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appMobi XDK delivers free cross-platform dev environment to Chrome Web Store
The Chrome Web Store welcomed a new arrival today, and it goes by the name of appMobi XDK. While the addition is targeted squarely at developers, it's entirely free and packs quite a doozy -- cross-platform HTML5 software development from within the web browser. As you might expect, the tool is perfect for making applications to run within Google Chrome, but get this... it's also capable of creating native apps for submission to Apple's App Store and the Android Market. Like any competent development environment, it features a full set of debugging tools, along with the ability to test your apps via on-screen emulation and directly from your target device. Hardware integration is accomplished with JavaScript hardware abstraction, which enables access to the camera, GPS, accelerometer and the like. Further, the platform boasts full compatibility with PhoneGap, which means you can easily transition if you've got a project in the works. If you're already hooked, be sure to check out the PR after the break, which describes such goodies as in-app purchasing and secure user authentication, which are made possible with appMobi's cloud services.
Xbox Development Kit arrives with 'significantly reduced price,' Sidecar attachment
What's this, you ask? The next generation of Xbox 360 development, that's what. With a shockingly small amount of fanfare, Microsoft has ushered in a striking new Xbox Development Kit, which is purportedly designed to increase efficiency and reduce cost for Xbox 360 dev teams. Aside from boasting an undisclosed uptick in RAM, built-in flash memory, a more capacious hard drive and a slimmer form factor, this XDK will also be sold at a "significantly reduced price from its predecessor." 'Course, the folks in Redmond aren't saying what exactly that sticker will look like, but those interested in taking the plunge regardless will also have the option to license a Sidecar attachment that enables debugging and disc emulation. We're told that said accessory can be shared among multiple XDK consoles, and in turn, it should lower the overall price to create, test, debug, and release an Xbox 360 or Xbox Live Arcade game. It's still a guessing game when it comes to an actual launch date, but it'll become "the standard kit" when new orders are fulfilled in the future. Feel free to peruse the gallery below if you're interested, and toss out a wild guess as to what that Sidecar will go for on eBay during the next century. Aim high, bub! %Gallery-120383%
GDC09: The developers-only metallic blue Xbox 360
Click to enlarge (developers only!) Hey game makers, we're writing this post just for you. That's right, regular people, you can tune right out starting now. Just turn it off. Zone out. Do whatever it is common people do. Are we alone? Alright, here's the deal: this summer Microsoft will be releasing a new blue-tinted Xbox 360 XDK Development Kit for developers, which not only adds some cool blue styling to the extra-tall dev profile, but doubles the console's memory to 1GB (a just-for-devs feature, of course). Until you can totally get one of your own in a couple months, stare at some more images in the gallery below ... since you're a developer ... since everyone else stopped reading, just like we asked.%Gallery-48543%
