Convert a String (NSString) to Number in Objective-C

This Objective-C tutorial will show you how to convert a string (NSString) to different number types. The NSString class in Objective-C has a parse method for each number type that allows you convert a string into the primitive type.

Convert a NSString to an int
To convert a NSString to an int, call the method integerValue on the NSString class. Below is an example:

NSString *str = @"123";
int value = [str integerValue];

Convert a NSString to a long
To convert a NSString to a long, call the method longLongValue on the NSString class. Below is an example:

NSString *str = @"123";
long value = [str longLongValue];

Convert a NSString to a float
To convert a NSString to a float, call the method floatValue on the NSString class. Below is an example:

NSString *str = @"123.4";
float value = [str floatValue];

Convert a NSString to a double
To convert a NSString to a double, call the method doubleValue on the NSString class. Below is an example:

NSString *str = @"123.4";
double value = [str doubleValue];

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Building an Application for iPhone

Alan Cannistraro covers the application lifecycle, MVC design, Interface Builder and Nib files, control and target-action; and demonstrates HelloPoly.



This is class 4 of 18 of Stanford University's iPhone Application Development Course CS193P. Read More >>

Post a Job for $10

To celebrate the end of 2011, we have placed our job postings on sale for $10 (normally $50).

Post your Job Now!

Offer expires December 31, 2011 Read More >>

Custom Classes, Object Lifecycle, Autorelease in Objective-C

Alan Cannistraro covers creating custom classes, the object lifecycle, auto release, and properties in Objective-C.




This is class 3 of 18 of Stanford University's iPhone Application Development Course CS193P. Read More >>

Using Objective-C and Foundation Framework

Alan Cannistraro provides an overview of object oriented programming, the objective-C programming language, and common foundation classes.



This is class 2 of 18 of Stanford University's iPhone Application Development Course CS193P. Read More >>

Job Opening: Trading Operations Specialist

Quantlab is a dynamic, technology-driven firm supporting a large-scale quantitative trading operation across a wide range of global financial markets. Founded in 1998, Quantlab is an established presence in quantitative investment management with a track record of consistent profitability under varying market conditions.

To support our ongoing expansion into additional markets, we seek individuals to join our trading team. As a Trading Operations Specialist, you will work across a broad range of instruments and asset classes on the front lines of Quantlabs model-driven, real-time trading activities.

Read More >> Read More >>

Convert a float to a NSString with 2 Decimal Positions in Objective-C

This source code example shows how to convert a float to a NSString with 2 decimal positions in Objective-C.

float value = 4.1289;

NSString *string = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%.02f",  value];

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Introduction to Mac OS X and Cocoa Touch

This video tutorial provides an introduction to Mac OS X and Cocoa Touch. Evan Doll provides an overview for the Stanford Computer Science department course, iPhone Application Programming (CS193P).



This is class 1 of 18 of Stanford University's iPhone Application Development Course CS193P. Read More >>

SharePoint 2010 Quick Reference Card - FREE

This Share Point 2010 Quick Reference offers the fundamentals, as well as tips for using the various applications within the program. This printable quick reference is yours to use, distribute, and share at your organization!

Get your FREE SharePoint 2010 Quick Reference Card! Read More >>

WordPress Beginner Tutorial

This video tutorial gives you an overview of the WordPress dashboard including how to do a post and a page as well as plugins.

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SharePoint Designer 2010: Branding SharePoint Sites Video Tutorial

This course covers creating themes and making simple CSS changes to fully restyling a site with master pages and page layout templates. In SharePoint Designer 2010: Branding SharePoint Sites, Simon Allardice explores using SharePoint Designer 2010 to alter the default appearance of SharePoint web sites. Simon also shows how to aid usability and adoption by providing improved navigation and individual page layouts for site-specific content.

Topics include:

• What you should know
• Understanding the different levels of site customization
• Creating a new site
• Using built-in themes
• Using the Code and Design views

Get the FREE Video Tutorial! Read More >>

Pushpins Introduces SimpleUPC Web Service for Mobile App Developers

Pushpins Inc., the developers of the leading grocery shopping app, Pushpins, has created SimpleUPC, an application enabling mobile app developers to gain access to product information. Pushpins created the app through a partnership with Kwikee, a MultiAd product providing manufacturer-approved grocery and consumer packaged goods (CPG) images, data and related content.

Product information provided by Kwikee enables developers using SimpleUPC to access food, beverage, health and beauty, personal care and baby product information from more than 15,000 brands and nearly 5,000 different manufacturers. When using the service, developers will add just a few lines of code to obtain a powerful set of grocery data including nutrition and product images, all linked to Universal Product Codes (UPCs). The data is updated nightly to provide the latest products available.

While building our grocery coupon app Pushpins, we saw how expensive and difficult it was to get accurate grocery product information,” said Jason Gurwin, chief executive officer and Pushpins co-founder. “Partnering with Kwikee for SimpleUPC gives all developers access to the world’s first grocery data API (application programming interface), the same one used by our mobile coupon application.”

With Kwikee, manufacturers such as Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Unilever and ConAgra sponsor SKUs (stock keeping units) for product photography, data collection and distribution to the trade. All of the content in Kwikee is provided and approved by CPG manufacturers. Additional content from special projects is used to supplement the nationally-sponsored Kwikee library.

Pushpins makes it easy for shoppers to plan, shop, and save. In addition to providing shoppers valuable grocery information including nutrition facts, Pushpins allows consumers to use their shopping list to redeem instant digital coupons on their loyalty card in more than 3,500 stores nationwide.

"The value that Kwikee offers app developers such as Pushpins includes a database of product images, nutritional and ingredient information that can be delivered ensuring accurate, up-to-date content is immediately available for consumers,” said Randy Burd, Kwikee product manager. “Pushpins is able to help us get this content to even more app developers via SimpleUPC.”

SimpleUPC provides app developers with an easy and comprehensive option to obtain dynamic updates of product content. More information is available by visiting simpleupc.com.

Source: PRWeb Read More >>

iOS Camera API and Photo Library Overview Tutorial

This video tutorial is an overview on how to access the Camera and Photo Library for iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch).



Source Code:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X1T4OJCG Read More >>

Installing and Configuring SharePoint 2010 - Free eBook

This guide gives you tips on what to avoid during the installation. Have you tried all online links and are still stuck with the SharePoint 2010 installation? Then you certainly need to download this guide. This step by step guide shows how to install SharePoint 2010 on a virtual machine. Each step shows a screenshot that will help users to better understand the step. Host computer used during the preparation of this guide was a Vista (32-bit) machine (IBM 64-bit). Guest machine used was VMware workstation 7.0.

The guide lists hardware and software requirements. It has up-to-date links to download pre-requisite software. Pre-requisite software has to be installed in a particular order. This is the most comprehensive compilation of SharePoint 2010 installation steps.

Get your FREE eBook! Read More >>

Converting Images for iPhone Retina Displays

This video tutorial shows how to make images compatible with the iPhone Retina display.

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Free Oracle Magazine Subscription

Oracle Magazine contains technology strategy articles, sample code, tips, Oracle and partner news, how to articles for developers and DBAs, and more. Oracle is the world's largest enterprise software company. Oracle Magazine is published bimonthly and distributed to more than 550,000 of the top IT managers, database administrators, and developers.

Get your FREE Subscription! Read More >>

appMobi’s directCanvas Powers 10X HTML5 Game Acceleration, Multichannel Sound

HTML5 development powerhouse and open Web proponent appMobi today released a software development kit (SDK) and detailed performance specs of its directCanvas technology. The directCanvas technology includes rendering acceleration, multiSound multichannel sound playback and directBox2D physics acceleration. appMobi created these technologies to eliminate performance and capability barriers that have hampered the growth of HTML5 and the open Web as the ultimate platform for mobile games.



The iOS version of directCanvas was released as open source in November, and today’s SDK release supports the use of directCanvas for HTML5 game development. In the first quarter of 2012, appMobi will release directCanvas for Android, which will speed HTML5 games on a multitude of popular new Android devices like Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet, Samsung Galaxy, Motorola Droid Razr and the HTC EVO 3D.

“We’ve switched all of our iOS games over to use appMobi’s technologies,” said Henrik Dalsgaard, CEO of TweenSoft, a leading HTML5 game developer. “directCanvas really does allow HTML5 games to perform like native games, even on older devices. The other advantage to us is that with HTML5 and appMobi, we can use the same code and build for iOS, Android and for the open mobile Web.”

directCanvas Delivers 10X Speed Improvement in Frame Rate for HTML5 Games

An accepted “rule of thumb” in the gaming industry is that animated games must refresh the screen at least 25 times (frames) per second to create the illusion of smooth motion. To accurately characterize directCanvas acceleration on iOS-based devices, appMobi ran a comprehensive battery of tests on a variety of devices and OS versions. The test results dramatically exceeded the company’s previous claims of a 5X speed improvement.

Using iOS Version 5, directCanvas provided an average 1800% acceleration on an iPhone 3GS.

• On the iPhone 4, 1124% improvement was noted.
• The dual core iPad 2 and iPhone 4S experienced slightly less acceleration, 728% and 1032%, respectively.
• On older iOS versions, directCanvas provided up to 2000% frame rate acceleration.
• Importantly, without directCanvas, none of Apple’s devices were able to deliver 25 frames per second using the unaccelerated Safari WebKit browser.

With appMobi’s directCanvas acceleration, iPhone 4S and iPad2 delivered 35-40 frames per second, while displaying up to 70 animated entities. directCanvas allowed the older iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 to deliver over 25 frames per second while animating 50 entities. Full details of the tests and results are available at http://www.appmobi.com/directCanvasTest.

multiSound Provides Low Latency, Multichannel Sound for HTML5 Games

The HTML5 specification was not created as a game delivery platform, and it has a key limitation that has vexed mobile game developers – it can only play one sound at a time. appMobi’s multiSound API gives HTML5 game developers the ability to play as many simultaneous sounds as they wish, limited only by available memory. Designed for ultra-low latency, multiSound caches sound data in memory for instant, lag-free playback.

directBox2D Dramatically Accelerates Physics Calculations

Physics-based games perform many calculations to simulate gravity, inertia and perform collision detection. HTML5 games use JavaScript physics engines such as Box2D to perform these calculations. Because JavaScript is an interpreted language (rather than a compiled language), the extra interpretive processing slows frame rate and reduces the number of possible entities in a game. directBox2D accelerates these calculations 20X by using a high performance compiled physics engine in place of the interpreted one.

These three technologies work together to allow HTML5-based games to deliver the same immersive game experience that users expect from native apps: smooth physics animations, high frame rates and multichannel sound. To download the directCanvas iOS SDK or to get more information on high performance HTML5 game development, please visit http://www.appmobi.com/gamedev.

About appMobi

A bold proponent of the open Web, appMobi’s development tools and cloud-based services build on HTML5, CSS and JavaScript, creating a unified, open ecosystem that competes favorably with “walled gardens” offered by Apple and Google. In December, appMobi was named “Most Promising Tech Company for 2012” by ReadWriteWeb. appMobi’s technology allows mobile app developers to support HTML5 and native app platforms with just one code base, and to deploy and service their apps on multiple platforms, including the open Web. For more information visit http://www.appmobi.com.



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Java Application Development on Linux - FREE eBook

Linux is the fastest-growing Java development platform because it saves money and time by serving as a platform for both development and deployment. But developers face significant platform-specific challenges when managing and deploying Java applications in a controlled production environment. Written for Java and Linux developers alike, Java Application Development on Linux is the hands-on guide to the full Java application development lifecycle on Linux.

Determined to spare other developers hours of trial and error, Albing and Schwarz demonstrate the platform, tools, and application development by showing realistic, easy-to-follow examples. After a simple command-line application introduces basic tools, this program leads readers through business-logic object analysis, database design, Java servlet UIs, Java Server Pages (JSP) UIs, Swing GUIs, and Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT) GUIs. Scaling up to the enterprise level provides the opportunity to use both the JBoss Application Server and the Apache Geronimo Application Servers, and Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB).

Readers learn how to:

• Use development tools available on Linux, such as the GNU Compiler for Java (gcj), Ant, the NetBeans IDE, IBM's Eclipse Java IDE, JUnit, and SunONE Studio
• Develop business logic layers using Java DataBase Connectivity (JDBC)
• Add a Web interface using servlets and JSPs
• Add a GUI using Sun's Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) and IBM's SWT
• Deploy EJBs in Linux

The authors conclude by demonstrating how a hierarchy of budgets can be created, tracked, and shared with Concurrent Versions System (CVS). Java Application Development on Linux® can propel you from a standing start to the full-speed development and deployment of Java applications on Linux.

Get your FREE eBook!

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Convert a float to a NSString in Objective-C

This source code example shows how to convert a float to a NSString in Objective-C.

float value = 4.3;

NSString *string = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%f",  value];

Read More >>

Glassdoor's 2012 Best Places to Work - Tech Companies

Glassdoor has released the 2012 Best Places to Work Employee's Choice. On this list are a number of tech companies. Checkout the latest job openings from these companies.

3. Facebook
5. Google
6. CareerBuilder
10. Apple
12. Rackspace
13. Salesforce.com
21. Qualcomm
22. SAP
30. NetApp
32. Intel
40. Groupon
42. Intuit
43. Accenture
49. NVIDIA



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Job Opening: Software Developer - Genome Portal

The DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI) in Walnut Creek, CA (a division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab) has an exciting opportunity available for an experienced Software Developer / Engineer. As part of a software engineering team, the successful candidate will develop new bioinformatics tools and approaches for data publication, investigation, and visualization. The incumbent will work collaboratively with scientists from multiple backgrounds, and will play a central role in the development of software packages for biological data analysis. Will work on problems of a diverse scope, exercise independent judgment and select appropriate methods and techniques for solving and recommending solutions. Must demonstrate detailed knowledge and strong technical ability in full lifecycle software development, database design and access, web user interface design, development and deployment.

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Job Opening: Software Developer - Comparative Genomics

The Genomics Division has an exciting opportunity available for an experienced Software Developer / Engineer. As part of a scientific team, the successful candidate will develop new bioinformatics tools and approaches for comparative genomics, as well as conduct comparative analysis of a wide range of genomes. The incumbent will work collaboratively with scientists from multiple backgrounds, and will play a central role in the development of software packages for biological data analysis. Will work on problems of a diverse scope, exercise independent judgment and select appropriate methods and techniques for solving and recommending solutions. Must demonstrate detailed knowledge and strong technical ability in full lifecycle software development, database design and access, web user interface design, development and deployment.

Read More >> Read More >>

Convert an int (Integer) to a NSString in Objective-C

This source code example shows how to convert an int (Integer) to a NSString in Objective-C.

int value = 43;

NSString *string = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%d",  value];

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Learn Python the Hard Way

Learn Python The Hard Way is a course Zed Shaw wrote to teach programming to people who do not know how to code. It assumes you are probably a power user of your computer, and then takes you from nothing to programming simple games. After finishing this course you should be ready for many of the other programming books out there.

What's included in this course:

• 50+ hands-on exercises to practice Python by coding real programs.
• Video tutorials that show you how to do each exercise in case you get stuck.
• Discussion board to ask Zed questions directly and get help on the problems.
• A beginner's guide. You do not need to have programming background to take this course!
• Everything is recorded so you can learn at your own pace!

Buy this course for $29
Read More >>

How to Compare NSString for Equality in Objective-C

This source code example shows how to compare two NSStrings (strings) for equality.

NSString *string = @"foo";

if ([string compare:@"bar"]  == NSOrderedSame)
{
     //Action to perform if the strings are equal
}

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AJAX: Creating Web Pages with Asynchronous JavaScript and XML - Free eBook

The Easy, Example-Based Guide to Ajax for Every Web Developer. Using Ajax, you can build Web applications with the sophistication and usability of traditional desktop applications and you can do it using standards and open source software. Now, for the first time, there's an easy, example-driven guide to Ajax for every Web and open source developer, regardless of experience.

Edmond Woychowsky begins with simple techniques involving only HTML and basic JavaScript. Then, one step at a time, he introduces techniques for building increasingly rich applications. Don't worry if you're not an expert on Ajax's underlying technologies; Woychowsky offers refreshers on them, from JavaScript to the XMLHttpRequest object. You'll also find multiple open source technologies and open standards throughout, ranging from Firefox to Ruby and MySQL.

You'll not only learn how to write "functional" code, but also master design patterns for writing rock solid, high-performance Ajax applications. You'll also learn how to use frameworks such as Ruby on Rails to get the job done fast.

• Learn how Ajax works, how it evolved, and what it's good for
• Understand the flow of processing in Ajax applications
• Build Ajax applications with XML and the XMLHttpRequest object
• Integrate back-end code, from PHP to C#Use XSLT and XPath, including XPath Axis
• Develop client-side Ajax libraries to support code reuse
• Streamline development with Ruby on Rails and the Ruby programming language

Get your FREE eBook! Read More >>

Dilbert's Take on How Tablets Are Made

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PHP 5 Power Programming - Free eBook

In this book, PHP 5's co-creator and two leading PHP developers show you how to make the most of PHP 5's industrial-strength enhancements in any project--no matter how large or complex. Their unique insights and realistic examples illuminate PHP 5's new object model, powerful design patterns, improved XML Web services support, and much more. Whether you're creating web applications, extensions, packages, or shell scripts--or migrating PHP 4 code--here are high-powered solutions you won't find anywhere else.

Review PHP's syntax and master its object-oriented capabilities--from properties and methods to polymorphism, interfaces, and reflection.

• Master the four most important design patterns for PHP development
• Write powerful web applications: handle input, cookies, session extension, and more
• Integrate with MySQL, SQLite, and other database engines
• Provide efficient error handling that's transparent to your users
• Leverage PHP 5's improved XML support--including parsing, XSLT conversions, and more
• Build XML-based web services with XML-RPC and SOAP
• Make the most of PEAR: work with the repository, use key packages, and create your own
• Upgrade PHP 4 code to PHP 5--compatibility issues, techniques, and practical workarounds
• Improve script performance: tips and tools for PHP optimization
• Use PHP extensions to handle files/streams, regular expressions, dates/times, and graphics
• Create original extensions and shell scripts

If you're a software developer new to PHP, you'll leap quickly into PHP and its new object-oriented capabilities. If you're an experienced PHP programmer, you already recognize PHP's convenience and simplicity. Now, discover all of its extraordinary power!

Get your FREE eBook! Read More >>

HP to Contribute webOS to Open Source

HP today announced it will contribute the webOS software to the open source community.

HP plans to continue to be active in the development and support of webOS. By combining the innovative webOS platform with the development power of the open source community, there is the opportunity to significantly improve applications and web services for the next generation of devices.

webOS offers a number of benefits to the entire ecosystem of web applications. For developers, applications can be easily built using standard web technologies. In addition, its single integrated stack offers multiplatform portability. For device manufacturers, it provides a single web-centric platform to run across multiple devices. As a result, the end user benefits from a fast, immersive user experience.

“webOS is the only platform designed from the ground up to be mobile, cloud-connected and scalable,” said Meg Whitman, HP president and chief executive officer. “By contributing this innovation, HP unleashes the creativity of the open source community to advance a new generation of applications and devices.”

HP will make the underlying code of webOS available under an open source license. Developers, partners, HP engineers and other hardware manufacturers can deliver ongoing enhancements and new versions into the marketplace.

HP will engage the open source community to help define the charter of the open source project under a set of operating principles:

• The goal of the project is to accelerate the open development of the webOS platform
• HP will be an active participant and investor in the project
• Good, transparent and inclusive governance to avoid fragmentation
• Software will be provided as a pure open source project
• HP also will contribute ENYO, the application framework for webOS, to the community in the near future along with a plan for the remaining components of the user space.

Beginning today, developers and customers are invited to provide input and suggestions at http://developer.palm.com/blog/.


Read More >>

Programmers Heaven C# School Book - Free eBook

The Programmers Heaven C# School book covers the .NET framework and the C# language. Starting with the basics of the language, it goes on to cover object oriented programming techniques and a wide range of C# languages features including interfaces, exceptions and delegates. Later chapters cover practical topics including database access with ADO.NET, building Windows forms applications, multi-threading and asynchronous I/O. The final chapter covers new features in C# 2.0, including generics.

Chapters

• Introduction
• C# Language Fundamentals
• Classes and Objects
• Inheritance & Polymorphism
• Structures, Enumeration, Garbage Collection & Nested Classes
• Abstract Classes & Interfaces
• Arrays, Collections & String Manipulation
• Exception Handling
• Delegates & Events
• WinForms & Windows Applications
• More Windows Controls & Standard Dialog Boxes
• Data Access using ADO.Net
• Multithreading
• The File System & Streams
• New Features In C# 2.0

With this free eBook you will also receive the latest news about the computing industry, as well as featuring new files, links and articles delivered to your inbox courtesy of Programmers Heaven.

Get your FREE ebook! Read More >>

Webinar: How to Enable Unified Push Notifications in Native and HTML5 Hybrid Mobile Apps

Worklight, the leading HTML5, hybrid and native mobile app platform for smartphones and tablets, is hosting a free webinar to address the challenges of enabling mobile push notifications in smartphone and tablet applications. The webinar will also introduce the Worklight Unified Push Notifications Framework for iOS and Android devices.

"Companies are increasingly striving to reach their users via mobile applications beyond the traditional confines of the app, specifically through push notifications," said Amit Ben-Sheffer, Director of Product Management at Worklight. "However, cross-platform challenges and the innate differences between mobile operating systems make it extremely complex and cost-prohibitive to reliably support such infrastructure without a mobile app platform solution. In this webinar we will explore some of the factors affecting such enterprise mobile initiatives today."

• Join Worklight for a discussion on the following topics:
• Device-specific push notification mechanisms, regulations and restrictions
• Delivery, performance and availability challenges in enabling Push for iOS and Android operating systems
• Capabilities and benefits of the Worklight Unified Push Notifications Framework
• Implementation for native and HTML5 hybrid applications
• Use cases and industry-specific scenarios

Register now at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/999050736.

Webinar: How to Enable Unified Push Notifications in Native and HTML5 Hybrid Mobile Apps
Date: Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Time: 11:30 p.m. EDT | 8:30PM PDT

The Worklight Mobile Platform enables companies to develop, run and manage HTML5, hybrid and native apps for smartphones and tablets. It consists of the Worklight Studio, a multi-platform IDE for flexible development; the Worklight Server for secure delivery and backend integration; the Worklight Console for ongoing management and dynamic control of applications and infrastructure; and the Worklight Device Runtime for accessing native device functionality, UI features, and other runtime application services.

About Worklight
Worklight is the most open and advanced mobile application platform and tools software for smartphones and tablets. Our award-winning products help organizations of all sizes efficiently develop and deliver HTML5, hybrid and native applications with a powerful and flexible mobile IDE, next-generation mobile middleware, end-to-end security and integrated management and analytics. Worklight dramatically reduces time to market, cost and complexity while enabling better customer and employee user experiences across more devices. To download a free 30-day fully-featured version of the Worklight Mobile Platform, please visit http://www.worklight.com/download.

Read More >>

An Introduction to Design Patterns in C++ with Qt 4 - Free eBook

Master C++ and design patterns together, using the world's leading open source framework for cross-platform development: Qt 4. An Introduction to Design Patterns in C++ with Qt 4 is a complete tutorial and reference that assumes no previous knowledge of C, C++, objects, or patterns. You'll walk through every core concept, one step at a time, learning through an extensive collection of Qt 4.1–tested examples and exercises.

By the time you're done, you'll be creating multithreaded GUI applications that access databases and manipulate XML files--applications that run on platforms including Windows, Linux, Unix, and Mac OS X. Best of all, you'll be writing code that's efficient, reusable, and elegant.

• Learn objects fast: classes, inheritance, polymorphism, and more
• Master powerful design patterns
• Discover efficient high-level programming techniques using libraries, generics, and containers
• Build graphical applications using Qt widgets, models, and views
• Learn advanced techniques ranging from multithreading to reflective programming
• Use Qt's built-in classes for accessing MySQL data
• Includes a complete C++ language reference

Get your FREE eBook! Read More >>

iOS Game Engine SDK Round Up

This is a roundup of the available Game Engine SDKs for iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad). You will find a wide range of available options from free to $600. Even if you don't know Objective-C, there are other options such as Lua, C++, C#, JavaScript and other scripting languages.

If there are additional iPhone / iPad Game Engine SDKs, not covered here, please post a comment.

Commercial Game Engine SDKs

Bork3D Game Engine
The Bork3D Game Engine was built for mobile platforms. It actually has it's roots in Rude Engine, a high-performance graphics library for Pocket PC, Symbian and N-Gage. Performance and scalability is considered in every corner of the Bork3D Game Engine. If performance is a criteria for you, seriously consider this engine.
Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Language: C++ or Objective-C
Free Trial: No
Price: $49 to $199

Corona
Corona's framework dramatically increase productivity. Tasks like animating objects in OpenGL or creating user-interface widgets take only one line of code, and changes are instantly viewable in the Corona Simulator. You can rapidly test without lengthy build times.
Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
Language: Lua
Free Trial: No
Price: $199 to $349 per year

iTorque 2D
Making games for the iPhone, iPhone4, iPod touch, and iPad is now a fast, fun, and straightforward process using Torque's tools for game development. The unparalleled 2D editor has been extended to bring more iOS control and features to your fingertips with less coding required.
Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Language: TorqueScript
Free Trial: No
Price: $149

Marmalade
Performance and portability – true cross-platform technology without compromise. Creating and delivering successful apps is becoming increasingly challenging. You need your app to stand out from the crowd, by delivering a more engaging experience with richer content. You need your app to reach the widest possible audience, running on iOS, Android, and beyond.
Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
Language: C++
Free Trial: No
Price: $149 to $499

ShiVa
ShiVa3D is the developers’ tool of choice for easily creating amazing 3D real-time applications and games for Windows, Mac OS, Linux, iPhone, Android, Palm, Wii and the iPad. ShiVa is a powerful multi-platform 3D game engine, WYSIWYG 3D Editor and MMO Server.
Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Mac OS, Linux,Wii
Language: Lua
Free Trial: Yes
Price: up to 499 Euro

SIO2 Game Engine
SIO2 is a free open source 3D Game Engine for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.
Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Language: Lua
Free Trial: Yes
Price: $399

Unity3D
Unity is a multiplatform game development tool, designed from the start to ease creation. A fully integrated professional application, Unity just happens to contain the most powerful engine this side of a million dollars.
Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Flash, Windows, Mac OS, XBox 360, Wii, PS3
Language: JavaScript, C#, and Boo
Free Trial: No
Price: $149

Unreal
Experience the power and potential of Unreal Engine 3 on PC and iOS. Create lifelike scenes and fantastic worlds with the same toolset used to make Gears of War and Infinity Blade.
Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Windows
Language: UnrealScript
Free Trial: Yes
Price: Free to $2500 + 25%

Free Game Engine SDKs

Cocos2d
Cocos2d-x open source project is C++ version of cocos2d-iphone. We focus on making cocos2d framework cross multiple platforms. Mobile games can be written on the top of cocos2d-x in C++ or Lua language, via the COMPLETELY SAME API as cocos2d-iphone, they can easily be built & run on iOS, Android, Samsung Bada and BlackBerry Tablet OS. Cocos2d-x also supports Windows & Linux, therefore we can debug source code easily and write editors on desktop operating systems.
Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android,Windows, Mac OS
Language: C++ or Lua
Price: Free

Oolong Engine
The Oolong Engine is written in C++ with some help from Objective-C. It will help you to create new games and port existing games to the iPhone, iPad, and the iPod touch.
Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Language: C++
Price: Free

Sparrow
Sparrow is a pure Objective C library targeted on making game development as easy and hassle-free as possible. Sparrow makes it possible to write fast OpenGL applications without having to touch OpenGL or pure C (but easily allowing to do so, for those who wish). It uses a tried and tested API that is easy to use and hard to misuse.
Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Language: Objective-C
Price: Free

Read More >>

Kindle Fire Jobs

Amazon.com's new Kindle Fire has been a hot selling device this holiday season. The Kindle Fire has moved into the #2 tablet spot and is outselling the iPad at Best Buy. Along with the success of the Kindle Fire come a large number of Kindle Fire related jobs. You will find everything from firmware engineers, software engineers, quality assurance engineers, marketing and sales positions available.

Check out the latest available Kindle Fire jobs. Read More >>

Xamarin Releases Mono for Android 4.0, Enabling C# Development on Android Tablet Devices

Xamarin, a mobile application platform startup founded by Miguel de Icaza, Nat Friedman and Joseph Hill, today announced immediate availability of Mono for Android 4.0. Mono for Android 4.0 is the first release from Xamarin that allows C# developers to target Android tablet devices such as Kindle Fire, Motorola Xoom and Samsung GALAXY Tab.

With this release, Xamarin provides access to all of the new features introduced by Google on their Android 4.0 operating system, codenamed “Ice Cream Sandwich.” The release features a plugin for Visual Studio* that lets .NET developers feel right at home when developing applications for Android. The release also includes a new, incremental build technology that reduces debugging and development cycles dramatically, making application development smoother than ever before.

Mono for Android complements Xamarin’s existing MonoTouch platform, which allows developers to create applications for the iPhone and iPad using C# and .NET technologies. Combined with Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 SDK, C# developers -- more than 6 million worldwide -- now have a unified framework and language across all three major mobile platforms: Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7.

“Thousands of developers depend on Xamarin to build the newest applications for mobile devices,” said Miguel de Icaza, CTO of Xamarin. “We bring C# and .NET to Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS, but we bring it with style. We provide developers with the power of the .NET frameworks that they are used to, along with complete access to all of the native APIs and UI toolkits unique to each operating system, allowing developers to create truly unique native experiences on each operating system.”

As one of the world’s most advanced high-performance runtime environments, Xamarin’s MonoTouch and Mono for Android products enable .NET developers to use their existing code, libraries and tools, including Visual Studio, as well as skills in .NET and the C# programming language, to create mobile applications for the industry’s most widely used mobile devices running iOS and Android.

Mono for Android 4.0 gives Visual Studio developers a way to create Android applications with the same ease as other .NET platforms. The most significant enhancements improve developer productivity with faster development and device deployment. Build times are 40 percent shorter while incremental deployment to devices shortens the development cycle from minutes to seconds.

Nathan Clevenger, chief software architect for mobile consulting and development firm ITR Mobility states, “Mono for Android allows our many Fortune 500 clients to not only reuse existing C# .NET code, but also future-proof their on-going mobile investments.”

With Mono for Android 4.0, Xamarin has introduced a new, simple installer which takes the pain out of setting up an Android development environment, by combining all the required components into a single, unified installation experience, as opposed to the myriad of installs required for Java-based Android development.

“Our mission is to provide the world’s best mobile development experience,” said Nat Friedman, CEO of Xamarin. “This release demonstrates that mission. Mono for Android 4.0 is a faster and smoother way of developing mobile applications for Android.”

With this release, Xamarin has also published a set of “Getting Started” tutorials that allow developers to quickly come up to speed on Android development.

For more information and to download Mono for Android 4.0, visit: http://android.xamarin.com/.

About Xamarin

Xamarin was founded in 2011 with the mission to make it fast, easy and fun to build great mobile apps. Xamarin’s products simplify creation of mobile applications targeting multiple platforms, including iOS and Android. Founded and staffed by many notable developers from the open source community, Xamarin is also steward to the Mono project—the open source, cross-platform implementation of C# and the .NET framework. For more information, visit http://xamarin.com.

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Deal of the Day: iPhone App development + games development courses bundled together

Get iPhone App development + games development courses bundled together. From no skills to the App Store in 4 weeks.

What you get:

• 2 step-by-step chapters teaching you how to code iPhone and iPad apps even if you have no Objective-C / iOS experience.
• 14 lectures, including source codes, exercises, tutorials and fine-tuning of iPhone and iPad games using the Cocos2d gaming engine.
• Video lectures in each chapter to demonstrate everything visually.
• Source codes and exercises for each section.
• Discussion board to ask Bess and Marin questions directly and get help on the problems.
• Setup guide to help you configure your development environment!
• Everything is recorded so you can learn at your own pace!

Get this training bundle for only $99 Read More >>

Webucator Offers Free PHP Training Course

Webucator, a leader in technical and business training, announced the availability of a free PHP training course. The offer is for the full course, which includes exercises, quizzes, and other activities.

As part of a commitment to constantly provide quality training resources, Webucator will offer free access to specific courses throughout the year. The courses included in this promotion contain video presentations, interactive exercises, quizzes, and other activities.

To continue this free course promotion, Webucator announced its next course giveaway: Introduction to PHP Training.
In this course, students will:

• Learn how PHP works.
• Learn the basic syntax of PHP.
• Learn to create dynamic interactive pages with PHP.
• Learn to manipulate files with PHP.
• Learn to work with arrays in PHP.
• Learn to validate forms with PHP.
• Learn to write functions in PHP.
• Learn to manipulate and manage database data with PHP.
• Learn to authenticate users with PHP.
• Learn to manage sessions with PHP.
• Learn to work with the MDB2 package.
• Learn advanced form validation with regular expressions.
• Learn to send email with PHP.

To get access to this free course, simply click here.

About Webucator
Webucator provides online and onsite business and technical training, including PHP training and more. Webucator has provided training to over 70% of the Fortune 100 Companies. Webucator is a Microsoft Certified Partner for Learning Solutions (CPLS), an R.E.P. with the Project Management Institute, and has a GSA contract. Learn more at http://www.webucator.com.

Source: PRWeb

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Nuance’s NDEV Mobile Developer Program Expands to Russia

Nuance Communications, Inc. today announced that its NDEV Mobile developer program is continuing its expansion across Europe and today, into Russia, supporting speech-to-text and text-to-speech for the Russian language. Launched in January and 6,000 developers strong, NDEV Mobile makes it easier than ever for developers to take advantage of Nuance’s renowned Dragon Mobile SDK to voice-enable iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7 apps with the power of Dragon.

On the heels of its expansion into Denmark, Portugal and Poland, NDEV Mobile’s launch in Russia with support for Russian marks the 21st language in the Dragon Mobile SDK voice-to-text portfolio, with more than 30 for text-to-speech.

“NDEV Mobile has received a tremendous response in Europe, with its robust cloud-based language support and incredibly easy integration,” said Michael Thompson, senior vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile. “We’ve designed NDEV Mobile to be as hands-on or hands-off as developers need it to be – all without compromising the quality of our renowned Dragon voice technology. And it’s only getting better as we continue to roll out the program in more regions with more languages around the world.”

NDEV Mobile has voice-enabled some of the market’s most popular apps, including Price Check by Amazon, Ask for iPhone, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, RemoteLink from OnStar, SpeechTrans, Yellow Pages and AirYell from Avantar, iTranslate, Taskmind, SayHi Translate, Vocre, Bon’App, Shopping List from Recipes.com, and many others.

NDEV Mobile offers three service tiers that enable developers great flexibility in how they voice-enable applications:

• NDEV Silver: NDEV Silver Services provide Android, Windows Phone 7 and iOS app developers with the ability to deploy their apps for free with the accuracy and reliability that only Nuance can provide. Developers will also have free access to Nuance’s connected text-to-speech (TTS) capabilities in over 30 languages, bringing natural sounding read back of text in the cloud. Further, NDEV Silver members get access to Bluetooth use cases and hands-free voice applications.
• NDEV Silver Services members have access to the world’s highest quality speech recognition technology for both general dictation and search. Additionally, the Dragon Mobile Developer Center provides a centralized resource for speech information and expertise including on-line forums, code samples, and full documentation.
• NDEV Gold: NDEV Gold Services offer access to SSL data encryption, more deployment flexibility and enhanced support. In addition to iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 7, Gold Services members can take advantage of Nuance’s HTTP web service interface, which extends the power of Dragon to any mobile device while giving developers greater control over the user interface.
• NDEV Gold Services members’ applications can take advantage of SSL for encrypted data transmission, as well as open access to analytics tools that will help them maximize the impact and effectiveness of the voice experience their app delivers. Further, Gold Services members have access to one-on-one Nuance assistance in addition to the NDEV Mobile online community resources.
• NDEV Emerald: NDEV Emerald Services are designed to meet the unique needs of NDEV Mobile community members looking for a truly differentiated speech experience on their apps. NDEV Emerald members have an array of customization and service options that bring Nuance’s extensive speech expertise and service capabilities to a diverse developer base – ranging from start-ups to wireless carriers, OEMs, and large enterprises. Emerald Services include custom vocabularies and grammars, user experience consulting, speech integration, advanced text-to-speech, high-availability deployment, and unmatched Nuance support – pre and post deployment, including dedicated account management resources.

Availability

The Dragon Mobile SDK is available for iOS 4.0 and 5.0 (iPhone/iPad/iPod touch), Android 2.1 and higher, Windows Phone 7.1, and via an HTTP web services interface. For more information about the NDEV Silver, Gold, and Emerald Services, please visit the NDEV Mobile developer portal at www.ndevmobile.com.

Dragon has long been a leading speech recognition application on the desktop, used by millions of people around the world. Nuance has launched an array of Dragon applications across a variety of mobile platforms including iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7, and more.



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Keep the Screen Awake on iPhone and iPad

Want to know how to keep the screen awake on iPhone and iPad devices? This code sample shows how to keep the screen from falling asleep on iPhone and iPad devices.

UIApplication *application = [UIApplication sharedInstance];
application.idleTimerDisabled = YES;

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AngelHack Hackathon Launches with Big Prizes and Mentorship from Investors

AngelHack is announcing its inaugural hackathon event, which brings together Silicon Valley’s top developers for the chance to win prizes from the Bay Area’s investment community. Prizes include seed capital investments, entrance to start-up accelerators, co-work space, and other tech goodies.

The 24-hour hackathon event starts at 5pm Dec 3rd and concludes with 2hr’s of presentations to an investor judging panel at 6pm Dec 4th. At the event, participants receive assistance from startup experts who help them through networking, mentorship and team-building services.

“Angelhack is about 4 things: Collaboration, Entrepreneurship, Technology and Investing,” says AngelHack founder Gregory Gopman. “We call it AngelHack because this is the first event to integrate investment products, APIs, and team building services in a hackathon.

San Francisco mayor Ed Lee got involved last week, initiating call to event participants to build social change applications during AngelHack. Through a joint collaboration, the SF MTA is releasing new data sets to the public at the Angel Hack event. See the AngelHack Blog for more information.

This year’s sponsors include Adobe, Startup Labs, Box, Github, Docusign, Klout, and Mashery along with many more Bay Area companies. The full sponsor list can be found at AngelHack.com.

AngelHack has over 200 of the brightest minds in the Bay Area putting their entrepreneurial skills to the test. Interested parties can submit applications at angelhacksf.eventbrite.com

About Angel Hack
AngelHack is reinventing the hackathon to create an environment that launches and accelerates new businesses. The event brings together developers and entrepreneurs to compete for meaningful prizes that will help get these startup ideas off the ground. Throughout the event AngelHack provides support from top Bay Area design, development, business, media and investment experts.

Source: PRWeb
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Convert a NSString to a float in Objective-C

This code sample shows how to convert an NSString (String) to a float in Objective-C.

NSString *str = @"123.45";
float value = [str floatValue];

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