The new maps component in RAD Studio XE8 makes it easy to add mapping functionality to your mobile applications. TMapView provides access to map APIs for iOS and Android. On Android, it uses the Google Maps Android API and on iOS, it uses the Map Kit Framework. The key features of the TMapView component are: Four Types of Maps: Normal, Satellite, Hybrid and Terrain (Android only)  Gesture Control: Intuitive tilt, rotate and zoom gesture controls Control the Map View: Ability to c...

Delphi, C++Builder and RAD Studio XE8 include some great new VCL Styles. UI theming is an easy way to quickly change the look of your existing applications.  The following new styles are included in XE8: Glow TabletLight Sky You can easily apply a custom style to your existing VCL Windows applications via Project > Options > Application > Appearance.  New premium VCL styles are also available for RAD Studio XE8 as part of the XE8 Bonus Pack. You can access the offe...

Beacons, iBeacons, altBeacons... Beaconing is probably the hottest new technology among programmers. Today I had a pleasure to present the latest Appmethod to developers at the IT DroidCon conference in Turin in Italy. Building natively compiled apps from the same codebase for Android, iOS, Windows and Mac with reusable components is always fun. Probably the most fun I had was with using the new "TBeacon" component for building proximity aware mobile apps. How could it be simpler? Beaconing is t...

RAD Studio XE8 provides you with the tools to rapidly design, build, and deploy connected apps that deliver innovative IoT solutions. The new Beacon component makes it easy to add proximity awareness to your applications. Two beacon formats are available: iBeacon and AltBeacon. iBeacon is a format defined by Apple. When working with iBeacons, select the Standard Mode available for the TBeacon component.  AltBeacon is an open format, known as Alternative beacon. The full sp...