iPhone® Game Development

Glossary

accelerometer

The iPhone responds to motion by using a built-in accelerometer. This is used to detect any changes in orientation, such as when you rotate the device from portrait to landscape. This feedback can be used in applications in many creative ways. For instance, the accelerometer makes it possible to react to shake gestures or to move objects on the screen when the device is tilted.

alpha channel

Images that have an alpha channel are images that have transparency information stored in them. Many image formats support alpha channels, and this is a great way to create advanced graphics and user interfaces for your iPhone applications.

animations

The UIImageView supports using a series of images as an animation. This is a great effect that is very easy to use and always makes an application stand out.

application

An application (app for short) is a computer program that executes on a device utilizing the features of the device to perform a task for, serve as a reference for, or entertain a user.

Application Programming Interface (API)

An API defines a collection of protocols, interfaces, and delegates that can be used to interact with applications, hardware, and services of the underlying OS.

App Store

The App Store is where users can go to easily download iPhone apps. Once you own an application, the App Store automatically notifies you when there's an update. Apple collects a 30 percent royalty and the rest goes to the developers. The App Store can be accessed for the iPhone ...