GameFly announced on Wednesday that it plans to begin publishing mobile games for Apple’s iOS platform and Google’s Android operating system. In addition, the video game rental service plans to further expand into mobile by launching its own Android app store to take on the Google Play store.  ”GameFly is dedicated to giving consumers the best user experience possible, and to be their single destination for console, PC and mobile gaming needs,” GameFly co-founder Sean Spector said in a statement. “We plan to be a leading player in mobile games by launching our retail GameStore for Android and helping to fund mobile developers of all sizes to publish, promote and sell their smartphone and tablet games.” The GameFly GameStore will launch this fall on Android tablets and smartphones. GameFly’s full press release follows below.

GameFly To Publish Mobile Games For iOS And Android Platforms And Launch GameFly GameStore For Android

LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — GameFly, Inc., the leading video game service, announced today its plans to begin publishing mobile games for the iOS and Android platforms, as well as launching the independent GameFly GameStore for Android later this fall. Continuing its foray into digital initiatives, the company has set aside a game development fund to work with mobile developers that are in the process of making a great game, but need the extra resources to publish and promote their titles. GameFly will also expand its mission to be the top resource for all gaming needs, offering expertly curated Android games in the GameFly GameStore with thousands of the best games and daily deals. With its large social network for gamers, game discovery will also be made easier via friend recommendations, and ratings and reviews from fellow gamers.

“GameFly is dedicated to giving consumers the best user experience possible, and to be their single destination for console, PC and mobile gaming needs,” said Sean Spector, GameFly co-founder and SVP of Business Development and Content. “We plan to be a leading player in mobile games by launching our retail GameStore for Android and helping to fund mobile developers of all sizes to publish, promote and sell their smartphone and tablet games.”

GameFly is currently accepting submissions from mobile game developers at GameDev@GameFly.com, and expects to publish its first title this summer. The GameFly GameStore will be available for Android phones and tablets by this holiday season. GameFly’s Game of the Day feature was launched on the popular GameFly mobile App in April, enabling iOS users to discover high quality games or find great deals on titles they may have missed.

BGR has learned from a reliable source that Microsoft is currently planning to release the company’s full Office suite for not only Apple’s iPad, but for Android tablets as well. The company is targeting November of this year for both launches. Additionally, our source has seen Microsoft Office running on an iPad first-hand and has said that it looks almost identical to the previous leak from The Daily a few months back, despite the fact that Microsoft flat out denied that the app was authentic. It is also plausible that Microsoft Office will be coming to the iPhone and iPod touch rather than only the iPad, as we’re told the loading screen in the app clearly said “Office for iOS” and not just iPad.

Thanks, John E.

What do you get when you cross a struggling vendor’s debut tablet with a mobile operating system that has spent the past 18 months running into the brick wall that is Google’s Android operating system and Apple’s iOS? One Dutch developer seemingly needed to find out, so he ported Microsoft’s perpetually-emerging Windows Phone OS onto RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook. The result is a somewhat responsive slate that gives us a look at what will never be; Microsoft is on record in stating that it has no interest in bringing Windows Phone — emphasis on “Phone” — to tablets. Of course, with the software giant’s next-generation Windows 8 platform on the horizon there is no reason to put Windows Phone on a tablet. But for those curious to know what a Windows Phone tablet might look like, a video of the developer’s PlayBook running Microsoft’s mobile OS follows below. “Gamer109X,” the developer behind this curious chimera, said he plans to release a Windows Phone build for the PlayBook to the public in the coming months.

UPDATE: A number of readers point out that rather than having hacked Windows Phone to run on the PlayBook, Gamer109X is running Microsoft’s Web-based Windows Phone emulator in the PlayBook’s browser with reading mode enabled.

[Via N4BB]

Research In Motion recently gave the world a preview of its next-generation BlackBerry 10 software. While investors weren’t terribly impressed with RIM’s efforts and the company’s stock took a hit, developers and users alike were intrigued by several features shown off by the struggling smartphone maker. One such feature is the predictive text implementation in BlackBerry 10, which places word predictions on keys expected to be in the user’s path as he or she types on a smartphone’s virtual keyboard. A swipe upward on a key containing a word prediction will input the word. While BlackBerry users will likely have to wait until the fourth quarter to begin enjoying RIM’s new text input system, iPhone users can enjoy a reproduction of the technology now. iDownloadBlog recently unearthed a new system tweak called Octopus Keyboard in Cydia, the unauthorized third-party app store for jailbroken iOS devices. Though still in beta, the free app does a good job mimicking RIM’s predictive text mechanism, and a video showcasing the implementation can be viewed below.

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Apple on Wednesday released an update to its desktop operating system. OS X Lion 10.7.4 contains a number of minor fixes as well as a security update that addresses the FileVault password security issue uncovered recently. The bug made users’ passwords vulnerable by storing them in plain text format. Apple’s 10.7.4 release notes are as follows:

The 10.7.4 update is recommended for all OS X Lion users and includes general operating system fixes that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac including fixes that:

• Resolve an issue where the “Reopen windows when logging back in” setting is always enabled
• Improve compatibility with certain British third-party USB keyboards
• Address an issue that may prevent files from being saved to a server
• Improve the reliability of copying files to an SMB server

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5167.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

The OS X Lion 10.7.4 update can be downloaded immediately through the integrated software update utility in OS X.

With Instagram recently having been acquired by Facebook for $1 billion and OMGPOP, makers of Draw Something, cashing in for $200 million, developers are attacking the mobile app space with a renewed vigor. Before jumping head first into a new project aiming to be the next big acquisition target, developers might be wise to look over a white paper recently put together by App Promo.

App Promo conducted a study last month in an effort to investigate how well mobile developers are performing in this crowded space. In its survey, the company found that a staggering 59% of mobile apps do not generate enough money to break even. Only 12% of developers earn $50,000 or more from their apps, and these developers were found to have big marketing budgets of $30,000 or more. They also spend about 14% of their time focusing on marketing on average.

“With over a million applications in the market across platforms, app publishers are finding it increasingly challenging to cut through the noise and get their apps discovered and downloaded,” the firm wrote in its white paper. “Those developers that spend money and time on marketing outside of the app stores found the most success based on the revenue they had earned for their app. This core finding echoes what we believe as a leading app marketing and strategy firm, that in order to make an app a successful business you need to ensure that you have a budget and time allocated to marketing and promoting your app.”

The firm concludes that application discovery is a huge barrier in the crowded mobile software space, and a solid marketing strategy is of the utmost importance as a result. App Promo’s research is based on data collected from a survey of “over 100 qualified app developers,” and an infographic outlining key data points from App Promo’s study follows below.

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A new iPhone app aims to remove the language barriers users face while traveling abroad. SayHi is a translation app available in Apple’s App Store that flawlessly translates a user’s spoken words into one of 33 different languages and dialects. The app was released almost two weeks ago and is already the No.1 business app in the App Store, with a four and a half star rating from more than 1,600 individuals. While at times there are a few hiccups, as with any app, the program worked as intended during our tests and did so in a reasonable amount of time. SayHi is available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad running iOS 4.3 or later, and can be had for $0.99 in Apple’s App Store.

[Via Business Insider]

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When asked about the slow roll-out of updates for its Android-powered smartphones and tablets, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson claimed Google was at fault and the carrier could do nothing about it. “Google determines what platform gets the newest releases and when,” the executive said. “A lot of times, that’s a negotiated arrangement and that’s something we work at hard. We know that’s important to our customers. That’s kind of an ambiguous answer because I can’t give you a direct answer in this setting.” The Mountain View-based company has fired back, however, and said the CEO’s statements are not accurate. 

“Mr. Stephenson’s carefully worded quote caught our attention and frankly we don’t understand what he is referring to. Google does not have any agreements in place that require a negotiation before a handset launches,” a Google spokesperson told 9To5Google. “Google has always made the latest release of Android available as open source at source.android.com as soon as the first device based on it has launched. This way, we know the software runs error-free on hardware that has been accepted and approved by manufacturers, operators and regulatory agencies such as the FCC. We then release it to the world.”

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Apple has just released a new version of iOS for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Listed changes are as follows:

This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including:

• Improves reliability of using HDR option for photos taken using the Lock Screen shortcut
• Addresses bugs that could prevent the new iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks
• Fixes bugs that affected AirPlay video playback in some circumstances
• Improved reliability for syncing Safari bookmarks and Reading List
• Fixes an issue where ‘Unable to purchase’ alert could be displayed after successful purchase

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

The new iOS build is available for download as an over-the-air update for users with iOS 5.0 or later installed on their devices, or it can be downloaded and installed using iTunes. iOS 5.1.1 is compatible with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2, iPad and third- and fourth-generation iPod touch devices.

Following an unveiling last month, Adobe on Monday announced that its Creative Suite 6 software is now available for purchase and its Creative Cloud solution will become available on May 11th. ”We announced Creative Cloud and CS6 two weeks ago and these releases have caught the imagination of creatives everywhere,” Adobe’s SVP of digital media, David Wadhwani, said in a statement. “Today we’re shipping CS6 and look forward to the beginning of an exciting new era as we introduce Creative Cloud later this week.” Pricing ranges from $1,299 for the base edition of CS6 to $2,599 for the “Master Collection,” and upgrades from previous versions start at $300. The software and updates are also available at no additional charge alongside a Creative Cloud subscription, which ranges from $49.99 to $74.99 per month for new customers and starts at just $29.99 per month for customers upgrading from earlier versions. Adobe’s full press release follows below.

Adobe Creative Cloud Coming May 11

SAN JOSE, Calif. — May 7, 2012 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of Adobe® Creative Suite® 6 software. The CS6 product line includes powerful new releases of Photoshop®, InDesign®, lllustrator®, Dreamweaver®, Adobe Premiere® Pro, After Effects®, Flash® Professional and other products as well as four suite versions – Creative Suite 6 Design & Web Premium; Creative Suite 6 Design Standard; Creative Suite 6 Production Premium; and Creative Suite 6 Master Collection.

Adobe Creative Cloud™, a radical new way of providing tools and services* for creatives worldwide is expected to be available on Friday, May 11.  A subscription-based offering, Adobe Creative Cloud is a hub for making, sharing and delivering creative work and it is centered around a powerful release of Adobe Creative Suite® 6 software, packed with innovation across its industry-defining design, Web, video and digital imaging tools. CS6 point product subscriptions will also be available May 11.

“We announced Creative Cloud and CS6 two weeks ago and these releases have caught the imagination of creatives everywhere,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president, Digital Media Business, Adobe. “Today we’re shipping CS6 and look forward to the beginning of an exciting new era as we introduce Creative Cloud later this week.”

Top new features across the CS6 product line include:

• New levels of performance with tools that take advantage of Adobe Mercury Graphics functionality, allowing users to go from ideas to finished work faster than ever before.
• Enhanced user interfaces that vastly simplify workflows, so users can focus on their content and achieve results quicker.
• New capabilities that streamline the creation of responsive content, ensuring website and apps look great across virtually all screen sizes and form factors.
• Remarkable new science, integrated into imaging and video apps, makes previously impossible tasks suddenly possible.

Adobe Creative Cloud membership delivers:

• Access to download and install all CS6 applications, new HTML5 desktop products – Adobe Muse™ 1.0 and Adobe Edge preview – and deep integration with Adobe Touch Apps.
• Easy storage and sharing of content across desktop, mobile devices and the cloud.
• Integrated website publishing and hosting.
• Ongoing innovation that provides members with the most up-to-date products and services

Pricing and Availability
Adobe Creative Suite 6 products are immediately available through Adobe Authorized Resellers, the Adobe Store in North America and Adobe Direct Sales. Estimated street price for the suites is US$2,599 for CS6 Master Collection, US$1,899 for CS6 Production Premium, US$1,899 for CS6 Design & Web Premium, and US$1,299 for CS6 Design Standard. Upgrade and education pricing as well as volume licensing are available. For more information visit www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite.html.

Adobe Creative Cloud membership is available to customers in 36 countries and in multiple languages. Pricing for Creative Cloud membership for individuals is US$49.99 per month based on annual membership and US$74.99 per month for month-to-month membership. A special introductory offer of US$29.99 per month for CS3, CS4, CS5 and CS5.5 individual customers is also available.  Education pricing is available.  Learn more at www.adobe.com/go/creativecloud.

Spotify on Tuesday announced that its highly anticipated iPad application is now available for download in Apple’s App Store. The free app allows premium Spotify subscribers to access the company’s huge portfolio of music, stream tracks and playlists, and share songs. The new Spotify iPad app also features gapless playback, a crossfade function and AirPlay integration, allowing users to stream music wirelessly from the iPad to AirPlay-compatible devices. Spotify’s full press release follows below along with a video.

Say Hello to Spotify for iPad

May 2nd 2012

Your lean, green, music machine is here…

Today we’re extremely proud to present our native iPad app in all its green-hued glory. Features include:

• Retina graphics for iPad – dazzling display, razor sharp images, richer colours
• Even easier to browse and explore Spotify’s entire 18 million* song catalogue
• New ‘Now Playing’ full-screen view with high-definition cover art
• Search for playlists, users and music – all from the same view
• Check out what’s hot and find trending playlists & songs amongst your friends
• Inbox grouped by user for easy searching
• Gapless playback and crossfade
• AirPlay integration

Enjoying all the world’s music instantly on your iPad has never been easier. And with the brand new full-screen view and AirPlay integration, Spotify and your iPad are perfect for each other, both as your pumped-up living room stereo and your lean, green music machine when you’re on the move.

For up-and-coming UK singer-songwriter/producer Labrinth, the new Spotify for iPad app is perfect for touring: “My iPad’s always with me on the road so being able to access whatever music I’m feeling right at that moment – either classic or fresh tracks – and then share those with my fans is a big deal,” he said. “As an artist I love the way my music is presented so slickly. Artwork is really important to me, and in Spotify’s iPad app it’s like it’s popping off the screen.”

Spotify Premium subscribers can head over to the App Store to get their hands on the new Spotify iPad app. Non-subscribers can sign up to our 30-day Spotify Premium free trial to check out the app today! www.spotify.com/freetrial

A group of developers in Russia recently launched the “HackStore,” a centralized location for third-party OS X applications. Like Cydia on iOS, the HackStore is a software hub that allows developers to distribute applications without having to endure Apple’s approval process. The developers behind the project claim that piracy will not be tolerated in their app store, though it is unclear exactly what measures they are taking to prevent pirated software from being distributed through the HackStore. “The biggest Mac Appstore problem is that they limit their users in everything, without giving an opportunity to expand these limits,” HackStore’s creators wrote on their website. “This is not correct, because ONLY users should decide which applications they should install and which one do not. We think HackStore [will] break through the narrow confines of Mac Appstore.”

[Via Engadget]

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Adobe on Monday announced pre-order availability of its next-generation collection of design applications, Creative Suite 6, which includes Photoshop CS6, Illustrator CS6, InDesign CS6, Dreamweaver CS6, After Effects CS6, Flash Builder CS6 and more. ”Creatives get a ton of innovation across CS6, with milestone releases of all our flagship products,” Adobe’s SVP of Digital Media David Wadhwani said. “With CS6 and Creative Cloud, we’re also introducing new products, new mobile workflows and advanced publishing capabilities that show we are laser-focused on ensuring design, Web and video pros have everything they need for the delivery of high-impact content and apps.” Read on for more.

Pricing ranges from $1,299 for the “Design & Web Standard” edition of CS6 to $2,599 for the “Master Collection,” and upgrades from previous Creative Suite versions range from $300 to $550. Adobe also unveiled its Creative Cloud solution, however, which adds online storage and sharing capabilities to CS6 and offers users the opportunity to save money while taking advantage of the new service.

For a monthly subscription ranging from $49.99 to $74.99, users get access to Creative Cloud as well as all of Adobe’s new CS6 Master Collection software. Adobe Creative Cloud is also available for just $29.99 per month for the first year to Creative Suite customers upgrading from earlier versions of the software.

Creative Suite 6 is available for pre-order beginning Monday and it will launch within the next 30 days.

Following reports of a Windows Phone developer evangelist claiming that every Windows Phone 7.5 device currently on the market will receive an upgrade to Microsoft’s next-generation Windows Phone 8 operating system, doubt has been cast over the accuracy of his claims. In an interview with Portuguese technology news site Zwame, Microsoft developer evangelist Nuno Silva stated that all current devices would eventually be updated to the ”next major version” of Microsoft’s mobile platform. A subsequent report from The Verge contradicts Silva’s claims, however, and cites an anonymous source in stating that devices running Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” will not be upgraded to Windows Phone 8 “Apollo.” Microsoft would not clarify its upgrade plans. ”We have stated publicly that all apps in our Marketplace today will run on the next version of Windows Phone,” a Microsoft spokesperson said. “Beyond that, we have nothing to share about future releases.”

Read [Zwame] Read [The Verge]

Amazon on Tuesday announced a new mechanism that will facilitate in-app purchases within mobile applications available for download in the Amazon Appstore. Much like the services currently offered in iOS apps by Apple, in BlackBerry apps by RIM and in Android apps by Google, Amazon’s new system will allow developers to sell additional content, level packs, new features and more from within their apps. ”Amazon Appstore’s In-App Purchasing service enables developers to generate more revenue from their apps,” Amazon Appstore director Aaron Rubenson said in a statement. “In-App Purchasing is simple to integrate and gives developers access to millions of Amazon customers who are already familiar with Amazon’s 1-Click payment system. Many of Amazon Appstore’s customers have shopped with Amazon before and they trust Amazon’s easy payment process, which leads to higher conversion of developers’ in-app content and subscriptions.” Amazon’s press release follows below, along with a video detailing the new service.

Amazon Appstore Announces In-App Purchasing Service for Kindle Fire and Other Android Devices
Developers can now offer digital content and subscriptions within apps and games using Amazon’s
1-Click purchasing

SEATTLE – April 10, 2012 – (NASDAQ: AMZN) – Amazon.com, Inc. today announced an In-App Purchasing (IAP) service, making it easy for Amazon Appstore developers to offer digital content and subscriptions for purchase within apps and games that are available on millions of Kindle Fires and other Android devices.

Amazon Appstore’s In-App Purchasing service is simple for developers to integrate and helps monetize their apps and games, while offering customers a seamless and secure 1-Click purchasing experience.  Top developers including ZeptoLab, Disney, Glu Mobile Inc., Storm8, Social Gaming Network, Gameloft, G5 Entertainment Inc,. and top publishers like Condé Nast, Dow Jones and New York Post have already integrated Amazon Appstore’s In-App Purchasing API and are offering millions of Amazon customers in-app content and subscriptions.  To learn more, developers can watch a video about Amazon’s In-App Purchasing service at  http://www.youtube.com/amazonappstoredev.  To find the Quick Start Guide, sample code, tutorials and FAQs, visit the Amazon Appstore Developer Portal at http://developer.amazon.com/appstore.

“Amazon Appstore’s In-App Purchasing service enables developers to generate more revenue from their apps,” said Aaron Rubenson, Director of Amazon Appstore. “In-App Purchasing is simple to integrate and gives developers access to millions of Amazon customers who are already familiar with Amazon’s 1-Click payment system. Many of Amazon Appstore’s customers have shopped with Amazon before and they trust Amazon’s easy payment process, which leads to higher conversion of developers’ in-app content and subscriptions.”

G5 Entertainment

“We found that by offering a product with IAP, rather than other monetization types, our conversion rates went up as did our revenue on a per title basis,” said Larissa McCleary, Director of Marketing at G5 Entertainment, Inc., creator of Virtual City Playground and Mahjong Artifacts. “Although our experience on Amazon has always been great, we are thrilled now that IAP is available.”

Social Gaming Network

“Amazon’s in-app purchasing solution created a great way for us to reduce friction and drive more revenue from our games, as millions of people already have Amazon accounts,” said Michael Ritter, Senior Vice President Licensing & Distribution at Social Gaming Network, maker of Warp Rush, Dress Up Fashion, Bird’s the Word, and Night of the Living Dead Defense.  “Kindle Fire already has a well-integrated store front and marketplace to distribute mobile games.  By enabling in-app purchases we are able to be more flexible in pricing. We can release free games, provide updates and enhancements, and continue to monetize.”

Storm8

“With Amazon’s impressive track record and tremendous success with the Kindle, we knew the Appstore would be a hit, so we signed up right away. And when we heard that Amazon was launching the SDK with in-app purchasing, it was a no-brainer for us to integrate,” said Perry Tam, CEO and Co-Founder at Storm8, producer of games such as Restaurant Story, Bakery Story, Farm Story, Fashion Story.  “Our experience with the Amazon Appstore has been great. We were thrilled when they decided to add in-app purchasing support to their SDK, and the Amazon team worked closely with us throughout the beta test for this feature. Our games quickly gained traction on the platform; all of the Storm8 apps hit the Appstore’s Top 10 list within a week of launching.”

New York Post

“By integrating In-App Purchasing, our goal was to offer Amazon’s frictionless purchasing experience to our customers. This includes the ability for customers to easily subscribe using 1-Click, take advantage of a 14-day free trial, and to auto-renew,” said David Rozzi, Director of Digital Projects at New York Post.  “We’re excited about the results so far, and we look forward to continuing to provide content to customers on Kindle Fire and other Android devices.”

Mobile Deluxe

“Implementing the Amazon Appstore for Android In-App Purchasing solution was a piece of cake.  We were able to turn it around and get it into internal testing within a few days’ time,” said Sean Thompson, Vice President of Production, Mobile Deluxe. “The documentation was top notch and the SDK contained everything we needed to test the implementation.”

Adobe

“The Amazon Appstore SDK made it easy for us to enable Digital Publishing Suite to support in application purchasing of both single issues and subscriptions of digital magazines on Kindle Fire,” said Zeke Koch, Senior Director, Product Management, Digital Publishing at Adobe. “Amazon’s well-designed API and rapid support allowed us to help our enterprise publishing customers be first on the Fire.”

To see how simple it is to integrate, developers can watch a video about Amazon’s In-App Purchasing service at www.youtube.com/amazonappstoreforandroid.  Several of the In-App Purchasing beta test participants will share best practices via the Amazon Appstore Developer Blog at www.amazonappstoredev.com and on Twitter (@amznappstoredev). Learn more about Amazon Appstore Developer Services and submit apps online through the Amazon Appstore Developer Portal at http://developer.amazon.com/appstore.