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Nowadays, there are many (too many, IMHO) advertising networks (Google's AdMob, Apple's iAd, Microsoft's pubCenter, etc.) for mobile developers to monetize their apps. There are a few parameters considered when choosing an advertising network. The most important one is eCPM (effective Cost Per thousand iMpressions).

It takes about 10 minutes to activate a new mobile phone with a ported number thanks to all competitions and FCC's regulation for telephone number porting. One can use a new phone with a ported number within an hour. If the ported number was associated…

Mobile applications were probably not considered most when SOAP was originated in 90s by Microsoft staff. It is usually impractical, or at least, not optimal for mobile applications to host SOAP services, but it is perfectly practical for mobile applications to consume SOAP web services…

SkiaSharp is a versatile package that can be used on all mobile platforms. The following code encodes a pixel array to an JPEG image and displays it. SKImageInfo sii = new SKImageInfo(iWidth, 1, SKColorType.Rgba8888); SKData sd = SKData.Create(new MemoryStream(abPixels)); SKImage sKImage = SKImage.FromPixelData(sii, sd, iWidth…

The bottom line: WinUI is not ready for prime time as of December 2023. At its current progress pace, it needs at least 1 or 2 more years to grow to be sufficiently reliable and clean. Though Uno is a much more mature and stabler…

For developing apps that support service reference (e.g. UWP apps), one can consume web services defined by WSDL files by adding a service reference in VS and using the generated proxy classes. The approach requires the platform supports namespace System.ServiceModel which inner working is quite convoluted,…

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Uno Platform is likely the best platform for developing apps targeting multiple platforms - Windows, web, Android and iOS. One should have realistic perspective of Uno before getting into it: To start enjoying Uno Platform: For each new app tarting multiple platforms: UWP Head: Android…

The Microsoft Windows.GraphicsCapture API's performance is so poor that it is largely unusable. It may work with very powerful video cards, but many other screen capture apps such as SnagIt work fine with regular PCs.

An AdControl worked fine for a long time until it was revamped to cope with issues unrelated to the AdControl. This may well be coincidence. The AdCoontrol was generating the following error: Type: Other Message: unhandled ad exception: Script error. Out of curiosity, I changed…

Xamarin is still not mature, reliable and stable enough to serve its purpose - saving time for making apps targeting multiple platforms. A UWP app project still needs to be an independent project, instead a part of Xamarin project bundle. Resources: Segoe MDL2 Icons Complete…

Update release_notes.txt under folder Shared. Update PCLUtility.sAppVersion in App(). Update versions in the Properties of the UWP head. Build the release package. Update the beta flight with 99.99% rollout. Watch app analytics Update the production release and roll out the update gradually. Update the app's web…

Green Gobbler is the most effective compared with Zep Drain Care, K-67, Drano and Liquid Plumr Foaming Clog Fighter. This is based on tests with a clog down far from a kitchen sink ( > 3 M). Drain Defense Enzymatic Drain Cleaner Powder had not shown…

Classic Investment The classic investment is putting money into a business that will eventually generate profits distributed to shareholders. This is still the bulk of modern investment, though the returns for shareholders are often stock price increases instead of distributed profits. For this type of…

Generally speaking, Google is better run than its peers. However, it cannot completely escape the bureaucracy and inefficiency of large companies. Google Play is excellent overall. However, its so-called "policy violation" handling is exceptionally poor. First, many instances of "policy violations" are false alarms that…

X-C skiing on a frozen river is safer than skating, snow-shoeing, and walking on it for the following reasons: Deep water with slow currents has thicker ice than that of shallow water with fast currents. The transition from thick ice to thin ice is usually…

Movie The Obama Deception is very intriguing. I highly recommend it to all who have an objective mind. In case the title turns off some people, it should be made clear that this movie is not a campaign tool used by conservatives to unseat the…

Shadowsocks is currently the best choice. There are excellent instructions for setup. Companies use VPN to allow their employees to access their computing resources by their employees from outside of their LAN’s. Foreign companies in China rely on VPN for one more purpose – accessing…

Windows Server's built-in VPN requires Microsoft's characteristic maze of configurations. Setup is complicated. It requires GRE protocol on the client side to use PPTP. It requires Active Directory to use L2TP/IPsec. OpenVPN is easy to set up for a client to connect to the VPN…

Storage rental is a competitive business. One usually can find a local storage rental with excellent reputations. Public Storage is excellent. Neighbor is a great place for renting a parking spot for a month or longer.