Category Archives: Uncategorized

2 Year Anniversary at Red Foundry. Hooray!

By on May 26, 2021 | Mobile App Development, Uncategorized | No Comments

Written by Diana Olariu

I am, and will always be, thankful for i.c.stars.

There are a few turning points in my life that really shaped my professional and personal journey. i.c.stars was without a doubt one of those turning points. It opened up an entire new world for me, one that I didn’t even know was possible to reach at this point in my life. i.c.stars taught me what it means to be a leader, an effective communicator, and problem solver. But they also taught me one of the most important skills in life – how to learn. i.c.stars showed me that I could learn anything I set my mind to. Since that time, I have grown tremendously as a software developer, person, and member of my community. i.c.stars was the beginning of it all! I am so happy I found them, and that they accepted me as a member. I hope they continue to teach and empower the communities within inner cities. The world needs more diverse leadership!


Red Foundry – My opportunity to shine!


Over the past 2 years, my mind has woken up. I love spending every single day applying my problem solving skills. It’s so much fun and feels like I’m solving puzzles that become useful mobile and web-app products for our clients. Taking a moment, I’d like to say… I love React Native! And I love Red Foundry :)


I started working at Red Foundry in January 2019 as a QA Analyst. I learned how to test an application, identify issues, write user stories, and anticipate client needs. Little by little, I started to feel more comfortable with software applications, user requirements and coding. They eased me into looking at code and “playing,” with it. I was given more responsibility incrementally and encouraged to choose coding tasks I would feel comfortable learning to solve. They encouraged me to look into courses that would help accelerate my learning process.


I started rapidly learning UI layouts and became quite good at it. Soon after, I started creating components and exploring backend end points. When I was confident and ready, Red Foundry encouraged me to complete a more complex course – a Nanodegree certificate, in order to improve my understanding about React, React Native, Redux and API’s.


Step by step, my tasks varied, and I was starting to see a real and rewarding improvement. Soon enough, I was assigned my first lead project. Such a challenge! You can feel the magic of a wonderful team when you are blocked, and you think there is no way you are going to make it! All of the team members encouraged me, guided me, and offered me their full support. I am grateful for that!


Now, after 2 years, I feel that I’ve grown a lot – both professionally and personally. The saying “anything is possible,” feels true with a team like Red Foundry. It’s an experience that I can’t fully describe, but I can assure you that working in a team with great professionals, that encourages you and is always there for you, is one of the best things to find in a workplace. The environment is wonderful, relaxed, and productive. Red Foundry hires talent, and arms newbies with an amazing toolset for learning and growing as a software developer. They nurture you and coach you to learn new things every day. They want to help you grow, improve, build confidence, accept mistakes, and thrive for more and better.


Red Foundry continues to show me new possibilities in the field of IT. I care about having a successful future, and Red Foundry is the company that continues to offer me support on this journey!


Red Foundry is open to use different tools, frameworks, learn and apply new technology. They encourage us to be resourceful, and therefore become better software developers. It is both fun and challenging. And though it can be extremely frustrating at times, I just think of how much I get to learn while going through the process. It’s amazing! I love this career and Red Foundry. It is perfect for the curious, for the forever learner. And that’s a big part of who I am.


Red Foundry, Thank You!

What Is A Mobile SDK?

By on July 20, 2016 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Mobile software developments kits (mobile SDK) provide a set of software development tools that allow for a wide range of varied mobile apps for smartphones and tablets. An effective mobile SDK gives an app creator the tools needed to create complex and sophisticated apps as well as simple apps that are made in mere minutes.

App creators are able to tap into the robust features of the SDK without needing coding expertise and extensive software development skills. Broadly speaking, a software development kit provides a convenient method for businesses and individuals to easily create their app and get it published on Google Play and App Store marketplaces.

However, not all development kits are created equally. Here are a few tips to keep in mind that will help you choose the right development kit for your needs.

Choosing the Right Mobile SDK

Choosing the best mobile SDK requires a careful evaluation of the functions and features an SDK offers. If app creators and developers do not have the tools needed to succeed, it is impossible to compete in the vast mobile app landscape. There are millions of apps populating the Google Play and App Store markets, making it essential that developers find an SDK equipped with the features needed to make a robust mobile app.

When choosing between mobile SDKs, immediately narrow the field of possibilities by focusing on dev kits with a proven record of capability, stability and performance. Without a stable and capable SDK, your app could crash at a moment’s notice, ruining all the hard work that went into the app’s creation.

Additionally, pay close attention to an SDK’s performance history. The typical iOS app contains seven third-party libraries, and it just takes one faulty SDK to destroy your app’s performance. In turn, shoddy performance leads to excessive battery consumption, an unresponsive device and frequent crashing for end users.

Other considerations when choosing an ideal SDK mobile app solution include:

  • Data usage
  • Security
  • History

Make sure your SDK of choice uses data efficiently, and just as important, that it keeps end users’ data secure. A company with a history of excellence will be able to put your mind at ease that its SDK offers proven results.

Benefits of a Mobile SDK

Custom apps built with a quality SDK allow developers to tailor a customized user experience, whether the app is needed for employees, customers or business partners.

Further, a proven SDK developer will make sure your app receives the benefits of having well-written, useful code. Regardless of whether you need an iOS app, an Android app or a universal app, a sophisticated SDK solution will give you the high-performing apps you need.

Red Foundry’s mobile SDK development team designs, constructs, tests, documents and launches SDKs for your mobile apps. Our team is well versed in the technical intricacies of software development, which is why we are capable of creating effective SDK solutions using Objective-C (iOS) and Java (Android).

Additionally, Red Foundry helps businesses with the following aspects of the SDK launch process:

  • SDK documentation
  • SDK versioning strategies
  • SDK publishing/distribution
  • SDK support
  • Contact our team to learn more about how our mobile SDK development services are the right choice for your business needs.

Big Time Changes Coming to the Apple App Store

By on June 10, 2016 | iOS, Mobile App Development, Uncategorized | No Comments

If you happen to be launching new apps or updating apps in the Apple App Store on a daily basis like we are, you may have noticed a significant improvement in App Store Review Times over the past few months.  Reviews that used to take a week or two are now down to a couple of days!  Well, apparently this is not a random anomaly.  Rather, it is part of Apple’s intentional goals to further enhance the App Store experience for developers.  And it’s not just tactical review times that are improving…

Apple is also expected to roll out much broader and more comprehensive improvements to the App Store including a new subscription model to incentivize a recurring revenue business model and also the introduction of paid search ads within the App Store. It appears that Apple’s goal is to allow app developers to generate more revenue while creating greater value to the Apple platform so Apple can further monetize the gigantic installed base. Industry analysts are estimating that App Store revenues may double within three years if subscriptions increase as part of the mix.

While some subscription-based apps already exist, the Subscription Based Model is not currently available on all app categories.   In fact, as it stands today, app revenues are dominated by one-time purchases and only a few type of apps (news, dating, audio streaming) can offer users subscription pricing.  Further, developers who are able to keep a subscriber for more than a year will see their share of subscription revenue increase from 70% to 85% in year 2, which will create a significant multiplying effect over time and will surely be celebrated by many an app owner.  

App Store Paid Search also has the potential to have a material financial impact for Apple and open a realm of new possibilities for app developers.  For context, last year paid search in the US alone added up to more than $29 Billion (across desktop and mobile) with Google taking the lion’s share.  With so many captive App Store users, App Store Paid Search will surely be a financially boon for Apple while also giving developers the ability to pay to have their apps show up at the top of the result list when users search on certain keywords, which almost certainly will allow them to directly impact download volumes.  A play out of Google’s playbook or a step in the right direction toward improving Apple’s App Store discovery challenge?  For sure!  A win-win all the way around?  You bet.

Stay tuned for forthcoming details from Apple over the coming months.  Hopefully, we will get more scoop at the Apple’s WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) next week.

In the meantime, if you are currently contemplating the app subscription model for your app, let us know if we can help.

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