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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Over a Million Total Android and iPhone Apps Launched
A report has surfaced from Appsfire that claims that since the Android OS and iPhone launched there have been a total of a million apps for both platforms combined launched onto the market. There are a few caveats for these numbers though.
First, the apps that are on both platforms were countered twice. The second is that apparently only 80% of those apps are still active today. With the majority of them, likely to be duplicates and stuff that no one really wants the amount of usable apps that people actually download is likely much smaller than that 800,000 number.
The split of apps gives Android 48% of the total number launches. iOS is a bit higher at 52% of the apps ever launched. It’s interesting that the iPhone has been around a lot longer so Android is coming on strong.
First, the apps that are on both platforms were countered twice. The second is that apparently only 80% of those apps are still active today. With the majority of them, likely to be duplicates and stuff that no one really wants the amount of usable apps that people actually download is likely much smaller than that 800,000 number.
The split of apps gives Android 48% of the total number launches. iOS is a bit higher at 52% of the apps ever launched. It’s interesting that the iPhone has been around a lot longer so Android is coming on strong.
Facebook to launch profile redesign
Facebook plans to roll out a major redesign of user profiles at its f8 developer conference this week, Mashable has learned.
Details about the redesign are sparse, but two sources familiar with Facebook's plans (who have asked to remain anonymous) have told us that the redesign is "major" and will make Facebook profiles nexuses for consuming content.
The profile changes will be part of a wider launch, one that will include launch of a music and media platform.
Here's what we know so far about the profile redesign:
-- The redesigned profiles will be more "sticky," says one source. One of the goals of the new profiles is to get users to stay on them for longer.
-- We already knew Facebook is launching a media platform at f8. However, we've also learned that the platform -- which will include music and video from partner sites -- will display the media content a user is watching or listening to on their profiles. Essentially, when you're listening to Lady Gaga on Spotify, your friends can see and access that on your Facebook profile. This confirms a recent New York Times report.
-- The redesigned profiles are part of a larger push into social ecommerce. We don't exactly know what that means, but we've heard whispers that Facebook intends to give Facebook Credits more prominence. We've also heard that a Facebook app store may emerge at f8.
-- Facebook's push into ecommerce may be related Project Spartan, an HTML5-based mobile platform rumored to be launching soon.
Facebook is being tight-lipped about the changes; the company declined to comment on this story. However, more and more pieces of Facebook's big launch continue to leak out as the excitement builds for f8 (feel free to send us screenshots if you have any) The company is currently under lockdown, trying to fix the final bugs before Thursday's big launch.
Details about the redesign are sparse, but two sources familiar with Facebook's plans (who have asked to remain anonymous) have told us that the redesign is "major" and will make Facebook profiles nexuses for consuming content.
The profile changes will be part of a wider launch, one that will include launch of a music and media platform.
Here's what we know so far about the profile redesign:
-- The redesigned profiles will be more "sticky," says one source. One of the goals of the new profiles is to get users to stay on them for longer.
-- We already knew Facebook is launching a media platform at f8. However, we've also learned that the platform -- which will include music and video from partner sites -- will display the media content a user is watching or listening to on their profiles. Essentially, when you're listening to Lady Gaga on Spotify, your friends can see and access that on your Facebook profile. This confirms a recent New York Times report.
-- The redesigned profiles are part of a larger push into social ecommerce. We don't exactly know what that means, but we've heard whispers that Facebook intends to give Facebook Credits more prominence. We've also heard that a Facebook app store may emerge at f8.
-- Facebook's push into ecommerce may be related Project Spartan, an HTML5-based mobile platform rumored to be launching soon.
Facebook is being tight-lipped about the changes; the company declined to comment on this story. However, more and more pieces of Facebook's big launch continue to leak out as the excitement builds for f8 (feel free to send us screenshots if you have any) The company is currently under lockdown, trying to fix the final bugs before Thursday's big launch.
Adobe fights back with Flash 11
Long gone are the days when Adobe Systems could take its Flash Player's position on the Web for granted.
But Adobe, to counter a strong combination of opposition and alternatives to the browser plug-in, plans to ship Flash Player 11 in two weeks. The debut at its Max developer conference early next month is geared to send a message to programmers: Flash is still relevant, and Adobe is still investing in it.
Flash 11's highlight, an interface called Molehill for hardware-accelerated 3D and 2D graphics, won't change the minds of those who would like to see Flash fade from the Web, nor will it reverse Apple and Microsoft's Flash opposition. But it is a powerful new feature for games, and games are one of the Flash strongholds Adobe is seeking to defend.
"WIth direct access to the GPU [graphics processing unit], you'll see a thousand times faster rendering over prior versions of Flash," said Danny Winokur, Adobe's platform general manager. With the ability to animate millions of objects at a screen refresh rate of 50 frames per second, people can expect "console-quality games" such as those on an Xbox or PS3, but in a Web browser.
At the same time, Adobe has another strategy for maintaining the programming appeal of Flash's cross-platform nature. In cases where Flash apps can't run because the plug-in is banned or simply not installed, the new version 3 of Adobe's AIR software lets Flash apps be packaged as standalone apps.
In other words, for situations when developers can't count on Flash being installed, Adobe lets them build it directly into the app.
Also new is 64-bit support, which helps Flash stay compatible with browsers moving toward more modern processors.
Detractors might disagree, but Adobe's moves are real. Flash has plenty of experienced programmers, and the plug-in is installed on 98 percent of desktop browsers. It's clear that Flash is not the only way to write apps--heck, even Adobe is embracing the competition--but it's equally clear Flash still has a place for many.
Embracing Web standards, too
As Web standards have blossomed, Adobe has refined its Flash sales pitch to three main areas: games, advanced online video, and "data-driven" apps that provide a pleasant face to information stored in databases elsewhere on the Internet.
"There's been a lot of debate over the past year or two about Flash and HTML and what are the right platforms. We've tried, while being at the center of that debate, to stay grounded," Winokur said. "It's become clear our customers think there are important advantages in those three areas now for using Flash. We've continued to invest in those areas while taking a leadership role in driving HTML5 forward. It has the potential to be a fantastic platform."
The big question for Adobe is whether it'll be able to capitalize on the new Web standards era in time. New challengers are arriving--perhaps most notably Microsoft, whose Windows 8 Metro interface can run Web apps, and whose developer tools are highly regarded. For the long period when Flash and Web standards coexist, Adobe will have to balance the two.
Take WebGL as an example. It's a hardware-accelerated 3D interface for browsers, available now but still very new in the scheme of things. Microsoft doesn't support WebGL, but other browser makers do. Programmers will have to decide whether to use it or Flash's Molehill (officially called Stage 3D), and Adobe stands to lose developers to competitors if it doesn't embrace what they want.
Adobe won some notable endorsements for Flash 11 from gaming high-profile companies Zynga and EA, though you shouldn't expect either to concentrate solely on Flash. "The ubiquity of Flash helps EA to bring our chart-topping games to a broader variety of platforms and connect with consumers across a wide range of devices," said EA Interactive Chief Technology Officer Mark Vange in a statement.
Stage 3D is a low-level interface, but programmers also can use higher-level tools such as that Alternativa3D, Mixamo, and Away3D handle a lot of programming difficulties. Adobe's own option, Proscenium, is "coming soon," and it just announced a 2D animation toolkit called Starling; both are open-source software projects.
Google opens its social network to all
Google+, the search giant's bid to boost its relevance in the socially networked world of the Web, is now open to the masses.
Google had required invitations to the service since its debut as a "project" in June. But this morning, Google opened the doors of Google+ to all. Google+ has also graduated to being a "beta" product.
"We're nowhere near done, but with the improvements we've made so far, we're ready to move from field trial to beta, and introduce our 100th feature: open sign-ups," Google Senior Vice President of Engineering Vic Gundotra wrote in a blog post. "This way, anyone can visit Google.com/+, join the project, and connect with the people they care about."
Lifting the sign-up restriction comes just two days before Facebook's F8 conference. There, Facebook, the service that caught Google flat-footed and led to the creation of Google+, is expected to introduce a number of new features, potentially including a new music service that would help turn Facebook into more of a media platform. Some reports suggest that Facebook might even unveil a major site redesign.
In addition to opening up Google+ to all, Google is rolling out a host of new features to Hangouts, the videoconferencing service in Google+. Since its debut, the Hangout feature was limited to Google+ users on a PC, even though the social network was available as an application for devices running its Android mobile operating system as well as Apple's iOS.
Google is now making Hangouts available to mobile devices running Android version 2.3 and later that have front-facing cameras. And it says it will add mobile Hangouts to iOS devices "soon."
Google is also turning Hangouts into a broadcast medium. From launch, Google limited the number of participants in a Hangout to 10. The company is now letting "a limited number of broadcasters," likely those with the biggest Google+ followings, set up Hangouts On Air. The new feature still limits the number of participants to 10. But anyone can tune into a broadcast. The company is kicking off the service tomorrow night with a Hangout On Air featuring Black Eyed Peas member Will.i.am.
And Google is giving users the ability to share their computer screens with others during Hangouts as well. Previously, users could watch a YouTube video together. Now they can share computer screens to show off vacation photos, plan trips, collaborate on documents, or even scribble together with a new Sketchpad feature. And, as is Google's way with beta products, the company says it's testing the various features, which it expects to change over time.
"The extras are still under construction, but we wanted to preview these features and get your feedback sooner versus later," Gundotra wrote.
The company has also created application programming interfaces to let third-party software developers create their own applications that take advantage of Hangouts.
Google has also added search to Google+, a feature that had been surprisingly absent from the search giant's service until now. Users can type queries into the Google+ search box and get results from people and posts from the service, as well as content from around the Web.
Google also seems to recognize that users want to tap into their social network on the go. In addition to participating in mobile Hangouts, Google+ users can now post to updates and comments, receive notifications, and respond to group messages using text messages, according to a separate blog post from Punit Soni, Google+ Mobile product manager. And iPhone users can show approval for a comment with Google's +1 feature, akin to a Facebook's like feature. Google says that using +1 from Android devices will be available soon.
Google is also renaming its Huddle mobile group messaging feature to Messenger. With the new name comes a new feature: photo sharing. Users can now snap a picture with their mobile phone and share it with their circle of friends instantaneously.
