Developers

Ready for Another Round of iPad Madness?
March 07, 2012

Apple fans are counting down to Apple's Wednesday announcement, at which time the company is expected to finally reveal the newest member -- or members? -- of its tablet family. As is usually the case with an Apple show-and tell, rumors and speculation surround the event. A message in the company's official invitation describes "something you have to see. And touch."

iOS Smokes Android in HTML5 Drag Race
March 06, 2012

Apple's iOS handles HTML5-based games as much as three times better than Google's Android in HTML5, according to a new study from Spaceport. The report specifically measured how many images could be moved around the screen at a time while maintaining a rate of 30 frames per second.

Loophole Could Give Android Devs a Private Picture Show
March 02, 2012

Similar to Apple's iOS, Android is apparently vulnerable to apps secretly copying photos. Android developer Ralph Gootee created a test app that masquerades as a simple timer but steals the most recent image on the user's smartphone and posts it on a public photo-sharing site. Critics said the development further emphasizes the danger of Google's hands-off approach to the Android Market.

VMware Hatches Spring Hadoop Cross-Breed for Big Data
March 02, 2012

Virtualization giant VMware has unveiled Spring Hadoop, which integrates its Spring Framework with the Apache Hadoop platform. Spring provides a comprehensive, lightweight framework that will make it easier for devs to build solutions around the Hadoop platform, according to the company. Spring Hadoop is available under the open source Apache 2.0 license and can be downloaded free.

Linux Fans Gorge on Raspberry Pi
February 29, 2012

Frantic buyers cleaned out the shelves of two UK retailers offering a small $35 Linux computer from the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The credit-card-sized device, which is named after the foundation, plugs into a TV and a keyboard. It can be used to work on spreadsheets, play games, and do word processing, and can also play high-definition video.

Microsoft Gives Devs a Glance at Visual Studio 11
February 24, 2012

Microsoft will release a beta of Visual Studio 11 on Feb. 29, the same day it releases a preview version of its Windows 8 operating system. VS 11 is an integrated development environment spanning the entire software creation lifecycle from architecture to code deployment, testing and validation. It adds support for Windows 8 and Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud platform.

Mozilla Stocks the Shelves for an App Store Grand Opening
February 23, 2012

The Mozilla Foundation will begin accepting developer submissions for its own app market at the Mobile World Congress, which will be held in Barcelona next week. The Mozilla Marketplace will let devs distribute and monetize their apps. It will also be the sole repository for cross-platform apps and Firefox extensions.

Why the World Is Desperately Seeking Linux Talent
February 23, 2012

Well, it's been another wild week here in the Linux blogosphere, with the news announcements coming so fast there's scarcely been time for a cape-wearing champion of FOSS to catch her breath. There's been particular excitement around Ubuntu for Android, of course, but that's a topic for another day.

Kindle Fire Makes Amazon Appstore Cozy for Devs
February 22, 2012

Some developers are making more money by showcasing their wares in Amazon's Appstore instead of Google's Android Market, according to research from Distimo. The mobile analytics firm looked at the 110 apps available in both online stores that generated at least $200 per day in revenue during the last week of January.

Microsoft Calls Google a Cookie Monster
February 21, 2012

Google is tracking users of the Internet Explorer Web browser without their knowledge, Microsoft has asserted. After news emerged last week that Google had bypassed the privacy settings of Apple's Safari browser, Microsoft researchers began looking into whether the search giant was also playing fast and loose with IE's settings.

Enterprise Web Apps: The Next Generation
February 08, 2012

When the bright folks at Zeebox, a killer social TV site, decided to build their website, they naturally turned to cloud services because they are a startup and had to use their money wisely. They also turned to the Scala language and open source community because they had very specific scalability and performance needs.

FBI's Most Wanted: A Social Media Monitoring Tool
January 27, 2012

The FBI wants to keep its eye on social media users, according to a job post that invites software developers to submit applications capable of mining through sites such as Twitter and Facebook to identify possible threats. The post can be found on FedBizOpps.gov. The bureau has a detailed list of requirements for the app.

Big Data's Big Challenges for Content Management
January 25, 2012

As many know, content is getting bigger -- way bigger -- and this is scary to many technologists. At the same time, it's also getting smarter. Applications are growing more complex, challenging IT pros as never before. How will these changes impact content management technologies? It's difficult to predict exactly, but there are insights to be found and used to plan for the future.

Google Asks Android App Devs to Design by the Book
January 14, 2012

It's well known that Android is fragmented or, as Google CEO Eric Schmidt contends, "differentiated." In a bid to codify design principles for the operating system's look and feel, Google unveiled Android Design at CES on Thursday. This website seeks to help appdevs create apps with a more uniform look and feel for its latest version, Ice Cream Sandwich.

Google's Nettlesome Search Gambit
January 14, 2012

Google has tuned up its search engine once again, but this time instead of shaving a couple of precious microseconds off its response time, it's decided to adjust some back-end systems in a way that changes the kinds of results people get, depending on who they are.

Updating the ROM in Your Mobile Device
January 12, 2012

Remember this: The phone or tablet you purchased is yours. It does not belong to the carrier that you bought it from despite the fact that the device is emblazoned with its corporate identity, logo or splash screen. This outright ownership you have in the device means that you can do pretty much whatever you like with it once you've walked out of the store.

Google's Schmidt Does the Android Definition Boogie
January 11, 2012

As Android smartphones sell like hot cakes -- 3.7 million were reportedly activated on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day -- concerns about the fragmentation of the operating system are increasing, and Google Chairman Eric Schmidt sought to allay those fears while speaking at a panel at the Consumer Electronics Show Tuesday.

AT&T Stocks Shelves at New App Store With HTML5
January 10, 2012

AT&T on Monday announced a new API platform and app store, called "AppCenter." The online store will be opened later this year and will feature HTML5 software. The store will sell wares for Android phones and iPhones.

Microsoft Dances on IE6's Grave
January 04, 2012

Microsoft celebrated the demise of Internet Explorer 6 on Tuesday after usage estimates put the Web browser's marketshare at under 1 percent in the U.S. Microsoft was as happy as anyone to see the browser go. The company has been running a kill campaign for IE6 for years, with Microsoft executive Amy Bazdukas stating in 2009 that "friends don't let friends use IE6."

No Shelter From a Cybercrime Storm
January 03, 2012

The Anonymous hacker collective has run riot this holiday season, and security experts predict more pain from cybercriminals at large for the coming year. Anonymous announced earlier that it had also cracked the systems of gear vendor SpecialForces.com.