Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Android Cupcake Firmware 1.5

Cupcake is a repository of all new features available for the Android device after the OS has gone official. It contains many features such as a virtual keyboard, a new Note pad application, new animations for windows, a new Global Time application showing a rotating globe, and more.

To see how these enhancements work, you can now experience it on your Android Emulator. To do so, perform the following steps:

1. Download the Android SDK
2. Backup the tools\lib\images folder in your SDK folder
3. Download the Cupcake firmware 1.5 from: http://s3.amazonaws.com/nullwire/android_images_sdk1.5.zip
4. Expand the item downloaded in (3) and put it into the images folder mentioned in (2).
5. Run your Android Emulator as normal and you will now be able to try out the new Cupcake!

Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Last week to enjoy the early bird discount!

A gentle reminder that this week is your last chance to enjoy the early bird discount (S$100) for the following courses:

1-day Programming Mapping Applications (S$399)


Google Maps and Microsoft Virtual Earth are two of the most popular mapping applications in use today. Besides using these two maps directly, you can also integrate them into your own applications using the APIs exposed by Google and Microsoft.

In this one-day course, you will learn how to incorporate mapping solutions into your own applications and how to implement interesting features such as geo-tagging and geo-tracking. In addition, you will also learn how to write location-based services using GPS and CellID technologies.


2-day Programming Windows Forms Applications (S$898)

In this 2-day course, you will learn how to develop compelling Windows Forms applications using the .NET Framework. You will learn the basics of Windows Forms applications and the use of the various Windows Forms controls. In addition, you will be building a number of projects, including learning how to interface to external devices like Web cams and fingerprint readers.
Attendees of this course will get a free Microsoft Fingerprint reader worth S$99.




Download the application form here.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Platform to watch - webOS (Palm Pre)

Just when you thought that you have enough mobile platforms to learn, Palm recently came up with a new device that seems to make heads turn. It is the Palm Pre, a device that runs on the Palm webOS. Unlike other platforms, which require you to learn new languages (such as Objective-C, Java, VB.NET, C#), the webOS supports web languages that most of you web developers are familar with - JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. This is achieved through the Mojo Application Framework. At this moment, Palm has not made the Mojo SDK available as yet, but it should do so at a later date. What made the Palm Pre so cool is that it works much like the iPhone (if not better), and what's more, the Mojo Framework sounds so developer-friendly.

So this is going to be a very exciting year...if you are still wondering if mobile applications are here to stay, you'd better start learning one or two now before the world leaves you behind! This will be the year of the great battle between mobile platforms - Android, iPhone, Windows Mobile, and now webOS (Palm)!

Check out the series of videos on the Palm Pre at Youtube.com. Here is one of them.



Friday, January 16, 2009

Location-Based Services Using CellID in Android

Though GPS functionality has become hugely popular, it doesn't work indoors and not all devices have built-in GPS receivers. How do you get around this? Learn how to find and use CellID to locate your Android device and use Google maps to display it.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Apple Singapore Sale

Apple Singapore is running a special one-day sale on Wednesday 14 Jan. If you are looking for bargain Macs, head over to Apple's web site.

The new aluminium MacBook starts at S$1928 and the older white MacBook is now selling at S$1508. The iMac starts at S$1808.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Android Book coming your way!

OK, I think I can now let the cat out of the bag.....yes, I am currently working on an Android book (to be published by Wrox). ;-) that will help you get jump-started on Android development. 

If you are totally new to Android, this book will get you into 5th gear in the shortest amount of time. It will cover all the basics of Android - activities, layouts, views, etc, as well as advanced stuff such as location-based services using GPS and CellIDs. It will also cover topics on creating your own Content Provider and how to use one. I anticipate the writing will be done by March and give and take 1-2 months the book should be out in the market. 

If you want to know what can Android do for you, come and join us this 9-10 March

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Learn how to build location-based services for Android

In the upcoming course on Android, I will be showing attendees how to build location-based services on Android. If you want to learn how to use GPS and/or CellID to locate your current location, then come and join this 9-10 March 2009.

You can download the course application form here.

Buying an Android Phone

If you are an Android developer, you can now buy the Android Dev Phone 1, a SIM-unlocked and hardware-unlocked device, for your development purposes. The cost of the phone is US$399, but you also need to register for the Android Market first by paying the US$25 registration fee. But this is a small price to pay if you are into serious Android development.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Free eDoc on Getting Started with iPhone Development

If you have always wanted to learn iPhone development but don't know how to get started, download my free eDoc on Getting Started with iPhone Development. Try it out and see
how easy it is to get started!

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Recommendations for Mac Purchase

Pertaining to the upcoming iPhone development course, I have received many queries regarding the requirements on the notebook. Yes, you would need to bring along your own Intel Mac - the iPhone SDK requires an Intel-Mac running Mac OS X Leopard. If you are currently not a Mac-user, here are several reasons why your next machine should be a Mac:

1. Mac allows you to dual boot into Windows as well as Mac OS X using the free BootCamp. If your work requires you to use Windows, you can install Windows onto Mac and then boot into Windows natively. You can also install Parallels onto Mac OS X so that you can run Windows on a virtual machine.

2. Prices for Macs are getting very competitive nowadays. Overall, the prices of Mac are still a little higher than PCs, but considering that you have the ability to run both OSes, it is a small price to pay. Moreover, the quality of Macs are way more superior than most commodity PCs.

If you are looking for a Mac notebook, I recommend you go for the latest aluminum 13-inch MacBook, which costs S$2088. If you are budget constrained (who is not?), then you can go for the older (but still trusty) white 13-inch MacBook (S$1588). I have been using the white MacBook and it has been serving me very well for the last 1 year.

Moreover, if you are a student or educator, you can get some nice Educational Discount at http://www.apple.com/sg/macbook/.

There’s Gold In Them iPhones

Newsweek recently posted an article on how kids are getting rich by writing applications for the iPhone. It is an inspiring article that should probably encourage you to start writing one yourself. All you need to have is an Intel Mac and lots of patiences. 

And considering all the bad news about the near- future economy, it is really a good move to start learning a new skill today. 

So, get jumpstarted by joining us in the first run of the iPhone development course on 12-13 March 2009. You can download the application form here.