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Google Cloud Print service aims for unified, universal web printing method
So you've seen how Apple intends to handle printing on its web-centric mobile device, now how about Google? The Mountain View crew has decided to solve one of Chrome OS' significant shortcomings -- namely the lack of a printer stack or drivers -- by interposing itself between apps and the printing hardware. Essentially, when you want to print you'll be sending your request over to a Googlestation up in the clouds, which in turn will translate those instructions and forward them along to the nearest paper tarnisher. We say nearest, presuming that's what you'd want, but the big deal here is that you'll be able to use any device to print on any printer anywhere in the (internet-connected) world. It's quite the brute force approach, but at least it assures you that whether you're using a mobile, desktop or web app, you'll be able to print without fear of compatibility issues. This project is still at a very early stage, but code and dev documentation are available now. Hit the source link to learn more.
AdLib: Apple's secret web app weapon
MobileCrunch noticed something interesting about the iPad User Guide hidden in the iPad Safari's bookmarks. It's a web app, but it doesn't feel like a web app -- the views scroll independently and smoothly, "clicking" is exact, and the whole thing runs much more like a native iPad app than anything web app developers have been able to put together yet. Why? Apple's got a secret -- Done21 is calling it "AdLib," after a file found somewhere in the source code, and apparently it's a library that connects UIKit to HTML, CSS, and Javascript. It's a go-between framework that has no documentation in the code at all, and uses practically unlabeled variables. In other words, Apple is putting their own magic into web apps, and while the code is there to see, they aren't interested in sharing. At this point, it's not much more than a novelty -- Apple obviously is depending on Xcode and the iPhone OS SDK for developing iPad and iPhone applications, and there's no need for them to share the code magic that's making this happen. But it's interesting when you think of the original emphasis that Apple placed on web apps way back in the early iPhone days. If all of those web apps we had were as well-coded and responsive as this -- in other words, if they'd actually had ties into the UI -- then maybe web apps would have been just enough.
Google Apps Marketplace opens for business, for business
Google's certainly made some enterprise inroads with Google Apps, and now it's opened the door for other cloud-based service providers to build on that success: it's launching Google Apps Marketplace to sell third-party web apps that integrate with the Apps suite. The apps are sold as a subscription, with both monthly and annual pricing, and the billing is all handled by Google. Since it's all targeted at the enterprise, the apps themselves are pretty dry -- we're talking notables like Intuit Online Payroll, eFax, and TripIt -- but it's pretty easy to see how Google could build a similar consumer-level marketplace into Gmail and Google Calendar sometime in the future. And then? Skynet. Video after the break.
Sikuli can automate any UI by taking screenshots
This is pretty impressive --of course there are already lots of ways to automate actions on your Mac, and odds are that you may have messed around with scripting or Automator more than once before. But Sikuli is a new app that makes automating as simple as taking screenshots. Instead of programming actions, all you have to do is put screenshots of the particular UI items that you want to automate in a list, and then the app will use visual cues to do whatever you want it to do. Not only does it make things much easier when actually writing scripts, but it also gives you countless options in terms of automation -- the app can automate any app that has a graphical user interface, because all it has to do is recognize that GUI on your screen. That includes web apps, too -- like I said, the possibilities are endless. And since it's developed with Jython, you Python experts can insert any Python code that you like in the scripts as well. The whole thing is an MIT project, so it's available for free across all platforms, including OS X, Windows, and Linux. If you've been looking for an automator that'll do any rote task for you, give Sikuli a try. [via LifeHacker]
Pie Guy: A web game for the iPhone
Back when the iPhone was first announced, there was no SDK, you'll remember. Jobs said that developers could just make web apps, and that they would be good enough. Of course, he was wrong -- given what you can do with your iPhone now compared to what you could do with your iPhone then, even Steve would be happy to say that yes, there is a native app for that. But let's not toss the projects out with the development platform, so to speak. Neven Mrgan, one of the devs over at Panic, has released Pie Guy, a free and surprisingly full-featured game for the iPhone that exists only as a Javascript web app. To play it, just point your iPhone 3GS (the page says you need one of those, and while I was able to play it on my 1G, it was too clunky to enjoy) to mrgan.com/pieguy, add that page to your homescreen, and there you go. In case you haven't guessed from the pic above (or the name), the game itself is a straightforward Pac-Man clone. But what's most interesting here is the example this game sets. Think about it: a full featured, automatically updated game release, delivered straight to the iPhone without any approval required by Apple. The revenue model might need some work, but maybe we dismissed this whole "web app" idea a little too quickly. For devs looking to go around the App Store's process, maybe there's a solution here. Boy, Flash sure would help with that, wouldn't it?
Fonera 2.0n web applications router now available in the US
It can get a bit confusing at times amid all the announcements about announcements, but the folks at FON have now finally confirmed that their Fonera 2.0n "web applications" router is indeed available in the US, and for the bargain price of just $99. As its name suggests, in addition to functioning just fine as a regular 802.11n router, this one will also let you manage a whole host of web applications like Twitter, Facebook or Flickr even when your computer is turned off -- finally giving you the ability to, for instance, tweet when an upload or download has completed (a surefire way to hang onto those followers you've amassed). Still not up to speed on all this Fonera business? Don't worry, there's a helpful video after the break.[Via Wi-Fi Planet]
Google demos HTML5-based Maps on the Palm Pre
Looks like offline Gmail on the iPhone wasn't the only trick Google's Vic Gondotra has up his sleeve during his talk at MWC -- he also gave a quick demo of Google Maps running as a web app on the Palm Pre. Of course, what's interesting there is that the Pre's HTML-based SDK means that web apps can act like first class citizens on the device -- which is probably why Vic called the Pre "arguably one of my favorite devices." Hopefully that means we're going to see a lot more Pre devs really blur the line between local and cloud-based applications, but for now we'll just settle for the short demo video after the break.
Firefox 3 and MobileMe not working? It might be Ubiquity plugin
While this might not be news for everyone, reader Brad and I seemed to be having the same problem: Using Firefox 3, we would see the "unsupported browser" message pictured while trying to use me.com. Obviously, Firefox 3 is a supported browser for MobileMe. A TUAW colleague gave it a try and found everything to work fine. Brad and I compared notes about what plugins we have in common, and found that Ubiquity was causing the problem. It turned out to be related to the user-agent string: MobileMe uses the user-agent string to determine what browser you're using, and Ubiquity tacks on an extra bit at the end. For example, without Ubiquity installed, it shows Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.0.5) Gecko/2008120121 Firefox/3.0.5. With Ubiquity installed, it said Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.0.5) Gecko/2008120121 Firefox/3.0.5 Ubiquity/0.1.5. (Emphasis mine.) Since MobileMe doesn't know what to do with the extra Ubiquity text at the end, it thinks you have an unsupported browser, and shows you that error. The good news is that you can fix this, thanks to a simple technique from Tim Jarrett, and still use both Ubiquity and MobileMe. Read on to find out how. Thanks, Brad!
Apple Xserve Field Guide
Attention Xserve administrators: Apple has created an Xserve Field Guide web app that can you can use to jog your memory when you're standing in front of a server and can't remember how to perform some manual task.The web app is designed to be viewed on a Mac, iPhone, or iPod touch, and requires Safari as the browser. If you need to identify what model of XServe you're working on, want to know how to install spare parts, would like to decode what blinking lights on the Xserve mean, or even determine how to choose a startup drive using the system identifier button, it's all in this web app.You can visit the web app from your favorite browser here:http://help.apple.com/server/guide/desktop.htmlor from your iPhone at this URL:http://help.apple.com/server/guide/main.htmlThanks to TwitterMail tipster mvcoile!
iPhone in the Enterprise: Lotus iNotes Ultralite
Back in January, we reported that IBM had plans to bring the Lotus Notes groupware application to the iPhone platform. Well, it's happened! Big Blue is announcing the availability of iNotes Ultralite, an iPhone portal to Lotus Notes that is available for free for anyone with a Lotus Notes license. In case you're wondering, there are currently about 140 million people worldwide who use Notes for their email, calendaring, and contacts.IBM is always concerned about data security for its customers, and as such they decided to make iNotes Ultralite a web app rather than a native iPhone application. IBM felt it was important to customers to insure that all communications between the iPhone and Lotus Domino server be encrypted, and that no data remain on the device in case it was lost or stolen.iNotes Ulitralite provides yet another foothold in the enterprise market for Apple. [Via New York Times Technology blog]
Yet another way to Wikipedia on your iPhone
iPhone web application developer, Comoki, has unveiled a new, iPhone-compatible Wikipedia interface. It's not alone, of course, but joins the ranks of web applications like iPodia with some nice interface improvements. It has a more reliable "Save" feature and makes some nice formatting decisions on the page, including making bulleted lists collapsible. It also makes use of a little Ajax for zooming images without reloading the page, which you may or may not prefer to the more traditional approach. I did like the search-as-you-type feature on iPodia, which is currently lacking in Comoki's version. Of course, you may prefer to go offline with something like wikipedia-iphone (Google Code). Or perhaps make use of an older iPod for such pursuits. Welcome to a wondrous era of unlimited access to questionable information of possibly-dubious origin. Good stuff.
Video: FlyTunes brings internet radio to iPhone
Interested in hitting up internet radio on your iPhone with a sleek interface? For those with unmodified iPhones that are already turning away sheepishly, come on back. FlyTunes is simply a web application accessible via Safari, which allows users to customize stations on their PC / Mac and then login and listen from the phone. Also of note, it can queue up to a half hour of music should you want to listen for awhile after leaving an EDGE / WiFi-covered area, and if you're wondering how much coinage you'll have to lay down to get in on this, you'll be stoked to hear it's free. Onward, to the video!
iPhone WebApps directory is live
Today, Apple has launched its WebApps directory after much anticipation. The new site highlights many of the best pages and web applications that have been built specifically for the iPod touch and iPhone. Categories span games, news, productivity and more. In addition, Apple has provided links for Web developers that show how to best develop for Apple mobile platforms and how to submit your WebApp for inclusion in the Apple directory. Read the complete Apple Press Release here. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Rumor: Apple to launch WebApp consolidation portal
Today the UK Register reports that Apple is preparing a WebApp catalog. WebApps are apparently already showing up in the recent downloads feed although the page they supposedly link to has not yet gone live. I downloaded the latest feeds page and did not personally find any reference to http://www.apple.com/webapps but maybe I just checked at the wrong time. If you find otherwise, let us know in the comments. An official Web 2.0 apps feed would be very nice indeed. Thanks to Erwin Harte.
Facebook launches iPhone portal
Tossing their hat into a quickly expanding ring, Facebook has launched a powerful portal designed specifically for the iPhone (http://iphone.facebook.com). Offering quick access to key Facebook areas and tools, the entire UI is built to mimic the increasingly popular iPod/iPhone 'slide right' approach whenever you drill down into portions of the site. While it seems very usable, even over EDGE, I am still a bit disappointed about some missing features. The ability to join a group, for example, is restricted to desktop computers; you can't join a group you saw some friends join on your iPhone.Aside from those minor complaints though, this is a very impressive web app that I'm sure will have iPhone-toting Facebook junkies wasting spending even more time at the site.[via Mashable]Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
PackRat 1.3 supports new Backpack, adds more exclusive features
Backpack, the fantastic online PIM from 37signals, was recently updated with some solid new features like drag-and-dropping items from one page to another and the ability to reorder items any way you chose on a page (i.e. - lists and notes no longer have to be lumped together in their own sections). As with any web app update, desktop apps that integrate must often release an update of their own to stay on top of the changes. Fortunately, Rod Schmidt has done exactly that with his excellent offline synching PackRat app that brings Backpack to your desktop. With v1.3, Rod has updated PackRat so it can work with the new Backpack, but he has also introduced yet more exclusive features that keep making PackRat even more useful than its web-based symbiote, such as: The reminder sheet now has a calendar on it to make entering dates easier. A New Reminder toolbar button An 'In minutes from now' option for reminders. Shared pages now have a shared icon in the pages list so you can easily see what pages are shared. An Upload Changes command and toolbar button to quick upload your changes to Backpack without waiting for auto upload to kick in. Unfortunately, a few of the Backpack updates - such as reordering items anywhere on the page - haven't made it into PackRat simply because 37signals doesn't allow external applications to do this through their API. Rod urges users to contact 37signals and request this ability, and hopefully in time the company will listen and open up this functionality. Other new Backpack features like search are probably coming with a future PackRat update. As with the the recent change to PackRat's trial period, a 30-day demo is available, while a license costs a mere $24.95.
Leaflets: Another well done iPhone portal app
iPhone apps and portals are cropping up faster than you can say 'made exclusively for Safari,' and Leaflets has just leapt to the front of the line. Offering a streamlined, zippy UI for your iPhone apps, it features some impressive new portals for sites like Newsvine, New York Times and even the new iPhoneiGTD.com portal that allows .Mac users to view their iGTD contexts, projects and tasks right on their iPhone (of course, this requires you to be synching iGTD over .Mac). This is one of the most impressive portals I've seen to date, as it ranks right up at the top of my list alongside Mojits.Of course, the Leaflets site and virtually all the web apps it aggregates are free to use, evoking the perpetual question of "and your business model is... what again?" Nevertheless, Leaflets features great design with some of the best big and small iPhone apps available. Great work.[via Daring Fireball]
iPhone web apps aren't that bad
I have a Treo 650 on AT&Tingular. I use the web lots. (So much, actually, that my phone bill came out to $175 last month because I downloaded so much data. Damn you, Google Maps!) The included browser isn't all that bad: especially when I can tap to mobile versions of my most-frequented sites (m.facebook, or m.twitter, for example).Even with mobile sites, though, and particularly when browsing any-ol' page...well, it's slow.Crowd: How slow is it?So slow, OS X's spinning beach ball of death would tire out half way through loading NYT.com!(Ba dum kish!...?)Sure, there's a lot of disappointment surrounding Jobs' non-announcement announcement that developers can produce Web 2.0 apps for the iPhone, in place of actual, honest-to-goodness integrated apps a la Apple's own offerings. But Apple's emphasis on the optimization of the web for the iPhone is exactly what the forthcoming iPhone World needs: on AT&Ts paltry EDGE network, how could Apple expect us to fully make use of the full-blown internet via Safari if pages take ages to load?
Infospace Find It! Location Based Search Coming to an iPhone Near You
Previously, Infospace's Find It!, the handy location-based application for finding things, people, phone numbers and directions to your favorite restaurant, was available exclusively for users of devices like RIM's ubiquitous Blackberry. I've even got it on mine. But soon, according to an exclusive post over at The Boy Genius Report, you'll be able to enjoy the fun of finding things using the software on your new iPhone as well -- assuming, that is, you're actually successful at finding one come launch day.According to the site, the iPhone version of the app will function pretty much the same as the Blackberry one does, except for one big caveat -- there won't be any GPS support due to the fact that, unlike several models of the Blackberry, the iPhone has no built-in support for GPS. Yet. Another difference between the versions are the obvious changes to the apps interface to mimic the look and feel of the iPhone. If you're curious about this new version of the app for iPhone, head on over to Infospace's site to check out how its going to look. Even if this particular app isn't for you and won't find a place on your new iPhone, just keep in mind that the more people developing ways to enhance the iPhone and its "user experience" the better. The currently announced apps from Apple and Google are a great start but real success for this device, I feel, will come from developers deciding they want to get involved and make apps for it -- especially if Apple decides to open it to outside applications and not just stick to the whole Web 2.0 is the new SDK thing. That said, what kinds of apps would you like to see developed for the iPhone to expand its capabilities?
It's official: No Flash support on the iPhone (yet)
Our sources at WWDC are reporting that, for now, there is officially no Flash support on the iPhone. Apparently, in the State of the Media address yesterday, the announcement was made that: "There will be no Flash support at the moment on the iPhone." Developers are being told not to serve video via Flash, as there simply isn't a player built for the phone yet.On the upside, the word 'yet' is apparently being used liberally, so things might look better for Flash on the iPhone sometime down the road.
