14 DAY TRIAL // Japanese-Swedish mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson has announced recently that its PlayNow Arena portal accepts both Xperia Panels and applications for Windows Mobile. According to the company's website for developers, the new content can be submitted both to “the Sony Ericsson PlayNow arena one-stop content store and also Fun & Downloads.”
This announcement offers developers that work on building Panels in Java ME, Capuchin or Flash the possibility to add them to the software portal, and the same applies to those working on Windows Mobile applications and games. At the same time, it also says that the Windows Mobile-based Xperia X2 handset will come to the market in early Q4, which means that it shouldn't be too long before we can see it on the shelves.
“The XPERIA Panel user experience is unique to Sony Ericsson. Panels are applications that extend the Today Screen API in order to provide a Full Screen immersive experience. The user benefits from configurable, finger-tip access to applications, including the ability to download additional Panels from PlayNow arena,” the company states.
There are a series of tools that offer developers the possibility to convert their existing applications into an Xperia Panel, all of which can be found included in the Sony Ericsson Panel SDK, such as Java Panelizer, which turns jad/jar into a Panel, Flash Panelizer, which does the same for Adobe Flash swf, EXE Panelizer, aimed at existing EXE applications, or the NET Panelizer, which will transform a .net application into a Panel.
The Sony Ericsson Panel SDK for Xperia X2 will also offer developers the possibility to build Xperia Native Panels, Xperia Web (HTML) Panels, as well as Xperia Panels with OpenGL ES 1.1 support. The support for OpenGL ES 1.1 that will come with X2 “provides advanced 3D graphics for an exciting gaming experience,” the company says. Generic (non-Panelized) Windows Mobile applications can also be submitted, though the Panel interface should offer easier access to the app.
“submit.sonyericsson.com is the portal where developers can submit applications, games and Panels for sale or free download in Sony Ericsson’s channels to market: PlayNow arena and Fun & Downloads. Submission is free of charge, and there is no need to certify the content until it has been accepted for deployment. Developers receive a 70% share of net revenue,” Sony Ericsson adds.
The Sony Ericsson Panel SDK for Xperia X2 is available for download here. The Sony Ericsson SDK for Windows Mobile 6.1 can be downloaded from here.