mack

Displaying users current location on map

2012-02-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

The Appcelerator mapview can be used to display any location on a map. But you can also use the mapview in ascosiation with the devices location systems to display the users current location. What we will do is create a simple application that will detect the users location using network location or GPS if the user has GPS enabled on the device. GPS is a lot more accurate and will show the users

Mapview problems

2012-02-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

Today I had a few issues regarding mapviews within Appcelerator. The mapview is an object that can be placed within a window or any other view. In this case I was adding it to a view, but the view was set to hidden by default when the app launched. The mapview itself gets fed coordinates though a piece of geolocation code but the map simply wasnt loading. After a lot of messing about I found

Motorola Mobility to be acuired by Google

2012-02-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

Google intend to take control of Motorola Mobility in a deal worth $12.5 bn (usd) If the sale goes through this will be the dawn in a new era for Google powered Android Devices. Google will not only be the software provider, they will also be the hardware manufacturer. To an extent they could be seen in many ways like apple. Delivering a device with their own opwerating system. Some may worry

Very basic Appcelerator tutorial

2012-01-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

Appcelerator is a toolkit/API that allows you to build almost native apps for Android, iPhone, iPad and Blackbery mobile devices. When learning anything new, you need to be prepared to invest some time and do your homework/research. The aim of this post is to try and help people who may be interested in getting to grips with the basics of Appcelerator Titanium Studio. Before we can get started

Appcelerator Titanium

2012-01-24T19:20:00.001-08:00

Today as more and more consumers are using smartphones, there is certainly high demand for app developers. Apps are small programs that can be installed on common smartphones such as iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. Traditional in order to build apps for these devices you had to be able to create your code from scratch. Building an app that would run on the three main platforms (Android, iOS and

Developming Mobile Apps with Appcelerator

2012-01-20T05:48:00.000-08:00

I have been interested in learning to develop mobile apps for quite some time, but the thought of learning a new programing language has been putting me off. I recently discovered Appcelerator Titanium studio. It allows you to build native apps for Android, iPhone and Blackbery using languages you may already know. Appcelerator allows you to create a project then design the user interface using

Inkjet or laser jet

2012-01-17T15:06:00.001-08:00

Been shopping about for a decent printer, and the main choices for the home or small office are laserjet it inkjet. The first step is understanding the differences between the two very different systems. Inkjet uses ink cartridges and jets the ink onto the paper. Laserjet uses tonner and works by lasering the toner onto the paper. In terms of speed laserjet can print a lot quicker, but inkjet

The importaince of backup up your files

2012-01-14T21:07:00.000-08:00

Its not a case of will you have a hardware failure, but when will you have a hardware failure. Anything can and will fail given enough time, so its worth making sure all your data and files are backed up safely. I have seen instances where users have backed up their files on the same disk drive. If that drive fails not only will they loose their original files, but their backups as well. It is

Should Google check Android apps

2012-01-12T04:45:00.000-08:00

In recent times Apple have come under fire for operating what can be seen as a "walled garden" when it comes to their App Store. If you are a developer and you want to release an app on the iPhone or other device running iOS your app needs to be approved by Apple before it can be accessed vie the App store. Some developers claim this gives Apple an unfair advantage and prevents mobile developers

What is SOPA

2012-01-11T18:46:00.001-08:00

SOPA stands for "stop online piracy act" it is a bill currently being negotiated by the US government. It is also known as hr3261. The bill if passed will effectively authorise the blocking of websites that either promote piracy, or engage in piracy. The bill is aimed at websites that are involved in and/or make money from counterfeit or pirated goods such as movies or music. This bill is not

Web development past and present

2012-01-04T20:42:00.001-08:00

In the past being a webmaster was all about knowing enough about everything to get by. Now the term webmaster is probably a very loosly used term to refer to the lead developer of a team. Today the industry has so many advanced sub sections that it would be almost impossible to effectivly know and use them all. Within a corporate environment you will have the lead developer, designers, coders,

Overview of Facebook Timeline

2012-01-02T15:19:00.000-08:00

The new Timeline feature that Facebook are rolling out to replace the Wall has many improvements on its predecessor, but how many of these new features will be widely used and how much of a new privacy issue does it open up for existing users. As it stands the wall is more or less a scrolling page that shows any Facebook activity with newest events being shown first. The Timeline uses a similar

How to activate Timeline profiles on Facebook

2012-01-01T13:47:00.000-08:00

If you are a facebook user you will no doubt have come across users who have already received the new "Timeline" profile layout. This is something Facebook are slowly rolling out across the entire member-base, so sooner or later all users will get it. You can however opt in to receive the new Timeline feature now and it will be available on your account right away. The first thing you need to do

Happy new year 2012

2011-12-31T07:46:00.000-08:00

As we see out the final hours of 2011 I would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone the very best for 2012. For me it has been a very interesting year, and in some respects a very challenging year. As the new year approaches its important to look back, but its a lot more important to look forward. Who knows what the next twelve months will bring, but its time to make new descisions, set

I see problems ahead for Facebook

2011-12-26T15:48:00.000-08:00

Facebook has rapidly climbed the popularity ladder to become the world most popular social networking website, but has it done enough to ensure it stays there? I see one potential problem that facebook is starting to face, and I do not see an easy solution or simple measure Facebook can implement to address this issue. I am pretty sure that from time to time most Facebook users will have

I'm back

2011-12-26T15:39:00.000-08:00

I have had a bit of a break from blogging, but i have decided to give it another shot and get back to regular posting. I usually tend to set up blogs using proper domain names, and hosting, but I am curious to see how effective a blog can be using a free provider, in this case Blogger. My new year resolution will be to continue adding content on a regular basis. I also want to launch a new

Twitter to receive close to 100 million in funding

2009-09-27T09:57:00.001-07:00

Come on, 100 million USD for a social site with very little scope to make money. It appears Twitter is happy to stop loosing so much by securing seed money when they should be looking to capitalize now and actual turn cash flow positive. I suspect we will be seeing quite a lot of changes to twitter. They need to start generating revenue. There has been speculation about charging for commercial

Google 11 today

2009-09-27T09:46:00.001-07:00

Today as I was carying out some searches I noticed a strange Google logo. I went to the homepage and iGoogle and saw the same logo. The conventional Google had been replaced by Googlle. My first through was this is some form of hack, because the image looked slightly pixelated where the two "l"'s where. Soon after I duscovered September the 27th is Googles birthday. So it appears the LL was

Expressions blend and Visual studio

2009-09-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

I have been using Visual studio for years now, and although I don't clame to be a coding expert it does what it does and I can use it to easily create Windows applications. Expressions blend is very different. When I first started using Blend I was under the impression that you would be able to open projects either in Expressions Blend or VB.net (Visual Studio). This is not the case. In order to