Google Apps Marketplace Open For Business

Google Apps is now a platform. Yesterday, Google launched the Google Apps Marketplace. The Marketplace allows developers to build add-on applications to the Google Apps platform. Google Apps provides all the Gmail services to a custom domain for small businesses. For example, if you live your you@mydomain.com email address, but you hate your webmail client, set up Google Apps for free and get the rich, robust Gmail you're used to, but with your same email address.

With the Marketplace, the features don't stop at the standard Gmail feature set. Third party developers can now build their app for integration within Gmail, allowing for easy access, and integration with Contacts, Mail, Calendars, and all the rest Gmail has to offer.

Developers will pay a $100/year rate to be in the program and will share 20% of revenue with Google. That's actually a better deal that Apple offers for the iPhone platform. Users can browse the marketplace, search, and refine results. Once they find an app they want, the Admin of the Apps domain can pay for it, and add it to their services. Once installed, the app can ask for permission to access your Google data, which you can then grant or prevent.

The Marketplace is launching with about 50 partners including Aviary, Zoho, dimdim, Intuit, TripIt, and more. The Marketplace is live right now, so Google Apps users, go check it out, and let us know what you think in the comments!

Google's demo video embedded after the jump!

Click to read more ...

Mac Developer Program Now Reflect iPhone Program

The Apple Mac Developer Program got a massive overhaul this week. The developer center when down for hours, and when it resurfaced, it brought quite a few changes indeed. The developer program has now been shifted to more directly reflect the iPhone development program. The site now mimics the iPhone dev center's look, and the pricing is now much more modest coming in at $99/year compared to the old starting price of $499/year. The program gets you early access to OSX builds, tech support, and access to help video and forums. 

As great as this is for developers to have a richer, more affordable experience, I pray this isn't a herald of things to come for the Mac platform. The only other place we've seen this kind of model is with the iPhone closed ecosystem. I don't know what would happen to my brain if I were forced to buy from an app store for my computer, lest I jailbreak it. How stupid does that sound? Jailbreak my MacBook Pro. Ugh.

Are you a developer? What do you think of the changes?

Facebook Can Now Ask For Your Email

As of this Wednesday Jan 20, 2010, Facebook developers now have the option to request or require your actual email address when using a Facebook application. This moves the focus from remaining on Facebook's platform and using the notification system to a direct contact between developer and user. So, next time you're on facebook, pay attention to what you're clicking on, that extended permission allowance request very well may be asking your Facebook account for your email address.