The focus of this book is to demonstrate how to add Facebook and Twitter functionality into your apps. This can be somewhat overwhelming if you are a beginner; however, if you are already developing apps, then there is some very good material presented.

I was disappointed that the examples presented are for Xcode 4 on Snow Leopard rather than for Xcode 4.2 for Lion. This should have been made clear in the introduction, as the template deployed in the book is deprecated. However, the empty project template in the latest version of Xcode may suffice.

The reader will need to set up a Facebook developer account with an app ID, the Facebook software development kit (SDK), an Apple developer account, a git repository, and the Twitter engine. You really do need to know what you are doing and have some solid experience to work through this book--not because the material is difficult, but because the instructions are patchy and rough. In chapter 4, for example, the authors present a method to be added to the project, but do not specify into which file. Further, a lot of work needs doing before an initial test build can happen. This--combined with the lack of clarity as to which versions of Xcode and iOS are used--results in a critical mass of confusion very early in the book. Even attempting to install the deprecated template is frustrating because the process is altered in Xcode 4.2.

The book does contain some great information to start adding the necessary in-app social networking links to iPad and iPhone apps. Dannen and White guide readers through using the Facebook application program interface (API) and the Twitter engine, and spend a lot of time discussing and demonstrating privacy and security practices in some depth. This includes location-aware services and other services such as TwitPic, the use of open-source tools, and user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design.

I found that the source code was scrappy and did not always match the few diagrams shared in the book; this was disappointing. The best way of examining the code supplied was to download the git repository for the book and ensure all hidden files were visible.

There is a lot of great material covered here, but the book really needs to be rewritten for iOS 5 using Xcode 4.2. Dannen and White’s book is actually a good read, and I will be keeping an eye out for the next edition, if they write one.