On Thursday a new app from Microsoft that turns your iPhone into a versatile scanner launched in the App Store. Office Lens (free) lets you take a photo of a wide range of documents and convert them into to editable Word, PowerPoint, and PDF files.
Apps
Unleash Your Inner App Developer Part 12: Hardening Your Code
By Kevin McNeish
Do you have an idea for an app but lack the programming knowledge to begin building it? In this weekly blog series, How to Unleash Your Inner App Developer, I will take you, the non-programmer, step by step through the process of creating apps for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Join me each week on this adventure, and you will experience how much fun turning your ideas into reality can be! This is Part 12 of the series. If you're just getting started now, check out the beginning of the series here (this post has been updated to Swift 1.2, iOS 8, and Xcode 6.3.)
One of the best software development books of all time is Steve McConnell's Code Complete. Whether you are a seasoned software developer or a brand new programmer, regardless of the platform or language in which you write code, I highly recommend checking out this book. It will change your way of thinking and vastly improve the quality of the code you write.
Unleash Your Inner App Developer Part 11: The Photo Library
By Kevin McNeish
Do you have an idea for an app but lack the programming knowledge to begin building it? In this weekly blog series, How to Unleash Your Inner App Developer, I will take you, the non-programmer, step by step through the process of creating apps for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Join me each week on this adventure, and you will experience how fun turning your ideas into reality can be! This is Part 11 of the series. If you're just getting started now, check out the beginning of the series here. (This post has been updated to Swift 1.2, iOS 8 and Xcode 6.3)
Now that you have some of the basics of Swift programming under your belt, it's time to dive into some deeper coding territory. To get the latest version of iAppsReview, select this link.
Do you have an idea for an app but lack the programming knowledge to begin building it? In this weekly blog series, How to Unleash Your Inner App Developer, I will take you, the non-programmer, step by step through the process of creating apps for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Join me each week on this adventure and you will experience how fun turning your ideas into reality can be! This is Part 10 of the series. If you're just getting started now, check out the beginning of the series here (this post has been updated to Swift 1.2, iOS 8 and Xcode 6.3.)
In my previous post, you learned the basic mechanics of calling methods on an object. There's very little you can do in Swift, the language of iOS development, without calling methods. In this post, we're going to put into practice what you have learned about calling methods and integrate social media into the iAppsReview app we've been working on in this blog. I'm also going to introduce a new Cocoa Touch Framework concept known as collections. You can get the latest version of iAppsReview from this link.
Apple Watch App Rundown
By Abbey Dufoe
Thanks to the Apple Watch, we can now get apps everywhere—from our MacBooks on our lap and the iPad on the desk, to our iPhones in our hands and our Apple Watches on our wrist.
Tip of the Day: How to Work with PDFs on Your iPhone or iPad
By Abbey Dufoe
There are a few ways you can work with PDFs in your native Mail app. When you open the email, you should see the PDF attachment.
Unleash Your Inner App Developer Part 9: Calling Methods
By Kevin McNeish
Do you have an idea for an app but lack the programming knowledge to begin building it? In this weekly blog series, How To Unleash Your Inner App Developer, I will take you, the non-programmer, step by step through the process of creating apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Join me each week on this adventure, and you will experience how fun turning your ideas into reality can be! This is Part 9 of the series. If you're just getting started now, check out the beginning of the series here (this post has been updated to Swift 1.2 iOS 8, and Xcode 6.3.)
In my previous post, I taught you how to write your very first line of code. In the process, I touched on the concept of calling methods in Swift. In this post, we're going to take a closer look at the important concept of calling methods, and we will also work on converting the prototype iAppsReview into a fully-functional app.
Unleash Your Inner App Developer Part 8: Code Writing First Steps
By Kevin McNeish
Do you have an idea for an app but lack the programming knowledge to begin building it? In this weekly blog series, How To Unleash Your Inner App Developer, I will take you, the non-programmer, step by step through the process of creating apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Join me each week on this adventure, and you will experience how fun turning your ideas into reality can be! This is Part 8 of the series. If you're just getting started now, check out the beginning of the series here (this post has been updated to Swift 1.2, iOS 8 and Xcode 6.3.)
How to Use Apple Pay in an App on iPhone
By Adam Harvey
Apple Pay is a popular digital wallet integrated with the iPhone's Wallet app, and also available on other major Apple devices like the iPad or even Mac laptops. While it can be used as a contactless payment option inside stores, you can also use it within many mobile apps.
The Vainglory Interview, Part I
By Dig Om
Vainglory (free) is a new iOS game that has taken the world of mobile gaming by storm. Developed by Super Evil Megacorp, Vainglory belongs to the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena genre—MOBA in gaming vernacular. Recently I got to chat with Kristian Segerstrale, COO & Executive Director at Super Evil Megacorp. We had a great conversation and I even got to play a few rounds of Vainglory with pro gamer turned Vainglory Video Community Manager, George “Zekent” Liu, and Super Evil Megacorp's Director of Marketing and Communications, Heini Vesander. I'm even more excited than ever to see what the future holds for this game, a game that is not only the pinnacle of awesome, but is also poised to revolutionize the way core gamers perceive and interact with modern games on the iOS platform. The following transcription is a must-read for any core gamer, as we delve into the creation of what is being hailed as one of the best new iOS games, and the only MOBA perfected for touchscreens.
Swift Programming 101: Creating Self-Registering Swift UI Controls
By Kevin McNeish
Legend App: Make Beautiful Gifs and Videos in Seconds
By Abbey Dufoe
If you're the friend who likes to share inspirational quotes, then the iOS app Legend ( $1.99) is for you. I was able to test out the app before it launched on the App Store today, and I love it!
Trip Guider: Complete Travel Experience in Your Pocket
By Steve Young
Travel guides are one of the things that you should not leave home without when traveling. Thankfully, you no longer have to whip out book guides or large maps and make it obvious that you are lost or a tourist, as everything a you needs can now fit in your pockets.
Review: Outline+ app for iPad (and Mac)
By Abbey Dufoe
One reason why I haven't moved completely to online note taking on my iPad is because note-taking apps don't allow me to be creative. For some of us, doodling helps. Writing in the margins helps. Coloring said doodles helps.
Swift Programming 101: Mastering Dynamic Type in iOS 8
By Kevin McNeish
Apple has announced they expect third party apps to support Dynamic Type. However, if you have tried to implement it in your apps, you know there are some unexpected land mines along the way (such as static table view cells and custom cell styles). In this article, you will learn how Dynamic Type works under the hood and how to get it working properly in a variety of scenarios. You will also get some Swift code that makes it easier to implement Dynamic Type in your apps.