Intel AppUp. Games, Air and other Elements

AppUp is the Intel-designed platform for app-stores on Windows and Maemo/MeeGo devices that utilize their Atom products. Smartphones, netbooks, tablets, UMPCs and MIDs navigation devices, Internet TV and in-car entertainment all fall under that banner which make AppUp an interesting move as we consider the addressable market over the next 5 years.

Progress continues (AppUp was only born just over a year ago) and we expect to hear a lot more about it at the Intel Developer Forum in Sept but there have been two announcements recently that are worth updating you all about. I know there are some developers out there and a lot of Atom users!

Firstly, Intel and Adobe have announced that support for AIR apps is now working. This is particularly interesting as it gives AIR app developers a place to monetize their apps. Up until now, most of the popular AIR apps have been free so although we’re unlikely to see those app developers start charging, it might stimulate them to think of other possibilities within the multi-million netbook market. I know the Smartphones haven’t arrived yet but developing an AIR app that could be sold in multiple markets with simple UI changes sounds attractive for developers. Intel provide more information here. Let us know if AIR is something you’re considering. [Via Liliputing]

If you’re a gaming type of person, the second announcement will interest you because it’s all about getting games onto the netbook platform. I’ve long wondered why people like Electronic Arts don’t go through their back-catalogue and release netbook versions of their old classics. With over 50 million netbooks out there, you’d think there would be some opportunities for them. At Computex, Konami announced that they are looking at AppUp but this new competition should drive even more interest. The Games Creators, a site sponsored by Intel, is offering a pot of $8K to games developers. Obviously the criteria is netbook focused which means you’ll need to be getting the best out of the screen size, the processing power, controls and also targeting the netbook user. We’re probably not talking about hardcore gamers here but think about the 1-hour time-period and the places that netbooks get used. Trains, planes, sofa, bed and coffee-shop. How about a game that finds other netbooks in the area using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and social media like Foursquare and Twitter. Get the game to run in the background, check into Foursquare and put out some sort of signal on Twitter that other people running the game would automatically pick up. You’d have a cool network of like-minded location-focused casual gamers in no time! Come to think of it, maybe that’s something that Starbucks should sponsor. You heard it here first!

Anyway, all the details are in the pages here. Good luck and please let us know if you’re interested in this. We’d love to find out about your experiences. [Via Liliputing]

Stay tuned over the next month for more AppUp news. We’re expecting AppUp for MeeGo to be announced along with more competitions and updates on progress. More on AppUp, here. The AppUp forum is here. We’re also at AppUp Elements, a 2-day AppUp conference on the 15th and 16th of September (invitation only, no-less!) where we will be attending some unique sessions and presentations. We’re not software developers ourselves but we’ll be trying to pick-up and relay key information about how to develop, port and make money with AppUp. We’ll also be sharing some of our experience from end users and developers so if you’ve got thoughts you want us to take to Elements, let us know in the comments.