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Quikthinking Software Blog
  • 0 Apple’s iPhone Ecosystem

    I've never been an Apple "fan boy." I migrated into the world of "i" for professional reasons. After dabbling with an early Texas Instruments computer donated to me by a family member, I used an Apple Macintosh in an early workplace gig. After that job, DOS, (digital operating system), then Windows computers ruled the roost of my media employers. The first personal computer I purchased was as DOS pc. A long string of Windows computers followed from Windows 98 through Windows 11 today. After I began developing mobile applications for Android to get experience, I knew that expanding the app titles into iOS would broaden their base of appeal. iPhones a Poppin' My first iPhone cost me $1. It was a Verizon promotion that I took advantage of. When I upgraded that 4S to iPhone 6, I paid $200 to get it via the pre-owned market. Next, it was another pre-owned unit, this time an iPhone 7 for $217. iPhone X cost me $369, again, it was a just like-new pre-owned unit. I also have a bunch of pre-owned iPads and MacBooks. All of these Apple devices still work, and I have never had issues with any of them. During the iPhone journey, Android remained my mobile phone of choice. I just like them better. I've never paid more than $200 for any of my Motorola or Samsung Androids. My latest Android phone, a brand new one sporting Android 13, cost only $129. Captured in the ecosystem? The U.S. Justice Department and 16 attorneys general filed a lawsuit on March 21, 2024 alleging that "Apple's iPhone ecosystem is a monopoly and that its anti-competitive practices extend to the company's Apple Watch, advertising, browser, FaceTime and news offerings." Some of this might be true, but let's face it. Apple's world is essentially a pay for play experience. If you want to spend thousands on their offerings, you can do so. As I've detailed, there are other options for sober minded, cost conscious individuals. When I became an Android developer in 2011, the one-time cost of the Google Play developer application was $25. Apple charges an annual developer fee of $99. I’ve been paying it since 2018. Who does the media love? The media pushes Apple products as cutting edge technology. If you want to be with the cool kids, you know that television, radio, print, and digital push Apple's annual updates as must have swag. In the press, Android has always been ignored, especially in the United States. Bulletin. According to Statistica.com, Android commanded 70.11% of mobile operating systems worldwide. iOS is behind in 2nd place at 29.19%. These stats are for the fourth quarter of 2023. It's a hard argument to assert that "Apple's iPhone ecosystem is a monopoly," if you are not forced to be a gloating participant in their techno culture. Yes, the green or blue bubbles in iMessages are cute. Go without them using Android messaging and you’ll be just fine. I do agree that it is much harder for a developer to exist inside of the App Store world based on their assessment of submitted applications. Their use of psychological tactics imploring you to embrace their suite of Apple tools is never ending. In the end, "i" universe users will just pay more if the Justice Department wins this case that is sure to drag on for a long time. Do you think the iPhone ecosystem is a monopoly?

  • 0 An Android Flirt with Windows 11

    I do most of my digital game playing on tablets or mobile phones: Android, iPhones, and iPads. I have never owned a game console, although I have played games on an Xbox. My Amazon Fire TV module had a game controller awhile back, but I never used it. Once upon a time, I did play a few games on early Windows pc’s. In 2023, I experimented with the Android implementation on Windows 11 created by the Amazon – Microsoft partnership. The Amazon Appstore Preview on Windows 11 was teased in 2022. Good News Arrives In October of 2022, I received an email from the Amazon App Store saying: "Good news - at least one of your apps is included in Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 developer preview, expanding your reach to hundreds of millions of new users." Hmm. I did not ask for any of my apps to be added, so I was flattered that one of the Quikthinking Software titles was selected. Amazon explained how to find the app they selected on their developer console, but I never could find the one that they branded "Windows 11 included" in their portal! March of 2023 brought this communication from Amazon: "Good news - your app catalog is eligible to be included in Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 developer preview." OK. The Windows Subsystem for Android It was also necessary to download and install "The Windows Subsystem for Android" on my Windows 11 laptop. This was a headache. After installation I did watch some game trailers and was intrigued. The platform seemed to have potential, but following much thought, I realized there was a huge investment of time that would be needed to change our apps for Windows 11 Android. Despite promises, it seemed that very few Amazon Android apps would be 100% compatible out of the box to work inside of the Windows 11 subsystem. I concluded that there would not be a global rush to embrace Android on Windows 11, so I deleted the Windows Subsystem for Android from my laptop. The real test for me came at the end of 2022, when I tried as an experiment to submit one of our newest apps to the Amazon Windows 11 app store. When your Google Play and Apple App Store approved app is flying fine, you have high hopes for Windows 11 inclusion. Unfortunately, the app was not approved for the Amazon Windows 11 club. Normally when your app has an issue, you make the changes and work with the app store in question to implement a fix. The requested changes meant a major overhaul. Goodbye, but is it Farewell? I had a feeling that the Amazon – Windows 11 bromance was not going to last. I did not follow through on my submission and cancelled it. In early March, 2024, this note arrived from Amazon: "Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 will no longer be supported after March 5, 2025." On the Amazon App Store Developer blog, additional information was provided. "Starting March 6, 2024, customers will no longer have the ability to install new apps. They will still have access to previously-installed apps." Did you even notice or know? The vast majority of our app downloads come from Google Play and The Apple App Store. So the Amazon Android – Windows 11 experiment failed. As the Amazon update on their developer blog states: "Microsoft is ending support for the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), Amazon Appstore on Windows 11." From my developer perspective, one must be cautious when jumping into new digital territory. This one adventure just wasn't worth it for me. I'm glad I made the right choice!

  • 0 Musical College of Tune Driven Knowledge

    • Games
    • by Kingsley H. Smith
    • 02/14/2024

    Here's a photo I took of Chaka Khan, performing in an intimate 2007 Atlantic City, NJ setting. I've seen her with and without Rufus six times in different U.S. towns. Another one I took is of Public Enemy below, who also appeared in the shore casino city in 2015. Here's The Revolution at, you guessed it, another Atlantic City venue in 2017. Remember Prince and the Revolution? Yes, same band.   Shows, music, and experience Lots of shows, lots of music, and lots of experience contributed to my college of tune driven knowledge, while working as an on-air and off-air radio broadcasting professional, before diving into the world of mobile app development. You can read or listen to my story in Powerhouse Radio: Rough Roads, Radiance, and Rebirth at Amazon. Two of the three artists above represent R&B and hip-hop. I created a mobile game RnB and Hip Hop Quiz featuring trivia about both genres. Half of the questions I wrote are hip-hop, half are R&B related. We separate R&B into 12 game levels. Hip hop also gets a dozen levels. Checkout the game on your iPhone or Android and have some musical fun!

  • 0 Smoke Free, Fresh Air Motivation

    • Apps
    • by Kingsley H. Smith
    • 01/10/2024

    Saving money is a goal many of us never master. Excuses rescue us from discipline, but wasting money on the other hand is easy. Live for today, forget about tomorrow. Some know this drill. One of the easiest ways for smokers to put money in their purse or pocket is to give up the habit. I am not a smoker, but I loved playing around with the calculator at Smokefree.gov, created by The National Cancer Institute (NCI) to help you or someone you care about quit smoking or vaping. Smokefree.gov is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Worldpopulationreview.com in their U.S. cigarette prices by state chart, show the median price of $9.00 per pack. Someone smoking 3 cigarettes per day at $9.00 per pack saves $493.00 per year. Listen to the full first chapter of our Quit Smoking audiobook.  Your browser does not support the audio element. Our iOS and Android Quit Smoking mobile app includes 25 audio chapters. Follow the link above on our site for more info and discover the audiobook.  

  • 0 Santa Jump Game Party App Director's Cut Video

    • Games
    • by Kingsley H. Smith
    • 12/07/2023

    Santa Jump Game Party App director's cut video plus bonus features. Get hoppin', wear the gear, and get on the good foot to jump with the lucky angel. More to enjoy: Santa Jump Game pole hopping high jinks cut Swinging Santa safely jumps for joy cut Santa jump game party animal app cut

  • 0 Mobile Games and Gifts of Garb

    • video
    • by Kingsley H. Smith
    • 11/21/2023

    You might be attracted the most to the 12 signature mobile apps that we've created and feature here at Quikthinking.com. These twelve give you a gateway to discover more about Black History. But there's more. Don't miss out on lots of our games that you can also find here too. I show you games and tell you about garb in the short 43 second video. Take a look at all of the Quikthinking mobile apps. Explore the Always Quikthinking Shop for merchandise and accessories seen in the video. Lots for you and great gift giving too. Thank you for your support!

  • 0 People Power Jigsaw Puzzle People

    • Games
    • by Kingsley H. Smith
    • 11/16/2023

    Do you appreciate the professional nurse, who is serving their patient with precision and care? What about the mail carrier, retail worker, teacher, or craft person? Jobs and occupations make up the big theme of People Power Jigsaw Puzzle. You'll cruise through a large collection of puzzles that picture everyday people doing work. Each representation visualizes the essence of different trades and skills. Every puzzle has an Easy, Medium, and Hard mode giving you 150 total levels to solve. Watch the biologist - geneticist come together in this 30 second video captured on an iPad. Discover more. People Power Jigsaw Puzzle is a mobile game primarily for iPhone - iPad. We do have one version for Android. Enjoy!  

  • 0 Thanksgiving Retro Match 3 Game

    • Games
    • by Kingsley H. Smith
    • 11/01/2023

    Here's a mobile game that you can play year-round, but especially during the Thanksgiving season as we celebrate with family and friends. The iOS version, (not shown here) is a swap to match game, as is our Always Thanksgiving game for iOS and Android. In the 20 second video below is our updated Android legacy Thanksgiving pleaser: Thanksgiving Retro Match 3 game. Just tap to match and you are on your way! Still free, still fun, still fast, and still a favorite. text

  • 0 Quikthinking Swag Shop Store

    • Shop
    • by Kingsley H. Smith
    • 10/25/2023

    When it's time for tee shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, accessories or other wearables for you, or for your gift giving, head directly to our Quikthinking Store presented at SpreadShirt. You can customize the size and location of the logos for that special unique look. During the Christmas holiday season, the festive sweatshirt, Santa Hat, and Christmas Stocking are available only for a limited time. Orange is the color to wear during the USA's National Gun Violence Awareness Day (and Month), a cause that I support. Below are two of the unisex Full Zip Hoodies, perfect for layering and everyday wear. There are a lot of other accessories to choose from offered in different colors. Take a look. From November 16 - November 19 get your special 20% discount. On Black Friday, November 24, there's an even bigger promotion! Don't be disappointed if inventory sells out early. The holiday items sold out early last year. The Quikthinking Swag Shop is presented at SpreadShirt.

  • 0 Black History People and Picture Puzzle Game

    Martin Luther King Jr., the Obamas, Muhammad Ali, Simone Biles, Ralph Ellison, Kamala Harris and scores of others capture the magic in this Black History Picture Puzzle game, an Android exclusive. It's been updated with new scenes in the latest version. Game controls are also fresh. Twirl each little block with just a tap to solve the picture puzzles as quickly as you can. The game automatically keeps track of your fastest time to solve a puzzle. See an example of the easy and hard levels in this quick video. Tease your brain, get inspired, and connect to the big-time leaders shown in each scene. Jump right into sports, entertainment, government, education, civil rights, activists, writers and more. They are all in Black History Picture Puzzle game.  One of our first Android apps was Black History People. This one paved the way for many of the more sophisticated titles that followed in our Black History series of mobile apps. Black History People is still one of our most popular titles. Straightforward and simple, close to 100 achievers with their pictures are profiled in this easy to use Android exclusive. Each of the twelve sections is represented by a picture driven menu to enter the profile sections... The 12 menu images represent these sections: Entertainment Poets Sports Writers Business Education Aviation - Space Inventors Medical Music Civil Rights Law You can't lose with either Black History People, or Black History Picture Puzzle game, both for Android.

  • 0 Zodiac Signs Jigsaw Puzzle Patterns

    • Games
    • by Kingsley H. Smith
    • 08/15/2023

    Zodiac signs can be visualized in hundreds of different ways. Realistic, artistic, cosmic, or caricature are just four ways to develop a theme. No matter what sign you are, Zodiac Signs Jigsaw Puzzle game app presents your sign using three different design styles. You can solve the puzzles in either easy, medium or hard levels. Here are game screens from an iPad. On Android, the gameplay and visual look is the same. All ages can get some pleasure from the Zodiac Signs Jigsaw Puzzle game. For a laugh about my sign and some more background, you'll want to check out these. You will stay on this site. Zodiac App Mystery Zodiac Signs Clairvoyant

  • 0 8 Black History Inventors Countdown

    In 2022 when I visited the The Hagley Museum and Library on the banks of the Brandywine Creek in Wilmington, Delaware, inventors galore from all cultures were profiled in a special featured exhibition. 8 Black History Inventors Countdown was part of the produced video The Nation of Inventors - and the app that honors them. This time, let's focus on just the eight inventors who made some marvelous contributions to solve simple problems with solutions we all benefit from today. Discover all 50 plus creative minds in the Black History Inventors app for iOS and Android. Watch the countdown. The order we present is not a competitive ranking.   

  • 0 RnB and Hip Hop Quiz Rules, Your Way Video

    • Apps
    • by Kingsley H. Smith
    • 06/21/2023

    Whether your favorite sounds come from the school of Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Beyonce', Naughty By Nature, A Tribe Called Quest or Salt-N-Pepa, RnB and Hip Hop Quiz trivia is a music throwback game you'll really enjoy. The version above is for iPhone or iPad. We also feature Android. Watch the video to see the iOS gameplay. When you set things up before playing for the first time: Choose your avatar on the home screen upper left Toggle music and/or sound effects in settings upper right Play to select single answer, multiple, or true or false Touch time limit or no time limit Scroll to pick an R&B or a Hip Hop level Loads of trivia, lots of fun! The android version leans into multiple choice questions exclusively and shares the same range of questions in either the R&B or Hip Hop levels that you can choose in any order you want. I really like the iOS version and play it on my iPad. Since Android is my main phone, I play it there a lot too! RnB and Hip Hop Quiz trivia game is free from your favorite store.

  • 0 Black History Express and Quotes Express Double Play

    When you need to express yourself, here are two ways to do it. Have you used any of the thousands of quotes included in Black History Quotes Express for Android or iPhone? Find the quotes that you want to use. Search by author or by category. Favor, bookmark, or share the quotes anyway you want. Black History Quotes Express is one of our most downloaded mobile apps.  Let's look at the second way to plug into an expressive knowledge base and it's partner trivia game. Black History Express for Android contains two big sections. The knowledge base has hundreds of profiles about people who have made solid contributions to the culture. The trivia section of the app is easy to find. From the menu, select the quiz section to scan through the questions and play along. Most of the questions are based on information right in the knowledge base. Whichever one, or both that you love, these free resources are ready for you to use so get them from your app store. Black History Quotes Express is for Android and iOS. Black History Express represents for the world of Android.

  • 0 Texting While Emoji-Expressing Yourself

    • Apps
    • by Kingsley H. Smith
    • 04/12/2023

    What's the one thing that six of the stickers below have in common? You might be surprised by the answer. AAeMojis are 162 colorful emojis that are perfect for texting on your Android or iOS device.  All six of the featured emojis referenced above (but not the ones on the phone in the photo) were actual requests by users who grabbed the AAeMojis collection from either Google Play or the App Store. The Newest AAeMojis were drawn by our artist. In 2018, when we launched the app, there were 102. In 2023, the count is up to 162 with full iOS support and solid support for the latest Android 13 as of this writing. Find out much more about AAeMojis for iPhone, iPad, or Android. The perfect black emojis to light up your emotive message.

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