tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27129687335308314762024-03-05T05:17:45.947-08:00Nightshade LabsQuality Android AppsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-42723134825265990642012-01-10T09:26:00.000-08:002012-01-10T09:47:29.591-08:00NPR InterviewI was interviewed for a piece on NPR this morning.<br />
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Listen to the story. <span style="display: block; text-align: left;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://wutcana.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/nightshade-labs/">NPR Post</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-7994192063983335462011-01-04T09:52:00.000-08:002013-08-19T06:59:53.481-07:00Predictions for 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This will be a great year for Android.<br />
Apple will have a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-2011-2011-1">fairly boring year</a>, but Google and Facebook will have some amazing product announcements this year.<br />
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This will be the first of a yearly post predicting the future. I've been fairly good about predicting the future when it comes to Google and Android, so we'll see how I do with a few other companies as well.<br />
It's fun to make predictions so here we go.<br />
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<b>Android:</b><br />
<b>1</b>. 3.0 (Honeycomb) will be released in Q1. Honeycomb will be a big release. It will not be like 2.2 or 2.3, which were incremental changes. It will feature completely rewritten UI components and have video calling built in natively. It will have a much needed update to the default music player. We will <b>start </b>to see a refining of the interface in 3.0. It won't be until the version after Honeycomb that they really get the engineers out of the way and let the designers do what they do best: make beautifully, highly interactive, graceful user experiences.<br />
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<b>2</b>. Tablets will be a very big deal for Android. Last year we had hundreds of terrible Android tablets and only 1 good one -The Galaxy Tab. This year we will have 4 or 5 really good tablets. The first amazing one will be the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quI2I8wLPdc">Motorola Tab</a>. Honeycomb will be the key to success here. Finally, stock Android will have a good tablet experience. The iPad sold ~8 million units and the Galaxy Tab sold ~1 million units in 2010. In 2011, Apple will sell at least 20 million iPads and Android will be sold on the same number of tablets or more. At least 3 of the really good Android tablets will have a wifi only version. Half of all good Android tablets will support a physical hardware keyboard, either through USB, Bluetooth or dock.<br />
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<b>3</b>. Netflix will find a way to bring its streaming movie service to Android.<br />
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<b>4</b>. Google will finally launch their cloud streaming music service integrated into Android.<br />
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<b>5</b>. Google recently announced that it was activating <a href="http://androinica.com/2010/12/09/android-300000-daily-activations-and-counting/">300,000</a> Android devices every day. It will be 600,000 by the end of the year.<br />
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<b>6</b>. Free, ad supported apps will still be the most popular and most abundant apps in the Android Market.<br />
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<b>7</b>. Manufactures or carriers will start buying small Android startup companies to differentiate themselves from their competitors.<br />
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<b>8</b>. The Playstation Phone will be released and will have a big impact on gaming in the Android ecosystem. There will be some games specifically designed for the hardware that Sony releases, but the bigger impact will be that game developers will realize that you can make great looking games on Android.<br />
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<b>9</b>. The average-priced basic Android phone will be dual core by the end of the year.<br />
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<b>10</b>. NFC will not catch on this year, but QR codes will continue to see wider adoption.<br />
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<b>11</b>. You will see at least one glasses-free 3D display on an Android phone from a major manufacture.<br />
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<b>Bonus</b>. I will continue to release Android apps that people <a href="http://www.nightshadelabs.com/p/smart-lock.html">love</a> and <a href="http://www.nightshadelabs.com/p/bluetooth-volume.html">enjoy</a> ;)<br />
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<b>Google (other than Android):</b><br />
<b>1</b>. Google will get serious about location. This will either be a major overhaul to Latitude or a separate check-in style product. It might be integrated into Google Me.<br />
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<b>2</b>. Google will announce Google Me or Google +1 or whatever they call it. It will be a social layer that "glues" together a lot of their existing stand alone products. It will not compete with Facebook.<br />
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<b>3</b>. Google will do more with E-commerce. Whether it is another site like <a href="http://www.boutiques.com/">boutiques.com</a> or something like Groupon, Google will make a big play in this field.<br />
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<b>4</b>. Google's self-driving cars will not make any substantial impact this year.<br />
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<b>5</b>. ChromeOS will be launched to great fanfare and will NOT see major adoption. There will be a very small, excited enthusiast community around it like Google Wave, but it will not be a consumer success.<br />
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<b>6</b>.Google Wave will become completely open sourced and will see slow and steady adoption in enterprise.<br />
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<b>7</b>. Google TV will see a relaunch once they get the content providers on board. It will be moderately successful. The most popular implementation will be direct integration into TVs instead of set top boxes. The most popular apps on Google TV will be video, music and games. Reading and browsing the web will not be very popular. Hopefully, we'll see some interesting interactive overlays on top of live TV. For example, a players stats overlay while watching baseball. I don't think we will see this until the end of the year though.<br />
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<b>8</b>. Google will launch at least one successful new consumer-facing product that will surprise most people. This might be another E-commerce site like Groupon or something completely different. Arguably, Google did not launch a new successful product in 2010.<br />
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<b>Apple:</b><br />
<b>1</b>. Apple will release an iPhone on Verizon. It will not be 4G and will not have as big an impact on Android sales as people predict.<br />
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<b>2</b>. Apple will release a new iPad that has a front facing camera, dual core processor and better screen resolution. They will have a AT&T, Verizon, and wifi version in the US.<br />
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<b>3</b>. If Apple releases their yearly update to the iPhone on AT&T it will not support 4G either, but will support NFC. It will be dual core. The focus will be on gaming.<br />
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<b>4</b>. Apple will announce a TV with Apple TV built in. They might partner with a manufacture to make it, but it will only be branded as Apple.<br />
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<b>5</b>. Some developers will abandon Apple as it becomes clear that Android has the dominant position in the marketplace. Most iPhone developers will stay with Apple or develop for both iPhone and Android.<br />
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<b>Facebook:</b><br />
<b>1</b>. Facebook will continue to be the dominant force in the social internet.<br />
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<b>2</b>. They will continue to release products at an incredible rate. The top 2 focuses will be on integrating into other websites and E-commerce.<br />
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<b>3</b>. Facebook will not release a Facebook Phone in the US, but they will continue to iterate on their existing mobile apps for various platforms.<br />
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<b>4</b>. Facebook will not release an iPad app nor an Android tablet specific version.<br />
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<b>5</b>. Despite not launching a phone, Facebook will double down on mobile. Either through SMS or Facebook Places or their mobile apps or more mobile developer tools or something else.<br />
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<b>6</b>. Facebook will continue to upset people by adding features and updating the look of the main website. Journalist will still ask how this affects privacy even though it is obvious that it has no effect on it at all.<br />
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<b>7</b>. There will be another major backlash against Facebook and several people will leave the service, but they won't switch to another social network. They will completely "unplug" from the social web.<br />
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<b>8</b>. Facebook will not become a publicly traded company.<br />
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<b>General Tech Trends:</b><br />
<b>1</b>. We will start to see demand for tablets and mobile devices to be our primary computing devices. The devices themselves will not be popular this year, but it will start to become obvious to people that they only need one device instead of a phone, laptop and desktop.<br />
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<b>2</b>. The Playbook will be the only interesting thing that Blackberry releases and it will be successful.<br />
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<b>3</b>. At least one of the mobile photo-sharing social network apps will see major adoption. It will <b>not </b>be Path.com.<br />
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<b>4</b>. We will see at least one more "Social Browser" released (Ex. Flock and RockMelt). All of them will fail.<br />
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<b>5</b>. Twitter will not be sold to anyone.<br />
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<b>6</b>. We will start to see Android running on weird things like refrigerators and washing machines. It will be buggy and mostly useless. Nobody will want one.<br />
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<b>7</b>. Cars will see more tech-focused options like Ford Sync. However, just like the car phone, most of these services will ultimately not be widely used.<br />
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<b>8</b>. We will see a major breakthrough in battery life on mobile devices.<br />
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<b>9</b>. We won't see any privacy legislation passed.<br />
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<b>10</b>. We won't see any major net neutrality infractions. Consumers will mostly <b>not </b>be affected by ISPs being non-neutral.<br />
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That's it. Hopefully some of those predictions will come true. At the end of the year I will see how I did.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-88694723732391473632010-12-21T14:55:00.000-08:002010-12-21T14:55:47.362-08:00Parental Controls on Tablet devicesThere is an urgent need for good parental controls on mobile tablet devices. The video bellow is from of Ali Naqi Shaheer at Le Web. He talks about the need for proper parental controls on the iPad. Apple offers some parental controls but not in the browser and there is no way to monitor your what your kids do or watch on the device. Net Nanny and other parental controls on Windows computers have been popular for years, but they don't work on mobile devices and since mobile devices are so portable they are needed all the more. Apple makes it very difficult for a 3rd party app to monitor what else is happening on the system, but Android is more open.<br />
When I built <a href="http://www.nightshadelabs.com/p/smart-lock.html">Smart Lock</a> I knew it would help some parents but I also knew that it wouldn't be enough. I'm working on a better solution. I'll post more information in the coming weeks.<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/androidguys/2010/08/27/android-guys-thursday-nights" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.androidguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/agtn.jpg" /></a></div>
Last night I was on the Android Guys Thursday Night Droid-cast. They interviewed me about my recently released Smart Lock 2.0 app. I really enjoyed it.<br />
My interview starts at: 8:50 and takes a little over 15 minutes. You can listen to the <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/androidguys/2010/08/27/android-guys-thursday-nights">whole podcast</a> on Blog Talk Radio or search for Android Guys on your favorite <a href="http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.google.android.apps.listen?install">android podcasting app</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-18147508056703031652010-08-11T10:15:00.000-07:002010-08-11T10:16:20.468-07:00Smart Lock 2.0 ReleasedWe have released Smart Lock 2.0 in the Android Market.<br />
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Version 2.0 features a new Approved Launcher icon. You can use it Smart Lock several applications instead of just one at a time. This essentially gives you Parental Controls on your phone. The update is free for existing users. You can find Smart Lock 2.0 in the Android Market. Search for "Smart Lock" or <a href="http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.goldfishview.smartlock?install">click here</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-20410657396680221512010-08-08T10:39:00.000-07:002010-08-08T10:41:42.835-07:00Smart Lock 2.0 Video OverviewI have made a new Overview video for Smart Lock 2.0. It highlights the new Approved Launcher feature. Check it out.
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I will be releasing Smart Lock 2.0 in a few short days.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-71863614356119053872010-07-22T07:15:00.000-07:002010-07-22T07:20:44.581-07:00Smart Lock 2.0 ScreenshotsI promised some screenshots of Smart Lock 2.0 so here they are.
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I hope you like the new layout and the new Approved App Launcher. Let me know what you think in the comments.<br />
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<a class="fancybox" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJRhz7HD6hg0og2W6ewLutVFcQMsMs6OfNGTCVa6Bvvvn_ylLFo0ZWkqY5pEetXmEHhVAjXYqtPtg2AD-9n2Q5t_MHM_khXsdtpTpOeq-ULA34arcHbo5QFBC2uUjx2VmfSqwqG8T_Ws/s1600/two1.png" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[post]" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="New Simplified Main Screen"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJRhz7HD6hg0og2W6ewLutVFcQMsMs6OfNGTCVa6Bvvvn_ylLFo0ZWkqY5pEetXmEHhVAjXYqtPtg2AD-9n2Q5t_MHM_khXsdtpTpOeq-ULA34arcHbo5QFBC2uUjx2VmfSqwqG8T_Ws/s200/two1.png" width="133" /></a>
<a class="fancybox" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlt4bJj8BVuM21lLsNqQDRKY76lyWipl74388af91OoE6Nkl1rY21cKPeSxHhVDY0-IUBgpY1_aoAJnm9jOkLZamJJxYafSsGcypyeesbqR1VlEtoaH-C8KICay-r3szNDRnWaIjGGkb4/s1600/two2.png" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[post]" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Settings have their own screen now"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlt4bJj8BVuM21lLsNqQDRKY76lyWipl74388af91OoE6Nkl1rY21cKPeSxHhVDY0-IUBgpY1_aoAJnm9jOkLZamJJxYafSsGcypyeesbqR1VlEtoaH-C8KICay-r3szNDRnWaIjGGkb4/s200/two2.png" width="133" /></a>
<a class="fancybox" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTO42jOOieUCYBS8CuvBB5-sY0S6qTfqi2eFjJmO0v8DsIRjyidL5BRckyrS9Oo38qxx7C_EwhVQD7KM1dI__LdTQNmZ33CkcclwgaQtoGEZuWHMd_lb0pULNvu8fDsVAMoccJ6CGnKkU/s1600/two3.png" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[post]" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Settings Detail"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTO42jOOieUCYBS8CuvBB5-sY0S6qTfqi2eFjJmO0v8DsIRjyidL5BRckyrS9Oo38qxx7C_EwhVQD7KM1dI__LdTQNmZ33CkcclwgaQtoGEZuWHMd_lb0pULNvu8fDsVAMoccJ6CGnKkU/s200/two3.png" width="133" /></a>
<a class="fancybox" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXybly4Rj4lNy7Kq532gmoOfeBMcRUWErbzeE0Ehup8b61W-uYV4t4ZhNadM_38mLPIJVVPYvD0Xz1LJz5bQv8k8OkkScbN5mcgABoeEpV2nauGTCcwUvflEvKdXvNIeBdSMFC_esGMk/s1600/two4.png" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[post]" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="New Approved App Launcher Icon"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXybly4Rj4lNy7Kq532gmoOfeBMcRUWErbzeE0Ehup8b61W-uYV4t4ZhNadM_38mLPIJVVPYvD0Xz1LJz5bQv8k8OkkScbN5mcgABoeEpV2nauGTCcwUvflEvKdXvNIeBdSMFC_esGMk/s200/two4.png" width="133" /></a>
<a class="fancybox" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAc02DZM87dHwjrbNLxEk4FIXtQYax65fD8M2Na_jfAXI1j6Qw2wtg9AEPwMKqlB3KqauIqeXvFfxfreZ4psTjQZ76N_l_fJ9j_1JwCRXGn9qZjsZ2D-0IEx-7Gzs9BiYt9oIreR4r10/s1600/two6.png" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[post]" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Add Apps to the Approved App Launcher"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAc02DZM87dHwjrbNLxEk4FIXtQYax65fD8M2Na_jfAXI1j6Qw2wtg9AEPwMKqlB3KqauIqeXvFfxfreZ4psTjQZ76N_l_fJ9j_1JwCRXGn9qZjsZ2D-0IEx-7Gzs9BiYt9oIreR4r10/s200/two6.png" width="133" /></a>
<a class="fancybox" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_5ym4iLqWOA-KNUUF0ez5F9cGIyf4kuVAwyzC4CHJ020XEAvs8u9-d14IhS4C-A5eFdSPu2sF4MKXj7FD4WBxcJXLEXgRTjliRwxX7tQvmmtiuvRvQ21piZjWNtGd41hYc94zB-W0Mg/s1600/two5.png" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[post]" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="The New Approved App Launcher"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_5ym4iLqWOA-KNUUF0ez5F9cGIyf4kuVAwyzC4CHJ020XEAvs8u9-d14IhS4C-A5eFdSPu2sF4MKXj7FD4WBxcJXLEXgRTjliRwxX7tQvmmtiuvRvQ21piZjWNtGd41hYc94zB-W0Mg/s200/two5.png" width="133" /></a></div>
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Click on the images for a description.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-42517417279968328392010-06-21T09:44:00.000-07:002010-06-21T10:04:22.869-07:00Nightshade LabsGold Fish View is now Nightshade Labs. I liked the old name and it served its purpose, but I like the new name much better. The new name is easier to say and more marketable.<br />
Nightshade Labs represents quality, intrigue, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightshade">eggplants</a> (ok, maybe not eggplants).<br />
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<b>Progress Report</b><br />
Smart Lock 2.0 is coming along very well. I will release it in a couple of weeks. You can get Smart Lock 1.2.2 in the Android Market <a href="http://www.nightshadelabs.com/2010/03/smart-lock-released-in-android-market.html">right now</a> for only 99 cents. If you buy it now you will get a free upgrade to Smart Lock 2.0, but hurry because I will be increasing the price shortly.<br />
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After I release Smart Lock 2.0 I will switch gears to <a href="http://www.nightshadelabs.com/p/disc-golf-app.html">Disc Golf App</a>. I'm really anxious to get Disc Golf App beta out the door, so look for it soon.<br />
Check back here or sign up for the <a href="http://www.nightshadelabs.com/p/newsletter.html">newsletter</a> for updates.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-62371062042437925602010-04-22T18:42:00.000-07:002010-06-19T08:06:39.045-07:00Google, Apple and the Future of Computers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://eleganceit.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/apple-vs-google_2.jpg" width="320" /></div></div>By now you've probably heard that Apple has <a href="http://daringfireball.net/2010/04/iphone_agreement_bans_flash_compiler">completely banned Flash</a> from the iPhone. They first banned it from the <a href="http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/01/googles-dont-be-evil-mantra-is-bullshit-adobe-is-lazy-apples-steve-jobs/">browser</a> and recently have banned it from apps under <a href="http://androidandme.com/2010/04/news/iad-and-what-it-means-for-android/">section 3.3.1</a> of the iPhone OS 4 Developer Program License Agreement. I don't like Flash and I don't like the iPhone, but no one can deny that Apple and Adobe are shaping the future of computing. To be clear, Apple didn't just ban Flash from the iPhone; they are also banning any virtual or meta platform. This includes <a href="http://monotouch.net/" target="_blank">MonoTouch</a>, <a href="http://unity3d.com/" target="_blank">Unity3D</a>, <a href="http://phonegap.com/" target="_blank"><strike>PhoneGap</strike></a> (<a href="http://blogs.nitobi.com/jesse/2009/11/20/phonegapp-store-" id="iqjs" title="link">link</a>), <a href="http://www.appcelerator.com/" target="_blank">Appcelerator</a>, <a href="http://anscamobile.com/" target="_blank">Corona</a> and other platforms that won't be created because of the new Apple Developer License. Apple has banned anything that is not written in one of the few Apple approved programming languages. No popular general computing device manufacturer has ever gone to such drastic measures. This is where Google and Apple have completely different fundamental definitions of a smartphone.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Google believes that smart phones are just small general purpose computers that fit in your pocket whereas Apple assumes smart phones are a new class of specialized computers and thus new rules and ideas apply.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This realization explains a lot of things. This is why the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Android_mobile_phone_platform_early_device.jpg">first android prototypes</a> looked like tiny laptops complete with a full keyboard below a tiny screen.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Android's features similar to laptop's functionality: desktops with icons and widgets; default applications; folders, changeable wallpaper, an app drawer (Start Button), multiple screen-size compatibility, and no restrictions on what apps can be installed. This also explains why Google is <a href="http://www.google.com/phone" id="i5ok" title="selling directly">selling directly</a> to consumers; you don't buy your laptop from your <a href="http://www.comcast.com/" id="xqpq" title="ISP">ISP</a> you buy it from Dell. Perhaps this also explains <a href="http://www.google.com/corporate/execs.html#andyrubin" id="sbh." title="Andy Rubin's">Andy Rubin's</a> dislike of <a href="http://phandroid.com/2010/01/10/android-multi-touch-conspiracy-rubin-says-no/" id="n62o" title="add pinch to zoom">pinch to zoom</a> in Google apps; that's just not how computers work.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">On the other hand, the iPhone looks and feels completely different than a desktop computer and the original iPhone didn't even support 3rd-party apps. The iPhone and iPad still have to sync to a real computer to get content on and off the device. They are not computer independent like Android phones. In fact, Apples <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/why-iphone/">markets the iPhone</a> as "three devices in one", not as a single device to do everything. There is, of course, a lot of overlap between the two platforms and more overlap is being added with each revision of their respective platforms, but fundamentally they are from different schools of thought.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This also makes sense from a business perspective. Google loves general purpose computers. They make the vast majority of their money from advertising on desktop computers, so as mobile devices become more popular they would like them to be as desktop-like as possible. Apple on the other hand has <a href="http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/02/apple-market-share-tops-10-windows-share-lowest-since-tracking/">largely failed</a> at becoming the desktop computer of choice among consumers, but <a href="http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/09/apple-liveblog-999/" id="jaiz" title="excels">excels</a> at single use devices like the iPod. Apple has done amazing well with the iPod in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walled_garden_%28technology%29">walled garden</a> environment. But now Apple is trying to bring the walled garden to more general use computers like the iPad. Some people will even <a href="http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20100331/apple-ipad-review/">replace</a> their laptops with an iPad. I have to admit the iPad looks really cool, but it doesn't have a place in the future of computers that I want. The iPad could <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2249872/">signal the end</a> of the open computer scheme that we have now and replace it with Apple's restrictive environment.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Lets take a look at the new section 3.3.1. If Apple would have announced this policy on their general purpose computers, their iMacs or MacBooks, it would kill those products. Apple essentially would be banning <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XUL">Firefox</a>, all <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unreal_Engine">Unreal Engine</a> games, Flash, <a href="http://wiki.python.org/moin/Applications">Python apps</a>, Java apps, <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/60-useful-adobe-air-applications-you-should-know/">AIR apps</a>, and <a href="http://download.cnet.com/mac/most-popular/3101-20_4-0.html?tag=rb_content;contentNav">even the single most downloaded app on Macs</a>. Now imagine that you didn't know any of those apps existed, would you miss them? Apple has ensured that you will never see apps like these on the iPhone. Of course, Apple is not doing this on its OSX computers, but mobile devices are the (near) future of desktop computing. <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2250704/pagenum/all/#p2" id="t34b" title="Eric Schmidt">Eric Schmidt</a> (CEO of Google) is now <a href="http://mobile.venturebeat.com/2010/04/12/eric-schmidt-mobile-first/">preaching</a> "mobile first." Mobile apps are no longer an after-thought. Mobile apps are being developed before their desktop counter parts. A <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/04/13/mobile-web-stats/">new study</a> from <a href="http://www.morganstanley.com/" target="_blank">Morgan Stanley</a> predicts that the mobile web will be bigger than desktop web as soon as 2015. In just three years smart phones will have the<a href="http://androidandme.com/2010/03/news/android-will-have-ps3-graphics-in-3-years/"> graphical power</a> of the Playstation 3 and in five years your smart phone will likely be as powerful as the computer you are reading this on right now. There is no reason phones shouldn't be general purpose computers.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Very soon smart phones will be suitable replacements for your home computer. You will be able to hook up your phone to a multi-touch <a href="http://gear.ign.com/articles/503/503671p1.html">Bluetooth monitor</a> and a Bluetooth keyboard and it will work just like your desktop does today without the loud, power hungry tower. Android will be required to make some changes similar to the new <a href="http://designing-agile.com/2010/04/09/ipads-mighty-popover/">popover</a> idea of the iPad, but Android already <a href="http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html">supports</a> multiple screen sizes and resolutions and I wouldn't be surprised if some desktop-sized resolutions are supported by Android <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/01/07/hp-slate-android/" id="jnny" title="very soon">very soon</a>. One of the best examples of the differences between iPhone and Android is in an app I've written for Android called <a href="http://www.goldfishview.com/search/label/Smart%20Lock">Smart Lock</a>. Smart Lock runs in the background and adds parental controls to your phone. Even under the new background apps API of the iPhone OS 4, Apple would never let a 3rd party app change anything about the lock screen, but Android lets developers be as creative as they want to be.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I think both of these smart phone philosophies are important in moving the mobile industry forward. Apple has without a doubt set the bar for what a smart phone is, but I don't want them to define what a smart phone <b>can</b> be. Android and cross platform technologies are the future of general purpose computers. <br />
<br />
Update: Apple has <a href="http://www.appleoutsider.com/2010/06/10/hello-lua/">updated Section 3.3.2</a> to Allow some frameworks like Lua.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-22446842135103511372010-03-30T20:02:00.000-07:002010-05-31T08:13:01.778-07:00Smart Lock Released in the Android MarketI recently launched Smart Lock in the Android Market.<br /><br /><object height="295" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/glpqbHpBYjs&hl=en_US&fs=1&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/glpqbHpBYjs&hl=en_US&fs=1&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />Smart Lock allows you to do the following:<br /><br /><ul><li>Child Lock any App</li><li>Increases general security</li><li>Makes the lock screen less annoying</li><li>Boots the camera faster on older phones</li></ul><br />Smart Lock runs in the background and lets you use one application* without seeing the lock screen.<br /><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin: 0px; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-left: 2em; text-align: center;"><a href="http://market.android.com/details?q=pname:com.goldfishview.android.smartlock" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chs=150x150&cht=qr&chl=http://market.android.com/details?id=com.goldfishview.smartlock&chld=L|0" width="150" /></a><br />Smart Lock QR Code</div><br />Smart Lock has two modes: Everyday Mode and Child Lock Mode. The main feature is the Child Lock Mode. Child Lock Mode allows you to give your phone to your child and not worry about them deleting info on your phone, changing your settings or viewing inappropriate material. You can limit there access to only one application*.<br /><br />Everyday Mode is for personal use. Everyday Mode is great for anyone that likes to keep their phone secure, but finds it annoying to enter the unlock pattern every time they turn the screen on. I use it at the gym when listening to music. It allows me change songs easily without compromising security.<br />Smart Lock also dramatically speeds up camera boot time on older Android phones. Because it bypasses the lock screen you don't have to wait for the screen to orient into landscape mode before taking pictures. The camera goes from screen off to taking pictures almost instantly.<br /><br />I am currently offering a Early Adopter sale for Smart Lock for only 99 cents. The price will go up soon so get it while I am offering such a great deal. It's listed as "Smart Lock with Child Lock" in the Android Market. You can scan the barcode above or just search the Market for "Smart Lock".<br /><br />* - Smart Lock blocks the user from viewing the home screen when an App is Smart Locked. If an app links to another app, that link will still work.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-35193323618061847952009-12-21T16:26:00.000-08:002010-05-31T08:13:01.833-07:00Smart Lock Beta New VideoI've created a new video for the Smart Lock Beta. If you want to sign up for in invite <a href="http://bit.ly/SmartLockBeta">you can do so here</a>.<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y1JdAlNxLYA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y1JdAlNxLYA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-48995217360547984112009-12-18T07:46:00.000-08:002010-05-31T08:13:01.837-07:00Smart Lock BetaYou can now sign up for a request to the <a href="http://bit.ly/SmartLockBeta">Smart Lock Beta for Android</a>. You can sign up at: <a href="http://bit.ly/SmartLockBeta">http://bit.ly/SmartLockBeta</a><br />If you have already signed up for the email list and have marked that you are interested in Smart Lock you will get an invite.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-86450753127721809152009-11-30T10:47:00.000-08:002010-05-31T08:13:01.841-07:00Smart Lock in the top 25% of all apps in the ADC2<a href="http://www.goldfishview.com/search/label/Smart%20Lock">Smart Lock</a> was in the top 25% of all apps submitted to the <a href="http://code.google.com/android/adc/">Android Development Challenge II</a>, however that was not good enough to make it the the final round.<br />Thank you for your support and look for Smart Lock in the Android Market in the coming weeks.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-66035999650486774332009-09-24T19:23:00.000-07:002010-05-31T08:13:01.843-07:00ADC2 Judging App is now Available<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2009/09/adc-2-judging-has-begun.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8qPyDn7SSew/SrujUgpn79I/AAAAAAAAAAU/44bbRS6zJ0w/s320/intro.png" /></a><br /></div>You can now get the Android Developer Contest 2 Review app from the Android Market. This is currently the only way you get your hands on a copy of Smart Lock. Go get the ADC2 app and start making a difference in the Android community. Learn more about <a href="http://www.goldfishview.com/2009/09/smart-lock.html">Smart Lock here</a>. Learn more about the <a href="http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2009/09/adc-2-judging-has-begun.html">ADC2 Judging App here</a>.<br /><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="market://search?q=pname:com.google.android.challenge" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=230x230&chl=http%3A%2F%2Fmarket.android.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dpname%3Acom.google.android.challenge" width="96" /></a><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-68272031463906684972009-09-14T08:28:00.000-07:002010-05-31T08:13:01.848-07:00Smart LockSmart Lock is a small app that I put together for the <a href="http://code.google.com/android/adc/">ADC2</a>. I haven't stopped work on my <a href="http://www.goldfishview.com/search/label/Disc%20Golf%20App">Disc Golf App</a>, but I took a small break from it in order to fix an annoyance I had with my new <a href="http://www.t-mobilemytouch.com/">myTouch 3G</a>.<br />Smart Lock runs in the background and allows you to securely use the the last app you were running when you wake up your phone. It is best explained with a video demonstration:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ipue9Yhi5VA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ipue9Yhi5VA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Smart Lock is great for:<br /><ul><li>"Child Locking" any app</li><li> Changing songs while running</li><li> Looking at Google Maps while driving</li><li> Any small task that is done in intervals.</li></ul>Smart Lock is not available yet, but if you <a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pQWHJxmu-DEwcbv9nl9AEWQ">sign up for my email list</a> you will get an invite to beta when it is ready. I hope you like the app. Let me know what you think in the comments below.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-80344999276115024872008-10-23T08:17:00.000-07:002010-06-18T18:41:40.514-07:00G1 Released<a class='fancybox' onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-e06f1q-QQE/SLbWqTbAiQI/AAAAAAAAAF0/aB9HYIRqFLA/s320/ic_launder_market_128x128.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 128px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-e06f1q-QQE/SLbWqTbAiQI/AAAAAAAAAF0/aB9HYIRqFLA/s320/ic_launder_market_128x128.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />
The first <a href="http://www.android.com/">Google Android</a> phone, the <a href="http://www.t-mobileg1.com/">T-Mobile G1</a> has been released. However, the Android Market has some limitations right now. I am working on a free version of my disc golf app to put in the Android Market so you can have a taste of what the final app will be like.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-33539801891963780202008-05-12T10:57:00.000-07:002010-05-31T08:13:01.855-07:00Chat with Me in Real Time<iframe src="http://www.google.com/talk/service/badge/Show?tk=z01q6amlqj55pdj21fmkqdorb08c1kv0t5un7jg4krvra4kak1fvvico81vp2a9igkdnvuihilkqnhkhhujp46busvc399ledfiovhmv85eqb33fbif00ka20he8igr7le2luqov65n9p1gom8j6bpt8vob0tme2j1gvhnvpo&w=200&h=60" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="60" width="200"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-42519652213931018092008-04-15T08:31:00.000-07:002010-06-18T18:35:54.434-07:00Screenshots<a class='fancybox' href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/2416806228_20c3d835a3.jpg?v=0" rel="lightbox[post]"><img alt="" border="0" class="phostImg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189496640980311970" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/2416806228_20c3d835a3_m.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a><a class='fancybox' href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2189/2415985809_2625766be4.jpg?v=0" rel="lightbox[post]"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189497263750569906" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2189/2415985809_2625766be4_m.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a><a class='fancybox' href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2262/2416806278_5922c514ba.jpg?v=0" rel="lightbox[post]"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189497577283182530" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2262/2416806278_5922c514ba_m.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><a class='fancybox' href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2137/2416806350_e0f8e9a60e.jpg?v=0" rel="lightbox[post]"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189497809211416530" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2137/2416806350_e0f8e9a60e_m.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><a class='fancybox' href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/2415985745_9902001039.jpg?v=0" rel="lightbox[post]"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189497809211416530" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/2415985745_9902001039_m.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><a class='fancybox' href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2064/2416831330_693f925e9c.jpg?v=0" rel="lightbox[post]"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189497809211416530" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2064/2416831330_693f925e9c_m.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><a class='fancybox' href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3110/2416010853_854bfe4430.jpg?v=0" rel="lightbox[post]"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189497809211416530" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3110/2416010853_854bfe4430_m.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712968733530831476.post-34548923818596993492008-04-09T12:18:00.000-07:002010-05-31T08:13:01.865-07:00WelcomeIf you're like me then you love Disc Golf. I get together with some friends about twice a week to play at the local course. I know roughly what my average score is, but I'd like to keep track of my scores better. And it would be awesome to be able to compare my scores to all my friends scores!<br /><br />This is why I am developing a simple application to do this and a couple other cool things.<br />The app is codenamed "Disc Golf App".<br /><br />"Disc Golf App" let's you:<br /><ul><li>Track your scores on each course so you can compare with your friends.</li><li>Find any disc golf course and get turn-by-turn directions to it.</li><li>Map out an entire course with GPS locations, fill in the details simply by drawing on the map with your finger and sharing your course map with your friends and the community.</li><li>Read reviews, see photos and videos of a course before you play it for the first time.<br /></li><li>Easily share scores, videos and photos of your golf trip with your friends.</li><li>Select the disc that will get you closest to the pin based on your throwing history and the history of others.<br /></li><li>Use the built in GPS range finder to determine exactly how far away you are from the pin and the edge of the water.</li><li>Schedule a game with your friends.</li><li>Analyze crazy detailed statistics and graph your progress.<br /></li><li>Check the 3-day weather forecast.<br /></li><li>Meet new golfers in your area.</li></ul>And all this will run on your cell phone so you never be without it.<br /><br />Note: There will be a regular golf version as well.<br /><br />I will be release a video soon. <a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pQWHJxmu-DEwcbv9nl9AEWQ">You can sign up for email updates here</a>.<br /><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961776516310282noreply@blogger.com0