10 iOS Tutorials that Changed a Cop to a Coder

Derek Langton, an 18 year veteran of the Massachusetts State Troopers, spent a year learning iOS development to help his husband. Together they are now building, Smoopa, a price-checking app. It’s a great story about what you can accomplish when you dedicate yourself to something new and how it’s never too late for it.

So long as you can occasionally work the equivalent of two full time jobs.

10 Resources Langton Used to Learn iOS

  1. Here’s a basic tutorial of how to use the camera integration with iOS.
  2. Another basic tutorial about showing alerts in iOS.
  3. One of O’Reilly Media’s many videos. This one is about building an iPhone app combining the tab bar, navigation and tab.
  4. He said this site by Ray Wenderlich had a lot of good advice.
  5. He also said this blog by Tyler Neylon had helpful tips.
  6. Langton said this site had decent articles about TableViews.
  7. This iPhone developer tips blog also has some decent tutorials.
  8. He added that this site from Matt Gallagher is good once you have the basics.
  9. Then there are university courses like this one from Stanford about developing iOS apps.
  10. Then here are similar classes from MIT.

Source: TechCrunch

Don’t use right-pointing carets on line items A common pattern on other platforms is the display of right-pointing carets on line items that allow the user to drill deeper into additional content. Android does not use such indicators on drill-down line items. Avoid them to stay consistent with the platform and in order to not have the user guess as to what the meaning of those carets may be. -developer.android.com I just don’t know what to believe anymore.
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Don’t use right-pointing carets on line items

A common pattern on other platforms is the display of right-pointing carets on line items that allow the user to drill deeper into additional content.

Android does not use such indicators on drill-down line items. Avoid them to stay consistent with the platform and in order to not have the user guess as to what the meaning of those carets may be.

-developer.android.com

I just don’t know what to believe anymore.

A Passion for Mobile

Why Mobile?

I’ve had a passion for mobile since January 9th, 2007.

On that day, a man in a black turtleneck and a pair of jeans unveiled a device that went on to change an industry. The passion that Steve Jobs brought to the Moscone Center stage sparked inspiration in me. I knew from that point that things were going to really change in the technology industry and that I wanted to be a part of it.

Since the unveiling of the original iPhone, we’ve seen iterations up to the current iPhone 4S. We’ve seen the rise of Google’s Android. We’ve also seen the iPad and other tablets storm the marketplace. It’s a fascinating and exciting time that I feel privileged to be a part of.

What’s This All About?

I’m well versed in the iOS and Android design patterns and human interface guides. As a Mobile Analyst, I follow the industry very closely and work on the design and requirements for native apps. I’ve even created an app of my own, HeroStatus, which is available on the App Store.

I’ll be using this space to talk about the industry I love and share links to interesting stories. I will be critiquing apps on iOS, Android, and the Mobile Web in regard to their usability and design.

Thanks for reading.