14 DAY TRIAL // Japanese Swedish mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson seems set to make further steps into the Android area of the market. The company has recently announced the upcoming launch of its first handset running under Google's operating system, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, which should arrive on the market in early 2010, it seems, and now we learn that the company also plans adding Android applications to its software solutions portal, PlayNow Arena.
Developers can already submit their applications to the applications store, and the submission process is said to be a free one. At the same time, developers are also said to receive a 70 percent share of net revenue, something in line with what other software solutions portals, including Google and Microsoft, are offering. The applications are at the moment submitted for review, and they will most probably be put on sale via the PlayNow online store as soon as the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 arrives on the market.
"submit.sonyericsson.com is the portal where developers can submit applications and games for sale or free download on PlayNow. Submission is free of charge and developers receive a 70% share of net revenue. We accept Android, Java, Symbian, Flash Lite and Windows Mobile content. XPERIA X10 will be available in selected markets from Q1 2010, and we invite developers to submit applications and games now and be the first to benefit from this new opportunity," the handset vendor notes.
In order to lure developers even more, the company is also reported to have announced its sponsorship for the Android Application Award (A3) 2010 Spring, a competition that already kicked off, and which is organized by Nikkei BP ITpro and sponsored by Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and Android Japan Association. Additional details on it are available here.
There are various categories in which developers can compete, yet there are also some requirements, such as the fact that all applications have to support the Android 1.6 (Donut) OS and screen sizes of 480 x 854 pixels. The categories developers can compete are: Photos, Videos, Music, Games / Entertainment, SNS, Navigation, News, Utilities, Business / Life hacks, Education / Liberal Arts, Health, Lifestyle, and Other.
In related news, we also learned that the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 has just made another appearance in FCC's courtyard, this time around with support for AT&T's 3G network. Previously, the mobile phone has received FCC approval with support for T-Mobile's frequencies, and now it seems that the handset vendor has pushed another version stateside, widening the options that it can offer. However, there are no official details available on the handset's launch on either of the carriers.