cross-platform

Eight 'cross-platform' stories April 2013 - May 2015

Facebook Messenger’s free video calling now available worldwide

Jordan Kahn May 20 2015 - 8:27 am PT

After adding support for a new cross-platform video chat service through its Facebook Messenger mobile apps, Facebook has now announced that the feature is rolling out to all worldwide.

The feature first launched back in April for users on iOS and Android in Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, the UK, the US and Uruguay. Today, Facebook said the feature is now rolled out globally “with the exception of a few countries” that it’s still working on:

Quick update on video calling in Messenger: we’re happy to share we’ve now rolled out the capability globally, with the exception of a few countries we’re still working on improving quality for.

You can check out the new Facebook Messenger video calling feature through the latest versions of the iOS and Android apps.

Apple brings Multipeer Connectivity to Mac, enables cross-platform nearby networking w/ iOS

Jordan Kahn Jun 5 2014 - 9:33 am PT

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In iOS 7, Apple introduced nearby networking features called Multipeer Connectivity to allow iOS devices in proximity to talk to one another over WiFi or Bluetooth even without a traditional Internet connection. Developers have used the tech for everything from exchanging files and other data between devices, to remote control functionality, and multi-device experiences like the iTranslate Voice app that sends real-time speech translated from one device to the other. It’s also the tech behind the local anonymous messaging service FireChat that got some attention earlier this year. Now, Apple is opening up the Multipeer Connectivity APIs to OS X starting with Yosemite and in the process allowing cross-platform nearby networking between Macs and iOS devices.
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Columbia University students create software allowing native iOS apps to run on Android devices

Mike Beasley May 13 2014 - 8:20 pm PT

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Photo: Reuters

For some time now, iOS users have cited the quality and quantity of third-party software available for the platform as an important factor in their choice of mobile devices. Over the years Android has amassed its own collection of apps and users have continued butting heads over which system had the better selection.

Now, six Columbia University students have bridged the gap between the two platforms with something called Cider (via The Next Web). Not to be confused with the other Cider software (for OS X), the Android version of Cider essentially fools iOS applications into believing they’re running on an actual iPhone or iPad.

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Microsoft reportedly working on a cross-platform Xbox Live for iOS & Android apps

Jordan Kahn Mar 3 2014 - 10:57 am PT

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Xbox-SmartGlass-App Microsoft is considering taking Xbox Live cross-platform and allowing developers to integrate the service in iOS and Android games, according to a report from The Verge. The report cites a job listing from the company’s website seeking an engineer to work on “a modern framework that is open-source, lightweight, extensible and scalable across various platforms,” including iOS and Android. The report also cites its own sources reportedly familiar Microsoft’s plans to take Xbox Live cross-platform.

“New Devices and Gaming” is looking for passionate and experienced developers to join us. Your contribution will have direct impact on how we win back our game developers from our competitors. As a member of the newly formed team, you will have the rare opportunity to influence our planning and design from the beginning. We will create a modern framework that is open source, light-weight, extensible and scalable across various platforms including Windows Store, Windows Phone, iOS and Android. Working on the gaming technologies, you will collaborate with both internal partner teams across the company and external ecosystem partners to enable end-to-end gaming scenarios.

The idea, according to the report, is that Xbox Live would act as a cross-platform alternative to Apple’s Game Center and similar services, allowing users to earn achievements, manage friends and more through a single service across Xbox and mobile platforms. No details on specific features or when we might expect to see more.

Amazon brings its GameCircle to iOS developers, promises cross platform game/achievement tracking

Seth Weintraub Sep 19 2013 - 10:26 am PT

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If you are a a developer and want to cross platform your game play, Amazon today announced that it had made its (not a copy of GameCenter) GameCircle available to iOS developers.

Amazon GameCircle and Whispersync for Games is live on iOS and Android! You can store game data in the AWS Cloud so players don’t lose their game progress, high scores, or achievements when switching between devices. We know programming for multiple platforms is standard practice for many developers—iOS support has been a frequent feature request—so we’re excited to make GameCircle available on a whole new class of devices. GameCircle and Whispersync are free for you and your players. Plus, when you integrate GameCircle achievements, you automatically get access to Achievement Reports as well. These reports help you get a better understanding of how players interact with your game so you can make sure they’re having a great experience.

Download the SDK from the Mobile App Distribution Portal, where you’ll also find full documentation.

Facebook releases new SDK to bring 3D iOS & Android Unity games to its 260 million gamers

Jordan Kahn Aug 28 2013 - 1:51 pm PT

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After Unity announced in March that it was beginning to work with Facebook to help bring web games using the engine to the social network, Facebook announced today that it’s releasing a new SDK to bring 3D Unity games from Android, iOS, and the web to Facebook. The cross-platform SDK will also allow developers to easier integrate Facebook sharing and game invite features directly into their unity games across mobile devices and the web.

Facebook has a relevant and engaged audience of gamers that mobile developers can reach by publishing their games on Facebook, and the SDK makes bringing a mobile game to web as simple as writing one line of code. By filling out a few fields in the developer app and giving us the URL of your game object, you can bring your mobile game to a whole new audience of avid gamers on Facebook.

The SDK will also let Unity developers implement native dialogs for inviting friends, requests, and sharing through Facebook, and the company will be “helping more people find and play Unity games on Facebook by driving discovery of the Unity player with a custom install flow for the Unity plug-in.”

Facebook noted that a few games, including Cmune’s UberStrike, Madfinger’s Shadowgun:Deadzone, and Nival’s King’s Bounty: Legions, are already utilizing the new SDK.

The Facebook SDK for Unity is available here.

Wunderlist ‘Pro’ arrives today with new team collaboration features for $4.99/month

Jordan Kahn Apr 25 2013 - 9:00 am PT

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6 Wunderkinder, the developers behind the ‘Wunderlist’ to-do app that’s currently home to over 4 million users, today announced a new “Pro” version of the cross platform productivity app. Launching today on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and on the web, the new pro version comes with the introduction of the developer’s first premium model that will see users pay $4.99 a month (or $49.99 a year) to get access to new team oriented collaboration features:

• Assigning – now you can add an extra level of accountability and assign tasks to your colleagues

and friends.
• Unlimited subtasks – sometimes the task on hand is so big that you need to break it down into

small manageable subtasks. Now you can add as little or as many needed to get the job done.
• Backgrounds – Wunderlist Pro subscribers will have access to eight new backgrounds – from a minimal dark wood and soothing sands to vibrant florals and the Paris cityscape, plus a whole lot more!

6 Wunderkinder plans to keep adding additional features for pro users, including the ability to attach and share files through tasks:

Files will be the next feature to be added to Wunderlist Pro. With the support of Files you will be able to attach files to a task and share with your colleagues, for improved collaboration outside of just the to-dos.

The Pro upgrade for Wunderlist is available now as an in-app purchase in the Wunderlist iPhone & iPad app as well as the Mac App Store app and on the web.

Those that plan on sticking with the free version of Wunderlist will also be greeted today with new features in update 2.1.0 of the app. Among them is a new Action Bar and other UI improvements such as the ability to “Get a quick overview as to who created and completed a task with the Detail View.”

Review: Readdle brings Documents to the small screen

Mike Beasley Apr 11 2013 - 6:49 am PT

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Readdle has finally brought their popular Documents iPad app to the iPhone and iPod touch with the latest update. The iPhone version has all of the features you would expect in a file management app and a few extras.

The main file manager window displays all of your files in a grid or list sorted by name, date, or size. You can create folders, zip and unzip archives, and view a variety of file types from this view. PDFs, plaintext files, audio, pictures, and more can be added to your collection. The audio player works when the app is in the background so you can continue listening to your music.

Your most recently used files will accumulate in a special folder automatically so you can find them again easily. A search feature on the main page allows you to search any file by name, but you can also enable an indexing feature lets the app search the contents of your documents as well.

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