the mobile montage

a collection of scattered thoughts on mobile technology and related topics…

Successfully Integrating Web Services Into Your Android Apps

One of the things I’ve noticed budding Android developers struggle most with is how to properly integrate content being pulled form web services into their Android apps. Many of them have been focusing exclusively on figuring out layouts and other user interface related issues and haven’t yet developed an understanding of the underlying threading model […]

iOS6 Maps Are Disappointing

I recently installed the iOS6 refresh on my now ancient iPhone 4. I love the new “It’s your call” features, and the new “Do Not Disturb” feature adds utility to my phone as well. I also upgraded my wife’s slightly less ancient iPhone 4S and tried out the features not available on my older iPhone. […]

Our Android tutorial now on iTunes U

My good friend and colleague Hans Dulimarta and I recently gave a tutorial entitled “Developing Android Applications” at a conference. It’s an introduction to the Android platform, and the only assumption we make is that you already have a working knowledge of Java. You can find an outline, sample source, viewgraphs, and links to the […]

Prezi, zooming user interfaces, and PowerPoint relief

Not so long ago one of my students (John Spencer) introduced me to Jef Raskin’s book “The Humane Interface“. While I have yet to read the book cover to cover, it’s got some interesting ideas in it including the notion of a “zooming user interface” or “ZUI”. Independent of John’s suggestion, another friend of mine […]

Do mobile app stores have a future?

This morning I came across this interesting and well-written article on the current state of affairs with regard to mobile app stores.   I think the author’s forward looking comments are reasonable if you limit your outlook to a year or two,  but there are a couple of things to consider with regard to app stores […]

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  • About Me

    Jonathan Engelsma

    Jonathan Engelsma is a computer scientist, programmer, teacher, mobile technology enthusiast, inventor, beekeeper and life long learner. He is currently a Professor in GVSU's School of Computing, where he leads the GVSU Mobile Applications and Services Laboratory.

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