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360iDev – Speaker Jen Gordon

October 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Jen Gordon is presenting “Designing the Details – What makes some apps stand out above the rest?” on Tuesday, and if you’ve ever asked yourself why one app is on the news and noteworthy section or the “what we’re playing” section of the iTunes app store, her session is for you!
Q: How long have you been doing iOS development?
A: in November of 2008, i’d been designing for large glowing boxes for about five years. I’d had my iPhone for a few months. My husband and I were brainstorming app ideas and bam – the million dollar idea: iDingDong. It’s an app with a collection of doorbells that you tap and they ring in a variety of sounds. Ok not really but it was a running joke that I’d actually make the app. To answer the question – two years. :)
Sweet!! I want iDingDong, i hope the icon is a hostess Ding Dong with a doorbell button on it :)
Q: What do you like most about being an iOS Developer?
A: I love designing mobile interfaces – it’s like being a kid in a candy shop. Total creative flexibility to design anything other people can quickly understand how to use.
nice analogy!
Q: What’s your favorite Game?
A: Oye I’m old school – Doodle Jump.
Doodle Jump is awesome! Igor is a mad genius!! Just proves you don’t need to go nuts making something too complex or crazy to be a success.
Q: What’s your favorite App?
A: Right now I’m really loving FlipBoard.
I admit I was really anti Flipboard after their launch, mostly just a sour taste in an overhyped launch, but having come back to try it out now that it’s more stable, I’m really impressed. I find it’s in my nightly news reading rotation now.
Q: Robots or Ninjas?
A: Pancakes.
Non-Sequitor
Q: What would change about the iOS platform if you could change just one thing?
A: Coming at this from a design perspective – I’d love to see the proliferation of screen sizes and resolutions come to an end – arrrgh!! Dream on … I know.
Yeah me too. Or at least a built in way to handle it. ie the device should know which resolution image to pull based on what device it is. That seems like the best solution short of not having multiple res. devices, LOL.
Q: What are you most excited about 360|iDev Austin?
A: I’m excited to meet other developers who are doing crazy creative things on iOS.
Well said. We’re getting close, I can’t wait to see everyone!!!
Q: Lastly, what would you tell someone on the fence about attending 360|iDev Austin?
A: You WON’T REGRET IT.
Damn straight they won’t!! :) It’s gonna be an awesome time with mind blowing content, a Game Jam, and tons more awesome stuff!
Register now! Make sure you book your room at the Marriott, our room block is expiring really soon!
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360iDev – Speaker Kyle Richter

October 18, 2010 By 1 Comment
Kyle Richter is an awesome developer, with a ton, almost literally, of experience! He’s got a lot of experience to share with the developer community.
Check out this interview with Mac|Life on Game Center. Oh yeah, Kyle’s kind of an expert on getting game center set up. He’s been working on it, since long before Apple released it to the consumers. His Session “Game Center, Beyond Games” is Monday at 1:30
Q: How long have you been doing iOS development?
A: I’ve been writing iOS software since the beginning, I missed most of the the jail breaking stuff but as soon as their was a SDK from Apple I was off and running.
The early Jailbreaking stuff was no doubt crazy times. I remember when the first one was released, and thinking, “wow, ok now the iPhone is interesting”
Q: What do you like most about being an iOS Developer?
A: The community, I have never worked in or even heard about an industry with a community like the Mac/iOS development one. Everyone is extremely approachable, helpful and friendly all the time.
Me either, the iOS/Mac community is incredible, and like none I’ve seen.
Q:What’s your favorite Game?
A: I wish I had more time to explore some of the more niche games out there, but I have definitely stuck with Field Runners as my goto iPhone game.
Nice,one more to check out! I’ve heard a lot of good things about Field Runners, a classic already!
Q: What’s your favorite App?
A: I spend most of my time in Mail or Twitter, but I really like the Discovery News app. There is always something great to read when I am stuck in a line or waiting for food at a restaurant .
Nice. Don’t think I’ve seen that one. Time to check it out!
Q: Robots or Ninjas?
A: Pirates? Robots are scary, we need to stop teaching them our critical information. Ninjas are just plain hard to spot, I am skeptical they even exist.
Apparently we’re now teaching them how to punch humans. What purpose this serves (other than punching us) i can’t even fathom. Well if you could spot ninjas easily it’d defeat their purpose in life.
Q: What would change about the iOS platform if you could change just one thing?
A: Code signing and provisioning are still a major headache. Xcode 4 does a lot to make things easier to work with but there is still room for a lot of improvement.
Yeah, that entire process is kind of frightening. I think Ninjas, and possibly pirates are the architects of that whole evil process.
Q: What are you most excited about 360|iDev Austin?
A: Seeing the community. The iOS community is the best thing about this profession. Networking with other developers has been priceless for me in my career, every conference is like a high school reunion with only your best friends.
Can’t wait to see everyone again, plus all the new faces! That’s the best part!
Q: Lastly, what would you tell someone on the fence about attending 360|iDev Austin?
A: When you don’t know what you are looking for books aren’t very helpful. Getting to speak to other developers one on one and attend sessions on topics you wouldn’t of otherwise read about is a great experience. Being part of the community is the most critical part of succeeding in this industry, there is no better place to get to know people. WWDC is too large and too busy to meet new people, conferences like this are the perfect size and timeframe to make new friends and contacts.
Yeah WWDC is fine and all, but yeah meeting new people is damn near impossible. We make 360|iDev, as accessible as possible, so that anyone new to the community isn’t afraid of meeting new people. Heck much of the evening receptions, I’m walking around introducing someone to someone else.
Go register right now! Seriously, you don’t want to miss 360|iDev Austin! Register!
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360iDev – Hey iOS Devs how do you want to be found?

October 13, 2010 By 1 Comment

So our pal Gary Rosenzweig has created a survey for iOS devs. Basically he’s trying to grok how the iOS Dev community wants to be found for work. Since he’s not a dev for hire, and doesn’t hire other devs much, he figured why not throw out a survey. Since we also get asked for iOS connections we figured we’d help make sure the survey got some eye balls.

So if you’re an indie Dev, go take a peak at the survey!

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360iDev – Speaker Hendrik Kueck

October 12, 2010 By 1 Comment

We’re really excited to have Hendrik presenting on “Effectively using videos to explain and market your app” on Wednesday. Having seen some truly sad demo videos of apps, this session is a must! Especially if you’re doing your own marketing!

Q: How long have you been doing iOS development?

A: I started iOS development in July 2008, initially as a fun side project, procrastinating from my computer science PhD. These days I am a full time indie iOS developer. I released my first app Juxtaposer (iTunes Link) in October 2008.

Very cool!

Q: What do you like most about being an iOS Developer?

A: I love the complete freedom of choosing what to work on and when and how to work on it. And being able to comfortably support myself doing it. Apple created this amazing marketplace for us which eliminates most of the major barriers and pain points of software distribution.

It’s definitely cool to see so many developers able to make a living doing what they love. The software industry needs more indie developers that can survive on their own, and Apple’s done a great job providing a platform for that to happen.

Also, developing and marketing iOS apps has been a huge learning experience for me, and I love learning new stuff. I am looking forward to more learning at 360iDev.

Q: What’s your favorite Game?

A: The game I probably played the most is Toki Tori (iTunes Link). It is a great platform puzzle game with super well designed puzzles. I also really love Osmos (iTunes Link), a fantastic ambient game created by good friends of mine.

I haven’t tried Osmos, but have heard a TON of great things about it!! Hope that friend is coming to 360|iDev :)

Q: What’s your favorite App?

A: I love Yelp for discovering good restaurants. It is especially useful when traveling, but even in my hometown Vancouver I use it a lot to find cool new restaurants to check out.

I also really like the Reeder (iTunes Link), Twitter and Simplenote (iTunes Link) apps.

Reeder is my current favorite news reader, but Net News Wire is always my go to reader. Both are great apps. I never took to simplenote, favoring Elements and Evernote more.

Q: Robots or Ninjas?

A: Definitely Ninjas. Robots are making a lot of progress though. I predict Robots overtaking Ninjas in awesomeness around 2020.

I’m calling my booky

Q: What would you change about the iOS platform if you could change just one thing?

A: Apple has been good about addressing one pain point after another. It is amazing how much better things are today than when things started in 2008. There have been huge improvements in the SDK, the dev tools, the devices, the App Store, payment processing, dev support, the review system and more.

If I could change one thing, I would add a feature to allow for charitable donations in apps. It should use the same simple one-click payment system as in-app purchases. Ideally 100% of the donation would go straight from Apple to the charity and Apple would forward the donation tax receipt via email to the user.

That’s a pretty slick idea. Gifting apps was a huge step, so it’s not far fetched that this could happen someday! I’d love as much flexibility as possible in purchasing/gifting apps.

Q: What are you most excited about 360|iDev Austin?

A: I am looking forward to learning a lot during the sessions, but am maybe even more excited about the time outside the sessions: Making new friends in the iOS developer community and reconnecting with old ones. It will be fun times.

The non session stuff is a blast. It’s great to finally meet people you’ve emailed and IM’ed with, follow on twitter etc. Share a beer, some food, talk about code, and business. It’s a great experience! And of course the sessions are better than you’ll see anywhere else!

Q: Lastly, what would you tell someone on the fence about attending 360|iDev Austin?

A: If you are an indie iOS developer, you absolutely should come. You’ll learn a lot in the many great sessions. But more importantly you will meet many awesome developers who have similar passions and ambitions and are fighting similar problems as yourself and are more than happy to share their knowledge and experiences.

Damn straight!

Don’t miss out on the best indie iOS developer event around! Register now before it’s too late!

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360iDev – Speaker Tom Frauenhofer

October 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Tom has been a friend of ours for a long time! It’s great to have him onboard as a speaker!! We’re really excited to have him presenting “Introduction to Cocos2D for iPhone” on Monday morning!
  • Q: How long have you been doing iOS development?

A: Almost 2 years, mostly for small projects for others.  Recently we released a game, Chromatic Cosmos (iTunes Link) using Cocos2D.

That’s awesome! Congrats! Seems like a common path, working for someone else until the time is right.

Q: What do you like most about being an iOS Developer?

A: iOS users are very demanding.  Apple and the other developers have set a very high bar for the quality and usability of applications.  It’s very challenging to get it right, and it’s a lot of fun.

Yeah the bar is pretty darn high. Consumers, Apple, and the Dev community, don’t let B-Game apps get any sunlight

Q: What’s your favorite Game?

A: Chromatic Cosmos (laughs) – I’m also playing Angry Birds, and I love Plants versus Zombies and Harbor Master (iTunes Links).

Have you been playing with my iPhone!? I just got Angry Birds the other day, but it’s already sucked hours of my time. I’m on level 4 something I think. Crazy! Harbor Master and PVZ are also long time favorites! They all still have places on my iDevices. Chromatic Cosmos is going to be in good company!

Q: What’s your favorite App?

A: I drive a lot, and I get a lot of use out of Copilot North America – it’s improved so much since the first version, and they added an upgrade to provide traffic information, which I don’t know how I managed without that.

My second favorite app is Flipboard on my iPad – I suffered through the initial problems they had satisfying the demand, and now it’s a first-class magazine replacement.  And it’s so beautifully done!

I don’t know what we did before live traffic!! I tried Flipboard and was put off by the overhyped fail/launch, but have recently re-installed it and it’s better than I thought. Quite impressive.

Q: Robots or Ninjas?

A: Pshaw – Ninjas all the way, baby!

HA HA

Q: What would change about the iOS platform if you could change just one thing?

A: Make it easier for small business/small enterprise deployments.  There are a lot of apps that will go to competitors because it’s just painful enough to do a limited run.

Yeah the iOS platform, while touting business support with exchange and such, is very not ideal for business uses. It seems odd to deploy internal applications to the App Store.

Q: What are you most excited about 360|iDev Austin?

A: 1) Spending several days hanging around with some of the best and the brightest developers on Earth.  I always learn a lot at 360 conference events.

2) Austin is amazing – the music scene is great, and the barbecue is even better!

Agreed! We want 360|iDev to be all about fun and mind blowing experiences :)

Q: Lastly, what would you tell someone on the fence about attending 360|iDev Austin?

A: This is THE BEST conference to learn about building software for iOS devices from actual developers!  It’s a very intimate environment, and by the end you will come away knowing a lot more about building and marketing apps.

Couldn’t agree more!! The community is all about helping each other out!

Don’t miss out! Register now for what will be the best 360|iDev ever! Don’t forget to book your room at the Marriott before the room block ends!

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360iDev – Speaker Collin Donnell

October 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Collin, the world’s sexiest programmer has been a speaker at every 360|iDev, and is always a blast to have with us. Collin is presenting on Tuesday ‘Blocks and Grand Central Dispatch’. This ain’t no intro session, he’s bringing his A-Game, make sure you do too :)

Q: How long have you been doing iOS development?

A: Two and a half years since around April of 2008.

Q: What do you like most about being an iOS Developer?

A: Working on a totally new thing. It kind of feels like the future.

The future is grand, that’s for damn sure. I admit, seeing everyone at 360|iDev, and hearing what they’re working on, and seeing apps released throughout the year, is awe inspiring. The future pretty much rocks!

Q: What’s your favorite Game?

A: Right now? The Incident (iTunes Link).

I love that in every interview, this question is prefaced with “right now” it’s so cool to see casual gaming taking off. I never thgouht I’d be a fan, but even back on my Moto T720 flip, i’d fire up lemonade tycoon when waiting in lines, etc. It’s great to see gaming taking off, and to see so much cool stuff happening, that favorite games are “right now” only.

Q: What’s your favorite App?

A: 1Password (iTunes link) with Dropbox sync is really great.

I admit, I’ve never been able to put 1Password into my mobile workflow. I think because of the lack of browser integration. I never think ahead to open 1Password, then spawn a browser with the form fields populated, i just don’t work like that, so it’s never caught on.

Q: Robots or Ninjas?

A: Primitive mammal like robots.

Like rats, and possums?

Q: What would change about the iOS platform if you could change just one thing?

A: I’d love it if there was a way for developers to interact with their users more directly, such as responding to comments. It’s frustrating when you know you can solve a dissatisfied customers problem but have no way to help them.

Like on iTunes with rating and comments? Yeah it’s odd that Apple has made it largely a blind process for all concerned, I know as a consumer, sometimes your only option at expressing yourself is the ratings and comments in iTunes, which usually isn’t the best forum for that type of thing.

Q: What are you most excited about 360|iDev Austin?

A: I’ve never been to Austin, but I’ve heard it’s amazing there. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the great people and learning from amazing developers and designers.

Yeah Austin is a pretty kick ass city, I hope everyone gets a chance to get into downtown at some point. We really enjoyed our site visit!

Q: Lastly, what would you tell someone on the fence about attending 360|iDev Austin?

A: Every 360iDev has raised the bar over the last one; this is going to be the best one yet. The quality of presentations and the level of technical content has gone up a lot and I can honestly say this is a great conference for developers of all levels.

That’s what we like to hear! We strive to offer the best and most technical talks. We love the Rock Band, the beer bashes, and everything else, but by and large the main goal is to make the sessions be the focus and make sure they deliver a level of technical awesomeness that isn’t matched at other events (even WWDC, yes I said it :D)

Don’t miss out, Collin is right, this 360|iDev is on track to be better than those that came before it! If you’re an iOS developer, you owe it to yourself to join us in Austin. Whether you’re an indie or working for someone else, the networking and learning opportunities at 360|iDev, are beyond compare! Register now!

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360iDev – Happy National Comic Sans Day

October 1, 2010 By 5 Comments

Today is a day for us all to take ourselves a little less seriously.

Put aside our hate for fonts and embrace the silly, just for a day :)

HAPPY NATIONAL COMIC SANS DAY 2010!!

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360iDev – Speaker Bob Koon

October 1, 2010 By 1 Comment

We’re really happy to have Bob koon on board as a speaker! He’s talking about App piracy (he’s against, just FYI) and data snooping on Monday at 10:20!

Q: How long have you been doing iOS development?

A: We have been iPhone developers ever since the SDK was made available to the general public, but our first title didn’t arrive until late in 2008

Ah, nice. It’s been a long road since then!

Q: What do you like most about being an iOS Developer?

A: Developing for iOS gives us the ablity to put our games into the hands of millions of people without a major investment in software or hardware.

The barriers to entry are very low for iOS, which is nice. There’s still a sense of “I can make it on my own if I work hard, and make cool things” and that’s totally true!

Q: What’s your favorite Game?

A: It’s really just a tech demo at the moment, but I think the most exciting potential game I have right now is Epic Citadel. (Rage looks amazing too but that’s not out yet.) These games are inspiring in many ways because it shows us what is possible. Exciting times!

Dang! Can’t wait to see them! Game play has evolved so much since the launch of the iPhone, and it’s so cool to see the unique and clever games and game play that iOS developers come up with!

Q: What’s your favorite App?

A: I’ll have to go with the official Twitter app for iPhone. It’s a bit of a cop-out but I don’t spend much time using apps. When I do, I’m out of the office so I look for ways to connect with my friends.

Well twitter’s been on more than one reply to this question so it’s a good cop out :) I do wish they’d give it a bit more love feature wise, keeping my fingers crossed!

Q: Robots or Ninjas?

A: Definitely robots, no question! I’ve been hooked on robots ever since I first saw Robby in Plan 9 From Outer Space. (Marvin is a very close second.) 3PO and R2 is the easy answer (almost a given), but I wanted something a bit more exotic.

I dunno. Hard to beat Summer Glau for exotic robot choices… of course she’d likely try to punch through your chest and pull your heart out, but still, Summer Glau… But yeah Robby is a great mainstay when talking about Robots!

Q: What would change about the iOS platform if you could change just one thing?

A: I’d love to stop the infusion of cruft in the App Store. It’s flooded with very low-quality apps that just make it more difficult for the good apps to shine through. There needs to be a way to cut through that.

Agreed. No offense to the fart app folks and the flash lights, and lighters, etc. but you guys aren’t trying hard enough, I’d love to see Apple put a bit more of it’s draconian scrutiny towards those types of apps.

Q: What are you most excited about 360|iDev Austin?

A: This will be my first 360|iDev, so I’m really looking forward to networking with all of my friends and colleagues from Twitter and developer mail lists, many of them I will be meeting in person for the very first time. I’m also looking forward to attending as many sessions as possible!

Yeah 360|iDev is always a great time to connect and re-connect. It’s great to put faces and beers to the twitter avatar!

Q: Lastly, what would you tell someone on the fence about attending 360|iDev Austin?

A: The iOS development community is a fantastic group of folks! Everyone is eager to share their knowledge and experiences! You get real-world information straight from the people in the trenches. If you want to learn about iOS development, 360|iDev is where you want to be!

As far as we’re concerned, there’s no better developer community out there! Whether supporting each other with code or collaborating on projects or even helping make noise about a new release, I’ve never seen a more friendly and open community! It’s my hope that 360|iDev helps embody and enhance that vibe!

Don’t miss out on what is often referred to as the best iOS developer gathering around. Sure you could go elsewhere, but why? Don’t miss this chance to be among the most awesome developers around, sharing stories over beers and helping expand the community! Register now!

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360iDev – Community App Awards

September 29, 2010 By 1 Comment

It’s time to shine! Sure Apple hands out ADA’s at WWDC, and in typical Apple fashion it’s a black box process, where winners are announced, and there’s no community involvement.

Obviously that’s not how we do things :)

So starting today, right this second, we’re accepting community Nominations for our Community Design Awards.

Spread the word. Nominate anyone you think is worthy!

The categories include:

  • Best Looking Game (iPhone/iPad)
  • Best Looking App (iPhone/iPad)
  • Best use of Universal Binary (best implementation of two device single app)
  • Best Solo Effort
  • Best Team Effort
  • All Around Best App Ever
  • Most Functional (AKA Designed by a developer, so probably not pretty)

Let’s make these awards to rival anything else out there, and really show how the iOS developer community rolls

The Rules

  • Nominations close October 20th at Noon mst.
  • Voting begins October 25th and closes November 5th
  • We’ll announce the winner at 360|iDev during the Wednesday General session. (Don’t over sleep)
  • You can nominate more than one app, it’s just one nomination per form submission
  • For an app to get into the voting, it needs at least 5 nominations

Go nominate!

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360iDev – Speaker Steven Hugg

September 28, 2010 By 1 Comment

Want to learn from actual iOS developers? 360|iDev is all about actual developers, building apps, and doing awesome things. It’s really that simple, there’s lots of other events, and when you look at the speaking roster, just think to yourself, does she/he even write iOS apps? Everyone one of our 30+ speakers, DOES!

Q: How long have you been doing iOS development?
A: About a year. Never touched Objective C before that.
Fair, same here. Prior to the iPhone i’d never even thought about Mac software other than really enjoying using it!

Q: What do you like most about being an iOS Developer?
A: Besides the freedom of being independent, the excitement of being involved in computer history. The App Store is like a revival of shareware, but at lightning speed and in your pocket. I remember the diverse and experimental gameplay of the early days of computer gaming, and many iOS games remind me of that aesthetic. And there are some apps I can’t live without anymore. I don’t even use the phone part of my iPhone.
Right now, it seems that being an indie iOS developer is a pretty good path to financial independence, the gold rush hasn’t ended, though it has slowed in my opinion, it’s still a good time to start writing awesome games and apps, and staking your claim!
Q: What’s your favorite Game?
A: Hmm. There have been a few standouts. Sword & Poker was an addiction awhile back. Helsing’s Fire is very well done, as is Spirit HD. Sometimes I just like to be silly and launch gnomes in Chuck Gnome.
Nice! The best part of these interviews is getting an idea of games and apps I’ve never played! I’ll be checking these out for sure!!
Q: What’s your favorite App?
A: Twitter and NY Times are frequent. When traveling, Yelp, TripAdvisor, HotelsByMe. When sleeping, White Noise :) PositionApp to check on our global App Store dominance.
I’m a huge yelper! Great app! Elite ’10!
Q: Robots or Ninjas?
A: Well, robots can be programmed to be sassy. Ninjas can’t.
I think ninjas are just sassy on their own. I mean if you could will with a touch, why NOT be sassy, who’s gonna stop ya?
Q: What would change about the iOS platform if you could change just one thing?
A: I’d love to browse the source code! :D
HA HA. Good luck with that!
Q: What are you most excited about 360|iDev Austin?
A: 360iDev seemed like a reunion of old friends even at first attendance. It’s great to be able to tune into the wavelength of so many like-minded developers at once. I’ve refined my Rock Band chops to a fine point, so beware. And speaking will be a blast! :)
We try to keep that vibe going. 360|iDev almost always starts out Sunday night with lots of handshakes and hugs, and beer bottles clinking! It’s like a class reunion, without the awkward “you use to beat me up moments” and no one is fatter!
Q: Lastly, what would you tell someone on the fence about attending 360|iDev Austin?
A: It’s important to have perspective if you’re working as an independent, and 360iDev gives you that perspective in a relatively short period of time. There are some things you just can’t learn on Twitter.
We love seeing people leave on wednesday, eager to get back to coding. Fresh with new app/game ideas, and new ways to finish the project they’re working on. It’s great to know that within months of 360|iDev there’s gonna be some awesome new releases!
Make sure you register sooner rather than later. We’re planning on this being the biggest 360|iDev yet and sure, you can go to one of the imposter events, but why, when the real deal is coming up so soon, and is (in almost every case) cheaper with more actual iOS developers as speakers and attendees.
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