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

Related articles:
Ten million iPhone App Store downloads in first weekend
Navigation app developers turn away from iPhone 3G

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

Related articles:
RIM to launch BlackBerry Developer Conference in fall
RIM unveils BlackBerry platform updates

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

Related articles:
Is it excitement or hype for mobile LBS?
Navigation apps drive LBS success

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