Developer

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: ...

PayPal’s recent study revealed that Australian retailers with an online presence have experienced a 5 percent increase in sales as of July 2012. On the other hand, brick-and-mortar stores have experienced a 4 percent decrease in sales for the same period. This development is representative of the global trend and highlights the importance of having an online presence for continued business growth. However, having an online presence is only half the story. User-friendliness has been cited as one of the major barriers in the growth of mobile commerce in Singapore. As such, having an interactive and attractive website will definitely help to contribute directly to your bottom line. Here is a list of open source JQuery plugins that can help to improve the look and feel of your website: JQuery TOOLS http://jquerytools.org/ ...

I try to create small notes or share my knowledge with the SharePoint community in Singapore, so in this article I will cover 3 basic steps to Install & Configure, Learn and understand the change on SharePoint 2013 Preview. I try my level best to cover visually step-by-step configuration from simply enabling Hyper-V on Windows 8, installing Windows Server 2012, SQL Server 2012 to complexly installing SharePoint 2013. Hope this help you, Please note that this only for test purposes not on production. ...

[caption id=“attachment_10529” align=“alignnone” width=“315”] The top ten strategic trends for 2012[/caption] Gartner’s 2012 article on the “Top 10 Technology Trends for 2012" shows an increasing importance placed on mobile-centric applications and interfaces and on development for media tablets and beyond. Source: Gartner (February 2012) With a forecasted worldwide media tablet sales of 118.9 million units in 2012, developers are leveraging on the various open source, cross platform web frameworks to rapidly develop and deploy mobile applications to cater to the market demand. [caption id=“attachment_10530” align=“alignnone” width=“307”] Worldwide sales of media tablets[/caption] Source: Gartner (April 2012) Let’s take a look at some of these frameworks and what they can offer: 1. Apache Cordova ...

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?

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.

CARPE DIEM. [caption id=“attachment_10368” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Welcome to Generation App. Generation App is a movement that will unite everyone who has a stake in the future of applications—people with ideas for apps, people who code apps, and people who use apps.”][/caption] How do you develop a Windows 8 app in 30 days? Well, Generation App is here to help. What is Generation App about? CHALLENGE Every era has had its moment when technology drives its communication, ignites inspiration, and fuels exploration. Today our era is about apps. THE BIG IDEA We are going to recapture the hearts and minds of app lovers—both developers and people who have ideas for apps—by launching a movement called “Generation App” – representing an unparalleled business opportunity for developers in conjunction with Windows 8, Windows Phone and Windows Azure. HOW IT WORKS We believe that today’s app ecosystem consists of two personas: Coders (“I can build an app”) and Conceivers (“I have an idea for an app”). Generation App will connect these two personas, and create a social movement around the drama of app creation: On the Web: The Generation App website is a “match.com” for Coders and Conceivers. This website will enable visitors to view projects that are currently underway, or create a new project. It will include descriptions of each application in progress; the developers behind the applications and celebrating developers building apps. On the desktop: A “Generation App” app will be developed to help people create a W8 App, either by connecting Conceivers with coding resources; or by connecting Coders with development resources such as a Generation App-branded 30-to-Launch page Your journey starts now. From embracing the Metro style design to coding, testing, and integrating with unique Windows 8 experiences, you’ll learn the essentials to create a great Metro style app over the next 30 days. Now is the time to create the Windows 8 apps the world is waiting for. Find out more now. [caption id=“attachment_10370” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Carpe Diem - Sign up to build your apps today.”][/caption]