Joyce Huang

Big Data has become one of the latest buzzwords of the industry. But few people actually understand what it is and how it’s applicable to our daily lives. For this week’s Infographic Friday, we’d like to explain to you what Big Data is about through this inforgraphic. Simply put, Big Data is data that is too large, complex and dynamic for any conventional data tools to capture, store, manage and analyze. The right use of Big Data allows analysts to spot trends and gives niche insights that help create value and innovation much faster than conventional methods. Check out this inforgraphic from WIPRO to find out more! [caption id=“attachment_10688” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“BigData - Click to view the larger version”][/caption]

Mobile devices have truly evolved to become popular casual gaming devices. Just hand any crying baby a smartphone these days and they’ll instantly stop once they open popular games such as Cut The Rope and Angry Birds. For budding game devs, the incentive to learn is huge, it’s an interesting process, extremely creative, not to mention really fun and I can only imagine the truckloads that you can earn if your game becomes a hit. As an amateur game developer, it’s helpful to know some of the popular game engines out that can help you in the process to build the next Angry Birds. Here are a few of the popular gaming frameworks out there that can help you build the next superstar game! 1. CoCos2D Cocos2D is an open source 2D game framework. The original Cocos2D framework is written in Python but has since been ported to other languages and platforms (and yes it’s available on Windows as well!) Cocos2d hides implementation details of OpenGL ES, thus making it easier to learn. Cocos2d includes popular physics engines Chipmunk and Box2D. [caption id=“attachment_10669” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“Popular casual game Fishing Joy is built on Cocos2D”][/caption] Download: Beta release: http://cocos2d-x.googlecode.com/files/cocos2d-x0.11.0-win8-0.9.1.zip Github repository: https://github.com/cocos2d-x/cocos2dx-win8 Inheriting the open source spirit from cocos2d, this branch is also open & free under MIT License. Features and Release: ...

App of the week is a weekly showcase of an awesome app developed on Windows 8 or Windows Phone. Got an app you love that you want us to talk about? Leave us a comment and tell us which app and why you love it! One of my favourite sites to visit when I’m bored and want to know the latest gossip in Singapore is STOMP. I know a lot of people have criticised the site about the level of sophistication and discussion that goes on between the pixels on the screen, but I say it’s an accurate reflection of heartland life in Singapore. Some of the deepest Singaporean sentiments run deep in the articles, although at times it is masked by comments that doesn’t seem to have been well-thought out. I admit it - I love STOMP, without it who would report about Ah lians sleeping on trains and taking up 5 MRT seats? Oh and it really doesn’t hurt that the news on it is as bizarre and incredulous. Sometimes I wonder if people deliberately fabricate stories just to get the $50 reward by Singapore Press Holdings. And now you can continue to read about the latest craziest news and happenings on the MRT from STOMP on it’s Windows 8 application! I must warn you though, STOMP on Windows 8 looks much cleaner than what you may be used to on the regular STOMP website. Take a deep breath. Here it is. [caption id=“attachment_10562” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“The STOMP home screen on Windows 8”][/caption] On the home screen you can view all the hot topics that are going on within the website. By scrolling right and left, you can also view other headlines in ‘Singapore Seen’ and many others. [caption id=“attachment_10569” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Browse inside each category swiftly and easily”][/caption] Inside each category you can quickly and easily glance through all the top news and updates on what’s going on without having to scroll too far! [caption id=“attachment_10570” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Easy reading on the interface”][/caption] What I first noticed is the key difference between the website and the app is the lack of clutter. I much prefer reading STOMP on the Windows 8 User Interface (UI) minus the ad banners and many other distractions from the content. This version of the UI is much easier to read and pleasant on the eyes. [caption id=“attachment_10573” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“You can download STOMP on WIndows 8 by clicking here.”][/caption] Now go forth and gossip on!

We’ve been getting a lot of requests about sharing our Windows 8 lab materials and we’re happy to announce that it’s here! Introducing Windows 8 Camp in a Box - which now comes in 2 flavours - C# and JavaScript. What’s inside Windows 8 Camp in a Box? This download includes the hands-on-labs, presentations, samples and resources from the Windows 8 camps. The Windows 8 camps are free training events for developers ramping up on Metro style app development. We have two packages available. Both packages include the same content and resources; the hands-on-labs are different. ...

Infographic Fridays are a weekly sharing of a cool infographic spotted across the web. To mark the start of our Infographic Fridays - check out this history of HTML5, from its inception to the major sites that have adopted it along the way (and even those that still lag behind). The timeline is created by Wix.com [caption id=“attachment_10384” align=“alignnone” width=“572” caption=“Check out the history of the language, from its inception to the major sites that have adopted it along the way (and even those that still lag behind). The timeline is created by Wix.com”][/caption]

I stumbled across Dr. Doris Chen’s Blog. She is a Developer Evangelist at Microsoft for the Western region of the United States. Some of her content is directed towards the use of HTML5 and I find her discussion very relevant in today’s context given the debate about the use of HTML5 and its effect on the performance in apps. Here’s the abstract of her talk. Abstract Everyone wants to jump into HTML5 but how do you use the cool features of this new specification while ensuring existing and future browsers render your web pages as expected? This is where feature detection, Modernizr, polyfills and shims come in. In the session, you’ll learn the best practices and strategy to code with HTML5 and CSS3 features that won’t break for the existing and future browsers. You’ll learn step by step how to use specially crafted JavaScript and CSS code that emulate HTML5 features. Also, a real-life case study will be used to demonstrate step by step how to build Cross-Browser Plug-in-Free experiences. With a couple of simple changes to your sites, you can take advantage of HTML5 today without breaking your sites in the future. Expect a lot of demos and code in the session. Video Slides for the conference can be found at http://html5devconf.com/slides.html Are you building your apps using HTML5 or native code?

[caption id=“attachment_10488” align=“alignnone” width=“530” caption=“Join us for the online launch of Visual Studio 2012”][/caption] The faster you can transform your big idea into software, the greater your chance for success. Be ready to rise to the challenge with Visual Studio 2012. Get a head start on your future by attending the Visual Studio 2012 Virtual Launch Event. See how Visual Studio 2012—supported by Team Foundation Server—can help turn your ideas into software. Save the date and register now to attend this free event! ...

We started Hackweekend as a way to get to know our developers, have fun, build the community and boy, it’s been an exhilarating experience. It’s great to see that there are so many developers working on interesting problems and tackling difficult technical issues. At our first Hackweekend, we had people coming up with some great ideas for their applications. At the second Hackweekend, we could see their fruits of labor, with many demoing almost complete Windows 8 applications! What’s especially encouraging is to see that people are helping each other with their own expertise and making new friends through the event. Here are some photos from the event: [caption id=“attachment_10448” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Chun Siong introducing Hackweekend #02”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10449” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Participants listening in to the introduction”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10450” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Our youngest developer - presenting his project about augmented reality.”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10451” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“The idea wall where every pitch went up!”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10452” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Getting ready for the demo after the fireworks!”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10453” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Our first presenter, Luther, did an app to help NS men and people going for re-service find the nearest locations to take their IPPT!”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10454” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Luther’s app presentation - Helps you find nearest IPPT locations”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10458” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“My Little Pony - Windows Phone to Windows 8 app”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10457” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Jason Chee - demoing his app”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10455” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Everyone who attended Hackweekend #02”][/caption] We’re looking forward to celebrating National Day with you - if you’ve got a Windows 8 app to show and tell, join us for the NDP special of Hackweekend! [caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Celebrate National Day, hack some code and enjoy the fireworks on 9 Aug”][/caption] Sign up here: http://bit.ly/ndpspecial Download the Windows 8 Release Preview ...

If you’ve been meaning to learn a new or different language, this is a great way to start. In this free course we found on Channel 9, Bob Turner from www.LearnVisualStudio.net will teach you the fundamentals of HTML5 & CSS3 programming. Tune in to learn concepts about web pages, CSS3 styles and HTML5 features! [caption id=“attachment_10443” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“HTML5 & CSS3 Fundamentals: Development for Absolute Beginners”][/caption] Topics covered are web prinicpals, writing code and much more! Each concept is broken into its own video so you can search for and focus on the information you need. Download the entire series source code here.

[caption id=“attachment_10428” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“The shortcut keys work great on any PC and also the upcoming Microsoft Surface!”][/caption] Windows 8 Release Preview and Development tools released for a month now and many of you have installed and played with it. I am getting some common questions from time to time so I think it’s a good idea to share with you some useful information to help you get started with quickly. Hardware Requirement Windows 8 Release Preview works great on the same hardware that powers Windows 7: ...