Sony announces a PlayStation app for the iPhone/iPod. RIM’s earnings better than expected, co-CEO says their 7″ tablet, PlayBook, “way ahead” of iPad. Don’t mention any Apple product codenames or you will be fired. A plethora of EA iPhone Apps on sale for .99. Finally, Andorid App Inventor is now available for everyone.
Create Your Own Comics with ComicStrip
ComicStrip is an application from Sketch and Scotch that lets you either take a new photo or use a photo from your library to create a comic strip on your phone. It is a very well put together application with a clean interface, very easy to figure out and use. It’s a fun concept to [...]
Is the iPhone stealing Verizon’s growth?
Horace Dediu of Asymco has provided analysis on data recently released showing Verizon’s smartphone sales over the last year. The chart below shows the performance of all of Verizon’s smartphones vs. the iPhone at AT&T. The area chart shows how Verizon’s volumes grew from 2.7 million in Q1 to 3.3 million in Q3. Not a [...]
Android App Development-Controls Part Two: Android Button Controls
In last week’s Android App Development tutorial I covered Android UI and Text Controls. This week I am going to cover Android Button Controls. Android offers three types of button controls: The Basic Button. Image Button. Toggle Button. The basic Button: The standard Android button is a subclass of the TextView class so it inherits [...]
Interview with AppifyWP creator and UX expert Cory Shaw
We recently had an AppifyWP giveaway that proved to be very popular among Mobile Orchard readers. Due to the popularity of AppifyWP we decided to ask Cory Shaw, it’s creator and founder of User Kind, a few questions. Mobile Orchard: Tell us a little about your company, User Kind, and background in UX design. Cory [...]
Apple disabled jailbreak detection API in iOS 4.2
Last week NetworkWorld reported that Apple has quietly disabled the jailbreak detection API in iOS 4.2 less than six months after introducing it. Nobody really knows why they did it: Device management vendors say the reasons for the decision are a mystery, but insist they can use alternatives to discover if an iPhone, iPod touch [...]
Design a cover for PROJECT Magazine, Richard Branson’s iPad only publication
You may have heard about PROJECT magazine, Richard Branson’s iPad only magazine that launched last week. The creators of PROJECT are now running a competition to find a designer to design the front cover of PROJECT 2, which will be launched next year. To enter, designers should download the brief available online on our Facebook [...]
Gamers starting to prefer Smartphones, game design guru leaves Apple and more in this week’s mobile news.
A recent survey shows gamers are starting to prefer Smartphones over their DS/PSP for mobile gaming. Gizmodo explains why a Verizon iPhone may drop fewer calls than one from AT&T. Game design guru Graeme Devine has left Apple to puruse independent iOS game development. Charities are not happy about Apple’s ban on donations for iPhone [...]
Bad Bunny, Great App: The Tale of Peter Rabbit
As a child I am sure everyone has read or been read The Tale of Peter Rabbit. If not I do feel sorry for you! It is a great kids story about a misbehaving rabbit. Loud Crow has brought the timeless classic to a new generation in such a brilliant and fun way! The full [...]
Building a great user experience for your app
Expectations for a good user experience in mobile apps is higher than ever. Apple has set the bar high with their built-in apps on the iPhone and iPad, and many independent developers have followed suit to deliver the best user experience possible. The astronomical download numbers of these apps are poof positive that good UX [...]
