This is my first website ... after 15 years of making them for everyone else! Hope you enjoy it too.
All puns aside, the UDID (Unique Device Identifier) is needed by developers so you can install their app directly via iTunes and without going through the App Store. Typically this is done for beta testing or software preview purposes.
There are two main ways to get your UDID: 1) use the hidden UDID copy to clipboard function in iTunes, or 2) use a UDID helper application. Read the rest of this entry »
The Cocos2d gaming library is also a great for making unique graphical interfaces for the iPhone. However, the documentation out there is a bit light, so expect a fair amount of trailblazing before you become proficient.
On a recent project I wanted to replace an existing sprite’s image using one selected from the photo library. This seemed easy enough, but I spent a day trying all sorts of things before having any success.
Read the rest of this entry »
iPhone OS specialist blog Simon Ng has recently interviewed Paul from Long Weekend on his iPhone news website www.simonblog.com. Read the rest of this entry »
When creating an icon for the iPhone, it is critical to remember your icon services three all important functions.
1. Be the recognisable face of your application
2. Stand apart from competitors in App Store searches
3. Stand apart from competitors on the iPhone menu
This article outlines how we went through the development process, and provides some visual indicators of each stage of the process.
The built-in Sqlite library that comes with iOS (iPhone OS) does not include one of the features most requested by developers, Full Text Search! Working this out based on information currently available in the wild is not without difficulty.
As iPhone Developers, we like getting the drop on our competitors with cool features like FTS that are hard to get going. However, we frequently benefit from many others who share.
In the interests of paying it forward, here is how you get the FTS3 full text search module compiling for Sqlite on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad app.
Read the rest of this entry »
Recently we have been sending out promotional codes to reviewers for version 1.0 of our app Japanese Flash. This presents a problem! For some reason only US App Store accounts can redeem promotional codes! As it turns out, you can install apps from different iTunes Store regions/countries on the same iphone. Here’s how it works.
Last year I re-posted some obsure Kana & Romaji converter code for Ruby. Although I had fixed it to work with modern versions of Ruby, the romanization converter just didn’t want to work! Finally after dedicating an afternoon to it, I found that the regex used to split the source string was returning nil. At some point in the distant past it worked, and then broke irreversibly.
In posting this update, I have also added support for “tsu” being transliterated to “つ” which the original author (being Japanese) did not include. In working this out, I discovered a bit about the internal design. As such I have added some helpful comments (helpful if they’d been there originally!)
Full credit goes to the mysterious K.Kodama who wrote this in 2002. Some 8 years later, now that it works better, this is the best kana/romaji converter available in Ruby!
Full code is included after the break! Read the rest of this entry »
Technology commentators have noted that Amazon is trying to improve the Kindle browser experience. With the iPad only weeks away, I don’t blame them for trying to play catch up. However, I do wonder if this is really going to be a net win for end users?
Wired Magazine’s Michael Calore has described the Kindle’s browser experience as:
… notably sub-par. It’s good enough to check your e-mail, post to Twitter or read Wikipedia, but it doesn’t handle images or more complex web apps particularly well.
I would disagree with the browser being described as “sub-par”. The Kindle browsing experience in fact is so far below par that “sub-par” is by contrast a compliment tantamount to the most obsequious flattery! Read the rest of this entry »
Have you ever wanted to compare the pricing of many web based applications? Me too! Let me know if you ever write a blog post about it. All I have is a rather large list of pricing pages that I compiled for a project!
Annual Freemium – Can upgrade to a Pro Account for one off annual payment
Monthly Freemium – Can upgrade to a Paid Account per month
Trialware – Can trial for 30 days, thereafter it is paid per month (usually from $9-12/mth for entry level)
Corporates Pay – Only costs money for businesses
The iPad runs a new point version of the iPhone OS. As was leaked sometime ago, Apple has had some library support for the iPad in the iPhone OS for some time.
So with the launch of the iPad, I feel compelled to create free publicity for Apple! Actually I don’t. But I reckon it is useful to summarise some of the new metaphors we must abide by, and new tools available for creating the next generation of iPhone/iPad applications.