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Mozilla Launches Jetpack Gallery for Firefox, Offers No-Restart Add-ons

Pulkit Chandna — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:44:14 -0600

Mozilla today unveiled the Jetpack Gallery, a place for developers to showcase their Jetpack add-ons. Jetpack is a Mozilla Labs project that lets developers build Firefox add-ons using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. While the newly launched gallery – still in beta - gives developers the opportunity to host and promote their Jetpacks, it lets Firefox users browse, install and rate Jetpacks. Installing Jetpacks is quite easy and doesn’t even require a browser restart, save for the very first Jetpack that a user installs. The Jetpack Gallery currently features over 30 add-ons.

Apple to Get Ever-So-Slightly More Transparent With App Approval Process

Ryan Whitwam — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:42:14 -0600

It’s no secret that the approval process for iPhone apps is a little ridiculous at times. Apple is totally aware of that, though. So they’ve decided to make the whole process just a tiny bit more transparent. When app developers log into the Dev Center site, they will see a new area for status updates. Apps will be listed as “waiting for review”, “in review”, or “ready for sale”.

You don’t have to look far on the web to find a developer with a heartbreaking story of how they poured their savings into making an app, only to have it held in limbo for weeks or months. While the new policy doesn’t necessarily do anything about the actual delays, devs will at least know where in the process it’s held up.

For its part, Apple claims that 96% of iPhone apps are approved in less than two weeks. Now that we know that a lot of those apps are just repackaged eBooks, that figure seems less impressive. The closed nature of the App Store hasn’t hurt its growth so far. Should Apple even be worried about the process?

Microsoft Advises Developers to Price their Mobile Apps High

Pulkit Chandna — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:06:56 -0500

Apart from the eight uncanny people who bought the $999.99 “I Am Rich” app – an underwhelming screensaver - from the iTunes App Store last year, a vast majority happily devours the free and 99-cent apps. But the preponderance of 99-cent apps has made the App Store a cluttered warehouse, banished many quality apps to oblivion, and increased redundancy. Furthermore, many top-notch developers are finding it difficult to set an honest price on premium apps, for they fear their honesty might render these apps unattractive.

Microsoft plans to roll out Windows Marketplace for Mobile in October, 2009. The Redmond-based giant doesn’t want developers to lose out on revenue in a bid to maximize application downloads. According to a Tech Flash report, Loke Uei of Microsoft's mobile developer team feels the popularity of 99-cent apps doesn’t imply that 99 cents is a fair price. "I know, 99 cents is interesting -- yes, consumers like to pay 99 cents for applications. But 99 cents, come on, I think your app is worth more than that," Uei told developers at the inaugural WinMoDevCamp in Redmond.

Image Credit: Cio

Adobe Releases New Open-Source Projects for Developers

Paul Lilly — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:01:14 -0500

Adobe this week anounced two open-source initiatives designed to help media companies and publishers build better Flash applications.

The first is the Open Source Media Framework (OSMF), which paves the way for more sophisticated media players to run Adobe Flash content. Formerly known as Strobe, the OSMF offers advanced playback and navigation controls, as well as plug-ins for advertising and tracking. It can also work with any kind of Flash content.

The other open-source project is the Text Layout Framework (TLF), which will help developers add advanced typography and font layouts to their Flash applications. When combined with the new text engine in Flash Player 10, TLF makes possible vertical and bidirectional text, flowing text around images, and multiple language support.

As Microsoft's Silverlight continues to gain traction and HTML 5 adding another dimension to the Web 2.0 war, don't be surprised to see an even bigger push from Adobe in expanding upon Flash's capabilities.

Microsoft Mobile Apps Store Offers Deals to Earlybird Developers

Mark Edward Soper — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:38:45 -0500

Microsoft has posted a "coming soon" message on its mobile application store (due to launch when Windows Mobile 6.5 launches later this year), but you can't have an application store without applications. Cnet's Ina Friend reports that Microsoft is offering some attractive deals for developers:

Regular price: $99/year, plus $99 per application submitted for the store
Special through the end of 2009: $99/year, plus the first five apps are free

Developers will get 70% of the cut from sales made through the store, an amount, Fried says, that matches the deal Apple's iPhone and iTouch store offers developers.

How soon can you register? This spring, and you can start submitting applications in the fall. To see what's currently available in the Windows Mobile marketplace, visit the Mobile2Market Windows Mobile Certified Catalog.

Are you developing for Windows Mobile, or looking for Windows Mobile apps? Hit Comment and tell us what you think about Microsoft's mobile app store plans.

Illustration courtesy Artistry of Branding.

Google Offering Unlocked G1 to Developers

Pulkit Chandna — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:30:35 -0600

In a bid to woo more developers towards its vernal Android platform, Google has begun offering a Sim-and hardware-unlocked G1 phone to developers. The unlocked version not only opens the floodgates for developers from around the globe, but it also presents an alternative to those US-based developers who have been resisting the retail version.

Google has confirmed the availability of the unlocked phone in 18 countries, including the US, UK, Germany, Japan, India, Canada, France, Taiwan, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Poland, and Hungary. Although the unlocked G1 costs only $399, developers will have to part with $25 to register themselves on the Android Market site before they can order the phone.

Image Credit: wrtassoc

Game Theory: The Sundance of Gaming

Thomas McDonald — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:15:52 -0500

Every serious PC gamer needs to pay attention to the Independent Games Festival (www.igf.com). Now in its tenth year, the IGF is an annual gathering that allows small and indie developers a chance to show their wares and discuss their craft.

Since conventions and trade shows bore me spitless, I’ve never gone and probably never will. But IGF does something very, very important for the future of PC gaming. Each year, it creates a roster of nominees for the IGF Awards. Like conventions, annual awards are also low on my love list, but the IGF nominees are something different. This is the soil where the seeds of PC gaming grow. It’s what we have that consoles don’t. Anyone with a little programming ability and a lot of passion and spare time can create a PC game and get it on the web where millions of people can download and play it.

This means that anyone—lots and lots of anyones—can and do create and upload all kinds of useless and offensive crap. I have neither the time nor the patience to wade through that download dunghill looking for a stray diamond, and thanks to the IGF, I don’t have to. The festival plucks quality games from obscurity and gives them a forum to shine.

Two of the best—Crayon Physics Deluxe and World of Goo—emerged from Carnegie Mellon’s Experimental Gameplay Project, which set a goal of creating 50 games in a single semester. Each game was done in less than a week by one person to prove how quickly imaginative solo programmers can create casual games. The elegant simplicity of Crayon Physics—in which drawn objects take on physical properties—is a thing of beauty and a testament to the goals of EGP.

There are too many quality games among the nominees to really do them justice in this space. Audiosurf, Gumboy Tournament, Synaesthete, and many others are already available as demos and downloads, while others are still edging toward final builds. Major mainstream releases are well and good, but it’s the lone programmer and the passionate amateur who often produce the quirky and interesting work that is unique to PCs.

And just remember, the 2006 Student Showcase winner was a little game called Narbacular Drop. You know it better as Portal.

Thomas L. McDonald has been covering games for 17 years. He is Editor-at-Large of Games Magazine.

No BS Podcast #56: The "Whale Versus Wail" Edition

The Maximum PC Staff — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:10:52 -0600

This week, Dave, Will, Gordon, and Andy spend hours upon hours dissecting all the hot news from this week's Game Developers Conference. We also chat about all the fun stuff we're doing in the Lab--including media streaming and virtual machines--and answer your crazy reader questions!

We sincerely appreciate crazy reader questions.

To learn more about our Intel-sponsored LAN parties, mosey on over here.

Do you have a tech question? A comment? Just need someone to talk to? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337, operators are standing by. Also, get your game on with the editors of Maximum PC by joining our Steam group or Facebook Page.

Modders and modding aficionados, check out Mod Shop: submit and vote on the coolest mods around—and win prizes!

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