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.

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

10-Up: Getting recognized

Today I tried to get 10-Up reviewed by more reputable review websites such as windows8core and betanews.com.
It's pretty tough to get noticed. 10-Up has done quite well getting into the top 100 paid apps in the Windows Store within the first 2 weeks (albeit jumping in and out in terms of rankings) and now to push to the next level where it gets well into hundreds of downloads, I feel 10-Up needs some reputable review sites to do a piece on it, also further development to be made for the users who play the game, to try and provide both a better experience and allow more content.

More marketing needs to be done to help as well including gameplay videos and marketing videos.
To help with this, I have also started making a list of feedback from users on my website. This is located at www.andrewsario.com/10-Up.php
I will use this location for the page until I get a subdomain or a domain setup for it.

To move keep the Facebook page fans engaged, I have also started random challenges where I post an image of a sample puzzle, allowing users to put in their answer.

It's hard to keep up with the market, but I will continue to work as best I can.

In the meantime here's a sample of a puzzle posted on the Facebook page:

Leave a comment to put in your answer !

Top 100 !

After one week of being on the market, 10-Up has cracked the Top 100 Paid Apps in the Games category at 97th spot.

10-Up also has the top spot in New Releases for Games Category.

I look forward to continuing to make 10-Up a great app and improve the user experience.

Let's keep this thing going!

Post Release: 10-Up

After a successful launch with the 10-Up Facebook page gaining good interest among my friends, family and community, I decided to change my focus from app development to marketing the app as best I can.
The primary communication about the App is through the Facebook page with other avenues including my development blog and my website. Now I need to try to expand out beyond people I know (as many do not have Windows 8).

Get 10-Up here:
 http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-au/app/a2800a17-ebac-4542-b2c4-c99d28f5d9db

First I went to some technology companies to see if the app could be found on the app store and I managed to download the trial version of the app on some Microsoft Surface Pro's.


Next I managed to get the app featured on The Video Game Island's web page - and I am currently reaching out to more gaming websites for reviews or features - I will reveal these as they respond.

The next few major steps I would like to pursue is to write up a press release template for gaming sites to consider covering the app, create both a walk through video and just a promotional video and finally, reach out to international markets where Windows 8 machines are more popular and the Windows Store market is larger.

I will now await any feedback from all customers and take on board as much as I can to continue to develop the game and ultimately work towards releasing it for other platforms such as iOS and Android.

As one measurement of performance I have set a 10-Up target to get to the top 100 in the Puzzle sub category of the Games category. Over the week I have improved from about 800/3000 in the Windows Store to approximately 500/3000 in the Windows Store. Below you can see the app listed on the first page of the newest games.

10-Up in the Windows Store

This has all been possible with the help of family, friends and supporters of the app and I would like to thank all of those who support my app and also myself, particularly my partner who helps me stay focused and positive on this journey.

Third Time's a charm!

After cleaning up some minor issues and also adding in a feature my app is going in for certification for the third time. Version 1.0.3 of 10-Up will hopefully be the first release and I'm looking forward to any more feedback from the Microsoft Team in the Content Compliance.

If you're like me, the certification and marketing take almost as long as the development, spending extra time on graphic design for your promotional images as well as putting in time to consider your market and price point. Further to this, there are a bunch of privacy statements to consider and other certificates as well.

All in all, I've learned that when developing something like a game or app, you must consider the market side of things as well.

I'll post once I get the app certified. In the meantime here is one of the promotional images used!