Galaxy Nexus & Android 4.0

I watched the live Google/Samsung announcement of the Galaxy Nexus yesterday. The event was held in Hong Kong, and streamed live to the Android Developers YouTube channel. I wasn’t completely blown away by the hardware – seems pretty run-of-the-mill after being spoiled with the Galaxy S II. But I was impressed to see how much thought … Read more

A developer success story

The developer of Camera+ (for iOS devices) recently announced that their app has hit 2 million sales. This figure is a huge success, both numerically and financially. To celebrate this milestone, the developers have decided to share some of their stats publicly, including overall sales volume and revenue from in-app purchases. One of the most … Read more

Live Wallpapers, and PreferenceActivity bugs

I’ve been working on a new app lately – a CPU monitor live wallpaper for Android. There are some great tutorials & sample code out there if you’re looking at starting with live wallpapers. I recommend the Androgames tutorial, as well as the official Android documentation, and CubeLiveWallpaper sample application. Both tutorials take a slightly … Read more

Free Google+ Invites

By now you’ve probably heard of Google’s latest effort in the social space – Google+ (pronounced “Google Plus”). Based on the Google +1 concept, Google+ is more of a social network, integrated across all the Google sites. This includes Gmail, Google Search, Reader, and Buzz. You can read more about this ambitious project on the … Read more

Google’s Guide to the Galaxy

No, it’s not the latest version of the Samsung Galaxy phone. The galaxy Google’s talking about is the App Galaxy – a term they use to describe the world of Android development. Google has published a guide for Android developers which is, essentially, a guide to making money with Android.

Apple iPhone 4S vs. Samsung Galaxy S II

Ok, so maybe the title’s just a little bit of a linkbait. 😉 But I got a very strong sense of déjà vu when I woke up this morning and first read the specs for the new iPhone 4S. Dual-core processor, 8MP camera, world phone…. hang on a sec, that’s describing my phone! My Samsung Galaxy S II … Read more

Received My First Payment From Tapjoy

Today I received my first payment from Tapjoy. Just over $700 USD isn’t too bad 🙂 This is income from the Google+ Invites app, which is the only place I’ve used Tapjoy’s incentive advertising. With online sales figures continuing to soar annually in the UK, there’s more room than ever for new online businesses and more … Read more

Opening For Guest Authors

Over the past couple of years this blog has documented my personal journey developing and monetizing Android apps. The initial goal of $1000/month seemed lofty at the time – but since October 2011, I’ve continued to exceed this target every month. Now it’s time to move on to a new stage in the site’s evolution. … Read more

Hijack any Facebook account with Faceniff – Firesheep for Android

A hacker called Bartosz Ponurkiewicz has released a simple Android app called Faceniff (Facebook + Sniff), which allows you to hijack the Facebook profile of anyone on same wireless network as you. Think Firesheep, but running on something you can slip in your pocket and carry anywhere. Oh, and it’s “for educational use only”  😉 Understand? … Read more

Google Play – The New Android Market

Today Google announced (in several places) that the Android Market is being rebranded “Google Play” The new marketplace (sorry, “play store”) includes content from four main areas – Movies, Music, Apps & Games, and Books. Of course, not all of these are available outside of the US yet, so folks in Australia will only get access … Read more