| BlackBerry OS 10.2.1 to feature improved Android Runtime Nov 14th 2013, 07:30, by Juan Carlos Torres For better or for worse, BlackBerry isn’t backing down on the road it has taken to support running Android apps on its own mobile platform. The company will actually even step up its game in the next iteration of the BlackBerry OS by adding significant and important features to its Android Runtime compatibility layer. 
The update to the Android Runtime in BlackBerry 10.2.1 will include features that will help Android apps integrate better with both BlackBerry hardware and the underlying platform. Android apps will now be able to use a device’s Bluetooth. Unfortunately, Bluetooth LE support is still coming even though native BlackBerry apps can already make use of it. Android apps will be able to make use of shared libraries written in C or C++ as long as these use API supported by Google’s own Native Development Kit. BlackBerry 10′s own share menu will also list Android apps that have registered themselves as recipients of content like they normally do on Android. Despite this improved support for Android apps, BlackBerry has pretty much made it clear that they are not jumping onto the Android ship, at least for the time being. Just this week, photos circulated around the Internet showing Google Play Store running on the BlackBerry Z10, indicating that the upcoming 10.2.1 OS update will bring Google’s full app ecosystem to BlackBerry. The company immediately denied this and reaffirmed the role of its own BlackBerry World app store as the primary source of apps for its platform and devices. Still, with an ever-growing support for Android apps on BlackBerry devices, it might just be a matter of time before these apps overtake native apps written with BlackBerry’s APIs. It won’t be a lonely road, however, should it decide to go down this route, as it will be joined by Finnish company Jolla, whose Sailfish OS will also be sporting a similar feature. SOURCE: BlackBerry |  | Facebook Messenger updated look and texting feature now rolling out to everyone Nov 14th 2013, 06:57, by Juan Carlos Torres The day has finally arrived and Facebook is now making available its long-tested new features for Android and iOS. Once the update hits users, they will be greeted not only with a fresh new look but with the ability to send messages to non-Facebook contacts via SMS. 
A few weeks ago, Facebook started testing a rather significant update to its mobile apps on Android and iOS. The first and most visible change is to the look and feel of the app. The app now sports a cleaner and lighter look, employing brighter colors and circles to denote contacts’ profile photos in the list. Interaction with the app has also been improved for easier and faster access, making judicious use of swiping gestures to switch between views. But under the hood, the most significant change is perhaps the addition of a new mode of messaging. Facebook Messenger users can now send messages to their contacts even if the recipient doesn’t have a Facebook account. Of course it does this via SMS, so the usual network charges will apply. Recipients, naturally, need to have their phone number in the entry. Contacts that are also using Facebook Messenger are clearly denoted in the contact list with a small blue app icon, so it’s easy to determine what kind of message will be sent to whom. 
This new version of the Facebook Messenger app is now rolling out to the general public and should be hitting users soon. To avail of the text messaging feature, users need to register and verify their phone number with the app. Download: Facebook Messenger on Google Play Store
VIA: SlashGear | | Amazon AppStream lets developers render and stream apps from the cloud Nov 14th 2013, 06:35, by Juan Carlos Torres Amazon is most popular for being an online retailer, but software developers, system administrators, and geeks also know the company for providing cloud infrastructure and services. With its new Amazon AppStream, Amazon now wants these people, particularly mobile app developers, to leverage is Amazon Web Services (AWS) in order to solve one of the biggest problems plaguing Android devices: hardware fragmentation. 
It is no secret that developing Android apps is no walk in the park. Nevermind the different Android versions currently still in use. The staggering amount of hardware combinations alone is enough to give any developer a splitting headache, especially those who want to reach as many devices and people as possible. Most decide to simply target the lowest common denominator, leaving them no choice but to create sometimes mediocre apps or less than stunning content. Amazon believes it has the solution, which, unsurprisingly, involves its cloud business. It is launching Amazon AppStream to let developers offload all of the app or at least the most resource intensive parts, like 3D graphics or number crunching, to the cloud. Amazon’s cloud, to be exact. This way, developers no longer have to worry about hardware constraints such as CPU, GPU, or storage, and simply focus on creating the best app and content that they can and be assured that it will all be delivered equally to any device. Amazon AppStream takes care of delivery and updates and its AppStream STX Protocol monitors the network conditions and adjusts the stream appropriately. What this basically means is that the app just runs on Amazon’s servers. What users interact with, instead, is a video stream that can play up to 720p at 30 fps, not unlike a remote desktop setup. To some extent, this means practically handing your app over to Amazon, which might be a price some developers will be willing to pay. Amazon AppStream is currently in a limited preview stage only available to the US East Region. SOURCE: Amazon | | Samsung and Apple court face-off tackles issue of damages amount Nov 14th 2013, 05:50, by Juan Carlos Torres Longtime frenemies Samsung and Apple are back in court after a hiatus of several months. The new trial does not question Samsung’s culpability in infringing on Apple’s patents but instead revolves on how much Samsung really has to pay in damages. 
According to Apple legal counsel Harold McElhinny, that amount is a staggering $379.8 million. This is to cover all five patents that Samsung has been found to infringe on, including the now iconic pinch to zoom gesture. Samsung was originally ordered to cough up $1 billion last year, but in March this year, US District Judge Lucy Koh said that the jury erred on calculating part of the damages, ordering the two companies to go back to trial in order to argue on the actual amount. The disputed portion that Koh struck off was $400 million, quite close to the amount that Apple is now demanding. For its part, Samsung’s lawyer William Price is saying that this is quite a hefty price to pay. Instead, according to him, the Korean company only owes Apple $52.7 million. Price argues that the gigantic amount Apple is asking for covers all 13 of the Samsung products found to have violated Apple’s patents. Furthermore, even $52 million is already a heavy amount even for Samsung, says Price. That argument might be a hard sell if one considers Apple’s testimony that Samsung made off with $3.5 billion in revenue for selling 10.7 million units of those infringing smartphones. This is just the opening salvo of the trial that is taking place at the San Jose, California US District Court. The back and forth bickering is expected to continue for a week, to be followed by some rather serious jury deliberation. SOURCE: Reuters | |
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