No doubt many of our readers are in San Fran this week enjoying GoogleI/O, Google’s annual developer event and I’m sure a few of you, like me, having been sitting back at the office watching the livestream – if not, fear not as Google will be making all the sessions and keynotes available for your viewing pleasure – thanks Google for doing a great job of this!
Loads of exciting announcements coming from Googleplex this week and I’m sure devs and would-be developers are a bit more excited about the Android ecosystem now. There’s been plenty of hype about Google Chrome, the updated Android marketplace and the future of Android mobile OS. I thought the news of the coming Google Chromebook to be really exciting (and affordable).Chromebooks from Samsung and Acer are coming to market mid June (June 15 apparently) and will be available in 7 markets (U.K., France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy and Spain… sorry but not for Canada, as Google has said screw you, you aren’t important to us – what the heck is up with that Google???) – See http://www.google.com/chromebook. Chromebooks will run fast and startup very fast (in 8 seconds apparently) providing the user with a full day of usage on a single charge too! Chromenotebooks come with no apps etc… they come with the web! Look for built-in security features, automatic updates so the device will reportedly run faster over time. What’s way cool is that a special program designed for government, businesses, and schools will put Chomebooks in the hands of users for a small monthly rate of around $20-$28, and that includes updates, support and more… stay tuned for more on this. See more about chromebooks in this post from the Google Blog
Tips for developers… Some other goodies I picked up on in the livestream that developers might want to keep in mind… It’s not about what you think your app is worth but rather, what users are willing to pay! Initial comments and ratings can make or break you, build great apps and remember, immediately after app release focus on your marketing and get your app noticed and be sure to monitor feedback. Perhaps most important, don’t rush and launch prematurely! Build your app for broad distribution (the non-US Android market is growing FAST), consider all devices and form factors, and remember Google is saying that they will be keeping just 5% of the cost of apps meaning the developer nets 95% or the application proceeds!