Posts Categorized: Amazon Kindle

Device Detection on Steroids

Posted by & filed under Amazon Kindle, Android, Corona SDK, iPad, iPhone, NOOK, Tutorials.

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Developing for multiple devices and OS versions might seem tricky, but it’s easier if you build a comprehensive module to detect different hardware models. This week’s tutorial steps you through the entire process, allowing you to modify both content and capabilities depending on the actual device. Read further to learn how it’s done!

Friday Night Forum: Amazon Appstore Downloads Jump 500% in 2012

Posted by & filed under Amazon Kindle, Friday Night Forum.

Amazon Appstore

Based on new figures released by Amazon, 2012 was a great year to be an Android developer. Just yesterday, Amazon reported that downloads on the company’s Appstore have increased by 500% in the last year alone. Though the figures are a bit incomplete, as they lack a breakdown of free vs. paid downloads, it’s still promising data for Android devs.

App of the Week: The Enchanted Island of Yew

Posted by & filed under Amazon Kindle, App of the Week, iPad.

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Originally published by 1903, The Enchanted Island of Yew is a children’s fantasy novel written by L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz. The interactive digital version for iPad features the same enthralling story, but unwinds to the backdrop of gorgeous illustrations and unique interactive elements.

Corona: New public release is out!

Posted by & filed under Amazon Kindle, Android, Announcements, Corona SDK, iPad, iPhone, NOOK.

Today, the latest Corona public release is available for download to developers everywhere!

There’s a ton of features, improvements and bug fixes. You can read about them here in the 2012.970 release notes.

The mobile industry has established a pattern of releasing devices in the Fall in preparation for the holiday season. This season we saw the iPhone 5, Kindle Fire HD 7″ and 8.9″, Nook HD and HD+, and iPad Mini. That’s a lot of devices!

Consequently, our biggest focus this time around was on all the new devices and the OS updates that go along with them. Leading up to this public release, we’ve been pumping out daily builds in real time.

Corona, Android notifications, and cross-platform development

Posted by & filed under Amazon Kindle, Android, Corona SDK, iPhone, NOOK, Tech.

So I owe you a story on notifications on Android and Corona which is essentially a story on why cross-platform development is incredibly difficult.

Now if we were just a pure iOS platform, we’d be pumping out features very quickly. However, we also support Android. And actually, if we count our desktop app, Corona Simulator, we also support Mac and Windows.

Of all four OSs, Android really slows down our development. Internally, we have a rule of thumb that features on Android take at least 5-10 times longer. There are two main reasons…