Hipmunk Launches Android Flight Search Application

Brings on-the-go flight search and booking to hundreds of millions of mobile device users.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) September 29, 2011

Hipmunk, the travel search site, today announced the availability of its innovative flight search for mobile devices running the Android operating system. Following Hipmunk's successful launch of the iOS applications this year, the Android App is a native app designed to feel at home on Android. Radically different from other travel apps on Android, the Hipmunk Android app was built to respect the uniqueness of the platform and users' expectations from device. The Hipmunk Android app helps users find and book the best flights faster and more reliably and is available for free on the Android Market.

Features of the Hipmunk Android App include:

* Flight results displayed in the same visual timeline Hipmunk site users know and love;
* Flights automatically sorted by "Agony," a combination of flight duration, number of layovers, and price, with the option to sort by flight price, duration, departure and arrival time;
* At-a-glance WiFi information;
* Multiple booking options, including directly with many airlines;
* Booking through the mobile browser, or a finish code to book later from a computer;
* Ability to email search results to a friend, family member, or colleague;
* Android "back button" compatibility to dismiss results;
* Saved searches that allow users to easily flip between up to five recent searches to find their best travel options.

"More travelers are turning to their mobile devices to search, modify, and book flights, and we're seeing this reflected in our own Hipmunk traffic, where about 20% of our searches come from mobile devices," said Adam Goldstein, CEO Hipmunk. "With the Android market continuing its rapid growth, we're excited to streamline the mobile experience for our loyal users and bring our unique flight search to Android's over 100 million users."

In keeping with Hipmunk's vision to provide travelers with the best flight search experience possible, Hipmunk designed the Android app interface to allow users to navigate the app more intuitively. The "back button" works well to dismiss search results, rather than a graphical back arrow like iOS, and the email and sending options have a distinctly Android feel.

"There's no technological reason that Android apps can't be just as good, if not better, than iOS apps," said Ryan Oldenburg, Android Developer at Hipmunk. "And, as an avid Android user, I was determined to prove that, by developing an app that fit well into Android and wasn't just a clone of our iOS app."

The Hipmunk Android App is available for free from the Android Market here.

About Hipmunk
Hipmunk is a remarkable new travel search site that takes the pain out of travel planning. With its innovative "Agony" and "Ecstasy" sorts, Hipmunk presents flight results in a visual "timeline" and hotel results on a map, allowing people to select the best flight for them at a glance and view where in a destination they will be staying. Hipmunk is one of Budget Travel's "Top 10 Most Useful Websites," Inc.'s "Best Booking Website," TIME Magazine's "50 Coolest Websites," and Travel + Leisure's "Best Websites of 2011." Co-founders Adam Goldstein and Steve Huffman were named to Bloomberg BusinessWeek's "Top Tech Entrepreneurs" and Inc.'s "30 Under 30" lists. The company launched in 2010, is based in San Francisco, and has funding from Ignition Partners, Y Combinator, SV Angel, Webb Investment Network, Quest Hospitality Ventures, and several angel investors.

Source: sfgate

Read more »

Hipmunk Launches Android Flight Search Application

Brings on-the-go flight search and booking to hundreds of millions of mobile device users.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) September 29, 2011

Hipmunk, the travel search site, today announced the availability of its innovative flight search for mobile devices running the Android operating system. Following Hipmunk's successful launch of the iOS applications this year, the Android App is a native app designed to feel at home on Android. Radically different from other travel apps on Android, the Hipmunk Android app was built to respect the uniqueness of the platform and users' expectations from device. The Hipmunk Android app helps users find and book the best flights faster and more reliably and is available for free on the Android Market.

Features of the Hipmunk Android App include:

* Flight results displayed in the same visual timeline Hipmunk site users know and love;
* Flights automatically sorted by "Agony," a combination of flight duration, number of layovers, and price, with the option to sort by flight price, duration, departure and arrival time;
* At-a-glance WiFi information;
* Multiple booking options, including directly with many airlines;
* Booking through the mobile browser, or a finish code to book later from a computer;
* Ability to email search results to a friend, family member, or colleague;
* Android "back button" compatibility to dismiss results;
* Saved searches that allow users to easily flip between up to five recent searches to find their best travel options.

"More travelers are turning to their mobile devices to search, modify, and book flights, and we're seeing this reflected in our own Hipmunk traffic, where about 20% of our searches come from mobile devices," said Adam Goldstein, CEO Hipmunk. "With the Android market continuing its rapid growth, we're excited to streamline the mobile experience for our loyal users and bring our unique flight search to Android's over 100 million users."

In keeping with Hipmunk's vision to provide travelers with the best flight search experience possible, Hipmunk designed the Android app interface to allow users to navigate the app more intuitively. The "back button" works well to dismiss search results, rather than a graphical back arrow like iOS, and the email and sending options have a distinctly Android feel.

"There's no technological reason that Android apps can't be just as good, if not better, than iOS apps," said Ryan Oldenburg, Android Developer at Hipmunk. "And, as an avid Android user, I was determined to prove that, by developing an app that fit well into Android and wasn't just a clone of our iOS app."

The Hipmunk Android App is available for free from the Android Market here.

About Hipmunk
Hipmunk is a remarkable new travel search site that takes the pain out of travel planning. With its innovative "Agony" and "Ecstasy" sorts, Hipmunk presents flight results in a visual "timeline" and hotel results on a map, allowing people to select the best flight for them at a glance and view where in a destination they will be staying. Hipmunk is one of Budget Travel's "Top 10 Most Useful Websites," Inc.'s "Best Booking Website," TIME Magazine's "50 Coolest Websites," and Travel + Leisure's "Best Websites of 2011." Co-founders Adam Goldstein and Steve Huffman were named to Bloomberg BusinessWeek's "Top Tech Entrepreneurs" and Inc.'s "30 Under 30" lists. The company launched in 2010, is based in San Francisco, and has funding from Ignition Partners, Y Combinator, SV Angel, Webb Investment Network, Quest Hospitality Ventures, and several angel investors.

Source: sfgate

Read more »

Growing Popularity and Demand of Android Application Development

In last couple of years, the Android phones have gained tremendous popularity all over the world. The only reason behind increased popularity and demand of Android smart phones is their in-built Android applications which are stylish as well as utility applications. Today, people are more bothered about the presence of Android OS in their phones rather than the model of mobile phones. It has all necessary information like Maps, Weather, E-mails, Navigation, Music, Shopping, and many other countless stuff. The growing fame of Android Applications is because of two things - its fun part and its usefulness.

Because of this constant growth of popularity of applications, they are also gaining similar level of popularity in the mobile application development. Many businesses and companies providing Android app development services have achieved benefits and generated great revenues from it.

Android is an open source platform for developing applications for mobile phones giving a wider range of opportunities to the Android application developers to develop new and innovative applications. Developing these applications is simpler as the source code is accessible by anyone being an open source and at the same time it is affordable for both - developers to build them and for customers to use them.

Another important reason of its popularity is more security options offered through some Android applications for the phone which makes calling, texting and browsing mobile phone safer. An application for Android phones named Orbot allows the users to access internet, instant messaging and e-mail without being monitored or blocked by mobile internet service provider. Android Operating System is available on many mobile phones unlike BlackBerry and Apple which gives customers more variety of devices like HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and others to choose from. A wide range of devices are available at different range of prices making more flexible for users to select. This is increasing demand of Android apps development in the market as majority of them prefer the hand set with Android OS rather than others.

The latest version of Android supports flash which will give users same experience as they get on desktops on their mobile phones. Many tools are available in the market of app development for using and easily implementing Android application development. The market for Android development is open for developers which has made it more popular amongst mobile application developers. For customized Android app development, the best option is to get it done by Android apps development experts.

Source: EzineArticles

Read more »

Growing Popularity and Demand of Android Application Development

In last couple of years, the Android phones have gained tremendous popularity all over the world. The only reason behind increased popularity and demand of Android smart phones is their in-built Android applications which are stylish as well as utility applications. Today, people are more bothered about the presence of Android OS in their phones rather than the model of mobile phones. It has all necessary information like Maps, Weather, E-mails, Navigation, Music, Shopping, and many other countless stuff. The growing fame of Android Applications is because of two things - its fun part and its usefulness.

Because of this constant growth of popularity of applications, they are also gaining similar level of popularity in the mobile application development. Many businesses and companies providing Android app development services have achieved benefits and generated great revenues from it.

Android is an open source platform for developing applications for mobile phones giving a wider range of opportunities to the Android application developers to develop new and innovative applications. Developing these applications is simpler as the source code is accessible by anyone being an open source and at the same time it is affordable for both - developers to build them and for customers to use them.

Another important reason of its popularity is more security options offered through some Android applications for the phone which makes calling, texting and browsing mobile phone safer. An application for Android phones named Orbot allows the users to access internet, instant messaging and e-mail without being monitored or blocked by mobile internet service provider. Android Operating System is available on many mobile phones unlike BlackBerry and Apple which gives customers more variety of devices like HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and others to choose from. A wide range of devices are available at different range of prices making more flexible for users to select. This is increasing demand of Android apps development in the market as majority of them prefer the hand set with Android OS rather than others.

The latest version of Android supports flash which will give users same experience as they get on desktops on their mobile phones. Many tools are available in the market of app development for using and easily implementing Android application development. The market for Android development is open for developers which has made it more popular amongst mobile application developers. For customized Android app development, the best option is to get it done by Android apps development experts.

Source: EzineArticles

Read more »

iPhone application connects users to school sports, leagues

Sports teams looking to get their information out to their communities in an accessible and modern way need not worry any longer — now there's an app for that.

Team Info App LLC of Ruston has launched an iPhone application that gives schools, sports leagues and business teams a way to offer their communities vital information specific to their organization directly through their smartphones.

Only two days after becoming available to the public, the TeamInfoApp was the 17th most downloaded sports app in the Apple App Store on Friday, according to iOSNOOPS and iOS tracking company.

"We were really excited and thrilled by that," said TeamInfoApp co-founder and designer, Jordan Riggs, who created the app with his wife, Julie. "We really believe in the concept."

Riggs said they came up with the idea for the app after seeing the need firsthand.

"My wife and I have six kids who play just about every sport imaginable, and we couldn't figure out why more high schools and sports leagues didn't have a custom app to keep parents and fans updated with their team's information," he said. "So we looked into it and realized that what did exist was costly and labor-intensive for the schools and leagues to use and provided very limited features. We came up with a concept of something very easy and inexpensive for our partners to use with very little effort on their part."

The app allows users to access a variety of information from their organization, including their schedule, calendar of events, directions to events on Google Maps, team rosters, fundraising opportunities, contact information and websites.

"As parents, we're so busy today, and the info is out there but oftentimes not where you really need it to be. This allows the organizations to provide that information in the place where they really want to have it, which is on their phone," Riggs said. "Our phones have become the place where we access about 90 percent of our information."

TeamInfoApp is now partnered with Ruston's Cedar Creek School, Ruston Parks and Recreation, the YMCA of Northeast Louisiana for Ouachita, Lincoln and LaSalle parishes, Ruston Body Works and Ruston Dixie Baseball.

Source: thenewsstar

Read more »

iPhone application connects users to school sports, leagues

Sports teams looking to get their information out to their communities in an accessible and modern way need not worry any longer — now there's an app for that.

Team Info App LLC of Ruston has launched an iPhone application that gives schools, sports leagues and business teams a way to offer their communities vital information specific to their organization directly through their smartphones.

Only two days after becoming available to the public, the TeamInfoApp was the 17th most downloaded sports app in the Apple App Store on Friday, according to iOSNOOPS and iOS tracking company.

"We were really excited and thrilled by that," said TeamInfoApp co-founder and designer, Jordan Riggs, who created the app with his wife, Julie. "We really believe in the concept."

Riggs said they came up with the idea for the app after seeing the need firsthand.

"My wife and I have six kids who play just about every sport imaginable, and we couldn't figure out why more high schools and sports leagues didn't have a custom app to keep parents and fans updated with their team's information," he said. "So we looked into it and realized that what did exist was costly and labor-intensive for the schools and leagues to use and provided very limited features. We came up with a concept of something very easy and inexpensive for our partners to use with very little effort on their part."

The app allows users to access a variety of information from their organization, including their schedule, calendar of events, directions to events on Google Maps, team rosters, fundraising opportunities, contact information and websites.

"As parents, we're so busy today, and the info is out there but oftentimes not where you really need it to be. This allows the organizations to provide that information in the place where they really want to have it, which is on their phone," Riggs said. "Our phones have become the place where we access about 90 percent of our information."

TeamInfoApp is now partnered with Ruston's Cedar Creek School, Ruston Parks and Recreation, the YMCA of Northeast Louisiana for Ouachita, Lincoln and LaSalle parishes, Ruston Body Works and Ruston Dixie Baseball.

Source: thenewsstar

Read more »

iPhone Application Development Realizes Imagination

iPhone is among one of the most popular brands of smart phones available in the market.
The number of iPhones is increasing rapidly. This is credited to the built in features of the iPhone devices as well as the flexibility of the device to run customized add-on features.

The iPhone users can access the internet through the iPhone devices. The number of these sorts of iPhone users is increasing rapidly. Now it is obvious that the screen of iPhone is much smaller than that of the desk top PC and lap top. If there are images on the website to be downloaded on the iPhone device, the resolution of the image needs to be higher. This means that the websites need to be made compatible with the operating system and platform of the iPhones.

The iPhone applications spread over a wide array of facilities and human needs. Some of the prominent applications pertain to entertainment, games, sending and receiving messages and emails, GPS system, business, education, news and sports.

If you have an idea and want to make it a money generating concept then the idea needs to be converted to an iPhone application. Before converting the idea into an iPhone application the feasibility of the idea needs to be studied and analyzed. If there is any application similar to the idea then it is necessary to think about extra facility to be added on to the application.

Finally when the idea is to be converted to an application, one needs to search for a professional iPhone application developer. The application developer should be experienced and adept with the technology to be used. There some mobile application development technologies that is not compatible with the operating system and the platform of the iPhone. The claims made by the developer should be genuine. The testimonials mentioned on the developer's website should be double checked. It is always better to trust the word of mouth recommendation and references.

Once the application has been developed, it needs to be submitted to the iTunes store for being bought and downloaded by prospective final buyers. The iTunes store is an online store especially for iPhone applications and has been set up by Apple Inc., the creators of iPhone. This store gives the application developer a chance to compare his/her application with that of others on the store and decide the price at which it is to be offered in the market.

If you have a good idea and want it to generate business then it is mandatory to have access to the iPhone users. This is only possible through having an attractive iPhone application developed by a professional adept iPhone application developer.

Source: EzineArticles

Read more »

iPhone Application Development Realizes Imagination

iPhone is among one of the most popular brands of smart phones available in the market.
The number of iPhones is increasing rapidly. This is credited to the built in features of the iPhone devices as well as the flexibility of the device to run customized add-on features.

The iPhone users can access the internet through the iPhone devices. The number of these sorts of iPhone users is increasing rapidly. Now it is obvious that the screen of iPhone is much smaller than that of the desk top PC and lap top. If there are images on the website to be downloaded on the iPhone device, the resolution of the image needs to be higher. This means that the websites need to be made compatible with the operating system and platform of the iPhones.

The iPhone applications spread over a wide array of facilities and human needs. Some of the prominent applications pertain to entertainment, games, sending and receiving messages and emails, GPS system, business, education, news and sports.

If you have an idea and want to make it a money generating concept then the idea needs to be converted to an iPhone application. Before converting the idea into an iPhone application the feasibility of the idea needs to be studied and analyzed. If there is any application similar to the idea then it is necessary to think about extra facility to be added on to the application.

Finally when the idea is to be converted to an application, one needs to search for a professional iPhone application developer. The application developer should be experienced and adept with the technology to be used. There some mobile application development technologies that is not compatible with the operating system and the platform of the iPhone. The claims made by the developer should be genuine. The testimonials mentioned on the developer's website should be double checked. It is always better to trust the word of mouth recommendation and references.

Once the application has been developed, it needs to be submitted to the iTunes store for being bought and downloaded by prospective final buyers. The iTunes store is an online store especially for iPhone applications and has been set up by Apple Inc., the creators of iPhone. This store gives the application developer a chance to compare his/her application with that of others on the store and decide the price at which it is to be offered in the market.

If you have a good idea and want it to generate business then it is mandatory to have access to the iPhone users. This is only possible through having an attractive iPhone application developed by a professional adept iPhone application developer.

Source: EzineArticles

Read more »

Analyst Predicts Aluminum Unibody for iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 will come in the "unibody" form Apple uses in its Macbooks, an analyst predicts.

A Wall Street analyst has said that the Apple would release two phones -- iPhones 5 and a cheaper iPhone 4S -- at its upcoming event, expected for Oct. 4.

"We continue to expect 2 new iPhone SKUs (a mid-range iPhone and iPhone 5) to be introduced at Apple's upcoming event," Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore wrote in a note to clients.

"Specifically, we expect an iPhone 5 with aluminum uni-body construction, better camera and slightly larger screen size as well as a cost-down iPhone 4, or iPhone 4S," Whitmore wrote.

On its Macbook Pros and Macbook Airs, Apple uses the unibody construction method, which allows for a consistency of production and reliability by reducing many moving parts to one part. Also, it makes the product thinner and stronger.

Speculation is that the iPhone 5 will have an 8-megapixel camera, a dual-core A5 processor with a clocking speed of at least 1.2GHz and a 4-inch display. Apple's iPhone 5 would also feature the new iCloud service in operating iTunes for wireless remote access of music from all computers and mobile devices. iPhone 5 would be running on iOS 5, which Apple would be releasing this fall.

On the other hand, the analyst said iPhone 4S should help Apple drive greater penetration into the mid-range smart-phone market and drastically expand Apple's addressable market. He also said that iPhone 4S is nothing but an 8 GB iPod Touch with a radio frequency module.

Whitmore believes that Apple can produce the iPhone 4S at volume with a sub $150 bill-of-material cost, giving it flexibility to drive volume, margins and share.

An aggressive push into the mid-range will essentially double Apple's iPhone addressable market in the near term and position it for more share gains in the 700 million-plus unit smartphone market by 2014.

"We believe Apple can achieve a BOM cost near ~$150 for a cost-reduced iPhone 4 (vs. our prior estimate of $165) aided by a favorable commodity environment and scale advantages. The lower BOM means Apple can aggressively price a mid-range iPhone to drive volume without sacrificing margins," Whitmore said.

The analyst added that even if Apple prices iPhone 4S between $300 and $350 (unlocked without a contract), it could still generate healthy manufacturing margins of more than 50 percent.

Source: ibtimes

Read more »

Analyst Predicts Aluminum Unibody for iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 will come in the "unibody" form Apple uses in its Macbooks, an analyst predicts.

A Wall Street analyst has said that the Apple would release two phones -- iPhones 5 and a cheaper iPhone 4S -- at its upcoming event, expected for Oct. 4.

"We continue to expect 2 new iPhone SKUs (a mid-range iPhone and iPhone 5) to be introduced at Apple's upcoming event," Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore wrote in a note to clients.

"Specifically, we expect an iPhone 5 with aluminum uni-body construction, better camera and slightly larger screen size as well as a cost-down iPhone 4, or iPhone 4S," Whitmore wrote.

On its Macbook Pros and Macbook Airs, Apple uses the unibody construction method, which allows for a consistency of production and reliability by reducing many moving parts to one part. Also, it makes the product thinner and stronger.

Speculation is that the iPhone 5 will have an 8-megapixel camera, a dual-core A5 processor with a clocking speed of at least 1.2GHz and a 4-inch display. Apple's iPhone 5 would also feature the new iCloud service in operating iTunes for wireless remote access of music from all computers and mobile devices. iPhone 5 would be running on iOS 5, which Apple would be releasing this fall.

On the other hand, the analyst said iPhone 4S should help Apple drive greater penetration into the mid-range smart-phone market and drastically expand Apple's addressable market. He also said that iPhone 4S is nothing but an 8 GB iPod Touch with a radio frequency module.

Whitmore believes that Apple can produce the iPhone 4S at volume with a sub $150 bill-of-material cost, giving it flexibility to drive volume, margins and share.

An aggressive push into the mid-range will essentially double Apple's iPhone addressable market in the near term and position it for more share gains in the 700 million-plus unit smartphone market by 2014.

"We believe Apple can achieve a BOM cost near ~$150 for a cost-reduced iPhone 4 (vs. our prior estimate of $165) aided by a favorable commodity environment and scale advantages. The lower BOM means Apple can aggressively price a mid-range iPhone to drive volume without sacrificing margins," Whitmore said.

The analyst added that even if Apple prices iPhone 4S between $300 and $350 (unlocked without a contract), it could still generate healthy manufacturing margins of more than 50 percent.

Source: ibtimes

Read more »

iPhone Application Development - The Early Stages

IPhone is a leading smart phone that serves not only the purpose of telecommunication but also as platform for multimedia and ability of multiple capabilities with the help of only a single tool.

According to Apple store the iPhone applications have been downloaded a billion times. On the Apple store there are a number of applications ranging from those that are very useful to those that are hardly of any use.

Seeing these many applications already put up for sale, you would also want your iPhone application that could be accessible by all the users of iPhone. When you thing this way a number of queries such as clarification about the source of the SDK, and the steps to be taken need to answered.

Following are some of the prominent aspects of developing an iPhone application.

• If you want to develop an iPhone application, the first step is to get a clear picture about how the current applications work on the iPhone. It is said that one cannot learn swimming unless he or she jumps into the water. In this case too you need to first study thoroughly study the working of the current iPhone applications.

• You should understand that the working of the iPhone is quite different from the working of the desktop computer. The operation commands are executed in a specific way on the iPhone. If your application does not comply with the requirements of the iPhone then it is going to back fire and lead to waste of time, money and resources.

• The user interface is very different because the content within the iPhone is only accessible with the help of your fingers. The size of the screen is quite limited. There is a very limited scope of offering help to the user.

• Animation is one thing that is used extensively in the iPhone just to make the interface very lively. This implies that the iPhone application that you develop should be easy to use by the users.

• The iPhone is equipped with a set of accelerometers. These set of accelerometers detect the movement and orientation of the iPhone device. It is because of this that the iPhone simulator has to be used on either the iPod Touch or the actual iPhone.

• http://developer.apple.com/iphone/ is the developer site of the iPhone and is rich with information about iPhone application development. You can access the documents, informative videos and even the sample codes through that website.

You should go through thoroughly the user interface guidelines of the iPhone provided on this website. This is required the most especially to clear the fundamentals. This can make you clear about the way applications work on the iPhone. You also come to know how things can be controlled and about the functionality.

Source: EzineArticles

Read more »

iPhone Application Development - The Early Stages

IPhone is a leading smart phone that serves not only the purpose of telecommunication but also as platform for multimedia and ability of multiple capabilities with the help of only a single tool.

According to Apple store the iPhone applications have been downloaded a billion times. On the Apple store there are a number of applications ranging from those that are very useful to those that are hardly of any use.

Seeing these many applications already put up for sale, you would also want your iPhone application that could be accessible by all the users of iPhone. When you thing this way a number of queries such as clarification about the source of the SDK, and the steps to be taken need to answered.

Following are some of the prominent aspects of developing an iPhone application.

• If you want to develop an iPhone application, the first step is to get a clear picture about how the current applications work on the iPhone. It is said that one cannot learn swimming unless he or she jumps into the water. In this case too you need to first study thoroughly study the working of the current iPhone applications.

• You should understand that the working of the iPhone is quite different from the working of the desktop computer. The operation commands are executed in a specific way on the iPhone. If your application does not comply with the requirements of the iPhone then it is going to back fire and lead to waste of time, money and resources.

• The user interface is very different because the content within the iPhone is only accessible with the help of your fingers. The size of the screen is quite limited. There is a very limited scope of offering help to the user.

• Animation is one thing that is used extensively in the iPhone just to make the interface very lively. This implies that the iPhone application that you develop should be easy to use by the users.

• The iPhone is equipped with a set of accelerometers. These set of accelerometers detect the movement and orientation of the iPhone device. It is because of this that the iPhone simulator has to be used on either the iPod Touch or the actual iPhone.

• http://developer.apple.com/iphone/ is the developer site of the iPhone and is rich with information about iPhone application development. You can access the documents, informative videos and even the sample codes through that website.

You should go through thoroughly the user interface guidelines of the iPhone provided on this website. This is required the most especially to clear the fundamentals. This can make you clear about the way applications work on the iPhone. You also come to know how things can be controlled and about the functionality.

Source: EzineArticles

Read more »

iPhone 5 will have killer system-wide voice control

If you crack open the casing of the new iPhone, you will find significant upgrades from the iPhone 4. The new iPhone features Apple’s dual-core A5 processor like the iPad 2 for even faster performance, better gaming, and drastically improved graphics. Apple didn’t stop there though. Unlike the iPad 2, the new iPhone packs 1GB of RAM, according to a source familiar with the SOC’s manufacturing. That not only means better web browsing, but more importantly, new background tasks that Apple will introduce in the new iPhone’s software will perform much better.

The new iPhone will also feature an upgraded camera system. In terms of hardware, the new camera is an 8 megapixel sensor that takes incredibly high-resolution and clear shots, even in low light conditions because it has a backlit sensor. Also, panorama photography references have been found in the iOS SDK on multiple occasions which means we’ll likely see that feature. Other than that, the camera front-end system is reportedly mostly the same.

The new iPhone also contains Qualcomm Gobi Baseband chips that allow it to operate on both GSM and CDMA networks. We can’t yet confirm or deny the rumors that Apple was building a virtual SIM card system or if it has an NFC chip yet, however.

Although some may be happy with the new iPhone’s substantial internal hardware boosts, the new device’s biggest selling point is actually a software feature called Assistant. As we first revealed, Assistant is Apple’s Siri-inspired, system-wide voice navigation system. It so far appears that iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users will be left out in the fun, unfortunately, because the feature requires the A5 CPU and additional RAM.

From what we’ve heard, the Siri-based Assistant is described as the biggest game changer in this year’s iPhone. The system is the evolution of the Voice Control function that was introduced alongside the iPhone 3GS in 2009 and it is the fruit of Apple’s purchase of Siri last year.

How it works:

To activate, the user holds down the home button for a couple of seconds (loads much quicker than Voice Control because of the A5 chip/RAM) and then the microphone interface “slides up” from the bottom in a clever animation. The speech interface doesn’t cover your entire view, just about the bottom fourth of the display – like the multitasking/app-switcher function. The feature even works from the lock screen.

As a disclaimer, we must note that the software was not finalized when the details were provided, so some features may change in the shipping version.

Since there are so few direct commands with Voice Control, Apple slides the command options by on a waveform. Assistant is packed with seemingly endless possibilities, so Apple instead has a small “info” button which one can click to view some of the most commonly spoken commands. This command view not only shows command types, but actually provides some sample phrases; Apple obviously wants their implementation to be as intuitive as possible. In the middle of the Assistant interface – next to the small command samples button – is a silver microphone icon with an orbiting purple flare. The flare notes that your iPhone is ready to receive commands.

Assistant taps into many aspects of the iPhone, according to people familiar with the feature and SDK findings. For example, one can say make appointment with Mark Gurman for 7:30 PM and Assistant will create the appointment in the user’s calendar. On noting events, Assistant also allows users to set reminders for the iOS 5 Reminders application. For example, a user could say “remind me to buy milk when I arrive at the market.” Another example would be integration with the iOS Maps application. A user could ask: “how do I get to Staples Center?” and Assistant will use the user’s current location via GPS and provide directions.

Another interesting Assistant feature is the ability to create and send an SMS or iMessage with just your voice. For example, you can say “send a text to Mark saying I’ll be running late to lunch!” – and it will send. This is a super compelling feature for people who cannot physically or safely take the time to type out a text message. Users can also choose to have Assistant read back unsent text messages to ensure the system interpreted the speech correctly. If the text is written correctly, the user simply says “yes;” if not the user says “no” and Assistant will ask the user to speak again. Apple is also working to allow users to ask for a specific song to be played. Voice Control only allows albums, artists, and playlists to be chosen with your voice.

One of the key elements of Assistant is the conversation view. The system will actually speak back and forth with the user to gain the most information in order to provide the best results. The user essentially can hold a conversation with their iPhone like it is another human being. For example, if a user is making a meeting with me, they will say “setup meeting with Mark” and the first “bubble” of the conversation thread will say that. After that, the system will speak back: “which e-mail address should Mark be notified at, work or personal?” This question will both be spoken out loud by the iPhone Assistant and shown as a new “bubble” in the conversation thread. The user will then respond with the email address they want to notify me at, and the appointment will be made. The iPhone will even show a quick glance at a calendar view to confirm the appointment. If the Assistant was sending an SMS, as another example, a mini SMS view would appear so the user has a quick glance at the SMS thread.

Assistant is literally like a personal assistant, but in your phone. The speech interpretation is so accurate that users do not even have to speak very clearly or in a slow and robotic tone, according to a source familiar with the software. Users can simply talk how they would usually talk to another person, and the iPhone with Assistant will do its best to interpret the speech and provide accurate results.

Another compelling feature relating to Assistant is “Find my Friends.” Yes, Find my Friends is real and Apple may have been waiting on Assistant integration to release it into the wild. Basically, if a friend of mine wants to instantly know where I am, they could say “where’s Mark?” and Assistant will locate me and share my location information. Of course, there will be privacy settings for this as we previously revealed.

Perhaps the coolest aspect of Assistant is its integration with Wolfram Alpha. For those unfamiliar with Wolfram Alpha, it is an online computational knowledge system. With its integration into the new iPhone and Assistant, one could essentially ask their iPhone facts or questions of all types and get an instant response. For example, you can ask your iPhone a math problem or ask how many feet are there in 12.75 meters, and get an instant answer. The whole idea of having an infinite amount of information at the sound of your voice is unbelievably convenient and powerful.

In addition to Assistant, the new iPhone features Nuance speech-to-text integration, formally called “Dictation,” according to a mobile carrier source familiar with the feature’s extended testing. As expected, the user just taps the microphone icon, speaks, and the speech becomes text. This happens in less than a second in most cases and is unbelievably accurate. The interface for this is also said to be remarkably simple and blends into the design of the iOS 5 Messages application.

Going back to the hardware design, we’re hesitant to jump to conclusions at this point, but we do know that these next-generation iPhones are definitely floating around with shells that look identical to the iPhone 4. Because a report claimed that Apple is stuffing next-generation guts into iPhone 4 casings to throw off leaks, we don’t want to affirm that the new iPhone retains the iPhone 4 design. In addition, a new design has been rumored based on recent “iPhone 5″ case leaks.

In any case, expect Assistant, 1GB of RAM, the dual-core A5 processor, Nuance speech-to-text, and an 8 megapixel camera to make an incredible iPhone upgrade on October 4th.

Source: 9to5mac

Read more »

iPhone 5 will have killer system-wide voice control

If you crack open the casing of the new iPhone, you will find significant upgrades from the iPhone 4. The new iPhone features Apple’s dual-core A5 processor like the iPad 2 for even faster performance, better gaming, and drastically improved graphics. Apple didn’t stop there though. Unlike the iPad 2, the new iPhone packs 1GB of RAM, according to a source familiar with the SOC’s manufacturing. That not only means better web browsing, but more importantly, new background tasks that Apple will introduce in the new iPhone’s software will perform much better.

The new iPhone will also feature an upgraded camera system. In terms of hardware, the new camera is an 8 megapixel sensor that takes incredibly high-resolution and clear shots, even in low light conditions because it has a backlit sensor. Also, panorama photography references have been found in the iOS SDK on multiple occasions which means we’ll likely see that feature. Other than that, the camera front-end system is reportedly mostly the same.

The new iPhone also contains Qualcomm Gobi Baseband chips that allow it to operate on both GSM and CDMA networks. We can’t yet confirm or deny the rumors that Apple was building a virtual SIM card system or if it has an NFC chip yet, however.

Although some may be happy with the new iPhone’s substantial internal hardware boosts, the new device’s biggest selling point is actually a software feature called Assistant. As we first revealed, Assistant is Apple’s Siri-inspired, system-wide voice navigation system. It so far appears that iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users will be left out in the fun, unfortunately, because the feature requires the A5 CPU and additional RAM.

From what we’ve heard, the Siri-based Assistant is described as the biggest game changer in this year’s iPhone. The system is the evolution of the Voice Control function that was introduced alongside the iPhone 3GS in 2009 and it is the fruit of Apple’s purchase of Siri last year.

How it works:

To activate, the user holds down the home button for a couple of seconds (loads much quicker than Voice Control because of the A5 chip/RAM) and then the microphone interface “slides up” from the bottom in a clever animation. The speech interface doesn’t cover your entire view, just about the bottom fourth of the display – like the multitasking/app-switcher function. The feature even works from the lock screen.

As a disclaimer, we must note that the software was not finalized when the details were provided, so some features may change in the shipping version.

Since there are so few direct commands with Voice Control, Apple slides the command options by on a waveform. Assistant is packed with seemingly endless possibilities, so Apple instead has a small “info” button which one can click to view some of the most commonly spoken commands. This command view not only shows command types, but actually provides some sample phrases; Apple obviously wants their implementation to be as intuitive as possible. In the middle of the Assistant interface – next to the small command samples button – is a silver microphone icon with an orbiting purple flare. The flare notes that your iPhone is ready to receive commands.

Assistant taps into many aspects of the iPhone, according to people familiar with the feature and SDK findings. For example, one can say make appointment with Mark Gurman for 7:30 PM and Assistant will create the appointment in the user’s calendar. On noting events, Assistant also allows users to set reminders for the iOS 5 Reminders application. For example, a user could say “remind me to buy milk when I arrive at the market.” Another example would be integration with the iOS Maps application. A user could ask: “how do I get to Staples Center?” and Assistant will use the user’s current location via GPS and provide directions.

Another interesting Assistant feature is the ability to create and send an SMS or iMessage with just your voice. For example, you can say “send a text to Mark saying I’ll be running late to lunch!” – and it will send. This is a super compelling feature for people who cannot physically or safely take the time to type out a text message. Users can also choose to have Assistant read back unsent text messages to ensure the system interpreted the speech correctly. If the text is written correctly, the user simply says “yes;” if not the user says “no” and Assistant will ask the user to speak again. Apple is also working to allow users to ask for a specific song to be played. Voice Control only allows albums, artists, and playlists to be chosen with your voice.

One of the key elements of Assistant is the conversation view. The system will actually speak back and forth with the user to gain the most information in order to provide the best results. The user essentially can hold a conversation with their iPhone like it is another human being. For example, if a user is making a meeting with me, they will say “setup meeting with Mark” and the first “bubble” of the conversation thread will say that. After that, the system will speak back: “which e-mail address should Mark be notified at, work or personal?” This question will both be spoken out loud by the iPhone Assistant and shown as a new “bubble” in the conversation thread. The user will then respond with the email address they want to notify me at, and the appointment will be made. The iPhone will even show a quick glance at a calendar view to confirm the appointment. If the Assistant was sending an SMS, as another example, a mini SMS view would appear so the user has a quick glance at the SMS thread.

Assistant is literally like a personal assistant, but in your phone. The speech interpretation is so accurate that users do not even have to speak very clearly or in a slow and robotic tone, according to a source familiar with the software. Users can simply talk how they would usually talk to another person, and the iPhone with Assistant will do its best to interpret the speech and provide accurate results.

Another compelling feature relating to Assistant is “Find my Friends.” Yes, Find my Friends is real and Apple may have been waiting on Assistant integration to release it into the wild. Basically, if a friend of mine wants to instantly know where I am, they could say “where’s Mark?” and Assistant will locate me and share my location information. Of course, there will be privacy settings for this as we previously revealed.

Perhaps the coolest aspect of Assistant is its integration with Wolfram Alpha. For those unfamiliar with Wolfram Alpha, it is an online computational knowledge system. With its integration into the new iPhone and Assistant, one could essentially ask their iPhone facts or questions of all types and get an instant response. For example, you can ask your iPhone a math problem or ask how many feet are there in 12.75 meters, and get an instant answer. The whole idea of having an infinite amount of information at the sound of your voice is unbelievably convenient and powerful.

In addition to Assistant, the new iPhone features Nuance speech-to-text integration, formally called “Dictation,” according to a mobile carrier source familiar with the feature’s extended testing. As expected, the user just taps the microphone icon, speaks, and the speech becomes text. This happens in less than a second in most cases and is unbelievably accurate. The interface for this is also said to be remarkably simple and blends into the design of the iOS 5 Messages application.

Going back to the hardware design, we’re hesitant to jump to conclusions at this point, but we do know that these next-generation iPhones are definitely floating around with shells that look identical to the iPhone 4. Because a report claimed that Apple is stuffing next-generation guts into iPhone 4 casings to throw off leaks, we don’t want to affirm that the new iPhone retains the iPhone 4 design. In addition, a new design has been rumored based on recent “iPhone 5″ case leaks.

In any case, expect Assistant, 1GB of RAM, the dual-core A5 processor, Nuance speech-to-text, and an 8 megapixel camera to make an incredible iPhone upgrade on October 4th.

Source: 9to5mac

Read more »

Factors Contributing to the iPhone Application Development

There is a frenzy regarding iPhone application development. Along with skilled software professionals, there are a large number of entrepreneurs and ordinary people focusing their energies in this area. Everyone is trying their luck to hit it off with a successful app.

What it is that is driving the application market and contributing in building mobile application hysteria is something worth looking into. The key factors that are adding to this rage are the financial gains, convenient platforms and easy to develop application methods available today.

Apple's iPhone takes the credit for starting this trend. Ever since the App store was launched, the response by developers has been enormous. The App store gave birth to a new culture of mobile applications that provided increased functionality and productivity from a mobile device. Such was the success of iPhone applications that people bought the phone more for the reason of the applications it offered.

iPhone has come to be a huge name in mobile industry that has a big fan following and user base. Many developers focus on bringing their applications to this platform for maximum exposure. There is a lot of information available on developing an application for the iPhone platform.

The ease with which applications today can be developed was not available before and that is the reason why ordinary people also want to develop applications for mobiles. There is not a lot of programming involved and a person does not need to have high software engineering skills to make it in the market. A mobile application can be designed with a little bit of guidance, direction and small investment.

Today there are several websites that guide developers on how to start and go about the development process. The developer's community discusses the problems and techniques online across different forums that can be quite helpful for those who want such information. Different techniques, tips and basic information on mobile application development are easily available. While some websites charge for the software or information that is provided, some offer it for free.

Another factor that lures the developers to this field are the success stories of developers who have managed to earn big sums from the iPhone applications that became popular. There have been independent developers and small firms who made it big with simple applications.

However, it must be noted that iPhone applications development market is already too crowded. In order to make the application worth downloading it has to offer something attractive to the user.

Source: EzineArticles

Read more »

Factors Contributing to the iPhone Application Development

There is a frenzy regarding iPhone application development. Along with skilled software professionals, there are a large number of entrepreneurs and ordinary people focusing their energies in this area. Everyone is trying their luck to hit it off with a successful app.

What it is that is driving the application market and contributing in building mobile application hysteria is something worth looking into. The key factors that are adding to this rage are the financial gains, convenient platforms and easy to develop application methods available today.

Apple's iPhone takes the credit for starting this trend. Ever since the App store was launched, the response by developers has been enormous. The App store gave birth to a new culture of mobile applications that provided increased functionality and productivity from a mobile device. Such was the success of iPhone applications that people bought the phone more for the reason of the applications it offered.

iPhone has come to be a huge name in mobile industry that has a big fan following and user base. Many developers focus on bringing their applications to this platform for maximum exposure. There is a lot of information available on developing an application for the iPhone platform.

The ease with which applications today can be developed was not available before and that is the reason why ordinary people also want to develop applications for mobiles. There is not a lot of programming involved and a person does not need to have high software engineering skills to make it in the market. A mobile application can be designed with a little bit of guidance, direction and small investment.

Today there are several websites that guide developers on how to start and go about the development process. The developer's community discusses the problems and techniques online across different forums that can be quite helpful for those who want such information. Different techniques, tips and basic information on mobile application development are easily available. While some websites charge for the software or information that is provided, some offer it for free.

Another factor that lures the developers to this field are the success stories of developers who have managed to earn big sums from the iPhone applications that became popular. There have been independent developers and small firms who made it big with simple applications.

However, it must be noted that iPhone applications development market is already too crowded. In order to make the application worth downloading it has to offer something attractive to the user.

Source: EzineArticles

Read more »

Top iOS 5 Features Already Existent in Android Devices

Apple's upcoming operating system iOS 5, which is expected to be released this fall and is going to power iPhone 5, iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3 GS, has copied certain features from the Android platform.

Ever since Google took over Android in 2005, the Android platform has grown in quality year after year and it has turned out to be the best selling platform worldwide in 2011.

iPhone and iPad gave Apple the reputation of reinventing the smartphone and tablet market. However, the fast-growing popularity of the Android devices has forced Apple to borrow certain features for iOS 5 to match up with its competitor.

Here is the list of some important iOS 5 features, which are existent in Android-based devices.

Notification Center: This feature aggregates several app alert and you can access the entire store at one place by swiping your finger from top to bottom. Android users are familiar with the Notifications appearing at the top bar showing time, Bluetooth, network conditions, battery state, network conditions, GPS and other icons. The notification for a missed call, tweet and Facebook message appears at the top of the screen.

Cloud Sync: Google has adopted Cloud computing for over ten years. The data in Google Apps is stored in the cloud instead of on employee computers. This enables multiple users to access the data stored in the cloud without using the same operating system, software and browser. With iCloud coming to iOS 5, iPhone users can store data such as music files and download to iPads, iPhones, iPods and personal computers running Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X.

Newsstand: Google's centralized digital newsstand has attracted a lot of media companies to invest on the platform. iOS 5 comes with a new feature, Newsstand, where the users can subscribe to magazines and newspapers and download updates in the background. Background updates and sync have been there in Android for a long time now. The good thing about Android story is that the APIs for this are public.

Reminder: iOS 5 comes with Reminders, a location based organization app which offers improved to-do lists that are compatible with Outlook, iCal and iCloud. On Android, reminder is not needed as apps like Astrid or Taskos can handle this sort of functionality by themselves. The Reminders in iOS 5 are supported by geolocation feature .Location aware apps are available in Android devices for free.

Wireless Sync: Users of iOS devices can now wirelessly sync their devices to their Mac or PC over a shared WiFi connection. Android users have been syncing movies, music, bookmarks and contacts wirelessly between the phone/tablet and a PC/Mac for a long time using third party apps.

Twitter Integration: Apple is integrating Twitter to all its iOS based devices and to many of its own apps, including Camera, Photos, Safari and Maps. In Android 2.0, Google added the ability for app developers to hook their apps into the Android sharing and contacts system.

Widgets: In Android devices, widgets have proved very useful if you have to take a quick snapshot of information without having to open the apps on weather, news, stocks and similar services. The iOS 5 Notification bar will carry updated information in stocks and weather bars.

Source: ibtimes

Read more »

Top iOS 5 Features Already Existent in Android Devices

Apple's upcoming operating system iOS 5, which is expected to be released this fall and is going to power iPhone 5, iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3 GS, has copied certain features from the Android platform.

Ever since Google took over Android in 2005, the Android platform has grown in quality year after year and it has turned out to be the best selling platform worldwide in 2011.

iPhone and iPad gave Apple the reputation of reinventing the smartphone and tablet market. However, the fast-growing popularity of the Android devices has forced Apple to borrow certain features for iOS 5 to match up with its competitor.

Here is the list of some important iOS 5 features, which are existent in Android-based devices.

Notification Center: This feature aggregates several app alert and you can access the entire store at one place by swiping your finger from top to bottom. Android users are familiar with the Notifications appearing at the top bar showing time, Bluetooth, network conditions, battery state, network conditions, GPS and other icons. The notification for a missed call, tweet and Facebook message appears at the top of the screen.

Cloud Sync: Google has adopted Cloud computing for over ten years. The data in Google Apps is stored in the cloud instead of on employee computers. This enables multiple users to access the data stored in the cloud without using the same operating system, software and browser. With iCloud coming to iOS 5, iPhone users can store data such as music files and download to iPads, iPhones, iPods and personal computers running Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X.

Newsstand: Google's centralized digital newsstand has attracted a lot of media companies to invest on the platform. iOS 5 comes with a new feature, Newsstand, where the users can subscribe to magazines and newspapers and download updates in the background. Background updates and sync have been there in Android for a long time now. The good thing about Android story is that the APIs for this are public.

Reminder: iOS 5 comes with Reminders, a location based organization app which offers improved to-do lists that are compatible with Outlook, iCal and iCloud. On Android, reminder is not needed as apps like Astrid or Taskos can handle this sort of functionality by themselves. The Reminders in iOS 5 are supported by geolocation feature .Location aware apps are available in Android devices for free.

Wireless Sync: Users of iOS devices can now wirelessly sync their devices to their Mac or PC over a shared WiFi connection. Android users have been syncing movies, music, bookmarks and contacts wirelessly between the phone/tablet and a PC/Mac for a long time using third party apps.

Twitter Integration: Apple is integrating Twitter to all its iOS based devices and to many of its own apps, including Camera, Photos, Safari and Maps. In Android 2.0, Google added the ability for app developers to hook their apps into the Android sharing and contacts system.

Widgets: In Android devices, widgets have proved very useful if you have to take a quick snapshot of information without having to open the apps on weather, news, stocks and similar services. The iOS 5 Notification bar will carry updated information in stocks and weather bars.

Source: ibtimes

Read more »

A Practical Legal Guide to iPhone Application Development

It's the iPhone Application developer's worst (and increasingly justified) fear: Spending significant time, money, and resources building an app only to have it rejected, or worse, pulled from the App Store for alleged legal violations.

Carefully navigating the legal landscape in which app development operates is therefore essential to launch and maintain a successful Application. Prudence dictates being mindful of the common legal pitfalls to iPhone application development before and during the development process - and not after - when it is oftentimes too late.

By examining the iPhone SDK Agreement, Apple's End User License Agreement, and federal copyright and trademark registration, this article provides an introductory overview of the common legal issues surrounding iPhone Application development, and the measures developers can adopt to minimize liability and maximize protection of their intellectual property rights.

The iPhone SDK Agreement
Apple's iPhone SDK Agreement imposes several significant legal requirements, the most notable of which include:
Privacy laws: Developers are required to comply with all state, federal, and international privacy laws regarding user data collection, and picture or voice capture. Accordingly, personal information collected from a user may not be disseminated without the user's consent; the unauthorized use of a user's name or likeness for gain is prohibited; and a user's voice may not be recorded absent a conspicuously displayed notice indicating that a recording is taking place.

Copyrights in music and content: Any music incorporated into your Application must be wholly owned by you or licensed to you on a fully "paid-up" basis. (Such a license should provide that the one-time, lump-sum payment is final, and that you are released from any and all further payment obligations to the Licensor, no matter how successful the Application becomes.) Further, any and all content in your Application must be owned by you, or be used by you with the owner's permission. If you are using content other than music by virtue of a license, the license should state the royalty terms, if any, resulting from any and all sales of your Application.

Objectionable content and materials: Applications may not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive, or defamatory content, or other content that Apple deems objectionable. What is "objectionable" is a matter of Apple's reasonable discretion; legal challenges to a rejection of your Application on this basis will prove difficult.

Free and open source software: Applications that include Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) must comply with all applicable FOSS licensing terms. The SDK Agreement also requires (perhaps superfluously) that your use of FOSS may not in any way infect the SDK itself.

NOTE
Due to its "viral" nature, you need to be careful when using open source code that is subject to a restrictive open source license if you want to safely incorporate it into your proprietary software. For instance, the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) require that any derivative work that incorporates GPL code must itself be subject to the GPL, thereby rendering the resulting software "open" and the source code publicly available. Not only will any trade secrets contained in any code carrying a GPL license be forcibly disclosed, others may freely copy and distribute your source code, give it away for free, or even create a competing product using your own code. The viral nature of restrictive open source licenses can have a devastating impact on your company's intellectual property assets.

End User License Agreement
Applications made available through the App Store are subject to Apple's Licensed Application End User License Agreement ("EULA"), unless the end user enters into a valid EULA with the developer.

The following provisions of Apple's EULA are of special note, and should be adopted should you use your own EULA:

Disclaimer of warranty: This provision states that the Application is being provided "as-is," without any express or implied warranties regarding the Application's quality, performance, effectiveness or reliability. In those jurisdictions where disclaimers of warranty are enforceable, such a provision protects the Licensor from potential legal claims arising from the use of the Application, as the Licensor makes no promises of any kind.

Limitation of liability: This provision protects the Licensor from liability for personal injury, loss of profits, loss of data, or other direct and indirect damages arising from the use of, or the inability to use, the Application. This provision additionally places an upper dollar limit on the total damages for which the Licensor may be liable, excluding damages for personal injury in those states where such a limitation would be unenforceable.

Copyright and Trademark Protections
Both copyright and trademark registration are relatively affordable means to protect your investment in your
software.

Copyright Registration
As a matter of law, copyright protection subsists in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible means of expression. The exclusive rights of reproduction, adaptation, and distribution are conferred automatically upon the owner of a copyright as soon as his or her work is written.

Although registering an Application is not a prerequisite for copyright protection, registration does afford several distinct advantages:

Registration is required to bring an infringement suit.  Registration within five years of publication creates a presumption of validity of the copyright and the facts contained in the registration certificate. Presumptive validity can be of critical importance when seeking a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order requiring the copyright infringer to cease and desist.

Registration prior to infringement allows for the recovery of attorney fees and statutory damages. (Because actual damages are often difficult to prove, the owner of a copyright may elect to recover instead an award of statutory damages in an amount between $750 and $30,000, as the court deems just. The court may increase this amount to $150,000 for willful infringements.)

Where a computer program containing trade secret materials is being registered, the Copyright Office allows you to deposit source code with the trade secret information redacted, or to deposit a combination of source code and object code, with up to 49 percent of the source code blacked out. Where an applicant is unwilling to deposit source code (even with portions blacked out), he or she may deposit object code only, but must state in writing that the work as deposited in object code contains copyrightable authorship.

Because of the difficulty in reading object code, depositing your program in this form will generally protect any trade secrets contained in your code. However, because the Copyright Office cannot read the object code to determine if your program constitutes an original work of authorship, your program will be registered under the Copyright Office's "rule of doubt," and you will accordingly lose one of the primary benefits of registration - that is, the presumption that your copyright is valid.

PRACTICE POINT

Who owns the copyright for Applications created by an employee or independent contractor? Under the "work-for-hire" doctrine, there is a rebuttable presumption that the copyright in a work created by an employee acting within the scope of his or her employment vests in the employer, absent an agreement to the contrary. However, an independent contractor generally maintains the rights to his or her creation, unless the parties agree in writing that the work is considered one for hire. Best practice: Get it in writing!

Trademark Registration
A trademark is any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination thereof, that identifies to consumers the source of a product, and allows trademark owner to distinguish their products from the products manufactured or sold by others.

Federal registration of your trademark confers several important advantages:

Exclusive use of the mark for particular goods and services on a nationwide basis. (Note: Without federal registration, an owner's right to use a trademark is limited to the actual geographic area of actual use of the mark.)

Access to the federal courts to enforce your rights, including double or triple damages in the event of willful infringement (which is presumed if the infringed mark was on the federal principal trademark register).
Constructive notice of trademark protection, and prima facie evidence of the registrant's ownership and exclusive right to use the mark.

Right to achieve "incontestable status" after a period of five years of continuous use, thereby reducing the ability of infringers to challenge the validity of the mark on the basis that it is not sufficiently distinctive.

In selecting a name to be trademarked, it is important to adopt a strong (or distinctive) mark, as the level of protection against infringement of a trademark varies according to the "strength" of a mark. Generally, "arbitrary" and "fanciful" marks enjoy the greatest protection, whereas "generic" marks are not registrable, and can therefore never achieve federal protection. Apple, in referring to computers, is an example of a strong (here, "arbitrary") mark because the word "apple" bears no relationship to the product or service the mark represents. On the other hand, the term computer in the software industry is irretrievably generic and would never be afforded trademark protection.

Together with copyright registration, trademark registration should be considered as an additional step to protect your intellectual property rights in any Application you develop.

PRACTICE POINT

Even if you chose not to trademark your Application, a thorough trademark search should be still conducted to avoid inadvertent infringement. A number of Applications have been removed from the App Store on the basis that they allegedly infringed a pre-existing trademark.
Conclusion

While it is impossible to predict every potential legal issue that an iPhone Application developer may confront, the most common pitfalls can certainly be avoided.

A proactive legal compliance strategy, implemented early on as part of the development and pre-development process, should be adopted to reduce legal risk and strengthen protection of your intellectual property rights in your Application.

NOTE

The information contained herein is not intended to constitute legal advice or a legal opinion as to any particular matter. The contents are intended for general information purposes only, and you are urged to consult with an attorney concerning your own situation and any specific questions you may have.

Source: EzineArticles

Read more »

A Practical Legal Guide to iPhone Application Development

It's the iPhone Application developer's worst (and increasingly justified) fear: Spending significant time, money, and resources building an app only to have it rejected, or worse, pulled from the App Store for alleged legal violations.

Carefully navigating the legal landscape in which app development operates is therefore essential to launch and maintain a successful Application. Prudence dictates being mindful of the common legal pitfalls to iPhone application development before and during the development process - and not after - when it is oftentimes too late.

By examining the iPhone SDK Agreement, Apple's End User License Agreement, and federal copyright and trademark registration, this article provides an introductory overview of the common legal issues surrounding iPhone Application development, and the measures developers can adopt to minimize liability and maximize protection of their intellectual property rights.

The iPhone SDK Agreement
Apple's iPhone SDK Agreement imposes several significant legal requirements, the most notable of which include:
Privacy laws: Developers are required to comply with all state, federal, and international privacy laws regarding user data collection, and picture or voice capture. Accordingly, personal information collected from a user may not be disseminated without the user's consent; the unauthorized use of a user's name or likeness for gain is prohibited; and a user's voice may not be recorded absent a conspicuously displayed notice indicating that a recording is taking place.

Copyrights in music and content: Any music incorporated into your Application must be wholly owned by you or licensed to you on a fully "paid-up" basis. (Such a license should provide that the one-time, lump-sum payment is final, and that you are released from any and all further payment obligations to the Licensor, no matter how successful the Application becomes.) Further, any and all content in your Application must be owned by you, or be used by you with the owner's permission. If you are using content other than music by virtue of a license, the license should state the royalty terms, if any, resulting from any and all sales of your Application.

Objectionable content and materials: Applications may not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive, or defamatory content, or other content that Apple deems objectionable. What is "objectionable" is a matter of Apple's reasonable discretion; legal challenges to a rejection of your Application on this basis will prove difficult.

Free and open source software: Applications that include Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) must comply with all applicable FOSS licensing terms. The SDK Agreement also requires (perhaps superfluously) that your use of FOSS may not in any way infect the SDK itself.

NOTE
Due to its "viral" nature, you need to be careful when using open source code that is subject to a restrictive open source license if you want to safely incorporate it into your proprietary software. For instance, the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) require that any derivative work that incorporates GPL code must itself be subject to the GPL, thereby rendering the resulting software "open" and the source code publicly available. Not only will any trade secrets contained in any code carrying a GPL license be forcibly disclosed, others may freely copy and distribute your source code, give it away for free, or even create a competing product using your own code. The viral nature of restrictive open source licenses can have a devastating impact on your company's intellectual property assets.

End User License Agreement
Applications made available through the App Store are subject to Apple's Licensed Application End User License Agreement ("EULA"), unless the end user enters into a valid EULA with the developer.

The following provisions of Apple's EULA are of special note, and should be adopted should you use your own EULA:

Disclaimer of warranty: This provision states that the Application is being provided "as-is," without any express or implied warranties regarding the Application's quality, performance, effectiveness or reliability. In those jurisdictions where disclaimers of warranty are enforceable, such a provision protects the Licensor from potential legal claims arising from the use of the Application, as the Licensor makes no promises of any kind.

Limitation of liability: This provision protects the Licensor from liability for personal injury, loss of profits, loss of data, or other direct and indirect damages arising from the use of, or the inability to use, the Application. This provision additionally places an upper dollar limit on the total damages for which the Licensor may be liable, excluding damages for personal injury in those states where such a limitation would be unenforceable.

Copyright and Trademark Protections
Both copyright and trademark registration are relatively affordable means to protect your investment in your
software.

Copyright Registration
As a matter of law, copyright protection subsists in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible means of expression. The exclusive rights of reproduction, adaptation, and distribution are conferred automatically upon the owner of a copyright as soon as his or her work is written.

Although registering an Application is not a prerequisite for copyright protection, registration does afford several distinct advantages:

Registration is required to bring an infringement suit.  Registration within five years of publication creates a presumption of validity of the copyright and the facts contained in the registration certificate. Presumptive validity can be of critical importance when seeking a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order requiring the copyright infringer to cease and desist.

Registration prior to infringement allows for the recovery of attorney fees and statutory damages. (Because actual damages are often difficult to prove, the owner of a copyright may elect to recover instead an award of statutory damages in an amount between $750 and $30,000, as the court deems just. The court may increase this amount to $150,000 for willful infringements.)

Where a computer program containing trade secret materials is being registered, the Copyright Office allows you to deposit source code with the trade secret information redacted, or to deposit a combination of source code and object code, with up to 49 percent of the source code blacked out. Where an applicant is unwilling to deposit source code (even with portions blacked out), he or she may deposit object code only, but must state in writing that the work as deposited in object code contains copyrightable authorship.

Because of the difficulty in reading object code, depositing your program in this form will generally protect any trade secrets contained in your code. However, because the Copyright Office cannot read the object code to determine if your program constitutes an original work of authorship, your program will be registered under the Copyright Office's "rule of doubt," and you will accordingly lose one of the primary benefits of registration - that is, the presumption that your copyright is valid.

PRACTICE POINT

Who owns the copyright for Applications created by an employee or independent contractor? Under the "work-for-hire" doctrine, there is a rebuttable presumption that the copyright in a work created by an employee acting within the scope of his or her employment vests in the employer, absent an agreement to the contrary. However, an independent contractor generally maintains the rights to his or her creation, unless the parties agree in writing that the work is considered one for hire. Best practice: Get it in writing!

Trademark Registration
A trademark is any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination thereof, that identifies to consumers the source of a product, and allows trademark owner to distinguish their products from the products manufactured or sold by others.

Federal registration of your trademark confers several important advantages:

Exclusive use of the mark for particular goods and services on a nationwide basis. (Note: Without federal registration, an owner's right to use a trademark is limited to the actual geographic area of actual use of the mark.)

Access to the federal courts to enforce your rights, including double or triple damages in the event of willful infringement (which is presumed if the infringed mark was on the federal principal trademark register).
Constructive notice of trademark protection, and prima facie evidence of the registrant's ownership and exclusive right to use the mark.

Right to achieve "incontestable status" after a period of five years of continuous use, thereby reducing the ability of infringers to challenge the validity of the mark on the basis that it is not sufficiently distinctive.

In selecting a name to be trademarked, it is important to adopt a strong (or distinctive) mark, as the level of protection against infringement of a trademark varies according to the "strength" of a mark. Generally, "arbitrary" and "fanciful" marks enjoy the greatest protection, whereas "generic" marks are not registrable, and can therefore never achieve federal protection. Apple, in referring to computers, is an example of a strong (here, "arbitrary") mark because the word "apple" bears no relationship to the product or service the mark represents. On the other hand, the term computer in the software industry is irretrievably generic and would never be afforded trademark protection.

Together with copyright registration, trademark registration should be considered as an additional step to protect your intellectual property rights in any Application you develop.

PRACTICE POINT

Even if you chose not to trademark your Application, a thorough trademark search should be still conducted to avoid inadvertent infringement. A number of Applications have been removed from the App Store on the basis that they allegedly infringed a pre-existing trademark.
Conclusion

While it is impossible to predict every potential legal issue that an iPhone Application developer may confront, the most common pitfalls can certainly be avoided.

A proactive legal compliance strategy, implemented early on as part of the development and pre-development process, should be adopted to reduce legal risk and strengthen protection of your intellectual property rights in your Application.

NOTE

The information contained herein is not intended to constitute legal advice or a legal opinion as to any particular matter. The contents are intended for general information purposes only, and you are urged to consult with an attorney concerning your own situation and any specific questions you may have.

Source: EzineArticles

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