Just couldn’t resist this one…

For what it’s worth, I predict that within 10 years or less, the handheld computer will be the de facto standard. I’ve seen 1 TB USB drives coming out this year, and Moore’s Law says that smartphones will be 1000 times more powerful than they are now in 10 years. So I think that in 2022, when you get to your office, you’ll plug your phone into a monitor and a keyboard… or it will connect wirelessly. And when you’re done, you’ll just take it with you. That’s my two cents, or 2 pesos, as the case may be.

Image courtesy of Bizzaro.com

CB&F is currently developing iOS apps for commercial distribution, and has just published Easy Rider, the first and only crowdsourced transit information app, currently for Vancouver’s Translink Skytrain system.

In the past, CB&F staff have been involved in several significant software development projects with clients including Fortune 500 companies as well as public and private companies in the USA and Canada.

Do you have an idea for an app? Contact CB&F today, and we’ll give you an honest appraisal of your idea’s chances for success in the Apple iTunes App Store, the Android Marketplace, and/or the Windows Mobile Marketplace.

A Vancouver business and a Victoria-area entrepreneur have contracted with Charles Buchwald and Friends to develop new iOS based apps. Currently in development, both are anticipated to debut in the Apple App Store in Q3, 2011, with Android versions following quickly.

While CB&F’s three key advantages for app development—publishing on multiple platforms from the same code base, reduced development time, and significant depth of experience—are helping to realize these projects quickly and efficiently, finely tuned marketing programmes will separate them from the crowd.

Do you have an app idea? Contact Charles Buchwald & Friends and let’s grab a cup of coffee and discuss it.

1. We publish everywhere. Not just iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod), but Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, and web servers… from one set of code. This increases your market penetration, opens up more income streams, and builds user networks faster.
2. We work faster. 30 percent faster by published studies of our toolset, regularly saving 2 months or more on typical projects. This means your app gets to market sooner, can cost less to develop, and follow up versions can be published faster.
3. We have experience. 20 years of interface design, software development, and marketing has won us awards, put our name on patents, and helped us serve clients like BMW, Disney and Pillsbury. This helps increase the quality of your app and reduce your risk.

Contact us to discuss your app development project today!

A simple shopping cart, combined with the WordPress gallery feature, makes for an easy to manage ecommerce solution. PayPal helps maintain online buyer confidence and simplify the payment system. “Easy” is the key word, since maintenance of the site falls to Simon and Stephanie, while they also create, sell, and photograph their beautiful jewelry.

The custom WordPress theme, developed by CB&F, takes it inspiration from the jewellers’ colourful and evocative booth sign, with a forest/ocean/moonlight motif. This helps build brand recognition by maintaining the consistency of their visual identity, and reflecting their unique Northwest Coast island design sense.

Check out the new site, and leave a comment about your impressions!

By working with you directly and efficiently, we make the most of your time, maximize your input, and get you up and running on the web ASAP. And since it’s all based on the latest Content Management Systems (CMS), your site is future-proof.

Contact CB&F now to find out more or to schedule a session.

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• Photo Editing for Photographers
• Websites for Community Groups

Register for a course with a friend, and one of you gets 10% off!

Photo Editing for Photographers

Back by popular demand after being offered last fall, this course is geared to beginners!

Learn how to edit your photos to improve composition, contrast and colour, to fix defects such as dust, scratches, redeye or incorrect exposure. Learn about key concepts including: dynamic range, resolution, file types, and workflow; and special techniques such as painting with light, restoration, photo montage, and more.

Together we’ll edit a variety of sample photos to create beautiful, powerful images. This is a great way to take your photography to the next level!

The lab will have PC’s and software available. We’ll use Adobe Photoshop CS2 in class, but the principles and techniques will apply to Elements, Lightroom, Aperture, GIMP, and other photo image editing applications.

Prerequisite: intermediate computer experience, including the ability to open, save and organize files.

Tuesday nights, for 6 sessions, from 23 March to 27 April, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.

Web Sites for Community Groups

Turn over a new leaf!

Learn how to use a modern web system to build, maintain or renovate your community group website.
We’ll cover domain names, menus, static and dynamic pages, graphics, links, connecting to mailing lists, photo sites and promotional sites such as Facebook or MySpace.

The goal is to create or remodel your community group’s site by the end of the course.

Prerequisite: membership in a Salt Spring community group with permission to create or remodel the group’s site. Intermediate computer skills.

This is a great way to get a functional, easy to update and maintain website for your group, and to connect to local community groups on the web to share skills and resources.

Thursday nights for 6 sessions, March 25, April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, from 7:00-9:00 pm

Details for both courses

About the Instructor: Charles Buchwald has 20 years experience as a creative professional, including graphic design, web development and photography projects for clients including BMW, Disney and Pillsbury. He enjoys sharing the experience of learning and has taught image editing and other classes in the U.S. and Canada.

Location: GISS Room S111 (the computer lab)

Note: the fees are primarily to cover use of the H.S. computer lab during the courses.

SPECIAL: REGISTER FOR THE SAME COURSE WITH A FRIEND, AND ONE OF YOU GETS 10% OFF

Please contact me if you have any questions about the course. Please contact Saltspring Community Education to register.