May 2011 Summaries

Entrepreneurs aiming to transform their weekend ideas into funded startups can benefit from insights shared by experts like Paul Buchheit, Joe Kraus, and Seth Priebatsch, who emphasize the importance of having co-founders with complementary skills and experience, as well as the ability to communicate openly. The founding team is crucial as it shapes the company's direction and attracts potential investors and employees, who often prioritize team dynamics over the initial idea, which is likely to evolve. To attract investors, it's vital to connect with those familiar with your industry, leveraging both personal networks and strategic introductions, as demonstrated by Joe Kraus's experience. While patents and business plans are often seen as less critical for early-stage startups, a strong pitch deck and product demo are essential tools for convincing investors. Finally, Seth Priebatsch's journey underscores the value of participating in incubators and seeking advice from a diverse group of investors, as these steps can provide not only financial support but also guidance and connections crucial for startup growth.

Random Hacks of Kindness (RHoK) is a collaborative initiative formed by major tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! alongside organizations such as NASA and the World Bank, aimed at leveraging technology for humanitarian purposes. The program organizes global events where subject matter experts, software developers, and designers come together to create open-source solutions to address global challenges. Successful applications from past RHoK events include "I’mOK," a disaster response messaging app, and "CHASM," a tool for mapping landslide risks, both of which have been deployed in crisis situations like Haiti, Chile, and Japan. The upcoming RHoK event scheduled for June 4-5, 2011, invites developers and designers to collaborate in person at various locations, including Google headquarters in Silicon Valley, to contribute to projects that make a positive impact on crisis response and climate change. Interested participants and organizations can find more information and sign up at the RHoK website to participate in this initiative, which aims to harness technology for the betterment of humanity.

Google I/O 2011 attracted nearly a million participants who engaged through in-person attendance in San Francisco, global I/O Extended events, or by watching live-streamed keynotes and sessions on YouTube, disseminating a vast array of information. The blog highlighted several notable posts, including Cameron Henneke's discussion on developing the GQueues Mobile app, where he explored the decision-making process between coding in HTML versus native development and its implications on user experience and development efficiency. Another post introduced near field communication (NFC) technology, showcasing how the doubleTwist app uses NFC to facilitate low-overhead data exchange between Android devices, complete with sample code for developers. For those who missed live sessions, recorded videos were made available on YouTube, allowing continued access to the event's content, with the blog editor planning to enjoy more sessions and music performances over the weekend.

ChromeVox, unveiled at Google I/O 2011, is a built-in screen reader for Chrome OS, designed to enhance platform accessibility for web applications using web technologies like HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. As a Chrome extension, it utilizes Chrome's experimental APIs for text-to-speech and accessibility, enabling developers to customize user experiences by generating spoken messages and synchronizing with application focus. ChromeVox includes an interactive tutorial demonstrating how users interact with web pages via spoken feedback, allowing developers to test navigation techniques and incorporate ARIA properties for improved accessibility. While primarily aimed at end-users on Chrome OS, it also serves as a valuable tool for web developers across major platforms. The project invites feedback through its open-source website, with further resources available through the Accessibility help page and the Google Wiki page.

Google I/O 2011 recently concluded, with nearly one million developers participating globally through various platforms, including in-person at Moscone Center, I/O Extended events, and online via I/O Live. The event featured over 110 sessions and more than 30 announcements, including updates to Android development tools, the opening of the Google Places API, enhancements to Google Chart Tools, and new releases like the Google Tasks API and Google App Engine 1.5. High-definition recordings of all sessions are now accessible online, and highlights can be found at the official Google I/O website. Additionally, the announcement introduced the international Google Developer Days, set to occur in several countries, marking the beginning of a worldwide tour by Google's Developer Relations team. Mike Winton, who leads this team, emphasizes the ongoing nature of Google's engagement with developers, while also mentioning that more detailed announcements about the events are forthcoming.

"3 Dreams of Black" is an innovative music experience developed by Google's Data Arts Team, led by Ricardo Cabello, which utilizes WebGL, HTML5, and JavaScript to create an interactive journey through three dream worlds. Designed for modern browsers like Google Chrome, this project blends 2D drawings and animations with immersive 3D sequences, allowing users to navigate and interact with the protagonist's perspective. The experience features a 3D model creator that enables users to contribute to a collective dream, and it is set to the song "Black" from the album "ROME" by Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi, featuring Jack White and Norah Jones. Developed by Chris Milk and his team, the project includes open-source code, WebGL demos, and a model viewer to engage developers and enthusiasts, with tools like the Three.js 3D library and customized Blender plugins for model manipulation. To enjoy "3 Dreams of Black," users need a WebGL-supported browser and updated graphics drivers, with further details and resources available at www.ro.me.

Google announced the release of its new Google Tasks API, designed to allow developers to create applications that integrate seamlessly with Google Tasks. This API responds to user requests for more accessible task management by providing a RESTful interface with JSON data representation and supporting authentication mechanisms like OAuth 2.0. Developers can perform various operations to manage and sync tasks using major programming environments supported by client libraries. Early adopters, including Producteev, Mavenlink, Manymoon, and Zoho, have already integrated their services with the API, demonstrating its potential to enhance task management across various platforms. The initiative was unveiled at Google I/O, inviting developers to explore the API through the API Console and documentation, while also encouraging feedback and discussion from the developer community.

Announced on May 11, 2011, Chromebooks, developed by Google in collaboration with Samsung and Acer, offer a new computing experience centered around speed, simplicity, and security, primarily through the Chrome web browser. Unlike traditional computers, Chromebooks provide nearly instant boot times, automatic software updates, and enhanced security without the need for antivirus software. They promise day-long battery life, cloud-based accessibility to personal files, and optional 3G connectivity. Chromebooks will be available for purchase starting June 15 in multiple countries, including the U.S. and several European nations, through major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Google also unveiled Chromebooks for Business and Education, a service package including cloud management and enterprise support starting at $28 per user for businesses and $20 per user for schools, addressing the complex and costly challenges of traditional computing systems.

Google has introduced the developer API for In-App Payments for the web, which was announced at Google I/O and is now available to US developers in sandbox mode, with a broader consumer and international launch expected later. Developed following Google's acquisition of Jambool, the project incorporates Social Gold technology to create a streamlined payment platform that emphasizes simplicity. The API requires only two calls to process payments and is designed to enhance user experience by allowing payments without leaving the app or re-entering billing details. Users who have previously made purchases on platforms like Google Checkout, Android Market, and YouTube Movies can use their existing accounts for quick transactions. The payment model is straightforward, with a 5% processing fee and no additional setup or monthly costs, applicable whether apps are distributed independently or via the Chrome Web Store. Currently available in JavaScript, with a Flash version forthcoming, the API aims to increase revenue through improved customer conversion rates by keeping users engaged in applications.

Google Storage for Developers has become more accessible as it no longer requires an invitation, and several new features have been introduced to enhance its functionality. These updates include improved security features with OAuth 2.0 support, simplified data sharing with anyone holding a Google account, and the option to store data in Europe. The service now supports larger objects up to 5 TB, offers team-oriented accounts with project-based management, and introduces chunked transfer encoding for data uploads. A new API version has been launched, offering backward compatibility for existing users, and a promotional tier with free storage and data transfer is available until the end of 2011. Existing accounts will transition to the new plan on July 1, 2011, and users are encouraged to provide feedback to help further evolve the service.

In a guest blog post, Webb Brown, Co-Founder of DayZipping, discusses how the Google Web Toolkit (GWT) significantly enhanced the functionality and performance of their platform, which was launched in July 2010 to help users find day trip ideas. The focus was on minimizing page load times and enabling rapid iteration across their web platform. GWT's efficiencies, such as its compilation process, resource bundling, and code splitting, helped achieve these goals by optimizing performance through reduced code size, fewer fetch requests, and improved user experience. The adoption of Java tools like Eclipse for development facilitated quick project-wide changes, bolstered by a JUnit test suite, enabling rapid deployment without compromising content freshness. These optimizations led to a 10% performance boost, increased user engagement, and higher conversion rates, which are crucial for the startup's success. Webb Brown underscores that these achievements would have been difficult to realize with any other framework and invites readers to learn more about their experience at the Google I/O event.

In May 2011, Google App Engine announced the addition of Go as the third programming language option, alongside Python and Java, for developing applications on its platform. Go, an open-source language designed by Google and released in 2009, is recognized for its static typing, compiled nature, and lightweight dynamic feel, which make it suitable for CPU-intensive tasks. The language's features, such as garbage collection, concurrency support, and robust libraries, enhance its suitability for web applications. The App Engine SDK for Go is now available for download, allowing developers to easily experiment with Go applications locally, and interested users can sign up for early testing before it becomes widely available, although it will initially remain an experimental feature. More information about this development can be found on the Go Programming Language blog.

Storify, co-founded by Xavier Damman, is a platform that allows users to create stories by seamlessly integrating various web elements like tweets, YouTube videos, Facebook updates, and more through a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. At Google I/O, Storify showcased how it utilizes YouTube's Data and Player APIs to incorporate video content into stories, emphasizing a JSONp-based method for retrieving and normalizing video data. This approach maintains content attribution and enables tracking of content dissemination online. Users can easily extract JSON representations of stories by appending ".json" to any Storify URL, facilitating advanced content filtering and visualization. The Storify Editor can be embedded into other sites to enhance community engagement, and future plans include opening a Sources API to enable developers to create sources for various services.

Google Web Fonts introduced a new feature called "text=" that allows developers to specify which characters they need when using a web font on their website or application, particularly useful for logos or headings where only certain letters are required. This feature, announced by Raph Levien at Google I/O, optimizes the font file size by serving only the necessary characters, reducing file sizes significantly, which improves loading times, especially on mobile devices with slower connections. The "text=" parameter works with international fonts without needing the "subset=" parameter and can handle Unicode characters through URL-encoding. This advancement aims to streamline web font requests, enhancing user experience by providing faster loading times and efficient font delivery.

CloudLock, a company focused on cloud data protection, developed an enterprise-class application for Google Apps by leveraging Google App Engine and the Google Apps Marketplace, as shared by Ron Zalkind, CTO and Co-Founder of CloudLock. The key challenges addressed were ensuring data security, achieving enterprise scalability, and minimizing administrative overhead. Google App Engine was chosen because it enables data to remain within Google's infrastructure, provides reliable and scalable solutions through services like Task Queue, and offers seamless integration with Google’s account management system for secure domain access. The Google Apps Marketplace facilitated easy installation and accessibility for users, making CloudLock's solution both secure and scalable for large organizations. The application is available on the Google Apps Marketplace and benefits from being hosted on Google’s robust infrastructure.

Cloud9 IDE, an online development environment for languages such as JavaScript, Python, PHP, and Ruby, seeks to enhance offline functionality by leveraging new capabilities in Google Chrome. Traditionally, web applications depended on server-side logic, with early offline features limited to static content caching. However, the rise of AJAX has enriched client-side experiences, making offline operation more feasible. Cloud9 IDE is advancing this by using HTML5's Application Cache and integrating Google Chrome's local file system API, enabling file operations like creation, deletion, and modification even when offline. This development allows users to continue coding without internet access, with the API offering both temporary and permanent storage solutions. These innovations were showcased at Google I/O, with plans for further integration with Google App Engine, aiming for a seamless online and offline development workflow.

Cooliris, a company specializing in media applications, developed a visually compelling media browsing experience for Google Chrome through the Cooliris Extension, which leverages next-generation web APIs like WebGL and requestAnimationFrame. These technologies enable the creation of cross-platform web applications that mimic native app performance and user experience while reducing the need for platform-specific code. The Cooliris extension for Chrome, called Image Search, utilizes these APIs to deliver an immersive visual search experience by integrating Google Image Search API for dynamic content and efficient navigation. The development of this extension demonstrates the capability of the web platform, with standards like HTML5 and WebGL, to create high-performing applications comparable to native software. As Cooliris continues to innovate with projects like LiveShare, they are optimistic about the future potential of web technologies, as showcased during their participation in the Developer Sandbox at Google I/O.

Google App Engine, a platform for developing and hosting applications on Google's infrastructure, is set to graduate from its preview status in the second half of 2011, signaling a long-term commitment from Google and the introduction of enterprise-grade features to support business applications. As part of this transition, Google has released App Engine 1.5.0, which includes new capabilities such as Backends for Python and Java, enhanced Task Queues, and an experimental runtime for the Go Programming Language, enabling support for applications requiring long-running processes and high memory usage. This update expands App Engine's compatibility with other cloud services through new REST-based APIs and introduces a new pricing structure with usage-based transparency, alongside a 99.95% uptime service level agreement and additional business-oriented support features. These developments aim to align App Engine's offerings with the broader needs of businesses while maintaining an open development platform, reflecting Google's appreciation for the feedback received from its user community since the platform's inception.

Google has launched a new Books API, as announced by Kevin Landry from the Google Books API Team, which replaces previous Google Book Search Data and JavaScript APIs. This new API, designed for developers, allows for querying over 15 million books available on books.google.com, providing access to book metadata, pricing, and more. It introduces several new features, including OAuth 2.0 support for user authentication and integration with the Google APIs Console, as well as library support for various programming languages. Developers can utilize the API across platforms, such as web pages, Chrome extensions, or devices, to access users' stored information like bookshelves, ratings, and reviews, facilitated by a simplified JSON structure. While the older APIs remain available, future development efforts will concentrate on enhancing this new Books API to offer expanded functionality and improved user experience.

The blog post by Jason LeBrun, a Senior Android Engineer at doubleTwist, explores the integration of Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology in Android devices, specifically through the NFC API introduced in Android 2.3 and its application in the doubleTwist app. NFC allows for the exchange of small data packets between devices in close proximity, facilitating data transfer without the need for pairing processes like Bluetooth or WiFi. The post highlights the use of the NDEF Push Protocol (NPP) for sending data, such as song information, between devices using NFC, and describes the technical implementation within the doubleTwist app to share music metadata. This functionality is achieved by creating NDEF messages with custom MIME types and registering intent filters that ensure the doubleTwist app processes the received NFC messages. The author also discusses the capabilities of the Android NFC handler app, which can display received text or link records, enabling users who do not have doubleTwist installed to search for song information via a Google search link. This NFC feature exemplifies the potential for enhanced device-to-device communication and underscores doubleTwist's commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to improve user experience.

Chris Ramsdale, Product Manager for GWT and GPE, discusses the integration of Google's Android and App Engine platforms with the release of Google Plugin for Eclipse (GPE) v2.4, which facilitates the development of Android apps that retain data via the cloud. The update allows developers to create App Engine-connected Android projects through a new Eclipse project wizard, linking Android and Google Web Toolkit (GWT) clients to a shared App Engine backend. It includes features such as Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM) support, which reduces app inefficiency by eliminating the need for frequent polling for backend changes, and automated generation of remote procedure call (RPC) code, simplifying the communication between apps and backend servers. This release aims to streamline the development process by reducing boilerplate code and ensuring that updates need only be implemented once across Android and GWT applications. Developers are encouraged to try out the GPE 2.4 Beta, with the prerequisite of installing the Android Developer Tools (ADT) plugin, and provide feedback to the GPE Group.

Google has announced the general availability of its Prediction API, which allows applications to become smarter and adapt to changes with minimal code. Unveiled at Google I/O, the API offers features such as data streaming, predictive model tuning, and a gallery of user-developed pre-built models. These capabilities enable apps to recommend, automate, and extract essential information, with applications ranging from customer recommendations to optimizing hybrid vehicle efficiency. The API’s cloud-hosted RESTful service allows access to advanced machine learning algorithms, exemplified by Ford Motor Co.'s use to improve fuel efficiency. A new JavaScript library has been introduced alongside existing Python and Java libraries, and a forthcoming gallery will allow users to subscribe to and sell predictive models. The API promises a 99.9% SLA for paid users and invites developers to enhance their apps through shared predictive tools.

Benetech, a non-profit organization focusing on social needs in literacy, human rights, and the environment, leverages technology to enhance accessibility and knowledge sharing. Among its initiatives is Bookshare, a platform providing over 100,000 accessible e-books for individuals with print disabilities, supported by an API that facilitates integration with assistive technology applications. The organization advocates open-source solutions, exemplified by a volunteer-driven project to develop an Android e-reader, enhancing accessibility for users with disabilities like ADHD and potentially aiding illiterate populations in developing countries. The project builds on FBReaderJ, integrating features like DAISY format support and Text-to-Speech technology, while Benetech encourages community contributions to further this and other open-source initiatives.

Apps4Android, led by Steve Jacobs, showcased several innovative accessibility-focused applications at Google I/O, emphasizing the potential of Android's open-source platform to empower individuals with disabilities. The IDEAL Magnifier app capitalizes on Android's Camera APIs to transform smartphones into cost-effective video magnifiers, allowing users to enhance visibility through features like zoom and color effects. Similarly, the IDEAL Item Identifier integrates Android's Intents system and TTS APIs to create a talking barcode reader, facilitating product identification for visually impaired users. The development of an app for the Vista Center highlighted the ease of leveraging Android's accessibility features and the collaborative open-source culture to support educational resources for the blind and visually impaired. These projects exemplify how Android's evolving platform can significantly improve independence and quality of life for users with diverse needs.

At the 2011 Google I/O conference, the Android team celebrated the rapid growth of the platform, which had expanded from a single device in one country to over 100 million activated devices globally, with 400,000 new activations daily. They announced the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich version, aiming to unify the operating system across all device types, and introduced Music Beta by Google, a cloud-based music streaming service. Additionally, they launched a movie rental service on the Android Market and outlined new guidelines for timely platform updates, with support from major industry players like Verizon, HTC, and Samsung. The Android Open Accessory initiative was unveiled to encourage the development of compatible hardware accessories, and a preview of Android@Home and Project Tungsten highlighted future integrations with home appliances and music control. The success of Android was attributed to the collaborative efforts of developers, OEMs, and carriers, with a commitment to continue expanding the platform's capabilities.

Google I/O 2011 introduced I/O Live, a new online experience allowing users to watch sessions over two days, featuring live streams of Android and Chrome keynotes, product tracks, and performances from the After Hours party. Participants could engage with product teams in real-time by posting questions through Google Moderator during livestreamed and Fireside Chat sessions, with responses given during live Q&A segments. The event covered various topics, such as Android app development, Chrome web technologies, and advanced web programming, with sessions dedicated to areas like Honeycomb Highlights, HTML5, and mobile web development. Pre-recorded Fireside Chat sessions with teams from areas like Geo and Cloud Tooling were also made available. Mike Pegg, part of the Google I/O team since 2006, helped organize the event, which was shared through a post by Scott Knaster.

Page Speed Online has launched a new API as part of Google I/O, allowing developers to integrate performance analysis into their tools and dashboards, offering suggestions for optimization in mobile or desktop formats and in 40 different languages. This API facilitates easy integration into command-line tools and web performance dashboards, and it has already been incorporated into the WordPress plugin W3 Total Cache to provide performance improvement suggestions directly within the WordPress dashboard. Developed by the Page Speed Team, the API aims to enhance web performance by allowing developers to monitor improvements and receive feedback in their preferred language, while ensuring that the insights provided are actionable and tailored to specific performance pitfalls.

Endomondo Sports Tracker, an Android app developed by Jesper Majland, enhances the exercise experience by integrating social features and utilizing the device’s GPS to track distance and speed during workouts. Originally accessible only via desktop, the Endomondo community now fits in users' pockets, allowing them to find and connect with friends through the ContactsContract API, sync with cloud services using the Sample Sync Adaptor API, and access contact information to view friends' latest activities and profile pictures. Additional features like sending pep talk messages are in development, and users are encouraged to provide feedback. The app, which aims to make exercise more fun and motivating, was showcased in the Developer Sandbox at Google I/O.

Evite, one of the oldest social planning services, underwent a significant reengineering process to update its decade-old platform, transitioning from Java to Python, which increased developer productivity. They initially utilized Google App Engine for rapid provisioning while optimizing their proprietary data store, and after successfully migrating user profiles and production traffic, they continued to rely on App Engine for its automatic scaling and system management capabilities. Despite challenges with data synchronization and elevated error rates, Evite found solutions by switching to the High Replication Datastore. While Evite's new platform, incorporating Python, NoSQL, and App Engine, has been well-received and facilitated the launch of new services, the company remains cautious about relying entirely on a single vendor for risk management reasons, necessitating the use of multiple cloud providers. The success of Evite's new web application and its first iPhone app has been notable, and the team anticipates further leveraging App Engine for future projects, while also participating in Google I/O events to showcase their advancements.

Google I/O 2011, an annual developer conference held in San Francisco, featured over 5,000 participants from 60 countries and was set to be the largest event yet, with 110 sessions, 261 speakers, and 152 Sandbox partners. The keynote presentations focused on major opportunities for developers, highlighting Google's Android and Chrome platforms, with new features and updates unveiled by teams led by Andy Rubin and Sundar Pichai. The event introduced I/O Live, allowing global audiences to live stream keynotes and technical sessions over two days. Videos from all sessions were made available within 24 hours, fostering accessibility for those unable to attend. The conference aimed to share Google's vision for web and mobile development, with continuous updates shared through blogs and social media, promising an exciting 48-hour experience.

Cameron Henneke, the founder of GQueues, shares his experience of developing a mobile web app using HTML5 as a viable alternative to native apps, particularly for small teams with limited resources. Initially, he created a mobile-optimized version of GQueues—a task management system built on Google App Engine—but users requested offline functionality, typically associated with native apps. To address this, Henneke decided to rewrite GQueues as a mobile web app, using technologies like Web SQL for offline storage and Application Cache for static resources, which allowed him to maintain a single codebase across multiple devices. Despite challenges such as developing a custom framework and dealing with asynchronous Web SQL calls, the new GQueues Mobile app was successfully launched and received positive feedback, even from those who preferred native apps. Henneke concludes that for his situation, the HTML5 strategy was optimal, allowing him to satisfy user needs without the complexity and overhead of maintaining multiple native apps.

The Google APIs Discovery Service, announced by the Google Developer Team, is a new API infrastructure designed to streamline the release and maintenance of Google APIs client libraries by providing machine-readable metadata about Google APIs. It offers a directory of supported APIs, discovery documents with JSON Schema-based resource schemas, API methods, OAuth 2.0 scopes, and inline documentation, accessible via a lightweight JSON-based API. This service facilitates the development of tools like IDE plugins and client libraries, and Google has utilized it to create tools such as the Google APIs Explorer and Google Plugin for Eclipse. The service's code for the APIs Explorer has been open-sourced, allowing developers to explore its API and build custom tools. The announcement encourages developers to engage with the service and provides avenues for feedback through a developer forum.

The Ignite event at Google I/O 2011, organized by Brady Forrest of O'Reilly Radar, showcases a series of rapid-fire presentations from ten speakers, each given five minutes to share insights on various topics ranging from life hacks and online experiments to technological histories. Taking place on May 10th at Moscone West, the event is characterized by its energetic format, where presenters use 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds. This year, the event will be hosted in a keynote room and streamed live for the first time, allowing a wider audience to access talks on diverse subjects like biometrics in debugging, 30-day personal experiments, data storytelling from LinkedIn profiles, risk management at Burning Man, and the evolution of microphones. Ignite events, supported by Google, continue to grow globally, offering a platform for geeks to share their unique ideas and experiences.

Travel Game, introduced at Google I/O 2011, is the first online social game using Google Earth as its gameboard, offering players real travel rewards and experiences. Conceived by Jeff Katz, former CEO of Orbitz, the game is currently in beta testing and features titles like Touristo and Skydiver, allowing users to virtually explore and interact with exotic locales through Google Earth's 3D globe. The game utilizes a custom framework that integrates multiple Google APIs, including Google Earth and Maps, enhancing gameplay with high-quality animations and sound. Players can interact socially by sharing achievements on Facebook, sending gifts, and inviting friends to join for group rewards. Designed by a team of travel and gaming experts, Travel Game aims to blend online exploration with real-world experiences, with plans for further development and community building.

Dominic Szablewski, the creator of the Impact Game Engine, showcases the capabilities of this JavaScript engine, which utilizes HTML5 Canvas and Audio elements to create 2D games without the need for browser plugins. Impact focuses on classic 2D games, employing techniques like tilesets and animation sheets for efficient and flexible graphics rendering, akin to early game consoles like the Super Nintendo. The engine simplifies development by handling complex Canvas API tasks, offering tools such as the Weltmeister level editor for easy background and entity placement. It optimizes game performance with a "pre-render" mode that consolidates tiles into larger chunks, enhancing efficiency on mobile devices. Additionally, Impact supports sound, input, and timing, making it a specialized yet effective tool for creating fast-paced games. Szablewski, who completed his Bachelor Thesis on HTML5 Gaming, invites developers to experience Impact at the Google I/O Developer Sandbox.

Eduard Sánchez of Code Factory discusses the development of accessibility software for the Android platform, highlighting the ease of creating applications due to Android's built-in Accessibility API, which was introduced in version 1.6. Originally expecting challenges similar to those encountered on other platforms, the developers were surprised by how the API facilitated the creation of screen readers and other functionalities for the blind and visually impaired. Sánchez notes that while the API is not as comprehensive as desktop alternatives, it significantly aids in providing basic interface navigation and can be enhanced through Android's UI controls and gesture detectors. This allows for a consistent user interface alongside essential speech feedback and touch-screen accessibility. The Android platform's well-defined classes and interfaces, such as SpeechRecognizer and LocationManager, further enable efficient development of features like voice-activated SMS creation and location services. Emphasizing the open-source nature of Android, Sánchez expresses enthusiasm for future developments in this space, underscoring Code Factory’s commitment to enhancing accessibility through innovative programming.

NET-A-PORTER.COM, a premium online luxury fashion retailer, became the first to integrate commerce on Google TV with their web app, NET-A-PORTER TV, launched on May 6, 2011. The app offers an innovative shopping experience by allowing users to view designer runway shows and interviews, while dynamically displaying a product carousel that matches the outfits featured in the videos. Users can explore details of luxury items from designers like Phillip Lim and Alexander Wang, adding them to a shopping cart for later purchase on their main site. The app's development, managed by the NET-A-PORTER Labs team, involved splitting the interface into video and user sections, utilizing a lightweight JavaScript MVC framework for video handling and jQuery for UI navigation. This seamless integration of video content and shopping provides a relaxed and interactive user experience ideal for the living room setting. The app's technical sophistication is further detailed in an article by NET-A-PORTER Labs members James Christian and Scott Seaward, revealing insights into the app's development process and design.

The WebGL Globe, introduced by Doug Fritz from the Google Data Arts Team, is an open platform for visualizing geographic data in browsers supporting WebGL, such as Google Chrome. This innovative tool allows users to explore data like world population and Google search traffic through 3D visualizations, utilizing the Three.js JavaScript library to efficiently render thousands of data spikes. These spikes, represented as cubes, are optimized by removing their bottom faces and merging them into a single geometry for smooth performance. The project also tackles the challenge of animating the globe by leveraging the user's GPU for 3D computations and employing vertex and fragment shaders to enhance visuals, such as simulating atmosphere and illumination. Developers are encouraged to create and share their own data visualizations using this platform, with resources available in JSON format, and the hope that a community of creative globes will emerge and be shared.

Amy Unruh discusses the migration of Mojo Helpdesk, a Rails application for ticket tracking, to Google App Engine (GAE) using Java and Google Web Toolkit (GWT) to enhance scalability and efficiency. The transition involves adapting the app to utilize GAE's services, focusing on task failure management by extending the Deferred API for effective task retries and handling, and leveraging appengine-mapreduce for efficient batch processing with JDO-based implementations. The application employs transactional tasks to ensure atomic operations across multiple entities, forming "transactional units" to maintain consistency and robustness. Additionally, entity design is optimized using multi-valued properties to facilitate efficient querying and interaction, while derived counts and categorizations overcome Datastore query limitations. These strategies aim to improve the application's scalability and robustness, making it suitable for handling large volumes of data and interactions efficiently.

Google announced the integration of a Site Speed report within Google Analytics, aiming to help website owners measure and improve page load times as part of their efforts to make the web faster. This feature allows users to monitor page speed alongside other analytics data, such as content, traffic sources, visitor geography, and technology, enabling a comprehensive analysis of how load times affect various aspects of a site. Although the feature is initially disabled, users can activate it by modifying their Analytics tracking code, after which a sample of pageviews will be used to calculate load times. The introduction of the Site Speed report marks a significant step in Google's "Make the Web Faster" initiative, reflecting their commitment to enhancing user experience and business outcomes by optimizing webpage performance.

Elastic Path, a flexible enterprise ecommerce platform, is undergoing a migration to run entirely on Google's App Engine cloud, aiming to enhance security, scalability, and cost-effectiveness while simplifying deployments and operations. This transition involves moving all components except the persistence layer, which relies on a MySQL database, due to the complexity of converting to Google's Datastore. The migration requires overcoming technical challenges such as class loading and request length restrictions, and the team has implemented data caching using App Engine's Memcache to significantly improve performance. Elastic Path leverages other App Engine technologies like AppStats, URL Fetch, and the Maven GAE plugin to facilitate this migration, while continuing to collaborate with Google to explore alternatives for the persistence layer.

A security advisory was issued to websites using OpenID Attribute Exchange (AX) due to a vulnerability that could allow an authentication bypass, particularly affecting sites using the OpenID4Java library. The flaw involves websites failing to confirm that certain information received through AX was properly signed, posing a risk if sensitive information like email addresses is involved. Google and other OpenID Foundation members have worked to inform and assist affected websites in deploying fixes, and no known exploitations of the vulnerability have been reported so far. The advisory emphasizes the need for OpenID relying parties to ensure AX attributes are signed and suggests upgrading to patched versions of affected libraries, while highlighting the importance of verifying email addresses retrieved via OpenID. The advisory acknowledges the contributions of security researchers Rui Wang, Shuo Chen, and XiaoFeng Wang and provides guidance for application developers to safeguard against this issue.

The Google I/O 2011 mobile app for Android has been revamped to enhance user engagement and accessibility, with new features designed to keep users updated with I/O session content on various devices, including tablets, smartphones, and computers. The app now supports Android tablets, offering a tablet-optimized layout and a real-time activity stream to maximize the use of additional screen space. Popular features from previous years, such as session browsing, schedules, maps, and note-taking, are still included to help users navigate and benefit from the Google I/O conference. Additionally, attendees are encouraged to donate old, unlocked Android devices at the Android for Good booth to support NGOs and educational institutions in developing countries. Users can download the app via a QR code or a provided link, and Roman Nurik, an Android Developer Advocate at Google, emphasizes the app’s focus on user experience and design.

Google Code Jam 2011 kicks off on May 6, with Googlers worldwide dedicating their 20% time to prepare algorithmic challenges for over 10,000 contestants in the Qualification Round. The problems, crafted by Google employees, blend real-world scenarios with algorithmic puzzles, ranging from simple coding tasks to complex flow algorithms and number theory. The creation process involves selecting a story to ground the problem, formulating a clear problem statement with input from native and non-native English speakers, and ensuring the problem's robustness through extensive testing with varied test cases. Each problem undergoes a thorough vetting process, requiring multiple correct and intentionally incorrect solutions to confirm the reliability of the test data. This meticulous preparation results in a diverse array of challenges that reflect the creativity and ingenuity of Google's engineers, with hopes of inspiring participants and potential future problem creators. Interested software engineers can register for the event, with the first set of problems available during the Qualification Round.

Aurelio Tinio of The Bay Citizen, a nonprofit news organization, discusses the use of Google Maps and Google Fusion Tables to visualize public data, specifically through their Bike Accident Tracker. This tool displays accident data relevant to the San Francisco Bay Area community by integrating Google Maps with Fusion Tables, allowing users to filter data using SQL-like syntax. The Bay Citizen leverages the Django framework and Google-provided Python libraries for query generation and API calls to streamline the data processing and visualization. The code provided helps set up a local version of the accident map, while the public nature of the data allows others to create and enhance their own versions of the map interface. Tinio invites collaboration and feedback from developers who might build upon or improve the existing design.