Hasta La Gadget!

App discoverability is a constant thorn in the side of developers. It’s also an obvious annoyance for consumers who have to spent time sifting through app store chaff to find the bits of software really worth downloading. Amazon looks to be considering both sides of this problem with a new feature — called Billboards — it’s just added to the Kindle Fire and Fire HD app store.

Announced on its blog today, Billboards aim to act like posters for apps by announcing their existence and enticing people to download them.

Billboards appear at the top of Amazon’s app store when Kindle Fire and Fire HD users view the store. Tapping on a Billboard will jump straight into the app info page, where there’s also an option to buy or download it.

Amazon’s blog post includes some guidance for the kind of imagery it deems suitable for Billboards — encouraging developers to create simple, bold, eye-catching imagery. It also warns them off from listing specifics such as price or advertising discounts on the Billboards.

When creating your image, we recommend that you strive for an engaging image that speaks to what your app is all about. Make your image colorful to catch the eye of customers, and choose imagery that promotes the essence of your app and brand. Text on your promotional image should be large, simple, and readable. Do not add the price to the image ($0.99) or any discount call outs (50% off).

We recommend developers use promotional images that visually communicate the essence of their app.  The promotional image should speak to what your app is all about, your brand and should entice customers to simply check out your great app.

App developers wanting to add a Billboard image to accompany their app should submit a 1024 x 500 pixels graphic (PNG or JPG format) via Amazon’s Mobile App Distribution Portal.

Of course there are no guarantees your Billboard will appear atop Amazon’s store — since Amazon is the one doing the picking. “Promotional images will be curated from our selection of apps and highlighted in the billboards placement,” it notes.

Allegations of misleading advertising practices among Canada’s big telecom companies has been a recurring subject for some time, and it’s now been brought to the fore once again in the form of a multi-million dollar lawsuit. The country’s Competition Bureau announced today that, after a five-month investigation, it has decided to sue all three carriers and the industry group that represents them over ads that promote so-called premium texting services. In addition to demanding that such ads stop, the government agency is seeking full customer refunds for any charges incurred and a $10 million penalty from each carrier, plus an additional $1 million from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association. For its part, the CWTA has unsurprisingly taken issue with the lawsuit, saying in a statement that it reached out to the Bureau last year to discuss the issue, and that its actions today “could disrupt the text message services, such as severe weather alerts, charitable donations, flight status updates or sports scores, on which millions of Canadian consumers depend.” You can find that full statement, and the Competition Bureau’s announcement of the lawsuit, at the links below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Canada’s Competition Bureau sues Bell, Rogers and Telus over alleged misleading advertising originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The new Kindle Fire range was barely out of the oven before Amazon drew flak for its plans to include Special Offers on the lock screen for US models. In plainer language, the tablets ship with ads built-in — and unlike e-paper Kindles, there’s no option to pay for an ad-free variant from the start. But don’t cancel your pre-order just yet. Amazon’s support has since confirmed to an Engadget reader that the option to remove the ads will be “announced soon.” Although full details aren’t forthcoming, we wouldn’t be surprised if history repeats and owners have to pay a fee to cover the lost ad subsidies. You can see the relevant snippet of Amazon’s response e-mail, in all its tenuous grasp of English, after the break.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Update: Since we’ve posted, CNET has talked to a spokesperson who claims that there will be “no way” to remove ads. We’re getting to the bottom of this, although it’s clear there’s at least a schism between what PR and support staff understand.

Update 2: We’ve gotten in touch with Amazon ourselves, and they say that there’s been a mix-up in support — there won’t be any opt-out choice. Sorry, folks. If you don’t like ads, you’ll have to hope there’s a change of heart between now and launch.

Continue reading Amazon says: yes, you can opt out of ads on new Kindle Fire models (update 2: not likely)

Filed under: Tablets

Amazon says: yes, you can opt out of ads on new Kindle Fire models (update 2: not likely) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon’s roster of fresh Kindle Fire slates won’t just be delivering content for your entertainment, they’ll also be serving up ads. That’s right, each of the new tablets will greet users with “Special Offers” on their lock screens like some of the firm’s other e-readers, which matches previous rumors nicely. While the low-end Kindle and Paperwhite devices come in both subsidized and ad-free flavors, its tablet brethren aren’t getting the same treatment. Also, there’s no word if you’ll be able to avoid gracing the advertisements with your eyeballs in exchange for some additional cash once you have the hardware in hand. Alongside messages from other companies, the folks in Seattle promise to offer a $5 credit for both the Amazon MP3 and Instant Video Stores.

Filed under: Tablets

Every new Kindle Fire model is ad-subsidized with lock screen ‘Special Offers’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not hard to see that offering high-quality games through the cloud has its pitfalls, not the least of which is getting customers to pay. Square Enix may have licked that last problem through its new Coreonline web gaming service. Players can still pony up for the full-priced games or even single levels if they want unfettered access, but the cleverness comes through Coreonline’s parking meter approach to ad-supported free play: the more ads you watch and the longer they run, the longer you’ll get to play without spending a single coin. As our colleagues at Joystiq found out, however, the current level of OS support is inconsistent. Windows gamers can use Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer to start playing, but their Mac-owning friends have to lean on Chrome for some games and can’t even consider running the marquee title, Hitman: Blood Money. Square Enix’s library of eligible games will start expanding in October; while there’s no guarantee the Final Fantasy series or many other dream games will make it to the roster, Coreonline’s approach might just be viable enough to spare us a few raids on the bargain bins.

Continue reading Square Enix Coreonline offers top-tier games on the web for free — if you feed the ad meter

Filed under: Gaming, Internet

Square Enix Coreonline offers top-tier games on the web for free — if you feed the ad meter originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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