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21 Jan 2010

All eyes are on Apple as the company prepares to unveil its Tablet device next week. But the dominant force in the e-reader market – Amazon – is about to shake things up in a major way by announcing what amounts to an app store for Kindle.

According to The New York Times, a formal announcement from Amazon will come on Thursday. The company expects developers to build a wide range of applications, from new ways to experience e-books to games and utility apps.

And just like iPhone, there’s going to be lots of money to be made: developers will keep 70 percent of the revenue from app sales. Content publishers also stand to make more money — the NYT reports that the app store model may represent a shift in Kindle’s relationship with newspapers and magazines, as those companies currently receive just a 30 percent cut of sales.

This is a huge development that completely changes the dynamics of the impending Tablet wars. Developers will suddenly have two huge new markets to target, content publishers will have some leverage in negotiating deals with Amazon and Apple, and consumers will have a lot more to think about when it comes to choosing which device sits in between their mobile phone and their desktop computer.

Tags: amazon, apple, Apple Tablet, gadgets, Kindle, software

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Tags: Amazon, app, Apple, Apple Tablet, company, content publishers, device, dominant force, e reader, formal announcement, Kindle

iPhone Sega Genesis Emulator Is Totally Official

In: web resources

21 Jan 2010

A completely legit Sega Genesis emulator for the iPhone and iPod touch will hit the Apple App Store this February, according to Gizmodo.

It will be free with one game (Space Harrier II), but you’ll be able to buy more games within the app for $5.99 and under. Sonic the Hedgehog, Shining Force, Golden Axe and Ecco the Dolphin will be among the first games available.

Sonic the Hedgehog and other Sega games have been available as independent downloads in the App Store for months. The idea here is to bring it all together into one app, making things easier to manage. The app will also give Sega the chance to tempt you into buying more games every time you load up Space Harrier II.

Game emulators allow you to use software intended for another device on your phone. They’ve been popular on personal computers for a very long time, but the questionable legality of the unofficial copies of the games has given Apple pause about allowing these things into the App Store in the past. This Genesis emulator (called Ultimate Genesis) was built by Sega itself, and it will play only games Sega makes available in its store. Sorry, but you won’t be able to import those 1,000 Genesis ROMs you downloaded on your PC or Mac.

Unofficial emulators that can play those ROMs are still out there, but you’ll have to jailbreak your phone to use them because they’re not available through the App Store.

Ultimate Genesis isn’t the first game emulator for the iPhone; a Commodore 64 app hit the virtual shelves last year.

Reviews: App Store, game

Tags: apple, apple app store, emulator, iphone, sega, sega genesis, sega ultimate genesis, video games

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Tags: app, Apple App, emulator, game emulator, Genesis, genesis roms, Mac, Sega, sega genesis emulator, space harrier ii, Store, virtual shelves

State of the Union Address to Be Streamed Live on White House iPhone App

In: web resources

21 Jan 2010

The White House just released its own iPhone app [iTunes link] on the Apple App Store. It serves up news, videos, photos and blog posts, but most notably it will stream live video events, including the President’s upcoming State of the Union address.

The app is free, and we’re impressed by how elegant and simple the design is. There’s nothing at all revolutionary here, but organizations both public and private often release poorly designed iPhone apps. If you’re a U.S. citizen, you probably won’t feel that your tax dollars were wasted developing this thing, assuming you think an iPhone app is worth the effort and investment to begin with.

If the intention is to keep citizens engaged, the app will do as good a job as you can expect. It mostly features content from the already impressive whitehouse.gov: all the blog posts, newsroom items, photos and videos of everything from Press Secretary Robert Gibbs’s press briefings to Obama’s appearances and government PSAs.

The live video feature isn’t just reserved for major events. At present, the listed current and upcoming streams include President Obama’s January 22nd town hall meeting in Ohio, his National Mentoring Month speech, a meeting between the First Lady and White House tour visitors, a Gibbs press briefing, an education Q&A with Domestic Policy Advisor Melody Barnes, and, of course, the State of the Union address on the 27th.

You could previously watch some events on sites like Ustream. You still can, we’re sure, but this administration has put some effort into engaging users of social media and technology. Obama just posted his first tweet, actually.

The White House blog says that a mobile version of the whitehouse.gov website will soon launch at m.whitehouse.gov for devices other than iPhones. There’s no word yet on native Android or BlackBerry apps.

Reviews: Android, BlackBerry Rocks!, iPhone

Tags: apple app store, iphone, live video, obama, Political, White House