Meet the Devs – Minisaur
Welcome back to our Meet the Devs segment! In this piece we take a little time to get to know the people who really make Android what it is today and that is the app developers. In this week’s developer interview, we are talking to Matthew Mario Negri of Minisaur.
Name: Mario Negri
Developer Name: Minisaur
Country: Italy
Website: Official Facebook page
Social Media Profile/Page: Google+
How many people on your team? 3
Apps
About your company?
Minisaur is a small group of 3 really good friends. We are all from Milan (Italy) and have the same great passion for videogames. The 2 designers of the team both studied Design & Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Milan, where they got to know each other and discovered their common interest. The last year of their studies they decided to create their first game and asked me to be the key part of the team. 
Before working with Gianni and Riccardo I was a freelance software developer for many big italian and european companies and studios. Minisaur was my chance to finally focus on something I really love.
What level of experience do you have with coding and development?
I’ve worked for 6 years as a web developer and recently started to develop apps for Android. To develop Bruce Wheels and Java Android apps I use Eclipse. I have some experience with visual studio to develop .net applications, while for web I’ve been mainly using notepad++, ultraedit and sublime text.
What languages do you know? How and where did you learn them?
The first language I learned was Amiga Basic, thanks to my father’s lessons when I was only 12 years old To develop Bruce Wheels I used Java, which I first learned back in Highschool. I’m extremely well versed with python, asp 3.0, php and c# and familiar with visual basic 6 and c ansi. The book I recently really loved to read is “Pragmatic Programmer”, which really teached me the correct way to act and think as a programmer.
What level of experience do you have with design?
0, zero. All the design is done by my brother Riccardo and my friend Gianni They are awesome! They do their job using mainly Adobe Illustrator and Spine, a great program for 2d animations which we chose to support since its Kickstarter.
What apps have you made?
Bruce Wheels is our first big app. We put all our passion to develop and design it the way we wanted it to be. We strongly believe in this project, which took us way too much time We worked on it for 2 years in our little spare time between work, university and other annoying IRL stuff.
How do you monetize your apps?
For Bruce Wheels we chose a freemium model. The game is free to download, while the complete version without ads is unlocked with an in-app purchase. We want people to try our game before purchasing it and we thought that this was the best way to do it as a new indie company.
Do you consider yourself successful?
I created something I love, together with 2 of my best friends. Within the span of 2 years, we all acquired in depth technical knowledge in building and designing a great Android game. Yes we consider ourselves successful.
How difficult is it to make money as a developer?
As an indie developer it is really difficult. With the Android market beeing flooded with all kinds of trash apps coming out every second, games developed with passion and love are simply not noticed without marketing and advertisement.
What can Android do to improve?
Android is used on so many devices, it is really difficult to get a game running well on all of them. There could also be a spotlight on a choice of new indie releases in their main page on the Google Play Store.
Why did you choose Android? Do you develop for other platforms? What are the differences between them?
We picked Android mainly for one reason: it was the type of device we all had when we started. We have never been the biggest Apple fans and love Android becouse it is open source and costumizable. I’ve never tried to develop anything for iOS or Windows Phone yet, but I may do an iOS version of Bruce Wheels soon™.
What do you think of the Android design guidelines?
Early on, there weren’t any guidelines and it was really hard to design a consistent user experience without the help of good UI designers. Now they are really well designed and simple but there’s not that much yet that could be applied to games.
What are your favorite apps?
My favourite games for Android are Cannabalt, Rayman Jungle Run and Doodle Jump. I really love to use Whatsapp, Dropbox, Sketchbook Mobile, Waze, Tasker and Wunderlist on a daily basis.
What has been your experience been like working with Google?
Google is really fast to solve problems and to give feedback to opened tickets. The play console once had a problem with my app and they were really kind to immediately contact me and get it fixed.
What tips do you have for aspiring developers?
Be passionate about what you do. Passion drives creativity. It is passion that keeps you working on something you love for hours on end. It’s what eats away at your nights and weekends, completely destroying your social life.
Developer interview wrap up
We want to thank Mario for chatting with us in this week’s developer interview! If you’re a developer and this looks like something you’d like to do, check out our Meet the Devs form! We look forward to hearing from you!
iOS 8.1.3 Fixes Exploits Used by TaiG Jailbreak [iOS Blog]
It appears that today’s iOS 8.1.3 update fixes many of the exploits that were used for the iOS 8 TaiG jailbreak, which worked up until iOS 8.1.2. The earlier Pangu jailbreak was disabled with the iOS 8.1.1 update that was released on November 17.
TaiG has not yet confirmed whether iOS 8.1.3 breaks its jailbreak tool, but reports on the MacRumors forums and on Twitter suggest that is indeed the case. Apple’s support document detailing the security fixes in iOS 8.1.3 credits the TaiG jailbreak team for four vulnerability fixes.
At the current time, Apple is still signing iOS 8.1.2 so it’s possible to downgrade from iOS 8.1.3 back to iOS 8.1.2 or upgrade to iOS 8.1.2 from an earlier version of iOS, but that could end at any time.
Released this morning, iOS 8.1.3 includes a range of bug fixes including a repair for a lingering Wi-Fi issue, and it also reduces the amount of storage space required to perform an iOS update.
What movies do you want to see in virtual reality?
It’s no secret that virtual reality seems to be all the rage at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. With a number of consumer oriented VR headsets on the horizon, filmmakers are clearly excited about this technology and experimenting with ways to take advantage of it. If there’s one thing we know about Hollywood, it’s its obsession with rebooting some of our most cherished movies. Given the opportunity, what classic and beloved movies would you love to see in VR?
Filed under: Misc
Source: Engadget forums
This week’s sidebar poll: Which online video store do you use most?
Let’s stay in and order a movie…
Well, it’s a perfectly miserable day in the Northeastern U.S., and that makes it the perfect time to bust out some videos and hold yourself a marathon. That’s what I’m doing today — though for health reasons; it’s absolutely gorgeous here in Texas — and it got me thinking: which online video store to our readers use the most? Sure, Google Play comes standard on most devices, but if The Interview was able to become their top-selling movie in a week, I wonder what that means for the sales numbers of Google Play Movies overall.
[New Android Wear App] SWApp Launcher Wear controls watch and phone settings
Another launcher available on Android Wear devices has debuted in the Play Store. SWApp Launcher Wear makes it possible for users to launch apps on their watch, from their watch, and perform actions with both. There are a fair amount of actions that can be done with SWApp Launcher Wear on either the watch or the phone. From the watch, users can select to keep the display on or choose a flashlight mode that transitions it to white. The phone actions include toggling WiFi, WiFi hotspot, and sound. It also includes a FindMyPhone feature.
SWApp Launcher Wear is available for free and works with any Android Wear device.
Hit the break for the gallery and download links.
Come comment on this article: [New Android Wear App] SWApp Launcher Wear controls watch and phone settings
Motorola To Offer Steep Discounts Starting February 2nd
Valentines Days is fast approaching and if you are tired of getting that special someone the same old roses and chocolates then Motorola is here to help with their #Motolove promotion. Starting on February 2nd you will be able to sign up on Motorola’s website for a special promo code for $140 off when you spend $499.99 or $50 when you spend $249.99. The offer is not limited to any one device so you can mix and match items on their store to use the discount. Now when everyone is getting their special someone the same old gift you will be the talk of the town when you show up with a new Motorola device. The deal will go live at 11am CT so be sure to bookmark the page using the link provided so you do not miss out on this great deal.
Link: Motorola
The post Motorola To Offer Steep Discounts Starting February 2nd appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Twitter now allows group direct messaging and in-app clip uploads
Twitter is receiving a couple of big features today – users are now able to conduct direct message group chats and upload clips straight from the app, without having to switch to the Twitter-owned Vine.
Twitter is moving to become a more fully featured messaging service, adding the ability to have group conversations with up to 20 followers, even if those persons don’t follow each other. You’ll be able to share tweets in the group chat, use emoji, and upload pictures in complete privacy. Direct messaging is slowly becoming a complete service, giving users fewer reasons to leave Twitter for other apps.
New! Use Direct Messages to speak privately with a group of up to 20 people. Share Tweets, show emoji & be yourself. https://t.co/8giGhC6OO0
— Twitter (@twitter) January 27, 2015
The second big feature, video sharing, may seem a curious addition, given that Twitter owns the most popular short clip service on the market, Vine. But Twitter argues that Vine and the new video sharing feature are meant to complement, rather than replace each other. A big difference is that Twitter clip sharing lets you upload clips of up to 30 seconds, while Vine is limited to six seconds. Unlike Vines, Twitter clips won’t auto-loop.
Here’s an example of a Twitter clip from actor Neil Patrick Harris.
Check out my Twitter video #Oscar exclusive! I gots me a scoop! pic.twitter.com/SGQ3oJHDqZ
— Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) January 27, 2015
You’ll also be able to do some basic clip editing right inside the app. For now, Android users will only be able to upload new videos using Twitter’s in-app camera feature, but selection from the camera roll is coming “soon.”
The new features should become accessible through the Twitter web app and Android app soon. Check the official Twitter app in the Play Store for updates.
Sony will reportedly cut 1,000 more jobs from its mobile division
In a report that surfaced earlier today, Sony is planning on cutting 1,000 more jobs from the company’s mobile division. These job cuts will take place mainly in Europe and China. After the cuts, Sony’s mobile division will reportedly have shrunk 30% down to 5,000 by the end of the fiscal year in March 2016.
While these cuts are nothing positive, we can’t say they came out of the blue. Sony has been trying to gain a foothold in the smartphone market and regain profits for quite some time. Just last year, Sony posted a $1.7 billion loss from their mobile division, and that was after the company already cut 1,000 jobs from the mobile division back in 2013. It seems as though the company is doing all they can to return profits, including the shift back to yearly flagship releases and cutting down the number of overall handset releases throughout the year.
Sony is expected to report its recent job cuts during the company’s earnings report on February 4th.
This won’t automatically return profits to the company, but do you think cutting this many jobs will benefit them that much? Moreover, what would you like to see Sony do differently in 2015? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Eager to see how Dungeon Hunter 5 plays? Gameloft has 43 minute gameplay video available to watch
Gameloft’s next major title in the Dungeon Hunter series was sort of announced on January 20th when a teaser, along with a developer diary, was released. At the time they stated that Dungeon Hunter 5 would be coming out later this year, but left out a target launch date. Gameloft did state that the title […]
The post Eager to see how Dungeon Hunter 5 plays? Gameloft has 43 minute gameplay video available to watch appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Brought More Android Switchers, New Customers Than Prior Models
During today’s earnings call covering the first fiscal quarter of 2015, Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked about the sales split between the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. He declined to provide specific numbers on the split, but he did confirm that the iPhone 6 was the most popular device.
“Obviously to sell 74.5 million devices, they were all popular,” Cook said. “Both did incredibly well. We’re really proud of them, along with the iPhone 5s and 5c.”
According to Cook, there was some clear geographical preference for the iPhone 6 vs the iPhone 6 Plus. Some locations skewed higher to iPhone 6 Plus preference, while others preferred the iPhone 6. He didn’t specify which regions preferred which devices, but data has suggested Asian countries favored the iPhone 6 Plus.
During the call, Cook also mentioned that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus brought the highest Android switcher rate over the course of the last three years and that there’s still a lot of opportunity to see growth as only a “small fraction” of existing iPhone users (in the low teens) have upgraded to a new device. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have brought the highest number of customers new to iPhone than in any prior iPhone launch. “We saw more new customers to iPhone than we’ve ever seen before,” said Cook.
Cook said the company is getting “great feedback” about the quality of the products that they’re shipping, and that in emerging markets, iPhone growth was “absolutely stunning.” The company is very bullish on the iPhone going forward, expecting to see a lot of new adopters in Q2 2015 as well.
“We believe that it’s the best smartphone in the world,” said Cook.
Apple managed to reach supply/demand balance on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in January, when shipping dates finally hit 24 hours. Before that, iPhone supplies remained somewhat constrained throughout the holiday season.
Today’s earnings report revealed record iPhone sales, at 74.5 million, or 46 percent growth year over year. The iPhone makes up an impressive 69 percent of Apple’s revenue, which hit $74.6B during the quarter.
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