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Andy B
Joined:
13-02-2001
Messages: 6992
from Surrey, UK
 OFF-Line
|  New Message Posted!2013-04-17 15:44
Yes I agree Appshed is a bit of a 'trick', it runs using remote PHP on their and my server. The advantage is that I know PHP and it's easy to use. The disadvantage is it is quite slow but I don't think that is a problem for us.
Sencha Touch looks like a good system, if you are already familiar with this then I would be happy to use it as well. I think it needs PhoneGap as well to compile for the various platforms and this is where it gets complicated.
Yes I would like to get an app in the various app stores for publicity, I wouldn't propose to charge for them but they could have a Donate screen to encourage people to join our society. There are some costs involved but I think we can afford them.
Also for members to use
I'll be in contact with some more of the technical details.
Thanks
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2013-04-17 15:58 ]
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jhice
Joined:
13-04-2013
Messages: 2
from France
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2013-04-17 13:15
Ok Andy, you have already achieved research and work.
I took a look at Appshed, it is no more no less than a website HTML5/JavaScript, with trick to get an "app view" on iPhone (with shortcut on the home screen).
Will create an account to see the possibilities and methods used there. The great advantage would be the submission to stores, will check that too.
Sencha Touch looks great but perhaps a bit more complex to set up than Appshed (same techno) : http://www.sencha.com/products/touch/
The "Watch List demo" is very nice. There is a lot of demos and an app Gallery
Another question : is the goal of going to native app to give TMP more visibility to general public ? Or just "have an app" for the website users. In the second case, as major solutions are HTML5/JS, there's no need to wrap it in a native application (bring more problems than solutions ^^).
See you soon
jhice
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Andy B
Joined:
13-02-2001
Messages: 6992
from Surrey, UK
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2013-04-16 23:06
Hello Jhice, thanks for your post. I have been researching mobile apps for some months (make that years!) and I have come to the same conclusion, that HTML5 is the way to go, and then package up for the various app stores.
I have had a good look at PhoneGap (and some alternatives) and am finding it rather difficult to get started with as a mobile programming beginner.
For the moment I have settled on Appshed which is pretty easy to set up and use. I am just getting to the stage of having something basic that is working and testable.
Have a look at this (load in a mobile browser)
http://appshed.com/appbuilder/24702
This is based on the same GeoRSS and RSS feeds as Richard's app.
Help and ideas very welcome!
Thanks again,
Andy
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2013-04-16 23:08 ]
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jhice
Joined:
13-04-2013
Messages: 2
from France
OFF-Line
|  New Message Posted!2013-04-16 19:57
Hi there,
First of all, great job has been done here ! (I'm new).
Richard, your Windows app is great  Bravo.
@PAB : your location is wrong at home because you're IP address refer to a point that can be at hundred kilometers from your home. On a mobile device located with GPS or cell phone triangulation, your location is very precise.
My thoughts on this topic, as I work in webdesign and dev, after reading all the topic :
- a mobile app should start light, like Richard's app,
- it is a good idea to define the needs and the purposes of a mobile app, must be an adaptation and not a copy of the website,
- native apps are great but need multiple developers/developments, one par device, and leads to multiple "versions" of the app (what is perhaps not important if you can find ressources),
- 1 other possibility is the native "webapp", that is an app coded in HTML(5)/JavaScript and wrapped into a native app (a webview in a native app), with tools like Phonegap, already posted in this topic, the gain here is that there is ONE code, compiled to seven platforms,
=> as for native apps you need to go on registering on each market (Apple, Google play etc.) and manage signature keys. It can be done but it's a bit... raging and boring. There are some costs, not so heavy : Phonegap is about 10$/month, Play 25$ for life, Apple 99$/year and so on.
- the last possibility for a smartphone app is the classic webapp, ie the actual mobile site m.megalithic.co.uk. The advantages are : all the developers involved at MP can still work on the mobile version, perhaps changing their habits a little, and had a "mobile vision" as started in this topic, technology is the same as the main website, compatibility is handled by the device's browsers (but Blackberry dont use JavaScript).
My personal preference and advice would go to the latter, wich could be easier for everyone to manage (I mean the devs).
Doesnt change that the work done by Richard is great and the usability of his app is what we expect from an app ! But if you want unity betweens apps, you need one developer for each platform, following the same guidelines as Richard to create the same app (for coherence).
My suggestion to end this long post :
- Transform the website in a responsive way to handle Desktop computers and tablets at least for landscape formats,
- Make a mobile, mean "smartphone" version totally different (native app or browser app) in the way Richard did this app (there are jQuery libs that simulates native behaviors, wich could do the trick)
Dont know how much I could have time but of course I could be involved in this.
This is my first and long post here, I give my opinion (not fixed !) because as many here I found this portal great, amazing, and I feel the passion out there
Sorry for my "on-the-fly" english 
jhice
[ This message was edited by: jhice on 2013-04-16 19:58 ]
[ This message was edited by: jhice on 2013-04-16 19:59 ]
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Andy B
Joined:
13-02-2001
Messages: 6992
from Surrey, UK
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-10-26 13:16
Just a 'bump' that Richard's beta version of his Megalithic Portal app for Windows Mobile devices can be accessed here:
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-gb/store/app/megalithic-live/f6bf84b4-17be-45cc-baf2-999c41c74b0e
Its isnt currently visible via the Microsoft Sotre but can be installed by anyone with this link.
Thanks again for this Richard, we are looking at how to do something similar for Android phones. There's a link to a preview of how it works higher up in this thread as well.
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2012-10-26 15:21 ]
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r10n
Joined:
12-04-2012
Messages: 11
from Winford
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-10-19 11:36
Quote:
| On 2012-10-19 10:32, PAB wrote:
can an Android mobile (HTC Desire) run Windows apps like this? |
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Nope, sorry, it's just for Windows devices I'm afraid.
I'll install 'Mono for Android' and try that out just in case there is a way for to build the app to run under droid, but from previous encounters Mono is more for back end libraries than the main UI application, so I wont be holding my breath.
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PAB
Joined:
30-04-2006
Messages: 104
from Menevia
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-10-19 10:32
r10n - this is probably daft question....but rather than mess up my settings trying: can an Android mobile (HTC Desire) run Windows apps like this? I am used to fact that i-phone stuff isn't designed for Android, but not sure about Windows, & guess I may not be the only one!
Thanks
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r10n
Joined:
12-04-2012
Messages: 11
from Winford
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-10-19 08:08
The initial version of a Windows Mobile app can be accessed here; http://www.windowsphone.com/en-gb/store/app/megalithic-live/f6bf84b4-17be-45cc-baf2-999c41c74b0e
Its isnt currently visible via the Microsoft Sotre but can be installed by anyone with this link.
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PAB
Joined:
30-04-2006
Messages: 104
from Menevia
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-10-18 21:09
Update from using geolocation...
using this from mobile did come up with site just over 1km from home, as opposed to the laptop which placed me in Gloucester.
The site it came up with was Eithin Fach Mound - 1.6km from me. Oddly, there was no invitation to scroll down to the bottom of the page to go to full format as there had been for the Stonehenge page - perhaps because there were no images to limit to 7?
I wonder therefore if both the information about being able to move to full format, and the link to enable you to do so, might be better placed together just under the site information - but I realise there may be reasons for not doing so.
As I didn't know the site (even though it is the nearest portal one to me!), I did rather want to look at a map, and that made me realise another quirk of using the Portal on a mobile - I had no way of knowing what each of the internal or external links were to. As my phone does not have the ability for me to 'hover' over an icon for the destination to appear, I had to try each one, wait a significant time to see what each one was, then try another.
For me, the main link I might want in such circumstances would be the OS map - so, if possible, can there be a named (as opposed to icon) link to that. For anything else, I'd expect to have to go to the full format page...or wait until I had wi-fi or got home!
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Andy B
Joined:
13-02-2001
Messages: 6992
from Surrey, UK
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-10-18 20:51
If you choose to go to the main page you should stay there for the remainder of your browsing session - I'm not sure quite how long that will be - it uses a 'session variable'.
To go back to the mobile version, change the www.megalithic... in the link to m.megalithic and that should do it.
I'm enjoying the view of all the latest photos on my new photo frame. If anyone else wants one, it's this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kodak-Easy-Share-W-820-8-Inch-Wireless-Digital-Frame-Easyshare-/271071889113?pt=UK_Photography_DigitalCamAccess_RL&hash=item3f1d24c6d9
I got mine for £15 in a charity shop
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