Just switched the blog to github pages and jekyll. A new journey begins!
16 January 2014
In iOS7, a previously unannounced feature allows the ability to read barcodes. Incorporating a new output for AVCapture known as AVCaptureMetadataOutput, supported formats for 1D and 2D barcodes can be read. Demonstrating the ease of use, a simple code snippet is provided to showcase how to apply this feature. Additionally, a demo project is shared for those keen to explore its functionality.
01 October 2013
Haven't been around for a while, folks! Been keeping busy with a startup and working on a server-side project for www.vollow.me. Time to dust off those old Java and database abilities! Soon, I'll be getting my hands on building the app to go with the website. Keep your eyes peeled for some insightful iPhone-related posts coming your way!
09 June 2013
Wrestled with UIImagePickerControllerCropRect today for cropping images. Some of the codes out there were ridiculously long winded, so I took a stab at whittling it down myself. Safely arrived at a streamlined solution that dealt with the size of image, the crop rect and graphics context. Also worked in a neat bit on image orientation. Law of parsimony victorious!
14 July 2012
Had a blast at iOSDevUK - a fantastic conference that was not only filled with intriguing talks, but also offered me the opportunity to present my own talk. I discussed making real time multiplayer games using GameKit and GameCenter. The slides and notes from my talk are available for download if you're interested!
12 July 2012
Well, it's game over for my creation, Tanks!, in the US app store. You won't believe this but Atari's claiming it treads too closely to their copyright. Kinda feels like they think they hold the exclusive rights to all tank-driving games. I'm not buying their claim one bit but, when the game's bringing in less than a buck a day, who can afford legal bills, right?
27 October 2011
During my recent trip to Scotland, I teamed up with my friend, Rob, to integrate Kinect with my game, Aliens Invade. We worked with OpenNI and NITE for person tracking and pose detection after the initial hurdles with raw depth data. The game now requires the player to physically run left or right to dodge bullets, and fire by waving their hands. It not only works well but adds a lot of fun to the classic space invaders game!
23 August 2011
Just got an email from Apple, claiming that my app 'Sudoku Grab' infringes on intellectual property rights of Nikoli.Co.Ltd. So, as a precaution, I've taken Sudoku Grab off the shelves in Japan.
07 December 2010
In this post, I'm sharing performance stats from a free Heart Rate app which has been live for just over two weeks, and has been downloaded around 40k-50k times worldwide. It was categorized under Entertainment instead of Health and Fitness which may have affected downloads and advertising revenue. It's been relatively successful and was built with iAds and AdMob adverts. Revenue generated from the US was substantial with fill rates at nearly 50% and an amazing eCPM of almost $30, compared to Admob's $2.2. Despite the revenue's rapid decline correlating with downloads, I believe there may be a strong case...
03 December 2010
I have received several inquiries about my heart rate app and decided to share details about it. The app uses your phone's camera to perceive the faint changes in the light coming off the flash as blood flows in and out of your finger. I have also provided the demo code and some sample code segments to explain specific functions of the app and the augmented reality blog post for modifications. After a detailed explanation of the code, I show graphical presentations of how the app tracks heartbeats. I end off with a preview image of the sample project and...
25 November 2010
Just found an iPhone app that creatively measures your heart rate simply using the flash on your phone. Thought I'd try the neat little tool and was fascinated with it. Can't wait to share more on how it works in an upcoming post.
19 November 2010
Hey there tech enthusiasts! So, you used to rely on my old methods for employing augmented reality on an iPhone? Well, those days are past. With the release of iOS4, accessing the camera has become a breeze. Check out my latest blog post where I share the specially updated code that works seamlessly with iOS4.
12 October 2010
Hey guys! Just updated my earlier blog post on creating Augmented Reality (AR) on iPhones using the new iOS4.0 features. I’ve also moved away from the 'UIGetScreenImage' function as it’s no longer supported. Now, we access the camera using the AV Foundation framework with the help of AVCaptureSession. As always, you're free to download and fiddle with my code available in this blog. Happy Programming!
10 October 2010
As I strove to learn OpenGLES 2.0 for new gaming projects on iPhone and Palm Pre, I faced certain challenges due to the introduction of a programmable graphics pipeline in OpenGLES 2.0. With this mechanism, we are responsible for writing the code to generate our graphics, which was overwhelming at first. To help others, I ported some of the NeHe tutorials over to OpenGLES2.0 on iPhone in an easily-digestible way. In this post, you will find a walkthrough of the first 4 tutorials, complete with codes, explanations and screenshots to make learning easier.
05 October 2010
We are excited to announce that our newly developed game, Tanks! Mayhem, is now available for download on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad platforms. This action-packed game offers an exciting outlet for you to enjoy at a minimal cost of $0.99. Don't miss out on the mayhem!
01 October 2010
This tutorial guides you through applying textures to a rotating 3D cube using OpenGL. We will be utilizing the esUtils code, specifically its function esGenCube, and modify our shaders to accommodate our texture coordinates. After setting up our new mvp matrix and position vertex attribute, we will apply a texture to our rotating cube. The code can be found via a provided link.
28 September 2010
Exciting news gamers! Our new app, 'Tanks! Mayhem', has finally hit the app store. We can't wait for you to dive into the tank-battle action and enjoy all the mayhem it has to offer! For a sneak peek, take a look at some of our epic game screenshots included herein.
28 September 2010
I've made a triumphant return to the blogosphere with the release of my new game, 'Tanks!' developed for Palm Pre/Pixie and soon for iPhone devices. The game, an experiment to learn OpenGLES 2.0, is a testament to the feasibility of porting C++ or C code from iOS to Palm PDK, despite minor challenges with UI interaction and audio. So gear up, folks! Download 'Tanks!', step onto the battlefield and let the mayhem begin! Next stop on my coding odyssey - Android!
23 September 2010