Amazon Echo vs Google Home, My First Impressions

November 4, 2016 Nic Raboy

I don’t typically write product reviews, but since I’m a huge advocate for the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart home technologies, I think it makes sense to share some opinions. I own an Amazon Echo and a second generation Amazon Echo Dot. Today (November 4th), I received my Google Home that started shipping to everyone this week.

The following is my opinion between the two brands, where each succeeds and where each falls short.

TPDP Episode #11: Continuous Integration And Deployment For The Polyglot Developer

November 4, 2016 Nic Raboy

Continuous integration (CI) and continuous deployment (CD) are terms that I hear thrown around quite frequently. I’ve been a software developer for a long time, but it is only recently that I’ve welcomed these terms into my life. CI and CD is the automated process of running various tasks such as unit testing or building a version controlled project. In this episode of The Polyglot Developer Podcast, I have guest speaker Ivan Nemytchenko, from GitLab, helping me explain what continuous integration is all about and why GitLab has gone ahead and made a completely free set of tools around it.

Use A Pre-Populated SQLite Database With NativeScript And Angular

October 27, 2016 Nic Raboy

I recently wrote about how to use a SQLite database within a NativeScript Android and iOS application that was built with Angular. This was more or less a revisit to the vanilla NativeScript tutorial on the same subject I had written earlier in the year. What happens when you have a massive amount of data that you’d like to save your user from needing to download before using your application? Can a SQLite database be pre-populated and included within an application?

To keep the flow going, I figured it would be a good idea to demonstrate how to ship a NativeScript Angular application with a pre-filled SQLite database rather than populating it on-the-fly.

Using SQLite In A NativeScript Angular Mobile App

October 24, 2016 Nic Raboy

Quite a bit of time ago when I first started using NativeScript, I wrote a tutorial around using a SQLite database with it. Now just to be clear, this was with vanilla NativeScript, before Angular was available. Heck, the previous article was using JavaScript and not even TypeScript.

Well, times have changed and I figured it would be a good idea to revisit this NativeScript SQLite tutorial, but this time give it some TypeScript and Angular flair.

Passing Complex Data Through The Angular Router With NativeScript

October 17, 2016 Nic Raboy

I recently wrote a tutorial for navigating a NativeScript Angular application using the Angular Router. In this tutorial I demonstrated how to create a multiple page application, navigate between pages, and even pass simple string parameters between the pages during navigation. However, what happens when the data you need to pass isn’t so simple?

We’re going to take a look at some of the ways to pass data between routes in a NativeScript application that makes use of Angular.

Navigating A NativeScript App With The Angular Router

October 11, 2016 Nic Raboy

Unless you want a very boring single page application, you’re going to want some form of page navigation with multiple pages available. Previously I wrote a tutorial for navigating between routes in a vanilla JavaScript NativeScript application, but with Angular in full force, it probably makes sense to demonstrate navigation with the very different Angular Router component.

Anyone who has been following Angular since beta knows that the navigation components have changed drastically in pretty much every release. Anyone who has been following NativeScript and Angular knows that Telerik likes to use any and all Angular in its vanilla state. This means that navigation in NativeScript Angular applications has changed quite a bit over the past year. However, with Angular now in general availability (GA), the Angular Router is no longer beta and should no longer be changing.

We’re going to take a look at simple navigation between two Angular components in a NativeScript Android and iOS mobile application using the now stable Angular Router.

Upgrading Your Hybrid Apps To Native With NativeScript

October 10, 2016 Nic Raboy

As someone who has developed both hybrid web applications and native applications, I understand the differences and advantages each brings to the table. While I agree that you can do some pretty neat things with a hybrid web application built with frameworks like Ionic, I no longer think it is as great of a solution as it once was.

With hybrid web frameworks like Ionic 2 and native mobile frameworks like NativeScript both using Angular, you have to step back and ask yourself what you’re truly getting as an advantage as of now in hybrid. Performance is one of many reasons why native still makes more sense, and being able to use Angular, why wouldn’t you?

This is why I spent a lot of time creating an upgrade guide to demonstrate how to take your hybrid mobile application built with Ionic 2 and Angular to native with NativeScript and Angular.