Hasta La Gadget!

It looks like Sony Ericsson is taking a page out of Apple’s book for the launch of its app store, bundling the service in with the very same platform it already uses to distribute music and movies. PlayNow arena — which was originally designed for music distribution and whose movie rental functionality is going live this month in a handful of locales — is now being expanded to incorporate applications as well, initially coming to 13 countries and some 38 Sony Ericsson models. Conveniently, PlayNow arena is already well-plumbed to support a variety of blling methods which should make the transition to paid apps a pretty seamless one for the company, devs, and users alike. Submissions from developers for inclusion in the store will kick off July 1, initially covering Java and Symbian before being expanded to cover “additional platforms” (Android, anyone?) later in the year; there’s no word, though, on exactly when end users will be able to get in on the action.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Sony Ericsson expands PlayNow arena to cover apps, too originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple has rejected an iPhone app that would enable users to fashion their mugs into portraits resembling Jesus Christ.

The app, called Me So Holy, involves using the iPhone’s camera to snap a mug shot of someone, which can then be scaled and cropped to replace Jesus’ face. Apple rejected the app, saying it “contains objectionable material,” according to Me So Holy developer Benjamin Kahle.

“Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users,” the iPhone SDK agreement states.

Apple may be tightening its restrictions on its iPhone App Store after it approved an iPhone app called Baby Shaker, a game whose objective was to shake a baby to death. Amid parental outrage, Apple subsequently removed the app, saying its approval was a mistake.

Though tremendously successful, Apple’s iPhone App Store has been the victim of heavy scrutiny. Other than being criticized for approving questionable apps such as Baby Shaker, some developers have slammed Apple for being unclear about its App Store approval process. For example, FreedomVoice Systems in March told Wired.com that Apple hadn’t said a word about its iPhone voice app Newber for six months, potentially costing the company $600,000 in wasted investments.

In defense of Me So Holy, Kahle questioned what was objectionable about his app, since it did not contain any violence or offensive content.

“We feel that Apple is being too sensitive to its perceived user group and are disappointed that this otherwise creative, freethinking company would reject such a positive and fun application,” Kahle wrote in his blog. “The message to developers is that they should think inside the box, rather than outside it.”

Nonetheless, the App Store continues to lure developers with dreams of striking it rich. One of the largest success stories to date involves Ethan Nicholas, an independent developer whose iPhone game iShoot earned him $600,000 in a single month.

Me So Holy Product Page [via Business Insider]

See Also:

• Android Welcomes App Store’s Rejects With Arms Wide Open
• Trent Reznor Has a Few Choice Words For Apple
• Apple’s Delays Could Cost iPhone Developer $600K
• Apple Rejects Obama Trampoline iPhone Game
• Apple Removes Baby-Killing iPhone App Amid Outrage
• Rejected: ‘Pull My Finger’ iPhone App
• Apple Rejects Twitter App Update for Alleged Bad Language

Sigh. Just as we thought Apple’s ridiculous App Store approval process was about to get better with the advent of parental controls in iPhone OS 3.0, it goes and pulls another boneheaded move that makes us wonder if the entire system isn’t hopelessly broken forever. This time the company’s rejected Maza’s Drivetrain, an app that allows users to remotely control the Transmission Bittorrent app, because “this category of applications is often used for the purpose of infringing third party rights.” Right, “this category of applications,” apparently meaning any app that has anything to do with Bittorrent at all — Drivetrain doesn’t actually upload or download anything, it’s just used to manage Transmission running on your desktop. That’s an awfully paranoid and restrictive stance towards one of the most popular file-transfer protocols around, especially since there are millions of legit torrents available, but somehow we’re just not surprised — this type of foolish, petty, and capricious behavior from Apple has sadly become par for the course with the App Store.

[Via iLounge]

Filed under: Cellphones

Apple rejects Bittorrent control app from App Store because it might be used to infringe copyrights originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 May 2009 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

So this is interesting — we were just forwarded an email from Apple informing iPhone developers that all future App Store testing and review will occur on iPhone OS 3.0 to prepare for a smooth transition this summer, and that incompatible applications won’t be approved. Seeing as we’re already on beta 5, we’re guessing most devs shouldn’t find this too much of a burden, but we’re wondering if the recent string of bad publicity over App Store approval guidelines has forced Apple’s hand here, since 3.0’s parental control features will ostensibly relax Apple’s currently asinine content restrictions and allow non-kiddie-apps to get through without any hoopla. Let’s hope.

Update: Looks like our guess was spot-on. The iPhone Blog’s noticed a new set of parental controls in beta 5 (and possibly earlier) that suggests some sort of app rating system is in the works. Sure, it’s a promising idea, but let’s just hope the current broken process is also getting an overhaul — simply slapping a 17+ rating on, say, Tweetie doesn’t actually fix the problem.

Filed under: Cellphones

iPhone OS 3.0 now being used for App Store admission reviews (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 17:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Up until now, Microsoft has taken a rather laissez faire attitude toward application development — anyone with a copy of Visual Studio and half an ounce of coding know-how could whip up and share whatever little programs they want. That won’t be the case inside Windows Marketplace for Mobile, Microsoft’s answer to the App Store, and the company is now listing a number of guidelines that devs must follow for the fruits of their labor to be included. Top on the prohibited list? Apps that themselves sell other apps. Second rule of the Marketplace? No apps that link to apps that sell other apps. Also banned is VoIP over cellular networks, apps that run non-managed code (i.e. don’t stay inside the sandbox MS has set up), anything that distributes a user’s information, and downloads that are bigger than 10MB. Not mentioned? Anything to do with naughty content, meaning purveyors of explicit executables might not have to make concessions. Full list of 12 commandments after the break.

Update: In case you didn’t figure it out for yourself, Arnoud from Tweakers.net wrote in with confirmation that the no-VOIP rule is in place at the request of the providers.

[Warning: PDF read link]

Continue reading The first rule of Windows Marketplace for Mobile is that you don’t subvert Windows Marketplace for Mobile

Filed under: Cellphones

The first rule of Windows Marketplace for Mobile is that you don’t subvert Windows Marketplace for Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 May 2009 07:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments