Starting today, advanced developers can fiddle with Sony's SmartWatch with more freedom than ever before. With the Open SmartWatch project, the company is now allowing devs to create and flash their own firmware to the device, paving the way for greater exploration of its potential. Previously, third-party innovation was limited to the official Add-on SDK, but with a slew of resources posted on the project's website, Sony is looking to lure devs to its platform -- and potentially find inspiration for its own end user experience. To get the party started, Sony and Arduino are teaming up to host a hackathon in Malmö, Sweden on June 15th with the hopes of bringing firmware alternatives to the table. Of course, flashing the firmware will void the product's warranty, but for the developer with an eye on wearable tech, it might be a price well worth paying.

Filed under: Wearables, Sony

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Source: Open SmartWatch Project, Sony

As great as free server space is for us regular folk, businesses use cloud storage too (and they actually pay for it). In an effort to attract the attention of mobile app developers, and ultimately keep enterprise clients happy, Box has launched a revenue-sharing program called $rev for those who create business-focused software integrated with its cloud storage platform. It's pretty simple, really. Step one: get your app to play nice with Box; step two: people use the app; step three: make it rain. By getting an app into Box's OneCloud club and enrolling in the $rev program, devs can net up to 15 percent of the "per seat price" in rewards. Although its API is already available, Box has launched iOS and Android SDKs in tandem with $rev to make the integration step a bit easier; more SDKs are expected in the "coming weeks." The $rev scheme is currently in a closed beta phase, but it'll open up in the near future. Interested app crafters can learn more about getting paid by Box, download the SDKs and sign up to $rev at the source links below.

Filed under: Storage, Internet

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Via: TheNextWeb

Source: Box (1), (2)

TomTom is looking to beef up its location based services portal by joining forces with TrafficLand to bring real time traffic video to its developers. TomTom's LBS will now incorporate TrafficLand's network of over 13,000 roadside webcams, enabling developers to integrate live footage into their location-enabled apps via the Traffic Camera API. TrafficLand's real-time video will join the other cloud-based location services TomTom provides to devs, like map content, routing and geocoding. For right now, TrafficLand covers only the US, UK and Canada, and it's not clear if the company plans to expand beyond those three countries anytime soon. For more information, you can take a gander at TomTom's full press release, embedded after the break.

Filed under: GPS

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Indie developers have been able to take advantage of a free version of the Unity engine for desktop game development some time now, and starting today they can extend that development to mobile games at no added cost. The company's confirmed that it's dropping the $800 licensing fee for its Android and iOS build options, with BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone 8 development also promised to be moving to a free option in the "coming months."

As Unity CEO David Helgason explained at the Unite Nordic conference earlier today, the company has been hoping to make the move "for what seems like forever," with his ultimate goal being to push the "democratisation of game development further than ever before." He further explains in a blog post that the new option comes with "no strings attached, no royalties and no license fees," apart from the prior rules that require large companies to use the paid version of Unity. As for those who've recently paid up for the mobile engine only to find it now free, Helgason says they can expect to hear from him in the next two weeks with an offer of discounts on future purchases.

Filed under: Gaming, Mobile

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Via: TechCrunch, Pocket Gamer

Source: Unity

Now that Facebook's share feature has settled into its own mobile apps, the firm has pushed its native Share Dialog for iOS out of beta, which allows developers to bake the function into their own applications. With just an extra line of code, apps will allow users to share things, tag friends and note their location without having to log into the social network or connect the app to their account first, removing some hassle from the equation. In addition, the built-in sharing options in iOS 6 can be bolstered with Open Graph actions. Click the source link below to snatch Zuckerberg and Co.'s latest SDK for Apple's mobile OS, or hit the second link for the docs.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Facebook

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Source: Facebook Developers (1), (2)

Those of you familiar with the Nissan Leaf will know about its Carwings system, which lets you check the vehicle's charge, turn on the AC, rate your driving efficiency against others and even read RSS feeds out loud -- all over an always-on cellular data connection. In fact, the RSS functionality raised some privacy concerns when it was discovered that Carwings embeds location and other data in the URL it sends to public servers (something that can thankfully be disabled by the owner). Nissan announced today that it plans to make telemetry data from the Leaf available to third-party developers for a fee -- with the owner's consent, of course. The company already uses telemetry data for vehicle maintenance and products like Carwings, but it hopes to broaden the ecosystem with apps. Examples include smart-grid integration (supplying power to a building for a reduced parking fee) and location-based services (real-time coupons as you drive by restaurants). It'll be interesting to see if there's enough interest from both developers and Leaf owners for Nissan to successfully monetize this idea.

Filed under: Transportation

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Source: Nikkei (subscription required)

Sundar Pichai, Andy Rubin's replacement as Android chief, has been talking to Wired about his new job. He poured ice water on the idea that we'll see a raft of new hardware at Google I/O, the company's annual developer conference. Instead, he said that this year's show will focus on "all of the kinds of things we're doing for developers, so that they can write better things" for Android and Chrome OS. He also let slip that his daily driver is a Galaxy S 4, but that he's never even used the flagship's much-hyped eye-tracking feature -- an admission which'll surely go down well with HTC One fans.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google

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Source: Wired

Attention HTML5 virtuosos: Mozilla is thirsty for your talents. So much, in fact, that the outfit is baiting developers with a free smartphone in the hopes they'll return the favor with fresh Firefox OS apps. In order to qualify for a device, you'll need to submit a proposal to Mozilla outlining the app you wish to build or port to its new mobile platform. If your pitch is accepted, the company will hook you up with a free Geeksphone Keon to thank you for your labor. Sure, the device's 3.5-inch HVGA display, 1GHz Snapdragon S1 processor, 512MB of RAM and 3-megapixel rear-facing camera are entry-level at best, but remember you're getting this handset gratis. The program is set to close at the end of the month or when supplies run out, whichever comes first. So, if you're interested in adding "Firefox OS developer" to your resume, hit up the source link to apply.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Mozilla

Google's spreading the love around to both I/O 2013 attendees and non-attendees alike with an update to its official conference app and a schedule of live-streaming videos, events and interviews. After signing in with your Google+ account, the app will figure out whether you'll be there in person or not, with attendees getting automatic WiFi settings for the show, device-synced schedules, a lock screen agenda widget, NFC badge scanning and vector-based maps with session info. If you'll be there in spirit only, you can use an off-site attendee mode to coordinate livestream viewing, which can be done to a big screen via the app's dedicated HDMI video output. Meanwhile, Mountain view said live video would be available on your computer, tablet or phone for all the sessions, as well as the keynote, product announcements and interviews -- you can find the details at the source.

Filed under: Misc, Software, Google

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Source: Google Developer's Blog, Google Play

Google's big shake-up of Android version metrics has already given us a better understanding of where the platform's active users truly stand. Now that we're a month into the new methodology, we have a good sense of where those users are going -- and they're moving to Jelly Bean in droves. Android 4.1 and 4.2 combined grew to represent 28.4 percent of regular usage, or enough to finally overtake Ice Cream Sandwich at 27.5 percent. Not surprisingly, the transition to the newer OS involved a balanced mix of users either upgrading from ICS (down by 1.8 percent) or transitioning from devices running Gingerbread or earlier (down 1.7 percent). It will be a long while before Jelly Bean becomes the dominant platform, if it ever does, but we're not expecting a slowdown in adoption when flagships like the Galaxy S 4 and One are luring many of us into an upgrade.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google

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Source: Android Dashboard

Google just released a new Play Store version (4.0.27) that, at first glance, contains only very minor tweaks -- except for one little thing. A new policy change will no longer permit any apps to update without going through the Play Store's internal system. That won't affect most software, but there's a notable exception in Facebook, which recently added auto-downloading to the latest version of its Android app, allowing it to bypass Play. The new policy seems designed to put a stop to that kind of thing, but you never know -- it could be just be a coincidence.

Update: Google has reached out to clarify that it also posted the policy changes to its Developer Console with the following statement:

Google Play Program Policies have been updated. See "Content Policies" section, which clarifies that "An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play's update mechanism." Google Play is a trusted source for Android application downloads, and we are committed to providing a secure and consistent experience. Learn More.

[Thanks, Thomas]

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Google, Facebook

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Source: Google Play

We loved the Roku 3's new UI when we reviewed it recently and eagerly anticipated its arrival on "current-gen" hardware this month, but that may not be in the cards. Dave Zatz points out an email sent to Roku developers today that mentions "the new user interface introduced with the Roku 3 will be coming to Roku 2, Roku LT and Roku HD (model 2500) by the end of May." That could add a few extra weeks to the wait for current owners, but there may be a silver lining. The email goes on to mention that it expects channels to run the same, if not better (besides looking better) after the upgrade. We've contacted Roku to find out any more details, we'll update if we hear anything more specific.

Update: Roku has responded, and also mentioned in a post on Facebook that the update will begin rolling out in the first week of May.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Via: Dave Zatz (Twitter), Zatz Not Funny

Source: Roku

After cluing us in on the state of its ever-stuffed coffers, Apple's given us a quick progress report on its App Store, noting that it's reached a total of 45 billion downloads -- a 5 billion jump since the end of its last quarter. Cook's crew also divulged that they've doled out $9 billion to developers who've sold their wares on the digital storefront, and they're paying out $1 billion every quarter. Cupertino gave a quick nod to iCloud too, revealing that the service now has 300 million users under its belt, 50 million more than it claimed at the end of the firm's last quarter. By the sounds of it, Apple's data centers are being put to good use.

Filed under: Apple

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With its ambitious Parallella computing project funded on Kickstarter since last October, Adapteva's now showing off its first mass-production boards. These Raspberry Pi-esque devices are capable of supercomputer-like parallel computing performance thanks to power-sipping Epiphany multi-core accelerators. As proposed, both the $99 13GHz 16-core (26 gigaflops) and $199 45GHz 64-core accelerator (90 gigaflops) variants make an appearance in the pictures. The company is tweaking this initial batch of 10 to test various functionalities, with its current update noting that getting Linux to boot off the boards is the next step in testing. Final units are still slated to arrive on doorsteps during the summer, and hardware schematics will eventually be available as open source-info -- after all, the Parallella has always been pitched as an open undertaking. Those enthused by circuits and the boards they live on will find a path to more info at the source link.

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Via: Tech2

Source: Adapteva (Kickstarter), Parallella.org

Tired of accidentally downloading apps to your Android tablet that look best on a smartphone? If so, it appears that Google has heard your cries. The company recently updated its developer console to accept app screenshots that are specific to 7-inch and 10-inch tablets. While it's not the most monumental change, once developers fulfill their end of the bargain, you'll be treated to UI images that best suit your device. Until then, you'll still have to endure a few more games of app roulette.

Filed under: Google

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Source: Android Developers Blog

The Android device dashboard has been providing a picture of OS version distribution since before Froyo pushed aside Eclair, but now it's seeing some changes. A post on the Android Developers Google+ page indicates that starting this month, numbers are based on devices whose users actively checked Google Play during the reporting period. Previously, it counted all devices that pinged Google servers. The latest stats, updated today, show a jump in the amount of actives (previously devices, now users) on Jelly Bean (Android 4.1 or higher), up to 25 percent from 16.5 percent last month when it counted the old way. The number of devices recorded running Froyo and Gingerbread have taken the biggest hit, down 3.6 and 4 percentage points, respectively.

There are a few ways to react to this, particularly remembering that these numbers are meant to help developers figure out how many users are available to target on the various versions of Android and types of hardware. It may help give a clearer picture of what setups the active users that developers hope to reach are using, without being muddied by little-used zombie hardware. On the other hand, it could be seen as a way to juke stats which have been used against Google's mobile OS by its competitors like Apple. Whichever side of the line one finds themselves on, more data is available by clicking on the source link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Google

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Source: Android Developers (Google+), Android Dashboard

Developers, virtually mark your Windows Phone calendars: Microsoft announced that Build 2013, the company's developer conference, will be held from June 26th to 28th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Specifically, Microsoft announced that it will be sharing details and future plans for Windows, Azure, Visual Studio "and more," so there'll be plenty of goodies to be had during the event. Registration opens on April 2nd, but in the meantime, head to the official sites below for more information.

Filed under: Mobile, Microsoft

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Source: The Official Microsoft Blog

Once upon a time, Netflix was proud enough of its public API which enabled third-party services and apps to serve up its data and content in different ways that it opened a gallery to display them. Unfortunately, times have changed since 2009 -- the old App Gallery is gone and now, so is public API access for new developers. A blog post indicates the API is now focused on supporting Netflix's official clients on the many devices its customers use to stream movies, not hobbyist projects for managing ones queue or finding new movies to watch. While those already in place should still work since existing keys will remain active, the developer forums are being set to read-only, no new keys are being issued and new partners are no longer being accepted.

The move is reminiscent of recent changes by Twitter, where as each company has grown it's decided having control over the user experience through its own official apps outweighs allowing the community to build and extend access as it sees fit. We're sad to see the program go, as many of these tools assisted Netflix members in ways the official website and apps either never did, or no longer do after the features were removed. Even though Netflix relies on its own secret sauce for recommendations, we've always found it hard to beat InstantWatcher's curated lists (by year, Rotten Tomatoes rating, critic's picks, titles most recently added by other users and more) to find a video, and FeedFliks was indispensable for monitoring exactly how valuable the service is until its features were cut down by API changes. They provided an edge the competition like Amazon Prime and Redbox couldn't match, but we'll have to wait and see if this change is noticed by enough subscribers to matter -- we've seen how that can go.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Netflix Developer Blog

Enyo originally came along from HP to help developers create resolution-independent webOS apps, but since version 2.0, it's become platform agnostic. While support for Windows 8 and WP8 through IE10 has been around for awhile, version 2.2 now brings packaged app creation for those OSes along with Blackberry 10 at the highest Tier 1 support level. The platform still requires native "container" software to package apps, with Enyo advising Visual Studio for Windows 8 and Cordova for WP8 and Blackberry 10. The company's swatted a few bugs and added contextual popups too, so if you're looking to get your JavaScript on, hit the source.

Filed under: Software

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Source: Enyo

In an effort to usher its newest flagship's infrared capabilities to the masses, HTC is adding an IR API to its OpenSense SDK. Starting today, developers interested in creating applications that use the One's IR blaster can request the software kit directly from the company. By making this API available to the masses, HTC hopes to build a stable of apps unique to its new hardware, kicking things off with Sense 5's integrated universal TV remote control software. Devs looking to ease the pain of Logitech's plans to kill off the Harmony -- or those interested in more details -- can find just that via the source link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, HTC

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Source: HTC

Opera's been making quite a few notable changes lately, and now we're finding out it won't be without any repercussions to some of its staff. Earlier today, Opera CEO Lars Boilsen's confirmed to our friends over at TechCrunch that the browser's developer team is indeed downsizing, confirming previous reports about the company having to make changes as part of its recently announced WebKit adoption. Just how many Core positions will be lost in the process is still unclear, however, with Mr. Boilsen only going as far as telling TechCrunch the number of developers working on the overall project is now at "around 600." What's more, Opera's CEO says it's all part of a belief that "WebKit's good enough, to switch, and by doing that we free up a lot of resources," adding that Opera "will still have a Core team but it will be less people going forward."

Filed under: Internet, Software

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Source: TechCrunch

The PlayJam folks are taking another cue from the Android-powered Ouya with their own GameStick, today adding a dev-focused $250 tier to the already successful Kickstarter campaign. The twist with GameStick's dev tier is its aimed at indies, and it offers a six month window of 100 percent revenue on any games released before July 2013 (in addition to a GameStick bundle, of course). The dev version costs quite a bit more than the usual $79 asking price, but guaranteeing full revenue near launch may be a worthy tradeoff for developers looking to cash-in on early adopters (the industry standard is a 70 / 30 split, with game devs taking the larger share). Sadly, you won't get the unit any earlier than the general public; PlayJam's putting an April window on launch. The deal's only available to 250 developers -- or at least the first 250 people to buy in -- so interested parties may want to act quickly.

Update: Kickstarter tell us that today's new tier falls outside of its guidelines, specifically, "Prohibited content: 'Financial incentives (ownership, share of profits, repayment/loans, etc)'" As a result, the PlayJam team was asked to remove the tier, but the page remains unaltered. We've reached out to PlayJam for comment.

Update 2: The folks at GameStick have chimed in with their side of the story, which we've included after the break.

Filed under: Gaming, HD

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Source: Kickstarter

Mozilla said it won't be launching its own hardware to run the in-development Firefox OS when it's finished, but the company has just announced a "Developer Preview Phone" for putting the OS through its paces. It's not quite the same as the mystery device we saw sporting Firefox OS at CES, but its specs seem almost as basic. The handset will feature a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen and 3-megapixel camera on the outside, with a 1GHz Snapdragon S1 CPU, half a gig of RAM, 4GB of microSD-expandable storage and WiFi, 2G and 3G antennae inside. Sure, that processor isn't a beast, but an 800MHz S1 does just fine in the Lumia 610. A 1580mAh battery will keep the carrier-unlocked phone running, and Mozilla is promising OTA updates to Firefox OS to keep devs, well, up to date. At the moment, we have no idea how much the phone will cost, but the first units are expected to be available next month.

The developer handset is called the Keon, according to creator Geekphone's website, and while not mentioned in the Mozilla Hacks blog post, it appears to have a more powerful cousin called the Peak. It's got a 4.3-inch qHD screen, 8-megapixel back-facing camera (with flash) and 2-megapixel shooter round the front. A 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 CPU and larger 1800mAh battery are within, but storage, RAM and connectivity specs are the same as the smaller Keon. Mozilla may not be formally promoting this as its own dev handset, but it was still included in the picture which accompanied the announcement (see above: the Keon is in orange, the Peak in white). We're getting in contact with Mozilla to clarify, and will update you when we hear back.

Update: Mozilla has confirmed that both the Keon and Peak are official developer devices.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Mozilla, Geeksphone

After unveiling its new BlackBerry World app hub (music and video still incoming), its dev blog has now announced that RIM will be extending its Built for BlackBerry scheme. Intended to draw in even more native apps for its new mobile platform, the final cut-off date has now been moved from January 21st to February 18th. Talking to German paper, Die Welt, CEO Thorsten Heins recently backed up claims that BlackBerry's new OS would launch with 70,000 apps, although we all know that quality trumps quantity -- something that RIM aims to address. If devs submit an app that makes over $1,000 but less than $10,000, the Waterloo phonemaker will fork out the difference -- app authors can also submit their programs for approval without charge. If you're hungry for some app-based paychecks, check on the detailed criteria at our second source link.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Blackberry

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Via: TNW

Source: BlackBerry Dev Blog, Built for BlackBerry criteria

Google just hit our inbox with an email inviting folks who pre-ordered the Explorer Edition of Project Glass to two-day hackathons in San Francisco and New York, where they'll be the first group of developers -- not being paid by Page and Co. -- to collectively develop for Glass. Dubbed Glass Foundry, the events will introduce developers to Glass, set them up with access to the hardware and familiarize them with the API, called Mirror. Throughout the powwow, Google engineers will be on-hand to help out with development, and the second day will feature demos and "special guest judges." Hackers in San Francisco can look forward to the event on January 28th and 29th, while those in New York City can snag time with the device on February 1st and 2nd. Hit the jump for the full text of Mountain View's email.

Filed under: Google

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