T-Mobile plans on-bill Android purchases Nov. 7
Posted: May 17, 2012 Filed under: tech Leave a comment »T-Mobile will let its subscribers pay for Android applications on their monthly mobile bills starting Nov. 7, also introducing its own section of the Android Marketplace that day.
Users of the carrier’s three Android handsets will have the option of picking out applications from among the roughly 2,000 in the Android Market and having the purchase charge show up on their T-Mobile bills. The carrier will then pay the app developers their share of the charge on the back end, said Cole Brodman, chief technology officer and senior vice president for technology, at the Open Mobile Summit in San Francisco on Wednesday.
Apple spearheaded mobile-application shopping with its App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which goes through a consumer’s stored value or credit-card account on Apple’s iTunes. With the App Store now boasting more than 00,000 applications, Android backers such as T-Mobile are trying to create a purchase experience that consumers will flock to as much as they have to Apple’s platform.
Brodman characterized T-Mobile’s billing system as a simple, “one-click” purchase method that doesn’t require the user to give credit-card information or personal credentials. So far, Android users generally have had to use Google Checkout to pay for applications, but Google has said it wants a variety of payment choices for the market.
Also on Nov. 7, T-Mobile will introduce its own channel within the Android Market. It will allow T-Mobile to highlight its own applications and those of specific developer partners, Brodman said. Mobile developers have expressed concern about how they can get consumers’ attention with their applications in increasingly crowded mobile marketplaces. Verizon plans to have its own channel in the Android Market when its first Android phone, the Motorola Droid, goes on sale Thursday. Last week, Sprint el told developers it would launch its own application store with marketing opportunities for partner companies.
T-Mobile’s moves on Wednesday could help mobile application developers solve two of what Brodman called the biggest challenges for app providers: how to help consumers discover their applications and how to make money selling apps.
“We want to be the easiest carrier in the U.S. to do business with,” Brodman said.
Brodman said the future of mobile data lies in applications that provide constantly updated information at a glance, taking advantage of information about the user’s location and social networks. Ideally, those applications will appear on the home screen of the device for quick checking, he said.
The browser increasingly will be used just for exploring the “long tail” of Internet information, he said.
Android has driven up both total data use and subscriber activity on T-Mobile, Brodman said. About 80 percent of subscribers with the carrier’s MyTouch Android phone browse the Web at least once a day, and about 0 percent of them use social-networking services multiple times per day, he said. About half of MyTouch users visit the Android Market once a day.
TomTom launches $00 GPS app for iPhone
Posted: May 17, 2012 Filed under: tech Leave a comment »GPS navigation device maker TomTom International released its first iPhone application today, making good on a June promise when an executive touted the software at Apple’s annual developers conference.
The $99.99 turn-by-turn navigation software for the U.S. and Canada was posted to the App Store on Apple’s iTunes earlier Monday. Other versions with maps for Australia, New Zealand and Western Europe were also launched today at prices ranging from $79.99 to $9.99.
In June at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Peter-Frans Pauwels, TomTom’s co-founder and chief technology officer, demonstrated the application as one of several that would take advantage of the new iPhone .0 software, which was released later that month, shortly before Apple launched the iPhone GS.
The application includes features typically found on stand-alone GPS navigational devices, such as voice directions, flexible trip routing and points of interest. It also integrates with the iPhone’s address book to provide directions to any contact’s physical location.
Although TomTom said two months ago that it would also sell a “car kit” that would include the application as well as a cradle to hold the iPhone for affixing to the dash or windshield, today a company spokesman said that the kit isn’t yet ready.
“We’ll have more to announce when we’re ready to ship [the car kit] at the end of the summer,” said TomTom spokesman Kevin Carter today. He confirmed that the kit would ship before the end of this month, but declined to name the price for the bundle.
The car kit will also include a charger and add hands-free calling to the iPhone.
TomTom’s iPhone application can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store.
Offshore banking more secure- You re dreaming
Posted: May 17, 2012 Filed under: mobile Leave a comment »Off-shore financial institutions get lots of business from those who think their money is safer on a (nearly) deserted island. But one security expert says it’s a myth.
Some economists believe as much as half the world’s capital flows through offshore institutions. You can also break down the math this way: Less than 2 percent of the planet’s population inhabits these tax havens, yet 26 percent of the world’s wealth can be found in these places.
“You would expect that isolated offshore financial centers, such as those in Bermuda, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas would be exponentially more secure than your local bank branch due to the magnitude of money being protected but you would be wrong,” said Andrew Hay, a Canadian security practitioner and author who will give a talk on the subject at SOURCE Boston Wednesday.
In an e-mail exchange conducted in advance of the conference, Hay said foreign nations, malicious attackers, and malware makers know that most tax havens, especially those located in small water-locked countries, are behind the times when it comes to security. This knowledge, combined with the amount of money that flows through the offshore financial centers, makes them juicy targets for major financial exploitation.
The goal of Hay’s presentation is to squash those myths and outline the risks of offshore banking in explicit detail.
“The gist of my talk is about dispelling the myth that the understanding and implementation of security in offshore banking nations like Bermuda, the Caymans, the Bahamas, etc. are exponentially more secure than local banking institutions. The entire talk is set to a ‘Gilligan’s Island’ theme and each slide as lyrics from the theme song to help explain the topic. I’m going for fun but informative,” he said.
Hay estimates that technology in most of these island nations are about a decade behind the rest of the world. Firewall models are no longer supported by the manufacturer and are out of warranty. If core routing equipment goes down, it may take days or weeks for a replacement to arrive — and get through customs, he said.
Staffing is another problem.<.p>
“Most island nations have strict work permit regulations that restrict the expatriate (or expat),” he said. “If it’s time to renegotiate your contract, any qualified Bermudian can challenge for the position. If they are qualified, then your permit does not get renewed. Similar restrictions are in place in Cayman and the Bahamas. In the Bahamas, however, upon hiring an expat the company must designated a local to shadow them to learn, and eventually take over, the job.”
Specifically, Hay hopes to leave his audience with the following thoughts:
Windows Phone 7 Launch- What to Expect
Posted: May 17, 2012 Filed under: mobile Leave a comment »Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 launch event doesn’t seem to be much of a mystery, thanks to a pile of leaks and rumors. Care to ignore the Windows Phone 7 haters and get wrapped up in the pre-launch buzz? Come along for a look at what to expect October .
The Phones
The latest scuttlebutt from the Wall Street Journal says HTC, LG and Samsung will have Windows Phone 7 handsets ready for the launch. All of them have been spotted in the wild at one point or another.
Samsung’s Omnia 7, also known as the GT-i8700, got the shady spy shot treatment at Gizmodo. Specs are unknown, except that it has 8 GB of storage.
LG’s Optimus 7 appears in pictures at the German site BestBoyz. Specs? According to a Korea Economic Daily report (via Engadget), the Optimus 7 has a .8-inch screen with 800-by-80 resolution, 500 mAh battery and 6 GB of storage. Other features reportedly include text-to-speech and a way to take panoramic pictures by making a sweeping motion. Funky.
HTC’s Mondrian also shows off its product images at BestBoyz. A rumor from May says the phone has a .-inch screen and a . GHz Snapdragon processor. There’s also the HTC Mozart. According to a page that briefly appeared on the website of U.K. wireless carrier Orange, the Mozart has a .7-inch display, GHz processor, 8-megapixel camera with Xenon flash and 8 GB of storage. Finally, HTC is also reportedly launching the HD7, with a .-inch screen, GHz processor, 8 GB of storage and -megapixel camera. Looks like HTC’s hitting Windows Phone 7 pretty hard.
The Carriers
GigaOM notes that AT&T chief executive Ralph De La Vega will have a morning keynote during Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 event, and that T-Mobile is holding a separate event later in the day. Given the rumor that AT&T will be Microsoft’s exclusive launch partner starting November 8, I’m guessing that T-Mobile will start selling Windows Phone 7 handsets after some short exclusivity window. Whether AT&T’s lock on Windows Phone 7 will last through the holidays is unclear.
We know that Windows Phone 7 won’t be available for CDMA carriers — that’s Verizon Wireless and Sprint — until year.
What’s
Apple blocks Adobe s iPhone end around plans
Posted: May 17, 2012 Filed under: it Leave a comment »Apple on Thursday banned developers from using rival programming tools, including one from Adobe that was called an “end-around” last year, to create iPhone and iPad applications.
First reported by John Gruber, who writes the Daring Fireball blog, Apple modified the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement to bar programmers from using cross-platform compilers, tools that turn code for other systems, as well as Java-built software, into native iPhone apps.
According to Gruber, the license agreement, which developers must accept before downloading the new SDK, or software developers kit, for iPhone , reads:
“Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).”
The change is designed to quash developer allegiance to Adobe, said Ray Valdes, an analyst with Gartner. “It’s primarily directed at Adobe,” he said. “The two have an oppositional relationship that goes back at least years.”
Apple and Adobe have been wrangling at ever-higher volumes over whether Flash Player should be allowed on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad . Apple has repeatedly claimed that Flash would degrade the performance, with its CEO, Steve Jobs, saying that Adobe’s software “performs too slow to be useful” on the iconic smartphone. Yesterday, during a question-and-answer session immediately after the iPhone preview presentation , Jobs flatly rejected the idea that Flash would be added to his company’s mobile devices.
Last year, Adobe announced that Flash Professional CS, the company’s top-of-the-line Flash development framework, would include something dubbed “Packager,” a tool that takes Flash applications and recompiles them to run natively on the iPhone. At the time, another Gartner analyst, Van Baker, said that Packager was an Adobe “end around” Apple’s decision to ban Flash from the iPhone.
Today, Valdes said Apple’s language gives developers no real wriggle room. “Apple is clearly saying that you can only develop in C, C++, Objective C and JavaScript, and that you can’t translate the code to native iPhone,” he said.
Adobe acknowledged the change in Apple’s SDK licensing agreement and promised it would move forward, at least for now. “We are aware of the new SDK language and are looking into it,” Adobe spokeswoman Wiebke Lips said today. “We continue to develop our Packager for iPhone OS technology, which we plan to debut in Flash CS.”
IBM, European partners to develop smart cloud
Posted: May 17, 2012 Filed under: tech Leave a comment »IBM today announced that it is leading a joint research initiative with 5 European partners that include telcos, healthcare and media companies and standards bodies to develop an object-based, standardized “smart cloud” storage architecture.
IBM said the goal of the collaboration is to improve delivery of rich data and storage services across national boundaries and a variety of vendors. The research project, being led by IBM’s research arm in Haifa, will tackle the major challenges facing modern storage clouds, including: cost-effectiveness, data mobility across cloud providers, security guarantees and the massive computing power demands that affect quality of service.
The initiative, called “VISION Cloud — Virtualized Storage Services for the Future Internet” is being funded through a European Union grant worth $2. million.
IBM said that data contained in the cloud architecture will be represented by smart objects that include rich information describing the content and how the object should be handled, replicated or backed up.
The VISION Cloud combines several concepts, notably a rich object data model, execution of computations close to the stored content, content-centric access and full data interoperability.
“Users now require capabilities that are far richer than simple raw bits and basic storage,” Hillel Kolodner, an IBM Haifa researcher and lead architect for VISION Cloud, said in a statement. “To satisfy this need, the focus must shift to the data, where the collections of bits are semantically meaningful and have associated metadata. With VISION Cloud, our aim is develop the infrastructure to support this prominence of data and data-intensive services.”
Just as an object-based storage system does today, the data will be searchable through a central metadata database.
IBM said that with VISION Cloud, a future provider of storage services could offer a “digital safe” service, where consumers could store photos, videos, health records and financial records securely in the cloud.
“Then, for example, when an expecting mother undergoes a D ultrasound of her fetus, the image is automatically uploaded and stored in her digital safe. She can then decide to give access to family members and to an online video editing service, through which she produces the first video of her baby, which she shares with her friends and family,” IBM said.
Friends and family could then be given permission to download the video and view it on their own personal device, each with its own screen size and supported video formats. Meanwhile, a radiologist could use the video to, for example, find a slight anomaly and could tag the scan accordingly. That tagging would trigger a search in a medical repository, which could find that the the anomaly is probably an allergy medication.
SlideShare redoes presentation-sharing site with HTML
Posted: May 16, 2012 Filed under: it Leave a comment »SlideShare, a site for posting, viewing, rating and commenting on business presentations, documents and videos, has re-engineered its site using HTML, making it compatible with Apple iOS devices.
SlideShare previously relied on Flash, but that meant that its content couldn’t be viewed on iPads and iPhones, which don’t support the Adobe format, the company said on Tuesday.
Other benefits of the switch to HTML are a 0 percent performance improvement for the site, and an improved visibility for the content on search engines, whose crawlers find HTML friendlier than Flash.
In addition, functionality previously available only via desktop browsers will now be part of the mobile experience, including copying and pasting text, and viewing embedded documents.
Rebuilding the site in HTML was a major engineering effort for SlideShare, said Jon Boutelle, the company’s CTO.
However, the company is confident it made the right technology choice, after deciding against creating proprietary applications for a variety of mobile platforms. The latter option creates complexity for users and doesn’t offer as good performance as HTML, he said.
The Flash version of the SlideShare site will only surface for users who visit using a browser that doesn’t support HTML.
SlideShare has about million unique monthly visitors to its site, most of them professionals. They view about billion slides every month.
Nokia uniting mobile app dev around Qt
Posted: May 16, 2012 Filed under: it Leave a comment »Nokia is focusing on Qt (pronounced “cute”) as the sole application development framework for its Symbian and MeeGo mobile phone platforms for both native and Web application development, the company said Thursday.
Consolidating around Qt will ensure that applications will be compatible with future versions of both platforms, Nokia said. Previously, Web Runtime served as the Web development technology for Symbian and Meego. Nokia also said it will support HTML for development of Web content and applications for the two platforms.
[ MeeGo . recently was detailed by backers of the platform. | Keep up with the latest app dev developments with InfoWorld's Developer World newsletter. ]
Developers writing to Qt will be able to access all Symbian and MeeGo devices, said Rich Green, Nokia CTO. “From a market share play, it’s huge for developers,” he said.
Nokia acquired Qt when it bought TrollTech in 2008.
Symbian has been Nokia’s established mobile platform while MeeGo is intended for high-end smartphones expected to debut in 20. Meego is based on a collaboration with Intel.
Nokia also said future releases of Symbian will not bear version numbers, such as Symbian^. Instead of offering developers major disruptive changes once or twice a year, they instead will see more frequent but less disruptive changes, a Nokia representative said.
The company also said Thursday that it plans to simplify operations in product development in its Symbian SmartPhones and Services organizations are expected to result in the loss of as many as ,800 jobs globally.
This article, “Nokia uniting mobile app dev around Qt ,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in business technology news and get a digest of the key stories each day in the InfoWorld Daily newsletter.
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iPhone cases abound
Posted: May 14, 2012 Filed under: net Leave a comment »On Monday, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference.
Seconds later, Macworld’s email servers were nearly overwhelmed with a deluge of messages from vendors announcing their brand-spankin’-new iPhone cases. So if you’re concerned about the fact that the iPhone provides twice as many glass surfaces to cover in fingerprints and scratches, you’re probably in the market for one of these.
Scosche is offering a variety of iPhone cases, in metal, rubber, and leather, all costing between $25 and $5. Some of the new Scosche cases even integrate kickstands that you can use to prop the iPhone up.
Belkin announced 7 new iPhone cases, across several categories. The company will offer iPhone -friendly grip cases (making it easier to hold your new gadget securely), shield cases (which provide better shock absorption if you frequently suffer from the drops), “Verve” cases (which aim to prevent scuffs and scratches), and “Fit Armbands” (wearable cases meant for athletes). All of Belkin’s new cases cost between $25 and $0.
Not to be outshone by Belkin’s 7 cases, Cygnett introduced more than 0 iPhone cases, including cases made of silicon, leather, and polycarbonate, available in oodles of colors and variations Cygnett’s cases aren’t yet available for pre-order, and no pricing has been announced yet.
iLuv, like Belkin, is now offering a a large variety of iPhone cases catering to different demographics. The cases, which range in price from $5 to $50, include armband and wallet styles, along with numerous artistic designs. They’re available in fabrics, clear plastic, metal, silicon, and even a model with a kickstand. None of the iLuv iPhone -specific cases are available for pre-order yet.
For $0, Uncommon will let you sheath your iPhone with a custom image of your own creation, or one of the many images available in its gallery. Uncommon describes its deep-ink case-printing process as not unlike a tattoo, and the galleries seem to confirm that the analogy is apt.
Gumdrop’s lineup of iPhone cases is geared towards those who engage in what the company calls “an active youth lifestyle.” The cases—shipping now—cost between $0 and $, and are available in bumpy silicon or smooth polycarbonate varieties.
Most of the companies above also plan to sell various iPhone -customized skins and screen protectors, too—if the device’s oleophobic coating isn’t enough for you.
Incredibly Useful Sites- The Full List
Posted: May 14, 2012 Filed under: mobile Leave a comment »You know all about Google’s smorgasbord of Web tools, but have you tried Measy, Topicfire, or Yammer? While a few big names seem to dominate the Internet, the Web continues to flourish with a never-ending stream of incredibly useful new sites and services.
PCWorld’s editors never stop scouring the Internet for the best and most creative new ideas we can find. Here are 2 phenomenally cool Web services that you may not have heard of, but definitely need to try.
For a more detailed look at our choices for the most useful sites on the Web, see the stories listed below.
6 Productivity-Enhancing Websites
Terrific Sites for Managing Media and Sharing Files
Top-Notch Web Services for Business and Communication
0 Great Shopping, Dining, and Travel Websites
Business
GenBook: Allows clients to schedule appointments with your company
Huddle: Helps your workgroup manage projects, and offers online storage
JobSpice: Generates attractive online résumés
Phonebooth: Provides phone services
Stacks: Organizes tasks by person and project
TextFlow: Simplifies document collaboration
Yammer: Gives workgroups a private microblog
Zoho: Offers a large variety of cloud-based apps
Communication
FaxZero: Sends no-cost, ad-supported faxes
Foursquare: Broadcasts the locations where you and your pals “check in”
Meebo: Connects to multiple IM services
Sobees: Coordinates various social networks
Tatango: Distributes texts to small groups
Dining
Nutrition Data: Details the content of food at restaurants and in recipes
OpenTable: Makes reservations at restaurants
File Sharing and Storage
Dropbox: Gives 2GB of storage and syncs files
Drop.io: Creates anonymous drop boxes
Humyo: Provides 0GB of free storage
Livecage: Allows live audio and video streaming
Live Mesh: Syncs files and gives remote access
Qik: Streams video from your smartphone
Media