Hat tip to @tnkgrl from Engadget who spotted this Oaktrail tablet running Meego with the tablet UX and Intel Appup app store. it turns out its the ECS S10 Oaktrail tablet that we saw at CeBIT which means it’s an OED product looking for a customer. You may or may not see this in the shops.

Working for our sister site Meegonews this week I tracked down that tablet and delved a little deeper into the device to discover it’s relatively light and makes a far better demonstrator product than the 11.6” Intel tablets that most of the demonstrations are running on at MeeGo Conference. It’s also got the AppUp store software pre-installed and you’ll even see a Skype icon. It will be at Computex next week (as will ECS) so hopefully we’ll get more information about when this is going to be available. If it’s not going to be available as an end product, may we suggest that Intel start giving these out at their developer events?

Source: pics and video.

There’s a full gallery available here and the video is shown below.

So Google tell us that the Chromebooks will be fast. It all hinges on the apps (again!)

I took the newly released Angry Birds for Chrome and tested it on a desktop, a tablet and a netbook. I also took a beta version of Chrome and tested it on that. Then I took a native version downloaded via AppUp (Yes, Angry Birds is already available for your Windows desktop!)

The results – I’m not impressed with the Chrome version at all. Windowed and running slowly on Chrome. The Native version runs flawlessly.

This, of course, isn’t a Chromebook test but remember, Chromebooks will run in Intel Atom N570 (at least the first devices) so the CPU and GPU power is limited. The Chrome OS is likely to be faster and WebGL will get better and as we go forward, the platforms will obviously get better but based on what I’ve seen this evening, I’m a little wary of performance. It’s not going to stop me from buying an Acer Chromebook for testing but this test gave me a good reality kick.

Update: Feeback from others in my circle that have tested isn’t that positive either.

Note: We’re not sponsored by AppUp or Intel. The ads you see are agency sales.

.NET, Adobe AIR (Flex, action script), C++ and C are already supported as development platforms for Intel’s AppUp and we’ve already seen people porting their existing air apps over. I’m sure that we’re going to see similar activity, along with fresh development work following the new announcement that a Java SDK has now been added to AppUp. That should please the 9 million Java developers! [ref]

Remember, AppUp is the application ecosystem (develop, monetize, storefront) for Intel netbooks and future MeeGo products on the Intel platforms so in terms of potential it’s building quickly. It’s also key in a significant, possibly critical, part of Intel’s strategy to move into handheld devices, cars and TVs along with MeeGo. It’s no surprise that a lot of work is going into it.

From the announcement:

Continuing the port of choice approach for AppUp, the AppUp developer program has now added a Java SDK, extending the value of the program to millions of Java developers. With the addition of this SDK the program now supports Java, .NET, Adobe AIR, C++ & C development environments. Java developers can download the SDK and start submitting applications to AppUp today. Adding Java as development language for AppUp provides more choice for developers and allows for the benefits of Java to be used to get apps distributed and monetized to consumers.

So are there any developers feeling left out now?

More importantly, are there any developers itching to get involved when Android, Chrome, Symbian and iOS offer a rather significant advantage in terms of installed user base and monetization opportunities?

I spoke to Java consultant Niall Lynch [Agent: Version1] about the opportunity…

This is good news, and will leverage the skills of the large Java developer community who would be keen to develop on any new platform available. It opens up huge opportunities for developers to consider new types of devices when developing applications. Obviously Android application developers should jump at this development. It’s also good news to see that companies as large as Intel believe in Java as there appears to be a lack of direction from various quarters about the future of Java.

Android devs, is there an easy porting opportunity here?

During a snowy week in Europe I travelled to London and Berlin to moderate the the AppLab events being run by Intel. I learnt more about the strategy and details but also got some interesting feedback and feelings from the atendees. For those of you not up-to-date with the Intel AppUp Developer Program (IADP) let me try to explain I’ve got time; A 5hr journey back from Berlin to Bonn! Skip the first section if you know the history.

The story so far…

Intel have a strategy (a ‘Continuum’ in their words) of mobile and embedded platforms based on the Atom CPU core that stretches way into the future. The new generation of Atom-based platforms start to move away from the traditional PC architecture in order to gain a foothold in the ‘always-on’ category of devices. Unfortunately, there isn’t a Microsoft OS product that works well with these platforms (a first for Intel?) so Intel have teamed with Nokia to build an open-source Linux core that if focused on mobility and fits with both Intel and ARM platforms. That OS is called MeeGo and it is under the care of the Linux Foundation. Meego implements a user interface layer using the Qt product that Nokia own. The Symbian Foundation also use this in Symbian. A basic application suite is being built along with reference UI models.In order to compete with similar mobile products, Intel is also building an application store framework with monetisation possibilities. Finally, there’s a marketing program aimed at seeding the applications. That’s the Intel AppUp developer program. Phew!

Intel Atom platform + MeeGo core + Qt layer + Apps + Appup monetisation for new apps + pot of gold to stimulate the whole stack.

MeeGo is clearly critical for Intel. It’s also critical for Nokia. They are public in saying that next generation smartphones, high-end products, will be based on Nokia. It scares me to think of the amount of money that is on the table here. It’s also interesting to note that AppUp is already available for Windows and targeted at netbooks, a category that is merging with laptops and getting less and less attention as time goes on. Marketing efforts for AppUp and MeeGo have just kicked off with the MeeGo Portal on the AppUp website.

What is AppLab?

We’ve seen The Intel Elements AppUp event in San Francisco (Sept. Report here) and the first joint effort for MeeGo in the MeeGo conference in November.  Both were very big events. On a smaller scale, Intel’s regional offices are running their own programs in order to grow local developer interest and to make connections with ISV’s and finally, we get to AppLab, the events run by the Europe, Middle-East and Africa team (EMEA) who seem to be leading the local effort.

If you’re a developer interested in MeeGo and Intel’s new mobile platforms and opportunities, you definitely need to keep an eye out for events in your country. They are small, well-focused and bring some of the senior members of the teams to you. If you’re not interested in Atom, MeeGo and AppUp, then all I can say is that you need to keep an eye on it!

As you’d expect the events expand on what I’ve just summarised and go deep into explaining the MeeGo architecture, how AppUp works, what tools to use and what the platforms will be able to offer in terms of products.  See below for links to the slides and a video stream.

London.

A slightly busy exhibition of mobile applications in London (Apps World, Olympia) meant that the crowd was largely transient although it was good to see a core of a bout 30 people stay and listen to the whole 4 hours of talks. The crowd were from various parts of the UK with about 30% developers and 30% marketing people. Presentation detail was good but speakers should definitely aim to pep-up and tidy-up their presentations. To be honest, as the moderator, there’s room for me to do the same! This is a critical product for Intel and that impression didn’t come across despite the obvious excitement from the speakers when in a one-to-one chat. Intel should also aim to bind the community together under some sort of interest group created for each event. With many people coming from London it makes sense to sponsor user-group meetings.

Berlin

The mood and setup was convivial, the church-hall location surprisingly well set-up. The sessions and speakers went from top to bottom and as deep as was needed and the small number of local people (about 25 at the Berlin event due to some terrible Europe-wide weather in the days running up to the event) helped to create a real atmosphere of community that should aim to keep connected in Berlin. The specialists brought across their subjects well although again, a measure of excitement needs to be injected. For those in Berlin that are interested in connecting to other users, check out Mobile Freidae, an independent website and community that has already held MeeGo get-togethers.

Use Local MeeGo Networks as connectors?

MeeGo, AppUp, IADP and the related products are new, interesting opportunities and Intel/Nokia really need the word to be spread. If you’re interested in setting up a local MeeGo interest group and covering AppUp, see the MeeGo Wiki.

New News

These events aren’t meant for major announcements but if you listen carefully, you can pick up a few hints.

• The IADP team is going to LeWeb in Paris, France this week. There was also a mention of new languages for AppUp. Add the two together for the answer!
• The MeeGo SDK is coming for Mac-based development to add to Linux and Windows-based environments.
• There’s a desire to make some of the (expensive) software tools low-cost or free for MeeGo devs. The Intel tools (compiler, libraries etc.) are very Atom and power-focussed. If this happens it’s a major advantage for Intel/MeeGo developers.
• I’m getting the feeling that AppUp for MeeGo is coming in Q1 2010. Certainly the marketing is ramping up already.
• There’s lots of prizes, support and free marketing available for early developers. More coming in 2011 (Bigger, apparently.)
• Dixons/Currys/PC World in the UK are ready to push a AppUp on their products; Right up into Laptops.

Is MeeGo the catalyst?

One thing that was easy to spot at the events was the interest in MeeGo. It’s not difficult to see why because the ecosystem for Windows is already mature and splintered. MeeGo is connected with a new, clear and mobile strategy. It’s new too which means there’s an excitement about being first. As we go into 2011, I expect the MeeGo/AppUp story to converge although it will be interesting to see how Nokia markets MeeGo/OVI. In theory, Qt provides a way to write an app and put it across both platforms but that message hasn’t really gone out yet and will be quite the marketing challenge as both sides look to promote their own developer opportunities. Will Windows+MeeGo be bigger than Symbian+MeeGo?

More events planned? MeeGo Roadshow!

I asked Stefan Englet, segment manager for EMEA at Intel about future Intel AppLab events…

We will continue doing “AppLabs” to give developers a full overview of the Intel AppUp Developer Program, the support they [can receive] and the opportunities for monetizing their applications. Additionally we will set up a MeeGo road show through central Europe, providing the latest about the cool new mobile OS – stay tuned, planned for 2nd quarter 2011.

The AppUp team is at LeWeb this week. Keep an eye out for Scot Appland and Peter Biddle, both senior members of the core AppUp team.

As for global activities, we’ll have a chance to catch up with the AppUp teams at CES in January so stay tuned here for more.

You can also check out this forum on the Intel Software Network for more event information.

All presentations from the event (PDF)

• Marketing overview
• MeeGo overview
• AppUp SDK details
• AppUp Validation process
• Intel optimisation tools

More information.

• End-user applications site: AppUp.com
• Developers should start here
• MeeGo / AppUp Portal is here and contains links to all the tools.
• AppUp forums at the Intel Software Network
• There’s also a site, MeeGo.com/Developers for the MeeGo-focused
• Video streams from the event are here and here. (Low-Q recordings of the live stream)

The AppLab events were fun and educational and really underline the importance of these products for Intel. Next update is expected in just four weeks at CES, Las Vegas.

It’s hard to believe that the iPhone launched without an application store but it did. If you’ve lived with ‘apps’ for any length of time you’ll appreciate the advantages and probably won’t want to go back to a place without an integrated app store right?

• Discovery
• Try-and-Buy
• Unified Billing
• Discussion / Comment / Sharing
• Developer opportunity (money, fame!)
• Diversity / Niche applications
• Device Customisation
• Application control and conformity
• Centralised security checks
• One-stop-shop
• Competition / Comparison of similar applications
• 3rd-party Curation

Yes, apps have been around for a long time but the app store brings many important advantages. It’s big business.

Wipconnector now lists over 100 app stores and in the latest report (PDF) asks the question – “How Many App Stores is Too Many.” It’s almost the same question as “How Many Blogs is Too Many?” and we all know that there’s enough desire, demand and advertising out there to drive a scary number. My prediction is that the number of store ‘fronts’ will continue to rise but we might see consolidation on the back end. API’s, SDK’s and submission processes that align and then offer multiple store fronts (based on device type, software brand or genre) seem the perfect solution to applications stores with huge numbers of apps. Actually, blogs and app store fronts could link up very well with blogs driving the SEO and readership to a niche audience and then offering a tailored application store with reviews and a percentage of revenue. It’s certainly something I want to do in the mobile computing niche when possible.

Maybe I’ll have a different view at the end of next week though as I expect to learn a lot more at two Intel-sponsored sessions. The first is App World at Olympia in London. On the 1st Dec (Wednesday) I’ll be hosting a 4-hour session where Intel representatives will talk about the Intel AppUp Developer Program, the AppUp store for Windows and MeeGo, the opportunities and software engineers will be present to help developers get started.

“We’ll be discussing revenue opportunities for Adobe AIR* and Windows* C/C++ developers, as well as how you can optimise existing iOS, Windows and runtime applications for netbooks.”

I’ll be around for the day so if you’re at the event, drop by and say hi!

After App World I’ll be flying over to Berlin for the Intel App Lab to practice my ‘Denglisch.’  Again, I’m introducing speakers at the event and looking forward to meeting people in what has to be one of the hottest cities in Europe for new media software and services.

“Hear why you should develop for the Intel AppUpSM center, learn about the monetization opportunities, see live coding demonstrations and talk to Intel experts in our staffed hands on training session. Bring your code and questions!”

You can find information and register here. The event is free and there’s a chance to win a netbook along with other prizes. Beer, pizza and chat after the event too!

See you there.
Chippy

Although I didn’t know this at the time, it turns out that Antix is quite the multi-OS gaming platform. It’s a solution that allows purchase, play, sharing and trial of games between people and different devices running different OS’ (More here.) At the MeeGo conference last week I caught up with Costas Stylianou of Intel’s AppUp team who was demonstrating a multiplayer game.
While the game demo might be interesting, I think it’s more interesting to see Intel demonstrating a gaming platform thats is being ported to AppUp.

The demo is being done on a MeeGo TV platform and a MeeGo Tablet – the WeTab.

I’m looking forward to a multiplayer game of Raging Thunder with another netbook owner soon but watch out, it seems like I was able to play while holding a camera and interviewing Costas!

Just a few days after the first ever MeeGo conference I have the best chance ever to take what I’ve seen, heard and learnt to try and predict when and what will happen with MeeGo in 2011. When will versions ship? On what hardware? When will the applications store ship and finally, when will end-products ship both via Intel and Nokia funding and, importantly, through independent vendors.

First let’s remember that MeeGo is an offering to developers, OEMs, manufacturers and other non-end-user customers. Like Android open-source, it will comprise a complete core, a vanilla user interface and a basic set of core applications. Driver support will be limited to common open-source drivers, codecs for audio and video will be limited to free versions and there will be no applications store. While ‘hacker’ types may welcome the new OS, end-users are unlikely to be too thrilled. Journalists that don’t get the whole picture are likely to react with negative reports. Once again, remember that MeeGo on end products will be different to what you see coming out of the MeeGo project.

Let’s also remember what MeeGo is about. It’s an open-source project run by the Linux Foundation and funded by Intel and Nokia for a range of products from mobile phones, in-vehicle entertainment, TV, netbooks, ‘smart’ books and tablets. Intel need MeeGo for their new low-power platforms (Moorestown and Medfield, the handheld platforms, just won’t work without MeeGo although Android is also in the works for these platforms) and Nokia have committed to bringing their next flagship product out with MeeGo. The stakes are very very high for both companies. MeeGo will happen, products on MeeGo will happen and applications on products on MeeGo will happen. But when?

It is possible to get a product out using MeeGo today. The WeTab proves it’s possible but there’s a list of things that need to happen before ‘milestone’ products appear. I also refer to these products as ‘disruptive’ because they will be good enough to compete in the same space as the best-of-breed in their category. There’s also another category of important products and that is those that are not funded by the MeeGo partners. Here’s what needs to happen before the products appear…

Hardware platforms

For netbooks, the Intel Pinetrail platform works and is likely to be the only choice for most of 2011 and until the next generation of netbook platform is introduced. At that point we should expect a lean towards always-on and the addition of hardware video decoding and encoding. The Intel netbook platform should start to look more like the Oaktrail platform proposed for tablets. If we look at the ARM platforms, the dual-core Cortex A9 series of variants is looking interesting for ‘smart’ netbooks and focusing purely on hardware, it’s possible to build a netbook-style device on ARM today. The Toshiba AC100 is one example.

• Timescales for Intel netbook hardware: Now
• Timescales for ARM netbook-style hardware: Now

In terms of tablets, there’s a wide range of choices. Intel are offering Oaktrail which can support Windows for a desktop-like experience and MeeGo or Android for the always-on consumer-style experience. Interestingly Intel also offer Moorestown on which only MeeGo and Android will run to provide a consumer handheld experience right down to almost mobile phone sizes. in the ARM world we have a huge range of choices. We’ve seen MeeGo running on Ti (who work closely with Nokia and are likely to be providing the platform for the Nokia MeeGo products in 2011) and on Freescale, ST Ericsson and other ARM-based platforms. These platforms are targeted at the 4-10” segment for highly mobile devices and could potentially be used to make an ARM-based smartbook, just the the Intel Moorestown platform could.

• Timescales for Intel Tablet hardware Q1-Q3 2011
• Timescales for ARM tablet hardware: Now

For the mobile phone space, Medfield is the Intel platform that might appear in late 2011 (more likely 2012) and for ARM, lower-power and phone-oriented platforms are available now.

• Timescales for Intel Handheld hardware: Q2 2011 (Oversize smartphones) 1H 2012 (smartphone)
• Timescales for ARM handheld hardware: Now

Touch

For the phone and tablet market, touch is critical. The experience needs to be fast, multi-touch and up there with the best-in-class. For that, MeeGo 1.1 isn’t enough. MeeGo 1.2 is being built with multi-touch in mind and this is planned for April 2011. Products built on the Beta versions will not be ready for market until at least two months later so unless Nokia is doing their own private work on multi-touch with MeeGo 1.1, high quality products are unlikely before that. With the next MeeGo conference planned for end of May 2011, it is the perfect time to launch a product that will be available in June or July. Whether Nokia chooses to launch their product at this time is difficult to tell. With CDMA support not planned until MeeGo 1.3 a launch in the U.S. would have to be focused around AT&T or T-Mobile but with stronger support in Europe, it would appear likely that a separate Nokia event would happen in Europe for the launch of their products.

• Timescales for single touch products: Now
• Timescales for multi-touch products: Starting June 2011

Battery Life

Intel products will need to be built on Oaktrail or Moorestown for the best possible battery life experience. We are moving to a world where ‘always-on’ will be the standard. ARM-platforms are already capable of offering class-leading battery life.

• Intel Tablet battery life timescales (Oaktrail/Moorestown) 1H 2011
• Intel Netbook battery life timescales: (Oaktrail) 1H 2011 (Cedar View) 2H 2011
• Intel smartphone battery life timescales: (Medfield) 2012
• ARM battery life timescales: Now

Security

Security subsystems need to be in place for carriers and that didn’t happen in MeeGo 1.1. I’m hearing that 1.2 is critical for carriers so it hits the same timescale as those devices relying on the multi-touch user experience.

• Carrier security subsystems in place: April 2011. Products. 2H 2011
• Other products (non carrier): Now

Applications stores

As mentioned, OVI and AppUp are critical. MeeGo will only ship with a basic set of applications and for the best-of-breed consumer devices and to create the developer excitement that is, in-turn, a critical part of the application store, they need to be in place with payment systems.  With OVI expected only on the Nokia devices (Question: What application store will be available for ARM-MeeGo devices that are not from Nokia?) we know that it will be a Q3/Q4 timescale. For AppUp on MeeGo we are seeing some marketing campaigns starting now. Launch is likely to be on the Netbook platform first in order to capitalise on the existing Windows-based AppUp store and to enable MeeGo netbook variants to go out of the door as soon as possible. Remember, netbooks using MeeGo will not need any support for carriers, phone stacks, touch and other elements that can only be delivered with V1.2. Considering that V1.1 is available now and that we’ve already seen proposal OS builds from Linpus, we can assume that existing AppUp partners Acer, Asus, Samsung and Dell will be bringing out MeeGo options likely to drive lower-cost netbooks aimed at entry-level markets initially. Based on that, we should see AppUp for MeeGo netbook UX available in Q1.  For tablet/handheld user interfaces, this might not happen until V1.2 (It’s on that roadmap)

• Application store timescale for Nokia (OVI/ARM): Delivered with first Nokia handheld product after June 2011
• Application store timescale for non-Nokia/ARM: Unknown. Currently no support
• Applications store timescale for Intel / Netbook: Q1 2011
• Applications store timescale for Intel handheld/tablet: 2H 2011 (After MeeGo v1.2)

Applications

Applications are starting to work their way through already. In the MeeGo release itself, media player, email client, calendar, sync, browser and other applications are already being worked on and there are rumors that KOffice will also be offered but as any smartphone user knows, discovery, sharing, enhancement and customisation through 3rd party applications is critical now. There is already a way for developers to make apps for MeeGo on Intel and ARM ‘target’ devices(SDK available here) but there is no support for the Application store yet. Intel have already set up an AppUp/MeeGo portal though.

Preparing applications for OVI is another story. Ovi is accepting Qt applications which will work on some existing platforms and the Nokia MeeGo products when they are launched.

Monetisation (OVI, AppUp) will stimulate the developer ecosystem and this will happen in the timescales shown above.

Finally – When Will We See A Competitive Product?

What we see coming out of the MeeGo project is a demonstrator. It’s a complete core with a functional user interface. It’s not what we’re likely to see on end products. In order to make a competitive product; One that has potential to seriously distrupt sales of other devices in the sector requires all of the above milestones to be met. Hardware, Application store, touch, battery life and something we haven’t spoken about yet. The customisation, optimisation and branding process takes months and for a class leading product, could easily take 6 months. Adding in codecs, optimising and branding the content stores, optismising the base applications, checking security, spicing up the interface, writing the drivers and testing is a 6 month to 1 year project. Lets assume that with 1.1, the teams were able to start the process of building a product around MeeGo. In April they will get the features needed to finalise the product and then, along with the integration of an application store, you’ve got another 2-4 months of work ahead. The first competitive products, driven by investment from the core partners, will only hit the market in June 2011 at the earliest. For products from other vendors, expect that timescale to go into Q3 2011 because they will definitely hold back to see what Nokia do, what Apple do, how Android develops, how Chrome OS develops, how the MeeGo application stores grow and even, how Android on Intel develops. The first MeeGo products, in all categories, need to be very special to secure trust from external companies. (Note: It’s likely that Intel and Nokia will invest huge amounts in external companies efforts to get MeeGo-based products to the market.)

Note on In-Vehicle0Entertainment and TV

I haven’t covered these two categories in this article as we’re focusing purely on the mobile/handheld/netbook computing market here.

Summary

We could see MeeGo netbooks with AppUp as early as January with ‘features’ such as quick-boot, lower cost, a simple-to-use operating system with a social-networking slant. We’re unlikely to see too much excitement around these early devices though because platforms and applications need to develop to create products with any major selling points. ARM do have an opportunity to get MeeGo on a netbook-style device in order to create an interesting long-battery-life product.

Tablets could appear in the early part of 2011 as 3rd-parties are already working on UI solutions based on MeeGo 1.1 but for interesting multi-touch products, with an application store, this won’t happen until around June 2011.

The first MeeGo smartphone requires MeeGo V1.2 and won’t happen, either on Intel or ARM until around June 2011. That phone is likely to be a Nokia product and its success will be critical to MeeGo.

Everything up until this Nokia/MeeGo phone can be called Phase-1 – led by Intel/Nokia investment. If these products show class-leading features and the developers start to create applications then we’ll start to see Phase 2 products created through independent investment that are true indicators of MeeGo momentum. That story starts in Q3 2011.

Footnote: All timescales are estimates based on current knowledge.

The next MeeGo conference has been announced for San Francisco on May 23rd-25th 2011.

Want a chance to learn more about AppUp? I’m at the Apps World expo in London on the 1st Dec and AppLab in Berlin on the 3rd Dec.

In podcast 55 we were live at IFA. In podcast 56 we were recorded live in San Francisco at Intel’s AppUp Elements Show.

In the podcast, sponsored by Intel, we talk about the Intel Developer Forum and Intels AppUp program.  Sascha (Netbooknews, Twitter) and JKK (JKKMobile , Twitter) join me (Chippy) at the table.

Audio-only version along with show notes and subscribe links is over here at MeetMobility.

If you’ve been following tech websites recently, you will have heard a lot about application stores and applications over the last year. Apple did it and everyone followed. Developers have made money and customers have enjoyed a huge range of software solutions. A year ago, Intel announced that they too were getting into the app-store game. With 30 million netbooks out there and a clear strategy to push into TV, smartphones and cars,  it wasn’t a bad idea at all. Last week Intel took us to San Francisco to get an update on the progress so far.

Since last year we’ve seen some progress by the teams to roll out a client to Windows and to seed some apps by offering prizes for new apps. They’ve also seen progress in the netbook market which has now grown to 70M with another projected 40M to come on top of that in the next year. They’ve also seen the tablet opportunities take off as Apple proved that it could actually be a successful form factor. Clearly Intel are doubling-up their efforts too as we experienced an unprecedented amount of marketing for a software product. Keynote mentions, an AppUp store in the high street (the former Sony Style store no less) and an additional 2-day conference dedicated to everything AppUp.  Full disclosure must be given at this point – we had a fantastic time at the ‘Elements’ social event on Wednesday!

So it looks like AppUp is getting the support from within Intel but does it really stand a chance? Do we need software store on Windows? Possibly not but AppUp is a bit more than just a repository and spreads further than just netbooks.

Key Features of AppUp

• Write native code – C++, QT
• Assistance for porting iPhone apps is available (Angry Birds is coming soon!)
• Write Flex apps (Adobe flash or Adobe Air)
• Silverlight support is being worked on
• Intel are managing the payment back-end
• Intel are managing the app authorisation
• There will be multiple branded and tailored stores. (We’re hearing that there could be 10 or more by the end of the year.)
• Tailored stores do not have to show a complete catalogue
• Intel are introducing a curation system where partners can highlight good apps. (this could extend to community members)
• Sega, Konami, Unity and other game creators are on board
• Device manufacturers are on board (Asus and Samsung will distribute the store with netbooks)
• Device distributors are on board (Best-Buy, Currys and others have announced they will promote the app store)
• The future includes media distribution
• The future includes affiliation schemes (this is a killer feature in my opinion)
• The hardware platforms we’ve seen so far are blowing away anything you’ll see on a smartphone in 2010.

AppUp is out of beta and available for Windows and Moblin (MeeGo coming soon.) You can download it here.

Over and above all that, there’s a significant point to note – this isn’t just a Windows-based product. Intel are pitching this as a value-add feature for MeeGo too and that means tablets, smart devices, smartphones, Smart TV, Google TV, MeeGo TV and products like Boxee that have announced they will ship a product on Intel Atom. Total addressable market for AppUp is quoted as about 500 million end user devices by end of 2013. With sales of netbooks due to reach 200M by that time I’d personally put it much higher. Develop today and you could be looking at some serious opportunities by end of 2011. I’m not joking when I say that i’m seriously looking at going back into writing software!

Problems Solved

It looks like Intel will have enough installed user-base before mid-2011 and with Intel’s marketing power and a big number of manufacturers and retail partners will solve the problem of activating those end-users. They also seem to be on track to seed applications by offering an easy route for porting from existing platforms. The Adobe Air route is almost too simple and I expect to see hundreds, if not thousands of flash games being optimised over to the platform (along with a new monetisation opportunity) in no time at all.

The problem of having compelling end-user products seems to be well on its way to being solved too. I see Windows as a barrier until MeeGo products hit the market but with Intel’s Atom platforms growing to cover the 4” to 42”+ screen range, there’s a tidy set of silicon, software and solution stacks forming. We’ll see interesting products in 2011 for sure. Google TV and the current tablet craze will make sure of that.

Getting the word out to developers shouldn’t be too hard either. Once the installed user-base is in place and once a few MeeGo products are on the market it will only take the existing media channels, blogs, forums and some Intel incentives to get the developers interested. If there’s one thing thats for sure, there are a huge number of fickle devs out there just looking for the next revenue opportunity.

Guy Kawasaki, Scott Hershkowitz, Ben Parr, Loic Le Meur, Regan Fletcher at AppUp Elements

The 5 Challenges.

Challenge 1 is to seed the application store with quality applications that have been written with the end platform in mind. Right now we’re seeing apps ported over from other platforms (Windows Mobile, AIR, iPhone) to the netbook. While these apps seem to be taking the netbook screen into account, most of them are ignoring much of the screen space, processing power and graphics opportunities. I certainly didn’t see anything that blew me away at IDF and Elements.

Challenge 2 is to prevent the problem of applications appearing on the wrong platforms. An application written for MeeGo on a tablet may be looking for an accelerometer that just won’t be there on a netbook. I have no idea how AppUp will handle that.

Challenge 3 is time. iOS 4 is already making huge inroads in this area and if Apple dial-in new products, the momentum won’t stop. The same is true of Android 3.0. Application developers that have had success on these platforms may choose to concentrate on these opportunities first. Chrome OS and HTML5 is also something to watch during 2011 too.

Challenge 4 is Intel itself, While the Elements 2010 evening party was an impressive show of marketing that made me love Intel more and more during the evening, that is not going to make Intel ‘cool.’ How are they going to dial-in the magic that makes people sit up and take notice? AppUp itself is losely branded and likely to appear branded under other names but this sort of fragmentation could actually make it harder to market the solution to developers.

Challenge 5 is MeeGo and Ovi. MeeGo isn’t just an Intel project, it’s Nokia’s baby too and MeeGo for ARM could be huge. If AppUp is dropped on top of ARM MeeGo to make it even more compelling then the whole AppUp project would have bit the Intel boys in the bum. AppUp could limit itself to i86-only but even then, Ovi could come along and boost the products. Remember, ARM and Intel are playing in the same product space with Cortex and Atom,

Peter Biddle – Head of AppUp Development for Intel

Exposing the Tail and Developer Feedback.

We were wined and dined, educated and stimulated by Intel in San Francisco but however long I sleep on this article I still see huge opportunities and an incredibly flexible application store framework. Curation and affiliation could be killer features and if you take a look at the slide on the right (click to enlarge) you can see that Intel sees the value in exposing the long tail. I wholeheartedly agree with that.  The biggest take-away though is the feedback from the developers so far. It’s all very positive and exciting and you can experience that first hand of a video we shot at the Elements event. Check the video out [Coming Soon] and get another opinion about what’s going on here.

It looks like we’ve really got quite the challenger here. As Paul Otellini said in his keynote last week, it’s about providing computing solutions and not just silicon now. Yup, it’s all about the apps, stupid!

The AppUp client is available here.

Intel have rounded up some key partners here at IDF 2010 to talk about the recent AppUp announcements.

Notes taken at the panel session:

Appup is ‘gold’ – Out of beta and ready to go. New version is now available. Much faster!

Dixons (Garry Hearns) on App Stores:

Bringing life to technology. AppUp store crucial.

Tapping into unrecognised needs through developers.

Gary talks about safe application stores.

Q. How are you going to help developers.

Eric Wittman (Adobe)

We have Project Melrose – Flash and AIR developers can put their apps into AppUp

Joe Morris – Konami:

Migrating from console to digital. Fragmentation has been difficult in the mobile space. “We see AppUp as solving the fragmentation problem, creating an ecosystem in which developers can prosper.”

Gary Hearns – Dixons

Open questions:

Question from Sascha – When are you releasing AppUp center on EeePC line
Asus: AppUp on Asus netbooks in retail stores in Novemeber.

Question from Darren Waters: How will the app store be branded, marketed in Dixons.

Dixons: Co-branded store. Pre-Christmas awareness. Online marketing on websites. DM customers. Strong in-store presence. After Christmas: Where appropriate will be installed on Advent computers.

Question: Are you doing anything to promote business apps.

Biddle: Consumer space is our focus. We’re not going to turn away productivity apps.

Summary: Clearly these are partners that already committed to AppUp so the message will be very positive but its good to see people finally announcing products, software and marketing. Its a commitment from outside Intel and that’s a very important first step.

The AppUp store can be downloaded here.

In about an hour I’ll be starting the live blog from Intel’s developer forum here in San Francisco. You may have read new from the keynote yesterday but today’s keynotes are the more important ones for those looking at the Atom ecosystem of mobile-focused computing. We’ll see Rene James announcing a number of important progressions in the MeeGo, AppUp and Appup Developer Program (formerly Atom Developer Program) and all indicators point to big news. We expect AppUp to be announced as final (‘Gold’, out of beta) and we expect to see some new software partners on stage. Gaming and tablets will be on stage (WeTab has to make an appearance as the first MeeGo product.) Following Rene we’ll hear from Doug Davis from the embedded and communications group. I hope to hear about Moorestown, Oaktrail and Medfield in this keynote but we might see it more focused towards in-vehicle entertainment and SmartTV. They use different Atom-based platforms.

Live blogging with test and images will start in about an hour from this post. After the keynote i’ll be attending a special session with the AppUp teams so expect some more details later.

(Refresh this page to update – Sorry, no auto-updating!)

0850: We’re seated

0905 – Intro – Recap of Day 1 – Rene James comes on stage after intro video highlights user experience.

0907 – Rene – “Computing has transformed from something we do to something we feel”

"Evolution of tablets"
Tablets are not new.
Have been around or 20 years (old tablet shown)
WeTab now on screen
Breakthrough is due to touch, user interfaces.

Rene moves on to Intel Software strategy and the acquisitions: Cilk, Wind river, Havok, Virutech and more

[Note: We’re having some problems uploading from the keynote.]

Rene  highlights investment in developers and tools.

‘Support for Android’ mentioned.

Andrew Bond of Havok on stage talking about immersive computer games. They make game middleware.

0923: Demo of ‘cloth technologies’

Amazing cloth simulation demo. No more short skirts in games?

Havok announces that their technology will be freely available for people developing for AppUp store

0930: AppUp

450,000 users in AppUp
23000 members
Windows and Meego platforms.
Runtime applications are supported.
Rewards are mentioned. E.g. Developer challenge.

Grand Prize winner announced – Goal! Demonstrated on screen. I’ve played with this and i’m sure that there’s better to come.

Goal also demonstrated on MeeGo
Ported ‘within a few days’

Prize is shown – they win a car!

0933: MeeGo

Highlights:

DeviceVM – Splashtop – Meego Remix announced.

Rene highlights netbooks, netbooks. Gentech mediaphone (OpenPeak) also highlighted.

New tablet —- WeTab also highlights.

Stephan – CTO of 4tiitoo (WeTab partner and the guy I was on the plane with coming over!) is on stage.

MeeGo for TV now highlighted. This is something new.

New platform for Smart Television. Is this SmartTV?

Video being shown.

Amino now on stage demonstrating the MeeGo TV system. How does this sit with the Google SmartTV project? Confusing.

Amino system looks good. Smooth. HD. Cloud content integrated. Its shipping now apparently.

AppUp goes live / gold

Announces that AppUp Developer Program is the new name for the program.

Peter Biddle announces that AppUp is Gold.

0945 – AppUp Experience and ApUp Elements event (we’re doing a podcast there on Thursday) is highlighted.

New partners announced for AppUp.

Dixons Retail will use the AppUp

Currys will use AppUp

Croma will promote AppUp

BestBuy will promote AppUp.

Sega is in the AppUp store! Megadrive classics coming.

Barnes and Noble coming

Unity coming to AppUp store.

More details on these announcements later after our private session at 11pm.

Rene finishes. Doug Davis on stage now. Here’s the Atom section.

Doug Starts with Atom in the compute Continuum and some future thoughts. Telemetry, Digital Signs, home storage networks. Suprises us all (!) by telling us these products are real and are all internet connected.

Again, there’s the ‘port of choice’ capability statement. Windows, MeeGo, Android, VXWorks etc.

70M Atom cpus have been shipped into netbooks.
E-Series is a new series for embedded apps. I guess its Tunnel Creek

Boxee Box announced as an Atom-based product. Others too:

More talk about TV

10:09

New media-focused platform announced – CE4200 (Aka Groveland)

Partner and products announced too.

Mobile Devices:
Doug talks about the launch of Z6xx series CPU.
10x in thermal power 50x platform idle power we’ve heard before.

Aava phone shown on stage.

‘We’re on track’ for smartphones.

Tablet PCs now being highlighted.

Exopc, CIUS, WeTab etc.

Oaktrail for tablets – Looks like a Streak!

Doug talks a lot about Windows 7

2 devices running Oaktrail shown.

Both running windows 7

Dell turns up on stage with new tablet.

10” Dual-core Windows 7. “Most powerful 10” tablet”

OK. Everyone got a bit excited there. Full Dell 10” tablet image set here.

http://www.umpcportal.com/2010/09/first-pics-dell-10-dual-core-win7-convertible/

Now we’re looking at embedded platforms and applications. Intel announced Tunnel Creek as the new E-series Atom range.

More information on that here.

We’re winding down here. ‘Whats next’ says Doug.

Stellarton sneak peek. FPGA on-die with Atom CPU for major flexibility.

That’s it. Thanks for watching.

Looking forward to some hands-on with the Dell Tablet if possible.

If you’re in the Berlin area for IFA and you want to learn more about Intel’s Atom platform, MeeGo operating system, Atom Developer Program and AppUp app-store, this one is for you.

On the 3rd Sept there will be a tweetup that is sponsored by Intel and will be attended by a number of people presenting on the main event on Saturday the 4th.  On the 4th you can attend a training day which includes key people from the Intel software groups and a lot of information. Sascha (netbooknews) and myself will be there and we’ll be available to chat independently about Intel hardware and software.

There’s a very good chance to win some swag too and I’m not talking about pens and USB sticks. There are three netbooks and a WeTab up for grabs!

Tweetup Details:

Sept 3rd

Starts at 19.00h at St. Oberholz, Rosenthaler Str. 72, (Tel. +49 30 24085586)

U Bahn Station: Rosenthaler Platz, U8;

http://www.qype.com/place/492-Sankt-Oberholz-Berlin

Main Event Details:

Sept 4th (Sat)

Event Webpage:  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=144065815611069&ref=mf
Address: HomeBase Lounge
Köthener Strasse 44
10963 Berlin
Tel: +49 30 257 938 56
U-Bahn/S-Bahn Station: Potsdamer Platz

Agenda:
10.00 – 12.00h        Intel presenters and bloggers arrive, please
12.30 – 13.00h        Registration and small fingerfood lunch
13.00 – 14.00h       Technical Training Part 1
14.00 – 14.15h        Break
14.15 – 16.15h         Technical Training Part 2

16.30h – 17.00h    Registration (repeat) starts
17.00h – 17.10h    Welcome by Beatrice Frädrich
17.10h – 18.00h    4 presentations – 10min. Each

• Vipul Chopra – Validation
• Jens Weller – apps porting QT
• 4iitoo – application examples with WeTab
• Stefan Englet – AppUP/IADP
• Moderated by Chippy and Sascha

18.00 – 18.30h       Wind-down
20.00            Announcement of raffle winners
18.30 – 22.00h        Buffet dinner/drinks/networking

AppUp is the Intel-designed platform for app-stores on Windows and Maemo/MeeGo devices that utilize their Atom products. Smartphones, netbooks, tablets, UMPCs and MIDs navigation devices, Internet TV and in-car entertainment all fall under that banner which make AppUp an interesting move as we consider the addressable market over the next 5 years.

Progress continues (AppUp was only born just over a year ago) and we expect to hear a lot more about it at the Intel Developer Forum in Sept but there have been two announcements recently that are worth updating you all about. I know there are some developers out there and a lot of Atom users!

Firstly, Intel and Adobe have announced that support for AIR apps is now working. This is particularly interesting as it gives AIR app developers a place to monetize their apps. Up until now, most of the popular AIR apps have been free so although we’re unlikely to see those app developers start charging, it might stimulate them to think of other possibilities within the multi-million netbook market. I know the Smartphones haven’t arrived yet but developing an AIR app that could be sold in multiple markets with simple UI changes sounds attractive for developers. Intel provide more information here. Let us know if AIR is something you’re considering. [Via – Liliputing]

If you’re a gaming type of person, the second announcement will interest you because it’s all about getting games onto the netbook platform. I’ve long wondered why people like Electronic Arts don’t go through their back-catalogue and release netbook versions of their old classics. With over 50 million netbooks out there, you’d think there would be some opportunities for them. At Computex, Konami announced that they are looking at AppUp but this new competition should drive even more interest. The Games Creators, a site sponsored by Intel, is offering a pot of $8K to games developers. Obviously the criteria is netbook focused which means you’ll need to be getting the best out of the screen size, the processing power, controls and also targeting the netbook user. We’re probably not talking about hardcore gamers here but think about the 1-hour time-period and the places that netbooks get used. Trains, planes, sofa, bed and coffee-shop. How about a game that finds other netbooks in the area using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and social media like Foursquare and Twitter. Get the game to run in the background, check into Foursquare and put out some sort of signal on Twitter that other people running the game would automatically pick up. You’d have a cool network of like-minded location-focused casual gamers in no time! Come to think of it, maybe that’s something that Starbucks should sponsor. You heard it here first!

Anyway, all the details are in the pages here. Good luck and please let us know if you’re interested in this. We’d love to find out about your experiences. [Via Liliputing]

Stay tuned over the next month for more AppUp news. We’re expecting AppUp for MeeGo to be announced along with more competitions and updates on progress. More on AppUp, here. The AppUp forum is here. We’re also at AppUp Elements, a 2-day AppUp conference on the 15th and 16th of September (invitation only, no-less!) where we will be attending some unique sessions and presentations. We’re not software developers ourselves but we’ll be trying to pick-up and relay key information about how to develop, port and make money with AppUp. We’ll also be sharing some of our experience from end users and developers so if you’ve got thoughts you want us to take to Elements, let us know in the comments.

While the MeeGo community moves forward towards its May 1st Release, Intel is is moving forward with the AppStore framework that will available for use in MeeGo. Today Intel announce that their AppUp Center,  is now available for Moblin (which will migrate to MeeGo) and that it will begin accepting Euro and Pound payments opening it up to another 300+ million people.

We have this announcement from Intel:

Intel today introduced Intel AppUp^SM Center Beta for Moblin v2.1-based netbooks in the U.S. and Canada. Intel AppUp Center offers a wide range of applications, spanning games, entertainment and social media apps that are optimized for the netbook’s mobility and screen size. Additionally, Intel announced the Intel AppUp center beta for Windows and Moblin v2.1 will become available in 27 European countries on March 31. The expansion into Europe gives application developers in the Intel® Atom™ Developer Program an opportunity to reach consumers in one of the top markets for netbooks worldwide and complete transactions in USD, Euros or GBP. Future updates to the Intel AppUp Center will support the MeeGo software platform and smartphones, consumer electronics and additional devices.

Clearly the target is netbooks here and although there aren’t many Moblin versions knocking around in the market yet, you can download and install V2.1 from a USB stick on almost any netbook. However, that’s not really the end-game here. The application framework used for the AppUp store now allows OEMs to build Linux-base netbooks with a full payment-enabled application store that adds value and opens possibilities for developers and as we look forward to handhelds and netbooks based on MeeGo, you start to get the bigger picture about why this is happening and what the potential is.

I’ll be taking a closer look at the AppUp center for Moblin as soon as it appears. We’re expecting an announcement on the AppUp store website.

Amy Barton from Intel explains the Million Dollar Fund intended to kick-start developers and get applications into the Intel Atom Developer Program which will then appear in the AppUp Center and other netbook (and possibly smartphone, mid, tv) app stores in the future on both Windows and Meego-based devices.

The press announcement was yesterday.

What a fantastic start to the year we’ve had at Meet Mobility. First we’re live in Vegas at the Runcore booth and then a few weeks later, we’re running four sessions in Barcelona at the Intel booth at Mobile World Congress. I think I can speak for the whole Meet:Mobility team when I say that joining our individual web forces for podcasts and events has been one of most rewarding and exciting things we’ve done. You can guarantee we’ll be organising more of these events and as I write this, Sascha and JKK are trying to organise something for CeBIT next week so stay tuned.

My favourite session at MWC last week was the 30 minutes we spent with Scott Apeland. Scott is Director of Intel’s Developer Network and was able to answer most of our questions on the Intel Atom Developer Program, the AppUp Center Beta and the MeeGo announcement. The session is split into three parts and is available over at MeetMobility.

For those of you with netbooks running Windows in the U.S. or Canada, you might be interested in testing out the Intel AppUp applications store. If you haven’t heard the news, it’s a full app store with a purchase system and an account that tracks your apps and allows you to re-download them if necessary. There isn’t much in the store right now (approx 100 apps) but I don’t think it will take long for developers to start modifying and submitting the applications they have already written for the Windows platform.

So far, I’m seeing a very interesting platform that when extended across smartphones, mids, netbooks and TV’s has huge potential in market segments that could total hundreds of millions of potential end-users. Already there are tens of millions of netbooks out there so if you’re a developer you need to be taking a close look at this.

Detailed blog article from Intel

AppUp store homepage