SarioDev Apps: SarioDev Goes Live !

SarioDev Apps: SarioDev Goes Live !: SarioDev Apps Website goes live and this is the first post going up on the site. I'm really excited to get this off the ground and ...



Go and check out the SarioDev site! I've decided to discontinue SarioDev Apps specific posts from this blog and have a dedicated one.



I will still continue to post things here but will be a different focus - you may have noticed it has been very SarioDev focused as of late. So to clean it all up and centralize the App side of things please check out the SarioDev website and let me know what you think!



Is it a good choice?



See for yourself.



SarioDev Apps

May the 4th be with you... SarioDev celebrates Star Wars Day with an announcement of a 10Up Video Review

May the 4th be with you... Ah, yes, SarioDev is a Star Wars fan and has got a nice Star Wars Lego collection to go with it.  On this great day, we are excited to announce that our friends at GiveMeApps have done a video review on 10Up Number Puzzle Game!

Favorite quote of the video:
"Great way to recharge your brain, keep your brain fresh"

Without further adieu, here is the video so check it out and share with someone you know.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SLHhD3WaPk

F8 Developer Conference 2014 - 10Up to build with Facebook?

 

Following the Facebook F8 Developer Conference this April has me excited to find out whats the latest. It appears that Facebook is focusing on mobile platform and cross development with some apps focus. That's great news for app developers which has me realizing that I don't have true Facebook integration for the 10Up App.

The 10Up App page is where users can get the latest news about 10Up but the app does not directly post to the page. This conference has me aiming to focus on Facebook integration in the next update! What do you think?

Now that I'm starting to get more traction with the app I want to make sure it gives users all the social features they want. After update 1.7 we integrated Google Play Services allowing users to share with their Google+ Circles for Leaderboards and Achievements. Many users are jumping on board and posting their scores I just want to extend that experience.

Now back to the Facebook F8 Developer conference, they have announced anonymous login to users to lower the trust barrier that users have with allowing apps to have access to their Facebook due to spam and not wanting to share this type of information with friends. I'm glad to see Mark Zuckerberg and the team has addressed this. Great Move!

Hopefully I'll have 10Up v1.8 out to you soon and continue to build the SarioDev brand.

Play Services Leaderboard - Way more difficult than it should have been!

Frustration has set in as I continue to try and integrate play services into my app. Originally I thought it was going to be difficult. But after reading the developer information on it, I was under the impression that it was going to be really easy. It turns out that the leaderboard concept is really easy - which it should be and it's great ! But getting there is another story!
In particular because they recommend extending BaseGameActivity and the entire example is based on this. In my case my activity could not extend BaseGameActivity because it extends something else!
This cause frustration, although it looked like there was hope in implementing what BaseGameActivity class did as it is a wrapper class for GameHelper (which is used for Google API connections etc.)

Last issue is the manifest issues - they mention many times about one of the metadata required, but I think mention only once about another one (APP_ID) that you must have as well. - Another delay

Long story short. I've made progress in that there now seems to be a signin process happening in 10Up when it starts. Only problem is it doesn't actually sign in.
I have read that this may be due to using a debug version of the app for testing (which isn't signed of course)

So now I'm uploading an APK for Alpha Testing and see if I can get this thing done !

10Up Android App Promo Video

The 10Up Promo Video has gone live on Youtube! Check it out!

This will be integrated into the App Description  Page here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sariodev.puzzle10up.app


It is recommended by all top app developers to include an app video to help your app stand out against the rest. So here's the video for 10Up!

I took the footage on a Galaxy Note III and an iPhone 5. Let me know what you think!
Here's a behind the scenes look at the studio setup for this trailer.

SarioDev: Keeping up with updates

You can never build the perfect app nor complete in one release. If you do, you most likely missed your window of opportunity by now and it would only take one user to change your "complete product". It is very important to listen to your users and take their feedback on board.

With SarioDev apps I've been trying hard to keep updating the app, which I've many ideas for, but by listening to my users I have a bit of guidance on prioritizing what to update first.

My general strategy is to have a list of ideas to implement, based on 2 metrics: Value of update and Difficulty to implement. These are my 2 key factors as I am the only developer I must keep these 2 factors in balance. What changes the value of the update is value for the user, and value for future development.
Value for the user is first determined by what value it will add to myself, as the first user (all my apps I use personally) then based on feedback of users I know, and then I look at the feedback of all users. Depending on how frequent a request may be and which layer the request is from helps me determine the value. After I can filter these by the difficulty to implement. It's a pretty simple process.

Share how you manage your apps and updates. Or if you want to know more feel free to contact me as well!

Speaking of updates here's the latest from SarioDev - 10Up Number Puzzle Game v1.4 for Android!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sariodev.puzzle10up.app
The 10Up community is building and I'm really excited about where I can take this app.

Happy Easter All!

10Up - Could This Be The Next Big Puzzle App?

With the rise and fall of apps, both big and small everyone starts to wonder what is the next big app? This year alone in 2014 we have had the likes of Flappy Birds and 2048 among all the big corporations but these cases are the ones that make many think about this next big app. Although there are many great apps being published daily, which of these will captivate the app user world?

Well, the wait may be over. There is a new app on the block.

It's available on Android - and it's FREE.
The game is called 10Up. It's a number puzzle game that was conceived from a popular game played on Sydney's Cityrail trains where you join 4 numbers (which is the ID of the train carriage/car) to make 10. Sounds simple enough? Well this is only one key factor in all good games and it doesn't end there.

Another key factor is to make it simple to play, but at the same time challenging enough to keep someone engaged and hopefully playing again. There is a points system to this game, where the closer to 10 you get, the more points you get. When you do get a 10, you get a 10Up. This gives you point boosts based on your streak. You must get as many 10Ups as possible before time runs out!

The app looks beautiful with a very simple UI with animations. The game is very addictive and there is an easy mode available to help you learn the game. It is designed to be suitable for children and can be used as an educational app. You can beat your score and share your results too. The developer is also updating the app constantly and quick to respond to user feedback.

With all these factors, it's no wonder that 10Up could be your next app and that of many others and it's free! So why wait any longer? Download 10Up right now - I'll provide you the link:
10Up Number Puzzle Game

And then post your high score! Mine is 620 points. Can you beat it?

A Browser that will make you productive in 2014! (New Concept)

Productivity just got easier. We've all used many tools that track and time our tasks to help our productivity, but the one flaw is that for it to truly be useful you need to set them up first to match you. 

So here's a new concept for you to consider, start with one area, say you open a link in a browser - you easily get stuck reading a comments section or article. Now you are presented with an option to limit your session to say, 5 minutes. Now you won't do this all the time but if at least once a day you limit one of your procrastination sessions to 5 minutes (instead of getting stuck for 20) you train yourself to be conscious about this time spent. Which is the first step. 
Enter this solution: IN 5 Browser.

It's an alternative browser (not a replacement) that has a timer in your face and kills your session after so you don't procrastinate!
-No history, no favorites, no tabs, no cache, no going back and wasting time. After 5 minutes (You have options for a few other time ranges), you simply get a "GG. Back to Work" message.
Try it for yourself. Once a day for just one week- stick to your intention of getting back to work "IN 5" and see the results!
It's a fast, lightweight browser, designed specifically for procrastinators to get in, read content, get out - and back to work!
Free Version:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sariodev.in5.app
Paid Version:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sariodev.in5pro.app

Test Share Feature for IN 5

I just fought procrastination with @IN5Browser! 5 pages in 2 mins #IN5 #SarioDev

IN 5: One App Developers Journey

If you have been following this blog, or my Facebook page, or anything related with me for that matter you will know that I have been developing an App and pursuing to make multiple apps for Android, Windows and Apple.

I've been posting little updates here but I've decided to put up a little more detail about my progress, milestones and failures on this blog to do 2 things. The first is to help anyone going through or thinking about doing something like this. The second? Well that's for my sanity. I am taking on this endeavor while having my priority on my work as a control systems engineer and of course my wedding that is less than 1 year away now!

Allow me now to list all the milestones and achievements in order.

January 28:  - Project IN 5 had begun (previously titled Just 5 Minutes)
February 4: - Facebook Page Created
February 5: - New Logo Design
February 9: - Promo graphics made
February 17: - Version 0.6.6 was being worked on

February 28: - Initial Release. version 1.0 was officially available in the Play Store
Get app here

March 1: - First Meme posted to page
March 2: - Downloads reach 10+
March 3: - Developer Home Page updated. Andrewsario.com
-SarioDev Logo created
March 4: - IN 5 gets into Top New Free apps in the Productivity Category (14th)
-Facebook Advertising being tested with small campaigns
March 5: - App video recording being taken
- AndroidApps, androidtapp + more review companys contacted. No opportunity available for 2 months+
-SarioDev Business Plan started
March 6: - Adbuddiz integrated to app
March 9: - Release 1.1 update made available
March 12: - First article write up by Ausdroid
March 13: - Demo trailer released. Watch here
- Downloads reach 50+
March 15: - First Downloads from U.S.A.
- IN 5 title changed to IN 5 Browser and descriptions updated
- Translations for descriptions included (China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, French, Arabic,                       Filipino and more)
- IN 5 ranks in the top productivity apps in Australia (537th)
March 16: - Signed up with App Annie
- IN 5 ranks in top productivity apps in Australia (535th)
- Developer progress and update post on blog


Summary
As can be seen, development took approximately 1 month. The App has been in the Play Store for 2 weeks now with 1 update, 1 app review (and 10 times as many rejections) has reached 50+ downloads and ranks 535th for productivity apps in Australia.

Growth has been steady but definitely a lot slower than what is desirable. Considering this is my first stint I am pleased with the results but nowhere near satisfied. It will take lots of motivation and hardwork to make this into something profitable. At this stage my revenue is $0.

Next Steps
Release Update 1.2 will address a particular bug that has affected users, social integration with facebook, twitter and instagram options, session stats for number of pages viewed, and finally some options for time alternatives other than 5 minutes (perhaps 1, 3 and 5 minutes will be available). I'll probably take suggestions on that on the Facebook Page.

Then the premium or pro version of the app will be the focus and will mainly remove the advertisements but give even more time options for users to choose from.

A marketing push will be aimed to coincide with release 1.2 and IN 5 Browser Pro.

This milestone will mark the second app on the store and from this point I will begin thinking about the next app and also beginning work in the Apple world.

Next Update
Hopefully, in the next major update I will have some revenue to report and perhaps some other successes or failures that can be useful to others.

Adding Adbuddiz library in Android Studio

SarioDev, 2014

The Adbuddiz support page gives you 5 steps to add their SDK and start serving Ads in your app. Link here: http://publishers.adbuddiz.com/portal/support/java

There is a slight variation in step 2 (Add jar to your app) for developers using Android Studio. 

In Android Studio first you add AdBuddiz-2.0.1.jar to the libs folder and then instead of Project properties you open Project Structure

Then select the Dependencies Tab, press the green plus sign to add a File dependency. 

Select the jar file you just added and you're done. Move on to step 3 as normal.

IN 5: my first Android App in the Play Store!

Here is the link for my app IN 5.
It's a timed browser for procrastinators. After 5 minutes your Web session is killed, no history, no getting distracted for a couple more minutes. Try it out today! It's free!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sariodev.in5.app

IN 5 Browser for Android Published

IN 5 has JUST been published to the Play Store (28/2/2014). It will be a few hours before it is visible and I will post when that is the case.

In the mean time it's great to see and it means I can start working on the Pro version whilst taking user feedback and working on the original version (As is the nature of being an Android Developer).

This may be a small milestone, but for me it is very important and hopefully the start of something good.

Releasing an App in 2014

After reading some articles and trends and forecasts for the shape of app development in 2014 it can be quite daunting to think all your work could result in minimal success - financially that is. Forbes had average lifetime income last year at about 6k per developer. Obviously with that the Median would probably be a more meaningful value to consider.

Of course if you're building something for yourself you still have the functionality you wanted and hopefully learned some new tricks when developing for Android.

In any case even if the market may start to reach its peak this year I am still aiming to release at least 3 Android titles this year and I'll detail what I've learnt from the process.

Good luck to other aspiring developers

In 5: New Logo and functionality

Today the Logo is ready to go into the app and onto the Facebook page.

It's been changed and hopefully marks the time for the app to be put up to the test and submitted to the Play Store.

The Logo is the first point of contact with the user and is also the first clue to whether your App is good or not.
I don't believe that the Logo has the power to get users to click it more so than its ability to NOT deter potential interest to click the app.

In any case when designing a new app, or any product for that matter, it is worth your time considering the logo and the branding of your app. It's the first piece of marketing.

In 5 - ready for prime time.

Android development: Next App

It's been quite a while since SarioDev released 10 - Up.  Unfortunately no updates nor its coming to Android or iOS is being announced at this stage. I've decided instead to begin developing my next app and it will be on the Android platform. The name:

In 5

"Wearables" tech for 2014

Now here is one wearable I am definitely interested in it wouldn't be my first after entering into the category - more on that later.
Working mostly on computers all day it is very hard to maintain a good posture (although I've never really had one). Getting a friend to remind you, trying to get pillows to help and many other solutions are all good and can help, possibly. But in reality all you have to do is stand up straight - and do it all the time.

The struggle for me was always consistency, the friendly reminder is rendered useless after a short while. Hence comes in trying to aid the situation during sleep with back pillows, problem is once you're asleep it might as well go out the window. Perhaps there's some simple but effective techniques out there that have worked for others that I'm not aware of?

In any case this piece if tech could solve my problem and could quite possibly be my second item in the wearables category, the first being my Samsung Galaxy Gear watch - which I'm quite happy with. I'll be sure to review that next along with some brief highlight of its use with the note 3.

2014 - A big year

As the new year begins so does my intention to expand the content of this blog. It has been reiterated in the new description of the blog, now titled "Life and Tech by a Sario".

So with that being said, 2014 is going to be a big year for me and for many others I presume. For myself, it is an important year of planning, preparation and development to put myself in the best position possible in the year 2015. Now that may seem relatively far ahead in the future, but a couple of important milestones will be coming up during that time. - My Wedding and of course moving in with my Wife to be.

That leads to a few focus goals over the year which includes Organizing and Planning the wedding as well as continuing to improve as a Computer Systems Engineer. Other interests will also have some goals such as more App Development - expanding to iOS and improving in Android whilst finding time to make the first update to 10-Up on the Windows Store. Improving my personal fitness and adding approximately 10kg to my current weight.
Videography - producing and directing as more work opportunities arise and also learning 3D animation with Blender. 

Now that is actually quite a fair bit due to the fact that my focus will be as a Control Systems Engineer where my career will require improving in many other areas including Logic Design, Network design and security, overall system design and of course knowledge and skills in Engineering Practice.

Of course, it does help that a lot of these areas have small to large transferable skills depending on how you look at them but they exist nonetheless. To help me this year I have prepared a few plans and guidelines for the year in the format shown. I will review and update this weekly to keep me on the ball.



In any case, welcome to the new year of 2014 and good luck to all trying to achieve their own plans this year! Please feel free to share what your goal success secrets are!