COPPA and Privacy in Android Apps for Kids

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If you make Android apps or games for children and aren’t already familiar with COPPA, you should get up to date on the requirements as quickly as possible.

COPPA, or the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, goes into effect on July 1, 2013.  It is aimed to protect children under the age of 13 and give parents control over what information is collected from their children.

In case the rules are a bit confusing, the FTC added a FAQ page that provides some pretty clear guidance for businesses to ensure that they are compliant.

Does this rule apply to you?  Continue reading →

Google I/O 2013 – More Notes on Android Development

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Google I/O 2013Google I/O 2013 provided a wealth of information, and Google both live-streamed the event and posted the videos for the sessions.  Android developers can learn a lot from this free material, but not everyone has time to watch all the videos (even at 1.5 speed, as I usually watch videos).   So, here are more of my notes (don’t forget to see part 1 of my Google I/O 2013 notes). Continue reading →

Google I/O 2013 Notes for Android Developers

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Google I/O 13Google I/O is always a great source of information for Android developers and anyone else who uses Google technology.

Most of us can’t make it there in person (as the tickets sell out immediately), but luckily Google makes the videos available for free.  The Android team went one step further this year, and made a one-stop curated list showing all of the Android videos from I/O 2013!

While I highly suggest viewing a few of the most relevant videos to your needs, let me share a few things to be on the lookout for.  This isn’t a comprehensive list, just a few things I thought were interesting! Continue reading →

Android Alternate Market Review – Synapsy

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synapsy-logo-api-betaSynapsy is another app market that looked interesting, but as you’ll see in this quick review it didn’t make the grade. (and it’s now unreachable)

Generally, I am a fan of aggregators – the more app stores you bring into one interface, the more reach you can get from a single deployment of your app.  This store sent a direct email to the address on file for my apps on Google Play, and a decided to take a look. Continue reading →

A Dose of Realism – The Android Outlands

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Ok, folks, just a quick opinion piece heredunes. I hope I lay down a balanced look at Android app markets – I find some to be worthwhile, and others not so much. I’ve reviewed quite a few in my Android Market Alternatives Report, and I’m always looking for new ones to add to my recommended list.

The harsh truth, however, is that outside the shiny center of the Android universe lies vast outlands, with empty app stores that have few customers and few downloads.  Some of these app stores make a great sales pitch, and some are connected to some giant and successful companies.  This makes it hard to navigate (and is one of the big reasons I keep reviewing app stores on this site). Continue reading →