Making bet on mobile gaming

The mobile game market is growing rapidly and — parents of game-addicted children beware — the makers of these time-wasters are coming up with novel ways to drain your wallet.

Skillz, which launched last week with 10 games from 10 developers, is the first company to enable legalized mobile game betting in 36 states, including Massachusetts.

"We offer tournaments for as little as 25 cents to $5, although we'll be offering higher stakes in the future," said Andrew Paradise, founder and CEO of Skillz, which has offices in Boston and San Francisco. "People are interested in competing and in having meaningful stakes. It gets your adrenaline pumping, even competing for 25 cents. Winning money makes it that much more exciting. If you ever thought you were good at a game, we're enabling you to put your money where your mouth is."

Skillz allows only games of skill, however, not games of chance, to be played for money, Paradise said. The majority of tournaments last between one and five minutes and are played by two people who deposit money to play using Visa or PayPal. The winner receives a check for a cash prize that can range from 50 cents to $20.

"There's no question mobile games are going in this direction," said Mike Vorhaus, president of the Magid Advisors unit at Frank N. Magid Associates, a Los Angeles firm that advises entertainment companies. "The trend is clear. The majority, though, are free games where you have the option to spend money."

Clash of Clans, a game made by the Finnish company Supercell, is one of the most successful examples.

Vorhaus acknowledges that this trend might be cause for worry to parents who suddenly discover their child, or spouse, has racked up thousands of dollars on their credit cards by playing such games.

"But you can get your kid a PayPal account with a fixed amount to spend," he said.

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New Android features outbaking Apple

If you paid $200 or more for the newest iPhone recently, here's a harsh truth: You've been had.

The iPhone 5 — released just seven months ago — is officially antiquated, with a slate of new Android and Windows Phone 8 devices leaving Apple looking several product cycles behind.

That reality came into stunning focus last week as Android's intuitive personal assistant, Google Now, launched for iOS as part of the Google app.

It met with an enthusiasm among Apple followers that would have been unheard of just months ago — simply because it's an Android product.

The anticipation for Google Now on iOS speaks volumes about Apple's brand, with company stock hovering at its lowest level in two years.

In releasing Google Now, there was a collective sense that Android did Apple a solid. I even jokingly tweeted that Apple should buy Android a beer.

But using the app on iOS reminded me how stifling Apple's platform can be.

While Google Now runs constantly in the background on Android — for instance, anticipating when you'll leave for work or what events you might enjoy attending — an iPhone user must make sure the app is open in order to use it.

That defeats the purpose of an unobtrusive, intuitive smartphone assistant.

The difference between now and when the
iPhone 5 was released last year is that Apple had a long winning streak on hardware and design. Now, Android has caught up.

Smartphones such as the HTC One, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and even the lower-tier HTC First meet or surpass the iPhone 5 on basic performance.

Windows Phone's HTC 8X and Nokia Lumia 920 provide a similar marriage of solid hardware and operating system, which is why U.S. marketshare doubled to 6 percent last quarter.

Apple has a tenuous edge in apps and its iTunes-driven ecosystem. A rumored iWatch that will pair with the iPhone may buy Apple a bit more time to develop iOS 7, but the system had better be a stunner.

Nothing less than a complete overhaul from the currently static and uncustomizable platform will be competitive.

I knew I was choosing apps and ecosystem over lots of other features when I bought the iPhone 5. But now it feels like I paid $200 for a pretty-looking iTunes machine with a nice camera.

And I'm in the market for an upgrade.

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Bashful? Buy the little blue pill online

TRENTON, N.J. — Men who are bashful about needing help in the bedroom no longer have to visit a drugstore to buy that little blue pill.

In a first for the drug industry, Pfizer Inc. told The Associated Press that on Monday it will sell begin selling erectile dysfunction pill Viagra directly to patients on its website.

Men still will need a prescription to buy the blue pill on viagra.com, but they won't have to face a pharmacist to get it filled.

Other drugmakers likely will watch closely, and could begin selling other medicines online.

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Buffett defends structure of $23B Heinz deal

OMAHA, Neb. — Investor Warren Buffett says he expects Berkshire Hathaway to own a stake in ketchup-maker H.J. Heinz Co. forever, and he doesn't see a problem in taking a partner — the Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital — in the $23.3 billion deal.

Buffett said in an interview on CNBC on Monday that he doesn't consider 3G a traditional private equity firm because it is investing a significant amount of its own money and it runs businesses. Some people had questioned whether the deal that will give Berkshire a 50 percent stake in Heinz represented a change in investment style for Buffett's conglomerate.

Generally Berkshire buys entire companies outright and allows them to continue operating largely unchanged.

Buffett says he hopes Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s stake in Heinz will grow over time.

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E! Online's Twitter, texting accounts hacked

LOS ANGELES — E! Online says hackers compromised its Twitter and text messaging accounts, sending out erroneous news alerts about Justin Bieber and Angelina Jolie.

The Syrian Electronic Army claimed responsibility for Saturday's hack.

E! Online said it was working with Twitter to correct the issue, and that an investigation into the attack was underway.

The SEA has taken credit for a string of Web attacks on media targets it sees as sympathetic to Syria's rebels, including the BBC, Al-Jazeera English and the Guardian.

The group claims to have hacked the Twitter feed of The Associated Press last month.

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Cities: deal us in big time

Host cities and towns negotiating with proposed resort casino operators shouldn't get too greedy, according to one gaming expert.

"It does not help you to encourage massive promises — the politicians may like it, the lawyers may like it, but it doesn't help," said Jacob Miklojcik of Michigan Consultants, which does gaming industry financial analysis. "If you make outrageous demands, then the people say yes and two weeks later they try to renegotiate."

Community costs and benefits of building gambling resorts in East Boston/Revere, Everett and Milford will be the subject of a free "Casinos: Deal Us In?" forum at Suffolk University on Thursday.

"Given that this summer many of the communities will be voting on host benefit packages, we thought it might be useful to have a comparative conversation, or a collective conversation, around these community benefits," said Richard Taylor, business law director of the Sawyer Business School's Center for Real Estate at Suffolk.

Host community agreements will play a key role in the application process for prospective casino operators Suffolk Downs/Caesars Entertainment, Wynn Resorts and Foxwoods Resort Casino as they compete for the sole Greater Boston casino license. The plans — which stand to bring tens of millions of dollars to the communities, infrastructure improvements and jobs — must be included in their site-specific, phase two applications to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission that are due by December.

"Community mitigation is critically important in the application process, and every applicant will be expected to really put their best foot forward in introducing an effective and innovative (plan)," spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said.

So far, only Everett has an agreement, and a June 22 city vote on Wynn's proposed $1.2 billion casino along the Mystic River has been set.

Wynn has agreed to give hiring preference to Everett citizens for 8,000-plus construction and permanent jobs, and make a good-faith effort to hire Everett contractors and suppliers.

Host community plans for Boston and Revere are expected next.

"We've had great dialogue with both our host communities … over the last year and look forward to completing host community ... agreements in the coming weeks," said Suffolk Downs chief operating officer Chip Tuttle.

Cash flow during the final planning and development also is a big concern for communities.

"The casino should be asked to front-load some type of fund for the expenses of the community, even if those dollars are offset against any future payments by the casino once operating," Miklojcik said.

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Airport app lands just in time

Local entrepreneur Wayne Chen wants his new app to take off with harried air travelers — literally.

The 67-year-old has created Connect On Time, a free app for iPhones and iPads that provides customized maps of 42 global airports and calculates how much time travelers actually need to reach their respective flight gates upon their arrival.

"In doing my research, there isn't any place else you can get this kind of info," Chen, president of Mo'zippity Apps in Marlboro, told the Herald. "I've flown enough and gotten lost enough to say, 'There's a way to solve this.' "

Connect On Time, the first app from Mo'zippity, a division of Chen's IT company WT Chen & Co. Inc., comes free with three activated airports — Abu Dhabi International, Honolulu International and London's Stansted Airport.

The app's other 39 airports, including Logan International Airport, can be accessed for $1.99 apiece, Chen said.

Connect On Time users can view a detailed yet scaled map of an entire airport, complete with gate locations, and passport and security control checkpoints they must pass through. Upon typing in a starting location and a "go to" location, the app calculates within 15 to 30 seconds how long it can take to get from one checkpoint to the other, Chen said.

Connect On Time also contains dropdown menus with information about terminal shuttles and airline locations.

Chen added Mo'zippity is working to increase the app's airport count to include all of the world's top 100 busiest airports; make the app available for Android devices; and give it multiple language capabilities.

"Last year the number of individuals that flew exceeded one billion for the first time and that number is expected to increase in the next 10 years by another billion," Chen said. "Lots of travelers are going to be seniors as well as Asians flying to Europe and the U.S., which is a driver and motivator for me to have multiple language versions."

Chen said Connect On Time's database of airport information was largely collected by him and other staff physically walking through all airports included on the app.

"Every airport just confirmed for us that airport signage is confusing, airport personnel aren't helpful and comprehensive airport maps are scarcer than hen's teeth," Chen said. "The information is needed because millions of people are late and hundreds of millions of people are always stressed out."

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Leaders laud contest to grant $ to struggling communities

Community leaders from the Hub's more economically hard-hit cities hailed a competition launched by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston last week as a necessary tool to spur cross-sector partnerships and improve the health and well-being of lower-income residents.

"You just have to walk down Broadway Street and you will see hundreds of people that wake up every day to open their small businesses. The ideas, the willingness, the energy to work and be creative is there," said Lawrence CommunityWorks Co-Executive Director Nelson Butten about the Working Cities Challenge. "This is a great opportunity for promoting collaboration within the different organizations, both private and nonprofits."

All 20 cities eligible for multi-year grants, including Brockton, Everett, Lowell and Fall River, have submitted letters of intent to enter the competition.

The Commonwealth, Massachusetts Competitive Partnership and Living Cities, a philanthropic collaborative of 22 of the world's largest foundations and financial institutions, will provide up to eight awards ranging from $50,000 to $700,000.

Winners will be chosen in January 2014, officials said.

"America looks mostly like these small cities and not like the big cities, so we need to figure out ... how do we build upon what we have," said Living Cities President and CEO Ben Hecht.

Lawrence is hoping to increase the earning power of residents, promote better community health, and allow local and immigrant businesses to grow.

Chelsea-based nonprofit, The Neighborhood Developers, meanwhile, is working with other partners to improve the city's Shurtleff-Bellingham neighborhood, and create a community school in Revere that provides educational opportunities for families and working adults, said Executive Director Ann Houston.

"It's certainly gotten a lot of important conversation going," Houston said about the initiative.

Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren added, "This project alone can't turn around the employment situation in Massachusetts, but in these cities I think that it can help lay the groundwork for why both the communities and the businesses will look to expand in Massachusetts."

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Economic CUV practical but fun

When the all-new 2013 Subaru Crosstrek rolled up, I looked forward to kicking its tires and thought this could be a nifty replacement for the Outback Sport.

It's better.

I found the new Crosstrek to be an easy- and fun-to-drive CUV that got fantastic gas mileage, nearly 30 mpg on average, yet still had a feisty temperament that didn't mind some rough and tumble driving.

The car at its core is an Impreza hatchback sharing the 148-horsepower, 2.0-liter Boxer engine and CVT transmission, but it's hardier.

The wider, taller body provides a spacious five-passenger cabin, and with the rear seats down, a large cargo area, and the beefed-up suspension is up to the task of absorbing in-town rumble and light off-roading.

The engine is torquey and responds well under acceleration although the CVT gearing could be re-engineered to maintain more power through the middle gears. Like the Impreza it gets whiny in the those gears, losing some of the torque, but once at highway speed the car was very confident and happily flows with traffic. The all-wheel-drive steering is nimble and the Crosstrek refreshingly darts through traffic and around corners as the power is meted out to the wheels as needed.

The reinforced framework is more substantial than the Impreza and it's outfitted with oversized brakes. Riding almost nine inches off the ground on 17-inch blacked-out alloy wheels with flared fenders, the Crosstrek strikes a bit of a macho profile. In fact, if you squint, it resembles the last-generation Outback. The driver sits very tall in the cockpit and hopping in and out is quite easy.

The interior is simply appointed, but well-constructed. The fit and finish are polished and the ride is comfortable and fairly quiet. Conversations on the Bluetooth-connected phone are clear and not drowned out by road noise. Subaru has updated the infotainment center, but it may be the weakest element of the cabin. It's quite small and the dark screen is a strain to see.

The XV Premium trim, one of two available, starts at $22,995 and comes well-equipped with Bluetooth, power options, heated seats and mirrors and tinted glass. We had the $2,000 Navigation and Moonroof package added on for a total of $25,790. The base Limited starts at $25,000 and adds leather, an upgraded Bose stereo and the Navigation and Moonroof package are standard. As with all Subarus, there's an endless list of options to dress your car up so although you can get a nicely appointed one for a competitive price, it can add up quickly with adornments. Unless you really want leather seats, stick with the tester combination for the best sticker value.

Weigh this against the Mini Cooper Countryman, Mazda 5, Nissan Juke and I think you'll find the Crosstrek to be a great value and a very intriguing CUV.

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Job news boosts markets

A largely positive U.S. jobs report sent the stock market soaring as the Dow Jones industrial average traded above 15,000 for the first time before closing just below the mark and the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index closed at a record 1,614.

"The Dow was at 14,000 in March. It's more than doubled since early 2009," said Paul Edelstein of IHS Global Insight.

"Investors seem to have more confidence," Alan Clayton-Matthews, an associate professor of economics and public policy at Northeastern University, told the Herald. "And the Federal Reserve made interest rates so low that if you put your savings in the bank, it won't earn much. The only place to put (your savings) is in commodities like gold or equities like stock. It seems like a pretty safe bet because businesses are doing well and profits are high."

The nation added 165,000 jobs in April, with increases reported in professional and business services, food services and drinking establishments, retail trade and health care, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"It's an improvement from what many people were expecting," said Eric Rosengren, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. "I'd still like to see better improvement than what we've seen to date."

The number of unemployed Americans last month — 11.7 million, or
 7.5 percent of the work force — ticked down a tenth of a percent from March and has declined by 673,000, or 
0.4 percent, since January.

Another bright spot: Due to revisions of earlier estimates, employment gains in February and March combined were 114,000 higher than previously reported, federal data shows. Also, the number of people not looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them decreased by 133,000 from a year earlier to 835,000 last month.

"Overall, April's job report was consistent with the stubbornly slow pace of economic growth the nation has been experiencing this year, but with a few silver linings," said Michael D. Goodman, associate professor and public policy department chairman at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. "These include strong upward revisions to the February and March data that suggest that the employment recovery is continuing, albeit not fast enough to be much consolation for the more than 4 million American workers who have been unemployed for over 26 weeks."

And the jobs people are getting may not be the ones they want. The number of involuntary part-time workers, for example, increased in April by 278,000 to 
7.9 million, largely offsetting a decrease in March.

Ira Kantor contributed to this report.

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