iOS vs. Android: iOS Apps Crash More Often

AndroidAndroid app users deal with less crashes than their Apple counterparts, according to a new study by Crittercism.

Unsurprisingly, the data also showed that users of the latest updates, Android KitKat (4.4) and iOS 7.1, experience the least amount of crashes, while the older versions tend to crash more often.

Android KitKat, Jelly Bean (4.3) and Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) feature a 0.7 percent crash rate, while Gingerbread (2.3) apps crash at a 1.7 percent clip.

As for iOS, the app crashes come in at 2.5 percent of the time for iOS 7, 2.1 percent for iOS 7 and 1.6 percent for the recently-released iOS 7.1.

The device you use also makes a difference. Apple iPhone 5 users reported the least amount of crashes (1.7 percent) for iOS, while the Samsung Galaxy S4 offered users an outstanding 0.9 percent rate.

Tablets, meanwhile, are less stable than smartphones, but Crittercism sees that leveling out over time.

“As tablet adoption grows, expect developers to focus on optimizing performance for tablets, thereby bringing crash rates to be on par with smartphones,” the report said.

The iOS-Android war doesn’t end there, though.

Apple device users have a healthy appetite for iOS 7, but their Android counterparts do not have the sweet teeth for Android 4.4 KitKat, according to new data from mobile analytics firm Mixpanel.

Mixpanel reported that iOS 7 adoption has hit 85 percent, while just 8 percent of Android devices are running 4.4 or higher. As TechCrunch reports, the real-time stats are even higher for iOS 7, at about 90 percent. The high iOS 7 adoption is also noteworthy considering some users have complained about an increase in battery drain and that the interface is too bright, while some have even reported motion sickness from the mobile OS’s parallax effect.

However, the majority of Apple users are quick to update their devices, which, in turn, gives Apple an efficiency advantage over Android for software development purposes.

Design & Trend

What’s the yield keyword in Javascript?

Javascript

function *fib() {
  var i = 0, j = 1;
  while (true) {
    yield i;
    var t = i;
    i = j;
    j += t;
  }
}

var g = fib();
for (var i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  console.log(g.next().value);
}

The function containing the yield keyword is a generator. When you call it, its formal parameters are bound to actual arguments, but its body isn’t actually evaluated. Instead, a generator-iterator is returned. Each call to the generator-iterator’s next() method performs another pass through the iterative algorithm. Each step’s value is the value specified by the yield keyword. Think of yield as the generator-iterator version of return, indicating the boundary between each iteration of the algorithm. Each time you call next(), the generator code resumes from the statement following the yield.

MDN

Facebook to Acquire Oculus

Facebook OculusFacebook today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Oculus VR, Inc., the leader in immersive virtual reality technology, for a total of approximately $2 billion. This includes $400 million in cash and 23.1 million shares of Facebook common stock (valued at $1.6 billion based on the average closing price of the 20 trading days preceding March 21, 2014 of $69.35 per share).  The agreement also provides for an additional $300 million earn-out in cash and stock based on the achievement of certain milestones.

Oculus is the leader in immersive virtual reality technology and has already built strong interest among developers, having received more than 75,000 orders for development kits for the company’s virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift. While the applications for virtual reality technology beyond gaming are in their nascent stages, several industries are already experimenting with the technology, and Facebook plans to extend Oculus’ existing advantage in gaming to new verticals, including communications, media and entertainment, education and other areas.  Given these broad potential applications, virtual reality technology is a strong candidate to emerge as the next social and communications platform.

“Mobile is the platform of today, and now we’re also getting ready for the platforms of tomorrow,” said Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. “Oculus has the chance to create the most social platform ever, and change the way we work, play and communicate.”

“We are excited to work with Mark and the Facebook team to deliver the very best virtual reality platform in the world,” said Brendan Iribe, co-founder and CEO of Oculus VR. “We believe virtual reality will be heavily defined by social experiences that connect people in magical, new ways. It is a transformative and disruptive technology, that enables the world to experience the impossible, and it’s only just the beginning.”

Oculus will maintain its headquarters in Irvine, CA, and will continue development of the Oculus Rift, its ground-breaking virtual reality platform.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2014.

PRNewswire

Top 10 Google Glass Myths

Google GlassThe Top 10 Google Glass Myths

Mr. Rogers was a Navy SEAL. A tooth placed in soda will dissolve in 24 hours. Gators roam the sewers of big cities and Walt Disney is cryogenically frozen. These are just some of the most common and — let’s admit it — awesome urban myths out there.

Myths can be fun, but they can also be confusing or unsettling. And if spoken enough, they can morph into something that resembles fact. (Side note: did you know that people used to think that traveling too quickly on a train would damage the human body?)

In its relatively short existence, Glass has seen some myths develop around it. While we’re flattered by the attention, we thought it might make sense to tackle them, just to clear the air. And besides, everyone loves a good list:

Myth 1 – Glass is the ultimate distraction from the real world

Instead of looking down at your computer, phone or tablet while life happens around you, Glass allows you to look up and engage with the world. Big moments in life — concerts, your kid’s performances, an amazing view — shouldn’t be experienced through the screen you’re trying to capture them on. That’s why Glass is off by default and only on when you want it to be. It’s designed to get you a bit of what you need just when you need it and then get you back to the people and things in life you care about.

Myth 2: Glass is always on and recording everything

Just like your cell phone, the Glass screen is off by default. Video recording on Glass is set to last 10 seconds. People can record for longer, but Glass isn’t designed for or even capable of always-on recording (the battery won’t last longer than 45 minutes before it needs to be charged). So next time you’re tempted to ask an Explorer if he’s recording you, ask yourself if you’d be doing the same with your phone. Chances are your answers will be the same.

Myth 3 – Glass Explorers are technology-worshipping geeks

Our Explorers come from all walks of life. They include parents, firefighters, zookeepers, brewmasters, film students, reporters, and doctors. The one thing they have in common is that they see the potential for people to use technology in a way that helps them engage more with the world around them, rather than distract them from it. In fact, many Explorers say because of Glass they use technology less, because they’re using it much more efficiently. We know what you’re thinking: “I’m not distracted by technology”. But the next time you’re on the subway, or, sitting on a bench, or in a coffee shop, just look at the people around you. You might be surprised at what you see.

Myth 4 – Glass is ready for prime time

Glass is a prototype, and our Explorers and the broader public are playing a critical role in how it’s developed. In the last 11 months, we’ve had nine software updates and three hardware updates based, in part, on feedback from people like you. Ultimately, we hope even more feedback gets baked into a polished consumer product ahead of being released. And, in the future, today’s prototype may look as funny to us as that mobile phone from the mid 80s.

Myth 5: Glass does facial recognition (and other dodgy things)

Nope. That’s not true. As we’ve said before, regardless of technological feasibility, we made the decision based on feedback not to release or even distribute facial recognition Glassware unless we could properly address the many issues raised by that kind of feature. And just because a weird application is created, doesn’t mean it’ll get distributed in our MyGlass store. We manually approve all the apps that appear there and have several measures in place (from developer policies and screenlocks to warning interstitials) to help protect people’s security on the device.

Myth 6: Glass covers your eye(s)

“I can’t imagine having a screen over one eye…” one expert said in a recent article. Before jumping to conclusions about Glass, have you actually tried it? The Glass screen is deliberately above the right eye, not in front or over it. It was designed this way because we understand the importance of making eye contact and looking up and engaging with the world, rather than down at your phone.

Myth 7 – Glass is the perfect surveillance device

If a company sought to design a secret spy device, they could do a better job than Glass! Let’s be honest: if someone wants to secretly record you, there are much, much better cameras out there than one you wear conspicuously on your face and that lights up every time you give a voice command, or press a button.

Myth 8 – Glass is only for those privileged enough to afford it

The current prototype costs $1500 and we realize that is out of the range of many people. But that doesn’t mean the people who have it are wealthy and entitled. In some cases, their work has paid for it. Others have raised money on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. And for some, it’s been a gift.

Myth 9 – Glass is banned… EVERYWHERE

Since cell phones came onto the scene, folks have been pretty good at creating etiquette and the requisite (and often necessary) bans around where someone can record (locker rooms, casino floors, etc.). Since Glass functionality mirrors the cell phones (“down to the screen being off by default), the same rules apply. Just bear in mind, would-be banners: Glass can be attached to prescription lenses, so requiring Glass to be turned off is probably a lot safer than insisting people stumble about blindly in a locker room.

Myth 10 – Glass marks the end of privacy

When cameras first hit the consumer market in the late 19th century, people declared an end to privacy. Cameras were banned in parks, at national monuments and on beaches. People feared the same when the first cell phone cameras came out. Today, there are more cameras than ever before. In ten years there will be even more cameras, with or without Glass. 150+ years of cameras and eight years of YouTube are a good indicator of the kinds of photos and videos people capture–from our favorite cat videos to dramatic, perspective-changing looks at environmental destruction, government crackdowns, and everyday human miracles.

Apple Makes It Harder to Quit the Gym (iPhone)

iPhone GymFor those who watched Friends in the 90s (or the re-runs) and remember how difficult it was for Ross and Chandler to quit the gym, the same goes for all you future iPhone owners.  Apple has decided that you should only get 14 days to return your iPhone.  Previously, you had a solid 30 days where you could return/exchange your phone.  If you paid the subsidized price, you were saddled with a new contract, so returning didn’t make a whole lot of sense after the 14 days you get from the wireless carriers. But if you bought one off-contract (an astounding $600+), you used to have a whole month to decide if you wanted to keep that shiny/fragile piece of glass/metal/aluminum/titanium/adamantium/whatever – as the owner of a less sexy Moto X, I’m glad to have left the gym before it was too late. And as I finish this post, I’ll return to my tutorials on how to build an Android App – I got a form working and data going back and forth, I feel like a wizard 🙂

-=-=-=-=-=-

In the recent past, customers who purchased an iPhone directly from the Apple Online Store and in Apple Retail Stores have had 30 days to return the device for any reason. The only stipulation was that it had to be undamaged and include all of the original accessories. According to an internal document provided by one of our retail sources, Apple plans to change its iPhone return policy to just 14 days beginning on March 13th. However the return policy currently published on Apple.com already reflects this change. All other products purchased from Apple are already subject to a 14 day return policy.

iPhone-return-14-day iPhone-30-day-return

 

Apple’s prior iPhone return policy was in stark contrast to its carrier partners who only offer a 14 day return window. During this time a customer may choose to return the iPhone to Apple within the 30 day period but if it was returned after day 14 they would still be on the hook for Early Termination Fees (ETF) or any other penalties from the wireless providers.

On the flip side, this policy was helpful for customers simply looking to exchange an iPhone for a different color or capacity because their contract would not be affected. However, it was confusing and potentially misleading to customer who thought they had 30 days to return an iPhone and not suffer any penalties from their carrier.

According to the document, Apple is making this change in an effort to have one universal return policy across all products and to match the carrier’s 14 day policy.

9to5Mac

AndroidManifest.xml file missing!

Android SDKIt’s been a while since I’ve done any Android development, so I decided to dust off Eclipse and see how much has changed since I last developed an Android app.  After updating all the different packages, I decide to take baby steps and walk through the Hello World Tutorial and of course, things are already outdated.  I walk through the steps and try to run the app on my phone and I get:

AndroidManifest.xml file missing!

And then I look over in my project view and guess what I see, a file called AndroidManifest.xml.

Android Eclipse Project ViewSo, um, either I’m seeing things, Eclipse is being annoying (which does happen often from what I remember) or I missed a step/something wasn’t documented.  Of course, Google is your friend and I eventually find a post that reminds me I need to build the project before running it.  I go to Project -> Build Project and the project build.

Eclipse Build ProjectYay, that worked… but not so fast, the console says it was deployed to my phone but I don’t see anything on my phone.  Long story short… according to the tutorial, a default activity should have defined and should be wired to run.  Not seeing a default activity… so what’s the solution to this problem? I gave up… for a few minutes… then I decided to search around and found the Android Studio IDE and decided to give it a try.  It’s based on IntelliJ, so I figured I might as well give something else a try since Eclipse was not being very friendly (or fast).  The download took a while, but once I got it installed, I got my Hello World app running on my phone within a few minutes.  I consider this a success, so I’m ending things here for now.  I’ll do another post once I actually build something.

Titanfall Review – Mechs and the City

TitanfallMany games claim to be the most anticipated release of their given year, but very few have a justifiable reason for making such lofty boasts. Titanfall is one of the rarities, backed as it is by a hype train of almost ludicrous proportions. Thanks to savvy marketing and the giddy drooling of videogame media, Respawn Entertainment’s debut shooter is swaggering onto the scene with the kind of presumptuous goodwill usually reserved for more venerable franchises.

Of course, the big question needs answering – does Titanfall live up to the hype? In a word, no. No it does not. How could it? This game has been called exemplary, untouchable, even revolutionary. Expectations have been built so high as to be unrealistic, and I can quite safely say that, no, you should not believe the hype.

That said, just because a game fails to live up to the sheer fantasy that has been erected in its pre-release build, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a damn fine game…

The Escapist

iOS 7.1: What’s New

iOS7Apple’s mobile operating system update squashes a big bug, adds CarPlay, and brings new features to iTunes Radio, Siri, and more.

Apple released iOS 7.1 this week for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It marks the first major update to Apple’s smartphone and tablet operating system since iOS 7 was released last September. The update improves performance of Apple’s devices across the board. Here’s what’s new.

First and foremost, iOS 7.1 targeted a major bug. The bug in question would perform a random soft reset of the smartphone or tablet while it was in use. If you were writing an email, it would be lost. If you were browsing the web, your browser history would be wiped clean, and so on. It was an aggravating bug that spawned pages of comments on Apple’s support website. After using the updated operating system for several hours, it appears that the bug has been squashed. Thank goodness.

In terms of new features, there are plenty. Apple improved Siri, its personal assistant, by making it possible to manually control when Siri listens. Users can press and hold the home button while they speak, and release it when they are done speaking. Siri will still actively listen for voice commands if users wish. Siri also gained several new male and female voices for Mandarin Chinese, Australian and UK English, and Japanese.

Apple tweaked iTunes Radio in order to make it easier for users to make purchases. For example, listeners can buy albums from the Now Playing screen, as well as subscribe to iTunes Match directly from their mobile devices rather than only from iTunes on a PC. Apple moved the search field above the Featured Stations listing so users can more quickly search for stations.

Apple added features to both the calendar app and the accessibility tools. Users can display events in the month view, as well as add country-specific holidays in their calendars. The expanded use of bold font on the keyboard and new options to display button shapes and darken app colors should make iOS devices easier to see for those who have limited eyesight…

Information Week

SXSW Festival using iBeacons for interactive sessions

iBeaconOn top of the many uses for iBeacons we’ve seen in retail environments, event organizers are another group that have started taking advantage of Apple’s new Bluetooth tech recently. The MLB is deploying them in stadiums to send notifications to baseball fans, CES hosted an iBeacon scavenger hunt this year, and today we’ve found out the upcoming SXSW festival where Apple is hosting its latest iTunes Festival will also be using the technology.

Eventbase, the company that has been building the official SXSW festival app for a few years now reached out to let us know it will be deploying some iBeacons around the event this year to improve the experience. Specifically, it will be using the technology to “help attendees in Austin pick up their badge faster and get more involved in the sessions they attend.” One feature in the app will allow for real-time audience interaction during sessions.

In an industry first, Eventbase is placing beacons within select session venues. When attendees enter the venue they will receive a prompt to “Join the Conversation” within the official SXSW GO iPhone app, where they can network with other attendees in that session and participate in a discussion forum and live audience polls. In some cases, the beacons will enable quick access to an attendee’s Registration QuickCode.

 In partnership with partner Urban Airship, Eventbase also provides the ability to deliver iBeacon™ triggered push notifications to app users containing highly relevant messages about the sessions they attend and the places they visit.

The features will be available for iPhone users that have downloaded the official SXSW GO app from the App Store. For those at the event, Eventbase is running daily iBeacon™ Tours to show off the technology.

Apple announced last month that it would be bringing its popular free, live music event to the US for the first time with the iTunes Festival having been a UK-only event since it first started in 2007. The iTunes Festival will run for five nights at SXSW from March 11 to March 15 at the Moody Theater.

9to5Mac

Rumor: Apple Makes Over Siri for iWatch

Apple iWatch ConceptIt was wearable tech, not the usual smartphones, that dominated the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Sony’s SmartBand, with its detailed life-logging capabilities, made an appearance, as did Samsung’s two smartwatches, the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. Motorola announced its plants to develop a smartwatch, and HTC expressed similar intentions. But the dominant player in mobile technology — the company that launched the mobile revolution with the iPhone in 2007 — has shed no light on its intentions. All that is known of Apple’s plans for wearable tech, a device nicknamed the iWatch, can be labeled a rumor. Still, rumors are abounding.

Apple plans for the device to allow a wider variety of people to engage with health monitoring rather than the small, data-obsessed demographic that typically uses such devices now. Given the prevalence of Apple’s smartphones and tablets, the large number of people already engaged with Apple’s interface, and the company’s success at making its devices intuitive and easy to use, it is likely that Apple will make health monitoring popular with the wider public. While Apple watchers do not expect the company’s intended uses for the iWatch to require approval from the Food and Drug Administration, Siri will have to be greatly altered.

Apple engineers are reportedly redesigning Siri so that the iOS voice-driven personal assistant can be integrated with third-party applications, a change that AppleInsider called “an improvement in services.” This latest rumor is courtesy of an article published Monday by tech blog The Information, which not only noted that this update will allow Siri to perform more advanced functions like book a hotel reservation, but that such an advancement is likely a necessity for the development of the iWatch.

“The technology being developed at Apple can also be applied to determine what app to show a user when they have limited screen space, as they would when using a smartwatch the company has been developing, according to people familiar with the effort,” noted the article. “If a user starts running, for example, Siri might show them a fitness app that could help them track their workout while moving other apps into the background.”

Of course, a wearable device would depend heavily on voice commands, and the fact that Apple is pushing to make its voice-driven personal assistant more advanced seems to support the development of the rumored iWatch. The Information’s Amir Efrati wrote on Wednesday that “as Apple, Google, Microsoft and others race to build powerful voice-driven search capabilities for mobile devices, they’re zeroing in on a surprisingly thorny problem: enabling people to access the content and capabilities of mobile apps in their searches.” It is easy for a personal assistant like Siri to find a number in a contact list and dial it, but to find a hotel and make a reservation through a third-party application is far more complicated.

Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty has calculated that first-year sales estimates for the iWatch could beat the iPad’s debut sales of $12 billion. Her figure is based on zero supply chain constraints and a debut price tag of $299, but even if the company were to suffer supply chain constraints, she said the smartwatch is still likely to bring in between $10 billion and $14 billion in its first year. Her confidence in the device’s ability to generate strong sales stems from the fact that the iWatch will be both positioned and marketed as a “natural accessory” to Apple’s other iOS devices, instead of debuting in a completely new product category.

Apple may have not made any official announcements regarding the development of a wearable device, but the company has filed for ownership of the “iWatch” trademark in a number of countries in 2013.

Wall St. Cheat Sheet