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Monday 29 November 2010

Why Did Apple Let An Anti-Gay App Into The Market? [ 29-11-2010 19:15 ]

Author: Irina Turina Source: iSmashPhone Translation by: Paul Smith

Apple's App Store is well known, not just for being the largest mobile app store, but for its often bizzare approval and rejection policy. Usually a story about that process is dealing with an app tha got rejected for some inexplicable reason, but not this time. Here we have an app that was approved and that is exactly what is causing all the fuss ...

The app in question is the 'Manhattan Declaration' app. For those not familiar with this app it has been described as being anti-homosexual by many people and is based upon a document that was produced by various American Christian groups with the aim of endorsing certain values e.g. 'the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty."

Perhaps the focal point of the controversey surrouding the app's approval though is the fact that the text the app is based upon contains strong objections to same sex marriage and partnerships.

Even though the app has now been removed from the app store it raises the question of why it was allowed in the first place given how Apple have banned apps in the past that have had the mere suggestion of causing upset. Was it a case of feeling it should be allowed on freedom of religion grounds? Was it an oversight? Whatever the case it seems rather out of step with the 'young and hip' demographic Apple tries to appeal to.

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No Angry Birds For Win Phone 7 Until 2011 [ 29-11-2010 16:57 ]

Author: Serge Novikov Source: IntoMobile Translation by: Paul Smith

Those hoping for a release of Angry Birds on Windows Phone 7 before Christmas are in for a disappointing time as Rovio have announced that it's unliekly the game will launch on that platform this year.

The news came in a tweet from Rovio in response to a question asking about a possible launch this year. The reply, whilst not absolutely ruling the possibility out, doesn't shy very far away from it.

Some had expected the game to be released, or at worst announced, on 11th December, which has apparently been designated 'Angry Birds Day', by fans of the uber popular game. That doesn't look like it will be happening though.

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Win Phone 7 Devs: Missing Payments [ 29-11-2010 15:32 ]

Author: Serge Novikov Source: BGR Translation by: Paul Smith

As Microsoft works towards gaining a significant presence in the mobile space once again one of the chief areas it has to concentrate on is apps and the developers behind those apps. For the most part its an area Microsoft has received positive nods for given how much attention they've paid to it as part of their overall stratgey.

However, recent comments from some of the devs working on apps for Windows Phone 7 paint a picture, in which Microsoft is not trying quite so hard once the devs have been brought onboard.

Nicholas Yu, the dev behind Google Voice client, GoVoice, alleges in a blog post that not only has he not been paid by Microsoft yet, but that he has no idea when he will be paid by them.

That would be bad enough in and of itself, but Yu makes the point that he has been receiving requests from users of his app to include push notification support. That extra functionality would require a push server, which costs money, which he hasn't yet been paid and thus the extra functionality can't come. So not only is Microsoft not paying him his due income, they are actually retarding the growth of apps on their own platform in the process.

It's a story borne out by another dev, Justin james, who also says he has not been paid by Microsoft yet. However, James makes the worrying claim that in speaking with Microsoft he was informed that developers can expect to see payouts no sooner than February of next year.

It's one thing to attract developers to your platform and have them create some great apps for you, but you have to make sure those chaps are happy and willing to stay with you to keep making great apps. If Microsoft continue in this vein that's not a prospect one should hold out much hope for,

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Video: KDDI Zoom Enhancement For HD Video [ 29-11-2010 15:31 ]

Author: Serge Novikov Source: DigiInfo via Engadget Translation by: Paul Smith

Japanese network operator KDDI has been demoing a rather handy little innovation that should help those with low resolution screens. The idea is pretty simple, when watching a video stream you can zoom in on a particular part of it and have the stream cropped to show just the zoomed part.

The benefit is obvious for those who aren't using devices with high resolution displays as it lets you see the important bits without a significant loss in quality. Not too shabby at all. The legwork is done server side and it also has the added bonus of reducing the data load on the network.

You can see the system in action below:

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AMOLED Panel Shortage Should Be Over By 2011 [ 29-11-2010 14:30 ]

Author: Irina Turina Source: DigiTimes Translation by: Paul Smith

Super AMOLED displays have been in short supply across the globe this year as smartphone sales to continue to grow. The shortage has affected various handsets over the past year or so, affecting their sales, not a position any manufacturer wants to see continue.

Well it looks like the drought may soon be over according to a report by Taiwan's DigiTimes. Various companies in the Far East, most notably Samsung, are planning on ramping up production efforts so 2011 should hopefully see a surplus of the displays. Indeed Samsung is expected to command a dominating 90% share of the market by year's end, a position that will be reinforced by the building of a new production facility that is due to come online in June 2011.

Other companies will also start increasing production of AMOLED displays, including two from Taiwan, AU Optronics and Chimei Innolux. A third Taiwanese company, Wintek is planning on joining the party too with its own production efforts. All in all the shortage of AMOLED panels should be a thing of the past.

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