More Than Words

Posted by on Jan 3, 2012 in Blog

While it may seem like a good idea to just turn your eBook or pdf into an app with minimal tweaking, think again. True, it can be a faster and cheaper way to get into the app store and/or onto your customer’s Newstand shelf (we talked about this in Put Yourself on the Shelf), but there’s a possible cost associated with such an approach.  Of course it depends on your objective for being in the app store, but if high visibility and sustainability are important to you,  then quality matters. As Adage.com reports “Magazine and newspaper apps’ quality seems to be the most...

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Get Yourself on the Shelf

Posted by on Nov 4, 2011 in Blog, Digital Publishing & Tablets

Get Yourself on the Shelf

A simple yet powerful innovation in iOS 5 – the introduction of Newsstand – is rapidly changing the way people buy and read magazines and other periodical and subscription based content. But the opportunity created isn’t just for those with traditional publications. If you are a content owner of any kind – author, blogger, information product owner, etc. – this may well be your entry point in the app store. Wired.com reported this statement from a press release by Ryan Marquis, Pixel Mags founder and COO: “We quickly started to realize just how big of an...

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Mobile Devices, Impact on Children & the App Gap

Posted by on Oct 28, 2011 in Advertsing and Media, Blog, Children

Mobile Devices, Impact on Children & the App Gap

A telling story on PBS Newshour on October 25 about the impacts of media on young children, and of special interest,  the impact of mobile devices – smartphones and iPads – on very young children. How are they engaging, is it good or bad, and is the take-up equal? The news report was based on a study in the USA by Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families.  Some of the findings include: Key Trends Exposure to computers and mobile devices: 2-4 year olds: 12% use a computer daily 0-8 year olds: 50%  have access to a...

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How much does it cost to develop an iPad App?

Posted by on Oct 7, 2011 in Blog, Digital Publishing & Tablets, UX

How much does it cost to develop an iPad App?

Like most developers, we often get asked how much it costs to build an app.  For many clients it is not apparent that this is a little like asking how much it costs to build a house or buy a car. It is a difficult question to answer, and often requires quite a bit of work to nail down requirements, choose development platforms that are suitable to the client’s requirements and decide on back-end integration strategies. In this post I hope to outline some of the challenges as well as offer some resources based on independent developer surveys and industry standard guides. High...

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New SlideShare with HTML5 plays on any device, plus a mobile App

Posted by on Oct 2, 2011 in Blog, Digital Publishing & Tablets, Innovation

I am as big fan of SlideShare, but have been visiting less often over the last year since my primary web browsing device has become the iPad. So I’m happy to hear that SlideShare is now introducing an HTML5 compatible upgrade of their site that will allow slideshows to display on mobile devices, including the iPad. Plus they are launching a mobile App, so Kudos! So look for some great embedded slide presentations on Polymash.com as well as in our Apps soon, and in the meantime, check out their announcement: We have been listening to your feedback, reading your tweets and talking with...

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AppAdvice: Forget Going To The Theater…

Posted by on Sep 26, 2011 in Blog, Wild Dolphins

Thrilled with AppAdvice’s coverage of our Wild Dolphins app! If you took your family out to see Dolphin Tale in theaters this weekend, or if you are simply interested in the wonderful world of marine mammals, you have to check out Wild Dolphins for iPad. It’s a new educational app by Polymash, our latest AppAdvice Daily podcast sponsor, that tells the story behind Winter, a dolphin who gets caught in a crab trap near Florida, and her miraculous recovery. We are loving the awesome review Tyler Tschida wrote on AppAdvice! And we appreciate picking up the true theme and purpose of the...

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Celebrating Winter the Wild Dolphin

Posted by on Sep 23, 2011 in Blog, Wild Dolphins

Developing the Wild Dolphins iPad app with Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute brought us (Polymash) into the true story of Winter, the star of the movie “Dolphin Tale”. Our friends from Harbor Branch invited us to the Clearwater Premiere to celebrate the release of the movie with them.  While the story surrounding Winter’s rescue and rehabilitation in the movie is fictitious, much about the actual story of Winter herself, particularly her rehabilitation, is a fair representation of what actually happened according to the people involved in Winter’s real life journey. It was a joy...

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AppAdvice Podcast

Posted by on Sep 23, 2011 in Blog, Wild Dolphins

The AppAdvice web site is running a podcast feature of our “Wild Dolphins” app next week, from  September 26th through October 2nd. have a look at the background art we created for the podcast… I’ll post a link to the podcast and review of our app next week when it’s...

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