Web Apps

iCloud.com, iWork for iOS 5 beta apps go live

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Aug 1, 2011 a 10:06 pm

iCloud.com is now live... if you have an Apple ID that works with iCloud. Here's the thing -- it's meant for developers right now, and Apple IDs are still fragmented to the extent that for some people, iCloud might not be too useful yet.

For example, you may try to login with your MobileMe ID and be told it hasn't been migrated to iCloud yet. You might try to login with your iTunes ID and then, once you're in, be told you need a MobileMe address to access Mail. You can set up a new, free iCloud ID, but then all of the content you have connected to your existing Apple ID(s) won't be there.

So, yeah, meant for developers. Still, it's nice to see it up and running, and get a preview of the design (which we're guessing is a fairly straight front-end port of the SproutCore web app code from Me.com, now running on the all new iCloud backend.)

Current web apps available include Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Find my iPhone, and the new Documents, which currently offers Apple's iWork formats for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. (The last three of which require the new iWork for iOS beta apps, downloadable via Apple's developer site.)

Gone are iDisk and Gallery. iCloud is no doubt an attempt to abstract away the file system-like behavior for the former, but will a web front end for PhotoStream be made available to replace the latter?

Meanwhile, on iPhone you just get a placeholder card, nicely rendered, and the ability to get more information and a link to the developer beta.

Gallery of screenshots after the break.

TiPb Picks of the Week

By Leanna Lofte, Saturday, Jul 9, 2011 a 1:09 pm

Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, most fun and useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they’re fair game.

To see what we picked, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break!

Google+ iPhone web app gallery

By Rene Ritchie, Wednesday, Jun 29, 2011 a 7:33 pm

Google+ is the search giant's take on a social network, and while it will get its own iOS app eventually, it's already got it's own world-class web app (would you really expect anything else from the company that's defined the modern web?). Here's a quick look at it, primarily the profile, circles, and friends elements.

Google announces social network Google+, should Facebook worry?

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Jun 28, 2011 a 4:17 pm

Google has finally taken the wraps off their long awaited, highly-anticipated (what?) social network, Google+ and it looks like a really clever take on the age-old problem of mapping personal relationships to a virtual space. It will eventually roll out across Google's web properties, but rather than one monolithic service, it's comprised of several parts:

Circles, which let you define your relationships and how much you want to share with who and when. These are usually annoying to set up so no one uses them. Google aims to change that.
Sparks, which brings you content based on your interests and hopes to strike up conversations
Hangouts, which is multi-person video chat. FaceTime is currently only one-to-one...
Mobile, which lets you share and upload from your devices (iOS app in the works?)
Huddle, a group messaging platform now in competition with the mature BBM on BlackBerry and nascent iMessage on iOS

Google hasn't had much luck with previous projects like [http://www.imore.com/tag/wave/) and Buzz, but this feels both more ambitious and far better considered. Whether it will be enough to put a dent in Facebook's 750 million member and growing dominance of the social space remains to be seen. (See how I snuck them into the post? I thought you did.)

One thing is clear, with Apple integrating Twitter into iOS and introducing Game Center, Ping (no snickering), and replacing MobileMe with iCloud, they're getting more serious (if not yet more adapt) at Social. And Google's just re-entered, once again, that game in a big way. Are you going to switch?

Videos after the break.

[Google blog via Android Central]

Google Swiffy converts Flash to iPhone, iPad friendly HTML5

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Jun 28, 2011 a 3:44 pm

Google has an interesting tool up called Swiffy, which converts Flash FLV files to "HMTL5" formats which should be compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. (I put HTML5 in quotes because it represents not just the HTML5 standard itself, but typically and conveniently includes CSS3, JavaScript, H.264 video, and other technologies).

Swiffy converts Flash SWF files to HTML5, allowing you to reuse Flash content on devices without a Flash player (such as iPhones and iPads).

iPad Live 57: Punch and pie

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, May 23, 2011 a 9:29 pm

Poll: Do you prefer Apple apps or Google web apps?

By Georgia, Saturday, May 21, 2011 a 9:54 am

Do you prefer Apple apps or Google web apps?customer surveys

While the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad come with built in, Apple made Gmail, Maps, and YouTube native apps, Google also provides Google made Gmail, Maps, and YouTube web apps. Apple native apps gain all the benefits of being part of the OS, including attachments, contact integration, etc. but Google updates their web apps quickly and keeps the experience the same regardless of the device you're using.

Do you have a preference? Do you prefer Apple's design and the unique iOS look and feel of Mail, Maps, and YouTube, or you prefer the Google vibe and want everything to look like the web regardless of where you're accessing it from?

Apple vs. Google. Native vs. Web.

Vote in the poll and give me the details in the comments!

Playboy for iPad goes live, every issue as nature (and Hugh) intended!

By chrisoldroyd, Thursday, May 19, 2011 a 8:56 am

Bang on time as per Hugh Hefner’s recent tweet, Playboy for iPad is now live. As we thought, it is a web app rather than an App Store app. The site designed specifically for the iPad, contains every single back issue of Playboy. These are not cut down versions of each magazine either; they contain every word and page that appeared in the printed version and every woman ever photographed.

iOS 4.3 bugs: Web Clips, WebViews not benefitting from new Nitro JavaScript engine, asynchronous mode, HTML5 caching

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Mar 15, 2011 a 11:37 am

While iOS 4.3's Safari is roughly twice as fast as previous versions thanks to the newly ported Nitro JavaScript engine, asynchronous mode, and HTML 5 application cache, it looks like Web Clips (web pages saved to the home screen as icon bookmarks) and WebViews (web browsers embedded in apps) are still using the significantly slower iOS 4.2 tech.

Top 5 apps that help you find more and better apps

By Rene Ritchie, Saturday, Feb 19, 2011 a 10:35 am

TiPb checks out the best apps that help you find even better apps to load up on your iPhone or iPad

Have an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, looking for more and better apps but need help sorting through the hundreds of thousands piled up in the app store? Want to find more apps like your favorite or get alerted when apps and games go on sale? No worries, we've got you covered. Read on for TiPb's top 5 apps -- and web sites! -- that help you find more and better apps!