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Archive for: January, 2010
Capturing events on the BlackBerry platform
Posted by: Frank Ableson in Linux Magazine, Software Development, Technology, Blackberry on January 25, 2010
Troubleshooting applications on the BlackBerry platform can sometimes be more art than science -- as it is with most mobile platforms. In this week's Linux Magazine column, we demonstrate the use of the EventLogger class to aid in capturing important events on the BlackBerry platform.
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What about Android’s Early Adopters?
Posted by: Frank Ableson in Linux Magazine, Technology, Android, iPhone on January 20, 2010
Android is moving. And fast. Unfortunately for many early adopters, their favorite Operating System has left the station with new passengers and the next train seems to be a distance off.
When you purchase a phone with a two year attachment... you're pretty much stuck with it, unless you're willing to part with a good chunk of change by breaking the contract or purchasing a new phone outright. The Android devices prior to Droid and now Nexus One are stuck on older versions. G1 and ADP users are likely to never move beyond version 1.6. All the goodies have really shown up in version 2.0 and later.
Perhaps Android should emulate Apple's model with updates for everyone, delivered through iTunes. Here are some more thoughts on it @ Linux Magazine.
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Student Success
Posted by: Phil Beach in Education on January 20, 2010
Congratulations to three students who recently took MSI's Office Certification course. All three students passed their exam with flying colors! MSI is an approved vocational training school for the State of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Our most popular vocational program, Microsoft Office User Specialist Certification Training, is ideal for individuals who are looking to improve their technical skill set and better their potential in the workforce. This vocational training includes Microsoft Office certification testing in the area of your choice, right at our testing facility!
Do you want to invest in your personal education to stand out in your workplace and achieve greater success in your future? If so, read about your future education here.
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Working like an ant - another way to build Android applications
Posted by: Frank Ableson in Linux Magazine, Software Development, Technology, Android on January 12, 2010
Ants are really hard workers -- or so I am told. Scripture even tells us about the little creatures:
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
In this week's Linux Magazine column, I examine building Android applications from the command line with ant. Eclipse is the preferred (and prescribed) build environment for Android applications, however the Android SDK also supports the popular (albeit maybe aging) build tool named ant.
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The maturation of Android
Posted by: Frank Ableson in General Business, Technology, Android on January 12, 2010
A friend of mine today shared an article about Android applications which are phishing for bank account info. The apps are positioned as "mobile banking applications" and sold through the Google App Market. Here is the article in case you're interested.
So, malware is now on your mobile device -- what joy. At least it is a sign of maturity. Before you know it we'll be buying anti-virus for our phones. And our cars. And our microwave ovens.
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Android and iPhone Browser Development, part two
Posted by: Frank Ableson in Software Development, Technology, Android, iPhone, Unlocking Android on January 06, 2010
My second article/tutorial on developing applications that run in the WebKit - powered browser in Android and iPhone was recently posted at IBM Developerworks. You can read it here.
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The Chevy Volt - an electrifying experience—now has an Android app!
Posted by: Frank Ableson in Fun, General Business, Technology, Android, Unlocking Android on January 06, 2010
I saw a brief video today about the 2011 Chevy Volt from General Motors. I am not a huge fun of current electric car technology -- though this one caught my attention -- particularly when they showed an Android app running on a Motorola Droid. Check it out here.
You can read more about the Android "remote control" here.
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Developing Software in the Cloud
Posted by: Phil Beach in Software Development, Technology on January 05, 2010
Cloud computing is everywhere, so where does this leave developers?
Popping up in blogs across the internet, in the newspaper, and on the television networks - computers are changing from hardware-focused to internet-focused. The explosion of smartphones and netbooks has signaled the beginning of a new age in computer usage - An age during which how many Ghz this has and how many teraflops that can process will matter little. By now, everyone involved in the IT community knows that the cloud is the future of computing. Google's cloud-based, minty-fresh operating system, Chromium, will start to hit low-powered netbooks and tablets all over the place. Being the first operating system designed to access only the internet, it is yet another symbol of the new age. Where does this leave developers, who consistently rely on high-powered systems and complex software setups?
As an occasional/weekend web and software developer, I know that I like my desktop a certain way. I know which programs I prefer for each task, weather it be a certain browser or text editor. With each new system or fresh install of an operating system, configuring my desktop for the needs of a specific project will frequently take me a whole day. For example, when developing in PHP, I need a http server, database server, and PHP all set up and enjoying happy communication with each other. I also need a usable FTP client, my trusty text editor, and quite possibly a configured SSH, VNC, or Remote Desktop server.
For these reasons, I imagine that in the world of the future, there will be specific solutions for developers. Just as my development workstation is very different from my teenage sister's desktop, or "SNC" (Social Networking Computer), as I like to call it, these portals will not be the same as those designed for the every-day user. There will be methods by which developers will create a desktop comprised of applications that have been developed by the cloud, for the cloud. In fact, the desktop itself would be hosted in the cloud, and accessible from any capable peripheral. Developing in the cloud will be similar to installing apps on a handheld device such as Google's Nexus One or Apple's iPhone. In the future, tasks that typically required several pieces of software will be condensed into a single, efficient, and small piece of software that will merely interface with the cloud. Instead of each developer using their own particular system, each will use the app or set of apps for the specific cloud environment.
Food for thought.
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Virtual development environment
Posted by: Frank Ableson in Fun, Linux Magazine, Software Development on January 05, 2010
I am now on the other side of a fun exercise in putting together a preferred development environment -- this of course is because my Dell decided that 37 months was long enough with me. Thankfully others in my life have some more stamina for the demands I place on them 
If you're interested in learning more, you can check out this week's Linux Magazine article where I chronicle some of the steps I've taken to wind up here with a MacBook with Windows 7 running in a Virtual Machine.
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