Over the course of the last few weeks, there have been thousands of downloads of Automatic Application Licensing (AAL).  It's been deployed in a handful of apps, including Screebl Pro and other applications not associated with Keyes Labs.  For the most part, however, AAL has been a big flop when it comes to commercial interest.  I'm not entirely sure of the reasons for this, but one of the biggest complaints that I've heard to date is that the software is closed-source.  We originally decided to keep AAL closed-source in an attempt to thwart crackers, but I've come to the conclusion that the drawbacks of this approach outweigh the benefits.

As of today, the source code for AAL is freely available at http://code.google.com/p/autoapplic/.  We've removed the licensing lockdowns, and released the source under the Apache 2.0 license. We will be maintaining the code based on donations going forward, but obviously we will continue to support those that purchased licenses for the commercial version.

We hope that release of the AAL source helps to improve the quality of the product, and we're excited to see what the community does with it!  If you're interested in contributing to the project, please let us know.

Piracy has become rampant within the Android ecosystem.  In the case of my own apps, I was appalled to see piracy rates hit as high as 90%.  I interpreted this as "lost sales", and spent a considerable amount of time trying to turn pirates into patrons with Automatic Application Licensing. This licensing technology is now included in my own apps and a growing number of other applications being sold on the Android market.  The ultimate effect on sales remains to be seen, but so far things are looking good.

Digital piracy is nothing new.  It has been around since the commercial sale of digital goods began.  But what is driving software theft to the epic levels that it is reaching on the Android platform?  There are several key contributors to this perfect storm of application piracy that has engulfed Android...

As of version 2.2.0 of Screebl Pro, a new licensing mechanism called Automatic Application Licensing (AAL) has been bundled with the app.  The purpose of AAL is to allow painless verification that the user of Screebl Pro actually purchased the app from the Android Market.  We've taken this step to attempt to put a stop to the insane levels of piracy that Screebl has seen, and so far, things seem to be working out nicely.

I've received a number of questions over the course of the last few days asking me how AAL works, why we chose to include it in Screebl Pro, and what the implications are for users.  This article will cover the details, and describe why we finally decided to pull the trigger on licensing in our mobile apps...

KeyesLabs.com is proud to announce our latest innovation for the Android platform: Automatic Application Licensing (AAL).  We're excited to offer this technology to Android developers, as we think it will provide a crucial tool for those that are struggling with piracy of their mobile applications.  In a nutshell, AAL licenses an application by validating that it was purchased from the Android Market. It sounds simple, it is simple.  We're not sure why no one has done this before.

Screebl Pro continues to recieve good reviews.  It is now ranked in the top 20 on the Android Market in the Tools category, and in the top 50 overall!  Thanks to everyone that has tweeted, emailed, or otherwise shared your love of Screebl.  Please keep sharing!

It is generally a very challenging and time-consuming endeavor to review a sophisticated piece of software like Screebl, particularly when it involves changing and evaluating phone usage patterns.  The new review site AppRoasters.com recently "roasted" (that's what they call their reviews) Screebl Pro as their first review.  It is a very thorough and accurate review, making some good observations about ways that we can improve the product.  I was also happy to see that the review has decent coverage of the Locale integration.

Nice work AppRoasters!

Promoting a mobile application is not easy.  It's getting more difficult every day as the market gets flooded with new apps, the majority of which are crap.  It's very, very easy to get lost in the market noise.

The basic pattern that most of us follow in releasing a commercial application looks something like this:

1. Create a "Lite" version of an application.  Release to market, promote, get reviewed, tweak, improve, develop strong and loyal user base.
2. At some point in the future, release a "Professional" version of the application and charge for it.  Add compelling features not available in Lite version, and make it easy to upgrade for existing user base.