The Nexus 7 Has Problems Displaying Videos from Vimeo

My friend Jigar, Android developer extraordinaire, has recently been showing me various features of the Google Nexus 7 (2013 version). This time, however, he showed me something...odd  to say the least. His Nexus 7, it seemed, was having trouble displaying videos from the web.

More specifically, the Nexus 7 was having trouble displaying TED Talks and videos on The Verge. As shown in the embedded video, the Nexus 7 displayed a blank green screen instead of the actual content when the device was in landscape mode. Videos displayed just fine in portrait mode. One extra quirk was that the video would briefly return to normal in landscape mode when the device was about to transition to portrait mode.

After some additional testing, we determined that it wasn't all web videos that were problematic (Youtube, for example, worked fine) but just videos hosted by Vimeo. This Nexus 7 runs Android 4.3, so we asked another friend to try the same videos on his Google Nexus 4 that also runs Android 4.3. The videos worked perfectly on the Nexus 4, regardless of the source or the orientation of the device. The Nexus 7, it seems, has some sort of problem that isn't specific to Android 4.3.

Folks, this is a strange bug. I'm surprised that I haven't heard of this one before.

Thanks to my friend Jigar for bringing this to my attention. You can find his posts on Twitter as @jigarhb.

One Developer is Putting a Bunch of Garbage in BlackBerry's App Store

Ronen Halevy, over at BerryReview:

As of this article BlackBerry World is reporting that S4BB has over 47,000+ Apps in BlackBerry World. The first 20-30 actually seem like good to decent quality legitimate apps and then it rapidly goes downhill.

Nothing quite like a bunch of spammy apps to ruin your app store's credibility as a place that interests users and developers alike.  Considering that BlackBerry World doesn't have very many apps, relatively speaking, this is a bad sign for the platform's long term viability.

It feels like the BlackBerry 10 event was AGES ago.

In-App Purchases are a Hot Topic

John Moltz had an interesting take on the topic of in-app purchases, summed up nicely by these quotes: 

Well, sure. Ask a heroin addict and they’ll probably tell you the same. In-app purchases are just like the proverbial drug pusher, giving the first go round away for free in order to get you hooked with each subsequent high giving the promise of an even better one the next time.

 ...

What we should be asking is simply whether or not we’re spending what the app is worth. We’ve spent a lot of time decrying the race to the bottom in app pricing. Now we’re complaining because app developers have found a way to make more money.

I've previously written about in-app purchases and the culture of freemium and how both are hurting modern video game design (as well as apps in general). To be fair, I do think that there ways that in-app purchases can be designed in a way that isn't abusive towards users.

In his post, Moltz gives a fair assessment of in-app purchases. While they are often disdainful, in-app purchases are not inherently evil. He is correct when he makes the comparison to drugs and gambling. People with addictive personalities will be easy prey for exploitive tactics, while others will not be directly impacted much at all.

Folks, be mindful of the difference between good and bad in-app purchases (developers, this includes you too). 

Pay for Your Apps, Folks, or We All Suffer the Consequences

Gentlemen! , available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play, is the latest example of how tough the app development business can be. The app has received some very good reviews for its unique style and gameplay. According to Killian Bell at Cult of Android, the developers of Gentlemen! have noted that the game "has over 6,000 players on Android". Sounds great, right? 6,000 players is a nice number for the early days of an app. The problem is that of all those people that have played the game, only 50 people paid for it. 

Let that sink in for a while. Fewer than 1% of the people who downloaded and played the game were paying customers. To put it another way, over 99% of the game's players were freeloaders. 

As I've noted before, creating an app isn't necessarily the path to riches. However, this is ridiculous. The game is priced at roughly $3 in both stores, which isn't a large amount of money by any measure. There really isn't a good reason for this game to be pirated so much when the price is low and the quality is high. By not paying for the game, the message sent to the developers is that it either isn't worth their time to develop the game or that they must employ the sleazy techniques used in many freemium games.

Folks,  we all want to play good games. The best way to ensure that new good games are created is to pay for them.

DuckTales, Ooh-woo-ooh

Kyle Orland, one lucky duck at Ars Technica:

I wondered: did Capcom actually send a working NES cartridge to promote their game? There was only one way to find out. I stuck the cartridge in the top-loading system sitting to the side of my work desk. Holy crap, it works!

The folks at Capcom are issuing an HD remake of the old Nintendo game, DuckTales Remastered, and have sent some members of the press some very, very, very cool promotional items. This would make a great collectible for fans of the game.

For Developers, There is Buy-In and Then There is "Buy-In"

There is a strange phenomenon common to software development projects that shows its ugly head time and time again in a developer's career. It is a phenomenon that at worst will destroy a project (and sometimes a company) and at best will result in disgruntled developers. This phenomenon of which I speak is called "buy-in". 

To clarify, I'm not referring to the traditional sense of buy-in, where parties involved in a decision not only agree to that decision but provide their support for that decision. Instead, I'm referring to "buy-in" in cases where a single party (usually in management or some other decision-making body) makes a decision and then applies heavy pressure to attempt to get the affected parties to agree to and support that decision. Thus, "buy-in" can be considered a form of fake or faux buy-in.

This problem usually manifests itself in the form of scope creep, schedule changes, or unpopular architectural or business changes. If you've ever been asked to 'take on one more thing for this sprint' or been pressured into fitting your development estimates into a particular prescribed timeline, then there is a very good chance that you've experienced a form of "buy-in". It seems as though the primary reason behind management striving for this faux buy-in is either some lame attempt at 'rallying the troops for a common cause' or an attempt to make it more difficult to pin blame on a specific person (after all, 'the team bought into the decision'). 

In any case, this sort of thing is not healthy for a development team. True buy-in is healthy since the team is involved and committed to something that they believe can be successful. "Buy-in" is unhealthy since it is something that the team does not believe can be successful or can only be successful via death march conditions. An unmotivated and overworked team is not a recipe for success.

Folks, be cognizant of when you are being asked for your buy-in to a decision versus being asked for "buy-in". 

Apple is Wrong Even When It Does Something Positive

Diane Bullock wrote this dreck over at Minyanville:

Apple is providing this superior product and environmentally friendly service for the special price of $10 -- and all in the interest of the safety of its customers. How responsible. How beneficent. How -- wait, ten bucks? Is that actually a deal? How much does this thing normally cost? Try nearly double. In the interest of keeping its iPhone faithful free of electric shock, Apple is practically giving away this one-inch plastic cube at just half of what it normally charges ($19) -- and thus settling for a slightly less egregious markup.

The short story is that Apple is offering its own chargers, at a discounted price, as a replacement for potentially unsafe chargers made by other companies. This is in response to a woman in China who was electrocuted when she answered a phone call while her iPhone was charging using a knockoff charger. Bullock apparently takes issue with this move since her article seems to imply that Apple bears responsibility for this situation by maintaining a high price for its accessories. Mind you, Apple is under no obligation in these circumstances since it bears no responsibility in the case of knockoff chargers. This move by Apple is both a positive public relations move for the company and a positive move for consumers. 

Folks, if someone offers you a sirloin steak for a nickel, please turn down the offer. 

Concept Animation for a Legend of Zelda Movie

Shawn Depasquale, over at Nerdist: 

The clip contains one minute and 37 seconds of pure, unadulterated, LoZ-filled goodness! In that short span, the animators managed to capture the mood, wonder and adventure of a Zelda game with slick animation that would put a smile on even old Zora’s fish-face.

The video (see the source link) is apparently a concept for a Legend of Zelda movie. The style of the characters and the animation flow is quite good for a concept video. The look and feel reminds me a bit of the look and feel of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series, but with a more 'anime' character design. I'm not convinced that a live-action Legend of Zelda movie could ever work, but this animation has me thinking of all the possibilities for an animated movie.

Japan Increases Its Lead in Virtual Girlfriend Technology with Hatsune Miku App for iOS

From the folks at Japanator:

Miku will dance with your music, communicate with you, play dress up, and give you presents to collect.

It won't be long before someone marries this virtual girlfriend, folks. 

Usain Bolt Has Gone Temple Running

Tom Phillips, over at Eurogamer:

12 months have passed since the glory of London 2012. Jessica Ennis is now appearing in skin care ads. Olympic Park is being dismantled, and gold medallist Usain Bolt is now available to purchase as a playable character in endless runner Temple Run 2.

If you've ever had the desire to play as an Olympic gold medalist in Temple Run 2, then now's your chance. As for me, I remember having a lot of fun playing World Class Track Meet for the NES with my cousins.