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	<title>rob&#039;s blog &#187; iphone</title>
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		<title>Creating Compelling App Descriptions for iTunes and the iOS App Stores</title>
		<link>http://banagale.com/character-and-formatting-tips-for-copy-writing-in-itunes-and-the-ios-app-store.htm</link>
		<comments>http://banagale.com/character-and-formatting-tips-for-copy-writing-in-itunes-and-the-ios-app-store.htm#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Jul 2010 01:25:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[app store]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ipad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[itunes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[programming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sdk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[selling]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://banagale.com/?p=618</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When you submit an iOS application for review, you&#8217;ve got to make sure your ad copy is tight.  The app description may be the last thing holding back a tap to buy your app. Apple doesn&#8217;t give much guidance on this important chunk of text. &#8220;Write your Application Description with a focus on what makes [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When you submit an iOS application for review, you&#8217;ve got to make sure your ad copy is tight.  The app description may be the last thing holding back a tap to buy your app.</p>
<p>Apple doesn&#8217;t give much guidance on this important chunk of text. &#8220;Write your Application Description with a focus on what makes the functionality or design of your app unique.&#8221; was a tip from this past June from the App Store Tips blog.</p>
<p>We know that 4000 characters is the limit.  And App descriptions are made up of simple text, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode_symbols">unicode symbols</a> like checkboxes (✔) and more (♣☢☂).  Apple takes your unicode text and formats it for display on the web via Web Preview, in iTunes and on the iOS devices themselves (the app store).</p>
<p>Since you probably have very specific points you want to get across, and users have a very short attention span, you need to pay attention to how Apple will format what you write.  In this entry I discuss how to create app descriptions that look great everywhere Apple publishes your app description.</p>
<p><span id="more-618"></span></p>
<p><strong>Word Wrap and the Fold</strong></p>
<p>Word wrap occurs in app descriptions when enough characters fill up a line.  Each line has a maximum number of characters and when a word goes over that, it is bumped to the next line.  This is important because one word of word wrap can waste an entire line of potential ad copy.  This is important: the length of your lines in your app description affects the placement of the <em>fold</em>.</p>
<p>The fold is the point where iTunes, Web Preview or the iPad App Store app decide to make the user click or tap the <strong>More&#8230;</strong> button.  Everything below the fold is out of sight, out of mind.  Without the data to prove it, my hunch is that at least half the time, users are not bothering to click <strong>More&#8230;</strong> before deciding whether they are installing an app or not.</p>
<p>All this means is that you must use the space above the fold as effectively as possible.</p>
<p>All app purchase vectors limit the top of fold line display to three lines.  Two important rules here:</p>
<ol>
<li>Blank lines count as lines.</li>
<li>Lines over 120 characters in length will lead to word wrap and the use of an additional line above the fold line.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>App Description Formatting on iTunes and Web Preview</strong></p>
<p>Web Preview and iTunes behave in a similar way, Web Preview is just that, a summary of your app description and screenshots along with a link to view the app in iTunes.  The final step on a computer is to have iTunes open to the page where the user clicks purchase to download the app.  A history of Web Preview and SEO implications may be found <a href="http://theappleblog.com/2010/03/10/app-store-seo-the-impact-of-itunes-web-preview/">here</a>.</p>
<p>Both iTunes and Web Preview show the same number of lines from your app description before the &#8220;break&#8221; point.  A break point is where all text is hidden below the fold, and the user must click the More&#8230; link to display the rest.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s look at some examples. The following three shots were taken from Web Preview.  iTunes displays the same amount of information as Web Preview, however only Web Preview has fixed width.  Resize the iTunes app window, allows longer word-wrapping lines but ultimately the same amount of information above the fold as Web Preview.</p>
<p><em>Note: Click any images to see the full size.</em></p>
<p><a href="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/desc_flirate.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-619" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="app description" src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/desc_flirate.png" alt="App description itunes app store seo fold line wrap" width="692" height="124" /></a></p>
<p>Here the app publisher has chosen to highlight two specific sentences and put a line of space between them for readibility.  Note that if the first line was longer than 120 characters, top of fold would be a complete and a partial line (due to the wrap) and the third would simply be a blank space.</p>
<p><a href="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/desc_picturizr.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-620" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="Pictureizer" src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/desc_picturizr.png" alt="Apple app store iTunes submission app description" width="706" height="126" /></a></p>
<p>Here the app publisher has one long line of text with no carriage returns.  This means that all three allowable lines of text are the result of one word wrapped line.  This is the maximum amount of information you can cram into the top of fold, but it does not read very well here.  Wait until you see how ad copy like this looks in the iPhone&#8217;s App Store.  For your reference, this one line of text is about <strong>343 characters in length</strong>.</p>
<p><strong>Looking at the devices</strong></p>
<p>Currently there are two different sizes in the iOS hardware family.  The long one, (iPhone and iPod Touch devices), and the wide one, (iPad devices).  In addition, there are three types of binaries, iPhone only apps, iPad only apps and Universal apps, which work on both iPhone (iPod Touch too) and iPad.</p>
<p>If your app is only for iPhone you need to focus on how it is displayed in the iPhone&#8217;s app store.  If it is only for iPad, you need to look at it there.  In either case you also need to look at how Apple&#8217;s relatively new Web Preview page displays your app description too.</p>
<p><strong>App Description Formatting on the iPhone</strong></p>
<p>Often users install apps directly on their device, rather than using iTunes and syncing a purchase.  It is certainly less clunky and you have instant satisfaction of getting to run the app right away.  That means your app description marketing copy should be influenced by how the lines of text look when displayed on each of these devices.</p>
<p>Here are some screenshots of how word wrapping of text affects readability on the iPhone App Store app.  Note that the iPhone app store app only supports portrait orientation.</p>
<p><img class="size-full wp-image-622 alignnone" title="iphone_app_store_ibooks" src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/iphone_app_store_ibooks.png" alt="app description hacking paragraph line spacing" width="320" height="480" /></p>
<p>Interestingly, a long line of text looks like a nice paragraph on the iPhone.  Also, Apple uses the bullet character to bullet features.</p>
<p><a href="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/iphone_app_store_echofon.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-623" title="iphone_app_store_echofon" src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/iphone_app_store_echofon.png" alt="iPhone sdk binary uploader application category" width="320" height="480" /></a></p>
<p>Note here that the long lines make the display of this text awkward and difficult to read.  (I use it anyhow!)</p>
<p><a href="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/rock_show_app_store.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-642" src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/rock_show_app_store.png" alt="Rock Show iPhone iPad iPod Touch platform app description" width="320" height="480" /></a></p>
<p>Note a few things here:</p>
<ol>
<li>The first and third lines are used so Web Preview and iTunes display both lines top of fold.</li>
<li>The bulleted lists do not word wrap, (the max char per line is 45).</li>
<li>Unicode goodness makes it look crisp.</li>
<li>Attention goes to lines 17 and 18 in the app description.  They are the final ones before the user would scroll down to see the screen shots.</li>
</ol>
<p>Here&#8217;s Rock Show&#8217;s Web Preview:</p>
<p><a href="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Screen-shot-2010-07-23-at-10.54.55-PM.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-650" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="Screen shot 2010-07-23 at 10.54.55 PM" src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Screen-shot-2010-07-23-at-10.54.55-PM.png" alt="apple app description itunes store ios" width="719" height="146" /></a></p>
<p><strong>App Description Formatting on the iPad</strong></p>
<p>The iPad app store app supports both landscape and portrait modes.  It also brings back the idea of the fold and its exposing link, &#8220;More&#8230;&#8221;  In this way, the iPad&#8217;s app store application is formated more like iTunes&#8217; traditional display.  See for yourself by comparing iBooks Web Preview with the landscape view of the iPad App Store app. iBooks also happens to have a fancy custom background that 3rd party developers generally won&#8217;t have access to:</p>
<p><a href="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/photo-2.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-643" title="photo 2" src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/photo-2.png" alt="" width="500" height="667" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>There isn&#8217;t an easy way to preview how your app&#8217;s text will look in all these different store fronts until after it is published , but you can at least know what you&#8217;re up against.</p>
<p>Experiment with your language and line length.  Every opportunity for a new installation of your software on an iOS device holds not only immediate, but residual value.  Since potential users may view your value proposition from a few different angles, pay attention to the quirks and write accordingly.</p>
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		<title>Course Files for Stanford CS 193P iPhone / iOS App Development Winter 2010</title>
		<link>http://banagale.com/course-files-for-stanford-cs-193p-iphone-ios-app-development-winter-2010.htm</link>
		<comments>http://banagale.com/course-files-for-stanford-cs-193p-iphone-ios-app-development-winter-2010.htm#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jul 2010 09:23:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ipad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile computing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://banagale.com/?p=561</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Stanford was kind enough to release all of its CS 193P iPhone / iOS Application Development course under Creative Commons.  The lecture videos [iTunes link] are available for free download through iTunes U. When I went in search for the course files, I found them all individually linked on the course downloads page.  Since I don&#8217;t want [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Stanford was kind enough to release all of its CS 193P iPhone / iOS Application Development course under Creative Commons.  The <a href="http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/itunes.stanford.edu.3124430053.03124430055">lecture videos</a> [iTunes link] are available for free download through iTunes U.</p>
<p>When I went in search for the course files, I found them all individually linked on the <a href="http://www.stanford.edu/class/cs193p/cgi-bin/drupal/downloads-2010-winter">course downloads page</a>.  Since I don&#8217;t want to have to return to this page, I used a Firefox plugin to download all of the files and then organized them into folders. The result is one single archive for you to download.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" title="media" src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-admin/images/media-button-other.gif?ver=20100531" alt="" width="13" height="13" /> <a href="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Stanford-CS193P.zip">Download &#8211; Stanford CS193P.zip</a> &#8211; 81.3 MB</p>
<p>Most people are going to get an error when building projects from this set: &#8220;error: There is no SDK with the name or path&#8230;&#8221; <a href="http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=192520174412&amp;topic=12533">Gonzalo Gasca posted</a> a four step solution to this:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">1. From the Projects menu in XCode, choose &#8220;Edit Project Settings&#8221;<br />
2. Click on the &#8220;General&#8221; tab. Near the bottom of the inspector window, you should see the path to the non-existant SDK that&#8217;s troubling you.<br />
3. Change the selection for &#8220;Cross-Develop Using Target SDK:&#8221; to another listed SDK instead of &#8220;Other&#8221; as it probably currently reads.<br />
4. Click Build, and away you go!</p>
<p>It is nothing short of amazing that this level of educational material is available for free.  I came across the Stanford course after Windows Phone 7 evangelist <a href="http://windowsphonesecrets.com/2010/06/20/windows-phone-vs-the-world-part-1-developers/">Paul Thurrott pointed out</a> that Microsoft has a lot of catching up to do in the realm of developer documentation and free training products.  He&#8217;s right.</p>
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		<title>Selling an iPhone 3GS to get a new iPhone 4 in the United States</title>
		<link>http://banagale.com/selling-an-iphone-3gs-to-get-a-new-iphone-4.htm</link>
		<comments>http://banagale.com/selling-an-iphone-3gs-to-get-a-new-iphone-4.htm#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:16:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[gadget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[selling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://banagale.com/?p=542</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[People are often surprised to hear that their old iPhone will make their upgrade free or even pay them.  There are a few tricks to helping improve your chances of making money each time Apple releases a new iPhone.  I thought I&#8217;d describe how the process works and my recent experience. There are a number [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>People are often surprised to hear that their old iPhone will make their upgrade free or even pay them.  There are a few tricks to helping improve your chances of making money each time Apple releases a new iPhone.  I thought I&#8217;d describe how the process works and my recent experience.</p>
<p>There are a number of tricks to upgrading an iPhone in the United States.  Most revolve around the fact that AT&amp;T subsidizes the cost of new iPhones.  So your old iPhone may be worth as much or more than the cost of a new iPhone if you&#8217;re up for a two year renewal.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve been lucky to have every model of iPhone break on me at least one time (except the 4 which hasn&#8217;t failed yet) and have every phone replaced by Apple.  My iPhone 3G broke twice.  The first was my now well-indexed bit on the <a href="http://banagale.com/iphone-white-screen-sleep-state-problem.htm">white screen of death</a>.  In the second phone, the sleep switch stopped working (a common problem with early iPhone 3G).  Technically, I&#8217;m on my fourth iPhone in just over two years.</p>
<p><span id="more-542"></span></p>
<p>The day before the iPhone 3GS launched (June 18th, 2009), I took my malfunctioning 3G to the Apple store downtown Boston.  Since it had been just under a year since I had bought the 3G, Apple replaced the phone and I had a brand new iPhone on my hands.  I ended up selling the 3G for about $380 to someone who wanted to unlock it and send it abroad. Since the new 32 GB iPhone 3GS  was only $300, I got the new phone and pocketed some cash for a screen protector and a Gela Skin.</p>
<p>Today, I did near the same thing with the 3GS.  I only had the 3GS break once on me. One day the device stopped booting properly and would not make it past the Apple logo no matter how many restores and resets I performed.  Since the phone was non-functional, I took it in only a month prior to the release of the iPhone 4, and got a brand new 3GS.</p>
<p>Here are some starter things that will go in your favor:</p>
<ul>
<li>If possible, always buy your iPhone from the biggest Apple store in town.  My experience is that Apple stores are best at taking back purchases from their own location.  I&#8217;ve heard of AT&amp;T taking returns rejected by the Apple store but that&#8217;s not been my experience.</li>
<li>Be on the upgrade cycle.  Get your contract to line up with the annual June release date for the new iPhone.  This is when the older gen iPhone is at its highest value used.</li>
<li>Wait to return a partially working phone until just prior to the launch of a new iPhone.</li>
<li>Make sure you have the new iPhone on reserve at the Apple store prior to the sale.</li>
<li>List the iPhone on Craigslist, including the OS number and the baseband number.  These are found in the Settings -&gt; General -&gt; About page.  The baseband number is the modem***.  Make sure you use the words &#8216;unlocked&#8217; and &#8216;jailbroken&#8217; in the listing even if your iPhone is neither.  For example, &#8220;The phone is not unlocked or jailbroken.&#8221;  This will improve your  chances of showing up in results.</li>
<li>Plan to meet the buyer near your target Apple store.</li>
<li>Plan to have backup buyers in case the first fails to show up.</li>
<li>Bring a small paperclip to the sale, so you can remove your SIM card.</li>
<li>Remember to do a Settings -&gt; Reset -&gt; Reset All Data at the end of your sale. <em>Do not give your phone away until you have wiped all data</em>!</li>
</ul>
<p>At one point I considered adding AppleCare, since that would extend the time the phone could be owner.  However my experience is that most people buying past generation iPhones are doing so to jailbreak and run on different carriers.  Apple will not return jailbroken phones, so Applecare and the secondary market for iPhones actually collide somewhat.</p>
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		<title>Rock Show, an App for the Apple iPad</title>
		<link>http://banagale.com/rock-show-an-app-for-the-apple-ipad.htm</link>
		<comments>http://banagale.com/rock-show-an-app-for-the-apple-ipad.htm#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:24:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[concerts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ipad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[concert posters]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://banagale.com/?p=470</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My software company, Neutrinos, has been hard at work on an application for the Apple iPad called Rock Show.  Rock Show is an interactive art gallery for concert posters that lets you view, share and buy original limited edition artwork. We&#8217;re very excited about the potential of the iPad and hope that this application does [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Rock-Show-for-the-Apple-iPad1.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-473" title="Rock Show for the Apple iPad" src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Rock-Show-for-the-Apple-iPad1.png" alt="" width="400" height="263" /></a></p>
<p>My software company, <a href="http://www.neutrinosllc.com">Neutrinos</a>, has been hard at work on an application for the Apple iPad called Rock Show.  Rock Show is an interactive art gallery for concert posters that lets you view, share and buy original limited edition artwork.</p>
<p>We&#8217;re very excited about the potential of the iPad and hope that this application does the device justice enough to be included in the launch of the grand opening of the  iPad App Store.</p>
<p>For more information about Rock Show, visit the official website, <strong><a href="http://www.rockshow.fm">RockShow.fm</a></strong>. You can enter your email address to be notified of availability. Be sure to follow the app on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/r0ckshow">@r0ckshow</a>.  (The first o is a zero)</p>
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		<title>Killer Application for Apple Tablet is Board Games</title>
		<link>http://banagale.com/killer-application-for-apple-tablet-is-board-games.htm</link>
		<comments>http://banagale.com/killer-application-for-apple-tablet-is-board-games.htm#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:25:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gaming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[islate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[itunes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile computing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[board games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boardgame]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iguide]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[remote control]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wacom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wifi]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://banagale.com/?p=410</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There&#8217;s a lot more speculation about the tablet since a New York Times blog entry that included a quote that people will be &#8220;surprised how you interact with the new tablet.&#8221;  A lot of the conjecture is based on applications for patents that Apple has filed in the past few years.  I have an angle [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There&#8217;s a lot more speculation about the tablet since a <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/2010-the-year-of-the-tablet/">New York Times blog entry</a> that included a quote that people will be &#8220;surprised how you interact with the new tablet.&#8221;  A lot of the conjecture is based on applications for patents that Apple has filed in the past few years.  I have an angle that offers interesting interaction with the Apple Tablet, iSlate, iGuide or Apple Slate with a killer application is decidedly low-tech.</p>
<p>The idea is that the iSlate will communicate and be driven in part by nearby iPhones and iPod Touch devices over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.  Authorized iPhone and iPod Touch devices nearby the iSlate will act as sophisticated remote controls.  This use case takes advantage of the user&#8217;s likely existing Apple hardware in the Touch platform and focuses on the fact that the iSlate will likely have a large, bright screen with a reasonable viewing angle. Let&#8217;s examine a potential killer application of this idea.</p>
<p>The tablet screen will be able to lie flat on a table between two or more people.  Through iTunes, the owner of the tablet will purchase an application that runs full screen on the tablet.  The publisher of the tablet application will also make available free applications that run on the iPhone and iPod Touch and communicate directly with the app running on the tablet.</p>
<p><strong>Using the Apple Tablet as a Centerpiece to Electronic Board Games</strong></p>
<p>A great example would be the classic board game, Scrabble.  In Scrabble, you have a board that requires physical placement of letters on a major center area.  It also requires players to keep the letters in their tray secret from other players.  In a Scrabble for the iSlate scenario, players need only to have an iPhone or iPod Touch to virtually hold their letters.</p>
<p>The iPod Touch or iPhone could vibrate or make a noise when it is a player&#8217;s turn and it would be used to send the results of the player&#8217;s decisions to the Apple tablet at the center of the table.</p>
<p>One important aspect of this is size, the traditional Scrabble board is a fair bit larger than the expected 10.1&#8243; <a href="http://www.pixelqi.com/">Pixel Qi</a> powered display.  I believe that this type of thing could be overcome by the tablet giving intelligent focus to the most relevant portions of the board.  Additionally, the iPod Touch and iPhone could be used to manipulate the current viewing area on the tablet, or that area could be manipulated directly using standard multi-touch.</p>
<p>Many other board games would work in this scenario, including Monopoly, where you are handling all kinds of cash, property cards and frequent score calculations. The value you get out of the pairing of a Tablet and the iPhone is that there is a new bridge between physical social interaction and the convenience of an electronic presentation.</p>
<p><strong>Using the Apple Tablet to Share Presentations in Small Groups</strong></p>
<p>There are many other killer applications where the iPhone and iPod Touch serve as input devices to the iSlate or Apple tablet.  One I would use in my meetings for my iPhone application design company, Neutrinos, LLC is a business application is in small group presentations.  The tablet is set up to run a presentation application full screen.</p>
<p>The tablet is handed to one or more clients seated near each other.  The presenter uses an iPod Touch or iPhone to control playback of the presentation.  The presenter&#8217;s multi-touch device offers presentation notes, previous and next slide previews and allows them to trigger in-presentation events like animations or even jumping out to a web-view for the clients to explore.  This gives the presenter an opportunity to give a private and engaging presentation in the middle of any cafe, airport or public space.<strong><br />
</strong></p>
<p><strong>Using the Apple Tablet for Illustration and as a Supplemental Display Area for Floating Windows</strong></p>
<p>A final use case scenario for using the iPhone and iPod Touch to drive the Tablet is in illustration.  I&#8217;ve been working directly with Portland artist <a href="http://www.carolynmain.com/">Carolyn Main</a> who spends a lot of time with her <a href="http://www.wacom.com/index.html">Wacom</a> tablet.  While the Wacom offers a great deal of pressure point precision that the Apple Touch Platform is unlikely to compete with any time soon, it is reasonable to think that app developers will try to deliver illustration and animation applications that allow creation on the go.</p>
<p>Having an illustration application like Adobe Illustrator running on the tablet, and then being able to use an iPhone or iPod touch for swatch, tool or layer management would leave more of the iSlate&#8217;s screen real estate for drawing.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://daringfireball.net/2009/12/the_tablet">John Gruber&#8217;s recent post</a> about the tablet he writes: &#8220;And so in answer to my central question, regarding why buy The Tablet if you already have an iPhone and a MacBook, my best guess is that ultimately, The Tablet is something you’ll buy instead of a MacBook.&#8221;  My suggestion is that people buy the tablet <em>because </em>they already have an iPhone or iPod Touch.  Having both a Tablet and a touch makes the Tablet more useful with some great use case scenarios the low-tech realm of board gaming to business.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jetsetter"><img title="follow rob on twitter" src="http://www.banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/rob-twitter.png" alt="follow rob on twitter" width="214" height="80" /></a></p>
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		<title>The Concept of Self and Use of RFID on the iPhone in Entertainment and Social Space</title>
		<link>http://banagale.com/the-concept-of-self-and-use-of-rfid-iphone-in-entertainment-and-social-space.htm</link>
		<comments>http://banagale.com/the-concept-of-self-and-use-of-rfid-iphone-in-entertainment-and-social-space.htm#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:59:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[concerts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[islate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[itunes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile computing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[philosophy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nfc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rfid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rjd2]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rothbury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sherlock holmes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://banagale.com/?p=381</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My friend Elissa turned me on to an article by William Deresiewicz titled The End of Solitude that addresses the culture of celebrity and connectivity as symptoms of an impulse for becoming known.  Much of the article offers an overview of the historical concept of Self and what we get out of it. Something I [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My friend Elissa turned me on to an article by William Deresiewicz titled <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/The-End-of-Solitude/3708">The End of Solitude</a> that addresses the culture of celebrity and connectivity as symptoms of an impulse for becoming known.  Much of the article offers an overview of the historical concept of Self and what we get out of it.</p>
<p>Something I liked about the article was that it gave context to a technical social mashup idea I&#8217;ve been exploring, which is the increased use of near field communication (NFC) to increase one&#8217;s visibility in a meaningful way.  More specifically, people will use RFID tag readers in a mobile device like the iPhone to alert the world of their participation in entertainment experiences.</p>
<p>In The End of Solitude, Deresiewicz suggests the culture of celebrity is connected to the video camera, which I connect to broadcast television.  Regretfully, in the year when we could least afford it, reality TV gave rise to pointless distractions like the Balloon Boy and the White House Party Crashers.  But the article also describes the culture of connectivity as a product of the evolving use of computers and mobile communications in society.  As something of an evangelist for new media and a critique of old media, it is somewhat humbling for me to read Deresiewicz&#8217;s grouping of celebrity with connectivity in the contemporary self:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;Celebrity and connectivity are both ways of becoming known.  It wants to be visible. If not to the millions, on Survivor or Oprah, then to the hundreds, on Twitter or Facebook. This is the quality that validates us, this is how we become real to ourselves — by being seen by others. The great contemporary terror is anonymity.&#8221;</em></p></blockquote>
<p>The value of different participatory entertainment activities runs the gamut.  A film at your local movie theater requires you to only buy a ticket before the film is sold out and ensure you show up at the scheduled time.  Getting yourself twenty feet from the stage at The Dead on July 4th at Rothbury Music Festival in Michigan requires a <a href="http://www.weeklydavespeak.com/wds_stuff/articles_and_columns/a_righteous_time_at_rothbury_music_festival_2009">significantly greater level of planning</a>.  But the relative interest in the social grid in any given activity is less important than the simple declaration to the post modern self that you &#8220;did it.&#8221;  People want to shout from the top of their literal or figurative mountains, &#8220;I am about to (or have just)  ____ at _____.&#8221;</p>
<p>Given that a lot of people love to share their experiences, many are simply limited by the inconvenience.  I&#8217;ve given <a href="http://banagale.com/apple-touch-platform-tablet-itunes-social-gaming-openfeint.htm">some detail to my sense</a> that there is a big splash still yet to be made by Apple&#8217;s touch platform.  And that the Touch lineup of the iPod Touch, the iPhone and the iSlate we will see a revolution in mobile computing.  They will allow us to enjoy the impulses of the modern self which are to take part in connectivity and some element of celebrity.</p>
<p>A topic that hasn&#8217;t been explored enough is the effect of including an RFID reader in a breakthrough device like the iPhone.  There is reason to believe that <a href="http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/2009/11/05/32191/apple-testing-rfid-enabled-iphone/">an RFID reader will be incorporated</a> in the near future.   I believe that the inclusion of such hardware will open up opportunities to more quickly identify and disseminate interesting information about the entertainment spaces we&#8217;re inhabiting.</p>
<p>To illustrate a point, when I was writing the above paragraph I searched twitter for &#8220;Sherlock Holmes&#8221; which premiered this past weekend.  The third tweet from the top was from a student I&#8217;ve never heard of or met named <a href="http://twitter.com/nicholas_king">Nicholas King</a>.  From his Twitter bio, we know Nicholas is a student at Eastern Michigan and studies business.  Quite simply, <a href="http://twitter.com/nicholas_king/status/7080156913">Nicholas tweeted</a>:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-390" title="RFID Technology iPhone iSlate Twitter Self Post-Modern Concept" src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/nick_king.png" alt="RFID Technology iPhone iSlate Twitter Self Post-Modern Concept" width="500" height="224" /></p>
<p>A quick search reveals that <a href="http://www.ncgmovies.com/trillium.asp">Trillium is a cinemas</a> in Grand Blanc, Michigan and Nick was keeping his followers up to date with a text message from his phone.  While a text message accomplishes the goal of updating his thirty or so followers, it falls down for a few reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li>Part of being fully connected is also having your information quickly sorted and grouped with similar data.  Twitter provides a reverse method for grouping information through its search.twitter.com functionality.  Users are capable of directly grouping their tweets with hashtags.  Both of those methods suffer the potential for data entry error.  I wouldn&#8217;t have known about Nick&#8217;s experience achievement if he had spelled it &#8220;Shelock Holmes.&#8221;</li>
<li>Manually updating your followers with the activity you&#8217;re participating in requires extended effort.  If you&#8217;re walking in the door of an <a href="http://banagale.com/rjd2-paradise.htm">RJD2 show</a> you might have a drink in one hand and a gaggle of pals pulling you forward with the other. It isn&#8217;t always possible or at least socially acceptable to whip out your phone and type out an update.</li>
</ol>
<p>The concept is this.  Sherlock Holmes is being distributed to theaters by Warner Bros Pictures.  In addition to sending out reels of film, Warner Bros would also send a small stand up display that is to be placed near the entrance to the theatre showing the movie.  If Nick carried an iPhone with an RFID reader, he would need only to wave his phone at the entrance and it would automatically pick up his preferences for sharing his location and the movie title he&#8217;s seeing via Twitter or Facebook.  More interesting things would be to automatically enter you in a contest for people who attended an Sherlock Holmes on opening weekend.</p>
<p>Another illustration to the benefits of adding an RFID reader to the iPhone in the realm of participatory entertainment is in live music or very large public entertainment events.  For instance, scanning the RFID tag in your section at a football game will identify the mobile capability to an application that could cue everyone to hold up their phones at a given time, display a particular set of images on the screen and turn the entire stadium into a megatron.  At a music festival like Rothbury, it might allow people to collect virtual <a href="http://zookeys.blogspot.com/">zoo keys</a> which turn an <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dividedsky46/3700296986/">already amazing Sherwood Forest</a> into something that is digitally enchanted.</p>
<p>The total extent to what could be done with connected devices incorporating RFID tags in combination with the impulse to reinforce personal visibility is impossible to see right now.  What is clear is that culture, technology and the increasing value of participatory entertainment rapidly is converging with all-in-one devices like the iPhone and iSlate.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jetsetter"><img title="follow rob on twitter" src="../wp-content/uploads/2009/12/rob-twitter.png" alt="follow rob on twitter" width="214" height="80" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Update 12/30/09</strong>:  A few additional things: 1. There is a strong sense that RFID will be most valuable for payment and wireless financial transactions.  The basis of my interest in RFID has been from seeing the NFC-enabled registers at places like McDonalds and Regal Cinemas.   When I first started seeing them, I would ask how often they took payment using the NFC at POS and I&#8217;d get blank stares from the employees.  MasterCard&#8217;s PayPass and American Express&#8217;s ExpressPay have been around for a while but have mostly only survived market tests as far as I can tell.</p>
<p>To look at how NFC/RFID payments and entertainment overlap, I love what it could do to damage the secondary ticket market.  I&#8217;ve <a href="http://www.weeklydavespeak.com/wds_stuff/site_news/weekly_davespeak_will_never_cooperate_with_ticket_scalpers">long felt</a> that secondary ticketing and scalping does more harm than good on the average would-be live entertainment participant.  Locking tickets to phones is a great way to help track and possibly reduce scalping while still allowing some flexibility in transferability.</p>
<p>There are some articles about how an RFID, NFC enabled phone are useful outside of entertainment which are worth linking to.  Here&#8217;s one that <a href="http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/rfid-enabled-iphone-a-boon-to-mobile-marketing-4411/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MobileMarketingWatch+%28Mobile+Marketing+Watch%29">simply gooses</a> the idea.  Here&#8217;s a <a href="http://mobileinc.co.uk/2009/09/concepting-nfc-enabled-tv-radio-for-mobile-advertising/">second article</a> that talks explicitly in terms of marketing opportunities.</p>
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		<title>Using an HTML Web View with a Transparent Background in iPhone SDK&#8217;s Interface Builder and Xcode</title>
		<link>http://banagale.com/using-an-html-web-view-with-a-transparent-background-iphone-interface-builder.htm</link>
		<comments>http://banagale.com/using-an-html-web-view-with-a-transparent-background-iphone-interface-builder.htm#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:32:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[css]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile computing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[programming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sdk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[application]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[background]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[developer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transparency]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[uitextview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[uiwebview]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://banagale.com/?p=340</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Something almost every iPhone application needs is an About and Help view that allows the user to learn a little bit about the application they&#8217;re using and  how it should be operated.  The problem with a UITextView in Apple&#8217;s XCode and Interface Builder SDK is that you can not use rich-text styling or even bold [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Something almost every iPhone application needs is an About and Help view that allows the user to learn a little bit about the application they&#8217;re using and  how it should be operated.  The problem with a UITextView in Apple&#8217;s XCode and Interface Builder SDK is that you can not use rich-text styling or even bold one line over another.</p>
<p>One solution to this problem would be to create image files containing stylized text and then rasterize them and allow the user to page through them.  The problem with this is that you can&#8217;t have tappable URLs or links embedded in the text.</p>
<p>David Peixotto, coding ninja and my business partner for <a href="http://www.neutrinosllc.com">Neutrinos</a>, suggested we look at using a Webview or HTML view and put an imageview in the background.  The trick is telling the iPhone to display a UIWebView with a transparent background.  I looked around for the solution to this and came across <a href="http://www.iphonedevsdk.com/forum/iphone-sdk-development/4918-uiwebview-render-speeds-white-background.html#post24796">this helpful post</a> in the iPhone Developer SDK forums.</p>
<p>Step one of getting a transparent web view in interface builder is to create HTML in the controller.m for the view containing the webview that contains the CSS line: &lt;body style=&#8221;background-color:transparent&#8221;&gt; Inside the &lt;head&gt; &lt;/head&gt; sections of the html.</p>
<p>Step two is to set the background color of the webview to clear or transparent:  myWebView.backgroundColor = [UIColor clearColor];<span id="more-340"></span></p>
<p>Step three is to make sure that the &#8220;Opaque&#8221; box on the inspector of properties of the WebView is unchecked.</p>
<p>That should be all you need to do.  Drop a UIImageView behind the newly transparented web view object and you should be able to use a scrollable rich text with hyperlinks.  Horray.</p>
<p>If this helped you or confused you more, please post in the comments!  We do have it working on 3.0 much to the happiness of our client.</p>
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		<title>Bonnaroo 2009 Pocket Images for the iPhone</title>
		<link>http://banagale.com/bonnaroo-2009-pocket-images-for-the-iphone.htm</link>
		<comments>http://banagale.com/bonnaroo-2009-pocket-images-for-the-iphone.htm#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:30:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bonnaroo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[itunes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[schedule]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://banagale.com/?p=326</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The less you need to carry around, the more you can focus on the music and artistic displays at Bonnaroo.  I put together two sets of Bonnaroo schedules formatted for the iPhone.    Download the 2009 Bonnaroo Schedule Formatted for the iPhone Set one is meant to be saved as a athe following five jpeg images [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-335" title="iphone bonnaroo schedule wallpaper" src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/3606175122_be8995e5d8.jpg" alt="iphone bonnaroo schedule wallpaper" width="320" height="480" /></p>
<p>The less you need to carry around, the more you can focus on the music and artistic displays at Bonnaroo.  I put together two sets of Bonnaroo schedules formatted for the iPhone.  </p>
<p><img src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-admin/images/media-button-other.gif" alt="" /> <a href="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/bonnaroo-2009-schedule-for-iphone.zip">Download the 2009 Bonnaroo Schedule Formatted for the iPhone</a></p>
<p>Set one is meant to be saved as a athe following five jpeg images formatted for the iPhone in 480&#215;320. The schedules are taken from <a href="http://bonnaroo.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&amp;action=display&amp;thread=18370">Mizary&#8217;s printable schedule</a>.  <span id="more-326"></span></p>
<p>It is pretty hard to read, you have to hold it close&#8211;but if you already know the band names and are already familiar with the schedule you&#8217;re fine.  </p>
<p>Set two is a set of larger, portrait-oriented daily festival schedules that you can just view from your photo gallary.  Here&#8217;s Friday (I included the inforoo brunch):</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-331" title="02_bonnaroo_schedule_iphone_friday" src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/02_bonnaroo_schedule_iphone_friday.jpg" alt="02_bonnaroo_schedule_iphone_friday" width="480" height="320" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Here are two ways to get these onto your iphone / ipod touch:</strong></p>
<p>A:</p>
<ol>
<li>Download the zip of images at the bottom of this post.</li>
<li>Attach a set of the images  to an email, send it to yourself.</li>
<li>Open the email on your iPhone, then tap to open each of the five images.</li>
<li>Tap and hold one of the images.</li>
<li>Select Save all 5 Images.</li>
</ol>
<p>B:</p>
<ol>
<li>Download the zip of images at the bottom of this post.</li>
<li>Add them to your photo library in iTunes and sync.</li>
</ol>
<p>&#8211;   For Wallpapers: Go to image gallery chose the action button and tap Save as Wallpaper.  Change for each day of the festival  For Portrait images: Just view through them in the photo gallery. </p>
<p><img src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-admin/images/media-button-other.gif" alt="" /> <strong><a href="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/bonnaroo-2009-schedule-for-iphone.zip">Download the 2009 Bonnaroo Schedule Formatted for the iPhone</a></strong></p>
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		<title>Apple Touch Platform Applications Approval Process Stirs Concern</title>
		<link>http://banagale.com/apple-touch-platform-applications-approval-process-stirs-concern.htm</link>
		<comments>http://banagale.com/apple-touch-platform-applications-approval-process-stirs-concern.htm#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:28:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[legal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[programming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sdk]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://banagale.com/apple-touch-platform-applications-approval-process-stirs-concern.htm</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In the past I&#8217;ve written about the Facebook platform as being the wild west of software development.  The reasoning was that 3rd party developers like myself were watching the platform shift and change on a daily basis.  The result was that functions were being introduced in beta, or replaced and deprecated frequently. Developers working on [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In the past I&#8217;ve written about the Facebook platform as being the wild west of software development.  The reasoning was that 3rd party developers like myself were watching the platform shift and change on a daily basis.  The result was that functions were being introduced in beta, or replaced and deprecated frequently.</p>
<p>Developers working on emerging software platforms are a flexible bunch.  They&#8217;re used to having theirapplications break so long as the platform overall is being improved.  A better platform means more users, which means greater opportunity for 3rd party developers.  One thing developers do not like, however is having their software tools gobbled up an encorporated into the core of the platform.</p>
<p>I wrote about how this was happening in my blog post, <a href="http://banagale.com/nationalization-or-expropriation-facebook-application-developers-continue-to-face-uncertainty.htm" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Nationalization or Expropriation?  Independent Facebook Application Developers Continue to Face Uncertainty">Nationalization or Expropriation?  Independent Facebook Application Developers Continue to Face Uncertainty</a>.  Something entirely different is happening right now on the Touch platform, however.</p>
<p><span id="more-166"></span></p>
<p>It all started with the an application called, &#8220;Pull My Finger,&#8221; which allowed people to touch illustrated fingers in order to play back audio of flatulence.  You see, Apple, unlike Facebook, will only allow applications to become available to run on the Touch Platform devices (the iPhone and iPod Touch) <em>after</em> they have been reviewed by hand by an Apple employee.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s take a look at the normal application development cycle for getting an application up onto the Apple Touch platform:</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/good_iphone_development_flow.png" alt="iphone touch platform approval process good" /></p>
<p>Now let&#8217;s take a look at the alternate scenerio:</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/bad_iphone_development_flow.jpg" alt="a flowchart of an iphone touch platform approval process gone bad" /></p>
<p>As you can see, the developer has two choices when their application is rejected from the iTunes store.  A redesign scenerio could occur when their application breaks a minor rule.  For instance, early on Apple was rejecting applications that mis-used the vibration function on the iPhone.  A developer could rectify this problem by taming down their application&#8217;s vibration and re-submitting.</p>
<p>The give-up scenerio is based on a different type of rejection from Apple.  There have been two well-documented cases of Touch Platform application rejections by Apple because the fundamental basis of applications was rejected.  As mentioned, the Pull My Finger application <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/funny_pages_20/2008/09/flatulence-appl.html">was rejected</a> because &#8220;[Apple] determined that this application is of limited utility to the broad iPhone and iPod touch user community, and will not be published to the App Store.&#8221;</p>
<p>More recently another rejection was delivered to someone who had created a podcasting application.  In this case Apple rejected it &#8220;s<span style="font-style: italic">ince <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Podcaster</span> assists in the distribution of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">podcasts</span>, it duplicates the functionality of the Podcast section of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">iTunes</span>.&#8221;</span></p>
<p>The problem faced by developers is uncertainty.  How can they know what is and what is not ok before investing development time and resources into creating an application.  The problem for Apple is that if they define exactly what the rules are for approval, there will always be exceptions.  Plus, Apple may still not know what their rules are.</p>
<p>Some of the blame lies with developers and their desire to play on the edges of what a reasonable and rational iPhone application idea might be. For instance, designing low-brow flatulence applications or tools that replicate existing functionality does not show a lot of creativity on the developer&#8217;s part.</p>
<p>In addition, the I&#8217;m Rich application made it past Apple&#8217;s application approval group initially, but when it made headlines, it was an embarassment for Apple.  Can we really blame them for being more careful now?</p>
<p>But just as Facebook application developers grew angry over the integration of functionality they had developed into the Facebook core, Touch platform developers deserve great communication from Apple on what is and is not ok, in order to avoid wasted effort.  Developers have indicated that applications that violate non-Apple trademarks have successfully been approved and listed for sale in iTunes.</p>
<p>One developer <a href="http://speirs.org/2008/09/12/app-store-im-out/">fed up with Apple&#8217;s approval ambiguity</a> has given a number of suggestions for improving the situation, including Apple hiring a a 3rd party developer champion or evangelist, someone who can perform official coaching or pre-approval on application ideas prior to beginning a development effort in earnest.</p>
<p>For now, developers will have to stick to common sense in coming up with ideas for new applications for  the Touch platform.</p>
<p>[<strong>Update 9/20/08</strong>: I found a more detailed flowchart on the approval process <a href="http://www.gadgettastic.com/2008/09/17/apples-iphone-apps-approval-process/">here</a>.  Also, I made a minor edit to  second flowchart to reflect the possibility that the app is approved]</p>
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		<title>Developing within iPhone NDA Muffle aka The Cone of Silence</title>
		<link>http://banagale.com/developing-within-iphone-nda-muffle-aka-the-cone-of-silence.htm</link>
		<comments>http://banagale.com/developing-within-iphone-nda-muffle-aka-the-cone-of-silence.htm#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:47:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Neutrinos just wrapped its second iPhone application, it is a 20 questions trivia game called iQ.  It is great step from our first app, TipTotaler.  For iQ, I took on the user interface design for the application in addition to my normal website design and marketing. The amount of graphic design and image handling [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="left"><img src="http://banagale.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/iq_iphone_application_trivia.png" alt="iphone application IQ Game Trivia" align="right" /></p>
<p align="left">Neutrinos just wrapped its second iPhone application, it is a 20 questions <a href="http://neutrinosllc.com/products/iphone/applications/iq/">trivia game called iQ</a>.  It is great step from our first app, TipTotaler.  For iQ, I took on the user interface design for the application in addition to my normal website design and marketing.</p>
<p align="left">The amount of graphic design and image handling in iPhone development is extensive and I&#8217;ve already blogged about a tool to assist in the <a href="http://banagale.com/iphone-developer-resource-preview-application-icon-3d-effect.htm">3d iPhone application icon design</a>.  But the most interesting stuff is happening in Interface Builder and in xCode that I&#8217;m not supposed to talk about here.</p>
<p align="left">Apple has an NDA up with all developers that they can not talk about their experience with the SDK.</p>
<p align="left"><span id="more-164"></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p align="left">5. Confidentiality<br />
5.1 Information Deemed Confidential<br />
You agree that the SDK licensed hereunder, the terms and conditions of this Agreement, and any<br />
other non-public information that You learn about Apple’s products, designs, research,<br />
development, know-how, or Apple’s business, finances or personnel, or non-public third party<br />
information, in connection with this Agreement or in connection with Your use of any part of the<br />
SDK will be deemed “Apple Confidential Information” under this Agreement.</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="left"> Here&#8217;s a shout to <a href="http://www.robteel.com/">Rob Teel</a> who would appreciate the intersection of tech and law here.  Anyhow, there are a lot of people speaking up about the gag order that has been imposed on people who are developing for the iPhone.  ARS Technica <a href="http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080728-iphone-nda-doing-more-harm-than-good.html">condemned it</a> with an article with weird images in it.  The leading macrumor right now is that it has to do with <a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=539952">multi-touch patents</a>.</p>
<p align="left">Whatever the reason, the NDA hasn&#8217;t kept some people from <a href="http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=727">posting insights</a> and portions of source code they aren&#8217;t supposed to.  Yet, Apple isn&#8217;t closing the threads and I haven&#8217;t read any reports of people being kicked out for it.  The drama of coding within a new platform was there when I started working with Facebook applications.  But Facebook didn&#8217;t have this secrecy thing going on, which makes this a little cooler.  Analyst expectations that Apple will sell 4.47 milliion more 3G iPhones makes it hot.</p>
<p align="left">If you or someone you know has an iPhone&#8211;tell them about  <strong><a href="http://neutrinosllc.com/products/iphone/applications/iq/">iQ</a></strong>.</p>
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