings, to set up a full set of services to take developers from developing and testing their app with TestFlight, to preforming analytics with FlightPath, and then monetizing with Burstly's tools, now rebranded as SkyRocket. This is a smart bit of revamping -- TestFlight is very popular, but FlightPath has just started out and SkyRocket's name is brand new to most developers, so combining these tools under the same umbrella should make them all more accessible to developers. All of these services are still available separately, but not only do they share a parent company now, but they also can combine functionality, such as having high profile users from FlightPath get offered different monetization options or deals via SkyRocket. Burstly's wasting no time making its TestFlight acquisition useful. We'll stay tuned to see, going forward, how this trio of services plays with mobile developers.
FlightPath from TestFlight features realtime analytics for developers
TestFlight has long been known by developers as a very useful tool for testing iOS apps (even outside of Apple's distribution system), and for a while now there's also been a TestFlight SDK, which developers can insert into their app code to track various testers and their actions in the app. But today, TestFlight has introduced FlightPath, which is a separate product designed for analytics post-release. FlightPath is a real-time analytics platform: Developers can insert FlightPath code into their apps, and the service will then provide real-time information on customer usage, any crashes the app experiences and even segmented data to target the information precisely. In other words, it sounds like TestFlight is taking its SDK to the release stage. There are a number of analytics services like this -- Google runs one; Flurry is a popular choice; and there are plenty more. But TestFlight has a lot of great experience at providing information to developers directly, so FlightPath should be a helpful tool for anyone used to using their SDK. Currently, FlightPath is still in beta, so we don't have any information yet on how it'll all be priced out. Given how these services work, there will likely be a free option, with charges for premium services or support. Until that's all announced, you can sign up for the beta on the main site, and TUAW has been offered special priority access for the first 100 developers who sign up using this link. Show full PR text TESTFLIGHT LAUNCHES FLIGHTPATH: REAL TIME, ACTIONABLE ANALYTICS FOR APP DEVELOPERS Intuitive Analytics Tool Allows Developers to Customize, Analyze & Manage Data in One Click SANTA MONICA, Calif. – March 21, 2013 – TestFlight, the leading app beta-testing platform used by more than 300,000 apps, today announced the private beta launch of FlightPath, an intuitive analytics solution for mobile app developers. FlightPath brings app data to life in an easy to understand front-page format that is fully interactive and encourages deeper data exploration due to its real-time delivery. "Today we're launching FlightPath, a product that will help streamline mobile analytics. We built TestFlight to help developers build better apps and now FlightPath will help developers build a better business," states Ben Satterfield, co-founder of TestFlight. "Up until now, it can be a laborious and complex process for developers to use existing analytics tools to learn more about their app's usage. It usually involves digging through multiple pages and then waiting hours in order to view specific data. With FlightPath, developers can now do it all on one page, with one click." FlightPath delivers real-time views of high-level data and instant drill downs into limitless combinations of core metrics. Developers can choose from preset segments and add to them on the fly or explore by clicking multiple data points to see how the information changes based on each attribute. Preset segments provide immediate insight including views such as "Loyal Users," "Early Adopters," or "Flight Risks." Key features include: · Single page UI for all analytics · Real-time data · One-click pivoting on any attribute · Click any data point to create endless combinations · Preset segments to view valuable data with no setup required · Instantly save any custom segment · View number of crashes by audience segment Developers can use the same TestFlight SDK to activate FlightPath when they submit to the app store. The SDK is one line of code and takes seconds to include. To learn more, please visit http://www.FlightPathApp.com
Breakfast Topic: Changes mid-flight
I'm sure you've all been there. You volunteer to actually fly to a summoning stone for your group, and suddenly you realize you're out of arrows, or your fourth and fifth drop out. If I had a nickel for every time I desperately wanted to hop off my ten minute flight down a continent, I'd have at least a dollar. Doclrea recently made a suggestion that would be helpful to commuters everywhere. What if, at certain points during a flightpath, an option would be given to veer off and land at one of several nearby destinations? Heck, I'd probably take advantage of such a system even if I had to pay a little more. What do you think? Would you like the option to land at an alternative, on-the-way flight path, or do you prefer things the way they are? Can you think of any other flight-related changes you'd like to see?
Flight Paths
Ever flown from Theramore to Auberdine? I'd personally recommend not bothering - though the thirteen minute flight does cover some lovely scenery, it's faster to take the boat back to the Eastern Kingdoms, and then catch another boat to Auberdine. Flight paths across Azeroth sometimes seem odd - most of them are anything but a straight line, and not all flight masters are connected in the most obvious way. (As an example, until recently you could not fly from Western to Eastern Plaguelands.) Community manager Caydiem has announced some small improvements in this area, including flight paths from Tarren Mill to Sepulcher, Ironforge to Light's Hope Chapel, and the possibility of flight masters in Ratchet. Caydiem also hints at a larger change - single-click from point A to point B without having to talk to the flight master at every stop? We'll see!
