Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

It’s just in beta at this point, but devs and techies far and wide are now invited to take a stab at coding up some magic for RIM’s new touch-based user interface elements, orientation control, accelerometers, and virtual keyboards that are getting proudly shown off for the first time in the Storm. There’s stuff in here for regular folk without a single programming bone in their bodies, too — namely, a full-fledged emulator that appears to have all the features and functionality you’d expect the real thing to have. It’s a gas to play with — even more fun than that semi-functional G1 demo T-Mobile has up and running — and it’s a good way to test-drive the goods without laying out the cash first. Not to say you could even if you wanted to, since the phone’s not dropping for another month at a yet-to-be-determined sticker price.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Update: Be sure to select Simulators v4.7.0 to get the goods — otherwise you’re going to go through some ridiculously long download, only to discover that there’s no Storm to be found. Wouldn’t that just suck?

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Filed under: Displays

In a fashion not dissimilar from one tiny multitouch device (save the outcry), Microsoft’s large multitouch device — the Surface — will be getting its very own SDK at Microsoft’s Professional Developer Conference this month. The package, which the folks in Redmond have apparently been promising since April, will introduce developers to “vision-based object recognition” and something called ScatterView, and a session at the PDC will detail how the kit “aligns with the multitouch developer roadmap for Windows 7.” All exciting stuff, but if we don’t see a giant, multitouch version of FreeCell soon, we might just stop paying attention.

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wireless

As fantastical as NFC and contactless applications are, they’re still relatively unknown in the grand scheme of things here on this side of the drink. Thankfully, AIRTAG is stepping up in hopes of giving us Earthlings (and by that, we mean North Americans) a few more options. The conceitedly-named AIRTAG KIT is hailed as an “NFC development kit for end-users, professionals and developers” that will enable them to “program tags to NFC standards, to communicate with all NFC mobile phones and to develop secured applications compliant with the industry standards.” It’s still hard to say how many devs will shell out €249 ($344) for the privilege of expanding the protocol, but at least it’s out there for those who get curious.

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Intel and Yahoo were making all kinds of noise about on-screen TV widgets back at IDF, but it looks like Sony’s beating them to the punch — select Japanese Bravia sets can already browse the web and run a few official widgets through the XMB interface, but now there’s also an SDK for third-party developers. Sony’s taking an Apple-like approach and requiring devs to submit them for approval before making them available to Bravia owners, but it’s promising that validation won’t be lengthy — hopefully that means it won’t be totally capricious in approving them and yanking them as well. The SDK and widgets are Japan-only for now, but there are hints we’ll see them worldwide eventually — the sooner the better, guys.

[Via Sony Insider]

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Filed under: Cellphones

It’s an interesting day for the folks at Google. Not only do we see the supposed GPhone (AKA, the HTC Dream) get trotted out to the FCC, and hear new rumors about the device’s release date, but now there’s a brand-spanking-new release of the Android SDK available. The version? 0.9 — a number which puts this dangerously close to a number that most would consider non-beta. Meanwhile, the new version of the mobile OS has been significantly changed, adding a new widgetified (big old clock: present!) and flickable homescreen, a handy (and speedy) tab to pull up your apps, plus a media player, camera, and handful of other noticeable design tweaks. Don’t believe us? Check out the video after the break showing it all in action.

Update: We’ve included a gallery of screenshots as well. Check out the sync contacts option. Sweet! Also, you may note that it asks you to “open keyboard to compose message” in the SMS screen — almost like it’s made for a device with a slide-out keyboard.

Continue reading Video: Android SDK v0.9 hits the internet looking almost ready for primetime

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment

The first iPhone arrived at a time that suggested Apple needed to protect its iPod franchise — but Apple delivered something that was much more than an MP3 player that could make phone calls. You probably won’t be editing any iMovies on it for some time, but in the iPhone Apple has essentially delivered Macintosh 2.0. It’s portable. It’s affordable. It’s connected. And it runs OS X, complete with its own breakthrough pointing device, your finger. Whereas the first Mac came with productivity applications MacWrite and MacPaint, the iPhone came with applications for Web surfing, e-mail, and consuming media, the evolution of what much personal computing has become.

Furthermore, Apple has shown that it has learned from mistakes it made with the first Mac. Whereas early monochrome Macs were a tough sell for game developers, Apple has highlighted games as some of the most impressive early third-party applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. And whereas Apple was notorious for keeping Mac prices high for many years, the next-generation iPhone takes advantage of carrier subsidies for an out-of-pocket price of $200 in the US (and even less or free in some countries). Despite the many changes that have transformed the software industry since 1984, the iPhone, along with its SDK, development tools and app store, have the potential to bring the work of OS X developers to millions of people who don’t own Macs — that is, if Apple lets them.

Continue reading Switched On: The iPhone’s iFunnel

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Filed under: Cellphones

Don’t look now, but mid-2008 is almost here, and for those waiting intently for the release of a LiMo SDK, you’re one step closer to having your dreams realized. Announced today, the LiMo Foundation has made available what it calls the “first globally competitive, Linux-based software platform for mobile devices.” According to Morgan Gillis, executive director of LiMo Foundation, the consortium is hoping that R1 will “spur rapid innovation and contributions from all LiMo members,” and it’s restated that software development kits for Native, WebKit and Java operating environments are set to launch during the second half of this year. Not one to sit idly, the entity has also announced that Release 2 is currently “being specified and developed,” and should escape testing and greet the real world in late 2008.

[Via PhoneScoop]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

It seems that Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen isn’t a developer for the firm — or at the very least, he doesn’t have a full appreciation for the height of the fence surrounding the iPhone SDK’s walled garden. The company and on-again, off-again Apple chum solidly backpedaled on the chief’s comments regarding Flash for the iPhone that were made just a day earlier, saying that “…to bring the full capabilities of Flash to the iPhone Web-browsing experience we do need to work with Apple beyond and above what is available through the SDK and the current license around it.” For what it’s worth, Adobe does say that it’s still very much interested in doing up a Flash client, it just needs a little extra help from Apple on the side to make it happen — so if we see this package pop up in the App Store later this year, we’ll know that at least one company’s been given a free pass to break the rules.

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Filed under: Cellphones

The word is out, kids. Adobe has apparently gone against old Jobsy’s wishes, and it’s planning a Flash player made all special for the iPhone (ala Windows Mobile) despite Apple’s concerns that the technology — in its current incarnation, anyway — isn’t cut out for mobile duty. During a conference call today, Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen said, “We believe Flash is synonymous with the Internet experience, and we are committed to bringing Flash to the iPhone,” adding, “We have evaluated (the software developer tools) and we think we can develop an iPhone Flash player ourselves.” We wouldn’t be surprised if Adobe were to be given a pass on all those pesky SDK rules that would likely prevent a proper browser-based Flash component to be coded for the device, though those Apple dudes can be real sticklers for rules.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Watching Google tiptoe around its relationship with Apple as it rolls out Android is one of the most enjoyable aspects of watching the industry these days. This is perfectly illustrated in the words of Rich Miner, group manager for Google’s mobile platforms, who said, “there’s a much larger potential market on Android than for the iPhone.” A truthful statement in all likelihood assuming that the OS is robust upon its global release later this year and available on handsets from HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and LG as expected. Miner then took a few shots at the iPhone SDK saying, “There are things I saw people doing with the first version of the Android SDK that it seems like you can’t do with the iPhone at least at the moment.” He then noted that the SDK had been downloaded 750,000 time (compared to Apple’s 100k in 4 days) as of February. Naturally, he then applied a thick, brown coat of public relations salve saying, “[If I were a developer] I’d certainly be looking at the iPhone, and if you believe there will be lots of Android phones out there, as we do, I’d be developing for both platforms.” Kumbaya my BossEricSchmidtSitsOnTheAppleBoard, kumabaya…

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Filed under: Cellphones

We’re sure there have been some really great Java Micro Edition apps developed over the years, we just haven’t been fortunate enough to find any that aren’t a Bejeweled variant run into many of them. But that could very well change with the news that Sun is using that fancy new SDK to develop a Java Virtual Machine for the iPhone, which it expects to have ready “some time after June,” and which will allow iPhone users access to the vast libraries of existing JME apps. We suppose the real conundrum now is which Java ME app we’ll grab first: Harry Potter, or MapQuest Mobile. These choices, they overwhelm us.

[Via Mac Rumors]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Apple unloaded a truckload or two of new reasons to call yourself an iPhone owner today, but we’re curious if those announcements were enough to make any fencesitters sashay on down to their local Apple / AT&T store and take the plunge. So, did the news flowing today from Apple’s SDK press conference push you over the edge? Toss your vote in below, and if you’re still holding off — well, tell us what’s keepin’ ya (yes, the continued lack of 3G is a legitimate gripe).

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Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/EA_Mobile_s_Spore_is_the_first_3rd_party_iPhone_game’; Just in case you didn’t catch the blip earlier between Steve’s announcement of the iPhone SDK and the App Store, here’s some fantastic news for the thumb-happy sect: Spore is coming to the iPhone. In fact, the EA Mobile title will go down as “the first 3rd party game on the iPhone.” Sadly, it won’t actually be available until September, but at least you’ve got a month to circle on your calender, right? Additionally, EA affirmed that there were “other games in early stages of development,” and that it was “actively using the new iPhone SDK to develop games for the iPhone OS.” Jump on past the break for the full release.

Continue reading EA Mobile’s Spore becomes first 3rd party iPhone game — available September

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Filed under: Cellphones, Features, Handhelds

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/iPhone_SDK_comparison_chart’; So with hardware accelerated 3D graphics, an integrated database API, tightly integrated performance monitoring tools, and a highly specialized version of the Cocoa framework tweaked just for the iPhone and rechristened as Cocoa Touch, the iPhone’s just-announced SDK sounds like a winner. But how does it compare to its well-entrenched competitors from Microsoft, Nokia, and the iPhone community itself? Let’s have a look.

Continue reading iPhone SDK comparison chart

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Filed under: Cellphones, Features

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/Live_from_Apple_s_iPhone_SDK_press_conference’; 9:05AM - Alright, we’re here and registered! We’ll be checking in as things get going shortly.

9:26AM - It’s minglin’ time! The space usually reserved for product demos is hollowed out for the Apple Continental Breakfast today, tons of journos and execs hanging out before the keynote kicks off.

Continue reading Live from Apple’s iPhone SDK press conference

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Filed under: Cellphones

We know, we’re flat on our backs from being blown away here, but Apple confirmed to us in a post-keynote Q&A session that SIM unlock software will not be allowed in the iPhone App Store. You know what that means? The Jailbreak community lives to crack another day.

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Filed under: Cellphones

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/Apple_announces_App_Store_for_iPhone_iPod_touch’; Apple finally let us know how we’re going to grab all those snazzy new SDK-developed apps: App Store. The application will run right on your iPhone or iPod touch (it’s going to be included in the next firmware update) and lets you choose your apps and download them straight to the device. Unfortunately this will be the “exclusive way” to get new apps, which might not sit well with the “free, as in free speech” crowd. Apps will include an electronic certificate, and if a developer does something malicious, Apple can “track them down and tell their parents.” Porn is also a no-no. Developers get a 70% cut of revenue, while Apple takes 30% for store “upkeep,” though the company claims it does not plan to make money off the store, and if developers wish to release their app for free they can certainly do so. You can also sideload applications you’ve purchased in iTunes, and updates can be pushed automatically to your app by developers.

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Filed under: Cellphones

It was only a matter of time till the serious iPhone SDK rumors started flying, and with Apple’s Town Hall event next Thursday, it’s possible some of what we’re hearing is right on. If that’s the case, prepare to be letdown in a major way. According to iLounge, Apple will be severely restricting access on software for the iPhone and iPod touch, only allowing apps to be downloaded through iTunes, hand-picking which applications will make it to the store, and cutting off developer’s access to accessories which interface with the dock connector. Of course, this is just about what we expected from Steve, since he’s already lauded Nokia for its S60 verification scheme. Additionally, the report claims that the SDK we see next week will be an incomplete beta, with the full version rolling out in June to coincide with the WWDC. Thinking of any good reasons to keep jailbreaking your phone? Yeah, us too.

[Thanks, Omega]

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Filed under: Cellphones

With seven days left in the month to announce the iPhone SDK, BusinessWeek is reporting that they’ve got it from a reliable source that it’s going to be late by between a week to three. Yes, it would absolutely suck — but there’s always Ziphone.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Features

Here it is folks, the latest and greatest that Google has to offer — the new Android SDK. As you can see, they’ve made some major cosmetic changes, as well as added some functionality. Why tell you about when we can show you, though? Take a look at the gallery below and see it all for yourself.

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