Wednesday, March 5, 2008

MySpace Already Making iPhone App With SDK?


MySpace is in the midst of developing a native iPhone and iPod touch application, Electronista has learned. Although details of what the app involves remain closely guarded, the product is known to be the result of early SDK access and is described as impressive compared to current mobile versions of the social networking site. Whether it will support MySpace's signature music and video services is unknown, though neither are likely given the lack of a native Adobe Flash port for the handset or else iPhone-friendly content on the site's servers.

The project is nonetheless known to be well into development despite a small amount of staff assigned to the project on a part-time basis. A finished version is not promised for Thursday's software development kit (SDK) presentation and may hinge on the announcement at Apple's campus before it can be released, though whether this is for code- or distribution-related reasons is uncertain. Electronista is working to confirm more of these details.

The information appears to confirm one of the first native third-party apps for the iPhone and iPod touch developed with official tools. While numerous native programs have been written for the platform so far, all but Apple's own have been programmed for 'jailbroken' devices hacked to run unsigned code. These are likely to need rewrites before they can be officially supported through Apple's system, which may require approval for at least purchasable apps.

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