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Opera gets serious about TV widget content, releases CDK
Norwegian software company Opera first waded into the TV app game when they released an SDK for widgets back in 2008. Now they've taken another serious step by releasing the Opera Devices Content Development Kit to help HTML, CSS, XML, and Javascript savvy developers create content using technologies they're already versed in. For those who don't live and breathe in The Matrix, Opera's hope is to lower the barriers of entry for bringing online content into the living room, since the software eliminates the need for physical devices to test on. It also supports W3C, HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV), OIPF, and CEA-2014 specifications -- meaning it's capable of running on a wide range of hardware from variety of manufacturers. For more details read the PR after the break or watch Opera's video from 2009 on the subject, which unfortunately isn't on par with its previous potato boiling jabs at Google. Still, learning about "Oprah's" new widgets makes it definitely worth a watch.
Twenty-four telecom operators unite to form Wholesale Applications Community
Big doings over in Barcelona today. Twenty-four telecom operators, with the support of the GSMA and three major hardware manufacturers, have formally announced they will come together to form the Wholesale Applications Community. Essentially, the goal of the alliance will be to create a viable, cohesive and open industry platform for mobile app developers. Members of the Community will include AT&T, China Mobile, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, TeliaSonera, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and Vodafone among others, and they'll be supported in their endeavors by LG, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. The total customers of the group is about 3 billion, giving WAC (our name) some considerable -- albeit theoretical for the moment -- power. The group plans to work on coming up with a standard for working across platforms over the next twelve months. WAC's website just went live a bit ago -- there's a link to it below -- and the full press release is after the break.
W3C finally publishes Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0
Okay, so we saw W3C's Mobile Web Best Practices offered up in "near-final form" in June of 2006, but we're just now (August of 2008, for those parked under a rock or tuning in from a parallel universe) seeing a final release. Talk about taking their sweet time. Hopefully said document has been updated over the past two years, and hopefully webmasters will grab hold and actually implement some of the suggestions. In essence, these guidelines seek to make web browsing easier on more handsets, but we're still in dire need of more robust browsers before any server-side tweaks make a noticeable difference.[Via the::unwired]
W3C blesses "Mobile Web Best Practices"
Anyone who's tried to browse a traditional website on their smartphone knows that it can be a somewhat trying experience, even with the best mobile browsers available. Navigation can be tricky, images are too big, and white space isn't formatted properly for the small screen. The World Wide Web Consortium this week has issued its "Mobile Web Best Practices" document in near-final form, giving webmasters -- webmasters who value their mobile audience, that is -- a series of guidelines for ensuring a less frustrating experience when your N91-toting viewers log in. The document has some teeth, too, having earned sign-offs from Ericsson, Google, Microsoft, Nokia, NTT DoCoMo, Opera and Vodafone, among many others. Now we can only ask that manufacturers bundle the beefy browsers to meet the standards halfway, and we might just have a chance at a positive experience.[Via Mobiledia]
