Saturday, July 24, 2010

Microsoft pays for Windows Phone 7 apps, but not for finding browser bugs

Is Microsoft more concerned with Web browser security or having a populous mobile app store? Its paychecks to outsiders may provide a hint.

For some software developers who pledge to build applications for Microsoft's impending Windows Phone 7 smart-phone platform, the Redmond, Wash., company says it will offer an array of financial incentives.

Third-party developers can score free creation tools and handsets, as well as cash to cover development and marketing costs, Todd Brix, a senior director at Microsoft, told Bloomberg last week. Microsoft is also selectively offering revenue guarantees, which it will cover in case targets are missed.

Partner developers have already begun receiving phones, The Times has learned.

The 90,000 or so Microsoft employees also will get free Windows Phone 7 devices. Those workers have allegedly been encouraged "to develop apps for Marketplace [the system's app store] in your spare time," according to a supposedly leaked memo from  Andy Lees, Microsoft's mobile senior vice president. A Microsoft spokeswoman said the company is offering a development tool kit to employees but did not acknowledge the memo.

Microsoft will pay for apps, but apparently won't pay volunteers to squash bugs in its Internet Explorer browser.

Google, which makes Chrome, and Mozilla Foundation, which makes Firefox, each say they will pay about $3,000 per report of a new security flaw in their browsers. But Microsoft spokesman Jerry Bryant said the company wouldn't reimburse people who discover security holes in its browser.

"While we do not provide a monetary reward on a per-bug basis, like any other industry, we do recognize and honor talent," Bryant said in a statement. "We’ve had several influential folks from the researcher community join our security teams as Microsoft employees."

So as far as security is concerned, Microsoft won't hand out checks to any old schmo, but you might get a job out of it.

However, Microsoft has historically expressed willingness to dole out cash for help on some things. To promote the Bing search engine, Microsoft launched a program called Cashback that offered financial incentives for shopping on its website.

"Cashback ended up having mixed success for us," Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's senior vice president of online, told The Times last month. "It was a big hit for advertisers ... but it didn't actually change the consumer search behavior."

Despite Cashback's ineffectiveness, Microsoft found other ways to progress its prized search engine -- a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, for one.

Whether the financial incentives for app developers pay off is yet to be seen. A commercially available device running Windows Phone 7 won't materialize until at least the fall.

But investing a piece of last quarter's $16 billion in revenue toward ensuring that there are plentiful software options available to Windows Phone 7 customers is a solid indication that the app ecosystem is a priority for Microsoft.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Nokia N Series abandon Symbian platform will be used MeeGo

Nokia recently insiders, Nokia N8 will be equipped with the last paragraph of the Nokia N series phones Symbian platform, from the N8, the Nokia N series phones will start using the new MeeGo system. According to foreign media analysis, benefit by the Nokia decision to seize the Apple iOS MeeGo platform and Android system market share.

It is understood that the upcoming Nokia N N8 will be the last a series of Symbian smartphones, then Symbian will be in the X series and E series Nokia to continue to follow the current version is Symbian 3, the future will be developed to the Symbian 4, another Nokia C series will continue to use the S40 platform. Nokia N Series is the most user a welcome series, Nokia hopes the new platform to attract more users.

Nokia N Series the first smart phone using MeeGo platform will be the Nokia N9 cell phone, the aircraft has been in the week before exposure, taking into account the N8 Nokia phones will be the end of this year's 43-quarter or fourth quarter, the market, it is difficult to say that Nokia N9 whether the phone could be launched before the end of this year.

Nokia N9 cell phone in a video last week, appears, from the screenshots, we can find positive and Nokia N8 phone is very similar in appearance with the largest difference between N8 N9 is equipped with a full keyboard design. It is understood that Nokia N9 cell phone will use a large screen sizes more than most smart phones like the Nokia N97 also able to keep the same tilt. Nokia N9 are equipped with full keyboard with a little adjustment, at least key area will be enlarged

Because information is limited, at present we can not know the Nokia N9 phone configuration information and prices etc, but from the contents of this exposure, N9 basic information used MeeGo system has been established.

N900 can be the first to experience the MeeGo exposure system interface

July 2 news, MeeGo community recently announced code-named "Day 1" of MeeGo mobile user experience projects. Following the May released the developer for the online version of this, the current mobile version of MeeGo system source code to the developers officially released, developers can download and on the phone for installation of equipment based on Intel Atom processor (Moorestown platform ) and the ARM processor-based Nokia N900 (parameter Photo Forum) phone will support this version of the system.

N900可率先体验 MeeGo系统界面首度曝光 N900可率先体验 MeeGo系统界面首度曝光

MeeGo community also released some of the mobile platform MeeGo system user interface. From these pictures look, MeeGo user interface and Nokia MeeGo platform and are very different from Intel's Moblin, but overall, it looks and most of the major smartphone platform, the interface is not too big compared to new ideas.

Nokia 5800 XM Firmware

Nokia has released latest Firmware v50.0.005 for Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. This firmware brings more enhancement to the very famous Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.

As you already know that previously Nokia had released its FW v40.0.005 which brought a lots of changes to usage and convenience of the phone. The new Firmware adds more to the features of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.

The major changes we found in Nokia 5800 XM after Firmware update are:

  • Kinetic scrolling in main menu
  • Kinetic scrolling in web browser
  • Web browser opens in full screen mode by default
  • Improved music player ( like Nokia N97 )
  • Hide option in music player instead of exit
  • New 1 touch dialling and call settings options in dialler
  • Improved camera quality
  • Option to enable history list in web browser
  • Option to send webpage via message blutooth in webbrowser
  • Ovi Sync application added

How to download?

This firmware is currently available for most generic Euro codes and can be downloaded using NSU or OTA(Over-the-air).

If you find some more changes in newer firmware, feel free to share in your comments. Further news update will post later. Please share your opinion with this update.