Corona Geek On Air – Episode 14 – Electronic Arts, Certified Corona Developer, and Corona Data Storage

12 November 2012

Corona Geek On Air – Episode 14 – Electronic Arts, Certified Corona Developer, and Corona Data Storage


Corona Geek, Google+ Hangouts

Corona Geek On Air episode 14 is ready for your comments!

During this week’s live Corona Geek On Air Hangout we talk about the new Word Smack app developed by Electronic Arts using the Corona SDK, the Corona Certified Developers Program, the Big Corona Meetup, the upcoming public release, Android piracy hacks, iPhone 5 swipe glitches, and Corona SDK data storage options. All that and more is waiting for you. Check the show notes for links to all the resources we discussed during today’s geek out.

As always, be sure to join us next Monday at 2pm CST and add us to your Google+ Corona SDK circle.

Thanks for watching,

Charles McKeever
CoronaGeek

Show Geeks:

If you are new to the conversation, the Corona SDK is a cross platform mobile development tool kit that makes it easy for developers to create native applications for Android and iOS devices as well as for Kindle, and Nook. You can find out more about the Corona SDK at http://www.CoronaLabs.com.

Show Notes – 11/12/2012

Announcements

  • Win a Corona T-Shirt! – Corona Labs has generously volunteered to supply Corona t-shirts for giveaways to the Corona Geek community. We will be posting an entry form soon so you can enter for a chance to win, so be on the lookout for that.
  • Electronic Arts (EA) picks Corona SDK to build Word Smack app – If you haven’t heard the news EA recently launched a new game using the Corona SDK that targets word-smithing fans. The goal of the free app is to guess words faster than your friends. You can play against your Facebook friends or you can play other players anonymously. The app is very well designed and is a must have for anyone who loves Scrabble or Mastermind. During the show we point a few curious notes about the game that you might be interested in. Post in the comments your thoughts about the games choice of in-app purchase options.
  • Dallas Corona Meetup on Google+ – Tonight the Dallas Corona Meetup group will be hosting a Google+ Hangout to discuss the Storyboard API. Feel free to join the hangout if you have time. You don’t have to stay for the whole 1 hour hangout. Just come casual and listen in as long as you like. Google+ allows for 10 active panelists to be on camera, while everyone else can participate through chat, so be sure to come early if you want to grab a virtual seat.
  • Big Corona Meetup is Coming Soon – On December 1st there will be a Big Corona Meetup. This will be a 6 hour hangout with topics being discussed by several different presenters from across the United States. Richard Darling, Corona Ambassador in Hawaii and children’s app developer, came up with the idea and of course I said, “Sounds great. Let’s do it.” Actually I said, “Six hours. That sounds like a lot of work (insert whiney voice)….okay, let’s do it”. We will post more details soon, but mark your calendar for Saturday December 1st, 2012.
  • Corona Certified Developer Program – on Thursday it is expected that Corona Labs will have some news to share about their long awaited Corona Certified Developer Program. We’ll be sure to cover the details once they are available. For now, just know that being a certified developer will be a good thing, especially if you are building apps for clients and want to be able to display your certification as a selling point for your services.
  • App Discovery and Revenue Sharing – Tap For Tap is working on Corona SDK integration options that will work with their app discover network. They will also we opening up their revenue sharing beta program soon, which would give developers a way to promote and monetize their apps at that same time. Look for more details coming soon.

Lastest Build Release Notes
http://developer.coronalabs.com/corona-daily-builds/summary

  • Minor bug fixes and a new Public Release – Corona Labs has announced that they will be releasing a new Public Release soon, which means that the new widgets, Android enhancements, iPhone 5 updates, game center fixes, and other bug fixes should be available to anyone who wants to develop using the Corona SDK.

Corona Blog highlights

Developer Spotlight

Next week we’ll be hanging out with J. A. Whye, Creator of Corona Project Manager. In addition to talking about the time saving features of CPM, we’ll also get him to tell us about his Corona app creation course.

App Review

  • Word Smack by EA – This free app is very well designed and is a must have for anyone who loves Scrabble or Mastermind. Like I mentioned before, during the show we point a few curious notes about the game that you might be interested in. Download the free app, then post in the comments your thoughts about the games choice of in-app purchase options.

Device / Industry News

API Spotlight
When storing app data, which method should you use? Should you store your information in a flat text file, a database, or a remote data source using JSON? During this segment of the hangout we discuss the pros and cons of each method. Here are some of the highlights. Be sure to listen in the end of the hangout for more details.
  • which method you use is based on the complexity and volume of your data
  • database storage simplifies code maintenance
  • local text files are lightweight and easy to manage
  • local text files are great for a small amount of data
  • data can be stored in a text file in JSON format for greater control
  • JSON is also great for remotely updating the app
  • JSON does require an internet connection
  • JSON can require more puzzle pieces (MySQL, PHP, JSON, networking, data handling code)
  • JSON can be affected by network speed
  • Corona SDK makes it much easier to work with JSON than usual
If you have thoughts on this topic that you’d like to share, post them in the comments below. We’d love to hear how you handle data storage in your app.

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Charles McKeever
[email protected]

Charles McKeever is a life long computer geek who enjoys exploring technologies to understand how they work, how they can be smashed together, and how they can be used to fuel entrepreneurial endeavors.

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