Android to Top iOS In Developer Interest In 2012

More app developers are going to go "Android first" over Apple's iOS this year, according to a survey by research firm Ovum. While there is a legitimate chance of this happening, we will believe it when we see it. It often seems like analysts are shooting in the dark with these types of proclamations, no matter what kind of survey data they collect.

All the corollary evidence suggests that developer interest will overtake that of iOS. More Android devices are shipped and activated across the world every day than iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone. The Android Market is growing rapidly. Analyst firms love this type of parallel data. But will reality catch up with theory?

Ovum says, "despite a clear vie for ultimate supremacy between these two platforms, almost all developers will support both." That is more along the lines of reality than saying that "Android will be the top OS for developers in 2012."

Ovum's survey data says that the top two native platforms will retain dominance in the mobile application space despite the rise of HTML5 and mobile Web-based applications. The reason for this is that the ability to monetize and reach a broader audience still comes with iOS and Android more than mobile Web apps.

Developer sentiment comes down to two specific criteria: distribution and discovery. For mobile Web apps, those are the biggest problems. There is real centralized application store for HTML5 apps. Developer firms like appMobi will focus on that problem this year but there is a long road ahead of HTML5 apps to catch up with the likes of Android and iOS. Facebook could also eventually come out with a mobile app store of sorts though the company believes that the best way to distribute apps on the its social platform is through sharing among users.

Android and iOS still provide the best means of distribution and discovery. Third party app stores like the Amazon Android Appstore, GetJar or sites run through Appstores.com can provide limited discoverability but are likely secondary options for developers after pushing to the primary distribution channels of the Apple App Store and Android Market.

"A smartphone platform's success is dictated not only by the pull of consumers and the push of handset vendors and mobile operators but also by a healthy economy of applications delivered by third-party developers," wrote Adam Leach from Ovum. Therefore, it is important for all players in the smartphone ecosystem to understand the choices developers are making today and the downstream impact of those choices."

As noted may times before, the ability for developers to monetize their efforts will be the driving factor in which platforms they will publish to. Right now, iOS leads that charge but Android is making a push to standardize app development on the platform that could help its apps perform better in terms of purchases and in-app payments.

Source : http://www.readwriteweb.com/mobile/2012/01/android-to-top-ios-in-develope.php

Android Hackers Plan App Store Of Banned Apps (GOOG)

An alternative to Google's official Android operating system called CyanogenMod has just surpassed the million-user mark, its makers say.

What's more, after being snubbed by Amazon, the developers are thinking of starting their own app store, outside of Google's control, that consists solely of legal apps kicked out the Android Market and ones that work on rooted phones.

"I've been bouncing this idea around for a while now," said Koushik Dutta in a public discussion on Google+. "We need an App Store for root apps. We also need an app store for apps that are getting shut down for no good reason, other than [that the] carrier, or some random corporation doesn't like it."

CyanogenMod has grown in popularity because it does things the official version of Android doesn't --  such as take screen captures -- and it may perform better than a phone's current version of Android. CyanogenMod also doesn't include the dreaded Carrier IQ, a hidden program that tracks everything you do and reports back to your telephone company, the company says.

But all this popularity comes with a problem. How to pay for the servers needed to support its growing community. So why not it's own App Store of legal-but-banned apps, with some proceeds going to support the CyanogenMod project?

"Apps removed from the Market include, one-click root apps, emulators, tether apps, Visual Voicemail apps, and more," Dutta explains. "I've actually approached Amazon about bundling their App Store in CM if they gave CM a cut of the sales. But they brushed me off, saying that was something they could talk about in a few months."

This isn't an entirely new idea, points out The Register. SlideME is an Android Market alternative, and it's been around since 2008. Then there's App Planet, which also seems to favor apps that others have shunned.

 But with 1 million users CyanogenMod has the power to make its banned-app store a big success.

Source : http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/01/23/businessinsiderandroid-hackers-plan.DTL

Aakash Tablet: Prioritized Delivery and Free Shipping!!

Need an Aakash Tablet immediately ? Go for it through prioritized delivery. Here is the procedure to get it:

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An exclusive special offer for you!

Priortized Delivery and Free Shipping!!

You can have a confirmed prioritized delivery of your Ubislate7+ in March if you decide to make an advanced payment by mailing a Cheque / Demand Draft for Rs.2999/-. This offer also promises free shipping for the tablet (normal shipping charges Rs.199/-).

If you decide to avail this offer, please mail a Cheque / Demand Draft for Rs. 2999/-, payable to Datawind Innovations Pvt. Ltd. at the following address: 

Datawind Innovations Pvt. Ltd.
8148, Jubilee Complex,
Sultanwind Road, 
Amritsar - 143001

Important: Please write your Booking ID on your Cheque / Demand Draft before you mail it and include a note with your mailing address. 

For all Cheque / Demand Draft payment enquiries, please email us at payment@datawind.com

Google's Android App Inventor gets open sourced, code has been released

In 2011, Google shut down their Google Labs' doors, leaving many, disappointed. Popular app "Android App Inventor" was handed over to MIT, as well as a decently sized donation to help fund a new mobile learning initiative.

What has happened between now and then? Well, behind closed doors, a lot it seems. Google and MIT have just announced the Android App Inventor source code, with both Google and MIT both pleased to announce the initial free and open-source release of App Inventor.

In a blog post on the new MIT website, with app designer Hal Abelson writing:

Google and MIT are pleased to announce the initial free and open-source release from Google of the App Inventor source code at http://code.google.com/p/app-inventor-releases/.

There's little supporting documentation yet, and we're not accepting contributions to the code now. That will happen later, after the MIT Center of Mobile Learning opens their App Inventor server to the public. We hope to nurture a robust and active open-source project eventually, but for now we don't want to distract the MIT developers from their efforts to complete and deploy the large-scale public server. In the meantime, we'll update the code periodically to match what's running at the latest MIT experimental system. We've also created a Google Group here for people working with the code to relate their experiences with the code, ask questions, help each other, etc.

People who create modifications from this code base are free to use the term "App Inventor" and the puzzle-piece Android logo in their work. MIT will be releasing its own versions under the name "MIT App Inventor", which is reserved for the systems actually coming from MIT.

Enjoy the code, and Happy Inventing!

Source : http://www.tweaktown.com/news/22374/google_s_android_app_inventor_gets_open_sourced_code_has_been_released/index.html

Fireplace controlled via iPhone or Android app

WiFi Fireplace

The new DX1500 gas fireplace from Escea, featuring connectivity to iPhones and Android devices via WiFi which can be used as a remote control, as well as high efficiency and the option for a single or double sided, see-through fireplace.

Designed with intelligent mobility in mind, users simply download the app and users can control the temperature, flame and time. The styles are simply stunning and offers up to 10 kW of heat, heat ducting technology that captures up to 90 percent of the available heat and returns it back into the room or into another room in the home altogether- the company says they are the world’s first. Brilliant!

Click any of the images below to enlarge:

Source : http://agbeat.com/design/fireplace-controlled-via-iphone-or-android-app/

iPhone vs. Android - Overconfidence vs. 'the Wild West'

Think you're necessarily free from being hacked because you use an Apple iPhone?

Think again.

Experts warn that overconfidence among iPhone users could be the very reason they become hacked in the not-so-distant future.

Though the technology giant is usually known for providing a more hacker-resistent environment than mobile phone rivals Android and Microsoft, that doesn't mean slip-ups aren't possible on the iPhone.

Rod Cambridge, a United Kingdom-based computer security expert and author of the book How NOT to Use Your Smartphone, recalled in November 2010, when security expert Charlie Miller created a stock-tracking app for Apple that was eventually approved and distributed for use on the App Store.

One problem: When running, the app was also able to access the phone's private data -- pictures and contact info -- in the background, and could send the info wherever the developer wanted.

Though Apple quickly pulled the app from its store, Cambridge said it was a teachable -- if not embarrassing -- moment for the company.

"Essentially, Charlie Miller highlighted the fact that, even with Apple's tight controls, it's still possible to get a malicious app into the App Store and onto people's iPhones," Cambridge said in an email interview. "So iPhone users still have to be vigilant."

Many concur, however, that the actions of a smartphone user far outweigh the actual phone they decide to use when security comes into play.

Androids, for example, use an open-source application process. Unlike Apple apps, Android applications do not have to be approved by the company before they're able to be downloaded by its users.

It's a risk-reward type scenario, according to Jonathan Blake Huer, director of emerging technologies and media development at Ball State University. He said while Apple apps are generally safer than Android apps, Android apps have the freedom to be more timely and groundbreaking.

"On the Android side, there is no check before things are put online," Huer said. "But it's also where a whole lot of new innovation can take place."

Source : http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20120122/NEWS01/201220348/iPhone-vs-Android-Overconfidence-vs-Wild-West-

Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich Upgrades

Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) represents a giant leap forward. It's not just better than Gingerbread and Honeycomb - it's the best mobile OS we've used in terms of usability, flexibility, application support and appearance. We were very impressed during our recent review of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. 

HTC 

HTC has made an offical statement saying that he HTC Sensation, HTC Sensation XL and HTC Sensation XE, HTC Rezound (US Only), HTC EVO 3D, HTC EVO Design 4G (US Only) and HTC Amaze 4G (US Only). 

Given the significant changes made with ICS it's not surprising that the update is only coming to devices released in the latter part of 2011. HTC says the upgrades will be coming during the first part of 2012 so we're waiting with baited breath.

We're worndering whether HTC Sense still has a future in an ICS world or whether Android 4 overcomes the deficiencies that HTC Sense resolved. 


Source : http://www.itwire.com/your-it-news/mobility/52314-android-4-ice-cream-sandwich-upgrades