Author Archive | Jared Newman

OpenAppMkt: The iPhone Gets a Web App Store

Posted by Jared Newman on July 30, 2010 at 10:28 am

Plenty of websites and services use slick web apps in lieu of, or in addition to, native software for the iPhone App Store, but they had no storefront of their own until now.

OpenAppMkt is an HTML app store that launched today, with everything I’d expect to see in a mobile app market. It has a clean interface for searching or browsing by category, along with a website that’s equally polished. iPhone users can “install” OpenAppMkt by adding the website to their home screen, and individual apps are installed in the same way, creating icons on the home page as if they were native apps.

The app selection is small for now, with only a handful of apps in each category, but nicely curated. When installed, all of them run full screen, without Safari’s navigation bars. You’ll find a bunch of Google’s offerings, such as Google Voice and the excellent YouTube web app, plus some gems such as Glyphboard, which presents a chart of symbols and emoticons for copying and pasting.

Apple does have its own list of Web apps, which is much lengthier than OpenAppMkt, but it lacks user reviews and screenshot galleries, and there’s no iPhone-optimized storefront. It’s safe to assume that Apple is concentrating on the App Store and isn’t going to push web apps anytime soon.

The problem with OpenAppMkt has everything to do with the curent state of web apps. Most of them don’t compare with native apps, and a few selections in OpenAppMkt cheerfully remind you that a better experience awaits in the App Store. It’s true; native apps can handle high-end graphics, multitask, make better use of the accelerometer and allow easy billing through iTunes.

We may see HTML-based apps catch up some day, but right now the best ones are glorified web pages with killer interfaces. At least now there’s a reliable place to find them.

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YouTube Upload Limit Bumped to 15 Minutes

Posted by Jared Newman on July 29, 2010 at 4:09 pm

User-made YouTube videos have been limited to 10 minutes almost since the beginning, but now YouTube is ready to give people 15 minutes per video instead.

YouTube says its Content ID system makes the extra five minutes possible. With all major movie studios and music labels using Content ID to sniff out copyrighted material, and the technology improved enough, YouTube can afford to relax the upload limit, which was introduced to keep pirated television shows and movies off the site. Content partners, such as CBS, have always been able to upload longer videos, including full-length television shows and feature films.

The contrarian in me wants to lament the boosted upload limit. There’s something to be said for concision, and users might lose some editorial discipline with an extra five minutes to spare. But overall I’m happy to see YouTube raise the limit to 15 minutes. The number of videos that will benefit from the extra time — video game walkthroughs, homespun sitcoms, how-to videos and otherwise fascinating raw footage — probably outweigh the ones that would wear our their welcome.

Now, I’m just wondering two things: When will the upload limit increase again, and why not extend it to 20 minutes right now? Product Manager Joshua Siegel didn’t give the most satisfying answer on YouTube’s blog, saying only that the site will do everything it can to release incremental improvements in the future. Maybe the content partners aren’t totally comfortable with user-made videos that match the length of a commercial-free television show, or perhaps YouTube fears the bandwidth demands a 20-minute limit may bring.

Whatever the case, it’s a good sign that YouTube’s moving beyond the upload limit it put in place four years ago. Any bets on when YouTube will allow two-hour feature films from its users?

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Beat Madden 11, Meet a Virtual President Obama

Posted by Jared Newman on July 29, 2010 at 9:35 am

In one of the most blatant uses I’ve seen of the U.S. President’s likeness in a video game, Barack Obama joins the festivities when you win the Super Bowl in Madden 11.

ESPN reports that as part of the victory celebration, players convene in front of the White House, where a virtual Obama gives a speech and unveils a team jersey with his name on it.

This isn’t the first time a likeness of the president has appeared in video games — notable examples include Bill Clinton in NBA Jam and “President Ronnie” in Bad Dudes — and Obama even advertised in some games when he was running for president. But the use of Obama’s name, while standing in front of the White House, takes the presidential imagery further than I’ve seen before.

Actually, I’m kind of surprised that EA Sports pulled it off. I don’t think using Obama’s image is illegal, but in January 2009 Bloomberg ran a story about how White House lawyers were trying to limit how the president’s image is used. The administration has cracked down on advertisements that look like a presidential endorsement, such as a Weatherproof jacket ad that appeared in Times Square. And the Bush administration tried to stop The Onion from using an image of the presidential seal.

But I guess if U.S. presidents can invite real athletes to the White House when they win the Super Bowl, the same courtesy ought to apply to virtual ones. My prediction: Obama throws out the first pitch on opening day in MLB 2K11.

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Facebook Questions Rolls Out. No "Like" Button?

Posted by Jared Newman on July 28, 2010 at 3:33 pm

Facebook’s “Like” button is all over the Internet (including Technologizer) but one place you won’t find it is on Facebook Questions.

Facebook Questions is a new Q&A service like Yahoo Answers, and TechCrunch reports that between 3 million and 5 million users are seeing it now. When you’re curious about something, just click “Ask Question” in the status bar, type the query, and it will be visible to all Facebook users — not just your friends.

The public nature of Facebook Questions is probably the most interesting part of the news. It’s arguably the most forceful thing Facebook has done to bring users outside of their social circles, because you cannot make questions or answers private. Facebook Questions could not survive any other way, but it will probably cause some snafus for people who don’t realize their questions and answers are exposed to 500 million people. (Facebook does give fair warning that your question will be “visible to everyone.”)

Yet I’m stuck on the idea that the prominence of answers to Facebook Questions are not dictated by the almighty Like. Instead, people can vote answers up or down with an uninspired green check or red “X.” See it in action on Facebook’s blog.

My guess is that Facebook couldn’t just rely on nods of approval to filter the best answers. Some way to flag unhelpful answers was needed, and rather than create a “Dislike” button — that’s just not part of Like’s positive feedback vibe — Facebook may have decided to avoid the issue altogether.

Too bad. I’m sure the dawn of a Facebook “Dislike” button would’ve pleased many Internet malcontents.

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More Talk of Google's Social Gaming Plan

Posted by Jared Newman on July 28, 2010 at 10:10 am

If the rumors are accurate, Google is planning something big in social gaming, and not just with Farmville.

The Wall Street Journal’s “people familiar with the matter” say Google is negotiating with a few heavy hitters of social games. Not only has Google reportedly invested in Farmville maker Zynga — between $100 million and $200 million, according to an earlier rumor from TechCrunch — but the company is also in discussions with Playdom and Playfish, owned by Disney and Electronic Arts, respectively.

The rumors don’t tell us what Google’s gaming service, and for that matter a bigger social network reportedly called “Google Me,” will look like. Asked whether the service will resemble Facebook, Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said “the world doesn’t need a copy of the same thing.” Seeing as Zynga, Playdom and Playfish are all entrenched in Facebook, Google’s social glue would have to be quite different for Schmidt’s statement to hold up.

Also, I hope the talk of partnerships with major publishers doesn’t mean Google is neglecting the little guy. Sure, social games are a big business now, but Playdom and Playfish were two- and four-person operations at first. It was only after they helped change the gaming landscape that the major publishers came looking for acquisitions. Similarly, Facebook didn’t negotiate to bring in Farmville after it became a sensation. That game was built on Facebook, and its bond with the platform will be hard to shake.

Negotiations with big publishers is a sign that Google is increasingly serious about gaming, but Google also needs to look out for the next big thing, and I don’t see it coming from the three companies mentioned in the Wall Street Journal’s report.

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Amazon Runs Out of Kindles

Posted by Jared Newman on July 27, 2010 at 4:48 pm

Talk about bad timing. On the same day Amazon boasted the first author to sell one million Kindle books, the stock of Kindle e-readers dried up.

The basic second-generation Kindle is listed as “Temporarily out of stock” at Amazon, with no estimated ship date. If the jumbo Kindle DX’s prominent display on Amazon’s home page is any indication, the retailer is aware that there are no second-generation Kindles left. (If you absolutely must have one, there’s a refurbished model for $170.)

So now it’s time to bring out the theories. As SlashGear notes, there was that rumor from Bloomberg of a third-generation Kindle, supposedly due in August. It will be thinner, with a more responsive screen and sharper display, Bloomberg’s unnamed sources said, but without a touch screen or color.

We’re coming up on August, and the sudden Kindle disappearance fits Amazon’s profile. A few months before Amazon debuted the Kindle 2 in February 2009, first-generation models disappeared. If a new Kindle is coming, I wouldn’t expect such a long delay this time. The market is too competitive for Amazon to miss months of sales, and I’m sure Amazon has a better handle on manufacturing now than it did two years ago.

It’s foolish to rule out some unusual supply glitch, in which case everything should go back to normal soon, but Amazon could use a Kindle refresh either way. The retailer promotes the Kindle as being easy to hold and easy to read outdoors — by comparison, Apple’s iPad is neither — so a thinner, better-looking Kindle would build nicely on that marketing hook. My guess is that Amazon’s early boasts about book sales are building up to a grand announcement of Kindle 3, so maybe the timing’s not so bad after all.

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StarCraft Stats: Then and Now

Posted by Jared Newman on July 27, 2010 at 10:26 am

PC gamers are coming out of the woodwork for today’s release of StarCraft II, a remarkable thing considering the downward spiral of traditional retail computer gaming. But how much has PC gaming really changed in the 12 years since Blizzard (now Activision-Blizzard) released the original StarCraft? To find out, I dug up a few facts and figures from 1998 and today.

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Augen's $150 Android Tablet Coming to Kmart This Week

Posted by Jared Newman on July 26, 2010 at 3:42 pm

While most major hardware makers are still getting their tablet acts together, Augen is sneaking in with 7-inch Android tablet, supposedly due this week in Kmart stores for $150.

The specs aren’t half-bad, either. According to Augen’s website, the Gentouch78 runs Android 2.1 and has an 800 MHz processor, built-in Wi-Fi, 256 MB of RAM, 2 GB of memory and an SD card slot holding up to 16 GB. It also supports 720p video playback, has USB input for data transfers and comes with a leather carrying case. Augen’s website claims Android Market support for 70,000 apps, which is surprising because Google reportedly prohibits access for devices that lack smartphone-like hardware, such as cameras and accelerometers.

If a cheap Android tablet interests you, but sounds too good to be true, there’s not much harm in finding out. Engadget heard from an Augen representative that the tablet will be in Kmart stores this week, and it’s already showing up in circulars. With any luck, you’ll be able to try the tablet before buying. You may also be able to take it home for a while, as I don’t see any exceptions for computers in Kmart’s 90-day return policy, but I’d double check in the store if you’re serious about it.

Companies that have promised or at least considered Android tablets include Asus, Acer, Lenovo, LG, HP, HTC and Toshiba. Archos already sells a 7-inch tablet that’s stuck on Android 1.5 and costs $200. Dell’s about to launch the 5-inch Streak Android tablet, and may move up to larger sizes, but so far, there isn’t much you can buy stateside.

So here’s to one of the first actual iPad alternatives to actually reach a retail store, and for cheap. Strange that it’s only available at Kmart and comes from a brand you probably haven’t heard of.

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