This post is the second in the ReadWrite series Making Android Pay, in which we explore the opportunities and challenges mobile developers face trying to make money from Android apps.

How do you get mobile developers to love you? Give them free tools and pad their wallets. 

One of the big themes for Google last week at its I/O developers conference was helping developers make more money creating apps for Android. That included a variety of tools to help them engage with their users and process transactions as well as optimization tips to monetize Android.

Monetization is a big challenge for Android developers. Developers who make Android apps earn a fraction of what they make from Apple's iOS, which paid developers nearly $1 billion alone in January this year and $8 billion total as of February. Android developers can only dream of such riches. 

(See also How Google Is Wooing Developers to Make Apps For Android First.)

Yet there is hope. Google's VP of Android product management Hugo Barra told I/O attendees last week that Google had paid more to Android developers in the past 4 months than the previous 12 months before that combined. This increase has been driven by a renewed focus by Google to give developers more tools to make money, culminating in a slurry of announcements to the Google Play Developer Console last week.

"Everything from the analytics integration we have shown to you could imagine other things that Google could put together," said Ellie Powers, product manager for Google Play in an interview with ReadWrite.

Powers continued:

I think that is sort of the next thing. They want to have deeper insights. They want to know exactly what they should work on. And I think [with] the things that we are doing we can continue enhancing them. Developers always want more stuff. They are always really hungry and we are hearing from more and more developers. They are saying they want to invest more because you [Google] give us such great data we are able to use that to understand our users better and invest more in the Android platform.

New Tools In The Google Play Developer Console

Specifically, Google issued six new features to Google Play to help Android developers optimize towards monetization:

1. App translation service: The ability to translate an app into a different language directly from Google Play Developer Console. This is an agency approach (human, not machine) that Google purposefully chose because it found the human touch of translations provided better results on the local level.
2. Revenue graphs: A new tab in the Developer Console gives developers a summary of their app global app revenue over time.
3. Alpha and beta testing and staged rollouts: Perhaps the biggest announcement for Android developers last week, beta and staged rollouts are unique to Android. This should encourage developers to take bigger risks knowing that they will not be rolling out a bug-laden app to 100% of its users.
4. Optimization tips: Based on analytics from Google Play, optimization tips will point developers towards market segments that could benefit them, like launching in a new country or developing specifically for tablets, which make 1.7-times more revenue per user than do Android smartphones.
5. Google Analytics: Mobile data on usage, time spent and a variety of cohorts as Google Analytics for Mobile is integrated straight into the Developer Console.
6. Referral tracking: Where are your installs coming from? Did getting written about by the major tech publications give you a bump? How about that in-app advertising? Referral tracking will tell you.

More Ways To Pay: Simplifying The Billing Infrastructure

Overlooked in the improvements made to the Google Play Developer Console were several infrastructure tweaks to the way Google processes payments for developers. The purchase flow (from app discovery to payment) has been simplified with the new user interface in Google Play, making it easier for users to pay in a variety of ways. Those include expanded gift cards and pre-paid options (which Google announced at I/O 2012 and has been improving on ever since). 

Google is working hard to get Android users to overcome their relative reluctance to paid purchases by promoting gift cards and other pre-paid mechanisms - like Google Play promotional credits with mobile device purchases. While Google acknowledged at I/O that "the barriers to success for a paid title is very high," making a purchase with a free credit seems to help encourage users to keep buying even when the credits run out. 

(See also Google Is Making Life Easier For Android Developers.)

The company is also boosting options for direct-carrier billing in markets around the world. One reason for the success of Apple's App Store is that the company already has every user's credit card number. Because Google doesn't make or sell Android devices, it may not necessarily have that information. In developing markets, especially, credit cards are either non-existent or not popular. Direct-carrier billing gives Google a popular, easy-to-use payment method almost everywhere. About 50% of Android's daily active users now have access to direct-carrier billing, the company said.

"We went from having 20 countries or so that could pay to what is it? 130 or so," Powers said. "So that is amazing. I think with a lot of developers they are only thinking about people in their own countries but it turns out that there are billions of people in the world... So helping developers reach into new markets really helps there too."

From a developer's perspective, of course, it doesn't really matter what option a user pays with - as long as they pay. Google takes care of the entire payments infrastructure on the backend - the developer doesn't even need to know what option was used. The ongoing problem, of course, is that even with the improvements, Google Play still can't match the ease of use of the App Store, which licenses Amazon's 1-Click payment patent. Even as Android eclipses Apple's iOS in many ways, playing catch-up in this area is likely to be an ongoing effort for Google.

Top image by Nick Statt: Google's Android head Sundar Pichai announces 900 million Android installations at I/O 2013.

As the world goes mobile, businesses around the world are rushing to build app they hope will take center stage on your smartphone home screen. Most are not worth the bother. This seems especially true for apps from non-tech companies, too many of which seem to be poorly designed attempts to create intrusive commercials.

But not every app from non-tech companies fit that description. It turns out that you don't have to be an Amazon or a Google to deliver a great app experience. 

Each of the six apps profiled below fully delivers on the company's core business - making me want to remain (or become) a customer. Beyond that, they are all surprisingly intuitive and helpful. The key characteristic they share? An overriding concern for the user: 

1. CVS Pharmacy: Primary Needs

The CVS app makes great use of multiple smartphone functions. You can easily find a nearby store, use digital coupons to save money, then collect points for additional savings - all within the app.

Scan your prescription's barcode with your smartphone camera to have your medications refilled. If you want a picture from your smartphone's camera printed out, that's easy, too.

The CVS app is simple to use and packed with helpful customer-facing features. If my parents used a smartphone, I would get them this app. The iPhone version of the app has 4.5 stars and nearly 16,000 reviews. 

[iPhone] [Android]

2. In-N-Out Burger: Loyal Following

Not being from California, I am at a loss to explain the cult-like popularity of this burger chain. But, the app is as as good as a Double-Double. Basic, well-made, and exactly what the user wants.

The In-N-Out app offers turn-by-turn navigation to the nearest In-N-Out outlet. Users can store their gift points in the app. For the faithful, the app includes a full menu (including the not-so-secret menu; Animal Style anyone?), downloadable content and the "history of..." In-N-Out. Well done.

[iPhone] [Android]

3. Chase: Personal Service

Perhaps nobody likes dealing with their bank. Though I think this app is great, with more than 71,000 reviews in iTunes alone, it scores only a 3.5 rating. Frankly, I wish my regular bank's app was this good. 

In fact, for what this app allows me to do, and for how easy it is to operate, it not only outdoes other bank apps, it's far more handy than many mainstream tech apps.With the Chase Mobile app, you can scan and deposit checks into your account. It's easy to set automated text alerts - such as for being notified via SMS when you have low balance. You can pay bills through the app, get a complete overview of all your Chase accounts, transfer money, review your transaction history, find a nearby ATM, click-to-call a Chase representative - all very easily, in my opinion.

[iPhone] [Android] 

4. MLB.com: Content-Rich

If you're not a baseball fan you may not care about the MLB's "At Bat" app. This is wrong.

At Bat app's ease of use, it's incredibly dense feature set, and its simple, well-crafted design offering various additional levels of content, all billed through the app, are a thing of beauty. App developers for all content-rich sites should study At Bat.

With this app, users get the latest scores, the latest news, can track their home team, and favorite players. Set notifications for team and players - and know instantly if your favorite pitcher is chasing a no-hitter, then tune-in.  

Want more than animated game graphics? For very reasonable fees, At Bat offers options to listen to any game (home and away feeds). Pay a bit more and you can watch nearly any game, live. Games are also archived and condensed for later viewing. 

At Bat is simple to use, understands its fan base - and their varying levels of fanaticism - and offers greater content depth for each level of user. I suggest every sports league in the world just copy MLB.com's At Bat app. 

[iPhone] [Android] 

5. Grainger: Servicing Core Customers

Grainger sells all manner of industrial supplies, power tools and equipment for builders and contractors. It's been in business since 1927 - but the company obviously understands the importance of technology to support its mission, as its app is great. 

Looking for a highly specific product among thousands of options? Type it or speak it into the search box. You can have the product shipped to you or a nearby store, and track its progress in real-time. You can even get product reviews from other contractors. 

Your shopping cart and data are synched across your computer and smartphone. That's important for contractors who may need to access Grainger from a job site or back at the office. Plus you click-to-call for help, tap for the nearest location,and share purchase/needs lists with co-workers. This app knows what the company's customers need and works hard to fulfill them.

[iPhone] [Android] 

6. Lululemon: A Sense Of Community

Lululemon sells clothes and accessories, primarily for yoga, primarily for women. Its app, Om Finder, is not a shopping app, however. Instead, it focuses on helping users find the nearest and/or best yoga studio, yoga teacher or yoga class. 

The Om Finder app is simple and purposeful. It's all about helping the customer be their best at the thing Lululemon's clothing is best suited for.Users can share tips about a facility or teacher, connect with others through the app and maintain a schedule of their yoga sessions.

Sure, it's not all altruism. Many people who practice yoga are likely to purchase (still more) clothing from Lululemon. This is a smart way for the company to support its business, help its customers and foster a sense of community, all with a single, simple app. Other businesses - not just retailers - should follow Lululemon's lead.

[iPhone only] 

Great Apps Are Everywhere

The shelf life of most apps is not long. The apps listed above, however, all make my life easier, better, happier or more productive - without annoying me, intruding upon my personal space or bombarding me with junk.  

While very different, all these apps offer important lessons in how companies of all types can use mobile applications to please customers, extend their mission and leverage the power of community.

Facebook has just acquired Parse, a popular suite of tools for mobile and Web app developers. The acquisition will serve Facebook's mobile mission well, encouraging developers to build apps tied into the social network while easing the barriers to entry.

Already, Parse has attracted interest from familiar names like Sesame Workshop, which makes a Cookie Monster app, and Carnival Cruises, which used Parse's cross-platform tools to build its Ship Mate app.

The acquisition suggests that Facebook wants brands like these to go beyond building Facebook pages and running ads to creating mobile experiences which generate activity on Facebook users' profiles and news feeds. 

With this buy, rumored to be worth around $85 million, Facebook dives headlong into the nascent game of providing the technical underpinnings for apps, also known as the back end. Parse's peers in this emerging mini-industry are companies like Stackmob, Kinvey, and Cocoafish, the latter of which Appcelerator acquired last year.

Parse has an enthusiastic community of developers—and for good reason. The developer platform subtracts some of the nastier requirements of building apps, like server maintenance—ick! Instead, it lets app builders concentrate their energy around what matters - namely, developing an awesome user interface, or front end. 

We spoke with former Hipmunk mobile developer and user-experience guru Danilo Campos about what the acquisition means for developers loyal to Parse. 

"I hope the incentives are aligned such that Facebook wins when developers win," Campos said. "It's easy to get antsy when a [big company] buys up a gem. But I think Parse's leadership is damn smart and if anything can navigate these waters for the best outcome, it's them."

Facebook refused to comment on the deal's terms beyond saying that "this is an acquisition - not a talent deal." Facebook has bought some design- and mobile-oriented companies primarily to hire their talent while abandoning their products. That's not the case here: Parse and Facebook says current products will be supported.

According to Facebook's blog:

Today, we’re making it even easier to build mobile apps with Facebook Platform by by announcing that we have entered into an agreement to acquire Parse, a cloud-based platform that provides scalable cross-platform services and tools for developers. By making Parse a part of Facebook Platform, we want to enable developers to rapidly build apps that span mobile platforms and devices.

It remains to be seen if Parse, under Facebook's wing, will maintain or extend support for competing social platforms like Twitter. Still, Facebook didn't seem keen on messing with the Parse's existing well-loved products and services.

This week has been full of news on wearable devices: First the report from The Wall Street Journal that Microsoft is fabricating a smart watch (whether it’s just a prototype or an actual product is not confirmed); then Google’s release of guidelines for developers building apps (known as “Glassware”) for Glass; followed by the news on Wednesday that Google will start shipping Glass units to participants in its Explorers program.

(See also Google Glassware: How Developers Can Build Apps For Google Glass.)

To put these stories in perspective, Glass is a much, much more important story than any smart watch story — whether that watch is made by Microsoft, Samsung or even Apple. Smart watches could enable new “glanceable” experiences that we haven’t had on other devices, enhanced by body-generated data, like the Basis smartwatch does today. But they won’t fundamentally disrupt social norms in the way that Glass will. At best, they’ll reinforce existing ecosystems for smartphones — i.e., iPhone buyers might buy an iWatch; an iWatch might displace some phone usage, but wouldn’t replace a phone altogether.

Google Glass Could Be The Next Big App Platform

Smart watches are incremental steps forward toward the smart body future, but Glass is a giant leap forward in shoes propelled by rocket fuel. There is a very real chance that consumers will reject Glass, consigning it to the geeky niche of Bluetooth earpiece headsets. But if Glass succeeds, it could be the next iPhone: the next great platform for app development — not just for professional software developers but for non-tech companies like media, banks, retailers, hospitals and every other entity that wants to engage its customers or employees digitally.

Three initiatives in particular stack the deck in favor of the Glass success scenario.

First, Google’s transparent approach to product development gives Google insight into how consumers envision using Glass, identify concerns early and adapt its product and marketing accordingly, all while building buzz among socially connected early adopters. (Key fact: 68% of Glass Explorers have 1,000 or more followers on Twitter.)

Second, the new Glass Collective seed fund from Google Ventures, Andreeson Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins ensures that Glass-related apps, accessories and other products get the investmeent they need to feed the Glass ecosystem — just as iPhone app startups got in 2008.

The third initiative — Google placing restrictions on app developers in support of the user experience — takes on the biggest barrier to Glass adoption.

Wearing Glass creates a new experience not just for the person wearing the device, but also for everyone near someone wearing the device. Initial curiosity could quickly fade to annoyance when talking to someone seemingly distracted by a display you can’t see.

(See also 5 Socially Unacceptable Things You're Going To Do With Google Glass.)

And then, of course, there’s the anger and frustration you feel when your likeness is photographed or videoed, autotagged and shared without your consent or control.

(See also Google Glass: Our Lives Are Not Reality TV.)

We already live this every day on Facebook; Glass just accelerates the phenomenon. The hardest challenge for Glass to overcome is not making the technology work or attracting developers, but establishing social norms around the device that draw people in rather than making them want to run for un-surveillanced cover.

Google Can Influence How People Use Glass

Google can’t control consumers’ manners — if you’re rude enough to text on your phone at the dinner table, you’ll be rude enough to read texts on Glass in front of other people. Your rudeness is not Google’s fault any more than it is the phone manufacturer’s fault. Still, Google, Glass Collective investors and app developers can influence the degree to which Glass supports, rather than distracts from, human goals (see Adam Gazzaley’s research at UCSF to understand what I mean).

Google is moving Glass in a positive direction, forbidding apps with advertising on Glass, forbidding apps to access sensors on the device and forbidding apps to track and share user data for advertising purposes - at least to start. The New York Times Bits Blog quotes Google advising app developers to “make sure apps do not send updates too frequently and to be sure to avoid doing anything consumers do not expect,” and get users’ explicit permission to do things on the user’s behalf.

This is a smart move on Google’s part. It not only supports consumers’ interests but also makes it more likely that using Glass — and being around someone using Glass — will be a positive experience: The less intrusive and distracting the experience of using Glass is, the more Glass wearers can focus attention on the people they’re with or the task they’re trying to accomplish.

(See also Is There Any Way To Jam Google Glass?)

We will all play a role in shaping how Glass fits into our lives and our culture. Consumers must take ultimate responsibility for how they use the device, but it’s encouraging to see Google playing its part.

Mobile app developers have a favorite pastime: complaining about fragmentation in the world of Android. “So many screen sizes! So many version numbers! Why can’t Google be more like Apple and make it simple?”

Developers tend to be a whiny lot. 

Yet, it can be hard to keep track of the ever-evolving Android platform. Since 2008, there have been 39 updates to Android among nine major system versions. From Cupcake version 1.5 to Jelly bean version 4.2.2, there have been thousands of design changes, feature additions, security updates and general improvements to Android. Only the most dedicated of developers can tell you precisely what is different in each version of Android. Add all of the major and minor tweaks Google has added to Android with devices from the likes of Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG and others and it becomes a complicated environment in which to build an app.

Boston-based mobile cloud services company Kinvey understands developers’ pain. It has created a handy infographic that maps the major changes to Android from inception to the latest build and even speculates on what might be coming next with the so-called Android 5.0, Key Lime Pie, which Google will likely announce at its I/O developers conference in May. Some highlights:

Android 1.0 – Inception

• Google Maps, Search & Talk
• Camera Support
• Custom notifications and wallpapers

• Widget support
• Copy & paste in the browser
• Auto-rotate

• Quick search box
• New framework APIs
• Text-to-speech engine

• Turn-by-turn navigation
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Live wallpapers

• Wi-Fi hotspot functionality
• Adobe Flash support
• Dedicated shortcuts on the homescreen

Android 2.3 – Gingerbread

• Near Field Communications (NFC)
• Video chat in Google Talk
• Extra Large screen sizes supported (for Google TV)

• Dedicated tablet support
• Virtual and holographic user interface
• New Action Bar

• Google Chrome for Android browser
• Swipe to dismiss notifications
• Resizable Widgets

• Google Now
• Project Butter improves user experience
• Google Cloud Messaging

Check out the infographic from Kinvey below. What do you think has been the best improvement to Android since Cupcake? Let us know in the comments. 

Guest author Michael Hughes works on business development and marketing at CoFoundersLab.

In today's uber-connected digital world, software has become the backbone of innovation, and it plays a major role in virtually every business. From high tech to clean tech to healthcare to physical products, almost every business needs someone with at least some technical chops.

High-tech startups need technical co-founders more than just about anyone else. But with demand for technical talent at an all time high, your startup doesn't stand much of a chance of finding a first-class technical co-founder. Instead, you need to focus on attracting one.

The first step is getting into the right mindset: Stop right now with thinking you have the best idea and that this is all it takes. You may very well have the next game-changing idea, but that's missing the point. A technical co-founder wants to build your company with you, not for you.

Repeat this to yourself until you believe it in your bones: Your idea isn’t the best idea, and a technical co-founder doesn’t want to work for you on your idea.

You need to show prospective co-founders more than simply an idea, and you need to make them feel like they will be part of that idea, not just working for you. In-demand technical types aren’t going to work their fingers to the bone for very little money on nothing more than someone else's idea.

At a recent Co-Founders Wanted Brooklyn Meetup, Greg Whalin, one of the co-founders and former CTO of Meetup, recounted how after leaving Meetup after 10 years, he had lots of requests to join other people’s startups as a technical co-founder. The only ones he took seriously were from people with something more tangible than simply an idea. Greg looked for founders who wanted him to build something with them, not for them - who were looking for a true partner.

So how do you demonstrate those things to potential co-founders? You can start with these three tips:

1. Build A Prototype

Nothing shows commitment like actually building a prototype - or at least some initial wireframes. Having something tangible, whether a first pass at a website, app or physical product is the only real way to show passion and commitment. Not only will this bring your idea to life, but it will also help you stand out from the other hustlers with nothing more than a PowerPoint deck. If you can’t get this far, you probably aren’t ready to find a business partner.

2. Talk To Potential Customers

An idea without customers is simply that: an idea. Do your homework and reach out to potential customers to get feedback on your product or company. Show them your prototype or wireframes and ask them if they would be willing to pay for your product or service. Customers who are willing to pay are the key to every successful business, and demonstrating this through real research and outreach can make a big difference to potential partners.

3. Learn To Code

If you can learn to code, even a little, you will gain a measure of respect from potential technical co-founders. There’s no better way to relate to someone than to speak their language. Learning to code will also help you gauge just how talented a potential technical co-founder really is. If you don’t understand anything about programming, how can you evaluate someone else's skills? Learning the basics has never been easier, with resources like Codecademy, Skillshare, Starter League in Chicago, Intelligent.ly in Boston and General Assembly. There are also plenty of free, open courses from top universities.

Remember, you need to treat a technical co-founder like a true partner, not just the person who will write your code. The key to attracting talent is to show real, tangible progress and commitment. Good luck!

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Adblock Plus, the popular free ad blocking tool for PCs and smartphones, was removed by Google from its Google Play store for Android apps. Though the app will no longer be available through Google Play, Adblock Plus has made a downloadable version of the app available directly from its website. Of course, it's still available for PC and Mac computer users, while it has never been an option for iPhone and iPad users.

"Google Crossed The Line"

Still, according to Till Faida, co-founder of Adblock Plus, "Google has crossed a red line by removing the app" and "is placing business interests ahead of user interests."

"Isn't Android an open system?" he asked. "We are not interfering with any other apps. We are providing choice. The user should be in charge of what services may access their device - not Google."

According to the Google email notice sent to Adblock Plus, Google cited a "violation" of the Developer Distribution Agreement:

This is a notification that your application, Adblock Plus, with package ID org.adblockplus.android, has been removed from the Google Play Store.

After a regular review we have determined that your app interferes with or accesses another service or product in an unauthorized manner. This violates the provision of your agreement with Google referred to above.

The developer agreement section cited by Google precludes an app from interfering with the operation of another app or service, for example. Faida, however, stated that Adblock Plus in no way interferes with any app or service. Rather, it requires access to browser services and proxy settings to ensure it is blocking Web advertisements, per the user's designated preferences. Faida charged that by removing the app, "Google is ultimately limiting user control over what they wish to see or access."

Adblock Plus Is Huge On Computer Browsers

Adblock Plus is widely used on computer browsers, but that didn't deter Google from removing the app version from Google Play. Per a Adblock press release, removing Adblock Plus from Google Play is one in a series of steps that Google has recently undertaken to limit user's ability to block ads from Android devices:

Google's rationale behind removing Adblock Plus is that it violates Section 4.4 of their Developer Distribution Agreement. But today's action is the third in a string of actions that Google has taken against Adblock Plus: in late February Google began forcing Android users to manually configure a proxy server in order to run Adblock Plus; in December 2012 Google re-categorized Adblock Plus in the Chrome Web store and stopped showing it in search results when users specifically looked for the extension; and when Adblock Plus re-listed as an app on December 12th, Google took it down again 12 hours later. 

“I realize that advertising revenue is important to Google, but understand that Adblock Plus does not automatically block all ads; we simply allow users the choice whether to block ads or whitelist them."  

No Response From Google

According to Faida, Google has not responded to Adblock Plus' requests for additional information or a valid workaround beyond the original email notice.  

Adblock Plus is not available on Apple's App Store. Adblock Plus requires the ability to configure the proxy settings on the phone, which Apple does not allow. Though the service could work on a jailbroken iPhone, Faida said, "We have not invested in developing anything for iOS because we don't want to encourage jailbreaking. We want to encourage people to use open systems instead."

Google responded to ReadWrite's request for comment by stating, "We remove apps from Google Play that violate our policies.”

Lead image courtesy of Adblock Plus

Guest author Todd Anglin is EVP Cross Platform Tools & Services at Telerik.

For HTML5 developers and decision makers, the most important technologies right now are HTML, JavaScript, CSS, mobile platforms and devices and evolving HTML platforms (browsers and operating systems). But what does that mean in the real world? It means these 10 things in 2013:  

1. Rise Of HTML5 Mobile Platforms

HTML5 has played an increasingly important role building cross-platform apps for mobile devices. So far that has primarily been done using native “wrappers,” such as Cordova, which allow HTML and JavaScript to power apps on other native platforms (such as iOS and Android). This technique is called “hybrid” app development.

This year, though, a wave of emerging platforms will support HTML5 apps as a first-class citizen - no wrapper required! The biggest players will be Chrome OS, which is about to get much more attention from Google; Firefox OS, already scheduled to start shipping on low-end ZTE and TCL devices in Europe; Tizen, a new HTML-focused platform backed by many industry heavyweights, including Intel and Samsung; Ubuntu Phone, which brings the most popular flavor of Linux to phones, again with a HTML-centered ap strategy; BlackBerry 10, which puts HTML and JavaScript at the center of its next-gen app strategy; and Windows 8, which introduced a new HTML and JavaScript development model for it’s “Windows 8 style” apps.   One (or more) of these platforms is bound to succeed in 2013. My money is on Chrome OS and Tizen. With the backing of Google, a revamped developer and consumer push, and the broadest platform strategy (spans mobile and desktop), Chrome OS is very well positioned.

Tizen, meanwhile, enjoys broad industry backing from Intel, Samsung, NEC, Panasonic, Sprint, Huawei and Vodafone (among many others), and engineering stewardship in The Linux Foundation. It shows the most potential to challenge Android as the “more open” (read: more customizable) open source device platform, which should appeal to device makers.  

2. Made For Chrome(kit)

A growing number of sites are once again buildiing Web apps tested to work in only one browser. Like the “Made for Internet Explorer” badges of the 1990s, developers are now proudly advertising “Made for Chrome” in their apps. Not using Chrome? No guarantees.   This trend is likely to accelerate in 2013.   With a rapidly evolving, highlycapable browser platform that is available on virtually every major operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and kinda iOS), and a Webkit foundation that helps deliver a little extra compatibility with other non-Chrome browsers (like Safari and BlackBerry browser), developers are likely to conclude that the “good outweighs the bad” when it comes to building exclusively for Chrome.   In exchange for potentially alienating some users, developers building for Chrome can more aggressively leverage HTML5 APIs and save valuable development and testing time.  

3. IE10 Euphoria - And Pain

Internet Explorer 10 is widely regarded as a huge step forward for the venerable Microsoft browser. With more support than ever for Web standards, IE10 goes a long way to put Microsoft’s browser in the modern HTML5 conversation.   But as fast-updating browsers like Chrome and Firefox race forward through 2013, IE will once again be left looking old and slow. There is a glimmer of hope that Microsoft will evolve IE more quickly: The Microsoft-owned HTML5 Labs, launched originally in the IE9 days, is continuing to publish new “experimental” improvements for IE10 that make it an even more capable HTML5 browser. Baby steps, but still a good sign.  

4. The Death Of IE6, IE7 & IE8

While IE10 will be in the spotlight, the long death march for Microsoft’s older IE versions will continue. Only the most stubborn corporate environments (and China) still require IE6 support, and much of the world skipped IE7 anyway. If you haven't already stopped supporting IE6 and IE7, 2013 is definitely your year.   Dropping IE8 is a bit more of a stretch, but the pressure is on. Not only does IE10’s release make IE8 two versions old (often used as a “clean” support cut-off justification), but jQuery 2.0 will join Google Apps in cutting-off IE8 in 2013. By the end of the year, most developers will conclude IE8 is not worth their time.  

5. The Death Of Android 2.x

Until recently, it looked like we had another IE6 on our hands with Android 2.x (Eclair, Froyo and Gingerbread). According to Google’s own stats, as recently as mid-2012, these versions of Android (mostly 2.3.x) represented more than 90% of all Android devices in use, despite the fact that Google was already shipping Android 4+! Google was failing to keep its Android user base (and ecosystem) upgrading.   Fortunately, the 2012 holiday season seems to have broken the logjam. Usage of Android 4+ (Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean) surged to nearly 40% at the end of 2012. By the end of 2013, Android 2.x will likely account for less than 15% of the market, and Android developers will be able to shift focus to versions 4+.  

6. Responsive Design Goes Mainstream

So far, responsive design has remained on the fringes of Web development - something nice to do “if you have time."   That's about to change. With the lines between PCs and mobile devices increasingly blurred, developers will have no choice but to develop websites and apps that can dynamically adapt to an unpredictable array of screen sizes and resolutions.

(See also The New ReadWrite: Looking Good On Every Screen [Video].)

To ease the way, look for new techniques and defacto standards to also emerge, offering guidance for properly dealing with different device capabilities and form factors.  

7. Mobile Development Overtakes Desktop

It doesn’t take an expensive analyst to see the growth in phones and tablets while traditional PCs fade. Right now is the moment when developers will begin spending more time developing software for mobile devices than for traditional desktop PCs, extending from the consumer market to businesses of all sizes, for both internal and external audiences. If you’re not developing for devices in 2013, you’re either A) maintaining legacy software, or B) missing the boat.  

8. HTML On The Desktop

Just because mobile is on the rise, don’t start writing an obituary for desktop development. The traditional desktop form factor will remain critical for many information workers. But as the PC becomes one among many screens, developers will look for ways to write code that can be shared across the PC and mobile devices.   HTML and JavaScript are perfectly positioned to offer this capability, and platforms like Chrome Packaged Apps and Windows Store Style (WinJS) apps will make this possible. With both Microsoft and Google pushing HTML for desktop app development, developers will take notice and start embracing cross-platform desktop development with HTML and JavaScript.  

9. SPA Time

With the shift of desktop development and increasingly complex mobile apps to HTML and JavaScript, developers will recognize the need for new techniques to build maintainable cross-platform apps. The “Single Page Application” (or SPA) has been on the rise thanks to powerful frameworks like Backbone, Knockout and even Kendo UI. If “RIA” (Rich Internet Applications) was the buzzword in 2010, “SPA” will be the buzzword in 2013.   If you’re looking for the one new technology or concept to learn as an HTML and JavaScript developer in 2013, it's SPA architecture.  

10. HTML Gets Naked (Again)

Now that the W3C has “finalized” HTML5, public conversation and media coverage is going focus on what’s next for the Web standards platform. The W3C is already working on HTML 5.1, the next “snapshot” of the “living standards” work done within WHATWG, the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group. But as we move past the “HTML5” bubble, we’ll once again settle-in to talking about HTML, sans version numbers. After all, who wants to talk or write about “HTML5.1” or “HTML5.3”?   Whatever it’s called, the next wave of HTML platform improvements will shift focus beyond the lower-level core at the center of HTML5 (DOM elements, CSS styles, Simple JavaScript APIs like Geolocation) and instead characterize improvements that are important to more robust application development (like ShadowDOM, Web Components, CSS layouts, speech recognition and more).

The HTML conversation (and technology) will continue to evolve, even if the version numbers don’t come along for the ride.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Guest author Chris O’Connor is chief executive of mobile solutions provider Taptera.

The booming mobile applications market is a hot topic right now at many a water cooler in Silicon Valley and beyond. I've toiled in the mobile market since 2007 and in those  years I've witnessed more than my fair share of changes - some entirely predictable - others not so much. Relying on the wisdom that comes with a decade-plus in the business, I'd like to offer a few educated guesses as to what's next in enterprise mobile apps.

A Mobile Crystal Ball

Here are seven predictions for the mobile apps market in the coming year:

1. Mobile Tools For Salespeople. Mobile devices are the business tool of choice for most salespeople. As a result, there will be even more new apps that cater to these often-mobile employees. Look for apps that allow salespeople to more effectively pitch prospective clients, make presentations to existing ones and update opportunities, all while they’re away from the office. 

2. Enterprise Platform Vendors Continue To Stumble. Enterprise software giants SAP and Oracle stumbled in 2012 with application-development platforms that were intimidating and offered limited cross-platform support. Expect the next few months to be no different: customers will continue to avoid single-vendor solutions in favor of a more open approach. In mobile, that means apps able to connect into heterogeneous environments will be clear winners.

3. iOS And Android Dominate. Last year marked the advent of BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone, two new competitors in the mobile operating system market. But both BlackBerry 10 and Microsoft’s Windows Phone may be too late to pose legitimate threats to Google and Apple's mobile operating systems. Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android are far more mature and entrenched platforms that offer developers a flexible framework. And they have proven security measures. They are simply too good for developers and users to ignore.

4. New Leaders For Mobile Projects. Sales-and-marketing department heads and business unit managers are mobile’s advocates within the enterprise. Increasingly, they hold the purse strings for new mobile initiatives. If and when these new initiatives spread across the enterprises, budgetary control may return to the information technology department. At least for now, any new mobile apps should be designed for the non-techie audience.

5. Security Remains A Bottleneck. Allowing employees to bring their own devices (BYOD) is a trend that will continue to gain strength in 2013. But security continues to be a serious concern. App makers that offer compelling security features in their products will find a receptive audience among enterprises transitioning to BYOD.

6. Employee Expectations For IT Service Continue To Rise. Employees want the gear they use at work to be as powerful and easy to use as the stuff they have at home. Enterprises that don’t offer employees decent tools they will be at a disadvantage when it comes to hiring and retaining talent. 

7. Mobile Security Vendors Will Overlap. Selecting a mobile device management (MDM) system was often the first step businesses took toward implementing a mobile strategy. MDM is becoming a commodity as app developers and platform providers incorporate it into their menu of services.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Guest author Christian Buckley is product evangelism director at Axceler, a designer of collaboration solutions.

Users have wrested more control from the information technology department than ever before. Now that they have become tech-savvy in their off-hours, they're demanding work products with the same degree of usability as their home devices. Better yet, they want to bring their home gear to work (Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD).

The consumerization of IT means empowerment for users, a (potential) headache for tech professionals, and an opportunity for third parties that offer products and services that increase the productivity of non-technical consumers.

Here are seven tips for third parties who looking to jump on the trend:

1. Data Anytime, Anywhere. Ten years ago, controlling data access was the central piece of intellectual property management. Today, companies are weighing the legal and competitive risks against the productivity benefits of allowing data to flow more freely to employees, partners and customers. Enterprises will need products that allow the protection of the most highly sensitive data while letting subsets of the rest of it to become more accessible. 

2. Pick A Tool, Any Tool. Today’s world is app-centric. Companies hoping to break into the enterprise market should look to use apps as an entry point - the most common categories are mobile apps, browser add-ons or some flavor of Web service. But beware, the vibrancy of the third-party app market means that users can find three or four different competitive offerings in just about any category. To be successful, third parties have to find a way to distinguish themselves from the pack - either through technical innovation, superior user experience or brilliant marketing.

3. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). Users are no longer married to a single device. They’ve become polygamous: depending on circumstances, they'll use smart phones, tablets, laptops or PCs. And they want to use device they’re most comfortable with - often one they’ve purchased themselves – at work. Smart organizations caught on early to the BYOD trend and have expanded the array of devices they support. To do that, they’ll need tools able to work across multiple platforms, applications and services  to help them manage the newly expanded variety of devices they've pledged to support.

4. Let Me In. Users expect to connect to work, while at the same time staying plugged into their private circle of friends and activities. And they want to do it with a minimum of hassle. Personal and corporate applications should be designed with a minimum of security checkpoints so users can toggle easily between them. And applications should be able operate independently without either impinging on the other.

5. Be Social. This means more than using Facebook-like features for workplace chat. Applications and networks should be designed so that data can be shared across environments and conversations can take place between users on competing platforms. An interconnected world will prove challenging. And that opens up a myriad of opportunities for tool providers and integrators to differentiate their products with innovative social features.

6. The Business Proposition. The next generation of IT tools will be built for lay users, not techies. Increasingly, complex business tools offer easy-to-navigate, intuitive interfaces. Keep in mind that the person who now writes checks for new gear is a line of business manager and will expect the same level of usability that consumers do.

7. I Can Do It Myself, Thank You. Much of the consumerization wave has to do with self-service. The IT team decides which piece of hardware the company purchases, but have little control over what is installed and how those machines are configured. Smart solution providers will create tools with the individual user in mind. Make a user happy and the eventual result may be an enterprise sale. or the effective equivalent as users bring it into the enterprise from the bottom up.

Power To The People

The consumerization of IT is the ultimate in user empowerment. Increasingly tech-savvy users want their managers to tell them what they need to do, but not how to do it. They want to pick the tools and processes they believe will best help them to meet goals. Those offering products and services that let them do that with a minimum of fuss will be the biggest winners.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

As part of it's splashy launch of BlackBerry 10, the company announced Wednesday that it has 70,000 apps in its BlackBerry World app store today, along with 1,000 premium apps from top publishers. 

Many BlackBerry Apps Not Native

Not so fast. These apps are not all hat they seem. In fact, a great portion of them are actually ported Android apps.

“40% are wrapped Android applications,” Martyn Mallick, VP of global alliances and business development at BlackBerry said to reporters. 

For instance, the Skype app on BlackBerry 10 is actually a port from the Skype app for Android. Skype has built native apps for iOS, Android and Windows Phone (Skype is owned by Microsoft) but it was easier for Skype to port its existing Android app before building specifically for BlackBerry. 

Android To BlackBerry 10 Port-o-Thons

BlackBerry (formerly Research In Motion) is relying on the port strategy in the short term to help developers get their apps onto the BlackBerry 10 platform fast. It encourages developers to build straight for BlackBerry 10 and the features that the operating system holds, but for now at least, it will basically take an app any way it can get it.

“The only way I can compare it is that it is a soft quality strategy,” said BlackBerry VP of developer relations Alec Saunders to ReadWrite. “If you compare what we do to what Apple does," they make developers conform to all of these iOS guidelines or theywill boot you out of the store. "We are like, 'You know what? If you have a code base, we want if to run on the platform.' '”

Saunders said that BlackBerry will offer developers who build specifically for BlackBerry “tangible marketing benefits,” which will be announced at a BlackBerry Jam Europe conference in Amsterdam next week. The suggestion seems to be that ported apps will not receive the same type of visibility or marketing from BlackBerry in its app store. 

“When I say tangible marketing benefits, you are going to do better in our store [with a native BlackBerry app] than if you built for Android,” Saunders said. “The porting strategy is there but increasingly we are going to be pushing people to build for BlackBerry to have the native parts of the BlackBerry experience because we think that experience is better.”

Saunders and the developer outreach team started doing “port-o-thons” in January to get developers “over the hump” in pushing out BlackBerry 10 apps ahead of today’s launch. One such port-a-thon brought nearly 15,000 apps to BlackBerry 10, while another added several thousand more. About 38,000 of the 70,000 apps in the new BlackBerry World app store are ports. As part of the port-a-thons, BlackBerry built a utility that can easily turn Android Apps into BlackBerry apps. 

A Sound Short-Term Strategy

In the short term, the port strategy should work for BlackBerry. Developers maynotice that an app is actually an Android app and not a BlackBerry app, but most consumers won't know the difference. As long as it works, right?

As the presence of the ported Skype app shows, this strategy is a decent way for BlackBerry to quickly get top-tier apps to its nascent platform. And if BlackBerry 10 sales start taking off, developers who built directly for the platform could benefit better than they would on iOS or Android - which is a reasonable incentive to follow up quick ports with true, native BlackBerry 10 apps.

Image of BlackBerry z10 by Dan Rowinski.

Crashlytics, the Boston-based crash reporting solution for iOS apps is moving on up - from independent startup to the newest wrench in Twitter's tool box. The announcement was made Monday on Crashlytic's blog and quickly circulated the Web.  

INTERESTING M&A. Twitter buys Crashlytics. This may signal Twitter pushing out its own mobile/devices SDK. techmeme.com/130128/p54#a13…

— Spencer Chen (@spencerchen) January 28, 2013

Was This A Man-quisition?

The service, which debuted in late 2011, has quickly become known as a useful tool for app developers looking for a streamlined method to find the root cause of product bugs. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it could represent a major payday for co-founders Jeff Seibert and Wayne Chang. It's not yet clear if Twitter is interested in the Crashlytics product line, or just its engineering talent in an acquihire.

"With us, developers gain instant visibility into the precise line of code that caused a crash, enabling them to more easily fix issues," Seibert and Chang wrote in their announcement Monday. "Since our iOS launch, we’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of incredible app developers, from those building independent passion-projects to many of the top iOS apps available today – Twitter, Vine, Yelp, Kayak, TaskRabbit, and Waze."

Now What?

Coming on the heels of the Vine acquisition, it's likely that this will be the newest addition to the Twitter family continuing to operate as a third-party service, post-purchase.

In their post, Seibert and Chang wrote "much will remain the same. Development of Crashlytics will continue unabated and we remain dedicated to working with all of our customers – current and new, big and small – to deliver the key app performance insights they need."

So why did Twitter make the deal? "It seems like a strategy to grow the mobile team," says Jad Meouchy, a mobile app developer in Los Angeles, and co-founder of Osurv, a custom mobile survey app. "It looks like a straight talent acquisition."  But Meouchy also calls Crashlytics a strong and mature mobile additive that gives Twitter "the people they need to start making their own mobile apps."

Spencer Chen, the senior director of business development at Appcelerator agrees that this is a strategic move by Twitter to expand their offerings. 

"I believe Twitter is going to take the extension of their service onto mobile and devices very seriously by coming out with their version of a mobile SDK (software development kit), which will include key features that every developer wants, crash test reporting via Crashlytics," he said. "Right now Twitter pushes everything out via their APIs, which is all backend services. If they had a real mobile SDK, then they can really optimize development productivity and mobile performance by having certain capabilities into the third mobile (and) device apps itself."

With Vine, Twitter's planted its flag in the ground to announce its plans to conquer mobile social video. Could Monday's Crashlytics move be the beginning of a new era for Twitter mobile app development? And a tool to help address problems with Vine?

We'll know soon enough.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.