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  • SDK For Android Developers Released


    The Software Development Kit (SDK) for developing applications for Android and its new app market has been released and is available for downloading.

    While it won’t remain static, developers can rely on the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in the SDK, and can update their applications to run on Android 1.0-compatible devices.

    The Android Market beta is also to be launched with the T-Mobile G1, providing developers with a way to distribute their applications on that and later devices.

    It remains to be seen how developers will respond to Android since, unlike Apple’s strictly supervised apps, those for the open source market will have to support multiple handsets.

    Meanwhile Gadgetell has an interesting piece on how Google and T-Mobile plan to protect the network from malicious apps.

  • G1 Cheaper to Run Than iPhone


    T-Mobile has introduced the first Google Phone, the HTC-made G1, which the company hopes will rival Apple’s iPhone.

    The much-anticipated G1, formerly known as the HTC Dream, is the first open-source Android-based smartphone.

    The handset touts touchscreen functionality, a QWERTY keyboard, and a Google-centric mobile Web experience.

    Inevitably, comparisons with the iPhone were going to be made and the price – both of the handset and monthly contract charges – was going to be an area of key interest.

    The G1 will be available for USD $179 in the US from 22 October where it will be SIM-locked to T-Mobile’s network.

    It will be offered with either a USD $25 data plan with unlimited Web access but limited messaging, or users can opt for true unlimited data for USD $35.

    T-Mobile’s voice plans start at USD $30, meaning a total cost of USD $55 for unlimited Internet access.

    Wired has done an interesting price comparison which estimates that, based on a two-year contract period, the G1 is around USD $380 cheaper than the 3G iPhone.

    While the initial reaction to the USD $179 price tag for the G1 was positive, there have been complaints that it doesn’t apply to existing T-Mobile subscribers who have been reportedly been offered an unsubsidized price of USD $399 and a USD $100 online discount.

    This ends up giving the G1 a USD $344 total cost – although this would still make it cheaper using the Wired calculations.

    In terms of the spec, “solid but not spectacular” would probably sum up reviews of the handset, which is to be launched in the UK in November and elsewhere in Europe in early 2009.

    As would be expected, the G1 comes loaded with Google Search, Google Maps Street View, Gmail, YouTube and other popular Google software that PC users are familiar with.

    A full HTML Web browser lets users see any Web page the way it was designed to be seen, and then zoom in to expand any section by tapping on the screen.

    Importantly, the G1 builds on the promise of the Google mobile operating system, which gives users access to the Android Market.
    Customers can find and download applications from there to expand and personalize the HTC-made handset.

    However, while the G1 has generally been greeted with praise, there has been some criticism of its styling and design – with complaints that it’s thicker and heavier than the iPhone and lacks features such as video playback.

    A major grumble is that instead of standard headphone and USB ports, it has a proprietary combination port, meaning that regular headphones won’t work unless you add a special dongle.

    There has also been some questioning of how “open” the G1 really is, since T-Mobile will be restricting voice over internet protocol (VoIP) applications.

  • Microsoft Delays Windows Mobile 7


    Microsoft is not expected to complete a final build of its Windows Mobile 7 operating system until the second half of 2009.

    ZD Net Asia said the software maker has informed some of its partners that it has had to delay the much anticipated update to its cell phone operating system.

    The report describes the delay is a significant blow for Microsoft, which has been counting on the next version of WinMo to enable devices that better rival Apple’s iPhone.

    It points out that the delay also comes as competition steps up in the smartphone market.

    Google is preparing to launch the G1, first phone running its Android operating system, while Apple has its updated iPhone 3G, and new models are also debuting from BlackBerry maker Research In Motion.

    While no major update to its core operating system is expected ahead of Windows Mobile 7 other improvements are likely to take place before then, including an improved browser that brings the rendering engine of Internet Explorer 6 onto Windows Mobile.

    That update should allow Windows Mobile phones to display rich Web pages, including those that are home to Flash content and Ajax applications.

  • Web Sites Must Adapt For Mobile Access


    The rising popularity of smartphones and their increasing use to access the internet means web sites must be prepared for effective handheld viewing.

    With the launch of new phones from the likes of Apple, RIM and now HTC, with Google’s Android-based G1, that trend is set to accelerate.

    Chuck Sacco, CEO of mobile marketing experts PhindMe.net, said the G1 represented another step toward complete Web access for people on the go.

    “What we’ve seen with the BlackBerry and the iPhone is a shift away from cell phones to smart phones and the G1 is going to further spur that shift,” he said.

    “With Google’s Android technology also available to other cell phone manufacturers who want to develop smart phones, we anticipate a spike in the number of people using handhelds for the kind of online information they used to access while tethered to the home or office computer.”

    Sacco said most businesses had yet to investigate whether their Web site was accessible to handheld users.

    But an M:Metrics survey showed that 85 per cent of iPhone users accessed the Web for information and were 10 times more likely to search the mobile Web than cell phone owners.

    Jon Cooper, CMO of PhindMe.net, said companies spentd a lot of resources on intricate Web sites that simply didn’t translate to the small screen.

    He said that with the market transitioning toward smart phones, businesses were missing an important opportunity if they didn’t create streamlined versions of their sites that were both accessible to handheld phones and provided information that people on-the-go actually need.

    “Someone looking for lunch isn’t going to care about the history of your restaurant –they need timely information such as where you are and how to get there, what’s on your menu and what’s on special,” he said.

    “You should make that information accessible on their phone to maximize your marketing opportunities.”

  • Apple Clamps Down On Rejected iPhone Apps


    Apple is to block developers’ abilities to distribute iPhone applications outside of its iTunes App Store.

    Developers were previously allowed to distribute apps directly to users by binding the software to the serial number of their iPhone.

    The move is certain to add to the growing disquiet from application developers unhappy with Apple’s unclear and seemingly arbitrary approvals policy.

    A number of apps, including Podcaster, NetShare, Murderdrome and MailWrangler, have received rejection letters from Apple despite following official guidelines.

    Among those affected by the latest decision is Almerica, the creator of a podcast download and playback tool known as Podcaster.

    It was initially rejected by Apple because the application duplicated the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes.

    So it began using a method that created ad hoc licenses for the utility as an impromptu distribution tactic, an approach that left out the App Store entirely and consequently left Apple out of its 30 per cent revenue from each sale.

    The new restriction is being seen as a risky precedent and one that could lead to legal activity if Apple’s attempts to control any and all sales channels of software to iPhone and iPod touch owners falls foul of monopoly legislation.

    Apple is also trying to prevent developers whose applications are rejected from discussing the reasons by issuing a non-disclosure agreement with the refusal notice.

    The situation is in stark contrast to T-Mobile’s G1, which as the first official Google Android phone operates an open source policy for applications and OS development/modification.

  • Canon Rises To Nikon's HD DSLR Challenge


    It has been described by Vincent Laforet, one of the world’s top professional photographers, as having the “potential to change our industry”.

    Nikon was the first to announce a DSLR capable of recording high def video in the form of the D90, which can capture full-motion video at up to 720p resolution and at 24 frames-per-second (fps).

    Now Canon’s latest offering has gone even further.

    The soon-to-be-launched Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR can record full 1080p video clips at 30 (fps).

    According to Laforet the camera, which is expected to retail for USD $2,799.99, performs better than many USD $100,000-plus video cameras.

    The EOS 5D Mark II, which can also record standard definition video, has a 3” Live View LCD.

    Up to 4GB of video can be recorded per clip or up to 30 minutes of footage, despending on what comes first.

    Video is recorded in the .mov format using an MPEG-4 video compression, and linear PCM sound without compression.

    An external stereo mic can be connected, or you can simply use the built-in monaural mic.

    Video can be played using HDMI on a wide-screen TV.

    New York-based Laforet, who Canon allowed 72-hours to try out a prototype of the camera, said of his experience: “The time I did have with a prototype of the Canon EOS 5D MKII will possibly change the path of my career as well as the photography industry to some degree.”

    He said the “game changer” of a camera produces the best stills in low light that he has ever seen.

    “What you can see with you eye in the worst light – such as sodium-vapor street lights at 3 am in Brooklyn – this camera can capture it with ease,” he said. “It produces the best video in low light that I’ve ever seen – at 1080p.”

    Laforet was allowed to try out the camera on condition he produced a video and stills completely independently from Canon USA.

    Despite having never shot a film before he made a video with less than 12 hours of pre-production with a USD $5,000 budget – which included USD $2,000 for a one hour helicopter flight over the city.

    The short film was shot over two nights with two models, three assistants, a co-director, one editor, and one makeup artist.

    Laforet said a top commercial film editor who regularly edits RED camera footage, and who saw the raw footage from the 5D MKII, said it was “far superior to the RED camera” in terms of low light performance.

    The EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR will be available at the end of November in a body-only configuration for an ESP of USD $2,799.99; or in a kit with Canon’s EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM zoom lens for USD $3,649.99.

    Please let us know what you make of the footage. Is the EOS 5D Mark II a game changer?

  • TV3 stops HDTV transmissions


    Catalan public broadcaster TV3 has halted its HDTV transmissions via digital terrestrial.

    The broadcasts were the first of their type in Spain.

    The decision to end the HD broadcasts was taken to allow Valenciano channel Canal9 to have access to bandwidth as part of an agreement between both the governments of Catalunya and Valencia.

    TV3 HD was regarded as the prime HDTV over DTT project in Spain since its launch in April 2007.

    Another public broadcaster, Aragón TV, is continuing its HD transmissions.

  • General Electric To Make Premium HDTVs


    After a 20-year gap, General Electric is returning to television-set making in partnership with a Taiwanese company to launch GE-branded high definition TV sets.

    The joint venture between GE and Tatung Co – to be called General Displays & Technologies (GDT) – intends to produce two million HDTV sets annually, or 1 per cent of the 200 million units sold world-wide, when it begins production in 2009.

    The companies expect to capture approximately 5-10 per cent of the estimated USD $200 billion global TV-set market.
    GE made cathode-ray-tube television sets from 1939 until 1987.

    Peter Weedfald, president of GDT North America and global chief marketing officer for the joint venture, said it intends to be a "premium brand" that will be "very competitive with current leadership brands."

    The company will be based in Chino, California, and will produce some sets in Mexico.

    The company will stick solely to LCD technologies due to the power consumption benefits and the technology’s ability to deliver innovative new designs, such as thinner form factors.

    One model in the initial line will offer LED backlighting, but more are expected in subsequent offerings.

    GDT’s plans also include a Blu-ray Disc player with BD-Live capability.

    Since 2004, GE looked at 10 potential partners before choosing Tatung. The decision was based on Tatung’s leadering position in Taiwan and in display technology.

    "It’s a small bet for GE," says Marc Bertino, vice president of trademark licensing at GE. "It’s just an easy way to get into a high-growth market with a great partner."

    Tatung has invested USD $16.1 million for a 51 per cent stake in the venture.

    Founded in 1918, the company is Taiwan’s oldest home-appliance maker and also makes computer, communications, consumer-electronics and solar-energy products.

  • New Mobile TV Channel for Nokia Smartphone


    Nokia is to start a mobile TV channel in the UK specifically for its new N96 smartphone.

    Users of the new handset, which was launched earlier this month, will be able to access a service called Capsule N96 from the beginning of October.

    This will allow users to download ‘mobisodes’ of exclusive entertainment and lifestyle programming for free.

    Lasting 96 seconds, the mobisodes will cover a variety of subject areas, including motoring, fashion, comedy and technology.
    Capsule N96 will initially run until the end of November, at which point Nokia will review the service.

    While the channel will be optimised for the N96, the service is to accessible via any Nokia phone capable of supporting the content.

    Although mobile TV has never really taken off outside of Asia, this could change with the increasing use of high-quality screens on smartphones.

    Earlier this month, Nokia announced that the BBC’s iPlayer application was to be available on the N96 – the first time it has been available via mobile.

    Also scheduled for an October, it allows N96 users to download BBC television programmes for up to seven days after being broadcast.

  • Android Smartphone To Sell 400k By Year-end


    You might expect sales to be intitially sluggish for a new smartphone with an unproven mobile operating system.

    But that was never going to be the case with the hotly anticipated first Google Android handset from T-Mobile and HTC, which is expected to be officially announced Tuesday.

    Research from Strategy Analytics suggests that the Android operating system will sell 400,000 units by the year-end.

    If accurate, that represents 4 per cent of all smartphones sold in the US during the fourth quarter of 2008.

    Neil Mawston, director at Strategy Analytics, said Android was a relatively late entrant and it will join an increasingly crowded smartphone market alongside Blackberry, Microsoft, Apple, Palm, Symbian and LiMo.

    But he added: "We forecast 10.5 million smartphones to be sold in the United States during Q4 2008.

    “We estimate smartphones with Google’s Android operating system, led by HTC of Taiwan, will reach 0.4 million units in the quarter, for a 4 per cent marketshare.”

    Chris Ambrosio, executive director at Strategy Analytics, said Google had the brand power in the US to make a big impact at launch.
    He said the main issue would be operator subsidies. The HTC handset is expected to have a USD $199 price tag.

    “As seen with the iPhone and smart devices in general, retail prices need to be well below USD $200 to be competitive,” he said.

    “Longer-term success will, of course, rest on Android vendor ability to create designs with wow factor and an intuitive user-interface.”

    Ambrosio said Google would do its part to drive growth, and he expected Android to eventually offer a compelling range of mobile applications emphasizing Google’s online assets, such as advertising, mapping and search.