Gaston’s Blog

RecPolar for iPad / My iPad

Tue, 6 Apr 2010 22:54:04 -0700

Apple approved my fourth app on March 31st, which is also my first iPad-specific app, a port of the existing app that I submitted previously for the iPhone called RecPolar. The name of my iPad app is RecPolar for iPad.

The engine code is identical except for the layout of the interface. The iPhone version uses a multi-view controller, while the iPad version has only one view but it can be rotated four ways. I have not done autorotation before, and is now a requirement for iPad applications. The code for rotation is pretty straightforward and easy to use, and anyone has done basic programming on Objective C should be able to pick it up easily. Apple's API does most of the heavy lifting with device orientation detection.

The challenge was at the beginning deciding whether to use auto resizing or for swapping views. Auto sizing was the easiest to grasp, but the results were not acceptable because it placed the objects all over the screen. The alternative solution is to use view swapping and this is the ideal solution for my app. The code is a bit more involved but the results are worth it, as the objects can be precisely placed on the interface screen. And this was the route that I've chosen for my first iPad app. The most challenging part of going from a non-rotatable multi-view controller screen to a fully rotatable screen is the amount of code that needed to be added because most UI objects require separate instances depending on the UI orientation. But this is the only way to do it if you choose the swap view method.

There were two stages of review (initial and final) for those who wanted to have their iPad ready for sale on April 3rd, the release date for the iPad. I was able to pass both initial and final reviews, so my app was available on launch day.

On April 3rd, I picked up my reserved iPad at the Glendale Galleria at around 11am. Despite my reservation, I still had to wait in line along with other folks who bought themselves their own iPad. I bought the 32GB version for $599, along with the iPad case for $39 and iPad dock connector to VGA adapter for $29. I bought the VGA adapter in case I have to do a presentation of my apps in the future. :)

I must have spent a good hour syncing my iPad with my iMac for the first time, downloading all my iPhone apps and media files to the iPad. Once my iPad was fully synced, I tested to see whether my iPhone apps worked on the iPad. Sure enough, they did! Going from 1x to 2x for my first app (Alibata Guide) should be a blessing for those with big fingers, now that the buttons are twice as large. However, I did notice there were considerable pixelation, due to the pixel doubling. Mental note: Create a deluxe version for the iPad. So once I confirmed that the apps I created for the iPhone worked fine for the iPad, I bought iWork for iPad, some paid apps, as well as free books from the iBooks store. Overall, the iPad is a dream to use. The best part of the iPad in my opinion is the touch screen. The colors are vivid, and the multi-touch response is quick and accurate. Also, the battery life is just awesome--the 10 hour battery life Apple stated is so conservative, that I went past 12 hours using the iPad during the first day non-stop.

The first iPad pre-loaded app I tried was iPhoto. I have always wanted to see my home photos origami-style, like Steve Jobs demonstrated previously. It was just amazing and “magical”, and Jobs was right. The photos were given new life, the way they fold into origami shapes as they transition from one set to another. What truly amazed me was the way iPhoto is able to lay out the images with an uncanny ability to scan the images and arrange the photos so that the people with full body shots are vertically laid out, while portrait shots are horizontal. You just have to see this in action to believe it. I also tried the Web browser, and it also blew me away. Seeing the Web pages in portrait mode without having to squint at the text is such a great experience. It seems as though the Web was meant to be viewed this way.

The Marvel iPad app is a sight to behold upon the loading screen. I have never seen colors so right-in-your-face. Also, Autodesk’s Sketchbook Pro’s user interface is just so easy to use, and it rivals more sophisticated drawing programs out there for the regular PCs. I especially liked Scrabble, which had a great interface, and wisely used the available iPad screen real estate. When used with the iPhone, with the iPhone as the tile controller, the fun level just exponentially skyrockets. There were other apps that I really liked, but I will talk about them some other time.

I think the iPad is here to stay, and will kickstart the tech industry into full gear in 2010.

My 3rd iPhone App - Approved!

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:25:48 -0800

Parol was approved by Apple today, and is now available in iTunes App Store. With the Parol app, you can make customized parols with a slide of your finger in seconds. Use this app to help you design your own real parol, or have someone else do it for you.

The Parol is a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem that guided the three Wise Men to the manger where Jesus Christ was born. Filipinos have built Parols to celebrate the spirit of Christmas. Using bamboo, paper, rice glue, capiz, and other materials, the original purpose of the Parol was a lantern in a procession to Misa de Gallo (mass at dawn).

I wrote the Parol app in a relatively short period of time, hoping to release it before Christmas. I drew all the artwork from scratch, using GIMP software to do the sketching and coloring. I was at first not that familiar with creating line drawings, and I had to learn how to create paths first, then render the lines to follow the paths. This is about the same procedure when you create lines and shapes in Cocoa’s Core Graphics. Once I got the hang of it, it was then second nature to do the line drawings. I could have used Core Graphics to create the drawings procedurally, but I felt it would look too mechanical and lack the subtle, charming imperfections of a real Parol.

The programming itself was not as time-consuming as the artwork. Originally, I tried to use multiple view controllers, but in the Apple tradition of keeping things simple and reliable, I redesigned the interface so you can change the Parol shapes, colors, and streamers conveniently in the same screen. Also, I removed any other text clutter that were not contributing to the function and aesthetics of the interface. By keeping the interface simple, the coding was easier to follow and the debugging process went very smoothly.

I plan on adding more features and types of parol shapes, colors, and possibly animation in the next version. If you have already bought this program, I thank you very much for your patronage. In return, I will keep this app fresh by updating it from time to time.

Please e-mail me at: gaston.santiago@gmail.com if you have any comments, questions, or complaints.

Maligayang Pasko!

My 2nd iPhone App - Approved

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:40:56 -0800

RecPolar was approved by Apple today, and is now available in iTunes App Store. The purpose of this app is to help convert rectangular to polar coordinates, and vice versa. I have seen other converters out there, but could not find one that had a natural interface for entering data. Having a natural interface in this case means that the format of the numbers is identical to how you would write it when solving by pen and paper method. I wrote RecPolar with simplicity in mind, avoiding clutter, so that the results are straight and to the point.
Using the agile method of programming, I first made sure that the underlying modules worked first before moving on to the more complicated ones. Throughout the development, I did a lot of testing to ensure the calculations were done correctly. There were certain cases that the results will be undefined, so those was taken into consideration as well.
This marked my first time to use Quartz graphics, which was very simple to use (as opposed to OpenGL ES). For the type of graphing involved in RecPolar, Quartz was sufficient, since only lines and arcs were needed. For my future apps (which will be games), I will use either OpenGL ES, or Unity for creating 3D apps.
I thank everyone for supporting me by purchasing my apps. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to drop me a line at gaston.santiago@gmail.com.

Thanks for your support!

My First App - Alibata Guide - Approved!

Thu, 14 May 2009 23:09:10 -0700

Alibata Guide started as a concept back on 4/26/09, when I saw a Wikipedia article regarding an ancient Filipino writing called Alibata (also called Baybayin). I did a search on iTunes App Store, and did not find anything related to Alibata. This intrigued me, since most of the Filipinos are not aware of this beautiful, elegant writing which most schools in the Philippines neglected to teach. I for one, feel that a part of my cultural heritage was taken away from me, by the Philippine education system not teaching Alibata to me during my youth in the Philippines.
Fast forward to 2009, and I felt a surge of anger and also a sense of purpose that I need to promote Alibata using the most user friendly and extremely fun interface platform ever created --- the iPhone. I have had my eyes developing apps for the iPhone, but have put it off for a while due to the cost of having to upgrade my Mac and also having to pay for the Apple developer fees. Through the determination of letting people know more about Alibata, I was able to develop the Alibata Guide program in a course of less than two weeks.
To build the program, I used Xcode and the Interface Builder provided by the iPhone SDK. The iPhone uses Cocoa Touch based on the Objective C language. I have had C, C++ and C# experience before, but Objective C was a bit different. It uses classes like C++ and C# do, but the syntax formats are noticeably different. It can bit a bit overwhelming sometimes to look at a Foundation framework class name that seems like 100 characters long. Cocoa programmers, you know what I mean!
To prevent copyright issues, I decided to hand-draw the Alibata symbols / scripts myself using a Bamboo Fun CTE-450 tablet, an inexpensive yet highly functional way of drawing or writing in an electronic environment. The software I used for drawing was the free open source software called GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program), which can be downloaded for free on public domain software sites. This part took me the longest to do, since I want to get the Alibata symbols proportionately right. It sometimes took me 20 times to draw a single symbol, because I wanted to get the right calligraphy-like look for it. I treated this stage in the development with extreme care, because there is beauty in the symbols, and I wanted to share my yearning to learn this long, lost, forgotten ancient writing to everyone.
I submitted Alibata Guide on 5/7/09. As this was my first app, I had a lot of anxious nights whether or not Apple decides to approve or reject my submission. I did multiple tests prior to the submission, to make sure that there are no bugs. However, there were also other things that the app can be rejected for, besides coding. In any case, I have had a few sleepless nights worrying what Apple might think of my first app.
Today (5/14/09), I learned that Apple has approved my app! I quickly went to the Apple iTunes App Store, did a search for “Alibata”, and there it was. My jaw dropped. My name is published on the Apple iTunes Store. Just how cool is that! I am also my own first customer, and I gladly paid $0.99 for my own app, which I downloaded to my iTunes app library. I hope you do too, so you can learn Alibata for the sake of bringing back a part of a lost cultural heritage.
Mabuhay!