Category Archives: mobile

Zuckerberg 認為用 html5 開發 facebook app 是錯誤的

http://chinese.engadget.com/2012/09/12/zuckerberg-html-5-facebook-mobile-app-mistake/

從至愛的科技網站看到一篇報導,表示 Facebook 靈魂人物朱克伯格(Zuckerberg)認為用 html5 開發 facebook 流動應用程式是一個錯誤。並且開始用原生碼來開發 Android 應用程式,而 iOS 原生碼的流動程式經已在早前推出。

在流動開發過程中,使用 HTML5 有一個很大的誘因 – 跨平台。無論使用 iOS 或 Android 甚至是 Windows Phone 和 Symbian。只需要一套編碼,基本上滿足你所有要求。如 Canvas API 可以助你用 Javascript 編碼完成 2D/3D 的實時繪圖,localStorage 可以快速暫存資料,亦可以用接口讓 Native / HTML5 編碼溝通,免卻在 Android 用 SharedPreference,卻在 iOS 用 NSUserDefault 的「用一套,記一套」的苦惱。但其實用 HTML5 開發應用亦有很多令人頭大的問題。

1. HTML5 支援問題 – 正當你落實跨平台開發專案,利用便利的 HTML5 編碼來作出開發。但當你發現在 iOS 的 UIWebView 運行表現出眾;用 Ice cream sandwich 的 WebView 開發亦無大問題。但你的客戶希望將軟體支援至 Android 2.3. 你就發現問題就來了,你會發現有一些重要的 HTML5 不可以使用 – 如 toDataURL(),或者 HTML5 的視頻播放。而因為 HTML5 是 WebView 內的功能,你又不一定可以混合源生編碼解決問題. 例如,我如何將 Canvas 的圖示,在沒有 toDataURL() 支援用原生碼來輸出圖片 base64 的編碼?

2. 報行速度 – 不同的流動平台的 WebView 運行速度不同,如 iOS 的 Canvas Drawing 很流暢,但 Android 的表現就有點差強人意。這樣會大大影響用戶體驗。

3. WebView 的不明內部錯誤。iOS 或 Android 的 WebView 不是萬能聖藥,都是由工程師開發。工程師是人,有人即是會有錯誤。利用 WebView 開發 App,若果 WebView 有甚麼不明錯誤,就可能無可救藥。好像用 JS 執行一個會消耗 10 分鐘的 Thread, 若用戶等久了想中途取消運作。在 Android 的平台下是不可能停止的,而 10 分鐘過後你的 app 因為你的 javascript 執行完成而莫名奇妙展示你已取消的結果。而利用源生碼,若你發現有任何部件出事,你可以有較大自由度去解決問題,亦可以控制程序報行的 lifecycle. 這是 html5 不可比擬的。

利用原生碼開發有兩個好處 – 高效和穩定。原生 API 必定得到大部份硬體支援,充份的參考文件了解 API 的支援狀況,運行上亦是最為穩定。若有甚麼問題,廠商亦能即時支援。在這個追求使用者經驗的時代來說,流暢可用的 App 比一個能讓所有群眾基本使用的 App 更為重要,才能為品牌/服務留住使用者群。

A Trial on Android Market

An experimental app – Transparent Phone Free is available on Android Market. Without sufficient promotion. This app gains 1000+ download rates within 11 days. It’s an encouraging number.

Download – Transparent Phone Free

Another Popular App

Another consultancy project which is at the top at HK App Store  – Lee Kum Kee 輕鬆由我煮

What we did:

1. Connection between iOS system and client’s CMS

2. Caching content for faster I/O and reduce data usage

3. Advanced Image processing features

4. Sophisticated use of UITableView

5. Incorporated with Core Data

 

Admob for Android 2.2

Official admob by google API supports Android 3.2+ system only. We spotted that problem as we are going to released a free version of our new app – Transparent Phone. And the solution is simple, just use the 4.1.1 version of the admob api. The system will go back to Android 2.2. =)

You can download the jar here.

Happy New Year! Wish you all have a successful 2012!

invivo will publish several iOS app in early 2012. stay tune!

Nexus S with USB Accessory API

因為貪 Nexus S 有 Official 2.3.4 update 而主觀地認為 Nexus S 有 USB Accessory Host 的功能。

但畢竟是主觀願望,記著是新機如 Galaxy S II 或 honeycomb 機如 Xoom 才可以有 USB Accessory Host / USB On-the-go 功能。

白花了銀兩,唯有轉玩 ADK 同 NFC.

Secret Camcorder 2

Hi All! It seems that we haven’t update our products for a long time! After the release of the iPhone 4, we have receive some complains that Secret Camcorder, our best selling spy camera, does not work on iPhone4. Also, we got many supportive suggestions from our clients. Thus, we are working on the new version of Secret Camcorder. The highlighted features are as follow:

1. unlimited recording time

2. auto-start and auto-stop features

3. complete mute of audio devices

4. re-designed user inferface

5. compatibility with iPhone 4

Stay Tuned!

We are on TOP!

Surprisingly, after two weeks sale, Pro Snap becomes the first paid app among the hk app store ! Though our target isn’t HK, but it’s still huge success! Thanks for the guy who helped us promoting our app. Also, thanks for our customers, not only HKers but worldwide. And here, I would like to show you some preview of the snap shot taken by the coming update! There will be numerous improvement for Pro Snap to make you $.99 more valuable. At last, we will consider translating the interface to chinese to suit chinese users’ need!

Screen shot 2009-12-07 at 6.58.23 PM

IMG_8035IMG_8033IMG_8016IMG_5254

invadAR

If you are “technomania”, you may know what our work about. Yes, it’s really old and really new. We are putting a legendary arcade into a brand new form, which we make it immerse into the real world. With the help of Augmented  Reality, we make the invaders float into the sky with our real world through the screen of a small device. The similarity is, just like the original game, we can attack the invaders. However, the different is, thanks to the advancement of technology, we can play it with our movement — turning around to find the target and kill them as fast as you can. We find it’s kinda interesting and it’s going to be submitted to Apple for approval soon.

Tech Screen 2

in vivo

Greeting, it must be the very first post of us, invivo hk. We have started our group for around two months. Maybe it’s a bit lazy for us to start having our blog today, but actually we were quite busy on our work. It’s about our first product — Pro Snap (suppose to be second, sigh…). Pro Snap is a compact but funny stuff. This is a camera software designed for iPhone (and we have plan to transplant it to other platform).

The reason we started develop it because of my friend, Sean. He said that it’s quite difficult to talk self-portrait with friend in iPhone. He wants something that can shoot by click everywhere on the screen. That point is funny, there is not many products, especially for mobile phone, allows user taking photo by just tapping on the screen. Yeah… It’s a bit dummy but useful. After talking with Chan, we see that there is still potential in doing Camera App for iPhone. Well, tap and shoot is really not too good for user. How about more filter? and more shooting mode like real camera?

After a few weeks development, Pro Snap is different, we have a 4 camera modes (single, mixed, left/right, mirror) and 4 camera filters ( lomo, monochrome, STAR FILTER!, hue ). More and more will be coming. Wish I can tell you more stuff in coming days and more information about the development.