IBM released social business applications for tablets

Tablet computers are being used more and more by employees of various companies as a functional working tool. Software development companies try to keep up with the modern tendencies and offer new mobile applications that let use iPads and other modern devices for collective work, social interactions in the real time mode and business communication. The new products can boast of high productivity and compact sizes and allow users of portable devices to get a safe access to corporate communication platforms.

Some business applications will provide a mobile access to the corporate database, while another application, named LotusLive Meeting, will allow the users of modern smartphones and tablets (including iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and iPad) to take part in meetings, carried out in the global network.

For example, the IBM Corporation has announced a special business application. Thanks to the mobile client for the IBM Sametime platform, employees can exchange direct text messages in the mode of personal or group chat, while another application – Unified Telephony – can be used for making telephone calls. The optimized version of the product Lotus Symphony Viewer will provide a possibility to view office documents in the ODF format (including text files, tables and presentations) on the screen of the device.

The new applications are distributed for free among the owners of licensed copies of the IBM products. In the nearest future business software development will become more and more popular and the announced programs will be available in the official app stores, such as the Apple App Store and the Android Market.

Software For Developing Pluggable Mobile Java Games

SNAP Mobile has informed about the release of a new library for software developers (SDK 2.0) for mobile games.

The new SDK, having a simpler API, thanks to more effective emulation and testing tools, provide mobile application development specialists all the possibilities for creating plug-in mobile games for a wide range of Nokia telephones and smartphones as well as smartphones from other producers which correspond to the Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) 2.0 and Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) 1.1. standards.

SDK includes SNAP Mobile Client API libraries, environment emulation application, the tool for testing the compatibility of the telephone with the network as well as the examples of applications and documentation, the access to which is carried out from any built-in Java (IDE) development environment.

The latest development SNAP is a significant step for Nokia in terms of developing the new object-oriented API and improving the user interface structure, which simplifies the work of java developers.

Moreover, SDK simplifies the programming itself since it requires fewer API enquiries to the server, especially in case of error recovery and the duration of testing on compatibility is reduced from two to one hour.

Mobile game developers will be able to check their games in terms of conformity to certain requirements, offered by local communication operators and telephones themselves.

Top 10 Most Welcomed IT Professions 2012

Despite the doubts in stability of the American economy in 2012, the research has showed that American companies are going to expand their IT staff. Analytics have found out what IT professions will be called for. The results of the annual research organized by Computerworld showed that 29% out of 353 IT-executive managers are planning to increase the number of their departments by the summer 2012.

‘The demand for IT-specialists in companies of all types and sizes is constantly growing’, says Mike McBrierty, the executive director of one of the biggest recruiting agencies the Eliassen Group. Moreover, according to his own words, the companies are planning to update the infrastructure and restart the realization of the projects postponed for the last 3 years.

As Computerworld claims, in 2012 the directors of IT departments have set teeth for implementing innovations and that’s why the most relevant for future employees will be the following nine main skills.

•    web and mobile application development skills
•    project management skills
•    technical support and maintenance skills
•    network technologies skills
•    business analysis skills
•    Web 2.0 technologies skills – more and more companies are planning to implement these technologies and the demand for php/java/.net software developers won’t decrease in 2012. Also there will be a big demand for Ajax GWT professional web developers as well as the specialists in .Net, PHP, HTML, XML, CSS, Flash and Javascript.

Web App: Android Application Development Tool

At present the range of IT development services has expanded a lot: from simple web applications to video mobile apps. There are several tools for including video into Android applications: Native App, Web App, and AIR video player compiled in the Flash App. Now, let’s talk a bit about the Web App.

Web App is a special way of developing and deploying Android applications. The main idea of this method is in creating the application cover reflecting specially prepared web content. The Web App is a special browser based on the WebView element, the logic of the browser performance and its layout are defined by mobile application development.

The possibility of introducing HTML5 and Flash video player into the user’s interface is an important peculiarity of Android video application development. If you already have a video player already used on the website, you can easily adapt it according to the screen size of the Android device. Although, one shouldn’t forget about the adaptation of the control tools to the capabilities of various devices – smartphone and tablet user’s apply fingers for managing the device and not the mouse.

Using web applications is a very effective way of supporting all the range of new platforms (smartphones, tablets and even TV). One should mention one difficulty – the necessity of time-consuming optimization of web applications for more convenient usage of the application by users in case of slow Internet connection (dynamic content upload).

Advantages:
•    Speed and simplicity of development
•    Using existing web development experience
•    Application interface flexibility – server HTML makeup
•    Continuity of video player design
•    Effective usage of the existing video library
•    Additional cross-platform character of HTML

Disadvantages:
•    Peculiarities of Flash Player performance under Android OS
•    A user may not have Flash Player
•    Limitation of the supported video formats

BlueStacks App Player: Launching Mobile Android Apps on Windows Devices

BlueStacks Systems has presented a free alpha-version of its new solution for convenient launching mobile applications, originally intended for Android mobile devices, on the computers with the Windows operating system. The alpha-version of BlueStacks App Player allows launching Android applications on any Windows machines including personal computers, laptops, netbooks and tablets. In fact, using BlueStacks App Player users can launch Android apps without any additional efforts and modifications.
Apart from the direct benefit for Android app developers, end-users and corporate customers will also benefit from using BlueStacks App Player. The potential field of application of this technology covers practically all spheres of activity – from educational application development for children to corporate mobile applications at any available computer.

According to the representatives of the company BlueStacks, the openness of the Android platform gives an impulse for innovations – this openness has helped to create the solution for launching these apps on ‘non-native’ platform. To some extent, such openness removes the inequality between the people from developed countries and the Third World countries – now even those who can’t afford a smartphone in the nearest future will be able to get acquainted with mobile applications.

Apart from the BlueStacks App Player, the company BlueStacks has presented the Cloud Connect Technology – a special service that lets a Windows device become the continuation of the mobile device. Using the Cloud Connect Technology, the Android application can be moved on the screen of the Windows device in three simple steps: choose, click and synchronize.

The alpha-version of the BlueStacks App Player can be downloaded for free from the site of the producer.

Facebook Offers New Tool for Mobile Application Development

The social network Facebook has worked out the internal tool for HTML 5 mobile application development. The new development should considerably simplify the realization of mobile Facebook functions on various portable platforms. Now the above mentioned software, known as Faceweb, is available for the Facebook employees only.

Erik Tseng, Head of Facebook mobile products, says the official debut of the new tool for mobile developers will take place at the next conference Mobilize. “The reason for our promoting Faceweb is in the fact that mobile apps development here is based only on the HTML 5 programming language and IT development companies don’t have to write native apps under each individual platform”, says Erik Tseng. “At the same time the opportunities of HTML 5 allow realizing many traditional options for low level applications”.

The analytics say that the social network Facebook is positioning itself not only as a social network but also as the platform for interacting many users and many technical devices. For example, many smartphone manufacturers already use the API-function of Facebook for integrating social network functions directly into their own apps or the operating system.

Honeywell Developer Program

Honeywell Company announced the release of the Honeywell Developer Program oriented on mobile software developers who design mobile applications for Android-based devices. The aim of this program is to provide independent software developers and end-users with an opportunity to contribute to the creation of Honeywell mobile computers that will function under Android OS. The participants of the program can develop and test Android applications for new Honeywell mobile computers before their official release.

The results of the recent research in the smartphone market, conducted by the company Honeywell, show that the leaders of various software development companies where mobile devices are used in their work, include Android OS in their general technological strategy. Mainly that’s because Android OS has wide options for customizing and thanks to its huge success in the smartphone market it is popular with mobile users.

The participants of the Honeywell program get the access to the online store selling software for Honeywell devices (isvstore.com) and take part in joint marketing and advertising campaigns of Honeywell. Moreover, their apps will be demonstrated with other Honeywell products at the next conferences.

At the same time, due to the flexibility of Android OS, the participants of the program will be able to ensure maximum productivity and convenience in use for Honeywell mobile devices.  Among the independent software providers and end users registered in the program there are Aldata, ALK Technologies, Apacheta Corporation, Astea, ClickSoftware, Cornell Mayo, Countermind, Mobile Tornado, RetailPro and Vodafone.

iPad: Gadget For Fun or Business

A modern tablet is something having sight, senses, feelings, able to orient itself in the environment and time and that can be controlled with just one button. iPad is widely used in many spheres of our life: for example, by travel agencies (for presenting possible routes and buying trips by one click) as well as by insurance agents and lawyers as iPad gives many possibilities for making and storing document forms and their own signatures and print-outs. The gadget is also useful for doctors for keeping and having at hand a great number of medical history sheets.

Moreover, iPad is likely to change the media industry and our opinion on educational services. Now many software development companies already create about thirds of all mobile apps for various educational purposes. Of course, experts agree that iPad won’t replace a common netbook. But it has a great potential.  iPad doesn’t support Adobe Flash and thus users can’t watch videos but if they try iPad once, they’ll never leave it.

A user is online all the time and it gives unlimited possibilities for mobile application developers, marketers and other businessmen if they manage to make a profit on this.

But there are skeptics who think that iPad is only suitable for entertaining content and is not suitable for solving business tasks. They consider other mobile devices such as based on Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7 and Android are more perspective.

Gaming Industry Is Safe From Declining

According to the analytics of the Gartner Research IT company, in the nearest years the gaming industry is likely to grow steadily.

If we look at the annual report ‘Gaming Ecosystem 2011’ published recently, we’ll see that basic technological and business models will go on developing in the already established manner till 2015.  Thus, the expenses on goods and services connected with computer and video games spent by software development companies are expected to reach $112 bln.

In 2011 millions of players all over the world will spend on similar entertainment about $74.426 bln, which is 10.4% more in comparison with the similar figures last year. At the same time gaming hardware (consoles and PC) will count for $17 bln, purchasing games (gaming software) – $44.73 bln and the rest $11.899 bln is expenses on online gaming.

By 2013 the expenses on gaming goods and services will reach $97.204 bln, when the market share of online games will double up to $21.453 bln. ‘The market growth means that for most people the expenses on gaming will become the basic item of their entertaining budget’, said Fabrizio Biscotti, the Head of Gartner Analytical Department.

If we talk about the software structure, the segment of the market with the fastest growing potential is the mobile games market. Its market share will increase from 15% in 2010 till 20% in 2015. ‘Smartphones and tablets are not exclusively gaming devices but they are becoming more and more popularity’, stated Tuong Nguyen, another manager from Gartner. ‘Now mobile games are the downloaded with an impressive speed’. And mobile application development is growing from day to day. If you don’t believe me, go to the App Store and make it sure.

Find Friends in Real World With Smartphone Application

Mobile application development is conquering new heights – the range of Android, iPhone and Windows Mobile applications is so wide that now practically any app for your needs can be developed by a software company.

The eShadow application based on the interaction with wireless technologies allows searching for buddies or foreigners with similar interests that are nearby. Of course, finding virtual friends is possible without leaving the computer thanks to thousands of various social networks. But Dong Xuan and his colleagues from the Ohio State University (USA) decided to move such technology into reality.

In practice it looks as follows: eShadow installed in your smartphone analyses the data of the nearest wireless networks or communication technologies used by other smartphones and shows the direction where you can find already existing friends or potential candidates to friends. The user can select filters according to this or that feature cutting off unwanted candidates.

The researchers tested their development in practice at the distance of 20-45 m with the participation of 2-7 people. In all cases the process of searching took about half a minute. But so far the application works only with Windows Mobile OS but in future it will become cross platform.

Finding a friend or a like-minded person in the crowd is not simple enough, but at the specialized social events your chances doubled. For example, at the conference on distributed computer systems (ICDCS 2011) where eShadow was first presented.

What do you think about this and similar applications? Are they necessary? I’d like to hear your opinion.