Smartphone applications - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• BlackBerry shunned by app developers as Windows Phone 7 booms

  App developers are rapidly losing interest in RIM's BlackBerry platform and setting their sights on the new big three, Apple, Android and Windows 7, a survey has found.

• Orange introduces cheap Facebook phones in Europe, Africa

  Orange launched three Alcatel One Touch phones on Wednesday with dedicated Facebook buttons priced below €100 (US$135).

• Sony launches beta SDK for Android and PlayStation gaming program

  Sony is hoping developers are interested in working on games for its PlayStation Vita and Android-based devices, as it launched a beta test Thursday of a new cross-platform SDK.

• RIM offers free apps, support following outages

  Following last week's major service disruptions, Research in Motion (RIM) is offering free applications and support as compensation, the company said on Monday.

• Microsoft and Nokia push Windows Phone porting tool

  Microsoft and Nokia are wooing Symbian developers, offering them help in porting applications to Windows Phone ahead of the launch of the Finnish company's first smartphone based on Microsoft's platform.

• Lego combines the digital and physical in iPhone game

  Danish toy company Lego is pushing its toys into the mobile age with the Life of George iPhone app, which combines a digital and physical gaming experience.

• Samsung, Motorola tablets get Skype video

  Skype has released version 2.5 of its application for Android, which allows Android-based tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Motorola Xoom to use its video calling feature, it said in <a href="http://blogs.skype.com/en/2011/09/skype_25_for_android_adds_more.html">a blog post on Wednesday.</a>

• Appcelerator opens mobile marketplace for developers

  Appcelerator, whose Titanium platform is used to develop cross-platform apps for smartphones and tablets, has opened Open Mobile Marketplace, a store where developers can download modules to expand the functionality of Titanium and more easily add features to their apps, the company said on Monday.

• App stores should cooperate to improve smartphone security

  App store vendors need to collaborate more closely to keep smartphone users safe, including putting together a system for grading application security, according to E.U. cybersecurity agency ENISA.

• French operators launch mobile payment system Buyster

  Operator-backed Buyster will launch its payment service, which aims to make online transactions more secure using mobile phones, on Sept. 13, the company said on Thursday.

• Amazon cloud SDKs for Android, iOS exit beta testing

  Amazon's SDKs (software development kits) for Android and Apple's iOS have exited the beta testing phase, the company said on Wednesday.

• SDK for Windows Phone 7.5 apps will arrive in September

  The final version of the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 will arrive at the end of September. It allows developers <a href="http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/wpdev/archive/2011/08/23/marketplace-amp-tools-open-for-mango-app-submission.aspx">to take advantage of new features in Windows Phone 7.5</a>, also known as Mango, Microsoft said in a blog post on Tuesday.

• Microsoft readies app submission process for Mango

  Microsoft will release a <a href="http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/wpdev/archive/2011/08/22/quick-update-on-mango-app-submissions.aspx">detailed overview of the Mango app submission process</a> later on Tuesday, the company said in a blog post, as it prepares to release the first major update to Windows Phone 7.

• iZettle launches card payment app for iPhone

  Startup iZettle has made its payment application available for Swedish iPhone users, and now plans to distribute 2,000 card chip readers, the company said on Thursday.

• Nokia signs deal to get more apps for Windows Phone, Symbian

  Nokia said Wednesday that it has entered into an agreement with Polar Mobile to launch more than 300 mobile applications for Nokia smartphones, including upcoming models based on Windows Phone, over the next 12 months.