Android Owners Being Left Behind, Study Claims

A new study has revealed that Android phones have a bad history of not getting the latest OS upgrades, often leaving them several versions behind. The Understatement's Michael Degusta tracked 18 different Android phones shipped in the U.S. through the middle of 2010, and found that most have not received major OS upgrades or even minor support patches, even though they're still under contract.

Samsung Hosts Bada 2.0 Power App Race

Samsung Electronics is calling on all developers globally to develop their best app for its newly announced bada 2.0 Power App Race, which gives developers the chance of winning up to USD100 000 for creative app development. Now in its second year, the bada Power App Race competition will formally launch bada 2.0 to mobile applications developers, inspiring them to create innovative new applications using the bada 2.0 SDK. A total of 10 applications - including five game applications, and five non-game applications - will be selected and rewarded with prize money totalling USD1 million. Furthermore, winning applications will receive the "Power App" mark at Samsung Apps, exclusive marketing and promotion benefits.

Microsoft to Peel Mango at Mobile Developer Summit 2011

Microsoft has unleashed its major annual update codenamed Mango, to a flood of devices both old and new. Also known as Windows Phone 7.5, the latest build delivers an onslaught of features -- no less than 500, according to Microsoft. On November 3rd 2011 at the Mobile Developer Summit (MDS) 2011, Microsoft's lead for Technical Evangelism in India, Harish Vaidyanathan, will lift the curtains on the range of Windows Phone opportunities for Developers in India. Whether it’s the recent innovations, insider tricks or exclusive offers that will help you outshine your colleagues, MDS attendees will be the first ones to hear about the same.

The MDS Tribute to Steve Jobs

Mobile Developer Summit (MDS) 2011 will pay rich tributes to Steve through passionate discourses from real professionals and developers who have been touched by Steve's passion and creativity. They will provide their interpretation of how Steve did what he did, and most importantly how we can all learn to unleash our inner Steve.

Adobe Unveils AIR and Flash Player Incubator Program

Adobe has introduced the Adobe AIR and Flash Player Incubator program. Under this program, the Adobe Flash Runtimes team will share with developers features that are under development or experimental in order to get early participation, testing and feedback from the community.

Oracle Fills ASF Renounced JCP Seat with JavaMan Bruno Souza

Oracle has nominated Brazilian user group SouJava to fill the vacancy left by the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) on the Java SE/EE executive committee. SouJava, one of the oldest and largest Java User Groups (JUGs) in the world with 40,000 members, is headed by Bruno Souza who promotes himself as the JavaMan.

Google's Tablet-Geared Android Software Inches Closer with Honeycomb

Google Inc. is inching closer to releasing a version of the Android software meant for tablet computers with the release of its new tablet operating system, Honeycomb, which is now available for developers to tinker with. In a post Wednesday on Google's Android Developers blog, Xavier Ducrohet, the Android SDK tech lead, has suggested that a final version of the kit will be available "in the weeks ahead." This final version is expected to enable developers publish Honeycomb applications to Google's Android Market app store. Consumer tablets running Android 3.0 (aka Honeycomb) is still months away.

Decision Making In Software Teams

Alistair Cockburn has described software development as a game in which we choose among three moves: invent, decide, and communicate. Most of our time at technology conferences is spent learning how to be better at inventing. Beyond that, we understand the importance of good communication, and take steps to improve in that capacity. Rarely, however, do we acknowledge the role of decision making in the life of software teams, what can cause it to go wrong, and how to improve it.

Eclipse Unveils Orion for Web Developers

“Orion” is a brand new adventure for Eclipse, and one which we hope will interest and excite a whole new community: web developers, says Mike Milinkovich, President of the Eclipse Foundation. Orion is not a set of Java plug-ins which run in the existing Java IDE. It is browser-based open tool integration platform which is entirely focused on developing for the web, in the web. Tools are written in JavaScript and run in the browser.

Developers are Key to Success of Windows Phone 7

When Apple launched the iPhone, Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer ridiculed the lack of a keyboard. Little did he know this gadget would become the best selling phone in a league of its own. In an attempt to stay on top of the game, Microsoft released a Windows phone that disappeared just as soon as it had arrived. With the new Windows 7, due out in October, Microsoft is looking forward to redeem itself and reinforce the company’s standing in the technology space. What gives Windows 7 an edge is its ability to run on a wide range of devices unlike the iPhone.

Adobe Flash 10.1 Speeds Up Mac and Shows Love

In the midst of the Apple vs. Adobe war, a phoenix seems to have risen from the ashes. Enter Flash 10.1 on Mac OS X. After years of poor performance and the long raging Apple and Adobe battle, hardware acceleration for Adobe Flash finally got the green signal. The Adobe team seems to have really heard out the developer community this season. With the 10.1 release they have aimed to correct several of the previous Flash glitches. Adobe says developers can look forward to no more bogging down of browsers, CPU utilization reduction (up to two-thirds when GPU hardware acceleration is active) and eliminating the iPhone it runs on a gamut of handheld devices.