Posts Tagged ‘apps’

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Developers to get Better Protection from Google

July 30th, 2010

It seems that Google is looking after the Android community. In the recent months, many developers have aired their complaints and issues with the lack of security in the Android marketplace. Apparently, many are losing their apps to people who share and download content illegally. This means lost revenues for many developers and sadly, this is one of the reasons why a developer would still choose to work for the more restrictive Apple iTunes store despite Google’s more open environment.

Eric Chu of Google’s Android is aware of the issue and has announced that the Android market now has better security for the developers who contribute their works to the mobile platform. They have released a new licensing service, Market browsing enhancements (allowing users to easily access apps made for specific versions of the OS, such as apps for the Android 1.5 Cupcake) and most importantly, a method for the market to assess the license status for every user accessing the system.

While Google has not released any details on how the new licensing system actually works, it has been revealed that the system works in a real time basis –constantly checking users whenever they log into the Android market.

This level of security is pretty much on par with that the Apple iTunes store offers. However it has yet to be seen in action so we will have to reserve our judgment for later.

In other Android smart phone news, it appears that the Android 2.2. Froyo update has been leaked prematurely for the Samsung Galaxy S. Since this is an unofficial release, the update is not yet complete -though it is fully functional. According to Galaxy S owners who have braved the risk of trying out an update to the system firmware, the Froyo update is indeed as fast and efficient as Google claimed it to be.

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Vodafone 360: H2 Will Not See Light of Day

July 28th, 2010

Vodafone has been in quite a standoff with both Orange and T-Mobile in the UK. The mobile network operators have been trying to win over consumers with promotions, smart phone exclusivity deals and superiority in basically every facet and aspect they have as an advantage that is applicable to the mobile phone industry.

One of the things that Vodafone tried out not so long ago was the range of bespoke Vodafone 360 units. Thing is, if you were one of the people who grabbed one of the said handsets, such as the Samsung manufactured M1 and H1 range, and enjoyed using the device then there is very bad news for you.

Those who are looking forward to upgrading their mobile phones with the latest 360 handset will not be able to. Vodafone has given an official announcement that no more bespoke 360 phones will be made and released following their Samsung made units. The company will, instead, focus on the development of their 360 services and will be including their 360 platform on company released handsets. This is a snippet from the official announcement posted by Vodafone:

“From now we will be focusing all efforts on expanding the range of handsets and platforms that support Vodafone 360 and in developing and enhancing the suite of Vodafone 360 services. Consequently there will be no further development of bespoke Vodafone 360 handsets.”

That means that the company’s follow up to the Samsung made H1, the H2, will also consequently cease production. As of now, the company’s 360 service allows people to access contacts on different mobile phone units. It also gives users access to many music files, downloadable video clips as well as mobile games via their 360 shop.

With the halt in bespoke devices, the company will have all the means to focus on delivering noteworthy developments in terms of apps and all the time to improve their services further.

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August 3 Launch Confirmed for the Acer Stream

July 26th, 2010

Acer is taking a solid step in establishing a foothold in the mobile phone industry. This latest product, the Stream smart phone is confirmed to be heading to the UK this coming August 3. Several reviewers have already gotten hold of the handset and the first impressions have started popping up online.

As much as we would want to jump straight to the tech specs of this Android smart phone, it would be unfair to talk about the Stream without discussing how good the handset looks. Compared to other smart phones, the Acer Stream has a very futuristic appeal. The device’s form factor may be basic, but the use of the line contours is arguably the most appealing since the Motorola Milestone (or Motorola DROID in the US). Granted that Motorola has not released an Android smart phone for the high end tech bracket, the Acer Stream seems to have found a place.

The specs of the Stream are actually great, but not that impressive. The specs are indeed high end, but too many Android devices are already filling up the high end market choices. This leaves Asus with plenty of competition. At the same time, nothing will truly show the industry that Asus is up to task other than what is the industry equivalent of a trial by fire.

The 1GHz Snapdragon CPU is tried and tested on many other devices. So users can be assured that this processor is currently the new standard for a good reason: because it beats everything else before it. Apps, features, media, everything will load fast and run smooth on a device using this CPU.

The 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen is similar to the ones used in the HTC Desire and the Google Nexus One. Expect to get excellent response to commands, accurate finger tracking and most importantly, impressive visual quality.

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Windows Phone 7: Surprisingly No Multitasking Capabilities

July 19th, 2010

Microsoft has been lagging behind Google and Apple in terms of their existing operating system. It seems that the mobile industry is looking for a platform that is focused on innovation as well as functionality. The upcoming Windows Phone 7 platform is, no doubt, innovative. In terms of functionality, one of the prominent advantages of both the iOS4 and the Android platforms is surprisingly missing in the Windows Phone 7.

That missing feature happens to be third party application multitasking. Unlike Apple’s iOS4, there is no way to simultaneously use two apps at once. The moment that you launch a new app, the first once is automatically terminated. It is truly a surprise considering the fact that Microsoft is aware of the fact that a lot of consumers are after multitasking, not only in mobile phones, but also in personal computers.

The announcement came from Mr. Yochay Kiriaty of Microsoft. He said that only a single application will be able to run in the foreground and all other background apps will be terminated. Say a game app is open, once the user tries to make a phone call, the game app is automatically close. Even by simply launching a picture browser, your current app will be closed.

“When a user navigates away from your application, either to a chooser like picture chooser, or to a launcher like phone call, Windows Phone operating system terminates your application.”

The only good news is that the last state of a particular app will be restored when the program is launched again. This may work for simple applications but for games and music apps, the lack of a proper third party multitasking is truly a big blow.

Hopefully, Microsoft has some sort of trick up its sleeve to increase the hype for their upcoming platform. After how the Kin duo fared, they really need it.

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Windows Phone 7’s Newest Features

July 16th, 2010

Microsoft’s new mobile platform is loaded with plenty of features and capabilities. From being able to run apps and games across different platforms to integrated social networking, there is a lot to look forward to this coming September when the device finally launches.

For those who missed on key discussions during the Microsoft Worldwide Partner conference, here is a one impressive feature that was highlighted: the new Windows Phone Live service. This free service will be accessible for any WP7 user and will allow users to be able to secure their handsets.

To do this, users will need to register the device to a specific online account that will have special remote access privileges to the smart phone. This remote access can enable GPS, make the phone ring, lock it down, or in worst case scenarios, wipe out the memory.

This latest addition (reminiscent of the BlackBerry Protect; which is currently in closed beta testing) is meant to help out users who may have either misplaced their device (in order to retrieve it) or might have their device stolen (in which case, this service can be used to secure the data from being copied or accessed).

The service will also allow users to make routine backups over the air, allowing up to 25GB to be stored online. This creates an instant copy of any smart phone’s data for easy transfer to a new device should circumstances call for it.

According to reports, several new handsets will be ready for the Windows Phone 7 OS when it comes out this coming September or October. First up on the list is the LG Panther which comes with a WVGA capacitive touch screen display, a 1GHz CPU and a slide out QWERTY keyboard. The HTC Mondrian (HTC Gold) and Mozart are also expected to come out this Q4 2010.

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Your Social Mobile: The HTC Desire

July 2nd, 2010

Nowadays, more and more manufacturers seem to be bombarding their mobiles with all sorts of unique features just to be able to get a competitive advantage. Some of these said features are truly technological marvels that definitely make life a bit easier, but some are just downright excessive.

Despite all these, what still remains at the heart of an exceptional mobile (or at least what ought to remain) is still its ability to connect its users to the world. The HTC Desire definitely does more than just that as it keeps its users in touch with the rest of the world in more ways than one.

Basic Connectivity

The HTC Desire is a quad band 2G device that is compatible in the GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 networks and also functions as a dual band device (HSDPA 900 / 2100) over the 3G network. All these numbers simply mean that it is likely that the Desire will work regardless of where in the world you may be.

Top of the line GPRS, EDGE, and HSDPA data connectivity features guarantee high speed mobile internet speeds which is complemented by the Desire’s Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g WLAN capability.

Applications

The HTC Desire is also loaded with awesome applications that’ll make sure that you stay connected. One such application is the new People widget which allows you to group your contacts as you wish, giving you one-touch access to your most important contacts. There’s also the Friend Stream app which is a social networking program that provides users real-time updates from the most popular social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

More than a Mobile

However, don’t let all these connectivity features throw you off and make you think that the HTC Desire is nothing more than a “socially-inclined” type of mobile. In fact, it has one of the most impressive spec sheets in the business and the likes of its 1 GHz processor, 3.7-inch high-res display, 5-Megapixel camera, and Android operating system, are just some of the many features and functions of this truly remarkable Smartphone.

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Zynga Releases Farmville iPhone Port

June 28th, 2010

Flash may not be available for the Apple iPhone, but the handset will still get to enjoy the addicted virtual farming game, Farmville.

This Zynga developed browser game is a famous Facebook application that has had millions of users. However, since the app uses Flash content, it cannot be played on Apple’s iPhone, an issue that over 8 million players considered to be a bad thing (after all, they wanted to tend to their farms on their mobile phones). A recent announcement from Zynga gave many users hope: a new iPhone app version of Farmville will be made and it will hook up to an existing user’s Facebook account in order to carry over the game progress.

To make the whole deal a lot sweeter, Apple and Zynga are also bringing in a few items that are exclusive available to players accessing Farmville through their iPhone devices. For the most part, the new iPhone app stays true to the original Flash based game in terms of dynamics and game mechanics. According to Zynga, they have streamlined the crop harvesting feature in order to make it easier on the touch screen interface and have changed some in game settings as well.

Virtual farming games have been around for quite some time. Japanese game developer Natsume is considered to be a pioneer in the genre with their Harvest Moon series. In fact, fans of Harvest Moon consider Farmville as a watered down version of the console title with less focus on farming and more about trading crops with online friends.

However, it is to be said that Farmville’s true charm is not with the actual game content itself, but the fact that users are able to link up to a network of friends, compare progress and feel the need and pressure to play.

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Smart Phone Gaming: Point and Click, Tower Defense and More

June 24th, 2010

The video game industry is vast and large, and thanks to the arrival of smart phone technology, the range of the types of games available has increased drastically. If the game development boom with Flash games allowing independent developers was already impressive, the fact that these very same developers could make a significant profit on app development has further spurred on the race to create new games.

But as original as some games may be, there is also nothing wrong with sticking to basic genres. So if you are new to the world of digital gaming, here is a quick guide to the various kinds of game apps for mobile phones.

First up, point and click adventures. This is a great place to start with gaming. Not as intense or as action packed as smart phone conversions of arcade titles, but much more fulfilling to play. Point and click games rely heavily on good storytelling and often have a very straightforward storyline (though the game play will have you travelling around a lot).

Tower defense is a genre that has slowly grown with Flash game development. The point of the game is quite simple: players will build defenses in order to prevent waves of enemies from invading the player’s ‘base’. With the many variations of the tower defense style of gameplay, gamers with a wide range of interests will be able to find a title that suits their tastes.

Racing games are pretty common and straightforward, but smart phone players should know that the control systems on touch screen smart phones are quite different. Many make use of the accelerometer on the screen in order to steer the player vehicle which can prove to be quite an enjoyable challenge.

Of course, there are more genres than these three, but starting with these simple game types is a great way to pass the time.

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New Altek Leo Phone Sports 14 MP Camera

June 21st, 2010

Taiwan based electronics manufacturer Altek is known for their camera technology. The company is well known for making cameras to be used for assembling mobile phones as well as their standalone digital camera series. Aside from this, the company has also produced a small series of electronic driving assistance devices as well.

At the CommunicAsia event in Singapore, many expected Altek Corporation to show off their latest cameras made for mobile phones –in order to attract phone manufacturers. But they instead surprised everyone when they went up onstage to show off the new Altek Leo. With the device’s 14 mega pixel camera, Xenon flash, 1/2.3 inch CCD sensor and 3x optical zoom, the device seemed like a handy little camera –until they announced that it was also a mobile phone.

And not just any mobile phone; aside from the fact that the Leo allowed users to make and receive phone calls, the real clincher is the fact that this smart phone is an Android handset. Yes, right behind that spectacular 14 MP lens is a large capacitive touch screen display with Google’s ever familiar mobile platform user interface.

It brings apps, plenty of Google features such as Maps, Goggles, Mail, Chat and more, a really powerful camera and what we can only assume would be a decent CPU and a sufficient degree of internal storage (or at least some microSD card support). Overall, this is one smart phone that you people should not pass up –if they get a chance. It seems that there are no confirmed plans to release this handset in any European territory at the moment.

So far, Altek has only confirmed an Asian release for this impressive piece of technology but considering the amount of interest there is in the device, it would a great idea for the Taiwanese camera maker to consider bringing this smart phone to the west.

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World Cup Apps from Nokia’s Ovi Store

June 10th, 2010

Even the smart phone is not safe from the World Cup fever. A quick trip to the Nokia Ovi store will reveal plenty of impressive and highly informative apps that will be useful to football fans of all ages. With services ranging from match coverage to news to even tips about where you can go to watch the matches, these World Cup apps are a must have for any certified footy fan.

The first app on the list is the ESPNsoccernet app. If you are a football fan but do not already have this app, you should get it or you have missed out a lot. This app is not only focused on the 2010 World Cup alone. It has coverage and details for all other major matches. With plenty of media content, such as live commentary, game visualizations and all the hard statistics on player and team performances, ESPN’s app is a one-stop comprehensive tool that fans should not be without.

App developer Drinksin (read as Drinks In) has also made a special app for the World Cup: the Footy Pubs 2010. This app combines pub reviews and GPS technology to bring you to the best places to watch and enjoy the matches. It even has special recommendations for each pub on the top lists –there are even pubs that will give Footy Pubs users a small incentive too. So if you and your drinking buddies cannot decide where to go, this is the app for you.

Last on our recommended list is the official World Cup app from the Associated Press –the AP 2010 World Cup Coverage. Complete with all the details that one could hope for such as full player profiles, video downloads, live score lists, match schedules, team standings, images and plenty more. The app is also available in four different languages. With full coverage and all the details, the best part of is that this app is free.

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