Tiny Shiny Apps – iOS, iPhone and iPad App Development

TapLynx 1.4 has been released.

This is mainly a maintenance release which allows TapLynx apps to be built with iOS4 for release to the App Store.

Read more about the capabilities of TapLynx.

TapLynx 1.3 has been released with the following new features:

• Localization allows app text to be configured for different languages.
• Push notifications can be sent via push.io with config settings to allow users to select which notifications they receive. There is some overhead with configuration of provisioning profiles to achieve this but the solution does simplify a very complicated process.
• Image Flow allows better display of images

Updated: 1.3.4 has been released with fixes

Read more about the capabilities of TapLynx.

TinyShinyApps is proud to have been added to the TapLynx Partner Program. We will now have further access to feature requests and framework development which will assist us in delivering the solutions need by our clients.

Thanks to all the team at TapLynx for creating a great iPhone framework and we look forward to using it much more in the future.

Read more about the TapLynx Framework.

Attending NSConference in February 2010 was a great opportunity to meet other iPhone developers. The event organised by The Mac Developer Network is in its second year. The UK event was held in Reading and this year there is sister event in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

I attended the iPhone Developer Conference on day four when many of the attendees were starting to struggle with information overload and lack of sleep. The sessions were varied and included a talk about considering the user, a overview of the design process for a game app using Core Animation and tech talks delving into Open GL ES and Data Syncing.

The lunchtime break was handed over to delegates with opinions or products to share and proved an interesting diversion.

One aim of the conference was to encourage community and the breaks in between sessions were ideal for meeting fellow developers. There was much speculation and talk of the impending arrival of the iPad. There was way too much try and cram into one day so next year, I’ll be there for the full 4 day duration.

Twitter updates from the event were tagged #nsconf. Follow Tiny Shiny Apps at @tinyshinyapps.

The announcement of the iPad as “magical and revolutionary” brings great opportunities for content creators to extend their audience.

All iPhone apps are compatible with the iPad. The app experience on the iPad will show iPhone apps at twice the size. That means that your existing iPhone app is compatible with this new device with no updates necessary. As soon as the iPad is released, your existing apps can be downloaded and used.

While scaling up from the iPhone to the iPad is simple it will still always be necessary to design for mobile with the iPhone. Even though there are certain design restrictions on the iPad, the size of the iPhone will always require extra consideration in the design process. As the multi-touch interface of the large iPad screen allows more possibilities, iPhone apps will continue to operate within certain constraints.

The assortment of products and services (TapLynx, AppMakr, iSites) which allow you to repackage your content for the iPhone may not be necessary for the iPad as it offers a full web browsing experience on its 9.7″ screen. While an iPhone app may provide a convenient shortcut to your content on the iPad, viewing your web site in Safari may offer a better experience.

If you would like discuss the possibilities of offering your content on the iPhone or iPad, please contact us.

Northern Film and Media (Regional Screen Agency for the North East of England) is investing up to £40K is iPad applications.

The scheme is looking to find uses for the iPad which were not possible on the iPhone and provide a showcase for the new ideas. The scheme is open to project teams with 70% of the team being from the North East of England. The app idea also must be revenue generating and ready for release by summer 2010. Grants of between £1K and £10K will be offered.

Tom Harvey, Chief Executive of Northern Film & Media, said: “We want the North East to have a place in the rapidly evolving global content market. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that North East companies have every opportunity to get their products developed, made, distributed and bought on whatever new platforms come along. Whatever we can do to help our companies get to the front of the queue, we will do.”

For more details on application criteria, Northern Film & Media launch £40k Apple iPad Fund.

Via: ReadWriteWeb and Walker Fenton

Tiny Shiny Apps will be attending the iPhone Developer Conference at NSConference on 3rd February 2010 in Reading, UK.

The iPhone Developer Conference is on day three of the event and will be covering:

• Understanding the User
• 3D Programming with OpenGL ES
• Core Data Synchronisation
• Developing iPhone Games with Core Animation
• Supporting Online Play and GameKit

Follow #NSConf and @tinyshinyapps for updates during the event.

Gartner predicts that consumers will spend £3.7bn in 2010 in mobile application stores, including Apple’s iTunes App Store, generating more than 4.5 billion downloads.

The research firm is predicting that 82 per cent of those downloads will be free, advertising-sponsored applications. A trend which will continue over the next few years as downloads surpass 21.6 billion in 2013.

Source: MacWorld