Phone applications - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• W3C offers mobile app etiquette

  In an effort to make mobile applications easier to use, the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) has established a set of guidelines for developers to keep in mind when creating their Web-standards based applications.

• EBay buys mobile software developer Critical Path

  EBay will boost its mobile development capabilities with the acquisition of Critical Path Software, announced on Wednesday.

• IBM readies Lotus Notes Traveler for Android

  IBM is ready to ship an Android-compatible new version of its push-based e-mail software Lotus Notes Traveler, an IBM employee wrote in a blog posting Tuesday.

• Google has to improve Android market even more: Developers

  Google is rolling out a new Android Market client over the next two weeks, a move that leaves developers with mixed feelings.

• Amazon integrates Apple iPhone, iPad and Android with cloud

  Amazon Web Services (AWS) is making it possible for developers to directly integrate mobile applications for Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, and also apps for Android-based smartphones, with its cloud using two new beta SDKs (software development kits), it said in a blog post on Thursday.

• Orange simplifies mobile app sales with Web portal

  Orange is simplifying the submission, testing and publishing process of mobile applications that are made available in its App Shop, in an effort to attract more developers applications, it announced on Wednesday.

• Opera focusing on browsers for a range of phones

  Opera Software is targeting a large variety of mobile phones ranging from smartphones to less sophisticated feature phones that can connect to the Internet, as it aims at opportunities for its browser in emerging markets like India, the company's co-founder said.

• Skype releases client for Nokia's N8

  Skype released an updated version of its Symbian client, which adds support for Nokia's N8, C7 and the E5, the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.

• One enterprise's two-year Apple mobile makeover

  RehabCare CIO Dick Escue's journey to become a mobile enterprise Apple shop started two years ago, and now he's developing critical iOS apps for some 8,000 iPod Touches, 700 iPhones and 120 iPads. All tallied, three iOS apps will touch every facet of RehabCare's business, from improving patient care to winning new business.

• Mobile HD voice popularity grows slowly

  A growing number of mobile operators are rolling out HD voice in their networks, allowing customers with compatible phones to make calls with better voice quality. The operators have been encouraged to invest in the technology by an increase in the number of compatible phone models, according to a report from the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA).

• Palm preps tablet-friendly application framework

  Hewlett-Packard has demonstrated Enyo, an upcoming Javascript framework for webOS, designed to make it easier to develop applications for smartphones and tablets at the same time.

• 'Cisco Cultural Advisor' might help workers collaborate

  Cisco Systems is quietly developing a mobile application that profiles how users work and communicate, with the aim of helping them work better together.

• Android will give NFC a boost, but challenges remain

  Android-based smartphones with NFC (Near Field Communication) will help turn mobile phones into wallets, but there are issues that have to be solved before that happens, according to analysts.

• Google Maps on Android gets personalized recommendations

  The latest version of Google Maps on Android comes with Hotspot, a new "local recommendation engine" that will help users discover places based on ratings from themselves and their friends, Google said in a blog post.

• Qualcomm pushes augmented reality for Android games

  Qualcomm has put out a beta version of its Augmented Reality (AR) Extension for Unity Technologies' game development tool, which will allow developers to combine computer-generated content and the real world in games for Android-based products, the company said on Wednesday.