Fragmentation is a big issue when it comes to mobile development, especially when developing for Android.

Fragmentation happens when a percentage of phone owners are on legacy versions of the operating system who can't/haven't updated. (In the case of Android its mostly that users can't update, and for iOS is mostly because the user hasn't updated).

If we look at the current number of users on the very latest versions of the operating systems throughout Android, iPhone and Blackberry* we can see there is a major difference. 

 On Android, only 10.3% of users are on the latest version (4.2 and above), despite it being out for 2 months. This is actually a lot better than previous versions which took 7 months to reach 10% for Ice Cream Sandwich. 

The main cause of this is the fact that manufacturers are left with the job of upgrading their UI and releasing it to older phones. Sometimes people will not ever get an upgrade because their phone's hardware is out dated or because there is a newer version of the phone's model out with the newer operating system which the manufacturer wants users to upgrade to. This (obviously) causes a lot of fragmentation because most users don't want to have to pay out every year for an upgrade. Another reason is because the software is not available for that country yet. As it stood, I didn't get the update for ICS (4.0) for my phone (Samsung Galaxy S2 I had for 5 months) until 4 months later.

If we look at the iPhone, 87.9% are on 6.0 and above. Obviously, this makes developing for iPhone a lot easier because it means new API's can be taken advantage of and legacy API's can be deprecated from the app. It gives more consistency for the developer.

(I'm not even going to go into Blackberry because there are just too many versions to even comprehend.)

The main reason why iOS is ahead of Android (and always will be) is because of the fact that updates are rolled out to users as soon as they are available. There is only 1 phone with 1 screen size (or 2, including retina) and most of the time users are always up to date.  

The only way for Android to catch up would be if Google managed the operating system themselves and the manufacturer rolled out their UI on top; this way everyone will always be on the latest version of Android (if the phone supports it) and the only thing users will have to wait for (if anything) would be any UI changes.

*Sources: our internal stats for the app 'First Aid by British Red Cross' (427,556 downloads)

After almost 6 years of having an iPhone surgically attached to my hand, I've decided to take the plunge and move over to Android.

I'm doing this for a whole range of reasons, but mainly I want to see how the platform compares in day to day life and see if Android have caught up - or maybe even bypassed - Apple in the mobile arms race!

Read all about it! Two of our cubes, Callum and Phill, provided comments for Digital Photographer magazine (issue 128) sharing their tech knowledge on the process of linking an app up to an iOS/Android device's built-in camera software. 

Good work guys! 

Last night we held our second iOS workshop. We started exploring the fascinating world of UIViews and built the award winning "Dolphin Rotator" application. What am I chatting about? Can dolphins really understand humans? Find out some of this and more in the slides and example project below. YES!

Here at 3 Sided Cube, we're all about nurturing talent (and studiously avoiding tea rounds. Duncan.)  

Last night we kicked off with the first of 6 weekly sessions we're running at Bournemouth Uni, sharing our skills with the bright and impressionable young minds of future iOS developers in the area. 

Led by our senior iOS developer, Phill Caudell, the workshops are a great opportunity for local computer wizards to learn about iOS, and get the chance to create their own app from scratch. We like to think we're pretty good at what we do (#2 app in the US anyone?) so we're hoping everyone enjoyed themselves, and maybe even learnt something!

This week's session included a gentle introduction to apps and mobile, a tour of Xcode, an explanation of basic Objective C syntax and the rite of passage for any iOS developer - the Hello World application. Slides and example project attached.  

We're already looking forward to next week! 

On September 14^th, the Digital Communications Awards hosted their annual ceremony in Germany, acknowledging outstanding work in online communication. September 14^th was also the day that we received our very first award! Having received a nomination for our First Aid app, we were proud as punch to attend the awards, and almost burst with pride when we won.

The First Aid app, by the British and American Red Cross, is a pocket first aid kit, using videos, diagrams and quizzes to educate users in emergency situations. As a life saving device, we recognised not only the potential but also the importance of this app for all its users.

We were ecstatic once we find out we made the final for the Best Mobile App award. We knew we had created something special, but when other finalists at the event included Coca-Cola, Vodafone and the BBC, we didn't want to get our hopes too high. We were just happy to have received the nomination; getting into the final three for the Mobile and Apps category was such a monumental achievement for a small and relatively new company such as ourselves.

So we sent two members of our team on the 800 mile journey, flying from Bournemouth to Berlin, to attend the award ceremonies last Friday. They suited up and sat amongst the top players; it was amazing to be able to represent ourselves at such a high profile event and get us on the map, although hardly anyone there had ever even heard of Bournemouth...

It came to our category and the butterflies kicked in. The judging panel were looking for apps which oozed innovation and efficiency, and it was evident that First Aid ticked all the right boxes. And then it happened, we were announced as the Best Mobile App, winning our first award! It felt like a true David and Goliath story as we sat amongst other winners such as HSBC and Volkswagen. It was amazing to show that, although we are small, our ambition is huge.

We're chuffed to bits to get recognised for all our hard work, and we're excited to continue producing outstanding work, and possibly investing in a trophy cabinet.

Did you know...

that the weight of iPhones sold in 2011 equates to the same weight as 10,000 elephants?

Or..

that if you stacked the the number of android phones sold per day it would reach the same height as 327 empire state buildings?

These two facts are just a taster of the kind of thing that you can expect to find if you visit the brand new Mobile Statistics web page, born out of a frustration over the lack of a free central hub of mobile statistics. Previously, the only way to access information on the mobile market would be to spend over £1,000 on a quarterly market report or to scour the web for articles and statistics - but not any more! With Mobile Statistics you can access all the information on mobile that you need to know in just one place.

We have created a website which is full of reliable statistics and facts and presented it in an easy to read way so that everyone can understand it. Mobile Statistics answers questions such as which mobile device has the most sales, is Android bigger than Apple and which app store is the fastest growing as well as providing up to date news through regularly updated articles about different goings on in mobile news.

The site is currently focused on the smartphone, tablet and app market along with the proliferation of the mobile web. With more than 500 million smartphone users worldwide and 85 million app downloads a day, the mobile market is a lucrative playground for companies and organisations seeking to connect with people. It enables them to bring the brand and service into the pocket of the consumer. Mobile Statistics is easier and cheaper for businesses, institutions, journalists, students and anyone wanting to see a bigger picture of the mobile market.

So if you want to know your iPhone from your Android, your Blackberry from your Windows phone or are intrigued as to whether there are more iPhones sold or babies born per day then Mobile Statistics has your answers.

The new iOS 5 is here! Apple boasts the 200 new features and slick revamp to be released in September 2011. At first glance the new features don't scream out as being extraordinary as such, but altogether they make up an impressive new iOS.  Here are the main new features:

• iCloud -"More than just a hard drive in the sky";The new service from Apple  is integrated into iOS 5. iCloud stores content so will be able to access everything from all devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac or PC). This gives you Instant access to your music, apps, latest photos and more. It keeps your email, contacts and calendars up to date across all your devices. No syncing is required which makes it the easiest and fastest way to share and store all your media and information.

• iMessaging- Apple have finally brought our their version of BBM; iMessaging is unlimited and free instant messaging between iOS users. You can include photos, videos, locations and contacts in your messages and see when the other person is typing.  However this can't be used for non-iOS owners, I guess Apple doesn't think Blackberry and Android users are worth talking to for free.

• Mail- The updated Mail lets you format text with bold, italics and underline font. You can also delete and organise mailboxes and use the search box if you're looking for a specific email. Little things yes, but they do make all the difference.

• Safari- The updated Safari has a Reading List which lets you save articles to read later. You can also tap to read a website without ads or clutter to avoid any distractions, giving you the ultimate reading and browsing experience.

• Twitter- Twitter has been integrated into every corner of the new iOS 5. You can now tweet from every application, whether it is from your camera/photo album, safari, emails, iMessaging, YouTube or Maps. Sign into your account once and you're free to tweet whenever and wherever.

• Camera- The camera is one of my favourite features on the new iOS 5. Apple has finally listened to all of our whining regarding the lack of a shutter button which makes picture-taking very awkward on our iPhones. They have at long last integrated a shutter button onto the iphone 5 which is the Volume button making take a photo a whole lot easier.  The camera can also be accessed from the lock screen to make sure you don't lose the moment when the need to take a photo quickly.

• Photos- You can also edit your photos without leaving the Photos app. you can rotate, crop, reduce red eye, pinch-to-zoom, enhance and alter the exposure and focus. You can also organise your photo album and update it straight away to your iCloud or share it through your social networking platforms.

• Calendar -You can now seeyear view on iPad and week view on iPhone and iPod touch. Get more perspective, tap to create an event and drag to adjust the time and duration. Add, rename and delete calendars directly from your device and view event attachments without leaving the calendar app. iCloud lets you share calendars with friends and family, and it keeps your events in sync on all your devices. 

• Notification Centre-  "All your alerts. All in one place". Just swipe the top of your screen and all your notifications are shown in a list, you can then tap the notification you want to see. Messages, friend requests, emails, current weather and even reminders can be seen altogether in one glance.  Notifications also appear at the top of the screen so no more interrupting or alerts , popping up whilst you're mid-throw in Angry Birds, just a subtle animation at the top of the screen that is gone within 4 seconds. 

• Newsstand- A neat folder that holds all your magazine app subscriptions that automatically "shelves" a magazine as soon as you subscribe/buy. When new purchases and subscriptions are available, they appear in your Newsstand folder first thing in the morning.

• Reminders- Organise your To-Do list and reminders in a clean simple organiser with due dates and locations. If you need to pick up milk on your next shopping trip, put it into your Reminders list and an alert will pop up reminding you as soon as you pull into the supermarket car park.

• PC Free- With the iOS 5 you no longer need a computer to own an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Activate and set up your device wirelessly. Download the free iOS software that updates directly on your device. You can now you do more with your apps like editing your photos or adding new email folders on your device, without the need for a Mac or PC. You can also back-up and restore your device using iCloud.

• Airplay mirroring- Link your iPad to your TV, boardroom, classroom, living room. Wirelessly stream whatever's on your Ipad2 to your HDTV via Apple TV. Everyone can see exactly what's on your iPad2 screen, even when you rotate and zoom in and out.

• Multitasking for iPad gestures- IOS5 includes a few new moves and shortcuts to help you to get around even quicker on your iPad. Using four or five fingers, swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar, pinch to return to the Home screen, and swipe left or right to switch between apps.

So maybe I haven't beenasfair as I should be towards iOS 5. Apple have introduced a few major features that we have all been begging for (cursing Apple as I awkwardly take a photo with my iPhone 3GS has become a painfully regular occurrence) and several nice touches that separates this software from the rest.  Unfortunately I have to wait until my 24 month phone contract (what was I thinking?!) is finished before I can rush off to get me an iPhone 5. No doubt the rest of 3 Sided Cube have already pre-ordered theirs and made space for "their precious" on their desks so I think I'll just leave this one to them. I might even have a sly little play around on their brand new spanking iPhone when they pop out to get the milk, which iOS 5 would have reminded them to get of course. 

Our Vision Test iPhone app has reached 1 MILLION downloads continuing its takeover. The amazing results come as no surprise as the app went to No.1 Medical App within days of its launch. It's great to see our work succeed so spectacularly and we can't wait to show you what else we have up our sleeves! 

On June 9^th at Kensington Palace Gardens, Ark Charity celebrated their 10^th anniversary. The event consisted of over 1000 guests each paying a whopping £10,000 a ticket to attend. The guest of honour was none other than Our Royal Highness, Prince William who was chosen to be keynote speaker. Other celebrity guests included Kevin Spacey, Liz Hurley and Colin Firth; this is the start of one hell of a party.

So far the event is already sounding impressive to us average Joes however it gets better…much better. Kings of Leon let loose on the stage along with Mark Ronson providing the entertainment. At this point I have already googled how much I would get for my right kidney, but unfortunately it still wouldn't cover the cost of a ticket. So with over 1600 people under the same roof wanting to register their details, pledge money and bid on auctioned items, it's going to be a bit of a pickle. This is where we come in.

We developed software that ran on 550 Mobile Devices and 8 kiosks that allowed guests to do all of the above, along with finding their friends on other tables and the ability to change their pledge or bid. The challenge was to get the 550 devices along with all the guest's mobile phones to connect to a mobile network, tricky stuff! To solve the potential connection issues we basically stored data locally on the device. It was a simple solution however the pressure was on. We had to make sure we changed the screens of 550 devices with one key press, a sweat dripping situation! Thankfully it worked and resulted in an all-round great experience.

The event raised an astonishing £17million for ARK's programmes which went to the less fortunate children across the world. We are extremely proud and honoured to be given the chance to help such a brilliant charity!