FierceDeveloper

Android gets closed-minded

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:57:00 -0400

Another week, another Android public relations fiasco. This time around, Google is catching all kinds of hell from the mobile community for secretly making a new version of the Android OS SDK available to Android Developer Challenge finalists under non-disclosure agreements. Last week, Google employee David McLaughlin sent notification that a new SDK release, build 84853, is now available via the private ADC download site. But McLaughlin mistakenly mailed the message to a public Android mailing list when in fact it was intended solely for the eyes of ADC Round Two entrants. Other Android developers, already frustrated by the absence of recent Android SDK updates and some lingering software bugs, are understandably incensed to discover they're being shut out of a platform touted for its adherence to open-source principles--worse, they're forced to continue working on the same version of the SDK released months ago.

That's assuming they're still working on Android development at all, of course. Over at the Android Discuss Google Groups message board, a few developers have suggested they're walking away from the platform and not coming back. Another is publicly petitioning Google to make available Android SDK information or updates. Developers want answers, and they deserve them. "The problem is [Google] failed to nurture the relationship with the development community," writes developer Ken Adair in an Android Discuss post. "They have cut them off from the information that was once flowing and left them to speculate and wonder. In response, you are seeing many that feel cheated and betrayed." Google has in effect transformed the Android development culture into a kind of private club accessible only to the ADC finalists--everyone else is stuck on the wrong side of the velvet rope. So much for an open platform. -Jason

iPhone hackers strike again with Pwnage 2.0

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:54:25 -0400

It took about a week, but hackers have unlocked Apple's iPhone 3G. The iPhone Dev Team--a group of programmers previously responsible for AnySIM, a widely distributed and totally unauthorized iPhone unlocking solution--has resurfaced with Pwnage 2.0. The software enables any iPhone or iPod Touch user to install third-party applications on their Apple device. The Pwnage software also promises to unlock the iPhone for use across operator networks beyond Apple's exclusive U.S. carrier partner AT&T.

For more on Pwnage 2.0:
- read this iPhone Dev Team blog entry

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RIM details BlackBerry's global expansion

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:52:49 -0400

During its annual shareholder meeting last week, BlackBerry device maker Research In Motion outlined plans for international expansion as well as investments in new handsets and software. RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie said it hopes to extend BlackBerry service into markets including Russia, Latin America, China and Southeast Asia, countering investor and analyst concerns the firm will be unable to sustain its history of expansion. Last month, RIM posted a profit outlook that fell shy of expectations despite more than doubling its quarterly earnings. RIM added it will also introduce new devices and applications as well as bolster R&D spending.

For more on RIM's outlook:
- read this DailyTech article

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Opera Mobile 9.5 beta released

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:51:03 -0400

Web browser development firm Opera Software announced the debut of the first public version of its Opera Mobile 9.5 beta. Like the most recent update of the Opera Mini browser, Opera Mobile 9.5 beta defaults to page overview mode, enabling users to view web pages in full; panning and zooming options allow users to focus on specific page content, while a new UI boasts more efficient navigation. For developers, Opera Mobile 9.5 also includes Opera Dragonfly development tools for cross-platform software creation, allowing debugging of JavaScript, inspection of Cascading Style Sheets and the Document Object Model, and error views.

For more on Opera Mobile 9.5 beta:
- read this release

Related:
Opera Mini for Android now available

Study: Personal navigation to lead LBS apps

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:49:39 -0400

While a host of location-based services including friend finders and search are poised to enter the mobile market over the next years, personal navigation will remain the premier LBS category according to a new study issued by market analysis firm ABI Research. Citing the potential for enterprise LBS applications including asset/vehicle tracking and workforce management, ABI forecasts that the corporate sphere will adopt mobile solutions and LBS apps en masse as concerns over costs, data protection and integrity are adequately addressed. While the U.S. maintains its lead in LBS deployments thanks to E911 emergency legislation led to widespread availability of GPS-based CDMA handsets, ABI anticipates Europe and Asia-Pacific will catch up as GPS receiver-enabled GSM handsets become more ubiquitous. The report adds that an influx of independent application and software providers offering carrier-independent LBS solutions could possibly relegate operators to dumb-pipe status, necessitating they offer cross-network interoperability and open up their networks.

For more on the ABI Research study:
- read this release

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Report: M-commerce apps on the upswing

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:48:01 -0400

Improved network coverage, growing demand for feature phones and smartphones, and service availability are combining to increase consumer demand for mobile commerce applications according to a new study issued by market analysis firm IMS Research. The company forecasts that while the number of wireless subscribers will grow 32 percent over the next four years, the number of active mobile banking and payment service users will increase 662 percent over the same timeframe. Noting the growing number of application developers and platform providers now emphasizing m-commerce services, IMS says that mobile operators and banks are forming strong partnerships in regions like North America, Japan and South Korea--however, the m-commerce opportunity appears even more lucrative in areas where banking infrastructure is much more limited. Security nevertheless remains a concern, especially in more mature markets, where users will first experiment with low-risk services like monitoring account balances. Users in developing markets, with fewer conventional banking services at their disposal, will be much faster to embrace mobile alternatives.

For more on the IMS report:
- read this release

Related article:
Study: Users want practical mobile applications

Zumobi expands to BlackBerry platform; Motorola sues former exec turned Apple employee;

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:33:42 -0400

> Zumobi expands to BlackBerry platform.

> Motorola sues former exec turned Apple employee.

> Less expensive phones driving mobile web usage.

And finally... Chicago suburb passes baggy pants ordinance. Article

Google GPhone: The rumor that wouldn't die

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:30:03 -0400

Here we go again. Just when you thought rumors of a Google-branded mobile device (a.k.a. the GPhone) were finally put to rest months ago with the announcement of the Android OS, tongues are wagging once more. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the web services giant's co-founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin and CEO Eric Schmidt met with a dozen journalists last week for an informal and far-reaching discussion that touched on "the inroads the company is making with its own branded mobile phone as a replacement for the iPhone." Huh? Turns out Hollywood Reporter writer Dan Cox got the details mixed up--Silicon Alley Insider reports the Google execs were in fact talking about their Android-based devices, not a Google-branded handset. Or so it seems.

Further muddying the waters: TechCrunch reports San Francisco-based product design firm Ammunition Design Group is collaborating with Google to develop an Android-based, Google branded GPhone after all. Evidence is scarce, although Ammunition Design founder Robert Brunner served as Apple's director of industrial design until 1997, for whatever that's worth. But the question still remains why Google would want to enter the handset business in the first place: The company wants to make money on mobile advertising and search revenues, not device sales. A free, open-source OS like Android is the key to guaranteeing Google its place on handsets and operator networks across the globe.

Speaking of Google's carrier partnerships, the AndroidGuys blog on Monday published a Q&A with Sprint Nextel's product manager of Android mobile devices Jake Orion, who writes "Android has stiff, astute competition that is reacting to its plan... Android isn't providing unknown magic other OSes are quantum leaps behind on. In many cases their competition is ahead." Ouch. Moreover, Orion writes "Google's confidence, vision and self assurance are refreshing and innovative, but to be effective in this space Google will have to appreciate and address industry fundamentals more pragmatically. Needs include a more proactive and direct linkage to the carrier's network and service requirements. Also, a more stable development and testability process--particularly during the time-critical carrier test and debug phase." Let's see how the rumor mill responds to that. -Jason

Ten million iPhone App Store downloads in first weekend

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:14:00 -0400

Despite myriad problems with Apple's iTunes activation server, the iPhone 3G's opening weekend looks like a success--the computing giant announced more than a million devices sold within the first three days of release. iPhone and iPod users also downloaded more than 10 million applications from the fledgling App Store, which debuted Thursday.

According to Apple, there are now more than 800 native iPhone applications available via the App Store--just last week, when CEO Steve Jobs sat down for an interview with The New York Times, he said the App Store would feature roughly 500 applications at launch, including educational programs, mobile commerce and business productivity tools. Games represented about a third of the first-wave apps.

Jobs said about 25 percent of the first App Store downloads are available free of charge, with roughly 90 percent of the premium applications priced at $9.99 or less. Jobs insists Apple will not rely on the App Store as a source of significant revenue, in much the same way iTunes music sales have contributed little to the firm's bottom line: "We are not trying to be business partners," he said. The goal is to "sell more iPhones." Moreover, Jobs added that developers are right to be wary of possible competition from Apple-developed iPhone apps: "We will compete," he said. "That's a discussion to have."

For more on the App Store's debut weekend:
- read this release

Related articles:
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Microsoft: "We want to give our customers choice"

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:11:12 -0400

With Apple's iPhone 3G launch garnering so much media attention last week, Microsoft's Mobile Communications Business senior vice president Andrew Lees sat down with Dow Jones Newswires to confirm it will not follow its rival's lead and develop a branded handset of its own. "We want to give our customers choice," Lees said, reiterating that Microsoft anticipates the greatest growth potential lies in mobile software, not devices. Citing an International Data Corp. survey estimating that smartphones will represent 21 percent of the 1.4 billion mobile phones sold in 2011, Lees added "There is a very high growth potential, and we want additionally to gain market share."

According to Lees, Microsoft's Windows Mobile OS now runs on 140 devices from 50 different manufacturers, which he said makes Windows Mobile more successful than the iPhone. He referred to an IDC report stating that while 4.4 million Windows Mobile-based smartphones were sold worldwide in the first quarter of 2008, only 1.7 million iPhones were sold during the same timeframe. "The iPhone hype is completely disproportionate to the number of people that utilize phones that use our software," Lees said.

Lees stopped short of proclaiming his dad can beat up Steve Jobs' dad.

For more on Microsoft's mobile outlook:
- read this CNNMoney.com article

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Study: Mobile consumers demand cameras, multimedia

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:09:44 -0400

Digital camera functionality, Bluetooth connectivity and music/radio playback top the consumer checklist of essential mobile features according to a new survey conducted by market analysis firm ABI Research. The survey--spanning 1,402 wireless subscribers in seven countries--reports that 42 percent of consumers consider 2+ megapixel cameras a "must-have" mobile device feature, followed by Bluetooth at 34 percent and music/FM radio at 32 percent. Nevertheless, ABI says consumers across all mature markets still select their mobile operator based on basic selling points like price and network coverage, not multimedia bells and whistles.

Other points of interest from the study: games (64 percent), web access (61 percent) and cameras (58 percent) are the three most common features found on subscribers' mobile phones. Games and web access are also high on the list of features that subscribers never use. WiFi, mobile TV and games are the handset features least likely to be regarded as "essential." Also, camera phones are more than twice as important for consumers in Taiwan versus those in the U.S., while Bluetooth is considered essential by mobile subscribers in Western Europe and Taiwan, but penetration remains minimal in Japan and South Korea.

For more on the ABI study:
- read this release

Handango inks apps deal with Sony Ericsson

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:08:18 -0400

Smartphone applications provider Handango announced a worldwide agreement with Sony Ericsson to bring content direct to consumers on all of the device maker's convergence phones, including the Windows Mobile-based Xperia X1 and its UIQ handsets. Handango's InHand clients will offer users a variety of productivity, games, imaging and music apps designed for optimal performance across the Sony Ericsson convergence phone portfolio--the Xperia XI will boast an embedded, Handango-branded Windows Mobile 6.1 InHand client. In addition, Handango will serve as the content provider for Sony Ericsson's mobile web storefront for UIQ devices, and by year's end will offer its InHand mobile client embedded on all UIQ devices.

For more on the Sony Ericsson/Handango deal:
- read this release

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Streamezzo intros Skinnable Application Suite

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:06:51 -0400

Mobile media solutions and platforms provider Streamezzo announced the first four elements of its Skinnable Application Suite, which the firm says offers independent software developers, system integrators and mobile agencies an alternative environment for developing mobile services like websites, news portals and multimedia portals. The four skinnable applications--Music Player, VoD Player, RSS Reader and Photo Gallery--can be deployed across all mobile operating systems as well as branded and customized with full skins. In addition, two or more applications can be combined, and all apps promise efficient integration with existing mobile services. Streamezzo adds it will soon make available to developers a series of premium components to complement the Skinnable Application Suite.

For more on Skinnable Application Suite:
- read this release

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Verizon gets first open network device; T-Mobile to launch Android phone with 3G debut?;

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:05:11 -0400

> Verizon gets first open network device.

> Rumor: T-Mobile to launch Android phone with 3G debut.

> Symbian Foundation adds nine members.

> Sony Ericsson may merge with Spice.

And finally... Australian town wants its pajamas back. Article

Developers install Android on Nokia N810

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:08:49 -0400

With official Google-sanctioned devices operating on the Android OS still weeks or even months away, an enterprising member of the Internet Tablet Talk forum who goes by the username "penguinbait" posts that he has successfully installed Android on the open-source Nokia N810 device. According to penguinbait, the installer instructions are as follows:

Put android.img.bz2 on your memory card.
After putting the file on the memory card (either one), make sure 110MB free space is available on the card holding the android.img.bz2 image.
Download the file from either http://tablethacker.com/software/android.img.bz2 or http://penguinbait.com/android.img.bz2.
Install the .deb from either http://tablethacker.com/software/android-installer.deb
or http://penguinbait.com/adroid-installer.deb.
Reboot.
Launch Android from the extras menu.

For more on the Android installation:
- read this Internet Tablet Talk forum thread

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