JobFinder coming soon to your Android devices! (+ iPhone app update )
23/04/12 10:48 Filed in: Liam's Blog
With JobFinder on the iTunes Apple store hitting many downloads (approx. 100,000) and the figures still increasing, we have decided to create the app on the Android platform and update the current iPhone version. This will be the first Android Application project Jane and I will be publishing live, which will be a great challenge. When the application is finished we will be submitting it to the Google Play store and the Amazon Android App store.
Recently I have been doing research on the App stores and studies have shown Amazon’s Appstore is generating more revenue per day than Google Play store. Amazon examines apps for quality and attracts customers to return daily with promotions so it may not be that surprising. Also current users with Amazon accounts can simply make one click instant purchases if they have their credit card information stored on their profile. This makes purchasing very simple and helps boost the numbers.
Before purchasing apps on the Amazon store users can preview them using TestDrive. This enables them to get a taste of the app using an Android device emulator that runs in their browser. Now with the Google Play store the situation is a lot different, previously you would have been able to purchase the application and have 24 hours to claim a refund if you didn't like it or didn't think it was worth the money. However there have been issues with this as some gaming apps are so simple they can be completed in far less than a day. So Google have made a change, users now only get 15minutes to claim a refund. The Play Stores now also allow developers to host apps up to 4GB.
So where do you get your apps from? Do you have a preference?
source - http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401702,00.asp
Recently I have been doing research on the App stores and studies have shown Amazon’s Appstore is generating more revenue per day than Google Play store. Amazon examines apps for quality and attracts customers to return daily with promotions so it may not be that surprising. Also current users with Amazon accounts can simply make one click instant purchases if they have their credit card information stored on their profile. This makes purchasing very simple and helps boost the numbers.
Before purchasing apps on the Amazon store users can preview them using TestDrive. This enables them to get a taste of the app using an Android device emulator that runs in their browser. Now with the Google Play store the situation is a lot different, previously you would have been able to purchase the application and have 24 hours to claim a refund if you didn't like it or didn't think it was worth the money. However there have been issues with this as some gaming apps are so simple they can be completed in far less than a day. So Google have made a change, users now only get 15minutes to claim a refund. The Play Stores now also allow developers to host apps up to 4GB.
So where do you get your apps from? Do you have a preference?
source - http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401702,00.asp
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Social Media
06/03/12 11:18 Filed in: Liam's Blog
Social Media is big business now for companies. So for anyone who is a newbie they should as a minimum look at setting up a company page on Facebook, a Twitter account and a Google+ account. You may even want to see if you can promote your business via YouTube.
For Facebook you first need a personal profile before you can create a company page. It only takes few minutes,following quick and simple steps. Once that is complete you can create the company page. Here is an example, AndroidDevUK.
Facebook allows you to have your own custom url with your own information, photos, events and links to your main website, androiddev.co.uk. It is great for brand exposure and customer relations.
I have been maintaining the Facebook page for a few months now, creating a small community of people interested in the Android field. For those who only look at the ROI we haven't received any business through Facebook yet, but the page is gaining likes and shares at a good rate so the company name is getting spread around a bit more which can only be a good thing.
Facebook now provides a nice summary of the progress of your company page;
For Twitter to be useful it is good to create a username your clients and customers will recognise - @AndroidDevUK. You should then follow potential customers, existing clients and other users that are in your field.
Use other social media websites with links to your Twitter account to let people know you have joined. You can then quickly respond to people and also direct message chat.
As with Facebook I have been maintaining the Twitter account, I have been gaining a few followers each month, some which have tweeted me questions. I have also been asked about the website which confirms that linking all social media and the websites up together has been useful. However you do have to be aware of promoting too much. You must find a balance between content and spam because this can lead to a loss of followers.
For Google+ A step-by-step guide is provided to you for setting up your Google + page. You can have your own company user name but unfortunately not your own URL (the best way to shortened/customise the Google Plus URL is to use gplus.to ,e.g. gplus.to/AndroidDevUk). To get started you should add work colleagues and customers in your Google + Circles which are already created for you, there are customisable according to your needs. With the circles you can post content just aimed for the specific audience of that circle.
I have only started using Google + since December, the business page rapidly started to get +1s to the name. I linked the Google + account on Twitter and Facebook to notify people I had joined Google + and this has helped me gain more people. The content I post is the same through out Facebook and Twitter but it seems that Google + has been attracting more interest with people sharing the page.
What social media is your company making use of? Do you find it helps find you new customers or even new friends? Or do you feel it takes up too much time for so little reward? Feel free to Tweet me, post to my wall or add me to your circle to give me your feedback.
For Facebook you first need a personal profile before you can create a company page. It only takes few minutes,following quick and simple steps. Once that is complete you can create the company page. Here is an example, AndroidDevUK.Facebook allows you to have your own custom url with your own information, photos, events and links to your main website, androiddev.co.uk. It is great for brand exposure and customer relations.
I have been maintaining the Facebook page for a few months now, creating a small community of people interested in the Android field. For those who only look at the ROI we haven't received any business through Facebook yet, but the page is gaining likes and shares at a good rate so the company name is getting spread around a bit more which can only be a good thing.
Facebook now provides a nice summary of the progress of your company page;
For Twitter to be useful it is good to create a username your clients and customers will recognise - @AndroidDevUK. You should then follow potential customers, existing clients and other users that are in your field. Use other social media websites with links to your Twitter account to let people know you have joined. You can then quickly respond to people and also direct message chat.
As with Facebook I have been maintaining the Twitter account, I have been gaining a few followers each month, some which have tweeted me questions. I have also been asked about the website which confirms that linking all social media and the websites up together has been useful. However you do have to be aware of promoting too much. You must find a balance between content and spam because this can lead to a loss of followers.
For Google+ A step-by-step guide is provided to you for setting up your Google + page. You can have your own company user name but unfortunately not your own URL (the best way to shortened/customise the Google Plus URL is to use gplus.to ,e.g. gplus.to/AndroidDevUk). To get started you should add work colleagues and customers in your Google + Circles which are already created for you, there are customisable according to your needs. With the circles you can post content just aimed for the specific audience of that circle.
I have only started using Google + since December, the business page rapidly started to get +1s to the name. I linked the Google + account on Twitter and Facebook to notify people I had joined Google + and this has helped me gain more people. The content I post is the same through out Facebook and Twitter but it seems that Google + has been attracting more interest with people sharing the page.What social media is your company making use of? Do you find it helps find you new customers or even new friends? Or do you feel it takes up too much time for so little reward? Feel free to Tweet me, post to my wall or add me to your circle to give me your feedback.
First Java then Android
06/03/12 11:05 Filed in: Liam's Blog
Head First Java.
This book is excellent for people who want to learn programming for Java, as Java is used to create Android applications it is a great way to learn the basics from the start. Head First Java is very clearly explained for people who have no programming experience, just like me. It has a variety of ways of providing the information, there is straight text, quizzes, images with text and few jokes which keeps it from being boring.
I tried to learn Android application development straight away but I was very confused with what was going on and what I was doing. I first started off with Beginning Android Application Development, as you may have read on the previous article. This development guide explained how Java was applied to Android application development but didn’t really show me the basic roots on how Java worked. Head First Java has really helped me to understand the key basics of programming.
Once I have completed the book (or a large part of it) and I am confident to move on from Head First Java I will then start to go through Android for Beginners. Stay in tuned as I will be doing more articles on my progress towards Android development.
This book is excellent for people who want to learn programming for Java, as Java is used to create Android applications it is a great way to learn the basics from the start. Head First Java is very clearly explained for people who have no programming experience, just like me. It has a variety of ways of providing the information, there is straight text, quizzes, images with text and few jokes which keeps it from being boring. I tried to learn Android application development straight away but I was very confused with what was going on and what I was doing. I first started off with Beginning Android Application Development, as you may have read on the previous article. This development guide explained how Java was applied to Android application development but didn’t really show me the basic roots on how Java worked. Head First Java has really helped me to understand the key basics of programming.
Once I have completed the book (or a large part of it) and I am confident to move on from Head First Java I will then start to go through Android for Beginners. Stay in tuned as I will be doing more articles on my progress towards Android development.
Google Nexus S & Ice Cream Sandwich
06/03/12 10:39 Filed in: Liam's Blog
The Google Nexus S, one my favourite Android smart phones, since I have to test many applications using a variety of Android devices the Google Nexus S has been the one that stands out for me, especially with the new Ice Cream Sandwich 4.x Operating System running on it. The phone itself has a stylish modern design, a 4-inch - 800 x 480 curved Super AMOLED display and 6GB of storage, with a 5 megapixel rear and VGA front-facing camera.
The first thing you notice with Ice Cream Sandwich running is the lock screen, you can go straight into the unlock or straight into the camera. This is improving the speed of access to the camera, which is a great shortcut. With the App Draw instead of scrolling up and down it has been changed to scroll left to right now, which I personally find better. Another cool feature you have is widget tab right within that space. You can resize the widgets to suit your needs making it more customisable to suit you. Creating folders is different now; you just drop an app on top of another to create a folder.
The YouTube app has changed for ICS, it is more brightly lit up than the previous one, as it was much darker on the gingerbread and it seemed quite crammed as well. It now runs a lot smoother with shortcuts and quick advance searching. Messaging – the new voice recognition comes up instantly and picks up the words as you are speaking which is pretty cool for those who speak out before they text! The browser has a few new changes, you have the new window tabs, and you can save pages for offline reading now. The final new feature that I like is the camera. You can now do panorama shots, whereas before I had to download an app to do this, and there are some new editing options providing some features similar to Instagram.
P.S. (Note From Jane) At MWC this year they were giving away real Ice Cream Sandwiches every half an hour, much to the delight of the waiting crowd. I can vouch for the fact that the real thing was just as good as the technical version!
The first thing you notice with Ice Cream Sandwich running is the lock screen, you can go straight into the unlock or straight into the camera. This is improving the speed of access to the camera, which is a great shortcut. With the App Draw instead of scrolling up and down it has been changed to scroll left to right now, which I personally find better. Another cool feature you have is widget tab right within that space. You can resize the widgets to suit your needs making it more customisable to suit you. Creating folders is different now; you just drop an app on top of another to create a folder.The YouTube app has changed for ICS, it is more brightly lit up than the previous one, as it was much darker on the gingerbread and it seemed quite crammed as well. It now runs a lot smoother with shortcuts and quick advance searching. Messaging – the new voice recognition comes up instantly and picks up the words as you are speaking which is pretty cool for those who speak out before they text! The browser has a few new changes, you have the new window tabs, and you can save pages for offline reading now. The final new feature that I like is the camera. You can now do panorama shots, whereas before I had to download an app to do this, and there are some new editing options providing some features similar to Instagram.
P.S. (Note From Jane) At MWC this year they were giving away real Ice Cream Sandwiches every half an hour, much to the delight of the waiting crowd. I can vouch for the fact that the real thing was just as good as the technical version! Smartphone Usage
26/10/11 10:48 Filed in: Jane's Blog
I found this great site where you can create your own charts based on the data held against smartphone usage. So I tried it out and have got some expected and some surprising results. Read More...