" Some of you might have noticed I am working on an update ( rebuild ) of my Keypoint application. Now it is your turn to make a wish list of possible features that should be included in this version of Keypoint."

First of all this update will be free for those who bought the first version of Keypoint and will hit the App Store in about 2 months from now. It will not only be an update but a complete rebuild of the existing app, to make the app faster and more reliable. In this rebuild the app will be partial web-based but running in a cocoa environment.

The new version will include functions such as PDF export, more animations, better performance, updated user interface, etc. Powerpoint export is still in development, I hope to get it right and maybe include it in the 2.0 version.

Of course the app is far from finished and I am still open for feature requests, so feel free to comment this post with your deepest wishes.

One plus One is Three

With all the rumors of the possible release of an “ iTablet ” on how this device would look like I decided to create my own concept of it. With everybody focusing on the device I started thinking on how it would interact with other Apple devices like an iPhone or an iPod Touch. So I created this mockup on what would be a new way to play a classic poker game by using the iTablet. The iPhones could be used to private players information that is only addressed to the player and the tablet would show the games status. I think the combination of the iTablet and other devices could be a nice way to get things done the right way.

The idea

One of the most important reason to buy or not to buy an iPhone app is the icon. Why? It will represent the app in the App Store and on the home screen. Also the importance of the icon metaphor can not be underestimated if you want your app to standout from the other apps.
The best method to start from, is to keep it as simple as possible because you only have 3249 pixels to fill a 57x57 canvas. So try to bring down your app’s main goal into one idea or image before starting the magic.

How to

First off all you will need to create a 57x57 and 512x512 version of your icon.
The small one is intended to fit on the home screen and the large one will be for the App Store and promotional reasons. From my experience I suggest you start with the small icon; it is much easier to create a large icon from a smaller one then reverse.
A second thing you need to keep in mind is the gloss on your icon. Apple uses a default layer of gloss but you can turn it off ( native icon & web icon) and create your own. Personally, as a designer, I don’t like the default gloss because it is just a lazy excuse to make your icon fit the style of rest of the default apps.
Another thing you have to be aware of is the rounded corners on the icon. This is done by default and can not be changed, so make sure that your icon is prepared for this.

To make life a little bit easier I created some default Photoshop files where you can start from. I hope you will like them !

This post is my part in the little game of Maxvoltar, feel free to write your own URL ABC ! The simple game goes like this: Go to the address bar in your favorite browser, and type one letter. Start with “a”, end with “z”.