ATandT Reaches Out to Developers (
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At its 2010 AT&T Developer Summit,
AT&T announced a trial program with WaveMarket to make network location
information accessible through Veriplace, WaveMarket’s cloud location
aggregation platform.
AT&T announced a slew of initiatives aimed at increasing its penetration
in the mobile phone space, including supporting multiple application stores.
However, the partnership with WaveMarket is to help developers build
location-aware applications for all major operating systems. WaveMarket's
Veriplace is used by more than 1,000 developers.
Veriplace allows SMS, Web, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) developers to develop location-aware apps and
services across device categories and participating carriers. The trial program
will launch in the coming weeks, AT&T officials said.
“Veriplace protects end-user privacy while offering application developers a
single Web-service API to locate more than
100 million devices across multiple carriers,” said Tasso Roumeliotis, CEO
of WaveMarket, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer these
innovative location-aware tools to developers working on applications for
AT&T customers.”
As an example of how the service could work, a customer who signs up for a
mobile weather application can give the application permission to send alerts
about approaching storms or severe conditions based on the customer’s location,
even when the customer may not have the app actively running on the handset, according
to WaveMarket.
Yet, the Veriplace platform keeps customers in control of their location
information, WaveMarket said. A customer’s location information is never
released to an application without the user’s explicit permission, and end
users of applications powered by Veriplace can manage privacy and security
preferences without having to install special software on their devices, the
company said. Customers can revoke permission for an application to locate them
at any time.
Moreover, the agreement with AT&T makes Veriplace the only cloud
location platform that provides developers with a single API
for developing across multiple carriers.
New Android Phones, More Apps
AT&T also announced plans to launch five new Android-powered devices
from Dell, HTC and Motorola in the first
half of 2010, and the telecommunications giant said it plans to become a key
destination for mobile phone users looking for applications.
At the AT&T Developer Summit in Las Vegas on Jan. 6, the company also
announced a major initiative to expand the universe of mobile applications
beyond smartphones to more mobile phones, and to spur future application
development for emerging consumer electronics devices, its U-verse TV platform,
and enterprise and small business workplaces.
"Applications help consumers realize the full value and benefits of
mobile broadband networks, services and devices," said Ralph de la Vega,
president and CEO of AT&T Mobility and
Consumer Markets, in a statement. "Today some AT&T customers can take
advantage of more than 100,000 apps—but only if they have the right handset.
Our goal is to bring more apps to millions more of our customers who want
convenient access to the market's hottest apps. At the same time, in the
future, we plan to go well beyond mobile devices to spur apps
development."
In addition to ultimately giving more customers more choices of
applications, the long-term strategic initiatives announced today will make it
easier for developers to cost-effectively create applications and reach broader
audiences, and help AT&T drive data revenues, AT&T officials said.
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