Wow! eBook – Blog

Book Description

You can build a variety of amazing apps on the iOS platform—and every one of them presents a unique set of problems. With the recipes in this cookbook, you’ll go beyond theory to solve the vexing, real-life issues you’re likely to face when creating apps for the iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Each recipe provides a clear solution and sample code that you can use right away.

You’ll find solutions for working with development frameworks in iOS SDK 4 and technologies such as Cocoa, Objective-C, Xcode, and Interface Builder. Whether you have a little or a lot of experience with iOS development, you’ll find the help you need for every phase of the process, from initial idea to completed project.

• Work with Objective-C classes, objects, properties, delegates, and memory management
• Construct a user interface with gesture recognizers
• Develop location-aware applications with the Map Kit and Core Location APIs
• Build apps that play audio and video, manage calendars and events, access contacts and groups, or tap into the Photo Library
• Use the Core Motion framework to access the accelerometer and gyroscope
• Maintain persistent storage for iOS apps with the Core Data framework
• Create multitasking-aware apps that let users leave and return without losing their place

From the Author
This book is the result of hundreds of hours of time put into writing new Download Now »

Book Description

The authors of the bestselling Beginning iPhone 3 Development are back, with the same excellent material completely updated for iOS 4 and written from the ground up using the latest version of Apple’s Xcode 3. All source code has been updated to use the latest Xcode templates and current APIs, and all-new screenshots show Xcode 3 in action.

Beginning iPhone 4 Development is a complete course in iOS development. You’ll master techniques that work on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. We start with the basics, showing you how to download and install the tools you’ll need, and how to create your first simple application. Next you’ll learn to integrate all the interface elements iOS users have come to know and love, such as buttons, switches, pickers, toolbars, and sliders. You’ll master a variety of design patterns, from the simplest single view to complex hierarchical drill-downs. The confusing art of table building will be demystified, and you’ll learn techniques to save and retrieve your data using SQLite, iPhone’s built-in database management system and Core Data, the standard for persistence that Apple brought to iOS with the release of SDK 3.

And there’s much more! You’ll learn to draw using Quartz 2D and OpenGL ES, add multitouch gestural support (pinches and swipes) to your applications, and work with the camera, photo library, accelerometer, and built-in GPS. You’ll discover the fine points of application preferences and learn how to localize your apps for multiple languages. You’ll also learn how to use the new concurrency APIs included in iOS 4, and make robust multithreaded applications using Grand Central Dispatch. Download Now »

Book Description

Want to learn how to program on your Mac? Not sure where to begin? Best-selling author Wallace Wang will explain how to get started with Cocoa, Objective-C, and Xcode. Whether you are an experience Windows coder moving to the Mac or you are completely new to programming, you’ll see how the basic design of a Mac OS X program works, how Objective-C differs from other languages you may have used, and how to settle into using the Xcode development environment. Most importantly, you’ll see how elements of the Cocoa framework work: how they can be used to create windows, store data, and respond to the user.

If you want to learn how to develop apps with Cocoa and Objective-C, this book is a great first step.

What you’ll learn

• Basic programming concepts illustrated with short, easy-to-understand examples
• How to use Xcode and related programming tools
• The basics of Objective-C and how it compares to other languages you might know
• How to create simple apps using the Cocoa framework

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Book Description

In just 24 sessions of one hour or less, learn how to build powerful applications for today’s hottest mobile device: the iPhone! Using this book’s straightforward, step-by-step approach, you’ll master every skill and technology you need, from setting up your iPhone development environment to building great user interfaces, sensing motion to writing multitasking applications. Each lesson builds on what you’ve already learned, giving you a rock-solid foundation for real-world success!

Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common iOS development tasks.
Quizzes and Exercises at the end of each chapter help you test your knowledge.
By the Way notes present interesting information related to the discussion.
Did You Know? tips offer advice or show you easier ways to perform tasks.
Watch Out! cautions alert you to possible problems and give you advice on how to avoid them.

Printed in full color—figures and code appear as they do in Xcode

• Covers iOS 4.0 and up
• Learn the features of Xcode 3.2 and Interface Builder
• Prepare your system and iPhone for efficient development Download Now »

Book Description

Is it possible for JavaScript programmers to learn Apple’s iOS 4 SDK and live to tell the tale? Technology guru Danny Goodman did, and with this book he leaves a well-marked trail for you to follow. An authority on JavaScript since its inception, Goodman understands the challenges you might face in creating native iOS apps with this SDK, and introduces Xcode, Objective-C, and Cocoa Touch in a context you’ll readily understand.

Why bother with the SDK when you can simply build web apps for Apple’s iOS devices? Web apps can’t access an iPhone’s music library, camera, or iOS system software for maps, audio, and more. Nor can you sell web apps in the App Store. If you want to take full advantage of the iPhone and iPad, iOS 4 SDK is your tool — and this is your book. Includes full coverage of iOS SDK 4.2.

• Learn the distinction between web app and iOS native app programming
• Create a workbench app to test code snippets throughout the learning process
• Get a structural view of an iOS app, and compare the process of building objects in Objective-C versus JavaScipt
• Discover how your code launches iOS apps and makes them user-ready
• Learn about iOS memory management details that are different from JavaScript, including pointers and data types
• Use Objective-C and Cocoa Touch to implement common JavaScript tasks Download Now »

Book Description

Learn iPhone and iPad Cocos2D Game Development provides a rock-solid introduction to the cocos2d iPhone game engine and related tools. It focuses on the process of creating several games made entirely with cocos2d and little to no iPhone SDK and OpenGL code. By creating 2-3 sample games over the course of the book, you’ll learn key concepts of the cocos2d game engine and relevant tools like Zwoptex (TextureAtlas), ParticleDesigner (Particle Effects), and others.

The example games are modeled after popular App Store games so that they are relevant, recognizable, and immediately fun and inspiring. The games increase in complexity and highlight common recurring cocos2d beginner questions. As you move along, you’ll learn about possible stumbling blocks and how to navigate them successfully. As you move from beginning to advanced, you’ll encounter general game programming wisdom, tips for performance improvement, as well as pointers to alternative implementations and further reading.

It is assumed that the reader has previous programming knowledge but not necessarily with Objective-C. Related topics such as Xcode, Objective-C, the iPhone SDK, and OpenGL are only discussed where absolutely necessary.

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