Adobe buys Phonegap

Adobe Inc has purchased Nitobi's Phonegap an HTML5 app platform that allows you to author native applications with web technologies and get access to APIs and app stores. PhoneGap leverages web technologies developers already know best... HTML CSS and JavaScript.

How does it work.  Build your app once leveraging technologies developers know best, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Wrap it in Phonegap using the free open source framework or PhoneGap build to get access to native APIs. Lastly, deploy on multiple platforms. PhoneGap uses standards-based web technologies to bridge web applications and mobile devices.

Ever since Flash, Adobe's philosophy has always advocated for cross browser development of Web applications.  Allow the programmers and designers to create  and let the tools worry about the differences from one system or device to another.

Adobe already integrated Phonegap into Dreamweaver CS 5.5 so this move seemed like the next logical step for the company.

In related news Adobe's Edge is set for a new release.  Adobe® Edge is a new web motion and interaction design tool that allows designers to bring animated content to websites, using web standards like HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS3.

Shopify

What is it?

Shopify is the Internet’s most elegant, simple and affordable online retail platform aimed at providing businesses with easy to use e-commerce solutions, taking the challenge out of setting up and managing e-commerce storefronts. Shopify’s scalable and flexible full-featured platform enables any size business to efficiently launch and operate an online retail presence with ease. It currently hosts more than 14,000 online retailers, including Tesla Motors, Evisu Jeans and Angry Birds. Go to Shopify's website for more information.

How we use it

When our clients are looking for a full featured ecommerce solution we usually recommend Shopify. This powerful shopping cart is full featured and customizable so our clients get the design and functionality they want without being limited by a static framework.

Once completed our clients take full control of their shopping cart through Shopify's intuitive administration panel. Don't worry, we'll help you get comfortable in the beginning with some training.

Check out some of the sites we've completed already with Shopify.
Guataca
Robin Nest Designs
Bebeboo

Squarespace

A great third party CMS.  One of the most user intuitive content management solutions out on the web today, and we use it extensively with our clients.

The squarespace team not only have given us a great user experience when it comes to administrative features, but flexibility in design as well.

Don't believe us? Well our site is completely created with Squarespace as well.  Every aspect of 2Points is content managed by the Squarespace engine and we love it.

For our clients it give us the ability to provide them with unique designs and and functionality and then hand over the power of updating content to them.

Package costs include a fast and responsive hosting environment to boot, and the monthly charge is pennies when compared to hosting packages from companies like Godaddy.

HTML 5 & Web Apps. The new app development tools for mobile.

HTML 5 in combination with CSS3 and JavaScript have emerged as the new tools of choice to build web applications for mobile devices.  Web Apps is the new term being used and companies such as Financial Post and Boston Globe have switched from developing native applications for iPhone and Android devices and instead using standard web technology to build the mobile presence.

5 months ago you could have had a list of pros and cons to  go either native or the web app route.  The main difference at the time was access to the phone hardware like the camera and accelerometer.  However in comes Phonegap and now you have access to all the native hardware you can dream of.

Phonegap is a tool that will take your HTML, CSS and JavaScript and use it to create a native application experience that you can then use to push to the Apple Store or Android Market. Yes you heard right, build native apps with just common web technologies.  No Objective C here.

Big Advantage you can see with Web Apps is the build once deploy everywhere philosophy.  And with JQuery Mobile being supported on a whole bunch of devices, it makes it almost a no brainer to seriously consider Web Apps as your direction when building mobile.

JQuery Mobile releases RC1

JQuery Mobile

The JQuery Mobile team is getting closer to a pretty stable release to their popular Mobile JavaScript library that is poised to take over the market in being the standard for library for mobile development.

Client side developers across the country are in a state of glee knowing that it is this close and the library has come so far so fast.  Already there are many HTML 5 Web Apps out there using the Beta version.  Just think of what will be created with version 1.0.  Especially with the much anticipated iOS5 release from Apple.

We are looking forward to keep introducing this build once and deploy anywhere platform to all our clients.  Keep up the good work.