software development kit

Microsoft isn't going to let Apple have all the app-store fun. On Monday, the software giant announced more details about Windows Phone 7 Series applications in its online store as it moves to get third-party developers excited about the new platform.

Apple tightly controls not only the approval of third-party applications for its App Store but also its developers. Apple's developer agreement says "Public statements regarding this agreement, its terms and conditions, or the relationship of the parties" require Apple's written approval.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation made the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement public. EFF obtained the agreement via a Freedom of Information Act request to NASA, which recently released an app for the iPhone.

Amazon.com has reportedly purchased a leading touchscreen innovator in an apparent bid to add more functionality to its Kindle e-book reader. With Apple set to begin shipping its highly anticipated iPad tablet computer in less than two months with an iBooks application and multimedia capability, Amazon is under pressure to keep its share of the market.

The Google Nexus One continues to make headlines -- for less than desirable reasons. It started with customer complaints about connection fees and developer complaints that the Android 2.1 development kit wasn't released before the device's launch. Now news of wireless-provider early cancellation fees have added to the grumbling.

More than a decade after it made handheld touchscreen devices popular with the Palm Pilot, Palm is struggling to compete in the smartphone arena. The company, headed by former Apple executive Jon Rubinstein, unveiled updated versions of its two webOS-powered smartphones at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Thursday. The devices will be available from Verizon Wireless on Jan. 25, but prices have not been disclosed.

Two Palm smartphones, as yet unnamed, will also be available shortly through AT&T.

A Phone and a Cloud

PayPal everywhere. That could be the slogan of the online payment company's expanded Global Payments Platform, following an announcement Tuesday of new application programming interfaces (APIs) that make it easier to integrate PayPal into third-party applications. The announcement at the PayPal X Innovate 2009 conference in San Francisco also included a new portal and introductory pricing for developers.

The updated Adaptive Payment APIs expand payment capabilities for multiple recipients and multiple platforms, including mobile devices.

Funds Transferred in Seconds

TomTom unleashed turn-by-turn personal navigation software for Apple's iPhone 3G and 3GS models on Monday. The software is now available for download from Apple's App Store.

Other personal navigation offerings for smartphones have been available for some time, but TomTom Managing Director Corinne Vigreux said the company's new app is the most natural fit for the iPhone.

LG Electronics has joined its rival mobile-phone makers in launching its own online store for applications. The Seoul, Korea-based company and world's number-three handset maker will launch the beta version of the app store on Tuesday.

The LG app store located at www.lgapplication.com will first launch in Asia-Pacific nations, including Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, and will offer LG users 1,400 applications, including 100 free programs, in 15 different languages. The company said it plans to have 2,000 apps available to nations in Europe and South America by year's end.

Microsoft has released a beta of Hohm to help consumers save energy and reduce their utility bills. The free application is built on the Windows Azure cloud operating system and was developed with help from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Department of Energy.

Add another to the list of markets likely to be upended by Apple's iPhone. Buoyed by both improved hardware and more capable software for both new and existing phones, Apple is fearlessly extending its reach into new areas, incumbents be damned. One market where the incursion is likely to be felt most keenly is the fast-growing field of real-time navigation.