SheffCam now a native iOS app

Not updated my blog for almost a year so I thought I may as well let people know that SheffCam has migrated from a web app to a native iOS app and is available from the app store (since march actually… yes I’m a little slow at updating the blog).

I took the decision to use NimbleKit as the development platform (its an Xcode template so you still need a Mac and an iPhone Developer license) for creating the app as it allowed me to leverage my existing web based skills to produce a fully native and app store friendly app. I urge anyone who is thinking of developing an app for the Apple app store but are put off by learning Objective C to give NimbleKit a try.

SheffCam Released

I’m pleased to announce the availability of a new iPhone/iPod touch WebApp for the Sheffield area.

Produced in conjunction with Sheffield City Council, SheffCam gives you access to the 30+ traffic cameras in around around the Sheffield area all within an easy to use interface.

Please visit sheffcam.com on your iPhone/iPod touch to start (as a bonus you can also FULLY access it on the desktop using Safari for Mac or PC, even better you can make it into a dashboard widget on a Mac using the web-clip feature from within Safari).

I plan on making a native version for the Apple app store in the future with lots more features so if you have any feature requests please let me know.

Thanks to all those who beta tested the WebApp…Enjoy.

This is Ohhh 2 much!

Yesterdays WWDC keynote was bitter sweet, we got to see some great new technology in the form of new MacBook Pro’s and a demo of Snow Leopard but it was the iPhone (as expected) that took center stage with a release date set for iPhone/iPod Touch OS 3.0 (17th June) and the release of the new iPhone 3GS (19th June).  Its the new iPhone 3GS that’s been the talk of twitter and online media most of the today, well not actually the iPhone 3GS itself but how the carriers (in my case O2) are pricing the new iPhone and how much existing iPhone users have to pay to upgrade.

I posted my take on things on the BBC dot.life story page earlier today and I thought I’d repost it here for all to read.

I’m not angry at Apple per say, they have released a great piece of evolutionarily technology, I’m more angry with 02 for the ludicrous way they are dealing with the pricing structure and lack of ‘reasonable’ upgrade fees for existing iPhone users.

I’m not looking for something for nothing here I’m willing to pay an upgrade fee to the iPhone 3GS (say £99) even if it means extending my current contract for another 18 months, the iPhone to me IS that good a device. The iPhone has changed the perception of what a phone should be, and as the iPod did before it with the music industry, the iPhone has the potential to change how carriers operate not just for iPhone users but for everyone and the industry as a whole.

I’ve seen the various blog posts, tweets and petitions (which I’ve signed) talking about this issue but one tweet sums it up for me.  The iPhone killer comes not from another handset but from a carrier… O2 to be more precise.

To use an Apple slogan… O2 need to ‘Think Different’… or face the consequences.

What happends next? who knows maybe O2 will listen to the many thousands of existing disgruntled iPhone users and do something about it.  In the mean time head on over to this petition and add yourself to the list… you just might be able to make a difference.

My WWDC 2009 Predictions (based on what I want to see)

As the title says here are my predictions for next weeks WWDC keynote (Monday 8th June) based solely on what I’d like to see and not what is expected to happen. In no particular order:

• iPhone/iPod Touch 3.0 firmware release. Quite likely what with the recent iTunes 8.2 release.
• Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) demo and release date set. Very likely.
• New iPhone hardware. (iPhone Video- Not hot on the name but hold is supports HD).  Hope Apple/O2 do what they did last time and allow 1st gen iPhone owners to upgrade to new the iPhone for £99 AND keep the old iPhone. Likely.
• Apple Netbook/Tablet. Very unlikely but hey we can dream.
• Steve Jobs. Even more unlikely but would be good to see him back in action.
• One more thing… See above.

Lets just wait and see shall we. I for one will be glued to the various rumor/news sites on the night (i’m in the UK) in question.

What do YOU want to see?

SheffCam: My first venture into iPhone development

I said a while ago that this year would be the year to do some serious programming in the form of iPhone development and while this is still the case I’ve not got very far (Yeah Yeah I know).  What I have managed to do is dip my toe in the iPhone development pond ocean in the form of Dashcode, and while not technically coding (it uses existing web technologies to produce dynamic web apps), it has allowed me to start with an idea for an application which I hope to development into a full blown native iPhone app.

The idea for SheffCam came to me whilst viewing the Sheffield City Council traffic cams which cover 34 sites in and around the city.  Although really useful they arent much good if you are out and about and want to see what the traffic is like for your journey home. Viewing the councils website on the iPhone is possible but a pain as it requires lots of zooming in and out and downloading of superfluous data.  Hence the need for a streamlined iPhone compatible version of the site.

After approaching Sheffield City Council they were interested in an iPhone version of the site and I was given the go ahead to use the camera images in my development.

SheffCam is in early development (beta) and doesnt have all the features I’d like included but I’ve decided to release it to get feedback from potential users.  Please leave suggestions, bugs and feature requests in the comments below.  In the meantime please feel free to take a look at SheffCam on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Enjoy