1. Developing for the Experience: Choices in Device Development
William Volk
CEO, PlayScreen
2. Our Experience
• Published 1st iPhone web games at launch
• 20+ Apps in the Apple iPhone App Store
• 10+ on Google Android App Market
• Blackberry Apps for Clients
• Symbian, J2ME and Feature Phone experience
• Games, Enterprise, Health, Security and Telecom
7. Overview: Android
• Multiple Screen Sizes:
– G1: 320 X 480 pixels
– Samsung Captivate: 480 x 800 pixels
• Java/Eclipse & Multitasking
– NOT Java Micro Edition
• Open Market - Low Revenue
• May become #1 Smartphone
8. Overview: Blackberry
• Many devices - legacy handsets
• Java 2 Micro Edition, long history
• Multitasking
• Many Screen Resolutions:
– Curve: 320 x 240, Bold 480x360 …
• Large installed base
• Migrating OS to QnX
– Version 7 last of the current OS
9. Other Handsets
• Nokia is still the #1 Smartphone
– Over 40% Worldwide, but in decline
– Fragmented handsets and software
• Ovi store ships 2.3 million downloads
per day ….840 million per year level.
• Does support J2ME.
• Windows Phone 7 and others
10. History of App Porting
• 1970’s/1980’s
– UCSD Pascal P-Machine
– Publishers (games) create own virtual
machines that abstract hardware
• 1990’s
– Java, HTML
• 2000’s
– Flash etc.
11. Business Considerations
• Paid or Free App?
– Users don’t care about app portablity
– iPhone market HYPER-COMPETITIVE
• Purpose of App?
– Serving an existing base
- OR -
– Trying to reach a new market
12. Strategy and Tactics
• Asset Creation
• Code Modules
• Least Common Denominator
• Reduce Feature set on some handsets
• Porting Solutions:
– Flash, HTML5 Based
13. Porting Tools
• Flash
– iPhone NOT supporting Flash in the browser
– Flash will be able to create iPhone apps.
– Android and Blackberry runtimes coming.
– Not clear on if this will be deployed in the app stores
• HTML5
– Run HTML5 in native wrappers.
– Commercial conversion tools:
PhoneGap, Titanium
14. Case Study - Destination Irvine
Tourism app for iPhone, Android, and RIM
Features: Maps, Videos, Calendar and Attractions
15. … and what about Games?
• Very demanding marketplace
• 3D apps create even more issues
• Fragmented hardware on Android and
Blackberry - Huge performance
differences
• Lessons from the video game industry
• What about Facebook?