Android Development - A Quick Start-Guide

Google's android technology is an interesting, thought-provoking one that has android development gaining momentum across the world. A simple search on android brings out thousands of pages all discussing the potential this new piece of technology is giving the android application developer.

There are tutorials and articles, even sample codes that all serve the purpose of empowering the android application developer and implement various features of their creative software works. On some specific websites , sample codes offered include those of real-world android platform applications, that one can make and deploy. These codes clearly show all the amazing techniques in use in the android development environment.

There are also numerous articles with loads of tips, optimization strategies and DIY / how-to pieces, that give you the knowledge-base to further understand this particular environment as an android app developer. Tutorials seek to take you through the basics of what an android app is to more advanced-level skills in application development using the technology on offer.

You could also download the android software development kit (SDK) that runs on Windows, Linux as well as Mac OS. It is pretty much easy to set up this SDK. First you need a PC with appropriate features. On Windows, you just install the SDK much the same way as you install any other software on a Windows-based system. After this, you will ready to explore what the android development kit contains. You will get to know the basics on what an android application developer needs to know, what the Android SDK offers and how to integrate whatever application you may have into the overall platform.

Another thing included in this SDK is what is known as the framework topics. These take you through all the baby steps through to internalizing what APIs you may need to advanced skills like user interface development and data manipulation on the android platform.

The android market topics aim at showing you how to not only publish your application as an android app developer, but also the steps to take to ensure you earn from your ideas.

It is important to note that like any other application development platform, android is also fast changing, with various versions out. So you need to appraise yourself on what is current and what may not necessarily work out well. At the present, an android application developer would require the all-new Android 3.2 platform.

In a nut-shell, android development is like a blank slate for an astute android application developer. You can turn nothing into something and earn from it!

All About Android Launcher Themes

If you've installed any of the many launchers available in the Android Market, you've probably seen multiple mentions of theming. If you've wondered what it is, you're not alone - there are a lot of people who have no idea what theming is, even after they begin using a custom launcher. We'll look to cover the most important aspects of Android launcher themes here, so that you have a better understanding of what they can do for you.

Themes Can Change Almost Everything

Your icons, wallpaper, and dock settings can all be changed with a launcher theme. They have a great deal of power behind them, and can completely overhaul the appearance of your device. One popular theme for GO Launcher is the iPhone theme. It replaces your dock with icons inspired by the iOS dock, and gives an iOS theme to all of the icons in your app drawer and on your homescreens. It even changes your wallpaper to an iPhone theme. In short, it replaces your stale layout.

But They Can't Change Everything

Themes can only affect so many elements of your phone. All of those elements have to be integrated into the launcher. That means that things like your notification bar, the looks of certain apps and your lock screen are all left untouched by a theme. If you want to change those, you need to flash a custom ROM, which is in a different league of difficulty compared to installing a theme.

They Can Be Based on Anything

Take a look in the Market for LauncherPro things, or load up GO Launcher and visit their GO Store. You'll see a lot of themes, such as iPhone and Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) themes. But not all themes follow the same design principles. Some are just based on colors, while some are seemingly-random collections of elements.

Themes Aren't Universal

You installed ADW, now you've switched to LauncherPro. Suddenly, that ADW theme you loved in ADW is no longer available. This is because themes are built specific to different launchers. If you're using one launcher, and install a theme for a different launcher from the Market, it won't be compatible. If the theme you are looking at isn't made for your launcher, your best bet is to search for a comparable one that is.

Anybody Can Make Them

If you're dead-set on having a certain theme but can't find it, you can always create your own. It requires at least fundamental knowledge of Photoshop or other image editing software, but beyond that it's not a complicated process. Check the website for your favorite launcher and chances are you'll be able to find tutorials on building your own themes.

Android Running Applications for 2011

Over the last couple of years Android smartphones gained incredible attraction in the mobile market. With the popularity of the phones came the demand for applications and the horsepower and flexibility of an Android OS gives users the opportunity to get the most out of their Android phones.

The Runkeeper is a free application enabling users to analyze all their social media integration, GPS features, fitness reports and much more. Users can create a real-time GPS route map, get audio cues for time and distance, and using the phone app a primary source for data collection and entry. This enables a user to access customized web page to show their activity history as well as sync their workout histories with that of friends.

The Runstar has two versions namely the Lite which is free and the Pro version which is priced at $5.31. It is very similar to Runkeeper in the use of GPS data which is used to track runs, but provides course maps as well. The comprehensive application enables users to have all information at any time as well as a built-in Mp3 player which allows for creating customizable workout playlists for the users.

The Endomondo also come in a free version and the Pro version at $4.34 and very usable not only for runners, but also anyone who loves exploring the outdoors. The GPS tracking system keeps track of workout history, speed, distance and altitude. It has a robust heart rate monitor and little "pep talks" for runners when they have a tough time running. It also features a low power mode for battery duration during longer activities and outings.

The Cardio Trainer + Racing also have two versions, one being free and the Racing Add-on which sells at $2.99. It keeps track of workouts, runs, races as well as overall fitness of users. Also installed is a GPS and features an auto-pause and pedometer, which will automatically pause as well as resume. It is very handy and useful especially when a runner is interrupted by pit-stops or traffic. Additionally it also has customizable diet plans and Racing, a feature which allows a runner to run against his own best time.

Softrace is another free application which focuses on the challenge of endurance sports and the competition. Many activities can be tracked, including track running, skiing and biking amongst others. In practice mode it can log runs, pace and distance and in challenge mode it uses Google Maps for users to build customized maps. Racing mode enables a runner to run against their personal best or against opponents using Softrace.

App Maker Marketing Tip: Where to Promote iPhone Apps

You should know by now that there are hundreds of thousands of iPhone apps all crowding the App Store. Sure, your spanking new app may be featured in the "What's New" category, but that's for a very limited time only. Besides, you shouldn't just rely on the exposure that you'd get from the App Store. You need to use other marketing channels and promote your iPhone app elsewhere. Plus, an app maker must also be a good marketer to really succeed in the mobile application industry. To help you get started, here are a few places where you can spread the word about your app:

Website or blog - This shouldn't even come as a major surprise to any app maker or developer. Having a dedicated iTunes page for your app is not enough if you want your application to sell well. In fact, you need a website or blog even way before your launching date to act as a teaser and build anticipation. Of course, it goes without saying that this space should be useful and informative. It should include screenshots, demo video/s, tips/how-to section, and a user feedback system.

Review sites - Reviews are crucial because like most consumers, app users read iPhone app reviews/feedbacks first before downloading. That's why it's crucial to get your app reviewed by influencers like review sites and tech bloggers. Contact and pitch your application to them. Give promo codes so they can quickly try out your app. Positive reviews can help encourage more potential users. On the contrary, not so positive ones can help you further improve your mobile app.

Social media - Social media visibility takes time, so it's best to start on it early. Social networking is a low-cost yet very effective means to reach a huge market. While it's a great platform for viral marketing, remember to keep a human presence. Constant, shameless plugging turns off customers and prospects. You're there not just to promote your app, but to also attend to their needs like inquiries, suggestions, complaints, etc. An app maker should try his/her best to be very sociable and cooperative on social media sites.

YouTube - The #1 video streaming website, YouTube is no doubt the best place where you can publish a demo video to show people how your application actually works/looks, in total action and running on an iPhone. You can also upload promo video or teaser of your app. Don't forget to properly tag your videos to make them easily searchable. YouTube also lets people share/embed your videos on their own blogs or social media spaces, which can quickly become viral. To avoid bored viewers, try to keep your vids concise yet informative.

Acquaintances - Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing! That's right; tell your friends, family, colleagues, classmates, even exes and your entire network about your new and exciting application! Lovingly oblige them to give it a good rating and promote it to their friends, too.

Being an app maker creating a cool app is not enough to succeed in this highly competitive environment. You must actively promote it, and the above examples are just some of the marketing avenues you should consider.

Why You Should Design iPhone Apps

Unless you've been living on the Moon for the last couple of years, you will have heard of the Apple iPhone. It has become one of the most desirable appliance of the last decade with millions of them being sold around the world.

The huge popularity of the iPhone is mainly due to the large number of apps that are available for it. An app is a very small software application that can be downloaded from the iTunes store and installed on the iPhone. These apps can be downloaded for free or for a small charge, usually not exceeding a few dollars.

There is big money to be made in this field, not only for the large software houses with large teams of experienced programmers, but also for the ordinary man in the street who might want to have a go at designing one himself.

All you really need to design an iPhone app yourself is a great idea. Now even if you're not the inventive type and think you'd never be able to think of a game that could make you rich, do not despair. Nobody said your idea had to be original.

Go to the iTunes app store and browse through the most popular free and paid games and apps and get familiar with the type of app that is downloaded the most. The design app market is huge and many of the games you will see are very similar to each other. This is because design app developers take a successful theme and tweak it slightly to make it even better. They then go on to re-brand the app as a new game and promote it in a different or better way.

You can design an iPhone app even if you have no programming experience. There are a few software packages available that allow the complete novice to design one and get it published on iTunes ready to be downloaded by millions of eager users.

Why there is money to be made in designing iPhone apps?

The best way to make money is to produce an app with a limited functionality or a trial version of one. An iPhone owner will download your free app and try it out. If they like it, they can pay a small fee to upgrade to the full version.

You can also design an app that has locked levels. The user has to pay a few cents or a dollar to unlock them. The possibilities are endless.

Some internet marketers have realized how profitable it is for them to design an app and give it away for free. They use the free app to build a marketing list. Imagine having an app that is downloaded a few thousand times. That means the app owner has all those prospective customers they can send marketing messages to. Those messages maybe asking them to download another iPhone app, or to buy something else, or even to click a link to visit another website.

The market for iPhone apps has great potential for anyone who wants to make serious money. If you were fortunate enough to come up with the next Angry Birds game, you could find yourself being bought out by a large company for a few million dollars within a year or two.

iPhone - 7 Rules to Build Killer iPhone Apps

Bet you never thought the iPhone would grow so alarmingly popular. But it has, and we cannot simply ignore it or the millions of applications that float in the Apple App Store.

From funny to unique, unique to unusual and bizarre, diverse kinds of applications rule the App Store. Hundreds of more such are launched everyday. With the App Store growing bigger and bigger everyday, the lifetime of an ordinary app denigrates to less than a week. Making a breakthrough iPhone app is indeed a challenge all iPhone application developers face.

To launch a top-selling iPhone app is no easy job and requires a lot of racking your brain. Though there is no exact science to build a killer iPhone app, you can launch a near-perfect top seller if you follow these 7 rules of the thumb:

1. Innovate: Try something novel. Does your iPhone app have the "wow" factor? Is it innovative, out of the ordinary? Is it the only one in its kind? If yes, your app will definitely get due recognition in the App Store.

2. Make it usable: Your apps can be extraordinarily creative and startlingly new. But users are going to keep it idle if it is not usable. Build an app which has utility value. Fancy apps are good, but they don't get you anywhere. A usability specialist says that one should follow Apple's sterling virtue of "intuitive and consistent usability" while building apps for the iPhone.

3. Keep it Simple: Keeping it simple is a golden rule in mobile application development. No one wants an app that confuses or complicates things for them. The more difficult you make your app for usage, the less recognition it is going to receive from users.

4. Pricing: Anything sells if given for free in the Internet world. This does not mean you need to give your killer app for free. You can price it anywhere between $0.99 to $20. But, act prudently. Your app will get more exposure when given for free than when launched with a price tag. Maybe you can try different strategies. You can give your beta version for free and put a price on newer versions.

5. Provide Support: Be responsive to how your app performs in the store. If users are having difficulty in handling some feature, try to change it or post guides on how to handle your app.

6. Upgrades: Anything left idle grows stale. Never leave your app in beta. Keep upgrading new features. Listen to your users and add as many new features as possible. People who failed notice your app during its launch may notice its upgraded version and start using it.

7. Marketing is must: Yes, without doubt, this is important in killer-app making. You cannot create a killer app if you fail to market it. The more your app is marketed, the more it gets noticed by users. Instead of aggressive marketing, engage in useful, result-oriented marketing. You'll definitely hit the road to success.

The Agony of the Mobile App Approval Process

In 1984 we happily referred to George Orwell's book by the same name as an unrealistic science fiction horror story. Mocking the ridiculousness of the oppression became a part of popular culture, and the center of drunken debates among philosophy students. Even the comparison between Big Brother and authority figures in government became a half serious joke. Consider our lives now, where 96% of the American population has some sort of mobile communication (according to Neilson Analysts) and 49% of those people have a smartphone. With everyone connected to a communication device and loving it, can we really laugh so heartily at George Orwell's predictions?

Don't worry, this isn't a literary discussion; but there are some heavy similarities between the aforementioned book and the wide (and wild) world of mobile apps. First of all, when a developer builds a mobile app he or she does it with the intention of getting it in the Apple or Android stores so it can be accessed by consumers. Now if everyone and their hound dog were able to get apps into the app stores without any sort of check-in process, well the sky would probably fall on mobile apps altogether. There has to be some sort of approval process. Google proved it.

Android apps are almost instantly approved and available for use. In fact your app has to actually violate their terms or do something evil to (maybe) get it removed from the grid. The leniency is great for marketing launch schedules, and according to Google only about "1% of all applications that have been uploaded to Android Market and subsequently made available to consumers have been taken down by Google". The 'anything goes' attitude that Google has taken with its Android sector also means their apps can work on pretty much any smartphone outside of the iPhone. So, we have developers all over the globe launching Android apps 24/7 that can be used on over 71 million smartphones worldwide (number sold to date as of Feb 2011) with little supervision. This is clearly one area where Google has not chosen to exercise their muscle.

The outcome of such laxity in the approval process, or more accurately a complete lack of approval process, is massive breaches in security. Remember back in 201 when Google finally admitted there were malware apps posing as games or banking apps? One particularly evil app was the Droid09 which acted like a banking app but really monitored the user's activity and information. Apparently they had published 40 variants of the app, each one targeting a different world bank - all unchecked. Even a grade eight dropout would be able to spot that security breach. After Google cleaned up their act and ousted the cockroaches from Android shelves, they tightened up their approval process. Now it takes a full 15 minutes for an app to be deemed 'safe', instead of 15 seconds.

Now Apple is a whole different story. Their mobile app approval process can take up to three months, although they did claim 95% were approved within 14 days. Aside from all the uber-security testing, there are certain other elements of wannabe iPhone apps that automatically get a rejection. Like the word Google can't be anywhere in the user interface. So don't try and tell your users they can load internet fax documents into GoogleDocs. Oh and don't have the words 'drag' or 'dusk' in there either. Apparently Apple doesn't like them.

Clearly the microscopic investigation of every app that comes their way means the evil malware developers have to be pretty darn clever to get past Apple. Of course it also means legitimate businesses trying to schedule an iPhone app launch are held hostage. Pushing back launch dates becomes embarrassing, even costly, when Apple holds onto a potential new app. For example most launches are scheduled very carefully around a press release, an Android launch, online articles, perhaps even an annual industry-related conference. As much as Steve Jobs wants it to, the world does not revolve around Apple.

With 108 million iPhones sold (as of March 2011) there is clearly an important market to be tapped, no matter what the process is like. And historically most companies have gone to iPhone for their first app launch, but now the trend is swinging the other way. For example the infamous White Pages people search engine has launched their long awaited Localicious mobile app with Android first. They had planned to go iPhone first, but since the process took so long they moved over to Android. Now, before iPhone lovers get all dramatic, there is no indication that Apple apps are going to decline in numbers. This is not the beginning of the end. Although it may mean Mr. Jobs needs to loosen up and turn down is turtleneck a little more.