Tag Archives: android

WebTech

Placeholder text is evil, case study : Monster Android app

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A “test” label disguised itself as actual content at the bottom of the login screen reaching production environment.

Monster Android app version 2.0.1 login screen with a "test" placeholder label visible in production
Version 2.0.1

What happened

The Monster Android app (version 2.0.1) displayed a “test” label at the bottom of the login screen — a leftover from development that was not removed before the production release. The placeholder text was visible to every user who opened the application.

UX and QA lesson

Incidents like this highlight how important a systematic UI review is before every release. Placeholder text — whether Lorem Ipsum, test labels, or temporary strings — should be identified and removed during the development cycle, not left to individual memory.

A release checklist that includes verifying all visible text on every screen is a good starting point to avoid embarrassing production bugs.

PhoneGap

Spell updated with Cordova 3.5.1 security fix

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It doesn’t happen really often to receive emails from Google, and usually when it happens it’s bad news (like spiders not crawling, terms&conditions updates a la Orwell etc), and also today they met my expectations with this message : This is a notification that your it.simonerescio.spell, is built on a version of Apache Cordova that contains security … Continue reading Spell updated with Cordova 3.5.1 security fix →

WebTech

The Next Challenge of the Web is Us

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ForwardJS keynotes of Christian Heilmann (@codepo8) addressing the growing complexity of frontend development technologies and how important it is that we keep the initial barrier low to make the web accessible to new developers and publishers as well. Many new IT users land directly on smartphones with their closed-app ecosystems. How can we bring the web to these new users? See also A user interface is like a joke.

PhoneGap

Android Holo font icons

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The aspect that I appreciate the most about developing hybrid apps with PhoneGap in respect to all the different native languages is the possibility to reuse resources, not only knowledges. Developing an Android native app requires a big effort to create and manage the iconographic elements that compose the UI. The most complex aspect is … Continue reading Android Holo font icons →

PhoneGap

HelloSplash, Phonegap Android SplashScreen

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Like for the first encounter between two strangers, a critical aspect for a mobile app when it meets our new users, whether we like to admit it or not, is the first impression. The splash screen is the very first thing our users got to judge our app the very first time they launch it, … Continue reading HelloSplash, Phonegap Android SplashScreen →