Sunday, October 31, 2010

Browser-VAS apps

"Openwave's Integra web service sits in the data stream between the end user and the 3rd party web apps. It evaluates the relevance rules defined by the app against user data supplied by the network such as the user's unique id, location, rate plan and roaming status. The user data is not shared with the apps and user must ot-in to the program and can define which sites the toolbar appears on.

The service is designed to be cross platform and cross browser but initially will only support the HTC Epic and EVO.

Browser-VAS will go live on the Sprint network in the first half of 2011. The Eclipse plug-in and a sandbox testing environment will be available soon to developers who register at success.openwave.com/developer-app.html" - an interesting idea. A new for of mobile marketplace. /via Wapreview blog

Saturday, October 30, 2010

How much is a share on Facebook or Twitter worth?

How much is a social media share worth? The study by Eventbrite found that, on average, every time an event was shared that resulted in $1.78 in ticket sales. Drilling down into this number shows how valuable different types of share are:

1. Facebook: $2.52.
2. Email: $2.34.
3. LinkedIn: $0.90.
4. Twitter: $0.43.

from here. So for that site (service) Facebook is the best. But here is another issue, that tops Twitter: 7 times better than Facebook (but it is about click through)

P.S. you can see links from social networks (Facebook, Twitter) for any site with Social Links mashup.

Friday, October 29, 2010

City forum

QR code
City forums.
Mashup combines places from Foursquare and cloud forums from Disqus. Just a place to discuss city places. It is HTML5, so the whole application works on the mobile phone too (iPhone, Android)

http://cforum.linkstore.ru

(it is a mobile site).

You can copy this link right to your mobile browser with QR-code above. Alternatively you can use the following short URL: http://bit.ly/aFCbjF

P.S. btw, you can see tips from Foursquare with our Geo browser mashup.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

About mobile services

"The service, which costs $2 a message, was set up to allow sports fans to ''get a unique insight into the life of your favourite player … without any media filter'', its creators say on its website." - an interesting model for mobile service :-)

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Tweet vs. Tweet

Hot or not, $MSFT vs. $GOOG, euro vs. USD, Chelsea vs. MU etc. - all this in our updated mashup Tweet versus Tweet.

In the latest version you can directly pass search terms to URL. Parameters are: t1 and t2.

E.g. $MSFT vs. $GOOG:

http://tvt.linkstore.ru?t1=$MSFT&t2=$GOOG

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Facebook directory

Our mashup for Facebook - Social Graph Directory has been updated. Lets you present public info from the social graph in the simple tabular form: where my friends are working, where do they live etc.

For example, you can easily find contacts within some company – present your Facebook circle like Linkedin directory etc.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Mobile ID card

Our mashup Mobile Facebook ID card has been updated. It lets you create mobile identification card with your Facebook ID. This mashup lets you create mobile web page with QR code that presents your name and photo from Facebook. You can present (show) this QR code (mobile page) on the some check-in point, QR code could be scanned right from your phone and your ID could be checked. You can see screenshots for the process here: how to confirm your identity with Facebook.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Geo links

Our Geo Messages approach got API too. Here is a new custom tag for your JSP (and/or Coldfusion) applications: Geo Link. It lets you create smart maps (Big Mobile Map) for your web applications (desktop and mobile)

50 Powerful Time-Savers For Web Designers

"There are tools that make our lives much easier. In this post, you’ll find an overview of useful and handy tools that can help you increase your productivity and improve your workflow. Some tools are more general, the others are more technical" - a great collection of tools.

Trends in Location

An interesting review from Mashable: 5 Important New Trends in Location. And great to see peer to peer location is growing. Way to go Geo Messages

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Live checkins

Our mashup Checkins has been updated. Lets you see real-time checkins from Twitter with geo-coding turned on. In other words it will show only geo-coded twits.

Friday, October 22, 2010

SMS URI and Android

Bad news, but SMS URI implementation for Android is completely broken (Desire, Android 2.1, Android 2.2). Really not a good news for mobile web developers. No words from Google when and why.

Another bad news related Android web development is onClick event. We can confirm this thread. Really Javascript onClick event practically does not work. The main approach for dynamic content generation in Ajax applications by the way ...

Client side text rotator

Client side rotated text. E.g. Javascript news ticker, news scroller etc. for your JSP (and/or Coldfusion) pages.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Where are you now - 2

'The query 'Where are you now?' is the most commonly sent SMS message, texted over 600 billion times per year in the US.

A new webapp called Where are you now? (WAYN) from Dmitry Namiot (Geo Mail, Geo SMS, Mobile Share) automates the asking and answering of that question.' - our mashup WAYN on Wapreview portal.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Geo-browser

Our ForumSquare mashup has been updated. It is some kind of city-forums. Tips from Foursquare mashed up with cloud forums (from Disqus):


You can move map (walk in) from one tip to another.

In the latest version you can also copy any location you are interested in right to your mobile phone (via QR-code). Just click on the phone-icon near the POI name. QR-code lets you load a mobile map (from Geo Messages project) right to your mobile browser. You can simply bookmark it there for example.

See also our previous posts about ForumSquare.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Open Software in Mobile

Open Software in Mobile: Osimworld. London, 2010



/via Geo Messages

Mobile maps

Our mashup Mobile maps has been updated. Full screen map for mobiles (iPhone, Android - any HTML5 browser) lets you share location info as a signature for the standard messages.

You can load it right to your mobile browser with this QR code too:



You can use this mashup as is or embed it into your own applications. It helps you show some information for mobile users. This mashup accepts the following parameters for own URL:

t - text for POI
lat - POI's latitude
lng - POI's longitude
email - default email address
phone - default phone for SMS
lang - language for the map

instead of (lat, lng) pair you can use another parameter

a - address for your POI

For example, UK Prime Minister

P.S. it is HTML5 web application, so the same will work in your desktop browser too, except SMS sharing of course.

/via Geo Messages

Monday, October 18, 2010

Bookmark for locations

Our mashup Location bookmark has been updated. It lets you create two things:

1) QR code for mobile map associated with the given address
2) HTML for putting that QR code on your site

So with this tool you can place on your own site (blog etc.) – e.g. somewhere in Contacts or About pages QR code for any given address (e.g. address of your company, office etc.). And any visitor of your site will be able simply to scan this code and load that map right into own phone. So they (visitors) do not need to write/print/remember your address/driving directions anymore. He/she can just load an appropriate mobile map right from your site. Loaded map could be simply bookmarked on the phone (loaded map is just URL).
And driving directions as well as many other interesting things will come automatically with the mobile map (we are using Geo Messages).

Of course, QR code created with this mashup could be placed anywhere. E.g. add it to some article in your blog, print and place it on the wall etc. Also QR – code is just a view that simplify loading of some mobile-friendly URL with map. Actually mashups creates at the first hand that URL and after that creates QR-code for it. So you can publish in your blog a mobile-friendly URL too. Your mobile readers will be able to open that URL directly.

P.S. similar projects:

QR map - lets you create QR code right from the map. This mashup also can create a link to mobile friendly map (iPhone, Android).
Mecard - lets you create QR code for loading address data (contact info) right from your site
Location from Twitter - lets you copy address info from Twitter (via QR-code again)
Tips - lets you copy address data right from social recommendations (Foursquare).

Sunday, October 17, 2010

URL validation

Does this site exist? How to check this from your JSP (and/or Coldfusion) code - JSON HEAD servlet. A proxy for your Ajax requests lets you bypass sandbox restrictions.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

jQuery mobile

Alpha version jQuery mobile is ready

JSOS 7.0

Coldbeans Software announced the next milestone in JSOS (servlets office suite) development. JSOS reaches the version 7.00. This largest collection of Java servlets and filters provides 143+ "out of the box" components ready for building web-pages. One of the biggest parts is the rich set of filters. Package includes such components as XML and WML transcoding, access restriction, traffic restriction, caching, profiling etc. All components are configurable, so you may incorporate them into your own design frameset. Components from JSOS do support mobile web, so the same set of components can be used for wireless users too. At this moment JSOS provides a largest set of servlets and filters over the Net. Check out the latest version of Java Servlets Office Suite here: http://www.servletsuite.com

Friday, October 15, 2010

Geo Messages

Our Geo Messages project has been updated again.

Rather than let social network monitor your location (Google Latitude) or share your location info within some social circle (Foursquare check-in etc.) Geo Messages approach lets you share location data on the peer to peer basic. You can share your location info just as a signature to the standard messaging (email, SMS). And what is important – shared location data (map) does not contain your identity. Your ID (name, phone) is in your email (SMS) only. The shared map does not reveal anything about the author.

By the same principles you can also share location info with your Twitter and/or Facebook friends. The latest update includes Where are you now mashup too. It lets you request location info by email.

Forum Oxford

Forum Oxford: ForumOxford: Mobile Apps and Technologies Conference 2010. Oxford, 2010



/via Geo Messages

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Twitter is better than Facebook

Among social networking sites, Facebook is by far the most preferred service for sharing, making up more than 78% of usage. Yet other sites are gaining: Twitter maintains 5% of referrals, and MySpace, surprisingly, comes in at second with 14.5% share.

but

Yet Twitter has become the most effective tool for click-throughs. Twitter yielded a whopping average of 19.04 clicks, whereas Facebook only produced 2.87 clicks.

7 times better. - from here.

And yes, the open structure of Twitter graph lets easily implement some tools for links extracting. E.g. Links from Twitter or Lists from Twitter Both mashups let you find interesting links in Twitter.

News ticker on JSP

Javascript news ticker, news scroller etc. right from your JSP (and/or Coldfusion) pages - Client side rotator taglib

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Where are you now?

It is the most popular question in the mobile messaging. 600 billion per yer - more than impressive digit. For servicing such kind of requests we offer Geo Messages approach. It introduces a new way for sharing location info data in mobile networks. This approach could be used as a base for many mobile services. You can find many of them on Geo Messages page. Let us describe a yet another service.

We have a simple application Geo Mail. It lets users send mobile email with location info in the signature. It is mobile web application (HTML5), you do not need to install any code. It is enough to know service URL only (e.g. keep it in the bookmarks).

But what about the following use case? You need to know somebody else location but he/she has not this URL (unaware about that service). A very simple solution – let us send him/her a link to Geo Mail. So as soon as our message is received our target party will be able to respond with location info via email. Of course if he/she decided to do that. So by this way we are also solving privacy issues – it is completely up to target party respond or to not to location info request.

It is exactly what our new mashup Where are you now is doing.

It is mobile web application (HTML5) that lets you send a request for location info to any user with know email address. Short URL for access is:

http://bit.ly/cy6ndx

You can also use the following QR-code for loading:



Check it out with your iPhone, Android or Samsung

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

WebTechCon

WebTechCon conference. Mainz, 2010



/via Geo Messages

Social reading

Our mashup Social links has been updated. Lets you see links from social networks (Facebook, Twitter) for any site. The usage is:

http://social.linkstore.ru?your_site

For example:

http://social.linkstore.ru?dzone.com
http://social.linkstore.ru?ajaxian.com

P.S. You can use also an appropriate bookmarklet from our collection. It lets you get such information in one click only.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Lists in Twitter

Our mashup Lists from Twitter has been updated. Lets you extract popular links from Twitter lists. Just set a name for the list (twitter_name/list_name) on the mashup’s page or directly provide it as a parameter:

http://tlist.linkstore.ru?u=some_list

For example:

abava/mobile
Scobleizer/geolocation

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Wordbank development challenges

Right for mashups developers - Worldbank development challenge

Wedding in Twitter

Users @k and @c got married. Hash-tag for the process is #101010kcc

Localization

From Twitter: Today is 10/10/10 NOT 10/10/10 you stupid Americans. :-)

Saturday, October 09, 2010

Speed dating for mobile app developers

"US operator AT&T is poised to announce the opening of three new offices focused on mobile apps development. In an interview with Bloomberg, AT&T’s CTO John Donovan said the operator will open new facilities in Palo Alto, California, Tel Aviv in Israel and Plano, Texas, that will work with software firms to develop mobile apps that it can offer on its network.

Donovan said he plans to use the new offices to meet with as many as 400 software firms a year to hear 8-to-10 minute pitches - a process he calls "speed dating." If it likes an idea, AT&T will then work with the developer to bring the application to market and host it on its network." - from here

/via Geo Messages

Friday, October 08, 2010

Facebook profile viewer

Facebook provides a functionality called "profile preview", allowing users to see how their own profile appears to any other user. It can be accessed using the following URL:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=wall&viewas=viewer_id

For example, your profile from Mark Zuckerberg's view:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=wall&viewas=4

Thursday, October 07, 2010

Ad rotator

Advertising support solution for JSP (and/or Coldfusion) - Ad rotator taglib. Lets you display banners (images) on your site.

And for rotating text (code chunks) you can use Text rotate taglib.

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Image processing in JSP

A couple of updated components for images processing right in JSP:

Image info taglib. Lets you get size for any image stored on your server
Image taglib - lets you crop and convert images

CTIA Fall 2010

CTIA conference. SF,CA 2010




/via Geo Messages

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

GPS wireless 2010

A new conference: GPS Wireless 2010. SF,CA 2010




/via Geo Messages

European search

And what is this search site Eurip about? As per log on Coldbeans site it sends several times more customers than Yahoo for example.

Test mobile applications

It could be interesting - Vodafone offers free testing for mobile applications on the real devices:

"Vodafone offers you 100% free access to the Vodafone Private Handset Cloud. This innovative service, powered by Perfecto Mobile's mobile application testing solutions, allows you to test your widgets, applications & content on REAL live Vodafone devices. The Vodafone Private Handset Cloud significantly evolved during recent months, to include new handsets and many exciting features that can really make life a whole lot easier for all you developers out there. The Vodafone Handset Cloud lets you test and monitor your apps on multiple devices, in various geographies and thus significantly shorten your application's approval process, testing costs and time to market- without ever needing to constantly buy new devices! With the launch of the new Vodafone Developers website we thought it could be a good opportunity to invite all of you - existing and new developers - to check out (for free!) the service and see how it can help you."

Monday, October 04, 2010

Buzz from Twitter

Our mashup Buzz from Twitter has been updated. Let you see buzz words from any Twitter timeline. In other words you can see topics marked by the friends of any particular user in Twitter. A good way to pickup current trending stuff from users you are interested in.

You do not need to be authorized in Twitter for getting this info. Actually you do not need to own a Twitter account even.

Future of web apps conference

Future of web apps. London 2010 04.10 - 06.10




/via Geo Messages

Digg button

For your JSP (and/or Coldfusion pages): Digg button. An updated custom taglib from Coldtags suite lets you add Digg button to your pages.

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Freely Available Textbooks on Machine Learning

A good (and free!) collection of books devoted to Machine Learning.

See also similar resources here.

Directory of mashups

Our directory of mashups has ben updated. See it here.

Random things

Random elements for your JSP (and/or Coldfusion) pages. What could be randomized (to make more dynamic pages, for personalization, for discrete simulation etc.):

How to get Random value and random sequence

How to include text (code) with the given probability

How to get random color

How to iterate over the random subset of any collection

How to get random element from any collection

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Links from Twitter

Our mashup Links from Twitter has been updated. Lets you see links published in Twritter by the friends of any user. E.g. check out what Twitter’s CEO is reading (or, at least, is seeing) etc. Sometimes it could be a good source of information for you. Read Twitter through somebody else view.

Actually you do not need to login/share password etc. for this mashup. You can read links even without your own account in Twitter. And of course, if you are in Twitter you can read your own timeline via this mashup too.

Friday, October 01, 2010

About Geo SMS

We are definitely on the right track with our Geo Message project. Got a clone recently - see ReadWriteWeb article. Here is an original implementation, mentioned in our blog - Geo SMS service

Btw, follow out new hash in Twitter: #geomsg

P.S. see here more about GeoSMS

QR-code API for Java

Open source library that provides barcode API (including QR code) for Java. A huge list of supported formats: UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-8, EAN-13, Code 39, Code 93, Code 128, QR Code, ITF, Codabar, RSS-14, Data Matrix. Here you can find programming examples.

/via QR code generator

P.S. for web applications you can use a simple component from Coldtags suite: Barcode taglib