Tag Archives: mobil

Mobile cross platform died with Apple and the iPhone

Posted by Martin Eiler on April 9, 2010 6 comments

Mobile cross platform died with Apple and the iPhone

Yesterday Apple launched the 4.0 release of their operating system for for the iPhone.
A great update to the popular mobile phone enabling multitasking and other new features.
However, nobody seemed to notice the small, but significant change in the license agreement section 3.1.1.

Previously the line read:
3.3.1 — Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs.

The line now reads:
3.3.1 — Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs. Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).

So why the buzz.? Basically the one major reason mobile development is so tricky, is you have to create one unique application for almost each phone on the marked. So it is nothing like developing applications for the browser, where you can create one application and that will work in most browsers.
The mobile developers have to create a brand new application from scratch for almost every type of mobile phone out there. Both time consuming, expensive and just plain stupid.
And naturally software vendors around the globe started facilitating tools for developers that allows you to create one mobile application that will work on several mobile phones. A great initiative for everybody, both developers, clients, technology and world peace. :-)

However, Apple seems to disagree. With the new OS for the iPhone the conditions has changed. Apple insists that applications for the iPhone have to be specifically made to the Apple platform.

This will without a doubt result in furious 3.party software houses that overnight loses their entire business, and it is a serious breach in the ecosystem that binds the application community together.

But Apple must be thinking they can effort it. Cutting off the 3.party ecosystem, also means cutting off potential new clients and new projects. The Apple app store is overfilled with software, however only a few of the applications has actual value. One of the most downloaded apps from the app store is still the “flashlight” that turns your iPhone into a flashlight by lighting up the display. Hardly an application we can’t live without.

My point is, we are only in the beginning of the new mobile age, and Apple already thinks they own the thing. It is crucial for everybody in the business, to keep the ecosystem intact, despite the challenges and fight for marked shares. Maybe today apple has the most successful app store. But it is most unlikely that the rest of the industry will sit on their hand doing nothing about it.
What Apple thinks is a clever shortcut to maintaining their marked shares, can easily be a foolish short sighted act. You just can’t build a new ecosystem overnight, and burning your bridges once, causing the 3.party vendors tremendous pain, does not go unforgotten.
I sincerely hope Apple will change this section 3.1.1 back to the original conditions. It’s shortsighted, and it will haunt Apple forever forward.

Open Screen – 1 size fits all!

Posted by admin on May 27, 2009 1 comments

Lige som vi er begyndt at tage de første spæde skridt i retning af aktiv brug af mobilkommunikation, så er næste generations teknologi over os til at gøre det hele meget nemmere – Open Screen.

Open Screen projektet er initieret af en bred række virksomheder som alle har 1 klar vision: ”At gøre det muligt for helt almindelige forbrugerne at opnå en høj og ensartet rig Internet oplevelse uafhængigt af om de sidder foran computere, TV’et, bruger mobiltelefonen, PDA’en eller på anden vis er online”.

Mulighed for økonomisk støtte
Adobe er gået sammen med en række industriledere indenfor den digitale medieverden med det formål at tilvejebringe en ensartet platform baseret på Adobe’s Flash Player (og senere Adobe AIR), der giver brugerne mulighed for online adgang til rige brugeroplevelser på tværs af digitale enheder. Valtech tilbyder nu sammen med Adobe sine kunder at blive blandt de første til at udnytte den nye platform, og søger projekter, der kan gennemføres med økonomisk støtte fra Adobe. Vi søger projekter med følgende indhold: underholdning, business to business, sociale netværk, produktion, spil, rejser, multimedia, sundhed, finans, vejret, sport, nyheder og uddannelse mv.

Open Screen projektet er bl.a. støttet af Nokia, Sony-Ericsson, Intel, BBC, Motorola, Samsung, Palm, Adobe og mange flere.

Open Screen skal lette udvekslingen af information og sikre at vi, som forbrugere i langt højere grad kan kommunikere digitalt problemfrit, således at vi i endnu højere grad kan gøre brug af digital kommunikation i vores hverdag.

Da Open Screen er en standard, betyder det, fra et udviklingssynspunkt, at der kun skal udvikles 1 version, som passer til det hele. Dette er en kæmpe besparelse ift. i dag, hvor næsten hver enkel mobiltelefonmodel skal have sin egen version udviklet eller tilpasset.

Tænk på hvilke fantastiske muligheder Open Screen kan betyde for dine kunder (i form af service, underholdning, salg eller rådgivning) og din branding. Open Screen kan sprænge rammerne for innovativ kommunikation og handel.

Projekterne skal i øvrigt gøre brug af multiplatforme – hvor minimum 1 skal være Nokia og hvor der gøres brug af Adobe Flash Lite software, Adobe Flash Player og/eller Adobe Air.

For mere viden om Open Screen Project se: http://www.openscreenproject.org/

Kontakt: Thomas Kruse, 22 55 51 66, eller thomas.kruse@valtech.dk hvis du er interesseret i at høre nærmere om Open Screen.