When you really need really random
Australia, here I come… again!?
January 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I’m so excited, I just can’t hide it! And neither could Coatesy! http://blogs.msdn.com/acoat/archive/2010/01/27/windows-azure-user-group-briefings.aspx That’s right, I’m being crated up and shipped back home to Terra Australis for a …
CUDA, Supercomputing for the Masses: Part 15
January 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Using Pixel Buffer Objects with CUDA and OpenGL
Will developers turn the page to writing Kindle apps?
January 26, 2010 By
With Apple poised to finally confirm its long-rumored tablet device on Wednesday, Amazon.com is going on the offensive–as Apple muscles in on its Kindle ereader territory, the online retail giant is targeting the App Store in kind, releasing a software development kit offering coders the means to build and upload “active content” for the Kindle platform. According to Amazon, the Kindle Development Kit will include access to programming interfaces, tools and documentation for both the 6-inch Kindle and 9.7-inch Kindle DX, enabling creation of content that leverages Kindle hallmarks like seamless and invisible 3G wireless delivery, high-resolution electronic paper display and battery life extending as long as seven days with wireless activated. Amazon will kick off a Kindle Development Kit beta trial next month (details here), and adds that firms including Handmark, EA Mobile and Sonic Boom are already creating content for the platform.
The challenge facing Amazon is the same one looming in front of all of Apple’s rivals: How to lure developers away from the iPhone, especially with the promise of the Apple tablet on the horizon. Amazon does not report Kindle sales totals, although analysts project the number sold at between 1.5 million and 2 million–by contrast, Apple announced Monday that it sold 8.7 million iPhones and 21 million iPods in Q1 2010 alone. Jeff Smith, CEO of Smule–the startup behind App Store bestsellers including I Am T-Pain and Ocarina–tells BusinessWeek that while it might cost 10 percent of the original development outlay of an iPhone app to fashion a new version for the tablet, it would probably cost as much as another 70 percent to rewrite the software for the Kindle. Developing for Amazon would essentially mean “rethinking how I design applications from the start,” Smith adds.
But the biggest obstacle facing Amazon could be the quirks inherent in the Kindle concept. As the Kindle Development Kit homepage points out, Kindles are not smartphones: Users don’t pay a monthly wireless fee or sign up for an annual service contract. Which means Kindle applications must be priced to cover the associated costs of downloads and ongoing usage–according to Amazon, that translates to content delivery fees of 15 cents per megabyte. (Applications smaller than 1MB that use less than 100KB per user per month may be offered free to consumers–Amazon will cover any wireless costs associated with delivery and maintenance.) On top of that, Kindle applications will face an upper size limit of 100MB; apps larger than 10MB will not be delivered over-the-air, meaning consumers must instead download content from the Kindle Store to a computer and transfer the app to their Kindle via USB. For niche developers and content providers like educational software designers and comic book publishers, the chance to reach the core Kindle demographic could be a game-changer, but most programmers may have to change up too much of their own game to make the opportunity worth pursuing. -Jason
Microsoft posts–then removes–Windows Mobile 6.5 SDK
January 26, 2010 By
Microsoft briefly posted a Windows Mobile 6.5 software development kit to its Microsoft Download Center website last week, removing the SDK within a matter of hours. According to ZDNet, the WinMo 6.5 SDK appeared on Jan. 22, and remained online long enough for some bloggers and developers to download the kit–some speculate Microsoft pulled the download because it reportedly contains widget tools and emulators for Windows Mobile 6.5.3, an interim build said to add support for “touchable tiles” as well as enhanced gesture support, a revamped address book and updated start menu placement.
With the web buzzing about the SDK post, Microsoft on Monday issued the following statement: “”On Friday, January 22nd Microsoft prematurely posted a version of an upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5 SDK to a public facing Web page. While the SDK was not announced or promoted, it was discovered and generated questions from the community. The beta SDK has since been removed and will be reposted once final testing has been conducted. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
The WinMo 6.5 SDK snafu seems likely to fuel increased speculation over Microsoft’s mobile roadmap and the long-promised release of Windows Mobile 7. While some sources report the software giant will formally announce the revamped OS during February’s Mobile World Congress 2010 event in Barcelona, others indicate it is now delayed until 2011.
For more on the WinMo 6.5 SDK release:
- read this ZDNet article
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Microsoft adopting chassis strategy for Windows Mobile 7
Developers question Windows Marketplace payment delays
January 26, 2010 By
A number of Windows Mobile developers are venting their frustration with Microsoft over Windows Marketplace for Mobile payment delays, posting messages on the Windows Mobile Developer Center forum that indicate they are owed substantial sums derived from premium application downloads via the storefront. According to this thread, multiple WinMo developers are awaiting payment following extended delays, some dating back to October 2009 and in several cases totaling thousands of dollars–on its Windows Mobile for Developers FAQ, Microsoft pledges to pay within 15 to 30 days for credit card billing, and within 90 to 120 days for mobile operator billing. “If you’re a developer, you will be paid 70 percent of all application sale prices as your revenue share,” the FAQ states. “At the end of the month, Microsoft will total all transactions for your application sales on which we were able to collect money. Your 70 percent revenue share is then applied to the total and if that equals or exceeds $200 USD we will initiate an Electronic Funds Transfer payment to your bank account.”
Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace for Mobile product manager Mihir Rao responded directly to the Windows Mobile Developer Center thread, stating that Microsoft completed its first round of payouts in December and plans a second round this month. According to Rao, there appears to be confusion around Dashboard status updates indicating whether a developer is eligible for payout, suggesting that some programmers are currently ineligible due to missing bank or tax information, or because the $200 threshold has not been met. However, multiple developers responded to Rao’s post to report their Dashboard has read “Eligible for revenue payout” since last fall.
“I see my explanation of the ‘Eligible for revenue payout’ status has raised more questions than it has answered,” Rao wrote in a post dated Jan. 21. “I am going to get some more details on this particular dashboard status to provide further clarification. I will post back with more details by the end of this week, so stay tuned.”
For more on the Windows Marketplace payment delays:
- read this Ars Technica article
Related articles:
Windows Marketplace extends to WinMo 6.0 and 6.1
Microsoft adds online app sales to Windows Marketplace
IDC forecasts Android shipments will near 70 million by 2013
January 25, 2010 By
Smartphone shipments worldwide will increase to 390 million units by 2013–a compound annual growth rate of 20.9 percent over the 2009-2013 forecast period in question–according to research firm IDC. While IDC predicts the Symbian operating system will retain its global leadership position over that time thanks largely to Nokia’s dominance in markets outside of the U.S., Android is expected to experience faster growth than any of its rivals, leaping from 2008 shipments of 690,000 to 68 million units by 2013, a CAGR of 150.4 percent. IDC adds Android will benefit from the growing footprint of handset vendors supporting the platform, and will finish second to Symbian in shipments by 2013.
On the flipside, IDC forecasts Linux and Palm’s webOS shipments will struggle throughout the forecast period. Shipments of Linux-powered devices are expected to trend down due to greater emphasis on the Android platform, although some vendors will continue to support the platform–as for webOS, IDC believes the operating system will grow steadily, but will ultimately capture only narrow market share as a result of limited deployment and operator availability.
For more on the IDC forecast:
- read this release
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Android explodes into the consumer consciousness
Over half of Android developers dissatisfied with app profits
What is the difference between “dynamic” and “object” keywords?
January 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Let’s take a quick look at the object keyword first. I’m not going to talk a lot about it because it’s been around since C# 1.0. This keyword is nothing more than a shortcut for System.Object, which is the root type in the C# class hierarchy. (Ho…
Amazon SimpleDB: A Simple Way to Store Complex Data
January 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Simpler solutions are often better than their more complex counterparts
Microsoft to discontinue Mobile2Market program
January 19, 2010 By
Microsoft will discontinue Mobile2Market, its mobile application certification and marketing program for independent software and hardware vendors. According to an email sent last week by Microsoft to Mobile2Market members, the software giant will terminate the program on Feb. 18. “Benefits of the program–including Buy It Now functionality with online distributors, the Windows Mobile Catalog, the Designed for Windows Mobile 6 logo, and Microsoft Partner Points–will no longer be available after that date,” the email reads. “The Logo License Agreement for Windows Mobile 5.0, 6.0, and 6.1 also will end effective February 18, 2010, at which time distribution of and all references to the aforementioned logos will need to cease.”
The email does not expand on Microsoft’s decision to shut down the Mobile2Market effort. Calls to Microsoft were not returned prior to press time.
Related articles:
Microsoft adopting chassis strategy for Windows Mobile 7
Can Microsoft woo iPhone developers to Windows Mobile?