Launched new blog website Sivakumarv.com

“Sivakumarv” I would like to share all my ideas related to the entire IT, Web and Mobile industry… You can read and enjoy it…

Developing a iPhone app using drupal as backend

An iPhone application can be developed with drupal as a backend using the services module with the REST server and OAuth authentication. On the drupal end, install the services modules and servers which include Services, the XML-RPC server, JSON, REST server, and the node service modules for secure data transfer. Use Keys and OAuth for Authentication layers for enabling drupal to mobile app.  You can add themes like Nokia mobile, or iWekbkit Drupal themes according to requirements.

Cross-platform mobile apps can be built with open source Titanium Mobile, PhoneGap, jQuery Mobile or RhoMobile using standard web technologies like HTML, CSS and Javascript for multiple mobile platforms. After installing iPhone SDK, install developer account with Titanium or PhoneGap. The Drupal connected iPhone app is ready for publishing as a native app in App Store.

NBC.com App brings streaming video content to iPad

NBC has announced the launch of NBC.com App for iPad that brings streaming content of popular NBC shows.  This allows iPad developers, users, and companies to leverage iPad app for streaming content of NBC programs including thousands of video clips and highlights with full screen video playback.

Features
•    Short videos of NBC shows
•    Exclusive photos
•    Interactive games
•    NBC schedules and previews of upcoming shows
•    Searchable content by show
•    Customized dashboard that offers a personalized view of favorite NBC shows

NBC’s iPad App does not feature full episodes streaming for now. However, the iPad app is available in Netflix and Hulu. NBC App for iPad is available on the App Store for free download.

SubHub offers Content Monetization Platform, Drupal-based app store

Web content host SubHub, unveiled its new offering, a Content Monetization Platform including an App store based in Drupal, the first of its kind. The App store allows developers to publish app in SubHub website. The company normally charges £50 monthly subscription for availing their hosted publishing software. SubHub will share revenues with any drupal developer for using the modules. The paid app store provides an opportunity for SubHub to monetize content and become a reseller of Drupal, which is paradigm shift to its business model. This will offer basic hosting in SubHub free of cost, but each module will be charged at $29 per month. SubHub also plans to leverage API that will bring more revenue. SubHub offers web hosted content publishing software to small publishers who charge at $82 per month for their content.

RIM releases Facebook for Blackberry Playbook tablet

RIM has announced the official Facebook app for its new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet at BlackBerry World 2011 conference in Orlando, Florida. Facebook for BlackBerry v2.0 beta app brings new features to connect with friends, News Feed, photos and videos and chat support according. This is the first official tablet-optimized app ported by facebook developer for Playbook and it can be accessed by 30 million BlackBerry smartphone users.

Features

•    View and add Friends: Users can look out for friends by scanning the new grid view of their profile pictures; search for and add new friends and manage new friend requests; browse their profiles, photos and videos;
•    Photo and Video viewing: Users can upload photos from the BlackBerry PlayBook Picture Library, tag friends in photos, view comments, tags and likes.
•    Chat with friends: Chat notifications enable users to read and respond to new chat messages while browsing friends’ profiles, viewing their pictures or reading their status updates.
•    News Feed: Users can browse highlights such as photo uploads and status updates and view links in the BlackBerry PlayBook browser
The Facebook app will be available in the BlackBerry App World app store this month.

iPad 2 vs Motorola Xoom

iPad 2 brings lot of new features and enhancements and it unleashes a tough competition in tablets with release of Motorola Xoom, which is Google’s first tablet which is getting early reviews post-release.  A comparison between the two tablets is made based on style, screen quality, processing power, camera quality, software availability, accessories, and price.

Design: iPad has a bigger screen, easier to hold, flat back, slimmer and lighter, alternate white color scheme, and a thickness of only 8.8mm

Power: iPad has a 1 GHz A5 dual-core processor while Xoom comes with 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. Both match power current trend of using dual-core processors.

Gaming: Apple’s iOS has a bigger selection than Android

Keyboard: iPad scores well in touch-typing than other tablets

Price: iPad 2 is the most affordable tablet that costs $499 for a basic 16GB Wi-Fi only unit, while the cheapest xoom costs $599 with 32GB Wi-Fi only unit.

It remains to be seen how the rivalry between iPad 2 and Xoom will set a new trend for tablets but will certainly win the hearts of people. Lots of iPad developers will flock to iPad 2 to build apps on the tablet platform.

Cross-platform Mobile development: Appcelerator Titanium

Appcelerator Titanium is a free open source cross platform mobile development framework that allows titanium developer to use web technologies such as HTML, CSS, PHP, Python, Ruby and JavaScript to build native application that provides better user experience.

Titanium compiles native code in development of native iPhone, Android devices, tablet, desktop applications, Windows and Mac. BlackBerry will be coming soon on titanium. The good thing about titanium is that it also provides access to more than 300 social and other APIs and location information to users. Appcelerator also offers customizable metrics for actions and events.

Titanium communicates with device or cloud and the app can leverage camera and video camera capabilities.