Thursday, April 29, 2010

Notable Makes Website Annotation Fast and Easy

Notable is often a web app that makes it super simple to produce annotations on websites and screenshots so that you can supply feedback or communicate desired alterations. You can even access and make notations on a website’s HTML and CSS and check out the key Seo terms for easy annotation.

Produced by ZURB, Notable is often a really great tool for teams or designers who require an easy, fast, successful method to develop annotations and give feedback. Right after you sign-up for an account, it is possible to use either the browser bookmarklet or a Firefox (Firefox) 3 plugin to capture internet addresses or upload screenshots. Then you can add in annotations and comments on a site’s visual look from your browser. You are able to also make comments on the code in the site and even the Seo details.

Following you’re done making your annotations, it is possible to share your notes with the individuals which you pick and keep the URL public or private. Other team members can make comments, upload new images or capture new iterations in the site and continue the discussion procedure. Take a look at this video:

Because Notable is net based, you are able to make and view adjustments and notes from anywhere. There’s even a free iPhone app for capturing screenshots or images on your iPhone.

As much as I love annotation tools like LittleSnapper (LittleSnapper) and OmniGraffle (OmniGraffle), those tools actually aren’t produced for collaborating with others. Notable is.

Notable has quite a few diverse plans, starting with a totally free plan for three users. Notable is nominated for a Webby Award in the Web Services & Applications category.


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Why New App Stores are Embracing Open Development

The Apple App Keep set the standard for a centralized, trusted marketplace of device-specific software applications. Now, 3 billion downloads later, technology titans like Intel and Ford are attempting to strike pay dirt with their own app retailers.

Though Apple’s 100,000 strong App Retailer (App Store) could be the unquestioned champion on the software program colosseum, it became clear in interviews that the directors of new retailers had been taking a distinctly several method to Naples Web Design. Whilst Apple has been widely criticized for what was perceived as a lengthy and secretive evaluation course of action, three retailers in specific — Twitter (Twitter)’s oneforty, Intel’s AppUp, and Ford’s Sync Open API — every single embody a a lot more laissez-faire technique for the app marketplace.

Faith in Community: oneforty
For Laura Fitton, founder from the Twitter app store oneforty, an available growth technique is dependent in an unabashed belief in transparent neighborhood. “We’re operating in a very available eco-system. The whole ethic of Twitter is very available,” she stated. She maintains that this means giving developers as large a creative canvass as feasible, complete with amenities.

At oneforty, there is no exclusivity agreement, no complex approval procedure, and they’ll even cover the PayPal fees should users would like to donate cash to a project. “That’s in pretty sharp contrast for the policies and legal agreements that other app shops require.”

When asked what gives her confidence that oneforty apps will probably be of a specific good quality, Fitton responded, “we’re neighborhood based, there's no confidence that all apps will be of the particular good quality.” Rather, she believes, in typical open-source fashion, that a robust community process will support sort the wheat from the chaff. In describing this hands-off tactic, Fitton channels Google (Google)’s mission statement, saying that oneforty only asks developers, “Please do not be horrible to your users.”

Courting Developers: Intel AppUp
When Intel began testing the waters for their new netbook app keep AppUp, the feedback made it clear that developers did not wish to relive a painstakingly long and opaque review procedure. “The biggest points,” mentioned Scott Apeland, Intel’s director from the Developer Network, was that developers asked them to “just be obvious around the expectations.” In return, AppUp made a decidedly “open and transparent approach,” where developers would receive feedback throughout the evaluation method and have an expected launch time of around 1 week from submitting the initial paperwork.

Though each application is individually tested and approved by a real-life individual, the threshold for publication is unmistakably bare bones. Apps must install and uninstall cleanly, contain no malicious code, and alert users when audio or video is becoming recorded. The minimalist approach seems to stem from Intel’s belief that their app store is less about revenue generation, and a lot more about habituating the developer neighborhood to design Intel chip-optimized software program. After all, netbooks are actually extensively criticized for slow performance. A zippy user encounter might be a major selling point for netbook manufacturers entertaining offers from multiple chip makers.

A Security Playpen: Ford
When Ford announced its Twitter-friendly car at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, they had been quick to allay fears over distracted driving. Ford maintains that integrated steering wheel controls and voice commands are safer than drivers having to fumble close to with a smartphone. So, given these sophisticated control mechanisms, wouldn’t Ford have to adopt a strict developer procedure to make certain a safe user knowledge?

Not necessarily, says one Julius Marchwicki, Ford’s Item Manager of Mobile Applications, who does not envision getting an “approval process” must their app eco-system be freed for open growth. “The way our security standards have been designed is that anybody can develop an app, and put it in the vehicle, and it will meet our strictest safety standards.” The app eco-system is really a form of playpen that restrains functionality and style. Apps cannot interface with steering commands, nor can they flash or scroll text. Whilst it truly is still unknown the extent to which the Sync Available API will resemble standard app stores, Ford hopes that this available tactic will leverage the creativity of the developer community without having overburdening the corporation with a personal oversight practice.

Which Way is Most effective? It’s As well Early to Tell
The explosive growth of app store popularity has left a Grand Canyon-size ratio between experience and experimentation. With so few years in existence, it may be too early to tell what kind of tactic to development is the most strategic. On the other hand, it's fascinating to determine that new app shops have decided to deviate from a model that's so astoundingly successful, particularly since Twitter, Intel, and Ford are not Apple’s competitors. This much is specific: With billions on the line, there’s no time being wasted waiting to determine who’s proper.


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4 Key Web Developer Community Resources


From the Internet’s earliest days, programmers would congregate in chat rooms and on forums to ask questions, swap code, and brag about their latest software masterpieces. The old stereotype from the anti-social, code-obsessed geek couldn’t be further from the truth. Occasionally you need to go where everybody knows your name — or at least, your IRC handle.

Thanks towards the extremely developers who used to haunt those fleeting chat channels and techie forums, we now have the bright, bold, user-friendly colors from the social web, wherever the current generation of coding wizards can connect with seasoned veterans to brainstorm the future on the Web.

We spoke to some notable names on the web dev scene to find out which communities have become the most resourceful of late. Below are four hot spots that any serious programmer have to have on his or her radar.

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