O’Reilly’s Elisabeth Robson recently interviewed Walker Fenton, GM of the TapLynx team. I really like that she starts things off by introducing TapLynx as a framework that is aimed not only towards Objective-C developers, but also users who want to get started building an app without having to worry about the programming that goes on behind it. You can read the full interview and watch the screencast here: http://broadcast.oreilly.com/2009/10/making-an-oreilly-rss-iphone-a.html
There’s also a breakdown of the approaches you can take, which are summarized thusly:
- * Simple configuration, where you only make changes to the NGConfig file to give your app a customized look and feel, as well as content you provide.
- * Customized configuration, where the presentation layer is created by you in HTML and CSS, and is referenced in the NGConfig file.
- * Advanced configuration, where you integrate your own coding into a custom tap. You don’t necessarily have to write everything on your own, you can also use kits provided by Apple (such as maps or media players).
I have to give Elisabeth Robson props for her informative screencast. Not only does she have a soothing voice, but she walks through every step of an app being created in about 10 short minutes. It’s really a great demonstration on how easy it is to get started, and how quickly apps can be made.
The article also mentions that in-app purchasing is arriving very soon, so keep an eye on the TapLynx blog for that announcement. Also, if you have a look at our roadmap, it looks like authenticated feeds is the most voted-on idea. Want to add some of your own ideas? You can do that here: http://moderator.appspot.com/#16/e=dc7ea
And finally, in the spirit of Halloween, here are the most elaborate (working!) iPhone costumes yet (warning: Techno music ahead). They weigh 85 lbs and cost $2000… but the geek cred is worth it.
