AIR 2.5 for Android
by Seb Lee Delisle from Plug-In Media, Blog: http://seb.ly
- Flash animations are lightweight compared to image sequences on different more native platforms (IPhone, Android)
- With latest beta realease of Flash Builder codenamed “Burito” AIR apps can be published straight to Android devices
- Desginers can develop apps from Flash Pro with the AIR 2.5 extension wich is availbale on Adobe Labs
- AIR apps require Android 2.2
- Porting existing apps especially games can be a pain since interaction is different. One solution is soft controlls. Some devices have issues with multi touch interaction though
- AIR for Android is good for games. For traditional applications it’s better to use HTML which is a better cross-platform technology.
Pro:
- Flash Pro IDE is a good design environment to quickly produce high quality content.
- Vector graphics are very lightweight
- Publishing is very easy
Cons:
- Resizing for different screen sizes can be a pain
- 3d is software rendered (max 100 triangles) Unity is the better solution for 3d
UX for Android
by Roman Nurik from Google, Blog: roman.nurik.net
Best practices:
- User journey starts in app store or even on a blog
- Think about how to present the app in stores or blogs
- Icon title and description are very important. Icons will give user first impression of app therefore big selling point
- Create great screen shots and high quality movies for promotion
- Ensure apps sync with internal dbs like playlists, phonebokks etc…
- If app is complex.. Educate user about the UI to make user feel comfortable. Perhaps a one off tutorial
- Avoid long back stacks (history) back button (hardware)
- Dont use px units -> use dp or sp(text) units
Process:
- Lay out data model and define relations
-
- Choose primary UI navigation pattern based on data model (crucial)
- Dahsboard + Actionbar
- 3-4 top tabs
- Horizontaly sliding top tabs + content (homogenous content like news, not working well with interaction heavy content like maps)
Tools
- Pencil for Firefox
- Adobe Fireworks
- Android asset studio
The real economics of mobile advertising
Limvirak Chea from InMobi Global advertising platform
Android is catching up and taking over as the major Mobile platform. India and Africa is relying heavily on mobile internet.
How to make money with apps:
- Sell (Difficutl)
- Subscription
- Lite version and then upgrade to full version
- Sponsorship
- Ads (good in a global approach), compare 79p game with free game and 5 clicks on ads -> return will be same
I think InMobi provides an intersting model for smaller groups or even single developers to earn money with mobile games. The fact that the offer an SDK for IPhone/Android and additionally provide an API for other platforms makes it a good choice to target as many devices as possible. They also offer 100% revenue for the first $2 Million you earn. It is definitelly worth checking out their SDKs
Make it fun
Andy Brammall Unity Technologies
Unity 3D is state-of-the-art game engine running on almost all operating systems, platforms and consoles. The IDE is easy to use, very much Flash IDE like. Unity is capable of importing 3DS and Maya project files that makes the design process a breeze. It also includes a browser plugin that let’s you run Open GL rendered content on a web page (current penetration less that 1% ).
Key Features:
- Exports for iOS, Android, Windows and Apple binary
- Web player will be shipped with Google Chrome in near future
- Integrated Physics engine
- Easy to use: WYSIWYG
- Planed exporters for PS3 and XBox360
- One project and code base can be deployed all major platforms
Android has a “dude” problem
Belinda Parmar from Lady Geek
Facts:
- 28% of Women in the UK feel missunderstood by Technolgy companies
- More women bought a smart phone in the last half year than men
Myths:
- Women are not intersted in Android, –> Entertain don’t educate
- Women want choice about handsets –> Confusion, looking for reassurance, easy to use
- Women are equal participants in app economy –> Women want apps to solve a problem
Android behind the scenes
Karl-Johan Dahlström and Erik Hellman from Sony Ericsson
This was a very “corporate-like” talk. SE wants to build up a close relationship with developers to push their phones.
One intersting thing though is their competiton to build an Android app where Companies can enrol as well. Might be worth looking into it to win new business?
Ericsson Application Awards 2011
Theme: “Connected Things”
App Ltd – a business-like approach to your Android app
Tom Mleko from HyperBees
We go from a working and QAed app. So how to make the money?
Demand ->seeking for solution or entertainements
Discovery -> Android MArket sites (incl yours), Twitter, Wom
purschase -> AM
opinion sharing ->Twitter, Facebook, Viral,
fundamental questions
what are kwy befits of app (user perpesctive) ->document 5 benefits
what are competitors? (direct / inderect) ->spreadsheet (app/ price/sales volume/ befits/features/target audience/reviews/trengths/weknesses)
-sources: appbrain.com. MArket. revievs, app analysisi
target audience? (crucial)
coherent marketing message
icon, title, descriptipon. screenshots, [website] , []
Icon:
main feature, high quality
Name:
easy to spell
trademarks?
crisp
description:
infamous 325 chars
problem -> solution -> benefit -> feature
reviews?
promos?
to the point
(3 paragraphs)
TEST TEST TEST – >more than 25 testers
prepare basic financial info
costs(software used, promo)
palned revenue
beta test
ruel of thumb – 15 testers will dicover 95% of issues
select them snmrtly
reward and keep them
Use platforms
OpenFeint Speexx 3d ScoreLoop
app analytics: Flurry etc
financial analytics Checkout export etc
after you publish
markting plan
objetcives(honest preformance, simalr apps)
market analyssis
SWOT(strengths, weaknesses, opportunitie, threats)
$ (update, all costs)
Figure out opinion leaders in forums ,twitter on facebook
influence them
People will look for problems they anrt silk e