WWDC 2011 June 6-10

It's official, WWDC 2011 will be held on June 6th through the 10th.... and it's SOLD OUT!

but now I don't think I'm going... :-(


WWDC09: Sold out in 28+ Days
WWDC10: Sold out in 8 Days
WWDC11: Sold out in < 1 Day
WWDC12: 42 minutes???

Jeff's got his blog updated, if you are going make sure you check this out... do it NOW!!!

iOS 4.3.1 Download links

[Direct Links] Download iOS 4.3.1 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

• iPhone 4 (GSM) (not Verizon)
• iPhone 3GS
• iPad 2 WiFi
• iPad 2 GSM
• iPad 2 CDMA
• iPad
• iPod touch 3G
• iPod touch 4G

Looking for the Verizon iOS 4.3.1 update? me too!

Oh and of course we have another 4.3GB download for Xcode... wow! you'd think Apple could implement a "sparkle" type incremental update but since we can't do it with iOS apps guess they want to punish all of us! <shakes head and is thankful Cox Internet has very good 1.2+ MB/Sec download rate>

Back to life

I missed this somewhere... sorry but Mobile Orchard is back on-line. Last I knew Dan was "taking his ball and going home".... guess he had a change of heart (or pocketbook). Note: I can't locate Dan's blog post as it has disappeared, I guess you can take back what you say on the interweb ;-)

Miss Mobile Orchard? We’re back!

Regardless, it was a great resource and should continue to be, if you've not checked them out by all means do:

http://mobileorchard.com/

App Store Top 100

WOW, this pretty much sums up how I feel about the "mechanics" of the App Store ranking... why oh why did this app make it to #1???

Nuff said...

Too Much Detail - Refinement

So I was using a new app the other day and noticed the developer also used the same code (available to anyone) that we use in Battery Stat Pro albeit with one glaring exception.

This app doesn't set the color to the current value... which quite frankly I find very inconvenient from a user perspective. You launch the app, tap the color block and then touch anywhere and the color changes, always to a color you didn't want ;-).


Examples:

Launches with yellow selected regardless or current selection

(sorry for the odd colors)

Battery Stat Pro (& Battery Stat) launch with your selected color.. er, um... selected

However, maybe I'm the only one to notice or care... it took me less than an hour to code and verify my modifications... perhaps I should have spent that time doing something else...

...perhaps not. ;-)

Beta Testing Requirements

First of all, thank you for considering to help us beta test our product. Beta testing is an important part of attaining a smooth, stable and polished app so we truly value your contribution. 

Here are some guidelines and expectations to help understand the process.

First some do's and don'ts

DO'S:

DO show the app to your family & friends

DO have fun using the app

DO record as much detail as possible

DON'TS:

DON'T post screenshots or photos

DON'T post any videos of usage

Installation:

You will receive a zip file from us that contains the application (<appname>.ipa) and a provisioning file. Drag both of these items into iTunes and then sync your device. you may have to select the app in the list if it does not automatically install.

General Testing:

Give feedback on the icon and the name of the app

Take note of the emotional response during the 1st usage of the app

Take some time to use the app first and note how quickly you understood it

Please use the app in variety of settings:

* Your natural environment

* Alone and focusing on the product

* In an idle moment (waiting for something)

* With friends

Take note of anything that takes too long (or has you waiting too long) for your taste.

Proceed to technical after using the app naturally a couple or more times.

Technical Testing:

Try to tap on every button, menu and submenu

If a crash occurs, please retrace the actions leading up to the crash

Check for performance issues

Check for sound related issues

General Information:

Usually the app will only run for 7 to 10 days. Three (3) days after your first launch it should ask you to review it. Please test that too. Note: it should open up the App Store to a review page (not the actual app if in pre-release beta).

Have fun with the app and use the in-app e-mail to report your findings, negative and (hopefully) positive feedback, recommendations and reactions. You can also forward the in-app e-mail to your computer to fill it out and then send it to meachwarebeta[at]gmail[dot]com. 

Once again, thank you and we ask for your continued support when we release the final app. Remember to send in your report so we can send out the promo code once the app has been approved.

[Xcode 4] - Where is my build?

The second in a series of (hopefully) helpful Xcode 4 posts.

I knew right where my "Build" folder was in Xcode 3 and my "Release" or "AppStore" or "Debug" builds were right in there, plain and simple. Now with Xcode 4:

Where the frack are they in Xcode 4???

Fear not, Xcode 4 (default settings) uses a common build or derived data folder.
(1000 words)

I put a shortcut to this folder in my "DevWork" folder for quick and easy access.

That's for this post, by all means if you find something interesting about Xcode 4 or have something you'd like me to cover, just send me an email of the @gmail.com type to meachware or post a comment on one of the Xcode 4 posts.

Happy coding!

Get Ready for Xcode 4 and Get Git!

So I'm stepping up and into the 20th(???) century.. :-D yes, I'm finally using an SCM! W00T!

I can't show any Xcode 4 screenshots (yet) since it is still under NDA but I can say that it is flat out super easy to use Git within Xcode 4. I also won't embarrass myself and tell you how I had been managing my projects before Git.

Here's a very quick overview:

1. Download, install and configure Git.
2. Open up Terminal and type "cd " <- include space, now drag your project folder into the Terminal window and press the {Enter} key.
3. Type "git init" and press the {Enter} key.
4. Open your project with Xcode 4.
5. Choose File -> Source Control -> Commit (shortcut: press {Shift}+{CMD}+c) to open the Commit window.
6. Select all your files and be a good Git user and enter "Initial commit" in the comments.
7. Click the Commit button and wait for it to complete.

That's it... you just created your first Git managed project. As you make modifications to your project you'll see a handy "M" on all files that have been modified since your last commit.

Xcode 4 & Xcode 3 Work Fine Together

Edit: Very timely! didn't know Xcode 4 would be released today!

DO NOT INSTALL XCODE 4 in the default location!!!
If you do/did you will/have replaced your Xcode 3 installation.

Edit: sorry for shouting...

Wait, what? you already installed it and now you lost Xcode 3... ARG the humanity!!!! Okay all is not lost, take a quick look at this older post about selecting a different folder for Xcode to install into and run the Xcode installers a second time. I would remove the old folders first.

I am using the following folders:
Xcode 3 (including the new iOS 4.3 GM SDK) installed into -> /Xcode3 (was /Developer) (1)
Xcode 4 (includes the GM 2) installed into -> /Developer (was /Xcode4) (1)

(1) Update: I just switched today with the final releases of both Xcode 3.2.6 and Xcode 4. I want Xcode 4 to be the default so I'm installing it into /Developer. You can install whichever way you want, heck even in /Xcode4 and /Xcode3, that may be the easiest way to keep them separate. Just know that "/Developer" will always be set as the default folder, regardless of the Xcode version.

Install the Xcode's in whatever order you want. To set the "default" version (the one that opens when you double-click a project file), choose get info on a project file from Finder and then browse to and select the Xcode app you want to use and select the Always use this application" checkbox.

The /Xcode4 folder was leftover from the beta installs but there is no reason it won't run just fine in that folder. This allows you to, very quickly create say a nice shiny new cocos2d 0.99.5 or heck even a beta 1.0.0 app with Xcode 3 using the cocos2d templates (that still work in Xcode 3) and then open the project in Xcode 4.

Sweeeeet.... :-]

WWDC 2011 Phase I

Phase I: Hotel booked ✓
Phase II: WWDC ticket purchased ✘
Phase III: Flight booked ✘


WOW, I can't believe I made a hotel reservation for WWDC 11 based on some speculation!

Seems it was a good thing since several of the hotels I checked (including hotel Milano) are fully booked, or at least are not offering any rooms during June 5-9, 2011.

Stay tuned as I'll be posting all related WWDC 11 info I find on this blog.

If you are a first timer, check Jeff's blog post here... very valuable information.

Honesty - generally the best policy!

I recently updated Qwik Text and thought I would try and add a user requested feature. Okay, I know this doesn't sound very impressive... except that the feature was a "quit" function and we know Apple generally doesn't like that.

Anyhow I updated Qwik Text, added the new quick launch option to quit app, tested it and then submitted it to the store. Well, 6 days later and it has been approved.

Here is the comment that I included with the update:

Hi - I am not trying to sneak anything past your guys (gals). Many users have emailed me asking for the "Quit App" function to be added as an option. I know that this is not what a "regular" app should do but I'm hoping that you'll see the added benefit to this app since it is a productivity app and this will save the user time. 

Please contact me if you have any questions. 
Thanks 
Greg

So... honesty does indeed pay... and I MUST give a shout-out to the App Review Team, THANKS!!!

:-]