Early apps for touch-based Ubuntu reveal a mostly clean aesthetic

Early apps for touchbased Ubuntu reveal a mostly clean aesthetic

The clatter of ergonomic keyboards is already bearing fruit, just two months after the Ubuntu developer community was let loose on the SDK for the newly touchenabled OS. Canonical’s Michael Hall has posted an update on his personal blog detailing progress with some core apps, such as Calendar and Weather, as as well the broader effort to give mobile Ubuntu a sense of personality. The source link shows off some nice-looking puzzle games, news readers and even an app built around the disembodied head of a strapping lad called Jono, who in many ways symbolizes the minimal-but-cheerful look of the emerging ecosystem. A bit of debugging here, a swoosh of the razor there, and it could be perfect.

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Source: Michael Hall’s blog

Deezer App Studio goes mobile, brings apps to Android and iOS listeners

Deezer App Studio goes mobile, brings apps to Android and iOS listeners

As much as we like extending our music universe through apps within the likes of Deezer and Spotify, that wider experience hasn’t usually carried over to mobile. Deezer, at least, thinks it can put those apps inside our pockets. App Studio now supports building add-ons for both Android and iOS devices, giving travelers music and social components beyond what Deezer can provide on its own. The company isn’t relying just on phones and tablets to pad its customer base, though. It’s also improving the behind-the-scenes framework to bolster gaming through its API, and an affiliate program will pay social app creators every time one of their users subscribes to Deezer. Us listeners will just have to wait for developers to implement App Studio and the API changes before we reap any potential rewards.

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Source: Deezer for Developers

PSA: Google I/O 2013 registration begins at 7AM

Google I/O registration begins tomorrow at exactly 7:00 AM PDT, so I hope you all have your alarms set, Google+ accounts registered, and Google Wallet information prepped to shell out $900 for a ticket ($300 for academic students and faculty). Yes, Google is requiring registrants to have a Google+ and Google Wallet account this time around, but I’m guessing most of the people attending already have both accounts set up (or at least one).

PSA Google IO 2013 registration begins at 7AM

This years event is taking place one month earlier than last year, from May 15th to May 17th. If it’s anything like last year, tickets will sell out within the first 20-30 minutes, so this is one of those times where you have no time to contemplate spending $900, you just go ahead and do it. Rest assured that you will be more than compensated by the free Google swag that Google offers every year. I believe at last year’s event, all attendees received a Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7, and a Nexus Q.

This year’s event will most likely be just as eventful as last years. Google should be announcing its latest update to the Android operating system, Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie and all of the new features it will bring. It will most likely show off its Project Glass again, and there may be a chance that the Motorola X-Phone will be unveiled. The company will most likely have several secrets that they will be revealing during the event as well.

The event will be held at the Moscone Center (West building) on 800 Howard St. San Francisco, CA 94103. Google I/O is always a highly anticipated event, and it’s one that you don’t want to miss. If you aren’t able to attend, either due to the location or because 6000 other people bought out all the tickets, you can get coverage from the event straight from us. SlashGear, like last year, will be covering the event live. Head to this link tomorrow to purchase your ticket.

[via Android Community]


PSA: Google I/O 2013 registration begins at 7AM is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
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The Engadget Interview: BlackBerry developer evangelist Tom Anderson (video)

We’ll be honest, we didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into when we headed to BlackBerry’s SXSW event. Gone are the business-suited low key gatherings traditionally tied to trade shows. The smartphone maker is here to meet developers on their own turf, putting together a bumping house party with a backyard DJ and a velvet rope line up front. The event is certainly in line with the company’s shift toward a larger lifestyle focus in its latest operating system, along with an attempt to deal with potential developers on their own level.

Tom Anderson, the company’s Manager Developer Evangelists Team Americas is one of the individuals tasked with leading that charge — a central focus if the operating system is going to turn around its fortunes. BlackBerry knows that better than anyone, hitting the pavement here at SXSW to convince developers of all sizes that they need to be a part of the operating system. It can certainly be an uphill battle, with a user base that pales in comparison to the iOSes ad Androids of the world — and then there’s the fact that the OS hasn’t actually launched in the States yet.

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NVIDIA rolls out Apex and PhysX developer support for the PlayStation 4

NVIDIA rolls out APEX and PhysX developer support for the PlayStation 4

Just because the PlayStation 4 centers around an AMD-based platform doesn’t mean that NVIDIA is out of the picture. The graphics firm is updating the software developer kits for both its Apex dynamics framework and PhysX physics modeling system to address Sony’s new console, even if they won’t have the full hardware acceleration that comes with using NVIDIA’s own chipsets. The introductions will mostly take some of the guesswork out of creating realistic-looking games — theoretically, adding a larger number of collisions, destructible objects and subtler elements like cloth and hair modeling. Most of us won’t see the fruits of the updated SDKs until at least this holiday, but programmers looking for more plausible PS4 game worlds can hit the source links.

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Source: NVIDIA (1), (2)

Chrome for Android build may tout a proxy-based speed boost

Chrome for Android on Galaxy Note II

A fast smartphone will only go so far toward improving browser load times if the connection isn’t there to back it up. If a discovery within a recent build of Chrome for Android is any hint, Google may have its own solution to that bottleneck. New code flags reference Google-run proxy servers that would squeeze pages using SPDY, improving performance at least slightly for the bandwidth-deprived. While there’s not much more to go on, the finding is enough to suggest that roughly equivalent boosters like Amazon Silk and Opera Turbo could have a real fight on their hands. We’d advise caution when the flags are only accessible by running an ADB command — they’re clearly not ready for prime time. Should Google flick the switch on compression for Chrome’s main release track, though, Android users may not need a third-party browser to sip the web through a thin straw.

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Via: François Beaufort (Google+)

Source: Chromium.org

Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview now available for supported Nexus devices

Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview now available for supported Nexus devices

Canonical’s preview of a smartphone- and tablet-friendly flavor of Ubuntu has finally arrived for folks willing to flash a Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4 or a Nexus tablet. Shuttleworth and friends stress that the release is intended for developers and enthusiasts — not those eyeing it as a daily driver, mind you — and that it’s not yet kitted out with its complete functionality. As of now, the Ubuntu touch dev preview contains the shell, core applications, WiFi networking, support for front- and rear-facing cameras and Android Developer Bridge tool connectivity. In addition, the operating system allows Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 handsets to connect to a GSM network, make phone calls and send texts. Along with the sneak peak, the Ubuntu SDK has been badged with the alpha moniker since it’s flaunting a host of new features, including the ability to deploy and execute apps straight from the IDE. Ready to download the OS image and development kit? Hit the neighboring source link to get cracking.

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Source: Ubuntu

TestFlight reaches Android in beta, gives app developers a safety net

TestFlight reaches Android in beta, gives app developers a safety net

You may not know about TestFlight if you’re used to running apps rather than building them, but odds are that you know its effects when over 300,000 iOS apps have reached testers that hopefully caught bugs in advance. That makes the launch of a private Android beta something of an event, as it gives developers the same simple feedback and provisioning for pre-release apps. Coders who split their time between both Android and iOS also get a truly cross-platform management console as part of the expansion. There’s no set date for when the beta expires, but TestFlight eventually plans to offer its utility directly through the Google Play Store — and might just keep the Android app train rolling smoothly.

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: TestFlight (1), (2)

Sony teases PlayStation 4 developer list, includes many of the majors (update: Blizzard and Bungie)

Sony teases PlayStation 4 developer list, includes many of the majors

Want to know just who’s developing for the PlayStation 4? Sony just gave is a very good peek: it’s promising worldwide support for the console, and quickly flashed just which companies that entails. The cursory look shows us many familiar heavyweights, such as 2K, Activision, Capcom, EA, Konami and Ubisoft. We’ve also spotted Rockstar, Square Enix and other names that most would have hoped for with the new PlayStation. Suffice it to say that Sony hasn’t had any problems attracting the support it needs for a decent early lineup, although we don’t know how many of these developers will have something ready for launch day.

Update: A few exist that aren’t (directly) mentioned in the graphic above: Blizzard is porting Diablo III to the PS4, and Bungie will put its future MMO-like shooter, Destiny, on the game machine.

Check out our liveblog of Sony’s event to get the latest news as it happens!

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Developer preview of touch-based Ubuntu is called that for a reason (hands-on video)

Developer preview of Touchbased Ubuntu is called that for a reason handson video

Ubuntu’s Touch Developer Preview was originally put forward as something for “enthusiasts” as well as developers. Well, having been hands-on with the code that will be made public tomorrow, we’d say it requires enthusiasm a-plenty — perhaps even amateur coder quantities of the stuff. That’s because a lot of core functionality is still missing from the OS, such as the ability to play music files or import real-life contacts, and there’s a long way to go if it’s to be signed off as “code complete” in October.

On the other hand, this is really just a statement of the obvious. Canonical has been pretty clear that the main purpose of this early release is to lure in developers and get them to contribute to the fundamental stages of the project. Furthermore, the video after the break shows that there are many aspects of the OS which work fine — such as the gallery and video apps, the “side stage” and HUD features, and also general performance on the Nexus 10‘s hardware. The UI merges some Kindle- and Windows 8-esque features with things that are totally original — like responsive design which allows the exact same OS and apps to run on a phone, tablet, TV or desktop. We certainly hope it generates interest — not only among developers but also among device manufacturers who want to do more than just talk about differentiation.

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