How Apple Needs to Change TV

By John Houghton on January 8, 2013

There is much talk this week at CES about Apple and it’s mysterious plans for TV.  I have some insight here as my company has been specializing in mobile video for 7 years, and more recently, mobile apps.  If you’ve shopped for a TV recently, you’ll see that many/most of them are now “smart” TVs, meaning they are platforms for mobile apps.

Here’s the problem with adoption.  The traditional way people watch TV is by picking up the remote and surfing channels.  After flipping through, they find something they like and set a date with the TV or record it using DVR.  Most cable companies offer this service and it’s considered “old school.”

The new way Apple […]

Three Essential Skills for Mobile App Development

By John Houghton on January 7, 2013

Updated on 8/19/14.  When people think of mobile app development, they think of coding, but often don’t think (or know) about the other necessary skills involved in creating a successful app.  When it comes to app development, the three skills that can make or break your project are designing, coding, and testing (source: Apple, Developing for the App Store, 7/17/12).  These are also the three phases of a mobile development project.  The amount of time you spend in each phase depends on how much functionality you want to implement per release.  The process is iterative, so, as you polish and refine the app, it’s possible to cycle through these phases many times.  In the graphic […]

Mobile Apps and the Connected Home

By John Houghton on January 3, 2013

I just read an article on AllThingsD.com about the Connected Home and what we can expect to see at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week.  The Connected Home is a big and mostly unexploited area for software and hardware developers – the idea of making apps that can control objects in the home with an iPhone, iPad, or Android device, such as lights, appliances, or your thermostat.

Not only is this an area of intense interest for myself, but if you’ve kept an eye out, you’ve watched the shelves of your local Apple store fill with these smart controllers.  Here are some of the things I would love to see:

A refrigerator that knows what’s […]

App Design: Moving from iPhone to iPad

By John Houghton on January 2, 2013

So, you have an iPhone app and now you want to make it work for iPad.  A lot of people think they can just expand the size of the user interface and they’re done, but to make a successful iPad app you need to mold your app design to the iPad’s interface.

Designing for the iPad is Different

According to Apple, “If you’re planning to develop an app that runs on iPhone and iPad, you need to adapt your design to each device.” (Apple iOS Human Interface Guidelines, December 17, 2012).  In the case of the iPad, this means that you need to model the user interface to match the screen size, aspect ratio, and user conventions […]

The Four Top iPhone and Android App Development Best Practices

By John Houghton on December 6, 2012

Let’s face it, of the over one million iPhone, iPad and Android (phone and tablet) apps available, many are of sub-standard design and quality.  As the app development frenzy has pushed non-software developers into software roles, their inexperience has resulted in low quality apps.  Follow these four best practices to improve your odds of success.

Involve Users – You should run the app idea by a set of users and involve them in the initial planning phase and user acceptance testing.  This can be simple or elaborate.  As an example of a simple user test, I gave a prototype app to my friend to try, and I could see in the first few seconds that he […]

Video: Stopping In at the Informal iPhone Developer Meetup

By John Houghton on May 25, 2012

For those who can’t come to Silicon Valley Meetups, I thought I would drop by the Informal iPhone Developer Meetup and see what’s going on.  I spoke with Carl Baltrunas an iPhone developer, who has come up with an innovative idea for visualizing iPhone applications.

This Meetup meets every Thursday from 7PM -10PM at the Red Rock Cafe in Mountain View, California.

Video: After Heart Surgery, Entrepreneur Builds App For Improved Emergency Response

By John Houghton on May 23, 2012

After heart surgery, Joseph Ekman was given a card to place in his wallet to instruct future emergency responders that he had a heart monitor.  Being very nervous about such responders finding this card, he decided to create an app to make sure his responders would know about his condition.  In order for it to work, he would have to create a nationwide network of processes and systems for emergency responders.  The net result is that everyone can benefit.

Joseph is now CEO and Founder of Emergency Standard.  Using the phone’s accelerometer, his company can detect a serious accident and dispatch emergency responders.  Not only that, he’s partnered with the GPS and Analytics company Alohar Mobile […]

How to Make an iPhone App for Your Company

By John Houghton on May 17, 2012

Creating an iPhone app for your company has many benefits, and can even be the holy grail for some, but there are misunderstandings about what it takes to do it right.  We’re concerned here with the process for creating a high-quality enterprise app.  There is a lot of information out there on how to create an app in 5 minutes, or for as little as $99, but we aren’t concerned with that here.  You can also create a web page in 5 minutes, but this level of effort ultimately won’t help your company, and neither will cranking out a cheap app.  If you are putting your brand on an app, it has to be good.  […]

iPhone Application Development Average Cost

By John Houghton on February 7, 2012

Article updated for 2014:  One of the most common questions in iPhone app development is, “How much does it cost?”  It’s a good question.  Of course, everybody wants fabulous quality with almost no cost, but we have to be realistic.  The bottom line is: you get what you pay for.  Lets take the example of changing the oil in your car.  You have a few options:

1. Get your teenager to do it.
2. Get the guy down the street to do it.
3. Take it to a reputable garage.

If you go with the cheapest option, you might end up having to redo it and a lot of your time will have been wasted.  In the worst case […]

Getting Started with Apps for Your Company

By John Houghton on January 12, 2012

Everybody wants an app.  Just to have it on your website makes you feel more hip, relevant, and current.  Getting started with a simple app gives you experience, so that you become familiar with the process, and the possibility for developing a more sophisticated app later.  You can spend a lot of time planning your app, and if it’s a major part of your mix, then you should, but here are a few quick ideas to get you started on any simple apps you might be considering.

Utility Apps

Utility apps are popular and easy.  A utility can be a calculator, clock, flashlight, notepad, and so on.  Are you a real estate brokerage?  Consider perhaps a loan […]