Apple is loosening its grip on its app development for its mobile devices, announcing Thursday that it will drop restrictions on what programming tools developers can use to create iOS apps.

The company also dropped a ban on certain in-application ad serving tools that had effectively cut off Google’s AdMob service.

The unexpected move means Apple is standing down in what had become an increasingly heated battle between the company and the developers who have created the more than 250,000 apps that stock Apple’s App Store.

“We have listened to our developers and taken much of their feedback to heart,” Apple said. “This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.”

Apple’s rule changes are quite technical, and developers raced to pore over the fine print and figure out exactly what they mean.

But the practical upshot is that programmers will be able to use tools from Apple’s rivals — most notably Adobe — to build software for Apple’s iPhones, iPads and iPods.

Adobe’s current Flash development suite includes a tool for converting apps to run on Apple’s platform, but the company said in April that it would stop further development on that tool because of Apple’s restrictions and focus more on Google’s Android operating system.

Adobe on Thursday praised Apple’s change of heart. “We are encouraged to see Apple lifting its restrictions on its licensing terms, giving developers the freedom to choose what tools they use to develop applications for Apple devices,” the company said in a written statement.

A company representative declined to comment on the fate of Adobe’s stalled Packager for iPhone tool.

But Flash programmers were quick to chime in: “We’re back in the game,” one posted in Adobe’s forum right after Apple’s announcement.

Developer Brad Manderscheid expects the new rules to be a big boost for his Milwaukee-based application development company, ActionMouse.

Most of his work is done with Adobe’s Flash, and Apple’s move to block Flash-to-iPhone conversion tools meant some of his planned projects for clients had to be scrapped.

“A lot of work that we had pending went away,” he said. “I was more mad than anybody I know — Adobe built all these tools for us to do all these cool things, we had all these beta programs ready to go, and Apple comes out and says ‘stop.’”

Now, he’ll be able to use Adobe tools to “write once, run anywhere,” and convert his applications to run on iOS as well as platforms like Android.

“I don’t have to be just in one team or another,” he said. “It opens everything up, the way it should be.”

Veteran Apple developer Greg Slepak was so incensed in April by Apple’s new restrictions that he e-mailed his objections to Steve Jobs — who responded. Slepak reprinted the exchange on his blog, where it drew hundreds of replies.

Slepak, who let his iOS Developer Program account expire in the wake of the clampdown, said he’s now considering renewing it. Apple’s policy changes seem to effectively address developers’ concerns, he said.

“This isn’t just about Adobe,” he said. “I don’t much care for Flash apps on the iPhone, but I do care about some of the third-party frameworks that would have been restricted by this. Some entire companies, their livelihood was put into question.”

Apple’s previous policy of banning unapproved development tools had drawn notice from federal regulators, who have reportedly considered launching an antitrust investigation of Apple’s software development rules.

Google  applauded the fact that developers will now be able to use AdMob to sell and serve ads in their iPhone applications.

“This is great news for everyone in the mobile community, as we believe that a competitive environment is the best way to drive innovation and growth in mobile advertising,” the company said in a blog post.

Apple also said it will for the first time publish review guidelines to help developers understand how it vets the applications submitted to its App Store. Developers have frequently griped about Apple’s opaque and occasionally drawn-out review process.

“We hope it will make us more transparent and help our developers create even more successful apps for the App Store,” Apple said of its decision to release the guidelines.

2 Comments  Email This Post

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The below table summarizes comparison between Google Android 2.2 (Froyo) and iPhone iOS 4

1 Comment  Email This Post

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Could an iPhone application treat acne? A Texas dermatologist seems to think so.  The AcneApp, launched by Houston-based Dr. Greg Pearson, claims to use red and blue light to fight blemishes and improve the health of one’s skin.

The application’s Web site said, “Studies showed that light treatments were almost twice as effective as benzoyl peroxide, the main ingredient in Proactiv and other common over-the-counter blemish treatments.”

According the Web site, users of the application choose a color — red light is said to have anti-inflammatory properties and blue light is said to fight bacteria — and then hold the iPhone against their skins’ acne-prone areas for two minutes each day.

Citing a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology, AcneApp said treatments alternating red and blue light have been shown to eliminate an acne-causing bacteria and reduce skin blemishes up to 76 percent of the time.

Dr. David Pariser, a dermatologist from Norfolk, Va., who is president of the American Academy of Dermatologists, said that though studies have indeed shown that red and blue light can help your skin, he doubted that this particular application could do the trick.

“It’s true that the light sources do help acne,” he said. “The mechanism by which it works is that it kills p-acne bacteria.”

But he said that in a doctor’s office, a patient’s skin would be exposed to far stronger light than an iPhone screen gives off, and for longer periods of time. In order for the treatment to be effective, he said skin should be exposed to blue light for about 16 minutes and red light for six to eight minutes per session. (Most patients would undergo treatment once a month for several months, he said.)

“You really have to have extremely intense light that requires protection of your eyes,” he said. “It’s not very likely you’re going to get enough light out of the screen of an iPhone to make a difference.”

Dr. Pariser said he wouldn’t be able to give an opinion without seeing the results of clinical trials (which the application has not undergone), but said that though the application would likely not hurt anyone, it would also likely not help much either.

“The principle is correct,” he said. “But I really doubt that this specific application of it would make much diference.”

Reviews from people who have downloaded the $1.99 AcneApp from Apple’s AppStore have been mixed.

“I was very hesitant to purchase this at first because I thought it was simply exploiting peoples’ insecurities, but it works!” said one user.

Another was more skeptical: “Anyone have proof? How long did it take to work [?]”

My personal view is that this application is only a gimmick, and one should not treat it seriously.  In fact, I regard it as a funny app that may work or may not work for its’ intended purpose.

No Comments  Email This Post

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Apple Inc. today unveiled its long-rumored tablet, the iPad, not the name gussed by many bloggers such as iTablet or iSlate.

Chief executive Steve Jobs, addressing a packed crowd of technology journalists and bloggers. referred to the device as something in the “middle” — residing in a “third category,” between high-powered personal computers and smart phones.

The iPad has a 9.7-inch multitouch display (measured diagonally; a page of InvestmentNews measures 18 inches for comparison), weighs just a pound and a half, and is pretty thin at just half an inch. That’s lighter than any netbook I can think of and certainly any full-fledged tablet PC.

A 1-gigahertz Apple A4 processor will power the iPad. It will come in 16- gigabyte, 32-GB and 64-GB models. The table will have several means of connectivity, including built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 in both the base model and the high-end model. The iPad’s average battery life is expected to be 10 hours.

Oh, and like the iPhone, it will also have a built-in accelerometer, as well as a speaker and microphone.

Mr. Jobs said during the announcement that he could take a flight from San Francisco to Tokyo and watch video the whole time (side note: He must fly private jets, otherwise you’d think we would have seen some mobile phone images or video of the iPad before today).

As for cost: The low-end 16-GB model will go for $499. The high-end 64-GB model, which also boasts 3G technology, will sell for $829. There is both a touchpad keyboard that will take up half the screen when used, as well as a separate external keyboard (it is unclear what external accessories will be coming with which models in the box at purchase).

During the announcement, an Apple software representative said that iPhone and iTouch users will be able to synch their already purchased App Store applications with the iPad, meaning they won’t have to pay for them twice and that the applications themselves will all natively run on the iPad as well.

It was also announced during the presentation that these applications have already been optimized for the new device.

This means that advisers already enjoying the many financial-services-oriented applications available for the iPhone will be able to run them on the iPad as well. The device should make for lightweight travel and easy web-based presentations with clients or others.

History always seems to get lost with these grand announcements, especially when they seem to be in an-as-yet undiscovered category of computing. That probably has a lot to do with Apple’s naming this the iPad instead of the iTablet. Consumer tablet computers have been around for almost 20 years now.

Former editor-in-chief of PC Magazine Michael J. Miller wrote a great little piece documenting all the niftiest tablets that predate Apple’s announcement. Mr. Miller, who also happens to be a mentor of mine and my former boss, used to show off what these devices could do as they made their way in for review. Over the course of my eight years at the magazine, I saw dozens of them come and go. Thus it’s clear to me that Apple has built this shiny new device after long study of what has and hasn’t worked among its many predecessors.

2 Comments  Email This Post

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Microsoft and Apple are reportedly discussing the possibility of changing the iPhone’s default search engine from Google to Bing, which experts say could be a significant change in the fast-growing mobile search marketplace.

BusinessWeek quotes anonymous sources as saying that “talks have been under way for weeks,” and that Microsoft was a “pawn” in the deepening feud between Apple and Google. The competition has been growing fiercer since Google began competing with Apple in the mobile market with its Android OS and Nexus One smartphone.

Additionally, BusinessWeek says that Google is in danger of suffering financial losses if the rumored move to Bing is made, since AdMob reports that most mobile advertising in the U.S. is viewed on iPhones and iPod Touches. The iPhone is the most popular smartphone in the U.S., so any changes to its default programming are likely to produce measurable shifts in mobile search figures, according to analysts.

So, is there any new opportunities for mobile search engine optimization (SEO)?  I think search engine optimizer and SEO company should think about this especially if their clients want to get exposure in mobile phones.

No Comments  Email This Post

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•