The official SquareSmith blog... |
Announcements
EasterHunt version 1.2 released!
A major update to EasterHunt just went live on the iTunes App Store today. EasterHunt version 1.2 adds iPhone 5 support, a reset button to clear all progress, and several other enhancements. |
EasterHunt Released!
Family devotions for Easter? There's an app for that!™ EasterHunt is an interactive family devotional app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. EasterHunt is designed to help parents lead their children to the Gospel by using simple games and devotionals. Our hope is that parents will use this app to take time to connect with their children in a fun, but meaningful way this Easter. |
LightWave version 1.1 released!
LightWave version 1.1, now with gyroscope support and Spanish translation, has just been released. LightWave enables you to wave a banner of your favorite colors using your iPhone. If your iPhone has a gyroscope (i.e. iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S) then the colors are displayed based on the angle as sensed by the gyroscope. If your iPhone or iPod Touch does not have a gyroscope, then LightWave will still work by detecting the sudden deceleration at the end of your wave. |
LightWave released!
Show your team spirit by waving your team's colors! Put on your own personal light show at your favorite band's concert! Meet your friends at a crowded or dark place by waving your favorite colors! The possibilities are only limited by your imagination! LightWave enables you to create your own light show which appears as a banner of multiple colors as you wave your iPhone back and forth. Check LightWave out using the links below! |
SniffMe Xmas Released!
A Christmas version of SniffMe, just in time for practical jokes at holiday parties! |
Targeting older iOS versions
iOS 5, no doubt about it, is the cat's meow. New user interface controls, storyboards, and automatic reference counting (ARC) make the developer's job easier and more productive (even more fun!). But Xcode 4.2 (for iOS 5) assumes that you are never going to look back and target the older iOS 3 or even iOS 4. Why the concern? Why wouldn't you just "move forward" and target the latest and greatest? Well, according to the link below, there are still a lot of older iPhones that can't support iOS 5. Out of a total of 146 million iPhones sold there are still over 26 million older iPhones (original iPhone and iPhone 3G) out there that can't be upgraded to iOS 5. Would you want to ignore 18% of your potential customers simply because Xcode made it hard to reach them? For many apps, the new features afforded by iOS 4 and 5 are not really necessary. In that case, I have compiled a list of the steps to be taken to target older versions of iOS. This will ensure that the customer who wants to buy your app won't be disappointed when they tap the "Buy" button in the App Store only to be told that the app requires iOS 5. GEEK ALERT! If you haven't the foggiest notion what Xcode is and think Objective C might be a 1950's B movie, then go no further! How to downgrade iPhone app build settings to target iOS 3 and 4: First, watch out for methods that are only available in iOS versions later than what you are targeting. Apple's Developer Library class references will indicate the iOS version where the method first became available. In AppDelegate.m (only necessary if iOS 3 is targeted): Replace line in didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: that sets rootViewController with- [self.window addSubview:self.mainViewController.view]; In Targets, Summary, iOS Application Target: Change deployment target to iOS 3.1 (or 4.x if you're targeting iOS 4) In Targets, Build Settings, Architectures: Replace armv7 with armv6 in both debug and release architectures (original iPhone and iPhone 3G have only an armv6 processor) In Targets, Build Phases, Link Binary with Libraries: To fix issue with blocks in iOS 3, add libSystem.dylib to project and made it optional (only necessary if Objective C blocks are used AND iOS 3 is targeted) In Info.plist: Remove armv7 from required architecture |
Mobile Apps for Marketing
Lately I've been amazed at the number of people with needs and ideas for marketing with mobile devices. Out of the six people I talked with about mobile apps in the past month, four of them want an app to aid in some way with marketing. Why is this? First, a little background. Recently a friend introduced me to a book titled Inbound Marketing, by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah. A key component of inbound marketing is establishing a relationship with the customer. Once a business has established that relationship, the customer is much more likely to use that business rather than turn to a stranger. I believe that mobile apps are an ideal way to establish that relationship. Mobile apps help establish that business-to-customer relationship in three ways: 1) A creative mobile app meets a need of the customer. For example, Chipotle has an app that allows the customer to order and pay for a burrito from their smartphone. Cool. But what's even better is that the customer can bypass the long line and go straight to the cashier to pick up their burrito. That provides a valuable service that meets the customer's need. 2) An interactive mobile app can be personal. Before, business web sites were impersonal for the most part. The customer may visit the web site, check out some info, and then go to a competitor's website and check out their deals. About the only way to interact with the customer with a website is via email. Who knows when the business will respond, and then who knows if the customer will come back? But with a mobile app, you can provide a link to call or text your business. Immediate communication, immediate relationship building. How can the customer find your nearest store? Use GPS to find the nearest location, and provide a link so that with one tap the customer can call or text that branch. Use maps to direct him/her to your store. Provide in-app coupons to entice the customer to visit. By engaging the customer your business can build that relationship. 3) A mobile app is always accessible by the customer. A web site requires the customer to be near a computer to be able to access it. A mobile app is is always with the customer on their phone. The customer can interact with your business whenever or wherever they want. Instead of adding your business to their long list of things to do, the customer can contact you whenever they think of it. By allowing the customer to interact with your business on their own terms, you enhance the value of that relationship. Businesses today need to embrace the idea of building relationships with customers. In years past, it was enough to mount an ad campaign and expect results. Today's consumers expect more. A mobile app for your business can help you establish that vital relationship, meet your customers' needs, and grow your profits. |
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