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Amazon brings GameCircle integration to iOS
Amazon's GameCircle framework has just gone cross-platform -- as of today, iOS developers can integrate the cloud service into their apps. The iOS programming interface mirrors its Android counterpart's ability to sync achievements, leader boards and saved games across devices, even if the player switches operating systems. Developers can also post any achievements and scores to Apple's Game Center. The tools are free to use, so those who want to build GameCircle into their next iPhone title just need to visit the source link to get started.
Feedly embraces app development by opening up API to all
Feedly just got markedly more developer-friendly. The news aggregator has added a slew of new third-party apps to its platform and has also opened up its new cloud API to all interested parties, starting...now. According to a post on the company's blog, it enlisted 50 developers over the course of half a year to create an elastic programming interface that lets people create apps in less than a week. Interested developers can download the API at the source link below. You can also visit Feedly's page to check out the selection of currently available apps.
Preva opens up its fitness API, outside devs can now gamify your workout data
Not content to simply motivate your workouts, fitness equipment manufacturer Precor is opening up its Preva API so other developers can integrate your sweat... err, data. According to the company, the Preva Developer Portal will allow devs to implement features like contests based around achievements and milestones -- distance traveled, for example -- based off the firm's collected stats. It already counts wellness reward app EveryMove as a believer, and after linking your EveryMove and Preva accounts, your exercise info will automatically start earning you product discounts and other rewards. This could effectively allow apps such as Runkeeper to tap into your morning routine on Precor machines, thus giving you a more realistic idea of just how many calories you're burning on a daily basis.
iPhone 5s packs M7 motion-sensing chip, CoreMotion API for more accurate tracking
Apple's new flagship iPhone 5s is about to have much more detailed information about how much its users are moving, thanks to a new M7 "Motion co-processor." Unveiled during today's live event, it works along with the new 64-bit A7 CPU to measure motion data continuously from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass without draining the battery as heavily. It looks like the iPhone 5s will be ready to take over for hardware extras like the FitBit or Nike Fuel wristband, but with a new CoreMotion API, devs for those companies and others can pull the information into their apps. The CoreMotion API specifically works to identify user movement, and offers "optimizations based on contextual awareness." Overall, it's very similar to what we'd heard would be in the Moto X, although we haven't seen all of these extra sensors used for activity tracking quite in this way. Nike was on hand with a new Nike+ Move app that used the M7 and GPS to track users' activities, and we wouldn't be surprised if others follow closely behind. Nike called the Move app an "introductory experience" to Nike Fuel in a tweet, so maybe it's planning to upsell customers on (potentially?) more detailed tracking with its hardware add-ons afterward. Check out all the coverage at our iPhone 'Special Event' 2013 event hub!
Sony's Camera Remote API allows WiFi-equipped devices to control its cameras, act as a second screen
This year's IFA has been rather eventful for Sony: the company unveiled a new handset, some interesting cameras and even a recorder that can turn you into the next Justin Bieber. But lost in the shuffle was an announcement that the Japanese outfit's also releasing its Camera Remote API, albeit in beta. Sony says the idea here is to provide developers with the ability to turn WiFi-ready devices, such as smartphones and tablets, into a companion for many of its shooters -- i.e. act as a second display or be able to shoot images / video remotely. The Camera Remote API will be friendly with novel products including the Action Cam HDR-AS30, HDR-MV1 Music Video Recorder and both DSC-QX lens cameras, as well as older models like the NEX-6, NEX-5R and NEX-5T. This is definitely good news for current and future owners of any of the aforementioned, since the new API can certainly add much more value to Sony's cameras via the third-party app creations that are born from it.
Amazon extends its Associates program to Android app developers with new API
It looks like you may well start seeing more links to products sold at Amazon in your Android apps. The company has just announced the launch of its new Mobile Associates API, which will let app developers hook into its popular Associates program to earn a kickback of up to six percent on all products sold through their apps. Those purchases can be made either entirely within the app or through an external link to Amazon, and the API covers both Amazon's own Kindle Fire tablets as well as other Android devices (we wouldn't hold your breath for iOS support). In announcing the new option, Amazon said that it hopes it will provide an alternative revenue stream to fully paid, ad-supported or "freemium" apps for developers, but it'd also obviously also get quite a bit in return itself if they fully embrace it.
YouTube raises limits on video use in third-party apps
YouTube launched its Data API to let developers integrate online video into their apps, but the modest caps on daily use have limited the potential of those apps. As of today, YouTube is offering much more breathing room: developers now have 10 times more transaction units each day, and uploads require 10 times fewer units. The extra headroom should lead to apps that not only include many more YouTube videos, but also call more frequently on clip data. While it will likely take some time before we see software that takes advantage of the higher limits, we wouldn't be surprised if our favorite apps become multimedia extravaganzas in the near future.
Evernote starts rate-limiting third-party apps, hopes for minimal impact
With over 50 million note-taking users, Evernote has a lot of traffic on its hands -- enough so that the company is now rate-limiting third-party software that relies on its API. As of today, new apps can only sync a certain amount of information with Evernote in a given hour. While the caps aren't clearly defined and are likely to change, Evernote will start throttling all existing apps on November 1st. This isn't necessarily the prelude to a Twitter-style crackdown on third-party clients, however. As many apps sync their data sparingly, Evernote doesn't foresee many companies running into the API limit. It primarily anticipates problems with apps that sync everything, and it's offering to chat with affected developers to minimize trouble. Evernote's promises aren't guaranteed to reassure app designers, but they suggest that end users might not notice the difference.
Path expands API access, now supports WordPress and other hand-picked apps
Path has previously limited its third-party app integration to the Nike+ platform, but the company just opened its doors a little wider. App developers can now ask for permission to use Path's sharing API, which they'll get if Path sees such apps as a logical fit. To get the ball rolling, the social network has already granted access to 13 partners that include WordPress, Strava Cycling and a bevy of smaller image services. Only some of these developers can send app content to Path as of this writing, but the rest should support the API in the weeks ahead.
Path opens up its API to a baker's dozen of partners
The Path (free, with many in-app purchases for stickers and whatnot) social network has opened the doors to 13 new API partners that will now sport a "Share on Path" button in their apps. Path's integration initially started with Nike, giving users a way to share their runs and fitness levels through Path. VP of Business Development for Path Matt Van Horn told our sister site, TechCrunch, that the company curated the list of partners to fit its goal of being a more personal and almost private social network. The company found that users felt more comfortable sharing the Nike fitness information with their smaller friend group on Path than they did sharing the same data on Facebook or Twitter. The range of new partners is quite broad, including social video network Viddy, collage app Pic Stitch and personal fitness app Strava. The Bible app was added after Path found that a number of users were copying and sharing verses with their Path friends; now it takes just a simple tap on the app's share sheet. Other photography apps that now feature Path API integration include Over, PicMix, Papelook, Otaku, Mill Colour, Manga Camera and PicFrame. WordPress bloggers will also find that it's now easy to share their most recent posts on Path, thanks to API integration in the popular blogging app.
Dropbox API changes spell sync troubles for older 1Password iOS versions
Dropbox announced some time ago that it would be retiring its original sync API, and it is being officially put out to pasture on September 1 to introduce a new, more secure version. This is good news for a lot of users, but people still using apps that were built on that older API will likely find those apps won't work as expected after the September 1 cut off. This includes the older v3 version of 1Password for the iPhone/iPad and 1Password Pro for iOS. While the password manager will still work in other respects, Dropbox-powered sync won't function. These apps were pulled from the iTunes store last year to make way for 1Password version 4, which means there is no mechanism to release an update for them, but there are still plenty of people using those previous versions. For those who depend on Dropbox sync and haven't yet rolled forward to v4, 1Password developer AgileBits has announced they will be running a limited-time sale on 1Password 4 for iOS, starting at 8 AM Pacific time on August 8, and ending on August 16. The app will sell for US$7.99, more than half off its current price. You can read their explanation of the whole situation over at their blog. While those who have stuck with the older version of 1P are certainly entitled to use it as long as they can, it's nice to see a developer taking steps to help out syncing users who are caught in an API squeeze.
Inside the Nike+ Accelerator: Fueling the quantified-self movement
Imagine setting aside three months of your life to pursue a dream. As romantic as the idea may seem, it requires a gut check somewhere along the way. Recently, a handful of entrepreneurs said goodbye to their families and loved ones, and in some cases, flew across the globe for an opportunity to do just that. Some put their budding companies on hold, while others came only with an unwavering belief in their idea. In all, 10 companies converged on the Nike+ Accelerator in Portland, Ore., this past March, each united with the goal of building products that integrate with Nike's line of fitness trackers. It's hard to underestimate the sacrifice, or the opportunity. With less than three weeks to relocate, many had to act quickly. But with a vote of confidence from Nike and its accelerator partner, TechStars, support from a vast network of mentors and industry contacts -- and just as importantly, early access to the Nike+ API -- it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get a head start over the competition in the burgeoning wearables industry. From the moment these entrepreneurs touched ground at PDX, the clock was already running. In just 12 weeks, they'd pitch their products to potential investors at Demo Day -- first in Portland on June 10th, and again in San Francisco on the 20th. It's a lot to accomplish in three months, and certainly unfamiliar territory for Nike as well. But even amidst the breakneck speed, one must hit the pause button and ponder Nike's motivation behind the accelerator. Ten companies were certainly given an upper hand, but can the same be said for Nike itself?
Mozilla experiments with content personalization based on your interests
Mozilla is known for its staunch support of its users' privacy, but that isn't stopping the team from exploring options for personalizing the web. In a blog post today, Justin Scott, Mozilla Labs' product manager, discussed the possibility of incorporating your browser activity into an API that allows sites to prioritize their content based on your interests. For example, if you spend a lot of time looking up baseball scores, publishers could push related articles to the forefront just for you. Though that may sound like an overstepping of the bounds Mozilla has so strongly defended, the company insists that the ability to select what to share (if anything) with content creators will remain in the hands of the user. To read more about Mozilla Labs' experiments and weigh in on the proposal, head on over to the source link below.
Google adds push notifications to Calendar API
Google just made the lives of third-party calendar developers much easier. Rather than having to constantly poll Google Calendar servers for updates, the Calendar API now supports push notifications. This means, with just a few lines of code, developers can sync their app to Mountain View's servers in near real time, rather than waiting on regularly scheduled updates. The only thing a developer will need to do is give a user the tools necessary to subscribe to a calendar. When something changes, Google sends a notification to the app, which performs an API call to pull down the updated data. Simple as pie! And probably a little healthier for your battery than checking in every 15 minutes, whether something has changed or not. If you're looking for a few more details you can hit up the source link.
Dish opens Hopper DVR to handful of third-party mobile app developers
As powerful as the Hopper DVR can be, it largely exists in an app vacuum: to date, only official releases like Dish Explorer and Dish Social have had access. Dish is giving its set-top box some much needed flexibility, however, by offering the Hopper's APIs to third-party developers. The expansion lets non-Dish mobile apps control the Hopper directly, whether it's switching to a live show or scheduling a recording. Thuuz Sports (shown above) is the first app to take advantage of the APIs, although we wouldn't expect a flood of releases afterwards -- Dish is screening developers for privacy issues and "other considerations." Still, the move represents a rare level of openness in an industry that frequently insists on self-branded software.
New Chrome developer tools bring Bluetooth, iTunes integration to packaged apps
Google's latest Chrome developer tools could give us even fewer reasons to close our browser -- devs can now build packaged apps with access to Google Wallet, Google Analytics, Bluetooth devices and an API that dives into the user's music library. Technically, Chrome has had a Media Gallery API for some time, but this latest update allows applications to access, import and play music using iTunes as a default media gallery. Of course, apps using this API will need the user's permission before rummaging through their Papa Roach collection, so settle down. The Chromium Blog's notes the Bluetooth connection could support "low energy health devices like fitness trackers." If that means apps that will monitor a FitBit and tell us to get up and stretch, that'd definitely be appreciated. For the full release notes, hit the links below.
Amazon opens GameCircle integration to all Android devices
Looks like gamers with Amazon Kindle tablets will no longer be competing amongst themselves... because starting today, Amazon's proprietary GameCircle platform is now open to all Android devices. The backend cloud service has offered up leader boards, achievements and progress saves to Kindle users for a year now, and as of today, it also supports conflict resolution between mobile devices. The reveal comes at an interesting time, which parallels the recent launch of Google Play game services. Naturally, it's reasonable to speculate that Amazon's move could be an attempt to keep its service relevant. More than 500 games currently support GameCircle, but for all Android users to benefit, developers must first integrate the latest API into their games. At least they now have a bit of motivation to do just that.
Microsoft launches Bing platform for developers
Microsoft wants developers to make Bing a central part of their apps, and it's powering that with a new developer platform unveiled today at Build. The Bing kit will let programmers tap the search engine's wealth of knowledge, providing direct information and translations when they're relevant. It should also grant access to natural interfaces, such as gestures, as well as real-world map data. Microsoft showed the platform at work in both Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8, so it's clear that developers who want Bing's resources won't be locked into any one device type.
Microsoft announces Visual Studio 2013 preview: now available for download, 5,000 new APIs in Windows 8.1
Windows 8.1 isn't just good news for users, as the new OS version is also bringing the goodies for developers as well, in the form of 5,000 new APIs for devs to play with. Along with 8.1's arrival is a new version of Visual Studio that'll allow devs to write native apps for Windows 8 and optimize them for the platform. The software comes with all the diagnostic tools any good Win8 developer needs, including a way to see an app's power consumption and network efficiency. The Visual Studio 2013 preview is available for download today, so devs anxious to dig in can do so at the source below.
Zeebox launches developer portal, widens access to its second screen platform
Zeebox is clearly busy these days. It just added automatic show syncing and recommendations to its second screen app a few days ago, and it's back with a new developer portal that opens the Zeebox APIs to everyone, not just partners. Those building mobile and web apps can now integrate Zeebox's guides, social networking and tagging into their projects, as well as create synchronized widgets for Zeebox's own release. If you're inclined to build on the company's TV experience, it's free to try the programming tools you'll find at the source link.
