Google Maps offers a lot of tools for developers (or anyone!) to work with, visualize and customize the existing service. And a lot of cool maps, infographics and tools come out of the APIs. But sometimes it’s nice to take something like the topographical data and move it in a totally different direction. Like maybe art?
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Imagine setting aside three months of your life to pursue a dream. As romantic as the idea may seem, it requires a gut check somewhere along the way. Recently, a handful of entrepreneurs said goodbye to their families and loved ones, and in some cases, flew across the globe for an opportunity to do just that. Some put their budding companies on hold, while others came only with an unwavering belief in their idea. In all, 10 companies converged on the Nike+ Accelerator in Portland, Ore., this past March, each united with the goal of building products that integrate with Nike’s line of fitness trackers.
It’s hard to underestimate the sacrifice, or the opportunity. With less than three weeks to relocate, many had to act quickly. But with a vote of confidence from Nike and its accelerator partner, TechStars, support from a vast network of mentors and industry contacts — and just as importantly, early access to the Nike+ API — it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get a head start over the competition in the burgeoning wearables industry.
From the moment these entrepreneurs touched ground at PDX, the clock was already running. In just 12 weeks, they’d pitch their products to potential investors at Demo Day — first in Portland on June 10th, and again in San Francisco on the 20th. It’s a lot to accomplish in three months, and certainly unfamiliar territory for Nike as well. But even amidst the breakneck speed, one must hit the pause button and ponder Nike’s motivation behind the accelerator. Ten companies were certainly given an upper hand, but can the same be said for Nike itself?
Mozilla is known for its staunch support of its users’ privacy, but that isn’t stopping the team from exploring options for personalizing the web. In a blog post today, Justin Scott, Mozilla Labs’ product manager, discussed the possibility of incorporating your browser activity into an API that allows sites to prioritize their content based on your interests. For example, if you spend a lot of time looking up baseball scores, publishers could push related articles to the forefront just for you. Though that may sound like an overstepping of the bounds Mozilla has so strongly defended, the company insists that the ability to select what to share (if anything) with content creators will remain in the hands of the user. To read more about Mozilla Labs’ experiments and weigh in on the proposal, head on over to the source link below.
Filed under: Internet, Software
Via: CNET
Source: Mozilla
Google just made the lives of third-party calendar developers much easier. Rather than having to constantly poll Google Calendar servers for updates, the Calendar API now supports push notifications. This means, with just a few lines of code, developers can sync their app to Mountain View’s servers in near real time, rather than waiting on regularly scheduled updates. The only thing a developer will need to do is give a user the tools necessary to subscribe to a calendar. When something changes, Google sends a notification to the app, which performs an API call to pull down the updated data. Simple as pie! And probably a little healthier for your battery than checking in every 15 minutes, whether something has changed or not. If you’re looking for a few more details you can hit up the source link.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Source: Google Developers Blog
As powerful as the Hopper DVR can be, it largely exists in an app vacuum: to date, only official releases like Dish Explorer and Dish Social have had access. Dish is giving its set-top box some much needed flexibility, however, by offering the Hopper’s APIs to third-party developers. The expansion lets non-Dish mobile apps control the Hopper directly, whether it’s switching to a live show or scheduling a recording. Thuuz Sports (shown above) is the first app to take advantage of the APIs, although we wouldn’t expect a flood of releases afterwards — Dish is screening developers for privacy issues and “other considerations.” Still, the move represents a rare level of openness in an industry that frequently insists on self-branded software.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile
Looks like gamers with Amazon Kindle tablets will no longer be competing amongst themselves… because starting today, Amazon’s proprietary GameCircle platform is now open to all Android devices. The backend cloud service has offered up leader boards, achievements and progress saves to Kindle users for a year now, and as of today, it also supports conflict resolution between mobile devices. The reveal comes at an interesting time, which parallels the recent launch of Google Play game services. Naturally, it’s reasonable to speculate that Amazon’s move could be an attempt to keep its service relevant. More than 500 games currently support GameCircle, but for all Android users to benefit, developers must first integrate the latest API into their games. At least they now have a bit of motivation to do just that.
Filed under: Gaming, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Amazon
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Amazon
Microsoft wants developers to make Bing a central part of their apps, and it’s powering that with a new developer platform unveiled today at Build. The Bing kit will let programmers tap the search engine’s wealth of knowledge, providing direct information and translations when they’re relevant. It should also grant access to natural interfaces, such as gestures, as well as real-world map data. Microsoft showed the platform at work in both Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8, so it’s clear that developers who want Bing’s resources won’t be locked into any one device type.
Windows 8.1 isn’t just good news for users, as the new OS version is also bringing the goodies for developers as well, in the form of 5,000 new APIs for devs to play with. Along with 8.1’s arrival is a new version of Visual Studio that’ll allow devs to write native apps for Windows 8 and optimize them for the platform. The software comes with all the diagnostic tools any good Win8 developer needs, including a way to see an app’s power consumption and network efficiency. The Visual Studio 2013 preview is available for download today, so devs anxious to dig in can do so at the source below.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Visual Studio
Windows 8.1 isn’t just good news for users, as the new OS version is also bringing the goodies for developers as well, in the form of 5,000 new APIs for devs to play with. Along with 8.1’s arrival is a new version of Visual Studio, to allow devs to write native apps for Windows 8 and optimize them for the platform. The software comes with all the diagnostic tools any good Win8 developer needs, including a way to see an app’s power consumption and network efficiency. Visual Studio 2013 is available for download today, so dev’s anxious to dig in can do so at the source below.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Visual Studio
Microsoft is doing its bit to help push forward the 3D printing revolution, by adding in native 3D printer support in Windows 8.1. A new API will let developers on its platform put 3D printing capabilities right into their apps, so that you’ll be able to print that elegant ashtray you’re modelling right on the spot. The API will help consumers using devices including those from Makerbot and Form Labs create their own stuff even more easily at home.
This is great news for the prospects of 3D printing becoming a mainstream thing, instead of just an enthusiast’s hobby. And Microsoft is clearly interested in attracting developers who are interested in 3D printing to the Windows software ecosystem. Whether that’s just a way for it to look ‘hip, cool and cutting edge,’ or a genuine big bet on the future of the tech remains to be seen, but at least it’s there to be taken advantage of.
Microsoft support along with the merger of Makerbot with Stratasys means there’s a lot of energy going into mainstreaming home 3D printing tech right now, from some of the largest players in the space. That doesn’t mean we’ll all be printing our own phones at home in two years’ time, but it does mean we’ll probably see a lot more investment focused on this area in the near future.
Microsoft’s Antoine Leblond called printing 3D “just as easy and seamless as printing in 2D” on stage today at Build, and demoed the process of printing a vase from a Windows 8.1 device to the MakerBot Replicator 2. The Replicator 2 will be available in Microsoft Stores soon, too, according to Leblond.
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