On The Eve Of One Facebook Event, The Spartans Prepare For Another
You’ll recall that Project Spartan is the HTML5-driven mobile application platform that Facebook has been quietly building for months with the help of a group of third-party app developers. While some of those very developers believe Facebook’s intentions here is to break up the control Apple (and Google) have over the mobile app space, Facebook started freaking out when we reported that. The spin began almost immediately. And it has continued, even with the group of third-party developers working on the project — they’re affectionately known as “Spartans”.
プロジェクト・スパルタンはHTML向けのモバイルアプリのプラットフォームで、Facebookが第3者のアプリデベロッパーグループの助けを借り、数ヶ月に渡って密かに進めていたプロジェクトであることを思い出すであろう。まさにそれらのデベロッパーの中に、Facebookのその意図がApple(とGoogle)の持つモバイルアプリの独占市場を打ち砕くことにあると信じている人がいる時に、我々がその事を報道するとFacebookはうろたえ始めた。混乱はほとんどすぐに始まった。「スパルタンズ」と名前で親しまれている第3者のデベロッパーグループがそのプロジェクトの作業をしている状況でも、混乱は続いていた。
We previously reported that after our initial story, Facebook began reaching out to the Spartans, reminding them that the information of the project was confidential (while telling the press this stuff was really “nothing new”). Since then, Facebook has stepped up their game as well. We now hear that there’s been a lot of stern talks with the Spartans, telling them that the project is not about going after Apple. But it’s not really working. “I look at these apps and how content rich they are and how they have nothing to do with Apple and everything to do with Facebook and assume that they think we are retarded,” is how one put it.
One developer says that the quality of the apps on the platform is really surprising — in a good way, naturally. Apparently, there are going to be a ton of games that will be a part of the Spartan launch. This shouldn’t be too surprising, HTML5 gaming has been something Facebook has been pushing. And Zynga is believed to be heavily involved in the project.
So when will Spartan launch? Facebook is pushing to have everyone ready by July 15. One source expects a formal unveiling to be sometime between then and August 1.
では、いつスパルタンは発売するでしょうか? フェイスブックは、7月15日までに企業が準備できるよう急いでいます。 関係者は、前述した日と8月1日の間に正式なお披露目会が行われると予想しています。
それで、スパルタンはいつ公開されるのだろうか?Facebookは、皆に7月15日までに準備を整えるようせき立てている。ある情報源によると、正式な公開は7月15日から8月1日の間になるということだ。
それでは、Spartanはいつ発表されるのか?Facebookは7月15日までに全員の準備ができるよう推し進めている。あるソースは、公式なお披露目は8月1日当たりであろうと予想している。
While we’ve been hesitant to provide many screenshots of what the project looks like since it could give away sources, we have secured the one below which has been slightly altered. You’ll note that it looks like a modified version of the current Facebook mobile site. Of course, two things you won’t find on the current mobile site are right there staring you in the face: Games and Apps — with notifications too!
The blue bar along the top is referred to as “chrome” (yes, it shares a name with a Google product). Developers say it’s the glue that binds all the different mobile sites together. That’s one key — these HTML5 apps are said to reside elsewhere, not on Facebook’s own servers (at least right now). So instead they have to make external calls to pull in the Facebook “chrome” to make the apps look like proper Facebook apps.
For a better idea of how this may work, check out this “Getting Started” site set up by Matt Kelly, a Facebook engineer who works with developers. Undoubtedly, this site will be pulled, but it essentially shows how HTML-based navigation is set up on a third-party site. It looks good, and is fast. And it contains talk about things such as to use remote calls to send action alerts inside of a mobile web app — “This can be used for re-engagement, like telling a friend it’s their turn in a board game.”
Also worth noting is a separate tip we got pointing to this page. Apparently, the Facebook Javascript SDK underwent some big changes in the past week, including a lot of references to FB.Native, iOS, and Android. One developer notes that the native code mentions seem largely related to orientation, and wonders if that’s tied in to the iPad app. There is also a bunch of code for “mweb” (mobile web), which apparently is a new parameter that allows apps to auto-login when coming from Facebook’s Platform (yes, Spartan apps).
Previously, we speculated that Project Spartan and the iPad app release could be related. In fact, we had heard that Facebook and Apple were even working together on some things, at least loosely. While the ultimate goal of Spartan is clearly for HTML5 prevail, it is possible that Apple simply doesn’t believe it will anytime soon and is happy to help Facebook try their hand, while also helping the web in general move beyond Flash (think of the position Flash would be in without all those games requiring it).
Notes one developer:
Facebook wants a cut of the Apple’s mobile app market, that’s been clear this entire time. Perhaps it’s not war against Apple — maybe Apple is just going to ‘gift’ Facebook the share of their market (the HTML5 share) in exchange an alliance being formed whereby Apple get’s some exclusive access to Facebook’s 600 million-plus users and thereby cutting out Google (exclusive to some degree, Facebook is too open for it to be fully exclusive). In this theory, it’s not Facebook Spartans vs. Apple, it’s Facebook/Apple Spartans Vs Google.
FacebookはAppleが持つモバイルアプリ市場の一角が欲しい。それは、この間ずっと明らかなことだった。おそらく、それはAppleに対する攻撃ではない。Appleは、同盟を組むことと引き換えに、Facebookにその市場(HTML5市場)シェアを単に「贈る」かもしれない。同盟を組めば、AppleはFacebookの6億人以上のユーザーに独占的にアクセスでき、しかもGoogleを排除することができる(ある程度は独占だが、Facebookはオープンすぎて完全独占にできない)。こう考えれば、Facebook Spartans対Appleではなく、Facebook/Apple Spartans対Googleということになる。
FacebookがAppleのモバイルアプリ市場の分け前を望んでいるのは、明確である。おそらく、Appleに対する戦いではない-AppleはFacebookの6億人以上のユーザーへのアクセスや、Google(ある意味独占で、Facebookはその完全独占にオープンすぎる)の切り離しの協力との引き換えに、ただ市場(HTML5のシェアー)の分配を「プレゼント」するつもりである。この理論において、Facebook Spartans対Appleではなく、それはFacebook/Apple Spartans対Googleなのである。
「それ以来、Facebookはゲームも強化している。」の訳文を次のように修正します。「それ以来、Facebookは計画を高めている。」