Hasta La Gadget!

One of the biggest upgrades found in the iPhone 5 is the jump to iOS 6, and though developers have been working with iOS 6 for a while now, today they’re getting their first look at the finished product. The iOS 6 Golden Master key has been unleashed, allowing developers to test out their apps and make any last minute changes before the consumer version of iOS 6 launches on September 19. iOS 6 is launching just a couple of days before the iPhone 5 arrives, which is scheduled for September 21.

That gives developers just under a week to test out their apps in the final version of iOS 6 before the newest version of Apple’s mobile operating system becomes available to everyone. Developers can download the iOS 6 GM seed for iPad, iPhones going back as far as the 3GS, and 4th generation iPod Touches. In addition, developers can also now download the Xcode 4.5 GM seed, so you’ve got everything you need to make sure your apps compatible with both iOS 6 and the iPhone 5′s new, bigger screen.

As we were told earlier today, iOS 6 will be compatible with the new iPad and iPad 2; iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S; and 4th generation iPod Touch while coming pre-installed on both the iPhone 5 and new iPod Touch. Apple has opened the floodgates too, inviting developers to start submitting their apps for iOS 6 beginning today. While that’s pretty exciting, you should still probably take some time to test your app with the iOS 6 GM and the Xcode 4.5 GM seeds first, just to make sure your app doesn’t get rejected.

iOS 6 brings a number of enhancements with it, including Apple’s all new Maps app. There’s also Facebook integration to take advantage of, and Siri has been given a bit of an update in iOS 6 as well. With the final release of iOS 6 right around the corner, it’s certainly an exciting time to be an iDevice owner. The iPhone 5 is up for pre-order on September 14, and be sure to take a look at our Apple portal for all of the news from the day!

iOS 6 GM seed lands shortly after iPhone 5 announcement is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Naturally, there’s a good amount of anticipation surrounding the release of Windows Phone 8 handsets, but before that day arrives, developers will need proper software to code apps. Microsoft stopped short of releasing the requisite tools, but today, the company announced the Windows Phone 8 SDK preview program — essentially a way for developers to get in line for when the software becomes available. As is, all developers must submit an application to the Microsoft Connect website by Monday, September 17th, at which point, they’ll be provided instructions “the following week” of how and where to download the SDK. As for why the company has stopped short of an immediate release, Microsoft blames it on the fact that not all Windows Phone 8 features have been announced — which gives us reason to hope we’ll see a full disclosure in the near term.

In related news, the Redmond giant has also revealed that the Marketplace will be renamed the Windows Phone Store, which is intended to harmonize the naming scheme with the Windows Store. It’ll first rear its head in both Australia and New Zealand, but the company promises to roll out the new storefront to other countries in the weeks ahead. As for what you can expect, a cleaner design and new menu options are said to be in the mix, along with news and reviews from various technology blogs and journalists. Other improvements will include new search functionality to account for typos, along with suggestions for similar apps, regardless of what’s in the title. Finally, Microsoft will also introduce new categories such as Best Rated, Top Free and Top Paid. We’ll initially see these designations in the online store only, but the company promises to mirror the functionality on its phones later this year.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Microsoft announces Windows Phone 8 SDK preview program, Windows Phone Store replaces Marketplace originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lately we’ve been seeing Motorola slowly become more friendly toward those who want their Moto phone’s bootloader unlocked, and the company looks to be continuing that trend with the incoming DROID RAZR M and DROID RAZR HD. Announced today at Motorola’s press event in New York City, both of these new devices will be getting developer editions, and you can sign up to get one right now from Motorola’s website. The developer editions of these phones will come complete with an unlockable bootloader, letting you get in and have some fun tweaking the operating system if you’d like.

Some phones like the Google Nexus devices allow users to easily unlock the bootloader, but this is still a pretty new thing for Motorola. We’ve seen other companies like HTC and ASUS go this route, so it isn’t much of a surprise to see Motorola do the same. Naturally, unlocking the bootloader will void your warranty, but we’re thinking that developers won’t mind that little caveat as much as the typical consumer would.

If you’re a developer and are interested in taking an in-depth look at the Motorola DROID RAZR M, you can order the developer edition of the phone right now from Motorola’s website for $549.99. Developer editions of the RAZR M will begin shipping out next week, just in time for the phone’s launch at Verizon. With the RAZR HD it’s a different story at the moment, as the developer edition doesn’t have a price or a ship date yet. Motorola says that the RAZR HD will be landing at Verizon before the Sun sets on 2012, so we’re expecting to find out more about the developer edition soon.

It’s nice to see Motorola embracing the development crowd with unlockable bootloaders, and the feature will definitely be appreciated with the RAZR M and the RAZR HD. Does this mean that future Motorola smartphones will come with unlockable bootloaders? Possibly – it looked like Motorola was leaning in that direction even before the RAZR M and RAZR HD were announced, so we should see more Motorola phones offering unlockable bootloaders in the future. Stay tuned.

Motorola DROID RAZR HD and M dev editions come with unlockable bootloaders is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

You’ve already got plenty of options if you’re in the market for a developer board, but it might be worth taking a look at the new $49 Cubieboard, which packs quite the specs given its price point. The board hosts a 1GHz AllWinner A10 Cortex A8 CPU with Mali-400 GPU, 1GB of RAM and 4 gigs of onboard storage. For ins and outs, you’re looking at 1080p HDMI, Ethernet, one MultiMediaCard (MMC) slot, a SATA port, two USB hosts, an IR sensor and 96 extender pins for solder junkies. Cubieboard’s Wiki page lists an additional MMC slot and USB OTG, but as this doesn’t check out in the pictures, we assume they’ve either been scrapped, or they’ll be added on for later production runs. As you would expect, several versions of Linux and Android are supported by the Raspberry Pi bully, which is expected to start shipping to select developers sometime this week. There’s no word on when it may be available for general consumption, but by then you’ll hopefully have a better product anyway — if the pros have done their job, that is.

Filed under: Misc

$49 Cubieboard for developers is heavy on specs, light on the wallet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 02:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Atari is big on nostalgia this year, but it hasn’t had much in the way of software to reflect the trip down memory lane beyond the existing mobile apps. Its remedy to that shortfall is full of 2012 buzzwords. The new Atari Arcade includes modern takes on eight classic Atari 2600 games, all built entirely with HTML5 and free to play. As fun as that promises to be, our interest is most piqued by the game library’s open-ended nature; this isn’t just an alternative to firing up a smartphone. A new Javascript kit lets developers not only build their own games but make money as they see fit, whether it’s through ads or in-app purchases. Whether they’re new or old, titles work in multiple contemporary browsers, although Microsoft would really, really like you to know that the games are ad-free and touch-optimized for both Windows 8 tablets as well as Internet Explorer 10. We’ll try to remember that when we look to relive our Combat memories on a Surface.

Continue reading Atari ports classic games to HTML5 for web and Windows 8, lets developers craft their own (video)

Filed under: Gaming, Tablets, Internet

Atari ports classic games to HTML5 for web and Windows 8, lets developers craft their own (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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