Hasta La Gadget!

Google first gave some leading developers the ability to reply to user comments on Google Play last year, but it looks like it’s now letting considerably more devs in on the act. While it’s not yet clear when (or if) all developers will be able to do so, a spokesperson has confirmed to The Next Web that the feature is now “gradually expanding” to additional Android app developers. On its developer site, Google further clarifies that developers will only be able to reply to any comment once, and it outlines a few fairly straightforward posting guidelines — namely, that developers should “make it clear and relevant,” “be nice,” “don’t solicit or promote” and “keep it clean.” Users will also receive an email notifying them of the developer’s reply, and be given the ability to update their original comment and rating (presumably with the goal of avoiding one star reviews for issues beyond their control). Google also adds that the ability to comment is “a privilege, not a right,” and that apps and accounts can be suspended if developers violate the guidelines.

Filed under: Mobile, Google

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Via: Phone Arena

Source: The Next Web, Google Play for Developers

A couple days ago here at CES 2013, Ford held their presser and announced a few new things, specifically concerning the company’s Developer Program for its in-car Sync AppLink API. Ford announced open and free availability of the SDK to any mobile app developer. We ended up stopping by the company’s booth to find out more, and got some quality hands-on time with the platform.

First off, Ford ended up opening its Sync AppLink Developer Program to all developers for free, whereas in the past, the company kept it closed to only a handful of mobile app developers. The SDK and APIs will allow app devs to add voice-control features to their apps to work exclusively with Ford vehicles. The company has already worked with the likes of iHeartRadio, MOG, MLB, Pandora, and more, but they’re not bringing more apps into the mix, including USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, Rhapsody, and Amazon Cloud Player.

Ford Sync works by connecting your iOS or Android smartphone to your vehicles entertainment system. From there you can control your smartphone with your voice, as well as apps that come loaded with the technology. There’s nothing special that users need to do to get the Sync technology on a compatible app — the update will come as usual through the iTunes App Store or Google Play.

It’s pretty self-explanatory at this point, and thanks to Ford’s announcement of bringing the technology to anyone, we should be seeing a lot more mobile apps that will come with Ford Sync support built-in, making it even more tempting to go ahead and get that new Ford Fusion. Currently, iPhones have to be connected through USB in order to sync it with the vehicle’s entertainment system, while Android devices can utilize Bluetooth.

Ford Developer Program now open to all, we go hands-on with new apps on Sync is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week the folks at Ford have introduced their mobile app Developer Program for SYNC AppLink. This program works not just with its own developer groups, but with third party groups as well. What this means for you, the everyday awesome developer, is that you’ll be able to create apps that work specifically with Ford’s interfaces on their next-generation vehicles via USB or Bluetooth, and you’ll be able to do it really, really soon!

With SYNC, drivers are able to interface with their Ford vehicles both wirelessly and without needing to tap with their hands – voice control is seen here by Ford to be the wave of the future, and it’s included in their Developer Program, too. Having already worked with iHeartRadio, MOG, MLB, Scout for Navigation, Pandora, and more, Ford is ready to expand beyond their original partners. This next generation of collaboration with developers of all kinds will, as Ford notes, benefit not only the company and the driver, but the developer as well.

Each new app submitted to the Developer Program will be reviewed by Ford’s own engineers to make certain that they’ll all be up to their own rigorous standards. You’ll be able to submit apps, as a developer, to one of three categories – those being Music and Entertainment, Navigation, and Location, with more categories on the way for 3rd party developers soon.

Video content, rich imagery, apps that require reading extensive text, and video games will be instantly denied access to the program, but pretty much anything else will be good to go. Developers will be able to purchase a SYNC Ford Developer Kit in the near future, and you’ll be able to work with JacAPPS (another 3rd party development partner) to help you out if you need help with development on the front end.

The final submission of your app will not necessarily cost you a penny (again, as a developer), and you’ll be inside the next generation of Ford vehicles in no time at all. Sounds pretty nice! Have a peek at our Ford tag portal to see more on the development of the Ford app-connected universe and our CES hub for CES 2013 from top to bottom!

Ford Developer Program announced to bring 3rd party groups into the fold is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Malware in the Google Play store is nothing new, and Google does their best to sift out most of the crap that makes its way in, but sometimes some of it sneaks through. A Google Play developer account by the name of “apkdeveloper” has released a ton of fake apps and games that are essentially rip-offs of other popular apps.

Some of the more popular titles that the developer rips off are Imangi’s Temple Run game and Glu Mobile’s Contract Killer Zombies. It appears the faux developer has put “Super” at the end of each app name, which should throw a red flag up right away as far as if it’s a legitimate app or not. Plus, all of the icons for all the apps are the same, rather than unique icons for each individual app or game.

Since many people won’t even dare to install these fake and malware-infested applications, we’re not quite sure what the malicious code might be capable of exactly, but several reports suggest that it delivers unwanted ads to several parts of your device. While doesn’t seem like a huge deal, it’s still annoying, and you never know what could be going on behind the scenes.

As always, be careful when downloading apps and make sure you’re not downloading a fake app that’s filled with malware. Usually, though, it’s all about common sense — check the name of the developer, check the reviews, check the descriptions and make sure you’re always downloading from legitimate sources. And if you come across a fake app, report it to Google.

Developer releases dozens of fake apps in Google Play store, user beware is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

After hosting a rather late Google I/O conference than usual towards the end of June earlier this year, Google is moving back to their usual May timeline for Google I/O 2013. May 15-17, 2013 will be the dates for the upcoming developers conference, with registration starting sometime earlier in the year.

Google confirmed the dates on Twitter, and while the company hasn’t mentioned any other details on what’s to come at the conference, we’re guessing that Project Glass (a.k.a. Google Glasses) will make a big appearance on stage. We’ve seen it in action before at Google I/O 2012, but it’s possible that the company may announce public availability for the product, or at least a release date.

Google I/O 2012 was huge for Google. They announced a slew of new products and updates to their Android OS. They announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the Nexus 7, Nexus Q, and Project Glass, as well as handed out feature-filled updates for Google+, Google Maps, and YouTube. Hopefully we’ll see the same kind of action come this May.

Sadly, Google doesn’t yet have a landing page up for the 2013 conference on their I/O website, but you can still relive the days of I/O 2012 thanks to a handful of videos that are posted up on the website. For now, we’ll just have to sit and wait for registration to open, and you can be sure that we’ll be there covering all of the new announcements.

[via Android Community]

Google I/O 2013 set for May 15-17 with ticket sales coming up early is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.