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Events

FITC Toronto 2013

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It’s that time of the year again, FITC Toronto 2013 kicks off in less than a week. Get your tickets here.

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Corona SDK Mobile & Devices

Develop and publish mobile apps for free

Corona Labs announced a completely free version of Corona SDK for developing and publishing mobile apps and games. This is great news for anyone who wants to create apps without paying a single cent. Students, indie developers and hobbyists would benefit most from this announcement.

What’s the catch? Well, there really isn’t one, except the new Starter version does everything the Pro version did, minus these three features: In-app purchases, analytics, and access to daily builds. Corona Labs doesn’t even require their splash screen to be displayed like some other “free” SDKs. A developer can use the Starter version to make apps and earn money by either charging up-front, using ads, or other means.

You’re probably thinking why would Corona Labs make this move. The reason is simple: Attract more developers to their platform (SDK and Corona Cloud). If developers feel the need for the three features and upcoming “pro” features, they would upgrade to the Pro version. Some pro features Corona Labs mentioned they’re working on include: new graphic features using OpenGL 2.0, plugins, device access through native code (maybe, but not full-blown like the Enterprise edition).

For existing developers with Indie subscription, they’re now automatically upgraded to the Pro version. For Pro subscribers, they get two extra months of subscription. For Enterprise subscribers, there’s no change.

There is, however, a price increase for the Pro version starting May 1st, 2013 from $349 to $599 per year. For pro subscribers, as long as their subscriptions are not expired by April 30th, they can upgrade twice at the old price of $349. For anyone who wants to take advantage of the lower price (for the next two years), subscribe by April 30th! More info at their pricing page and the conversation with their COO.

As a side note, Corona Cloud is an exciting server solution for any developer (not just Corona developers) who needs features such as User accounts & authentication, Leaderboards & Achievements, Multiplayer, Push Notifications, Social Connect, Cloud Sync, Chat, News, and Analytics. This simplifies greatly dealing with the server from a developer’s point-of-view.

For those who are interested, Walter Luh (CEO of Corona Labs), will be coming to FITC Toronto this month. His presentation is Building Native Apps: A Digital Canvas for Coders and Designers.

Off to making apps that people love…