CES 2012: AT&T speaks directly to developer crowd with new API Platform
LAS VEGAS -- Although the most anticipated topic to be covered at AT&T's Developer Summit on Monday was arguably new Android LTE smartphones, the mobile provider paid more attention to the needs of developers than anything else.
See also: CES 2012: More ZDNet coverage | CNET coverage | Mary Jo Foley: AT&T shows off coming new Windows Phones at CES | Matt Miller: Samsung Galaxy Note coming to AT&T with LTE
Enter AT&T's new API platform, which trotted out during the press conference being held nearby but offsite from CES Press Day.
Basically, the platform was designed to provide tools that enable developers to build more efficient apps -- at least where data usage and battery life are concerned. In a way, that speaks directly to consumers as well -- especially the data concerns considering that usage rates and costs are only going up.
AT&T also demonstrated its interest in HTML5 with added support for rerouting charges to an AT&T's subscriber's monthly bill directly from a browser-based app.
Finally, the third major gift for developers is the new AT&T Cloud Architect, a cloud space with private and public options for developers to use for both storage and infrastructure as-a-service.
The only introduction that might incite skepticism is AT&T's new planned App Store. One could argue that the mobile app store sector is already crowded as well as ruled by two major online stores already: iTunes and the Android Market.
Thus, why do we need another app store at all? Well, the AT&T App Store's focus will be on HTML5 apps, an interesting twist that might give AT&T an edge over other mobile app markets that focus on single operating systems.
For a closer look at AT&T's new API platform, check out the promo video below:
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