Author: Jackson Jiang

The latest version (6.11.0) of HMS Core Scan Kit is now available, and this article aims to share some of its exciting new features with you:

• The kit adds the decode API that is available to both camera-based and image-based barcode scanning scenarios.

This API supports image data in NV21 format (which is output by your custom camera API) and multi-barcode recognition. Compared with decodeWithBitmap, an API released in an earlier version that supports only the bitmap format, the decode API saves time converting the image format and delivers a faster barcode scanning process in the camera-based mode.

Changing an image/video background has always been a hassle, whereby the most tricky part is extracting the element other than the background.

Traditionally, it requires us to use a PC image-editing program that allows us to select the element, add a mask, replace the canvas, and more. If the element has an extremely uneven border, then the whole process can be very time-consuming.

I recently encountered a problem with GPS positioning in my app.

My app needs to call the GPS positioning service and has been assigned all required permissions. What's more, my app uses a Wi-Fi network and 4G network and has no restrictions on power consumption and Internet connectivity. However, the GPS position and speed data obtained by calling standard Android APIs are very inaccurate.

Smart wearables are incredibly useful when it comes to outdoor workouts, especially in situations where you don't want to be carrying your mobile phone. A smartwatch that tracks your real-time exercise records and routes monitors your health status, and even supports maps and real-time navigation is practically a must-have tool for outdoor sports enthusiasts nowadays.

However, not every smartwatch supports independent, real-time navigation on the watch. Fortunately, for watches without such a feature, it is still possible to use offline maps to navigate. Fitness apps can take advantage of offline maps to provide users with navigation features on smartwatches. The problem is, how can the offline maps generated on a fitness app be synced to a smartwatch?

Mobile apps have significantly changed the way we live, bringing about greater convenience. With our mobiles we can easily book hotels online when we go sightseeing, buy train and flight tickets online for business trips, or just pay for a dinner using scan and pay.

There is rarely a one-app-fits-all approach of offering such services, so users have to switch back and forth between multiple apps. This also requires users to register and sign in to different apps, which is a trouble itself because users will need to complete complex registration process and repeatedly enter their account names and passwords.

Influencers have become increasingly important as more and more consumers choose to purchase items online — whether on Amazon, Taobao, or one of the many other prominent e-commerce platforms. Brands and merchants have spent a lot of money finding influencers to promote their products through live streams and consumer interactions, and many purchases are made on the recommendation of a trusted influencer.

However, employing a public-facing influencer can be costly and risky. Many brands and merchants have opted instead to host live streams with their own virtual characters. This gives them more freedom to showcase their products and widens the pool of potential on-camera talent. For consumers, virtual characters can add fun and whimsy to the shopping experience.

I recently came across an article saying that barcodes and barcode readers have become a mainstay of today's economies and our lives in general since they were introduced in the 1970s.

So, I decided to test how true this is by seeing how often I come across barcode readers on a typical day of mine. And — surprise surprise — they turned out to be more important than I thought.

3D Audio Overview

An immersive experience is much talked about in the current mobile app world, given how it evokes emotions from users to merge the virtual world with reality.

3D audio is a fantastic gimmick that is capable of delivering such an experience. This tech provides listeners with an audio experience that mimics how they hear sounds in real life, mostly by using the binaural sound systems to capture, process, and playback audio waves. 3D audio allows the listener to know where audio sources are from, thereby delivering a richer experience.

Background

Around half a year ago, I decided to start decorating my new house. Before getting started, I did lots of research on a variety of different topics relating to interior decoration, such as how to choose a consistent color scheme, which measurements to make and how to make them, and how to choose the right furniture. However, my preparations made me realize that no matter how well-prepared you are, you're always going to run into many unexpected challenges. 

Before rushing to the furniture store, I listed all the different pieces of furniture that I wanted to place in my living room, including a sofa, tea table, potted plants, dining table, and carpet, and determined the expected dimensions, colors, and styles of these various items of furniture. 

Audio is the soul of media, and for mobile apps in particular, it engages with users more, adds another level of immersion, and enriches content.

This is a major driver of my obsession for developing audio-related functions. In my recent post that tells how I developed a portrait retouching function for a live-streaming app, I mentioned that I wanted to create a solution that can retouch music. I know that a technology called spatial audio can help with this, and — guess what — I found a synonymous capability in HMS Core Audio Editor Kit, which can be integrated independently, or used together with other capabilities in the UI SDK of this kit.

Portrait Retouching Importance

Mobile phone camera technology is evolving—wide-angle lens and optical image stabilization to name but a few. Thanks to this, video recording and mobile image editing apps are emerging one after another, utilizing technology to foster greater creativity.

Among these apps, live-streaming apps are growing with great momentum, thanks to an explosive number of streamers and viewers.

Hey, guys! I'm still working on my mobile multiplayer survival game. In my article titled Build a Game That Features Local In-App Purchases, I shared my experience of configuring in-app product information in the language and currency of the country or region where the user's account is located, which streamlines the purchase journey for users and boosts monetization.

Some new challenges have arisen, though. When an in-app product is configured, I need to test its purchase process before it can be brought online. Hence, I need a virtual purchase environment that doesn't actually charge me real money. Sandbox testing it is.

Background

Many weeks ago, when I tried to exit a parking lot, I was—once again—battling with technology as I tried to pay the parking fee. I opened an app and used it to scan the QR payment code on the wall, but it just wouldn’t recognize the code because it was too far away. Thankfully, a parking lot attendant came out to help me complete the payment, sparing me from the embarrassment of the cars behind me beeping their horns in frustration. This made me want to create a QR code scanning app that could save me from such future pain.

The first demo app I created was, truth to be told, a failure. First, the distance between my phone and a QR code had to be within 30 cm, otherwise the app would fail to recognize the code. However, in most cases, this distance is not ideal for a parking lot.

Several months ago, Sony  rolled out their all-new PlayStation Plus service, which is home to a wealth of popular classic games. Its official blog wrote that its games catalog "will continue to refresh and evolve over time, so there is always something new to play."

I was totally on board with the idea and so… I thought why not build a lightweight mobile game together with my friends and launch it on a niche app store as a pilot. I did just this. The multiplayer survival game draws on a dark cartoon style and users need to utilize their strategic skills to survive. The game launch was all about sharing ideas, among English users specifically, but it attracted many players from non-English speaking countries like China and Germany. What a surprise!

What Is HDR and Why Does It Matter

Streaming technology has improved significantly, giving rise to higher and higher video resolutions from those at or below 480p (which are known as the standard definition or SD for short) to those at or above 720p (high definition, or HD for short).

The video resolution is vital for all apps. Research that I recently came across backs this up: 62% of people are more likely to negatively perceive a brand that provides a poor-quality video experience, while 57% of people are less likely to share a poor-quality video. With this in mind, it's no wonder that there are so many emerging solutions to enhance video resolution.

Augmented reality (AR) provides immersive interactions by blending real and virtual worlds, making human-machine interactions more interesting and convenient than ever. A common application of AR involves placing a virtual object in a real environment, where the user is free to control or interact with the virtual object. However, there is so much more AR can do beyond that.

To make interactions easier and more immersive, many mobile app developers now allow users to control their devices without having to touch the screen by identifying the body motions, hand gestures, and facial expressions of users in real time and using the identified information to trigger different events in the app. For example, in an AR somatosensory game, players can trigger an action by striking a pose, which spares them from frequently tapping keys on the control console. Likewise, when shooting an image or short video, the user can apply special effects to the image or video by striking specific poses without even having to touch the screen. In a trainer-guided health and fitness app, the system powered by AR can identify the user's real-time postures to determine whether they are doing the exercise correctly and guide them to exercise in the correct way. All of these would be impossible without AR.

Why We Need DDGI

Of all the things that make a 3D game immersive, global illumination effects (including reflections, refractions, and shadows) are undoubtedly the jewel in the crown. Simply put, bad lighting can ruin an otherwise great game experience.

A technique for creating real-life lighting is known as dynamic diffuse global illumination (DDGI for short). This technique delivers real-time rendering for games, decorating game scenes with delicate and appealing visuals. In other words, DDGI brings out every color in a scene by dynamically changing the lighting, realizing the distinct relationship between objects and scene temperature, as well as enriching levels of representation for information in a scene.

Let's face it. Sometimes it can be difficult for our app users to find a specific app function when our apps are loaded with all kinds of functions. Many of us tend to write up a guide detailing each function found in the app, but — honestly speaking — users don't really have the time or patience to read through long guides, and not all guides are user-friendly, either. Sometimes it's faster to play about with a function than it is to look it up and learn about it. But that creates the possibility that users are not using the functions of our app to its full potential.

Luckily, making a screen recording is a great way of showing users how functions work, step by step.