LAS VEGAS--AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) launched a new API platform today with tools intended to help developers create HTML5 mobile apps that will run more efficiently and save battery life. In addition, the API platform will make in-app billing possible so that developers can receive payment for their apps through AT&T's customer bill.
The company, which made the announcement at its annual Developer Conference held in conjunction with the Consumer Electronics Show, has long been an advocate for HTML5 as a way to tackle operating system fragmentation and minimize developer costs.
The new API platform, which is powered by Apigee, will give developers access to all the company's APIs in one place, allowing them to write applications quickly instead of having to access the APIs separately and develop different business arrangements for each API. In addition, the API platform will allow developers to incorporate the APIs and other network services directly into their HTML5 apps and let customers access them across multiple operating systems and even different devices such as smartphones or e-readers.
According to AT&T's Chief Marketing Officer David Christopher, the company will offer developers access to the API platform for a $99 registration fee, which provides them with unlimited access to all the APIs throughout 2012.
AT&T also announced the Application Resource Manager (or ARO) a tool to help developers understand how their apps consume network resources so they can make their apps run faster and consume bandwidth more efficiently.
"ARO is a powerful complement. It traces wireless network aspects for how an app tracks on a phone. And gives you insight into how your code interacts with a mobile device," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.
Pandora is one of AT&T's partners to test ARO and Tom Conrad, CTO and executive vice president of product at Pandora touted ARO's ability to help them optimize their app so that it now runs longer on a single battery charge, which makes Pandora users very happy.
Interestingly, one of the announcements at today's AT&T Developer Conference was the company's decision to launch the App Center, a store that will distribute and promote HTML5 apps. The company, which has in the past maintained it would not launch an app store, said that the App Center is intended to help developers merchandise HTML5 apps on the device so consumers can more easily find them.
For more:
- see this press release
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