Welcome back to our Meet the Devs segment! In this piece we take a little time to get to know the people who really make Android what it is today and that is the app developers. This week we are talking to Appic Win.
This is a dev photo. We believe it.
Name: Andrew Dittmer
Developer Name: Appic Win
Country: Australia
Website: Appic Win official website
Google + Profile/Page: Appic Win
How many people on your team? 1
Me in a Story Book: Farm
Plunder Bros: Retro LCD Game
Techie Tots
Appic Win is a startup business based in Sydney, Australia. I officially kicked it off in mid 2012 although I had already coded some of the apps prior to that. I decided to quit my full time job as an Android developer to turn some ideas I had (such as Me in a Storybook) into reality. I’m currently working as a contract Android developer to pay the bills and adding new features and apps in my spare time.
Several years of development experience. Initially, I had a few years developing windows desktop applications and more recently, over 3 years native Android development experience and some iOS experience.
Java – Learned at College and been using it for the last 3 or 4 years with Android development
C# – Learned on the job at my first programming job at Rostima, developing a windows desktop application. I also used C# for the first iPhone app (Plunder Bros) I worked on using MonoTouch. Unfortunately, when I was almost finished the app was at the time when Apple decided to reject apps using 3rd party frameworks and so it didn’t get published. When they reversed that decision, I was back working full time again and could only manage to release one level and then due to a bug after an iOS upgrade, I needed a new version of MonoTouch but couldn’t afford to upgrade so I decided to un-publish it on iOS.
I have experience with Android design patterns but I need a graphic designer / illustrator to provide assets in most cases. Many times, I have to create my own 9 patch images or tweak graphic assets because often when working commerically, you tend get ‘ hand – me – down’ iOS graphics. Unfortunately, in my experience, graphic designers tend to be iOS fanboys and have little interest in learning about how to make beautiful Android applications that scale nicely across multiple devices. They have not used Android devices and therefore provide iOS looking assets and design patterns which just makes me cry.
Me in a Storybook – Farm. A storybook app for young children that allows kids to become the main character in the story. Parents can take pictures of their kids pulling a range of crazy faces and those photos are used throughout the story on the main character.
Plunder Bros. A retro LCD handheld game simulator. A couple of fun piratey levels. I made this with my house mate who did the illustrations a few years ago.
I’m not really currently monetizing my apps. Plunder Bros has a free level and another level for purchase. The others are just free with no ads just to try and build up a following and a user base for now. I do plan to put some extra levels etc for purchase in the future.
I consider myself successful in that I have delivered some apps that I love.
Well, currently I would have done significantly better if I had have applied for a job at McDonald’s. But yeah, it’s very tough to get noticed.
1 – Teach graphic designers how to create Androidified designs with dips (device independent pixels). There is a whole lot of confusion here and it’s hard for designers that are used to working with fixed pixel sizes to get their heads around the concept of dips.
2 – I would like users to be able to deny apps certain permissions but still be able to install the app. For example, a developer has to request a permission for a certain feature even if the user has no intention of using that feature and it puts a lot of users off.
I’m passionate about Android so I started developing for Android when most people were saying don’t bother. I also do a bit of development for iOS but my next app may not even get to iOS because I’m not getting enough downloads on iOS now to justify making an iOS version. On one of my apps I’m getting well over 1000 downloads per week, whereas the same app on iOS would be lucky to get 5 downloads per week. (The app is free on both platforms).
I thought Windows 8 was going to quite big by now but I couldn’t justify developing for Windows 8 now – I think it would be too risky.
They are great now. Early on, there really weren’t any guidelines and it was hard to get a consistent user experience. Now there are some well defined guidelines and patterns but the trick now is getting people to use them.
Right now, I’m playing “dots” by Playdots Inc. Other than that, just the usual apps that help in daily life like Google Maps, web browser, music players and stuff like that.
Good, I’ve been going to the Sydney Google Developers Groups and learning about Android design patterns and new APIs and the like.
Not sure…
Do what you love. Code smart and code like someone will be reading your code one day.
We want to thank Appic Win for chatting with us! If you’re a developer and this looks like something you’d like to do, check out our Meet the Devs form! We look forward to hearing from you.
The LG G3 is official and with it comes at least a few unique accessories, chief among these is the new QuickCircle case. Like the G2’s QuickWindow case, this a windowed case but, as the name implies, this time the opening is circular.
In addition to offering various clock faces that are displayed when the case is closed, there’s also a set of circular icons that can provide a music player, email, a pedometer, your camera, recent calls and more.
Bottom-line, the QuickCircle case is designed to protect your phone while still giving you access to basic information without opening up the front cover completely. Whether you find this accessory a must have or a gimmick probably depends on your own preferences, though based on our time with it, we found it pretty cool.
What do you think of LG’s take on the smart cover, like it or not?
Toshiba looks to be going after the ultra-low-end tablet market with its newly announced Toshiba Excite Go, a 7-inch tablet with an aggressive price of just $109.99.
As you can imagine the Excite Go isn’t exactly a super-powered device, but it’s actually pretty decent when you consider the low price tag.Under the hood you’ll find a quad-core Intel Atom processor and a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1024×600. There’s also 8G storage with microSD and the power of KitKat right out of the box. For those that want to use it for some basic writing, there’s also OfficeSuite Pro bundled in.
The Toshiba Excite Go probably isn’t going to wow most consumers (semi-ironic considering the name), but it could be perfect as a secondary tablet or for something to give your kids. The Excite Go is also considerably better than many other tablets in this price range, such as the $99 HP 7 Plus. Additionally, it’s nice to see KitKat installed, while most sub-$150 tablets are still stuck on Jelly Bean.
What do you think, anyone interested in picking up this sub-$120 tablet when it arrives in early July, or does its modest resolution and Intel-based processor prove deal breakers for you?
The LG G3 is now official, but when can we actually get our hands on the device? Unfortunately, LG is mostly keeping mum on the situation for now, though the first details about expected availability are already starting to trickle in.
As we learn more about what carriers and regions the G3 will arrive in, we’ll be sure to update the post.
We might not know when the LG G3 is coming, but all four major carriers have already piped up to announce they will stock the device. In addition, Sprint has confirmed they will be the exclusive U.S. carrier for those interested in getting the Shine Gold version of the handset — which will also offer up HD Voice and Sprint Spark LTE.
For those looking for a chance to win the LG G3, T-Mobile has revealed it will give away a “beta model” of the handset every day until the end of June (whatever they mean by beta..). Considering the contest concludes after the end of June, this could hint at a possible early July release for the LG G3 — though that’s really just speculation on our part. That said, this does fit in line with the UK’s expected availability.
In the UK, O2, Three and Carphone Warehouse have already confirmed plans to offer the LG G3. Reportedly the handset will land on July 1st, though no word on pricing.
The LG G3 will first launch in South Korea. Based on early information it appears the handset should be offered through all major carriers in LG’s home country and could hit store shelves this week — with some reports claiming this could happen as soon as tomorrow.
That’s all the specific dates and plans we know at this time. If you have details about exact carrier or retailer plans in your region, be sure to send us a tip or share what you know with us in the comments below!
Due to a hacking incident, Spotify will be updating its Android app and asking users to re-enter their credentials.
According to Oskar Stal, the Chief Technology Officer of the popular music service, a hacker broke into the account of one user. While that may not seem like a serious issue, the fact that Spotify issued an update to its app suggests it became aware of a serious weakness in its defenses.
Spotify admits the hacking incident resulted in “unauthorized access to [Spotify] systems and internal company data,” but the company claims users are not at an “increased risk.” Still, certain users will be asked to re-enter their email and password the next time they open Spotify (presumably the web version), while all Android users will have to update their app.
As a side effect of the Android app update, you will have to re-download any playlists you may have saved for offline listening. More details on the issue here.
If you use Spotify on other devices, you should know that the iOS and Windows Phone Spotify apps are not affected by the vulnerability.
Following a false start with AT&T’s version a month ago, Samsung is now pushing a serving of KitKat towards users of the international version of the Galaxy S4 Active.
Released in June 2013 with Android 4.2.2 out of the box, the rugged version of the Galaxy S4 features IP67 certification and a sporty design we found quite appealing in our review. On the inside, you get similar specs to the regular Galaxy S4’s, though now without a few tradeoffs, including an LCD screen instead of AMOLED. Now Samsung is upgrading its operating system to Android 4.4.2, while also making some changes to its own customizations.
The KitKat update for the Galaxy S4 Active (GT-I9295) is currently available in the Netherlands, for the unlocked model, and bears the I9295XXUCNE5 firmware number. The build is a hefty 1.3GB in size, so make sure to be on Wi-Fi and with enough battery before you attempt an upgrade.
According to the folks at Sam Mobile , who have the official firmware available for download on their build page, the update improves the general performance and battery life of the international Galaxy S4 Active, and brings some tweaks to the UI, including all white icons in the status bar and a camera shortcut on the lock screen. That’s in addition to KitKat specific features, such as support for wireless printing.
For users of the Galaxy S4 Active in other countries, the update should be rolling your way in the future, though that may mean anything from a couple of hours to a few weeks. Users of carrier version have it even worse, due to the additional red tape that updates for carrier-customized devices need to go through.
