techBASIC

Program Sensors, Bluetooth LE and Electronic Devices, Display Interactive Graphics and Analyze Data with techBASIC.

Category	Price	Seller	Device
Utilities	$14.99	Byte Works, Inc.	iPhone, iPad, iPod

"It's like having a mini-MATLAB in my pocket!"
--Susan Foy, Ph.D.

VIDEO -- BUILDING IPHONE & IPAD ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn_VqZMfoMY

VIDEO -- PROGRAMMING in techBASIC
See http://www.byteworks.us/Byte_Works/techBASIC.html

O’REILLY BOOK -- BUILDING IPHONE & IPAD ELECTRONICS PROJECTS

Create Real World Arduino, Sensor and Bluetooth LE Apps with techBASIC

◆ Access data real-time from the built-in accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope sensors
◆ Turn an iPhone into a magnetometer
◆ Turn an iPhone into a Plant Moisture Meter using HiJack
◆ Connect to Bluetooth low energy devices from the iPhone and iPad
◆ Collect Data from a model rocket iPhone flight using the TI SensorTag
◆ Hack a Remote Control car with an Arduino and Bluetooth LE
◆ Build Bluetooth low energy based circuits
◆ Connect a servo using WiFi

Check out the Early Release of the eBook at
http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920029281.do

CREATE STAND ALONE APPS WITH techBASIC AND techBASIC APP BUILDER

◆ Write your apps in techBASIC on your iPad or iPhone.
◆ Use techBASIC App Builder and Xcode on a Mac to compile it for distribution.
◆ Sell your app on the App Store.

See: http://www.byteworks.us/Byte_Works/techBASIC_App_Builder.html

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT WITH techBASIC

KEY FEATURES:

COLLECT DATA

◆ Send and receive data from Bluetooth LE devices (only on hardware that supports Bluetooth LE)--control the Internet of Things, right from your iPhone or iPad
◆ Collect data from outside sensors using HiJack
◆ Access to the built-in accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope
◆ Get the current GPS location and heading
◆ Supports TCP/IP, HTTP and FTP for accessing information via WiFi connections

BASIC PROGRAMMING

◆ Create apps with all of the standard iOS controls
° Use buttons, lists, sliders, pickers, etc.
° Take pictures with the camera
° Display web sites and documents
° Show maps
◆ Step and trace debugger
° Set breakpoints with a tap
° See current variables, both local and global
° See everything in a variable, even large matrices
◆ Array & matrix commands like matrix inversion, determinants, matrix arithmetic & more
◆ BASIC is easy to learn and use
◆ BASIC ranks in the top 5 most popular programming languages in most surveys

ANALYZE DATA

◆ Numeric integration for calculus
◆ Fit curves to data with polynomial and linear regression
◆ Solve simultaneous equations with matrix operations like LU decomposition
◆ Special functions for statistics

GRAPHING CAPABIITIES

◆ Create a plot with only a few lines of code
◆ Pan and zoom plots with swipes and pinches
◆ Rotate 3D plots along an arbitrary axis
◆ Supports 2D or 3D Cartesian axis
◆ Polar, spherical and cylindrical axis
◆ Create error bars in 2 or 3 dimensions
◆ Add custom callouts
◆ The power-user’s graphing calculator--see how in our web tutorial

techBASIC IN THE STEM CLASSROOM

◆ Understand physics from real data, like zero G on a swing
◆ Check calculus homework with fast, accurate numeric quadrature (integration)
◆ Quickly plot functions to understand coordinate systems
◆ Use techBASIC as a power-user’s graphing calculator (see our tutorial blog!)

DOCUMENTATION

◆ Built-in Help System
◆ Quick Start Guide
◆ Reference Manual
° Over 300 pages
° Dozens of sample programs and images
° Free download from the web site

TUTORIALS

◆ Tutorials on the web site present complete programs you can modify
◆ Accessing Bluetooth LE devices
◆ The Power-User’s Graphing Calculator
◆ Numeric Integration
◆ Linear Regression
◆ Using controls
◆ Matrices and vectors
◆ Connect to outside sensors using HiJack
◆ Use the magnetometer as a metal detector
◆ Collect data from a stunt kite flight

Reviews

Awesome!
Jess the Mess Ryan

techBASIC is very cool. You can do just about anything you can think of with this app. I love how easy it makes accessing my iPhone's sensor data. Now I can get right to the fun of things without having to mess with low level stuff or download an app that just doesn't quite hit the mark of what I need. techBASIC is perfect! I wish I had this in college!

Great programming environment
atarimac

Since Apple has relaxed the restrictions on programming languages inside Apps, a few different programming environments have popped up in the App Store, but in my opinion, this is the best of those available. This is a good implementation of Basic, so if you like, you can relive all of those programs you ran on computers 20-30 years ago (Which I did, I input a console game I wrote years ago, and with a bit ot tweaking, it ran perfectly). However, it is much more than that. It is a modern programming environment for the iPhone/iPad, that has great built-in graphing/plotting/visualization capabilities. It also is able to access the iOS devices such as the accelerometer, gyro, compass, etc. On top of that, it includes a versatile debugger for the available space. I have only used it on the iPhone, but the iPad version would be even more versatile given a bit more screen real estate.

A very nice BASIC environment
Person Man 123

This is a nice BASIC programming environment reminiscent of the BASIC languages from popular computers of the 1980s. I grew up with Apple II computers and at one point even used techBASIC's predecessor, GS BASIC, also written by the Byte Works. I like that it gives you access to the raw data from the sensors (something that will take me a while to figure out how to use effectively in my own programs). In the several days that I have used the product, I've already been able to create some fun and interesting effects and graphics displays. The built-in function graphing routines are quite powerful. One thing that seems to be missing from this version (1.0.2) is the ability to easily detect whether the device is in portrait or landscape orientation. I could probably figure it out from the raw accelerometer data but it would be nice to have some sort of function that would quickly tell your program the simple orientation of the device. All in all, a great product, with the same consistently high quality I've come to associate with all of the Byte Works' products.

My new graphing calculator
KarenW0330

My daughter and I had a lot of fun playing with the G force sample. We also really liked the star field that rotates. It's so cool to see all of those stars and think the sun is right in the middle! For me, though, what I'll really use this program for most is a graphing calculator. I'm a novice programmer, but it was easy to change the examples to plot whatever I wanted. I even wrote some short programs to plot things from scratch!

techBASIC....
Sir Cain

This app should come standard with all iPads sold, so that people can create their own programs without having to become a developer or own a Mac. I am both, but some tasks are much easier in Basic than they are in Objective C. For the non-programmers Basic is a much easier way to learn. Thanks to the Byte Works for remembering the original goal of Apple to release the power!!!

Impressive
PilotGeek

I'm very happy to see this on the AppStore. It brings good memories back to us older geeks who sat in front of our Apple ]['s marveling at how much power we had at our fingertips in the late '70s. The developers have a very long history and were around in the beginning of the PC era. It's not perfect, but still very good. My biggest gripe is the occasional need to do a hard restart to stop the program & clear the memory.

Complete BASIC programming language for $15!
Like to run

This is the first fully functioning programming language I've found for my iPhone and iPad. I've paid hundred's of dollars for compilers with all these features in the past, so I was really surprised to see what I got for $15. It's a full implementation of the BASIC language and even has matrix math. The step and trace debugger is easy to use. It has complete built in help and a 200 page reference manual on the website. Great job. ...I just got the new update, and the continuous graphs are fantastic! I can see the graph change for GForce while I jump. You've got to try that sample. :)

TechBASIC is multiple apps in one dl!
ppuskari

Downloaded this application after seeing who wrote this app. ByteWorks products are legendary in the Apple crowd. This product is no different. We can now program in BASIC in iOS. No need to get xCode. This brings back many memories from the TI84 days as well. Opening a closed system is wonderful! Not only is this BASIC for us to use, but it unlocks the sensors in our iOS devices for use any which way WE want. The mangetometer is really interesting to me. The built in support for data visualization is very compelling as well. What good is data without a way to represent it as information. I see lots of applications for the sphere mapping especially. I am hoping for a TechC someday based the success of TechBASIC.

Buggy with iOS 5.1 iPad 3
SevenStarGod

Needs ability to hide the Programs Window in landscape. Really buggy on iOS 5.1. Keyboard Freezes and Slow response. Run Stop is buggy and so is viewing of source. Not up to par for a $15 app.