SO THRILLED!!

The day began with a keynote address in which Apple updated developers on the growth of the app store to its current mark of 500,000 apps and 18 billion (with a B) downloads.  One of the key points in this address was that 8 of those 18 billion downloads have come in the last few months.  So, the market for apps is accelerating.  In addition this is happening world-wide.  A good way to realize more value from an app is to localize it for other countries.

After this presentation, the breakout sessions offered some depth on a number of different topics.

Modern UI tools

Xcode 4.2.1 and the iOS 5 SDK offer new features for developers.  Storyboarding allows for more rapid construction of user interfaces.  The new UIAppearance API allows easy customization of on screen controls so apps can distinguish themselves through graphical design.

iCloud Storage

iCloud Storage enables your apps to keep user documents and data in iCloud, so your users can access the same content from all their computers and iOS devices.  This session gave a practical understanding of how iCloud Storage works and how to take advantage of it in an app.  iCloud allows an app to store key-value data, UIDocuments, CoreData, and even individual files.  Adoption of iCloud storage is not difficult and in many cases can be accomplished in a short time.

AV Foundation

The AV Foundation session was a practical introduction to the core concepts of this high-performance audio and video playback, editing, and recording API.  This API offers tremendous low level control over presentation of media assets form within an application. For example it is possible to merge two videos with an application at runtime to offer seamless playback as though the two videos were in a single file.

Location Features

Geofencing enables pinpointed geographical context within an app.  The Core Location framework by using region monitoring and geocoding to create a narrowed location-relevant experience for users. In iOS 5, the Core Location now adds the ability to do forward geocoding (translating a street address to a latitude/longitude coordinate).  Previously an application had to rely on external web services to do this.  The newest development tools also allow developers to test an application as though it was in any part of the world to anticipate scenarios users will encounter.

Printing

iOS has an advanced printing system that’s designed for easy adoption by developers. This session covered the architecture of AirPrint, guidelines for print layout, simple printing of images and text, and advanced techniques for apps with sophisticated printing requirements.  Printing capabilities can be added to an app with very few lines of code.  Applications with rigorous printing needs will require more, obviously, but the use Page Renderers allow an app tight control of what is committed to paper.

While most apps built for a phone platform can run on tablets, it is best to optimize their graphics and code to run on their larger counterparts.

Users do expect a different experience when using a mobile phone, vs. a tablet, vs. a lap top or desktop computer. More and more business users are also adopting tablets, with that, they are going to want to do more than just check e-mail, surf the web, and play some games. They are going to want to be productive, checking in on their CRM system, looking at production lines, and responding to customers; essentially they are going to want to be just as productive on the road as they are in the office without having to take their entire laptop with them.

That means more apps like dropbox which allow them to share files, or video conference services.

Think about the products and services that you currently offer for your customers, and think how can they be enhanced with a mobile app designed to run on an iPad or Android tablet.

Venturebeat.com put together this infographic on the adoption of tablets. Here are some interesting facts:

• 75% of all workers will have some sort of mobility associated with their job in 2011 (All Accella employees work from home)
• 1 in 3 online consumers in the US will be using a tablet
• In 2011, 61.3% of tablet users were using Apple’s iOS. (I’m curious to see what this number is at the end of 2012…I’m thinking it will be much less than 50%)
• 30% of IT shops are piloting or planning custom tablet apps (Start planning yours today)

Give us a call today at 888.856.2664 to discuss your app ideas and we can help you start building it for the iPad, Android, BlackBerry, or Windows Mobile OS.

Communication technology continues to evolve and the Maryland Lottery is adapting to the ever-changing landscape with its newly launched website developed specifically for mobile devices.

Created by Accella, a Baltimore-based interactive mobile and web design company in partnership with the Maryland Lottery’s advertising agency, the mobile site debuted on January 13, 2012 and is designed for optimized readability and accessibility.

“We are pleased with the new design and look forward to providing a more convenient and enjoyable mobile experience for our players,” Maryland Lottery Director Stephen Martino said.

The site, which retains the same web address, mdlottery.com, provides the convenience of mobile access with clearer graphics, as well as the most relevant information, such as Lottery drawings results, current jackpot numbers and Lottery news. It also provides quick access to connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

“The upgrades we implemented keep the organization in stride with the latest advancements in technology,” said Accella’s Vice President of Marketing, Jon Stroz. “In developing the mobile site, we were able to leverage existing open source plug-ins for their current content management system to allow content and information to be shared between both their full and mobile websites.”

The Maryland Lottery launched its redesigned website, mdlottery.com, in December 2010. Since its inception the number of visits to the site via mobile device has grown from an average of 4,800 to nearly 14,000 per day.

“The fact that the number of Smartphone users is slated to increase nearly 50 percent this year, reaching more than 90 million consumers, the need for mobile optimization was clear,” Martino said.

In addition to its mobile website, the Lottery also offers mobile alerts through text messages of its products and promotions, as well as Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot alerts. You may also receive winning numbers through text message.

“Customized experiences are crucial to success in the digital space. By developing a mobile site the Lottery creates a specific brand experience for their growing number of mobile users and increases consumer engagement,” said Alexi Yukna, Chief Digital Officer, GKV. “The Maryland Lottery is committed to exploring new technologies and delivery methods to extend the brand’s reach.”

Jason opens up about his favorite parts of the job, his least favorite, how he has managed to grow the company so rapidly in a down economy, and where he sees the future of the mobile environment going over the next five years.

To read the interview visit Mo.com.

While the video reports talks about a student at the School of Visual Arts Interaction Design Program creating the designs for an app which can’t be built yet due to limitations of smartphones at this point, Google has several apps for augmented reality. These include Google Goggles and Google Sky Map, which allows you to point your phone at the sky and see a over-layed map showing different stars and constellations.

Here is a list of some top Augmented Reality Apps from iPhoneNess. A lot of the apps mentioned are for navigating or layering information over what you see through your phone’s camera screen. I am very interested to see what new apps come out that take full advantage of augmented reality.

What are some of the top apps you have used that take advantage of augmented reality?

The article discusses what makes a good app developer along with some of the skills that app developers need to have in order to be successful.

One of the interesting points comes at the end of the article where the author, John Platt, discusses where the field is going. While some fear a 90s style tech burst, many see the field continuing to grow as more companies find new and innovative ways to utilize mobile applications, not to mention the greater adoption of mobile devices.

Read the Full Article in Today’s Engineer

A video from CNBC talks about Facebook and how it is cashing in on online advertising, specifically from companies outside the top 1,000 advertisers.

Accella CEO, Jason King, was recently interviewed on Maryland Public Television’s “Your Money & Business” about the surging world of Mobile Applications. What is a mobile app, how does one begin the process of developing.

The interview starts around 0:56 if you want to jump past the intro.

The segment, which lasted around 8 minutes, just scratches the surface of mobile applications. We’re hoping to return to the show in the spring to discuss more about mobile apps, and perhaps what it takes for a company to go from concept to launch.