Yesterday I wrote about the back story on our need to release an updated Scanner Kit SDK for the iPhone. If you are a developer who has already used our SDK in your app to scan barcodes or you are a developer thinking about using our SDK in your app – please download our new version ASAP. From the release notes:
NEW – (Friday July 30th, 2010) – Version 4.0.0
Complete overhaul of underlying barcode scanning and camera frame grabbing logic.
Vastly improved performance and API enhancements
Full compatibility with iOS 4.0 and Apple’s App Store policies and guidelines. (No more “UIGetScreenImage()”)
Full compatibility with iPhone 4, 3GS and 3G devices
Many of you know that we are in the midst of building out the new office for Big in Japan, but you may not know that we are outfitting the space with all of the best amenities for our developers – stuff like a fully stocked bar to an in-office gym with showers. My latest acquisition is perhaps the coolest. We have your run-of-the-mill pool table and foosball table and while we were thinking about adding a cabinet-style arcade game I have been reluctant to order one because a) we couldn’t decide on which game and b) what a huge waste of space. Of course that all changed when I saw the Gamerator. The Gamerator solves BOTH problems. First, it includes a BOATLOAD of classic and current video games resolving the ‘which game to buy problem’. Second the space inside of the cabinet is used by a kegerator (i.e. beer).
From Thrillist: “Legitimately badass keg-cade hardware includes a 26” HD flatscreen, a Golden Tee-style trackball next to a standard double-joystick setup, two critical cupholders, a spout/overflow drain below the joysticks, a refrigerated keg chamber w/ standard tap and C02 setup, and an optional, toggle-able international tap for kegs of the non-domestic stuff, for when you’re playing Ca-Stella-vania. On the software side, a legit user interface means easy navigation of the 85 classic arcade games (fromSpace Invaders, to Rampage, to Mortal Kombats I – III) that come pre-installed, while 1,000 downloadable games can be accessed via an included one-year subscription to GameTap, which they describe as “Netflix for video games”, so…Netflix.”
So get your order in fast (they are selling like hot cakes) or make sure you make it to our first Startup Happy Hour in October. Visit Gamerator.com for more info.
WARNING: Don’t update your app if you use our Scanner Kit SDK until you get our new 2.0 version (hopefully released tomorrow).
Earlier this month Apple stopped accepting apps that made use of UIGetScreenImage call (allowing apps like ShopSavvy to take a snapshot of the iPhone’s screen). This ‘call’ has always been private, but Apple made an exception to allow apps like ShopSavvy to work. Apple made it VERY clear from the start that this ‘private’ call would not longer be available once they released their new public API for the camera in IOS4. The new public API is amazing and makes ShopSavvy and our Scanner Kit SDK work like a dream.The downside is that if you have implemented our SDK in your app (or any other barcode scanning library that worked prior to IOS4) Apple will reject your app if you try to update it right now.
Our team saw this coming a mile away and has been working tirelessly to update our scanner kit to stop using the private call in favor of the new public API and as of today our Scanner Kit is working really well. We will be testing tomorrow, but hopefully by the end of the day we will release the SDK publicly.
The new SDK will use NONE of the private methods and will also work significantly better as we replaced all of our slow, shaky, hacky work-around code with Apple’s new officially supported, high-performance camera API calls. Our new 2.0 version scans faster, is more accurate and since it is not using any private, unsupported methods, it will not break whenever Apple releases an update.
Finally, another important thing to note is that Apple is dropping support for the iPhone 2G (original iPhone). They aren’t allowing users to install iOS 4 on it. Therefore it won’t be possible publish an app/update that does real-time barcode scanning on a 2G because iPhone OS 3.x can’t interact with the camera without UIGetScreenImage() which is now back on Apple’s blacklist. Apple said they will grandfather in the old apps that use this and won’t pull them out of the store, they just won’t approve any updates or new apps that use UIGetScreenImage. If you are a 2G user or OS3.X user feel free to use ShopSavvy Classic as it will never be updated – it is Grand Fathered in the app store.
The team here at Big in Japan has been busy working with retailers (and other groups) on various programs, but the most surprising activity is around QR Codes. Just pick up a newspaper and you will read about how QR codes are starting to take hold here in the US. Earlier this year we began supporting QR Code scanning on both the Android and iPhone versions of ShopSavvy. Of course, there were very few QR Codes to scan. I am here to tell you that is about to change.
Lots of retailers like Best Buy plan to include QR Codes in their stores to help consumers learn more about the products they are selling. Look for the strange little two dimensional barcodes near product displays. You can scan these codes with ShopSavvy and you will receive the information that the retailer is interested in providing to you. Of course, you can still scan the one dimensional barcodes (i.e. the UPC or EAN code) on products and get the standard price comparison you have come to expect from ShopSavvy.
Just as ShopSavvy can scan these QR Codes from Best Buy we can also help retailers power their own apps with 2D reading technology. Both our iPhone and Android developer SDKs offer QR Code scanning support – just drop our libraries into a retailer’s mobile app and consumers can begin scanning right away.
Of course 2D codes are popping up on websites like Facebook and in stores thanks to Google’s Favorite places program. We support both of these programs today. Perhaps the most interesting use of 2D codes is by cities. In Washington DC we now support scanning of QR codes in DC Circulator Buses. This month the city added QR Codes on all bus stops and bus shelters. Riders who have ShopSavvy can scan these codes to see a map of their route, their current location and the next bus stop.
Just a quick programming note regarding our new office. The lease has been signed and we should have construction drawings submitted next week – still on target for our October 1st move in date. Here is the most recent space plan:
The Architel team is offering their clients (and anyone else) a managed video surveillance service for $250 per month (8-16 cameras). Included in the service fee are the cameras, digital video server AND access to each camera through an iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and Nokia mobile application. Read more about their offering here. Here is a demo of the iPhone interface for the service:
HTC is selling a LOT of Android phones. HTC has three of the top ten Android phones and has been in the game longer than anyone else. ShopSavvy’s penetration is the highest on HTC’s devices. When I met Peter Chou in 2008 at the G1 launch in Manhattan I had never heard of HTC. Peter explained to me that he was betting his company on Android. By the time we met in Germany I had a better understanding of the man and his vision for HTC. Android still wasn’t a sure thing, but it sure felt like we were on to something. I felt pretty smart throwing my hat in the ring with Peter and his team – guess he was right about HTC AND Android.
Andreas Constantinou has an interesting post titled, “Mobile Developer Economic 2010: The migration of developer mindshare.” The most interesting part includes this graph, “One of the most telling clues about the speed of evolution of the new vs old platforms is the great disparity between the device installed base and the number of available apps for each platform. While Windows Phone, Symbian, Java and Flash have many times the market penetration of Android, iPhone and BlackBerry, the number of apps available tells a very different story.”
The folks at AdMob put together a chart detailing the popularity of various Android handsets and with the exception of the EVO, ShopSavvy’s popularity on the handsets is almost exactly the same. The most popular ShopSavvy phone is the Droid followed closely by the Hero. The EVO is is quickly moving up the charts, now the fourth most popular Android phone and poised to overtake the Hero.
Many of you know that we are in the midst of building out the new office for Big in Japan, but you may not know that we are outfitting the space with all of the best amenities for our developers – stuff like a fully stocked bar to an in-office gym with showers. My latest acquisition is perhaps the coolest. We have your run-of-the-mill pool table and foosball table and while we were thinking about adding a cabinet-style arcade game I have been reluctant to order one because a) we couldn’t decide on which game and b) what a huge waste of space. Of course that all changed when I saw the Gamerator. The Gamerator solves BOTH problems. First, it includes a BOATLOAD of classic and current video games resolving the ‘which game to buy problem’. Second the space inside of the cabinet is used by a kegerator (i.e. beer).
From 
Earlier this month Apple stopped accepting apps that made use of UIGetScreenImage call (allowing apps like ShopSavvy to take a snapshot of the iPhone’s screen). This ‘call’ has always been private, but Apple made an exception to allow apps like ShopSavvy to work. Apple made it VERY clear from the start that this ‘private’ call would not longer be available once they released their new public API for the camera in IOS4. The new public API is amazing and makes ShopSavvy and our Scanner Kit SDK work like a dream.The downside is that if you have implemented our SDK in your app (or any other barcode scanning library that worked prior to IOS4) Apple will reject your app if you try to update it right now.
The team here at Big in Japan has been busy working with retailers (and other groups) on various programs, but the most surprising activity is around QR Codes. Just pick up a 
Lots of retailers like Best Buy plan to include QR Codes in their stores to help consumers learn more about the products they are selling. Look for the strange little two dimensional barcodes near product displays. You can scan these codes with ShopSavvy and you will receive the information that the retailer is interested in providing to you. Of course, you can still scan the one dimensional barcodes (i.e. the UPC or EAN code) on products and get the standard price comparison you have come to expect from ShopSavvy.
