Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, & technology book reviews, plus social, political, & economic commentary
I strolled into my favorite Austin Starbucks recently and noticed a startling sight. Every person standing in line or sitting at tables simultaneously had their head down as if in group prayer. All at the same moment were staring at their smartphones. I pulled out my own phone, dramatically flipped it open, held it aloft, … Continue reading Will “Smart” Device Dependence Make You Increasingly Dumb?
Programming iOS 6, 3rd Edition Matt Neuburg (O’Reilly – paperback, Kindle) “My book is way bigger than your book.” Matt Neuburg, author of Programming iOS 6, could make that claim and win almost any book-size contest. The recently published 3rd Edition of his well-respected how-to guide focuses on the “Fundamentals of iPhone, iPad, and iPod … Continue reading Programming iOS 6, 3rd Edition – In with the New, Out with the Old (iOS 5 & Earlier) – #bookreview
Learning Cocoa with Objective-C, 3rd Edition Paris Buttfield-Addison and Jon Manning (O’Reilly – paperback, Kindle) In some surveys, Objective-C is now the third most popular programming language, up from fifth place in 2011. O’Reilly recently has published the awaited third edition of Learning Cocoa with Objective-C, with coverage of Xcode 4.2 and iOS 6. The book’s … Continue reading Learning Cocoa with Objective-C – An excellent how-to guide from two experts – #programming #bookreview
iOS 6 Programming Cookbook Vandad Nahavandipoor (O’Reilly – paperback, Kindle) If you are a new iOS developer, you can learn many things quickly from this hefty book. And even if you are an iOS veteran, you can gain some important new insights. The iOS 6 cookbook has been completely updated to cover the recently released iOS … Continue reading iOS 6 Programming Cookbook – Updated for the new SDK – #iOS #programming #bookreview
iOS SDK Development Chris Adamson and Bill Dudney (Pragmatic Bookshelf, paperback) The previous, 2009 edition of this popular how-to book was titled iPhone SDK Development. But this new and re-titled second edition is much more than a copy-and-paste, just-make-some-tweaks update. “[W]e have copied absolutely nothing from the old book,” the authors say. “As we looked at … Continue reading iOS SDK Development – A totally new and improved 2nd edition – #programming #bookreview
Adobe Edge Animate: The Missing Manual Chris Grover (O’Reilly, paperback – Kindle) Chris Grover’s well-written and updated new book shows you how to build animated HTML 5 graphics for the iPhone, the iPad, and the Web, using familiar Adobe features. By the sixth page of the first chapter, you are using the software to begin … Continue reading Adobe Edge Animate: The Missing Manual – #bookreview
Adobe Edge Animate Preview 7: The Missing Manual Chris Grover (O’Reilly, paperback – Kindle) Chris Glover’s well-written new book shows you how to build animated HTML 5 graphics for the iPhone, the iPad, and the Web, using familiar Adobe features. By the sixth page of the first chapter, you are using the software to create … Continue reading Adobe Edge Animate Preview 7: The Missing Manual – #bookreview #html5 #animation
OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual David Pogue (O’Reilly, paperback – Kindle) David Pogue knows how to produce excellent user manuals. He invented the popular “Missing Manual” series. And he continues to set high standards for other writers who also produce “Missing Manuals” and other tech books. Pogue’s newest, OS X Mountain Lion: … Continue reading OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual – Another how-to classic from David Pogue – #bookreview
My New iPad, 3rd Edition: A User’s Guide Wallace Wang (No Starch Press, paperback, list price $24.95; Kindle edition, $9.99) If you don’t already own an iPad, this crisp, nicely illustrated and well-organized user’s guide can make you wish you did. And if you’ve recently pulled an iPad out of the box and started using it, My … Continue reading My New iPad, 3rd Edition – A crisp, well-organized user’s guide – #ipad #bookreview
Learning iOS Programming, 2nd Edition By Alasdair Allan (O’Reilly, paperback, list price $34.99; Kindle edition, list price $27.99) Alasdair Allan’s popular iOS programming book recently has been updated to cover iOS 5. And it has a new name. (The first edition was titled Learning iPhone Programming.) “The changes made in this second edition reflect the fact that … Continue reading Learning iOS Programming, 2nd Ed. – Updated to cover iOS 5, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch – #programming #bookreview
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