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DevJuice: PaintCode offers resolution independent design
PaintCode (US$99.99) is a vector drawing app that generates Quartz and Core Graphics Objective-C (and C#/MonoTouch) drawing code. First released this March, the app was inspired by Apple's introduction of the Retina iPad. It allows developers to create resolution-independent art that adapts to the physical and geometric differences between devices. It's somewhat similar to Opacity (which I'm told it is no longer under active development), but with tools that specifically target Apple's latest technology. For example, PaintCode includes a Retina preview button that lets you visualize how the art will look on higher-density displays. Supporting both OS X and iOS code generation, PaintCode was actually developed using its own tools. Clocking in at just 2.3 MB, the app bundle's slim form factor is due to the vector graphics powering its interface. PaintCode allows you to build nuanced graphics, as you can see in the gallery at the end of this post. It is aimed at both designers and programmers. It's interactive tools mimics other popular vector-based editors. You build your design in a visual layout screen, and the supporting code appears at the bottom. You choose whether the code is generated for OS X, for iOS, or C# (for Monotouch development). What's more, you can generate either ARC or Manual Retain/Release output. PaintCode's developers have spent a lot of effort creating tools tied into the way people craft applications. For example, it's possible to build color swatches and gradients that are based off a core color. Update the root color for a family, and all the members who were derived from that base color update as well. It's a very nice feature. Another great feature is PaintCode's support for frame-based layout. Anyone familiar with Interface Builder's struts and springs tools will be able to recognize how PaintCode items resize with respect to a parent frame. If you're working with text, you'll appreciate PaintCode's ability to convert strings to Bezier-based text paths. This allows the results to resize as needed, or you can add effects like gradients to the derived paths. Admittedly, PaintCode is a pricey application, retailing for about a hundred dollars. When I kicked its wheels, I found the tools relatively easy to use -- although I was given an interactive tutorial before testing it out, which certainly helped. I did encounter a few glitches along the way, which is to be expected for a tool as new and specialized as this, but quitting and restarting the app cleared up my problems. I was impressed by the overall tool, and can see it being valuable for anyone writing across devices. This is especially true if Apple, as rumored, introduces even more new iOS device form factors this autumn. PaintCode, with its vector-based art that paints with respect to points, not pixels, offers a way to build resolution independence through code. It's a tool that continue to evolve as PaintCode's customers drive its feature set. Developer Peter Krajcik told TUAW, "We want to cover all the possibilities of Apple's APIs, but we base our feature set on our user requests and the customer demand." Krajcik discussed some of the new features that will debut in the upcoming 1.2 release. The refreshed app will introduce groups, blending modes, group clipping, SVG import, and enhanced shadow control. It's just entering beta now, and should ship within the next month or two, depending of course on the whims of the App Store. PaintCode's site offers a trial version to test out before buying, lots of examples and tutorial videos, and a wealth of documentation. %Gallery-162730%
Black and Decker screwdriver senses your hand movement to adjust speed, direction (video)
Were you feeling the need for new tech to replace the switches that control direction and speed on your cordless screwdriver? Us neither, but we're not the braintrust at Black & Decker, which just launched the Gyro 4V Max, the "world's first motion-activated screwdriver." The company put an InvenSense MEMS gyroscope in the new model, so all you have to do to change the direction or speed is rotate your drilling hand one way or the other in varying amounts. After you've polished off that Ikea shelf, it should be ready the next time you haul it out of the toolbox, with a Lithium-ion battery that stays juiced for as long as 18 months. Judging by the video below the break, it actually looks pretty clever, and at $40, why not start dragging your tools out of the stone age?
Visualized: industrial vending machines are a modder's best friend
The perfect compliment to a massive hackerspace like Massachusetts's Artisan's Asylum? An industrial vending machine stocked with all the necessities for your average modder. Fastenal specializes in business industrial vending machines, stocking up units with things like office and first aid supplies. The company also provides cutting tools and materials for welders and metal fabricators, making it a bit of a godsend for hackerspace communities, where venturing out to a hardware store often means an annoying interruption of a project's workflow -- or, as a woman at the space told us: a lot of people order takeout because they don't want leave when they're working, so it sort of makes sense that the space would offer up such a solution. Members swipe their cards, applying the charges to their membership accounts. The thing stocks welding gloves, dust masks, screw drivers, tape measures, various adhesives and multi-tools, so modders never have to leave to safety of their hackerspace again.
EVE Evolved: New tools for the community
Earlier this week, CCP Games released a much-needed complete overhaul of the official EVE Online website. Having been in operation for nine long years, the old website had become a mismatch of marketing information aimed at new players and tools for the existing player community. The overhaul split the page into two awesome websites, with a new community site to cater to existing players and an impressive new main page to attract future players. The main page uses HTML 5 to deliver incredible interactive views of the EVE Online galaxy and dozens of in-game ships right there on the website. The community website houses all of the news, devblogs, knowledgebase articles, fictional chronicles, and support tools that existing players use, but with a much neater layout than the old website. In web developer CCP Alice's recent In Development video, she revealed that the team would be working on new community tools following the launch of the new websites. With the community site completely de-cluttered, there's now room to incorporate a lot of the tools players want or currently use, opening up some interesting possibilities. In this week's EVE Evolved, I discuss the new EVE Online website and community portal and speculate on awesome new community tools we might possibly see in the future.
It's okay to peek: phone size comparison tool reveals how your equipment stacks up
See any trend emerging here? Yes, we agree that Google's phones are getting hotter with each generation, but that's not the answer we're looking for. Here's a hint: if you examine the above image really closely, you might also discover a progression toward larger handsets. In all seriousness, the above comparison was generated by phone-size.com, a website that's quite useful to study the relative proportions of different smartphones. But wait, it gets even better. At the top of the webpage, you'll also find a toolbar to plug in the size and aspect ratio of your display. Once you jump through this minor hoop, the utility produces accurate, life-size depictions of the smartphones -- go ahead and hold your slab up to the screen, it really works. Before you dive in, however, be sure to hop the break: we've put together an entertaining look at the Xperia Mini, Titan and Streak 5 that you won't want to miss.
PhoneGap v1.3 brings better cross-platform app coding to Windows Phone
Nitobi's PhoneGap project helps app developers to code for multiple mobile OSs simultaneously, thanks to the open standard wonders of HTML5, JavaScript and CSS. It's supported Windows Phone since the beginning, but v1.3 builds on that friendliness by opening up the API's full feature set and hence every limb and organ of a Mango handset, from the compass right through to storage and notifications. New plug-ins yield extra goodies, like Live Tile updates, BingMaps Search and social networking integration. Plus, in the interests of fairness, the full list of improvements (at the source link) contains some nuggets for Android, iOS and BlackBerry coders too.
iFaith v1.4 allows downgrade to iOS 5.0, jailbreaker's dream come true
In the game of Apple versus the jailbreakers, Cupertino threw the community a curveball with iOS 5's newly restricted downgrade system which blocks devices from restoring to old 5.x firmware. With the help of his noble steed iFaith (a custom Windows tool), hacker iH8sn0w has found a way around the firmware block, making it possible for dumped iOS 5 signature hash blobs (SHSH blobs) to permit unsigned restores. Why all the fuss about downgrading to prohibited firmware? Prominent iOS hackers MuscleNerd and pod2g have stated that the first untethered jailbreak will arrive on iOS 5.0 and, as such, may require iFaith's downgrade process to facilitate user restores. While the jailbreak is still under construction, iFaith should assure disheartened users in the community that all is not lost. Want to learn about blobs, blobs, and more blobs? Continue past the break to view iH8sn0w's informative video.
NaNoWriMo: Some helpful hints and tools
This morning, I noticed a tweet from @rvbelzen that said, "As a NaNoWriMo veteran, do you have any tips for this NaNoWriMo newbie, maybe an article you wrote about it?" Most of the posts that I've done about National Novel Writing Month for TUAW have focused on the tools, not on the technique. Based on the tweet, I thought I'd give you some hints from a three-time NaNoWriMo winner (that means you wrote a 50,000-word novel in the month of November) about how to prepare for the writing marathon. Helpful Hints For Writing Your NaNoWriMo Novel 1) Make sure you have a broad outline of your plot and characters in your mind or on paper. This was the hardest part for me the first two years I did NaNoWriMo, as I had a story in my head but didn't spend the time to think of characters or how the story was going to evolve. As a result, those first two novels were only about halfway through the total plot line when I got to 50,000 words. What I suggest is sitting down with your favorite writing tool -- whether that's TextEdit, Word, Storyist, Story Mill, Scrivener, or another other writing tool, and just write a quick outline of how the story is going to unfold. Come up with character names and a rough description, locations, etc., and write them down as well. 2) At some point on November 1st, sit down for an uninterrupted spell of writing. In order to write 50,000 words in a month, you'll need to average 1,667 words a day. I find that setting aside time to write in a place where I'm not going to be interrupted by talk, TV, or tweets is essential. If you're enthusiastic about your story, that 1,667 words is going to flow out of you, and you'll find that some days you're writing 2,500 words. Go for it on those days, because you'll have other days when you need to take a break. My favorite place to write NaNoWriMo novels? The kitchen table. The chair is uncomfortable, so I need to write quickly so I can get out of it ASAP. 3) It's all about words, not about tools. I've noticed over the last few days that I see more and more tweets about "which tool should I use?" There are debates going on about the merits of Storyist versus Scrivener, or using one of the many minimalist writing tools. Here's my take on the writing tools: don't go out of your way to buy a new app that has lots of bells and whistles, because they'll get in the way of writing your novel. Many of the novel-writing apps have ways to write outlines, build character cards, etc. I found these tools to be so incredibly distracting that I finally just started using minimalist tools. You can easily write a NaNoWriMo novel in Pages or Word -- you don't need an "author's tool" unless you really think it will help you. My second NaNoWriMo novel was actually written in TextEdit. 4) Have fun writing. If NaNoWriMo turns into a chore, you're not going to make it. For me, writing fiction ends up being so much different from blogging and writing tech books that it's an absolute joy. I love thinking up characters, putting them in odd situations, and then trying to get them out of those situations while moving the plot forward. Are they well-written novels? Probably not. But it's been a blast writing them. To make writing fun, think about something that either excites you or makes you laugh, and then use that as a key launching point for your novel. This year, I'm resurrecting a character from last year. He's a private detective in the near future (about 10 years from now) who gets involved in some rather bizarre situations like a locked-room murder on a space station and (this year) being injected with nano-particles that cause him to grow. 5) Start fast. Seriously, try to beat your 1,667-word goal every day for the first 10 days. That way, you might be halfway done with the novel by the time November 10th rolls around. What does that mean? You can take a break from writing if you absolutely feel like it, or take more time focusing on a key point of the plot. My wife was a NaNoWriMo winner last year and she totally amazed me by writing almost half of her novel in the first five days of November. I like to start fast and finish at a comfortable pace. 6) Don't focus on spelling or grammar. Once again, this is all about word count. It doesn't have to be perfect. You just want to get the story out of your system and onto the screen (or paper, if you so desire). When you're done at the end of the month, you have a working rough draft that you can then spend time cleaning up. So turn off the spell and grammar check, or ignore the red underlines that mean you misspelled something. Chances are very good that you're not going to publish your book anyway, so who cares if it is filled with misspellings and lousy sentence structure? As long as you're happy with it, that's what counts. 7) Keep your writing to yourself. There's nothing worse than thinking that you're doing a bad job when you're writing. It will absolutely defeat you from getting your novel completed. One of the biggest mistakes you can make during NaNoWriMo is to let somebody else read what you've written. Why? Well, everyone's a critic these days, and the reader will have no hesitation telling you that what you've written is horrible or pointing out mistakes. Wait until December 1, 2011, and let them read it then. Don't even talk about your novel with other folks, unless you're just telling them how much fun you're having and how far along you are. 8) Work through writer's block. Here's something I had issues with the first year I did NaNoWriMo. I was about one-third of the way through the novel and just lost focus. I had thought a lot about the beginning of the book, but didn't have a clue where I was going. Preparation (see hint #1) will help this, but realize that you're going to have days where you just can't get the brain to wrap around writing! What do I do on these days? Try to write anyway. If I need help, I pick up a favorite good book and read parts of it, carefully noting the way that the writer crafted certain phrases or created a twist that caught my attention. That's usually enough to motivate me to write more. Also consider taking a walk or doing something to clear your mind. I find that walking is a great way to get my mind to focus on developing plot points or thinking about dialogue. 9) Back up your novel every single day. I've been lucky -- I've never lost any of my writing. But can you imagine how depressing it would be to get two-thirds of the way through your novel and then lose the file? It would be enough to make you never want to write again! I highly recommend doing multiple backups of your novel file every day. My base document is always sitting in a folder on Dropbox, which means that it's also downloaded to the Dropbox folder on both of my Macs. That's three copies right there, plus I always have a Time Machine backup going. That's four. Am I paranoid enough? Probably. 10) Keep your eye on the goal. That's going to motivate you more than anything. Thinking about getting to that 50,000th word is a daunting thing, but you'll be surprised just how quickly your words will add up. Take the writing one day at a time, try to stretch your daily total over the required 1,667 words, and you'll be a winner before the end of the month. I have to admit that there's no better feeling than wrapping up a NaNoWriMo novel, even when I know that nobody will probably read it. Having done this three times, I'm confident that I can write another novel, and I'm looking forward to that sense of accomplishment at the end of November. Tools Of The NaNoWriMo Writer When you're thinking about which tool to use to write your novel, keep hint #3 in mind -- it's about writing, not about tools. I really do get irritated with the annual debates over which app is better than another, but then again I'm an antisocial curmudgeon. I've tried 'em all, but the two apps that I find work the best for me are TextEdit and Microsoft Word. Get a blank piece of digital paper and start writing. I haven't tried Pages, although I'm sure it would work swimmingly in the "typewriter" Lion full-screen mode. Maybe this year? Most of the writing tools that people spend their money on before tackling NaNoWriMo fall into two camps -- the "Swiss Army Knife" apps that have all the bells and whistles, and the "Minimalist" apps that just give you a blank page and a word count. Here are some examples of both types. "Swiss Army Knife" Writing Apps I think I've tried each and every one of these apps at one point or another, and even though I've used them to start NaNoWriMo novels, I've always just transferred my text to another app within a day or two. Your mileage may vary, and you may make use of all of the many features of these apps. I won't go into a lot of detail about each of the apps; the developers have info for you and in many cases will let you download a trial copy: Scrivener (US$44.49) Storyist ($59.99 for Mac, $9.99 for iPad) StoryMill ($49.95) Manuscript ($39.99) Ulysses ($19.99) CopyWrite ($24.99) DEVONThink ($49.99): Actually more of an outlining tool, but can be used for writing. OmniOutliner ($39.99): Once again, an outlining tool that is perfect for writing. Also available on iPad for $19.99. Minimalist Writing Apps WriteRoom ($24.99): available for both Mac and iOS ($4.99) Ommwriter Däna ($4.99): available for both Mac and iPad at the same low price! Byword ($9.99) Clean Writer ($0.99): available for Mac and iPad Writer ($2.99) Grandview ($4.99) iAWriter ($9.99): also available for iPad ($0.99) I'm sure there are a lot more tools available, but I'll leave this as an exercise for TUAW readers to go out and do some research. If you find any, please let us know in the comments. Also, if you're a NaNoWriMo winner and have some additional hints and tips, be sure to write a comment. By the way, in case you're wondering how long this post is, it's 1827 words. That's more than a person needs to write every day to be a NaNoWriMo winner. YOU CAN DO IT!
Gerber Steady multi-tool includes tripod, puts Bear Grylls and Ken Rockwell on common ground
Ever been on a six-mile hike and needed a miniature tripod to snap a picture of you and your fellow explorers? Yeah, we've been there too. As luck would have it, Gerber is throwing the much needed, but usually too cumbersome, camera accessory into one of its next multitools. Behold the Steady, a new member of the company's jack of all trades tool family. However, this one, with its pair of legs on one side and a folding tripod screw on the other, will make that all-important group shot in the middle of nowhere much less of a challenge. Of course, the usual 12 tool arsenal is included along with a knife... perhaps for opening all those frustration-included memory cards and dehydrated meal packages that you'll carry along. You'll be able to snatch the pocket tool up sometime next year for $65, moving your Joby one step closer to unemployment.
TUAW's Daily Mac App: IceClean
OS X does a pretty good job of maintaining itself due to its Unix core, but there are times when you'd like to run some of its self maintenance tasks manually, and that's where IceClean comes in. Just using the built-in Unix System Tasks that underlay OS X, you can clean out system caches for both the user and root, delete temporary files and remove log files all from IceClean's menu-orientated UI. If you feel your Safari is a trudging a little, there's even an option for a Deep Safari Cleanup, which should go someway to helping speed up your experience. IceClean isn't all about cleaning though, it features a whole host of maintenance options including the usual verification and repair of your system disk, disk permissions and .plist files, as well as database optimizations including Launch Services. You can run the whole lot with one command or even schedule the maintenance tasks to be run daily, weekly or monthly at a time to suit you. IceClean can also poll the system for all sorts of information like system, disk and kernel information. Whois and network lookup tools are there too for network diagnostics. You can also force a Time Machine backup, kill Dashboard, speed up Spotlight indexing, force empty the Trash, modify screenshot settings and perform many other small tasks using the Utilities menu. IceClean is a one stop shop for most of your maintenance needs. It's not as user friendly as other options like Onyx, but for the sheer utility built into one app, IceClean is worth the free download.
Adobe adds support for iOS development into Flash Builder, Flex
Adobe has updated its Adobe Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5 tools to support the Apple iPad and iPhone as well as the BlackBerry PlayBook. The app development tools let a developer build one app and distribute it across multiple platforms. Developers can add support for tabbed applications and landscape mode. Apps can also be optimized specifically for the iPhone or the 9.7-inch display of the iPad. A change in Apple policy last September paved the way for developers to create iOS apps using third-party tools like those made available by Adobe. Earlier this year, Adobe introduced Wallaby, an experimental tool that lets developers convert FLA files to an HTML5 format compatible with iOS. Developers interested in Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5 can buy the tools as stand-alone applications or part of the Creative Suite 5.5 Web Premium and Master Collection. Below is a video of the tools in action.
Microsoft-approved tool fixes your 'walshed' Windows Phone, helps you get official updates once more
There are certainly advantages to rooting your Windows Phone 7 device, but there's a heck of a downside too -- Microsoft can't update your handset to the latest and greatest build if you've unofficially patched your phone. Good to know, but what if you've already done the deed? That's why you'll want the application above, a ChevronWP7-tested, Microsoft-approved program for pulling your phone out of Bizzaro World and setting things right. Find it at our source link, follow the instructions carefully, and don't fret if the official update doesn't immediately appear after you're done -- developer Chris Walsh says availability of the build depends on carrier approval. [Thanks, Brianna]
Robonaut 2 gets unboxed in space, plans for galactic domination
Remember that nondescript space shuttle that launched about a month ago -- you know, the one responsible for carrying this here nondescript humanoid robot into the outer reaches of our galaxy? Well, things went according to plan and the robot has been successfully deployed in the International Space Station, making way for the first ever robot-human space crew. R2, weighing in at 300 pounds with just a torso, head and two arms, cost NASA and GM a cool $2.5 million to build, and there's no telling what kind of handling fees were applied when shoving him into his SLEEPR crate. Because of his dexterity, the bot is up above the clouds to help out with chores and assist crew members with science experiments and handling human tools -- easy for us to say, but even easier for you to grok if you slam the play button just after the break.
GameSpy making multiplayer tech free for smaller-scale titles
GameSpy has announced that it's making the multiplayer framework used by a number of modern games (including Red Dead Redemption and Bulletstorm) free to any developer interested in using it. Developers of any size can get access to the code and tech required to integrate multiplayer matchmaking, player tracking, cloud data services and anything else needed to keep a large-scale multiplayer game up and running on almost any platform, even including cross-platform play. "Free" has its limits, of course -- companies can't run a Bulletstorm-sized game using GameSpy's tech and get away with not paying at all. But much like the recent Unreal Engine 3 changes, this decision allows smaller developers to use and test the technology without any overhead costs. GameSpy's Senior Product Manager Sean Flinn tells Joystiq the service will be free below a modest cut-off point and that the company will have "additional pricing tiers" announced later this spring for titles with larger player bases. "We're not being super strict about the usage limits at launch," he says, though GameSpy will "continue to offer a paid tier of service for unlimited numbers of users and premium support." Flinn says GameSpy is "betting big on the success of indie and start-ups," and it's hoping that independent developers using the service for free now will eventually grow to "need online services that match their ambition." Interested devs can join up with the program starting today.
Motorola Atrix 4G gets the teardown treatment, fourth G nowhere to be found
If our review of the Atrix left you hungering for more, you can now feast your eyes on the guts of Motorola's new Android powerhouse. Thanks to the folks at iFixit, its teardown reveals a familiar range of parts -- 16GB of NAND flash, 960x540 PenTile LCD, 1GB DDR2 RAM and that beast of a NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU. What's more, is that the teardown brings to light some enticing news -- the glass panel is not glued to the LCD. This allows for the clumsy to not have to spend the extra dough if they crack the glass (which is usually affixed to the display). Hit the source link if you've got your Atrix and are ready to dismantle the thing yourself. P.S. -- There is a Qualcomm MDM6200 HSPA+ chip inside the phone. The title is meant to be a joke in reference to misconceptions about 4G wireless technology. You can read about them here.
EVE Online player creativity -- Ship fitting edition
Two months ago, CCP started a new series of monthly EVE Online devblogs showcasing the game community's creative efforts. The EVE community is known for its artwork and incredible fan-made videos, but through CCP Fallout's monthly blog series, we've come to see some of the community's other creative endeavours. In previous editions, Fallout looked at in-game news and politics website EVE News 24, question and answer site Skill Training Complete, an impressive minecraft video of a scale Gallente shuttle, and a collection of EVE podcasts. In the latest issue, CCP looks at some of the latest developments that have drawn attention during December. There's an impressive video showing off the new EVE character creator that will be going live with Incursion 1.1 later this month. The video shows off both male and female avatars. Also covered is the Python Fitting Assistant, a cross-platform offline ship fitting tool similar to the very popular EVE Fitting Tool. The highlight of this month's blog has to be LOLFITS, a website where players can post some of the monumentally bad ship setups they've seen players use. If you think your ship setups are poor, I guarantee they're spectacular compared to some of the hilarious setups on LOLFITS.
Apple iAds Producer helps you produce iAds for iOS devices
We know how it is, you want to be a hotshot developer, but all that coding sounds like daunting work. Never mind, Apple's got your back with its new iAds producer, which automates all the HTML5 and CSS3 stuff into the background and leaves you to focus on the crucial task of picking out templates and components for your perfect iAd. To be fair to this new dev tool, it does more than merely dumb down the design process. It also includes "sophisticated" JavaScript editing and debugging, a built-in simulator for testing your creation, and a project validator that checks your code for common errors. Hit the source link to give it a try.
Unreal Engine 3 dev kit adding iOS support tomorrow, Infinity Blade clones coming Friday
The Unreal Engine 3 already made a quite spectacular debut on iOS with Epic Games' own Infinity Blade, but the company's decided it's time to finally stop teasing and give us the software to really play with it. Tomorrow's planned update to the UDK will deliver iOS support, meaning that all the fancy tools that helped make Infinity Blade such a blindingly gorgeous game will be at your fingertips should you be feeling creative. Licensing for the Engine is free for testing and non-commercial use, but you'll have to pay $99 if you want to sell anything you produce with it, to be followed by a 25 percent slice of your earnings beyond $5,000 and, of course, Apple's 30 percent cut of whatever's left. That might not sound like the best business plan in the world, but consider that Infinity Blade is estimated to have racked up over $1.5 million in sales already -- we're sure there'll be enough change left for ice cream even after Epic and Apple have had their share.
Microsoft demoes Twitter and Netflix apps for Windows Phone 7, releases final dev tools
Coming this holiday season to a Windows Phone 7 phone near you: Twitter, Netflix, Flixster, OpenTable, and Travelocity apps. The adroit coders behind those slices of software have managed to put together enough eye candy for Microsoft to highlight them as part of its announcement that the WP7 developer tools have been finalized. It doesn't sound like anything dramatic has changed from the beta -- which seems fitting given how close to the actual launch we now are -- but a new Bing Maps Control SDK has been issued, allowing access to a cornucopia of map-related coding opportunities. We're sure you're just over the moon about that. Go past the break for a couple of Microsoft's demo vids as well as a little Seesmic teaser or click the source for more.
Apple loosens reins, allows 3rd party iOS dev tools with caveat
Here's a surprise we didn't expect this morning -- or ever, for that matter -- Apple has changed its stance on iOS app development, now allowing all tools "...as long as the resulting apps do not download any code." Theoretically, this would include Adobe Flash CS5 but certainly includes tools like Unity. [Note that while the Flash CS5 authoring environment may be kosher, this rule still excludes the Flash browser plugin due to the no-downloaded-code clause. –Ed.] In addition, Apple has published the App Store Review Guidelines for the very first time. We'll be anxious to hear what developers have to say after giving those guidelines a good read. You'll remember a recent change in Apple's SDK language that prohibited iOS apps to be written with anything other than Apple-approved tools, including Flash. This led to a viciously bitter spat between Adobe and Apple (though it really seemed to be between Jobs and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen) with both sides setting up their tents and firing barbs. To say that this morning's change is dramatic is an understatement. Great, now I have to be on the lookout for 3 other horsemen for the rest of the day. [Via Engadget]
