The latest beta version of Google’s Chrome Web browser offers two significant new HTML5 tools for developers. The first is a speech-to-text API, which gives developers the opportunity to create Web apps that accept voice input. “When a web page uses this feature, you simply click on an icon and
During a session titled “The Secret Sauce for Application Storefronts” at the CTIA 2011 Wireless conference, Appcelerator’s Scott Schwarzhoff, GetJar’s Patrick Mork and Verizon Wireless’s Todd Murphy discussed several issues facing mobile developers. First, the group discussed the shift from paid apps to other models such as freemium apps, ad-supported
If you want to run a legacy application in a private cloud environment, it likely won’t take any major programming changes. If you want to migrate to a public cloud, however, it almost definitely will. That’s because all of the major cloud providers have restrictions on what programmers can and
Google says that its Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” is suitable for tablets only, and the company won’t be releasing the source code because that would allow developers to put the software on smartphones. “To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs,” says Google’s Andy Rubin. “We
As the number of apps in all of the major app stores has ballooned, developers have struggled to stand out in the crowd. Here are some of the new marketing strategies they’re trying: Incentive advertising: Developers are running ads within other apps that offer free virtual goods. Timing the launch:
Xen.org has released its Xen Cloud Platform (XCP) 1.0 as part of the Xen Cloud Project. In the past, Xen has only released XCP as source code, but the new release provides an installable image that makes it easier for enterprise developers to create and “play” with private clouds. According
Microsoft has begun slowly rolling out the “NoDo” update to Windows Phone 7 users. While the cut-and-paste feature included in the release has been getting a lot of attention, the update also includes several other changes that will be important for developers. For example, it offers faster performance for apps,
These days it can be difficult to tell the difference between Web, desktop and mobile apps. “The lines and distinctions between Web and desktop are definitely vague,” said David Intersimone of Embarcadero Technologies. “An application is an application. Period. End of story.” That convergence has changed user expectations and placed
Amazon has officially opened its Appstore for Android, and the new store has quite a few features that set it apart from other app stores. For example, the Appstore offers a different free app every day, and it allows users to return some apps after a 15 minute test drive