Developers sue Apple over app store fees

SAN FRANCISCO, United States — A lawsuit filed Tuesday by developers alleges Apple is abusing its monopoly position in its online marketplace to extract excessive fees from those creating iPhone applications.

The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in California, claims Apple cornered the market with its iOS App Store, collecting a 30 percent commission on all app sales and in-app purchases.

The complaint comes as Apple holds its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California and just weeks after the US Supreme Court allowed a consumer lawsuit against Apple on similar grounds to proceed.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs, who are seeking class-action status for the suit, said Apple requires developers selling products through the App Store to pay an annual fee of $99, which hurts small and new developers.

They also said that by keeping all iOS apps into one marketplace -- some two million were available last year -- consumers never see most apps.

"Between Apple's 30 percent cut of all App Store sales, the annual fee of $99 and pricing mandates, Apple blatantly abuses its market power to the detriment of developers, who are forced to use the only platform available to them to sell their iOS app," said Steve Berman of the law firm Hagens Berman, which is representing the plaintiffs.

"In a competitive landscape, this simply would not happen."

The lawsuit seeks to force Apple to end its monopoly and allow competition in the distribution of iOS apps.

It also seeks to end Apple's pricing requirement including the minimum price mandate of 99 cents for paid apps.

Apple did not immediately respond to a query on the lawsuit.

In the past, Apple has defended its control of the App Store, saying it enables the iPhone maker to protect against malicious software and maintain quality standards.

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that consumers could proceed with a separate lawsuit on app pricing, rejecting Apple's argument that consumers lacked standing because the tech giant was merely an intermediary with app developers.

The class-action lawsuit from 2011 maintains that Apple abuses its monopoly position, resulting in higher prices.

source: philstar.com

Experience luxury at One Shangri-La Place

MANILA, Philippines - The result of the collaborative genius of the best designers and consultants from Hong Kong, Japan, and of course, the Philippines, it’s safe to say that One Shangri-La Place creates a most luxurious escape from the busyness of the city.

This 152,000-square meter urban oasis is premier developer Shang Properties’ biggest project to date as it continues to set the benchmark in condominium design and amenities in the country. 

Designed by Hong Kong-based Palmer and Turner together with one of the Philippines’ top architectural shops, Casas + Architects, this list of heavyweights is also joined by interior designer Norman Chan of BTR, a name known and trusted among Hong Kong developers and power brokers, due in large part to his talent, and the caliber of projects he’s worked on.

BTR’s current roster of clients include Hong Kong’s most upscale and luxury projects such as the Opus Hong Kong, Frank Gehry’s first building in Asia, which houses 12 exclusive apartments that count among the region’s priciest, the Azura, a 53-story Swire Properties tower; and the Altitude, a building by Kerry Properties, Shang Properties’ affiliate in Hong Kong.

“I think you’ll find that we’ve managed to achieve what we set out to do for One Shangri-La Place,” Chan says. “A warm, inviting atmosphere that retains the level of quality and luxury Shang Properties is known to always deliver.”

“Palmer and Turner’s architecture is clean and modern, and I very much follow the same principle in my designs. To create the luxe contemporary interiors, I used bold architectural forms and textures by juxtaposing wood, stone and metal coupled with very plush and rich furnishings.”



The finely wrought combination is evident throughout the space, but is first impressed upon the viewer as he enters the reception area that boast of textured walls and mounted art pieces – lavish yes, but cozy too, because of its warm, earth tones, and skillful lighting.

The ballroom, located at One Shangri-La Place’s amenities floor on the 10th level, showcases this seamless complementation the most. Chan produces a very elegant and organic design by employing a combination of textures via different materials and patterns used on the floors and walls. The feel is furthered by what can probably be considered as the focal point of the room – the magnificent chandeliers, multi-tiered and hanging canopy-like on the high ceiling.

Chan also identifies the clubhouse as one of the areas he deems most promising for residents, thanks to its lush tropical landscape environment and poolside waterfall. “The landscape around the clubhouse and the pool will be very nice.

“Designing the clubhouse floor for One Shangri-La Place was very exciting,” Chan shares. “Architecturally, the space is stunning with its high ceilings, wide open spaces, as well as intimate and private areas for many to enjoy. I think this clubhouse will be one of the best, if not the best, in Manila.”

Set to join the five-star Edsa Shangri-La hotel, the 60-floor St. Francis Shangri-La Place, and top lifestyle destination Shangri-La Plaza and its newly opened East Wing, One Shangri-La Place is targeting to top off within the third quarter of this year.


For information, contact telephone numbers (632) 370-2600, (632) or 634-5678, email sales@oneshangri-laplace.com, log on to www.oneshangri-laplace.com, or visit the One Shangri-La Place Sales Offices and model unit located at Level 1 of Shangri-La Plaza.

source: philstar.com

Microsoft plays catch-up on apps, banks on HTML5

MANILA, Philippines — To be able to catch up with rival ecosystems iOS and Android, Microsoft is betting its money on a relatively new programming language that, it predicts, will eventually become the standard language for most mobile and desktop apps in the future.

The software giant said it is banking on HTML5, a new version of the popular mark-up language that became the foundation of the World Wide Web, to encourage developers to program apps and other software for its newly released Windows 8 operating system for mobile phones, tablets and desktops, .

Giorgio Sardo, director of Windows Evangelism at Microsoft, said the language, along with Java, will entice more developers to create more applications for the Windows platform since these are two languages that most software programmers are already familiar with.

“It’s no secret that we built Windows in a way that HTML5 and Java developers could build more apps easily,” Sardo, who is in the country this week, told a group of local technology reporters. “And it’s definitely paying off. Companies are really happy to be able to build apps on our platform.”

Unlike Apple’s vast iOS ecosystem and Google’s Android platform, Windows has been playing catch-up since arriving late into the “app” and mobile game. While both iOS and Android already has millions of apps between them, the Windows platform — particularly mobile — only has about 120,000 apps to date.

But Sardo said HTML5 could be that magic bullet that would aid Microsoft in populating its mobile and desktop stores, since the language is mainly platform-agnostic, meaning apps created for the Web or notebooks could easily be deployed in smartphones or tablets.

It also solves the problem of fragmentation — or the proliferation of different types of devices with varying specifications — that had, since time immemorial, plagued the open Android platform, making it hard for game developers to deliver a consistent experience across a variety of phones and tablets.

Faith on HTML5

The Microsoft executive actually led the porting of a popular iOS and Android game, Cut The Rope, from its traditional language and into HTML5, making it one of the major app releases to ever make it to Microsoft’s app ecosystem.

Sardo said Cut The Rope’s transition to HTML5 only proves the capabilities of the language, since it’s one of the more complex games ever released for iPhone and Android phones.

“Normally, if a game works in HTML5, most likely any type of application would work, too. It’s a good benchmark for real-word scenarios, and we’re confident that any other simpler app would work even better,” he said.

Sardo merely brushed off a recent comment by Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of social networking giant Facebook, who described the company’s use of HTML5 as a “big mistake” in terms of creating apps for mobile platforms.

“When I saw that comment from Mark, I laughed,” Sardo said, grinning. “Seriously, if we can build complex games on HTML5, then why can’t we build apps like Facebook effectively on it?”

To demonstrate its commitment to the language, Sardo said Microsoft has invested both time and finances in perfecting its standards by actively participating in the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), a community of companies working to develop Web standards.

Sardo said more than 80 full-time Microsoft employees are currently working with the W3C to fully develop HTML5 into a language that would define the future of app development.

source: interaksyon.com

Pinoy-made apps emerge as winners in Google’s developer challenge

MANILA, Philippines — The local developer community has yet another reason to celebrate as Google recently crowned two apps created by Pinoys as among the winners of a recent developer challenge, taking home the pot money of $20,000 each.

The two apps, CollabSpot Notetaker and Events KIT, bested five other entries in the region to come out on top of the challenge, which called for participants to create unique applications that utilized Google’s Apps suite, such as Calendar, Drive, and Google+.

The Philippines is only one of two countries in the challenge to churn out two winners, the other one being India.

CollabSpot Notetaker is a tool that allows users to create tasks and document links during a Google+ Hangouts session, and was the winner for the Enterprise / Small Business Solutions category in Southeast Asia. ()

While, Events KIT is a mobile app that helps users manage events, meetings, and meet-ups. It bagged the top accolade in the Social / Personal Productivity / Games / Fun category for Southeast Asia.

The only other winner in the region is FailRail.sg, a data visualization project that notes train service disruptions in Singapore.

The winners were selected after two rounds of scoring by the Google-selected competition judges. Aside from the winners, two other Pinoy apps made it to the semi-final round of the challenge.

“Google Apps adoption is growing in emerging markets, and people are asking for extended functionality,” the company said. “It is hoped that this competition will not only generate locally-relevant apps, but also recognize and reward the hard work of the most talented Pinoy developers.”

The Google Apps Developer Challenge is just one of the many initiatives by the search and technology company in attempting to broaden its reach and increase its presence in developing countries like the Philippines.

Just this month, Google launched first in the Philippines a new mobile service, which allows free browsing of GMail, Google+ and Google Search through an offering called Google Free Zone, opening up the Internet to “the next billion.”

Last year, Google chose the country as the launchpad for its localized YouTube offering in Southeast Asia, topping it off with a YouTube World View interview with President Benigno Aquino, the first Asian head of state to be featured in the series.

In August, the company held the fist ever g|Philippines Google Day in the country, with hundreds of Google enthusiasts, users, and developers in attendance. (http://www.interaksyon.com/infotech/googles-first-tech-day-in-manila-wraps-up-to-packed-crowd)

Just recently, rumors were rife online that Google will soon establish an official presence in the Philippines following the posting of various job openings for the country, although Google has yet to confirm anything final.

Aside from its regional headquarters in Singapore, Google operates in Southeast Asia in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.

source: interaksyon.com

Hack-proof data security solution now available in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - A breakthrough solution to the worldwide problem of data theft that its developers say is hack-proof was launched recently in the Philippines. The technology called Splitlock was developed in Australia and has been patented in all the major countries in the world.

According to Melbourne-based Splitlock, Inc. CEO Anthony Liston, who flew in for the launch, Splitlock’s goal is “to ensure that any data held in any storage device would be worthless to any person who gained unauthorized access to the database.”

To achieve this, Splitlock splits the data into at least two pieces and then locks the data in a unique and patented procedure dubbed “Splitcryption.”

“We consider it to be the most complete of data protection available and the ultimate data security product in the world,” Liston added.

In the Philippines, TransPay Network Solutions, Inc. is the exclusive partner of Splitlock, Inc.

In his opening remarks, TransPay Network Solutions Philippines president and CEO Francisco Ravena III cited the newly enacted Republic Act 10175, otherwise known as the Cybercrime Act of 2012, and said that the technology that would help address the security issues and challenges stated in the law is now in the Philippines.

“Data protection is a must,” he stressed, “especially for valuable customer and financial data in order to keep public trust in banks and for sensitive information in government offices and in the military.” He pointed out the proliferation of cyber syndicates that prey on inadequately protected data bases.

source: philstar.com

Microsoft pushes new Windows to developers

SEATTLE — Days after launching Windows 8, Microsoft Corp is mounting a strong campaign to win over the software developers it needs to kick-start its new operating system.

A lack of apps is Microsoft’s Achilles heel as it attempts to catch Apple Inc and Google Inc in the rush toward mobile computing.

Windows 8, the new Surface tablet and a range of Windows-based phones – all unveiled in the past week – are designed to close that gap, but the world’s largest software company still needs to convince developers to recreate the thriving ‘ecosystem’ that made PCs so successful.

“Please go out and write lots of applications,” Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer pleaded with 2,000 developers on Tuesday, kicking off an annual, four-day meeting at its campus near Seattle.

The event, called ‘Build,’ is the equivalent of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference and Google’s I/O event.

Microsoft gave each paying attendee one of its Surface tablets and 100 gigabytes of free space on its SkyDrive online storage service. On top of that, handset partner Nokia threw in a free Lumia 920 smartphone running Windows Phone 8.

The unprecedentedly generous give-away signals the intent of what Microsoft openly calls “evangelism.” Most developers at the meeting, who paid up to $2,000 to attend, are already converted to the Windows religion. But this year there is a feeling that Microsoft can re-establish itself as a relevant platform for developers.

“The sessions are overflowing. Everybody wants to learn,” said Greg Lutz, product manager at development tools company ComponentOne, who is attending the conference.

“The Surface is really exciting. It’s been interesting to see people that would normally be critics of Microsoft surprised to see how good it is,” said Lutz, whose company makes features that developers can use in apps, such as calendars or charts.

Microsoft recognizes it needs apps to flesh out its new online Windows Store and make Windows 8 machines more attractive to users, said Russ Whitman, chief strategy officer at Ratio Interactive, a design agency that helps companies create apps.

“The catalog (of apps) is where they are weak, there’s no doubt,” he said. “But if Microsoft stays focused on quality not quantity, they can win.”

Developer doubts

When Windows 8 launched on Friday, some major content providers had prominent apps in the Windows store, such as Netflix Inc, the New York Times and Rovio’s Angry Birds Space. But big names such as Facebook and Twitter were missing.

Twitter moved to rectify that on Tuesday, announcing that a native Windows app would be rolled out “in the months ahead.” Dropbox, a fast-growing cloud storage service, also announced it would soon have a Windows app, as did online payment firm PayPal and sports network ESPN.

But Facebook, which now has more than 1 billion users, has not yet made public any plans for a Windows app, despite the fact Microsoft is a minor shareholder.

And Microsoft still has to overcome indifference from many developers who do not see demand from users or simply do not have the resources to build Windows apps alongside iOS and Android.

“Windows 8 is getting good reviews and the tile user interface is a great fit with our geo-visual content,” said Jason Karas, CEO at website Trover, where users can share photos of interesting discoveries. “It’s on the roadmap for Trover, but we are still a very lean team, so we’re hesitant to support a third platform until we have all the innovations we want to see in iPhone and Android in place.”

Microsoft has yet to persuade other influential online services, for example car-rental firm Zipcar or real estate information firm Zillow, to develop for Windows 8.

To get more developers on board, Microsoft is spending this week demonstrating how it is making it easier to develop apps for Windows and get them into the real world.

A key part of that is a new set of tools tying in its Azure cloud service, which allows Windows apps to easily harness data stored in remote servers.

“Some of the new changes are pretty incredible and are going to make developing, especially some of the mobile apps, much easier,” said Mike Cousins, a software developer following the conference by webcast from Calgary, Canada.

“It just makes it super-easy to integrate mobile clients into your application,” said Cousins, who is developing Shuttr, a site for photographers to display and sell their work. “It’s been reduced from probably a week’s work to minutes.”

400 million new machines

Microsoft’s best argument to developers is the sheer size of the Windows user base.

Microsoft sold 4 million upgrades to Windows 8 in its first four days, a mere fraction of the 670 million or so machines running Windows 7. Ballmer said there would be 400 million new devices running Windows next year, including PCs, tablets and phones, and the company would be marketing heavily to consumers.

That is an attractive audience for developers, and Whitman at Ratio Interactive said he saw many new faces at Microsoft’s event this week who previously were more interested in web-based apps and other platforms.

“There’s a new generation of developers that can build on Windows 8 that have been building using JavaScript and HTML,” he said. “Seeing some of those developers show up and talk about building apps using other languages is pretty cool. It’s a whole different group than Microsoft has traditionally been able to court.”

One Wall Street analyst said developers may even be tempted to switch back to Microsoft after working with Apple’s iOS platform.

“There does seem to be some excitement about the new operating system and many of the new devices that are coming to market,” said Jason Maynard, an analyst at Wells Fargo Securities. “We have heard some developers talk about ‘re-Microsofting’ and moving from their Macs for app development.”

Cousins said that once developers see the user base for Windows 8 grow, the momentum will start to have an effect.

“All the new PCs people buy will be Windows 8, and people will start demanding Windows 8 apps from companies, and then they will start making them,” he said. “I think we’ll see a wave of apps coming out pretty soon.”

source: interaksyon.com

iMessage Comes To OS X

MANILA, Philippines — In a rather surprising new behavior, Apple announced the next generation Mac operating system, 10.8 aka Mountain Lion, by giving press folks a developer preview *before* the developers. In addition, Apple made an announcement outside of their usual venues - the Apple campus, Moscone or Yerba Buena. Personally, I think that Apple's next public announcement will be huge (think iPad 3!).

Anyway, Mountain Lion developer preview is now available to developers, of course. I have yet to download it, but one new feature has been made available as a beta, and that is Messages. Messages is Mac OS X iChat and iOS iMessage combined.

Not too long ago, I wrote about bringing FaceTime support on both iOS and Mac OS X and that happened. Next thing I wrote was about bringing iMessage on iOS to interface with iChat, and Apple simply did that. You can now download Messages as a beta app, only if you are running Lion.

Messages is definitely on beta, i.e., there are bugs and lots of it. First thing to notice, if you hide or minimize the app, your message history gets cleared. Not good. Second, unlike Facetime, you will not get a notification when you receive messages unless Messages is running.

Third, launching Facetime from within the application will fire the FaceTime app instead of having an integrated service. The same goes true for other instant messaging protocols (iChat will fire up).

Despite these bugs, it is functional. I have tried sending from one Mac to another, from iPhone to the Mac and Mac to iPad, and all worked perfectly fine -- getting replies as well.

What does this mean? First off, SMS will definitely get hit. One can send messages to an iPhone without resorting to the carrier's SMS -- mobile data connection required, of course. iMessage already saved me money, and with desktop SMS capability, it definitely will save me more. This is akin to Chikka, remember that desktop IM service that sends and receives SMS messages?

One flaw of Messages is that it is exclusive to iOS devices and Macs only. I am confident that Apple will release Messages for Windows as well. When this happens, it will be encouraging users to buy an iOS device or two.

So, if you are running Lion on your Mac, download the beta app and help Apple test it. They are testing the infrastructure, for sure. Apple needs to tweak their servers to be able to scale up once Messages comes out of beta.

article source: mb.com.ph