Last week Apple announced to all their developers, and the world, that they would be adjusting their terms for app development. They have made it more flexible for developers to make apps by allowing some third party development environments and languages, instead of using their proprietary version of Obj-C called CocoaTouch. While their Xcode environment is very sophisticated and powerful, app developers were also forced to learn a programming language that only a small portion of developers were using.

Technical languages aside, what does this mean? In a nutshell, developers writing in cross platform, web-standard languages (HTML5, JavaScript, CSS), can create apps now with only a minimal amount of programming in CocoaTouch.

For us here at Dirk+Weiss, this means we can make apps more efficiently. We can also make prototypes that could be styled with CSS to run in your browser, rather than having a physical device. Now, of course, this does not mean that you negate testing phases for apps, it just gives our clients a more realistic proof of concept and prototype.

As I was cutting through Harvard Yard to meet fellow designer Ben Gaydos of GoodGood, I walked by this emergency phone. I then stopped, turned, and snapped this photo. I then proceeded to send this photo to my colleagues, where the following dialogue was replied…

Kentucky Boy – “Excuse me. Can you tell me where the library is at?”
Harvard Student – “Around here we do not end a sentence with a preposition!”
Kentucky Boy – “Well then, can you tell me where the library is at, asshole?!”

So what’s the lesson here? Choose words and applications in public spaces that will still work when scraped away, or split into two words. Emergency perhaps? or Help?

Since we have become certified Apple iPhone developers, we have acquired a few devices to test and try on for development purposes. One device was a iPhone, 1st Generation. On this iPhone was OS software 2.2.1, the latest public release. When I went to update it with our pre-release beta version of OS 3.0, the phone was instantly ‘bricked’. After hitting the developer forums, there was apparently no hope to rolling back to OS 2.2.1.

I then proceeded to the local Apple store to see the genius bar. They told me what I was afraid of. Since I am a developer, and installed beta software, and signed a contract, that there was nothing they could do. And on top of that, apparently my phone had ‘water damage’ because my ear phone jack’s water indicator was red.

Anyway, my phone is most certainly out of warranty now. So now what? A $300 paperweight?

NO! There must be a solution. I did indeed come across a solution that involves a surprisingly simple procedure with some free software you can download from a website.

**At this point, I must advise you, if you are reading this and have a bricked iPhone, this method will most certainly void your warranty. Hence my device was already void so I said “What the hell”.**

This software allows you to install a previous package of iPhone OS Software (available on the web. Links to apple download area) on a phone that has been rendered “Disabled”. In the developer circles this is called Jailbreaking. Freeing your device! Well my device was bricked (jailed) and needed to be free! Google “Jailbreaking iPhones” for more information.

With the Jailbreaking software, I rolled back my iPhone to OS 2.0. Then, through iTunes updated it to a fully supported Apple 2.2.1 update. So essentially I had to hack my device to make it legit. Funny world.

My iPhone is now back in action, just like moment before I “bricked” it with the OS 3.0 software. Looks like I am waiting for an update and trying again.

First, thanks to all of you who have supported AnyoneCanSwiss by downloading our free Swissmaker 2.0 App. Our new build is on its way. This time, we have outdone ourselves.

There will be an update to the current free app, with some new abilities including:

• Multiple line text (instead of single line) input with line breaks to create “White Space”
• A status view that shows details of the Swissmaker Process
• Background information about AnyoneCanSwiss

We are also announcing the release of our SwissmakerPro App. This is a $0.99 upgrade to the current free app, and it introduces the new features listed above and two exciting new features!

• Pull a photo in from your library, and use it as a poster background
• Take a photo with your camera, and use it as a poster background