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Android in-app billing coming next week, starts developer testing today
Google promised us the ability to buy stuff while inside Android apps, and sure enough, it's now just about ready to deliver it. Eric Chu, responsible for the company's Android Developer Ecosystem, has announced app submissions are now being accepted from those wanting to offer up purchasable items within their software. He also points out there'll be about a week's worth of internal testing before the whole system opens up to the public, likely before the end of the month so that Google may stick to its word of rolling out the service in the first quarter of this year. Once that's done, you'll finally be able to buy your way to in-game glory instead of having to grind away at it like some unenlightened schmo.
Web apps found to be lacking Safari's speed bump in iOS 4.3
Well, it looks like you weren't imagining things if you thought in-app browsers or web apps saved to your iPhone's home screen seemed slower than Safari itself. Ars Technica has now confirmed that pages or web apps loaded using those methods aren't receiving the JavaScript boost added to Safari in iOS 4.3, which the site found to be about 2.5 times faster than Safari in iOS 4.2. The problem is that those apps don't have the necessary permissions to execute dynamically generated native code stored in writeable memory (as Safari does), which basically leaves them running at the same speed they did in iOS 4.2. Not surprisingly, that has prompted some to speculate that it's all part of a grand plan on Apple's part to force developers to use full-fledged apps instead of mobile apps, but Ars Technica points out that it could just as easily be due to some technical problems. Hit up the source link below for all the technical details.
Apple doubles down on in-app purchasing security in iOS 4.3, password now required
As you might recall, a certain game was racking up credit card bills because of its in-app purchases -- something which probably resulted in some angry parents (or as the folks in Finland say, "birds"). In Apple's latest iOS update, a feature has been implemented that requires the user to input their password whenever an in-app purchase is made. Will this new security measure actually prevent those children from purchasing hundreds worth of virtual fruit? A big boon for grown-ups, a big downer for those who no longer have an excuse to explain their Smurfberry obsession.
Google adding web-based in-app payments, probably some time in May
It's not enough that you'll soon be able to make in-app purchases on Android, Google wants to give you an outlet for your app spending online as well. The search giant is hard at work turning last year's acquisition of Jambool and its Social Gold software into a web-based in-app payments platform it can call its own. Jambool's proprietors have word that Google's system is now in beta, which has led it to close new signups for the Social Gold offering, ahead of halting payment processing entirely on May 31st. That should serve as a pretty reliable guide for when to expect Google to flip the switch on its in-app purchasing service, which we're hearing will include some level of integration with Google Checkout and Google accounts. As TechCrunch points out, the next Google I/O gathering is scheduled for May 10th -- sounds about the right time for us to be introduced to this new, app-based way for separating us from our hard-earned cash.
Consumer Reports Digital Edition for iPad not recommended
Consumer Reports has kind of a spotty reputation with Apple fans. They've liked most Mac desktops and laptops, but the magazine famously dissed the AT&T iPhone 4 and, just last week, trashed the Verizon iPhone 4 as well. Back in September of 2010, Consumer Reports put out a helpful, but buggy, free app for the iPhone. They then killed that app so you'd have to buy the $10.00 Consumer Reports Mobile Shopper app from them instead. Now, Consumer Reports has released the Consumer Reports Digital Edition for iPad. This is a free "Preview Edition," and that's what I took a look at today. First off, this is a big honking download -- 126 MB. The App Store fools you by saying that the size is only 1.1 MB, but that download is just a shell app for downloading the actual content. The content doesn't download in the background, which is another black mark. Do not do this over 3G; if you try to download this thing over a mobile connection, you'll spend a lot of time looking at a slow-moving progress bar. %Gallery-118010%
Readability: Apple's new subscription policy 'smacks of greed'
Apple's new subscription policy has already drawn plenty of criticism -- not to mention the eye of the FTC and DOJ - but that doesn't make the missive issued by Readability today any less pointed. As you may be aware, Readability's technology uses the Reader feature recently added to Safari, and the company also provides a subscription-based service of its own that allows you to pay for the convenience of reading articles that have been stripped down to nothing but text -- something they're able to get away with because they pay 70 percent of that subscription fee back to the publishers. Not surprisingly, Readability recently decided to expand with an iOS app, and that's where things got dicey. Apple rejected the app on the grounds that it relies on a separate subscription -- one where Apple doesn't get a 30 percent cut. In a post on its blog, the company says that 30 percent "drastically undermines a key premise of how Readability works," and that, frankly, Apple's new subscription policy as a whole "smacks of greed." Obviously, that leaves Readability in something of a bind at the moment, as the nature of its business doesn't give it the leeway to agree to Apple's terms, but it does have a suggestion. It says it'll gladly deliver a Readability app for iOS with in-app purchasing if Apple agrees to pay 70 percent of the 30 percent fee it collects to writers and publishers, just like it does. Hit up the source link below for the company's complete letter.
Android may save the day for Apple's iPad subscription policy in the EU
There may never be an official "thank you" note sent, but Apple may be secretly grateful for the explosion of Android tablets about to hit the market. Apple is under the watchful eye of both the United States and the European Union's regulatory bodies regarding its new subscription policy for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The terms of this new policy have prompted some to question whether it runs afoul of current anti-competitive regulations. These anti-competitive concerns may be allayed when the tidal wave of Android tablets lands, and both consumers and publishers can choose between Android and iOS for their media consumption and distribution needs. European Union commissioner Andris Piebalgs echoes this sentiment when he writes to a European Parliament member, saying that "alternative applications platforms exist and several companies have recently launched or are expected to launch in the near future a number of devices similar in terms of functionality to the iPad." Though this statement was released prior to Apple's subscription changes and Google's One Pass announcement, its premise of increased competition from Android tablets remains the same. With an influx of Android tablets slated for release and an alternative subscription service, market forces and not a single company's policies will shape the future of digital media. Of course, this laissez-faire sentiment may change when regulators catch wind of Readability, a paid web service whose app was reportedly rejected from the App Store because it does not offer an in-app subscription option.
Capcom denies rift with Apple over Smurfs' Village in-app purchases
Did Apple take Capcom to task over the in-app purchase fiasco in the company's Smurfs' Village game for iOS? That was the rumor going around earlier today, after Pocket Gamer reported that it had heard from a "well placed source" who said that Apple had some "strong words" for the game maker. Capcom has now come out and denied any such rift, however, saying in a statement that "we are in frequent communication with Apple, and at no point have they expressed any displeasure to any representatives of Capcom Mobile in regards to our handling of in-app purchases within Smurfs' Village." Interestingly, Pocket Gamer's original report also claimed that Apple was considering a change to its current 15 minute password window to reduce inadvertent in-app purchases, and Capcom says that it would welcome such a move -- although it's not aware of any impending change.
BlackBerry App World 2.1 gets in-app payments, too
Well, isn't that just an adorable quirk of corporate timing? RIM just announced that BlackBerry App World 2.1 is now live with support for in-app payments using the BlackBerry Payment Service, matching Google's similar Android Market announcement earlier today. Users should see the 2.1 update rolling out over the course of the day, and devs have had the appropriate SDK since January 5, so progs that use the service should be arriving shortly. Ah, commerce -- ain't it grand?
Android Market gets a web store with OTA installations, in-app purchases coming soon
Google's Android Market now has a web client. Finally! And guess what else, it's already live. Hit the source link below to get exploring. It's very simple, really, you can browse the entire Market catalog on your desktop or however else you're accessing the web, you can purchase anything that takes your fancy, and then -- via the magic of over-the-air transfers -- it downloads and installs onto your Android handset. A neat My Market Account section will let you nickname your registered devices to make them more recognizable as well. Google has also just announced that Android will soon support in-app purchases. Widespread developer interest has been cited as the major reason for doing it, so you've got those lovable coders to thank for the oncoming wave of micropayments you'll have to deal with in your Android apps. The in-app purchasing SDK is releasing to devs today and will be "live to users prior to the end of this quarter." Update: Invalid request. Yep, that's the message we keep getting when we try and download an app. Google promises that it should be working soon... Update 2: And now it appears to be working!
Send virtual 3D gifts with Little World Gifts
When Apple launched the App Store, there were no in-app purchases, but it quickly became apparent that some mechanism for buying stuff within an app itself would be needed. I remember thinking a store of virtual gifts seemed like a no-brainer, but the in-app purchase block was a show-stopper. Kisky Netmedia isn't the first company to enable in-app purchases, of course, but Little World Gifts [iTunes Link] is precisely what you'd expect to evolve on the iPhone: a little store of 3D trinkets which you can purchase and share with friends. Little World Gifts (which we covered a few weeks ago) would be relegated to a "gee whiz" factor were it not for the Facebook component. My purchases appear in the Facebook LWG app (as seen in the gallery below) and from there I can share with my friends who also enable the Facebook app. No iPhone required. Uh oh. The implementation is simple: you see a series of little shelves with little 3D items, and you can buy them. Some are simply 3D objects you can rotate and zoom in a little staging area, while some have associated animations (none that I tested had sound). You will need a network connection to browse this store, as new items may appear periodically. I found the store pretty easy to use, as most in-app purchases tend to be low friction. Viewing an item is a little tricky sometimes, and you have to intuit to double-tap to bring up a "close this view" button, but the models are quite wonderful to behold. You can send gifts to people via the app or into Facebook, and there's even a tracker to see who has picked up their gift. As I said, this is the practical evolution of virtual gifting on the iPhone, and via Facebook, frankly. I can envision a raft of new, branded stores popping up, too. Perhaps someday your Sims could wear Abercrombie or your virtual villagers in Pocket God could get a dancing Elvis? I'd be happy to ship toxic waste to Farmville. Currently the gifts on the store are rather limited and have a holiday theme. I'm sure there will be more items to buy as time goes on, but I'd love to see a "real" market a la Second Life, where users could build their own 3D trinkets and sell them on this store. Hey, maybe we could resurrect the 3DMF format? Who threw that virtual tomato? The Little World Gifts app is free, of course. The gifts normally range from $.99 to $3.99 or more (or less), but for a short time all gifts are only $.99US to celebrate the app's debut. %Gallery-80250%
