wwdc2010
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WWDC App demos: Corkulous and Todo
Corkulous is an iPad app that attempts to simulate a real cork board (similar to Kai Cherry's KorQBord, which we've mentioned before). You can add notes, labels and photos, and you can add boards inside of boards, which gives you almost infinitely nestable surface areas to play in. Of all the bulletin board apps I've seen out there, Corkulous likely wins for the ease-of-use and power tools. It's a healthy mix on both sides that'll get you using it quickly, but gives just enough tools to get the job done. One thing they are working on is my #1 complaint: zooming. Being able to zoom out and see things in a mind map-style format would be very useful. Check the video above for a walkthrough of this app. I was a big fan of the Todo app on my iPhone, as it was surprisingly versatile for a "simple" to-do app. Unfortunately, I didn't much like the Appigo Mac application used to sync because it was tied to one machine and didn't loop into any other services I used. I went to Things for a while, but when the iPad version of Todo emerged, I took another look. In fact, I dusted off my old Toodledo account and jumped right back into what is now a very elegant end-to-end solution. Check out the video on the next page for a brief look at Todo. Note that Todo does a lot of great things, and we'll do a deeper dive into functionality later in the summer.
App demo: SonicPics
SonicPics does something I'd been wanting an app to do for a long time: create annotated slideshows with timing you direct. The demo speaks for itself, but I have to say that, after testing, it works as advertised. There could be some UI tweaks, but the act of creating slideshows that move to the next slide as you speak and when you want them to move is as simple as it gets. First, you select the photos you want in a show, then you flip to each photo in sequence as you record your voice. The timing of each photo is done in sync to the audio, and that part is quite intuitive. Less intuitive are some of the other controls, but perhaps that's just my penchant for attractively-skinned interfaces. SonicPics has uses beyond simple photo galleries. I could see using this to walk through a UI demo, for example. The app is flexible and can export .m4v files to YouTube or transfer to your Mac using WiFi. You can try the Lite version here, or buy the full version for $2.99.
App demo: Round the Clock
Over the next week I'll share the 30+ app demos we caught on tape at WWDC 2010. To kick things off, here's Round the Clock, a productivity app from Masters of the Minute. Round the Clock takes your calendar and presents it as a pie chart for the day or week. If you love pizza, Pac Man and pie charts, you'll love Round the Clock instantly. If you love MobileMe sync on your calendars, you may not (keeping in mind that an advertised feature of iOS 4 is the ability for developers to finally access your calendar data). Google calendar sync does work, however, which is quite nice. At US$9.99, however, you may want to determine if the bells and whistles are worth the cost. While Round the Clock seems a bit gimmicky, there are a few nice things besides the presentation of data here. First, there are extra edges to pie wedges to indicate travel times so your schedule can accommodate those. Next, there's a simple swipe movement to change days or weeks or even months on the calendar. Why Apple's Calendar app doesn't do this I'll never know. You can also shake at any time to return to the "Today" view -- although in real life I've found shaking an app can lead to unintended consequences (sliding down a bench can indicate a "shake" to the iPhone's peabrain). Adding data in the app is actually one of the coolest features as the UI has you using sliders and nice, big buttons to enter your info. If you've ever cursed at Apple Calendar app and the crummy way data entry is handled (how many times do I have to forget to save something?), know that Round the Clock does it better. Plus, the way it handles things that happen with regularity is excellent. I guess in Cupertino nothing ever happens on "the last Thursday of every month" but in my world it happens a lot. Round the Clock is the best I've seen at tackling that specific issue.
WWDC 2010: Server Admin Remote and Workgroup Manager Remote for iPad
One of the most technical, and yet powerful, apps I saw at WWDC last week was Server Admin Remote, an iPhone and iPad app designed by three guys in Germany calling themselves Harlekins. The app is modeled after Apple's own Server Admin tool for Mac OS X server, and basically allows for complete server administration right on the iPad or iPhone. All three developers from Harlekins are IT guys on their own, so they say that they've designed "a tool for IT staff, by IT staff." I don't have a lot of experience in server administration, but Server Admin Remote seems like a powerful tool. While most of the app is modeled after Apple's own tool (with Apple's blessing -- they've spoken with Apple's OS X server engineers, who told the guys that they were extremely impressed with the app), there are some parts of the program that are actually unique to the mobile version. You can not only browse various servers around the world, but you can view data for each server, check the logfiles remotely, and even do things like see the process lists or actually restart the server directly from the iPad app.
devsugar: WWDC 2010 videos, slides, and sample code now available
Paid members of the iOS developer program who did not attend WWDC may want to head on over to Apple's WWDC 2010 video page. Roughly a billion hours (if my quick calculations can be believed) of WWDC session video is now available for download from iTunes. You'll be able to find videos on topics from application frameworks to graphics to core OS topics to dev tools. Sample code and slides are also available. Please keep in mind that this material remains under NDA, so we will leave the content specifics as an exercise for the reader. Go enjoy your videos!
WWDC 2010: iZen Garden for iPad
Last week at WWDC, we met up with Jive DeVoe -- he's the developer behind the iZen Garden app for the iPhone, iPod touch, and, just recently, the iPad. The app purports to be a zen garden simulation, and it works as exactly that -- you can rake patterns in the sand, or put over 130 objects like stones, plants, or leaves on the ground and resize them as you like. In fact, everything in this app is "as you like." Rather than a directed experience, DeVoe called it a "coffee table app" -- something that you lay out on a coffee table, either with others or just on your own, and experiment with at whatever pace strikes you as right. He's added some features over time -- one of the most requested was a meditation timer, and so the iPad app comes with an option for background noise, as well as a timer that will stop or even put the iPad to sleep whenever you want. DeVoe's also put a few of his own little touches in the app: if you look closely at the screen while tilting it around, you'll see the shadows underneath the objects move with the accelerometer, a very subtle effect that you'll only notice if you look for it. DeVoe has played around with prices quite a bit since his app hit the store one day one way back when. He's been as high as US$7.99, and as low as $3.99 (which is where the iPhone version is currently set), and he decided to put the iPad app at $5.99. He doesn't want to go much lower than that -- at 99 cents, he says, there's more money to be made, but there's almost a stigma against pricing so low, as if a 99 cent app is somehow worth less, even if it's well-made. Plus, he told me, "at 99 cents you lose money until you hit the top 50." There are also lite versions available, with fewer objects to see, and none of the meditation timer functionality. iZen Garden is a cool metaphor app that does what it says on the box, and in the end, DeVoe says, that's what most of his users want. The App Store, for him, is a direct connection between "my customers and me."
WWDC 2010: GameSalad brings game creation to everyone
I've seen GameSalad around before (they had a big booth at this year's MacWorld, and we've mentioned them here on TUAW a few times), but I've never actually spoken to anyone who works for the Austin, TX based company. Fortunately, senior platform director Michael Herring found some time to come say hi at WWDC this week, and he spoke with me about the development system that hopes to bring iPhone and iPad app creation to everyone. He did walk me through the app quickly, but since it's a free download over on their website, you can go see it for yourself if you want. The idea is that you set up a series of "actors," and then you add a set of rules for those actors (what happens when they touch or get directions from the keyboard, etc.) that will eventually make up a full game. GameSalad doesn't actually require any coding knowledge, but Herring told me that it did require a little bit of know-how in terms of how games work. You can easily make a game system with the app (and even veteran developers often use it for quick prototyping), but to actually make a working game that people will want to play, you'll have to bring your own trial-and-error patience and balancing effort.
iPad dev mugged at WWDC gets hooked up by Apple
San Francisco isn't the most dangerous city in the world, but like any major city it has its fair share of property crimes. When Chinese developer Stone (just the one name) came to San Francisco to attend WWDC at Apple's request (he worked on QQ, China's pick of IM clients for Tencent), I doubt he thought he would wind up getting mugged. Last week, I saw my share of iPhones being used on the MUNI, but never an iPad. I guess we know why -- Stone pulled out his iPad on the bus and was promptly mugged. He wound up with a broken rib and some lumps on the head, plus a shattered iPad screen. Although the iPad still worked (don't forget, it is magical and revolutionary), the screen was pretty well demolished. Stone went to the Apple Store and, upon hearing his plight, they gave him a shiny new one. The old one will be wiped and recycled, but before heading home the developer was treated to one of those trademark one-line Steve Jobs emails: "safe travels home." Stone still has to deal with the trauma of what happened, but it's nice to see Apple taking care of this guy. It's sad that he came all this way to be subjected to such violence. [Via M.I.C Gadget]
WWDC 2010: Hands-on with Max Adventure and interview with Imangi's Natalia Luckynova
Natalia Luckynova is half of Imangi Studios. Along with her husband Keith Shepherd, she makes iPhone and iPod games, including the popular Harbor Master and a few other titles. We got to meet up with her at WWDC last week, and she was able to show off their latest title, Max Adventure, due out for the App Store in just a few weeks' time. The game was heavily improved since I last saw it in action, and it's shaping up to be a quality dual stick shooter -- a little kiddy, but with a fun element of exploring a nice mix of environments and an actual story to follow. You can see the game above, and once you've checked it out, be sure to head after the break, where Luckynova tells us how the company's first iPad game is doing, what they think of iPhone 4 and iOS 4.0, and how she learned what a Kraken is.
WWDC 2010: Square's first steps
Square has already made a big splash with its launch -- the company, founded by Jim McKelvey, Jack Dorsey (formerly of Twitter), and Tristan O'Tierney, has created a system for accepting credit card payments through the iPhone. After a lot of secrecy and hype, the app launched on the iPad a while back. While the Square Reader (a little doohickey you can plug in the headphone port of an iOS device to swipe credit cards in) is still hard to find, we got one directly from O'Tierney himself at WWDC last week. It wasn't free -- he charged us a buck for it (and for the privilege of seeing a demo), taken by swiping my card through the reader, having me sign on the touchscreen, and emailing me a receipt in a process that was quick and painless. Well, mostly painless -- you have to hand it to a company whose demo is dependent on you giving them a buck. But I guess O'Tierney paid me back with his time -- you'll find an interview after the link below in which he tells me the weirdest use of the reader he's seen, what their biggest fraud issue has been so far, and what the company plans to do next.
WWDC 2010: Vito Technology walks on with Star Walk and Geo Walk
We met up with both Victor Toporkov and Murad Nazaraliev of Vito Technology during WWDC this past week, and while we know the company's name well from their great Star Walk and Solar Walk apps (the first one won an Apple Design Award this week, and the second one is quite popular, too), we learned some interesting facts about the history of the company. Toporkov now lives in the United States, but the company has its roots in Novosibirsk, the biggest city in Siberia. Back in the 1950s, Russia created a scientific center out in the middle of Siberia, consisting of a whole group of nuclear and scientific research facilities. Toporkov was one of those nuclear scientists, and now that the Cold War is over, he and many other scientists in that community have moved on to creating various kinds of software. In fact, the region itself is now sometimes referred to as "Silicon Forest," in a comparison with Silicon Valley in the US. I found that background fascinating. But of course, Vito is looking to the future -- after a couple of solid educational astronomy apps on the App Store, they're looking to come back down to Earth with Geo Walk. I first got to use this app back at Macworld Expo this year, but the latest version has come a long way, with lots of various nodes to browse around a 3D globe, featuring historical locations or individuals. The app is due out next week on the App Store, with an iPad version coming later in July, and Vito says they'll be pricing the app at just 99 cents -- it's meant for kids, and they're trying to find the lowest acceptable price possible.
WWDC 2010: Bartleby's Book of Buttons
Erica Sadun got a chance to see Bartleby's Book of Buttons a little while ago, and her writeup does a good job of explaining exactly what it is: an interactive book for children that uses the iPad's various features to entertain young users while also giving them a fun story to read and explore. Developer Kyle Kinkade also brought the work in progress to WWDC this past week, and we were able to see an updated build with a few new pages ready to read. "We wanted to make something that could only exist on the iPad," Kinkade told me. "As if someone had transported it back to 1937 and given it to Walt Disney" to see what he'd do. And indeed, the graphics are bright and clean, and the interactive features are both simple enough for a child to play with, but deep and varied enough to support multiple readings. Kinkade said the book was really designed for parents to read along with their children -- some of the text is a little tough for young readers, but rather than teach the kids to read, the object is to keep them interested, and help them to think about interacting with books in a new way. %Gallery-95005%
WWDC 2010: Interview with Moodboard developer Chris Nurre
I believe we've mentioned Moodboard exactly once on the site before, as one of Brett's picks back when the iPad first released. But it deserves another mention -- developer Chris Nurre of A Tiny Tribe (a company founded with a friend to help pay for skeleton equipment and travel) stopped by to see us at WWDC to both show off the app and let us know how is experience on the App Store has been going. While I'm not a designer (a mood board is a real designer's tool, kind of a collage of photos created to give inspiration or show direction), I was duly impressed by how the app has matured to fill out its space on Apple's tablet. Nurre got his app on the App Store the first day the iPad launched -- while he's also published a few iPhone apps, he wanted to try to get something right out of the gate with the bigger device, and Moodboard was it. He built the whole thing on a simulator without a real iPad, which itself is pretty impressive -- the app makes good use of multitouch to scale, size and move pictures, and he did a lot of option-clicking to simulate those in the SDK. The one thing he did have to change was a "long press" feature -- "it's a lot easier to keep a mouse still than a finger," he said, so that had to be adjusted once he actually got a device.
WWDC 2010: Firemint's app success
We've met up with the folks from Firemint before -- back at GDC, they were kind enough to show us Real Racing on the iPhone and share their plans for the iPad. Just a few months later we've found them at WWDC with the extremely popular Flight Control HD and an Apple Design award for Real Racing HD. When we talked with Firemint's community manager Alexandra Peters this week, she was quiet on their future plans. What they don't want to do, she told us, is put pressure on themselves. In addition to all of their success on the App Store, both of Firemint's apps are also playing on iPads in Apple Stores, and all of that exposure for their first iOS titles means whatever they do next has some big shoes to fill. Firemint is flattered by the Design Award, Peters told us, but she admits it "may have added even more pressure."
WWDC 2010: Matt Martel's reMovem 2
We're meeting all kinds of developers at WWDC in San Francisco this week; some from big companies with big resources (and stay tuned -- we're talking to a few of this week's Apple Design Award winners later on), and some hard-working, smaller groups. Matt Martel's Mundue is the second kind of developer. He makes the reMovem app; it's a simple little game that has you removing colored balls from the screen (in order) and trying to completely clear the board. The idea is simple and fun, but the app has grown extremely complex; it has been downloaded over 6 million times, and is now available in thirteen languages across several versions. Martel sat down this week to show off reMovem2, which is the iPad version of his app. The main difference, he told us, between the iPhone and iPad versions of the game is the screen size, but the fact that you've got more room to play with really opens up the gameplay. More balls to match can mean greater difficulty, but it also means larger scores. And though Martel started out with a single game mode, the iPad version incorporates four different modes, the option to add extra themes, a chance at in-app purchases, and, as he told me, lots of different opportunities with iOS 4 and Apple's upcoming Game Center.
WWDC 2010: In the Trenches with Thunder Game Works
Thunder Game Works kindly came by to meet up with us this week at WWDC, and Michael Taylor and Kris Jones of the company behind the popular Trenches iPhone game. They shared some insight about what they saw this week, offered us a chance to see concepts of the iPad version and check out a brand new title they're working on. What we saw was pretty impressive -- Trenches is a well-polished take on the castle assault genre, combining fun WWII-style troops and weapons with real-time line-drawing strategy. And Thunder is not only learning as they go, but seems very committed to taking their successful title and turning it into a full-fledged franchise on Apple's iDevices. The main game is on sale right now for 99 cents, and there's a free version (with some "training" features) also available. Between the two versions, the company has seen over 1.5 million installs of the game. Still, when the iPad came along, they had to think hard about whether or not they wanted to bring the game over. "We were very cagey about whether or not we wanted to go to the iPad," Taylor told me.
WWDC 2010: Show us your apps on June 10 and get a TUAW shirt
Tomorrow, June 10 (Thursday), yours truly will be camping out at the Metreon near the Moscone Center in San Francisco (Google map location here), specifically near Jillian's, in the little food court seating area (see pic, above). If you've got an app that you'd like to show the world -- and connect with our thousands of readers -- come say hi to us between noon and 5:30pm, and be prepared to show us your best! Also, the first twelve demos get a snazzy TUAW t-shirt, so that's nice, too. Come on down!
It's time to tune in TUAW TV Live
It's finally feeling like summer here at the TUAW TV Live studios in Colorado, although it's technically still spring. That means it's time for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere to start thinking about summer vacations. In addition to some of the talk about what's transpired this week at WWDC 2010, your host Steve Sande and a possible guest host are also going to talk about some apps for business and summer travel. To join in from your Mac or PC, just go to the next page by clicking the link at the bottom of this post, and you'll find a live stream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to join in on the fun by asking questions or making comments. If you're driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you're stuck in traffic, please don't -- keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone by downloading the free Ustream Viewing Application. We haven't forgotten about iPad users, as you can tune in to TUAW TV Live on your iPad! That link will send you to a non-Flash page, although you won't have access to our chat tool.
WWDC 2010: Insurrection 2035 impressions
Ever since the iPhone was introduced, we've been looking for a good location-based MMO -- a game that could rely on location information direct from the iPhone to let many different players interact with each other on a grand scale. There have been a few contenders so far (MyTown is definitely the most successful to date, and Shadowforce's Gunman has loyal fans), but I don't think anyone's really nailed that feeling of hunting players and exploring in real-life that we all dreamed of. Paranoid Games, however, is going to give it a shot with Insurrection 2035, an interesting idea for an iPhone game that's due out in early July. I got to see the game in action this week at WWDC, and while I didn't get to play it (the game is basically a map interface so far, and a lack of players means there's not a lot of action going on quite yet), Sam M makes a good pitch. The idea is a virtual version of the Assassins game, where a group of players hunts each other around real-life locations. In Insurrection, there's a "Big Brother-themed backstory" that has players working against each other, trying to predict and report other players' movements to an authority. You check-in to the app while out and about, other players can see your check-ins, and vice versa, and then if you're able to check-in and "report" someone from the same place that they're checking-in from, they're "arrested." They get a timeout from the game, and you get points towards local and worldwide leaderboards. Read on for more...
TUAW TV Live: topical talk at 5 PM EDT today
This has been quite the week in the world of Apple: the new iPhone 4 was announced, the iPhone / iPad / iPod touch operating system gained a new name, Safari 5 hit Software Update, and thousands of Mac and iOS developers are building their knowledge for the future at WWDC 2010 in San Francisco. Hmmm. Sounds like a topic or two for TUAW TV Live! Join me and a possible guest for an hour of talk about iPhone 4 lust, some demos of several apps, and even a short tutorial on how to use Apple's iPad Camera Connection Kit to move both photos and video into your iPad. All the fun starts at 5 PM EDT today, and all you need to do is drop by TUAW just before that time. The streaming video will be ready to roll, the chat will start up, and you can start basking in the glow of intense geekdom.
