TapLynx

With the announcement today of Apple’s new device, the iPad, we were excited to find out that current iPhone apps work unmodified, out of the box. This is fantastic news, since the sort of rich content apps created using TapLynx are perfect for a display of that size (9.7 inches!).

We’re brainstorming ways to take advantage of the larger display, to improve user experience on what is sure to be a revolutionary addition to media consumption. Have a blog? Work for a media company? You need an app on the iPad ASAP. TapLynx is the way to do it!

Download the TapLynx SDK: http://taplynx.com/download/

The Apple iPad site: http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Thorough coverage today from Engadget: http://i.engadget.com/2010/01/27/live-from-the-apple-tablet-latest-creation-event/

Apple’s tablet: It’s all about developers: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10440254-16.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Investors didn’t like the iPad… until they heard that amazing price tag! http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/27/apples-ipad-announcement-sends-stock-down-and-then-the-price-was-unveiled/

Our sign-up page for the webinar next week is live. Please go here to sign up!

http://taplynx.com/webinars/

The webinar takes place Thursday, November 12 at 1pm ET, and will feature input from the entire TapLynx team. We’ll also have a question and answer session so start thinking about what you would like to ask us.

As a side note, since new versions of TapLynx will be released quite frequently, I added a FAQ to the wiki that explains how to apply the new versions to your existing projects: http://developer.newsgator.com/wiki/index.php?title=FAQs

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.

The wait is finally over, folks, and as of today, TapLynx has officially launched. That means that you can now download the TapLynx SDK for free to evaluate whether or not it’s the right option to enable you to launch a content-rich, RSS-based iPhone app easily and quickly without having to learn Cocoa. (more…)