Microsoft's Windows 10, Google’s New Requirements for Device Manufacturers, New Mobile Advertising Features - and Other Weekly News for Mobile Developers



    Google begins to demand more from manufacturers of devices on Android


    Google tightens requirements for manufacturers of Android devices. The updated Mobile Application Distribution Agreements agreement requires partners to install not only 9, but already 20 Google applications on the devices, place the Google search widget on the main screen, and at the same time, the Google Play Store application and the Google folder, which includes 13 Google applications, including Google Chrome, Google Maps, Google Drive, YouTube, Gmail, etc. In addition, partners must strictly follow the recommendations for using certain words for search and virtual assistants with voice recognition.

    Most often, manufacturers of devices on Android install their own software shells on top of the operating system, and also seek to replace the basic applications with their analogues, which, probably, has become the reason for the tightening of requirements. All this in the future may lead to a certain unification of the interface of all new Android devices. At the same time, the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), in which the search giant has no built-in services, is gaining more and more popularity. Because of serious competition, it’s important for device manufacturers to lure a buyer with a unique product - not only design, but also content, and even such small steps by Google to unify Android devices can scare manufacturers away. For example, OnePlus One is a top-end smartphone that generally runs on CyanogenMod and seems to exist well.


    Windows 1 10!


    Yes, exactly 10, not 9, as everyone expected. The other day, the presentation of the new OS from Microsoft took place, and the audience was surprised by the surprise from the very beginning - this is its name. It turns out that they wanted to use the name Windows 1, but it was taken, and in order to emphasize the significance and volume of changes in the new OS, they decided to name it 10th.

    The main feature of the new OS will be that it will run on any type of device from PC to smartphone. A single platform has been created that will allow you to install applications from a single store for all your devices at once.

    The corporate segment was not spared. According to company representatives, they created an impressive personal data protection that will be synchronized between all devices.

    And now about the Start menu. He was given special attention due to the many negative feedback from 8 users. The classic Start menu has partially returned, but part of the tiled interface has been preserved - it even entailed the fact that now you can resize the start menu and add new “tiles” with applications to it.
    We also took into account user dissatisfaction with the fact that many programs on 8 OSs were immediately launched on the full screen and nothing could be done about it. As a result, in Windows 10, more attention is paid to users of desktop versions of programs.



    The multitasking of the 10th OS has undergone considerable changes. Changed the interface for switching between running applications in the lower task bar and for normal switching between active applications.

    The Windows 10 command line has been finalized. Although the usual appearance remained, a lot of functionality was added that was so lacking, which is worth the banal ability to use the CTRL + V combination, which was so lacking.

    This is the main and the little that seemed important, and we hope Windows 10 will pleasantly surprise all users.
    The other day, Windows 10 Technical Preview for PCs and laptops will be available, and the full version with the ability to install on all devices will appear in 2015.


    Mobile advertising “VKontakte”


    Last week, Apptractor.ru held an event dedicated to a new advertising platform using the capabilities of the VKontakte mobile application.



    Every day, 18 million users of Android devices and 5 million users of the iOS platform log into a social network using a mobile. Judging by the diagram, if iOS tablets are almost a quarter of all devices, then the number of android tablets is only about 6%.



    Advertising will be sent to the user’s feed as a separate post with a text description, a picture, an application rating and a button to go to the mobile market for installation. For the Android installation, the VKontakte application itself will track, and for iOS devices it will be necessary to use the capabilities of the VKontakte SDK. In the web version of VKontakte you can manage your advertising company: expenses and targeting, monitor its results. Transitions from the application to the store through third-party web services are not yet monitored.



    The presentation provided an example of advertising for a utility billing application for Android. The average CTR was 3%, and the average installation price was about 18 rubles. The developers promise that it will be possible to use the new advertising format for Vkontakte in the near future, but for now you can leave a request for participation .


    Google is preparing to release new ad formats for mobile devices


    Google has announced the imminent launch of new options for displaying ads on mobile devices.

    So now we will see:

    Engagement Ads
    Large advertisements that will scale and occupy the entire screen of the device. This will be possible thanks to the use of HTML5 when creating such banners. The purchase model in this case will be CPC (cost per click). Demo format will be available soon in the AdWords Ad Gallery.

    TrueView ads
    Video ads will run right inside the app. TrueView ads are already running in AdMob and are widely used in gaming applications. The user can skip the video, and the advertiser pays only for the full viewing.

    Anchor ad format
    Advertising is permanently on the user's screen, even if he flips through the pages. The banner is always fixed at the bottom of the screen, but the user can close it at any time.



    Magazine style text ad format
    You may have seen this format before while visiting mobile versions of sites. Advertising in this option takes up the entire screen. By analogy with a separate advertising page in a glossy magazine.



    Google also announced 3 tools for quick, easy and convenient creation of advertisements. In particular, it is an auto-resizing tool and Flash-to-HTML5 conversion tools.

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