Mobile share - share contacts on mobile

Our page devoted to sharing contact info on mobile - Mobile Share has been updated.

Mobile web application, mobile widget and open API for one click contact sharing from mobile devices.

Before unloading

How to perform some request before closing the browser. Right in JavaScript:

window.onbeforeunload = closeAction;

function closeAction()
{
if (window.XMLHttpRequest)
{// code for IE7+, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari
xmlhttp=new XMLHttpRequest();
}
else
{// code for IE6, IE5
xmlhttp=new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
}

xmlhttp.open("GET",your_own_url_here,false);
xmlhttp.onreadystatechange=function()
{

}
xmlhttp.send();
}

We are using this in Chat servlet for example. Automatically logout for users closed the browser.

MeCARD - share address info

Our web page devoted to tools for MECARD has been updated.

MECARD is a text format lets you present address information for phonebook registration.

You can think of MECARD as a light version of vCard. Essentially, a single line of text contains all the meta data and appropriate information for populating an address book. Info such as name, address, telephone, email, URL and more. QR-code scanner on mobile phone automatically recognizes MECARD and suggests a new entry for address book. So you can avoid manual typing for name, address etc. It is just one click deal for adding new contact. Just ask your partner to scan QR-code with MECARD.

It is used in mobile services. See for example widget для Opera. Widgets can save data in the own memory, so you do not need to type them again. It is very important to highlight that we do not need any external server. All your contact info is actually saved in your phone.

HTML5 lets us implement the similar approach. There is so called local storage, so we save typed data right in the mobile browser. This feature is actually a key element for our new mobile web application: MeShare. Here is the mobile URL: http://servletsuite.com/meshare

You can use also the following QR-code:



The schema is transparent. Type your contact info:

And now you can get QR-code. This code could be scanned right from your phone. Business card 2.0:

For the second call you do not need to type your data again. Just open that page in your mobile browser (e.g. from bookmarks) and get QR-code. And what is good here - there is no external server with your data. Data will be saved right in the browser.

P.S. and here is our QR-codes FAQ and how to

Interactive lessons

"The ShowMe app turns the iPad into your personal interactive whiteboard, allowing you to easily record voice-over lessons and share them with our open learning community.

We then showcase the best lessons on ShowMe.com, giving access to quality learning content to people around the world." - interesting idea from showme.com

How to create own check-ins pages for Facebook

You are welcome to check out a new version of our mashup Places from Facebook.

Lets you search for known places, show them on the map, copy locations to mobile, check-in anywhere as well as prepare customized mobile web pages for check-in

You can directly pass the following parameters to the basic URL:

lat - latitude
lng - longitude
q - query for search

For example, Facebook in London

With customized check-ins service places owners can create own pages for check-ins. Created mobile page could be presented for users via some link on any web site (like 'Check-in here') or via QR-code (for real visitors). Customized check-in page lets creators provide own content for all steps in the check-in procedure (what should be posted on customer’s wall, what should be provided as a response etc.). You can see how to create customized check-in page here.

P.S. and here you can see Google Places

P.P.S. See also QRpon – customized check-ins for Facebook

Customized check-ins

Our presentation for ruSMART-2011

Customized check in procedures

View more presentations from Coldbeans Software.

Client Side redirection

Our Coldtags suite is growing again. Client Side Redirection taglib lets you create code for client side redirect. Instead of using a 301 redirect, you can create a combination of a "META" redirect and Javascript to send your visitors to new location. Both META redirects and Javascript redirects overwrite the original referrer. The referrer becomes the page with that code on it.

Instructions

/via San Diego Reader

How the software manuals should be, by the way ;-)

Getting public

A couple of conferences with our presence:

ruSMART 2011. August 22-23, 2011 Spb, Russia
AFIN 2011. August 21-27, 2011 - French Riviera, Nice/Saint Laurent du Var, France

It is about QRpon. We will publish the presentations.

City chat

Our mobile mashup City chat has been updated. HTML5 mobile web application lets you talk with other visitors for the same place (café, office etc.). Lets you add on-demand chat service for any particular place. No registration required. Check it out from your iPhone, Android, etc.

http://citychat.linkstore.ru

(it is a mobile site).

You can copy link right to your mobile browser with the QR-code above. Or use the following short URL: http://bit.ly/a7aOKv

Techically it is a mobile web mashup that uses Foursquare and chat engine from Coldbeans.

As a similar "city" application see also City forums and geo-chat

City forums

Our mashup City forums has been updated.
Mashup combines places from Foursquare and cloud forums from Disqus. Just a place to discuss city places. It is HTML5, so the whole application works on the mobile phone too (iPhone, Android)

http://cforum.linkstore.ru

(it is a mobile site).

You can copy this link right to your mobile browser with QR-code above. Alternatively you can use the following short URL: http://bit.ly/aFCbjF

P.S. btw, you can see tips from Foursquare with our Geo browser mashup.

Food from Twitter

One of the most delicious from our mashups has been updated. Get an idea about your next lunch right from Twitter. Mashup Food from Twitter shows you the live stream of food pictures just published in Twitter. See what other people are eating right now.

New version supports Instagram and own image hosting from Twitter.

You can also pass the following parameters to the original URL:

lat - latitude
lng - longitude

and perform local search. For example:

Food in London
Food in Palo Alto

Places

Our mobile mashup Places has been updated.

Twitter Places, Facebook Places, Google Places etc. Everybody is implementing Places service nowadays. So we simply could not be out of that movement. They left no choice for us. It is much easier to implement it rather than explain why not. So with the help of Foursquare, YQL and Geo Messages we build the following mobile mashup:


http://places.linkstore.ru (it is a mobile link).
Also you can use QR code above for loading that URL.

It works on any mobile phone with HTML5 browser (iPhone, Android, Samsung etc.). Lets you share your location info via Email, SMS, Twitter and Facebook. You can share your location info in the form of place, rather than latitude/longitude pair. Service does not require any authorization and does not reveal your private data

Never eat alone

It is a popular rule for the networking - never eat alone. And here is an updated version of mobile service for support: NEA - lets you mark some cafe (restaurant etc.) where you are in right now as well as the time you are going to stay there. This mark (on practice - a mobile page) could be shared via email/twitter/facebook, so your friends are interested in will see your place and time they can join you.

Mobile site: http://nea.linkstore.ru
Short URL: http://bit.ly/e80a3G

You can use also the following QR-code:



P.S. there is a huge set of related services. For example: Places, City Chat, City Forum, Geo chat и food from Twitter.

Photo map

Our mashup Photo map has been updated. It lets you see real time photos from Twitter on Google map. Now it supports Instagram and image hosting from Twitter too.

You can directly describe an area for photos. Base URL accepts the following parameters:

lat - latitude
lng - longitude
zml - zoom level
mrk - (1/0) - show or not a marker at the center of map

For example: live photos from London

Images search for Twitter

Our mashup Photos from Twitter has been updated. Lets you search photos from Twitter timeline. The newest version includes improved search algorithm (e.g. supports Instagram and new image hosting from Twitter) and fixed sharing functionality

Also you can set also initial parameters for your search. For example the above-mentioned script lets you pass the following parameters:

lat - latitude for search area
lng - longitude for search area
q - query string

E.g.:

Photos from London

Cats

Soup

P.S. You can also see pictures right on the map with the following mashup: Photo-map

JSOS ver. 7.40

Coldbeans Software announced the next milestone in JSOS (servlets office suite) development. JSOS reaches the version 7.40.

This largest collection of Java servlets and filters provides 150+ "out of the box" components ready for building web-pages. One of the biggest parts is the rich set of filters. Package includes such components as XML and WML transcoding, access restriction, traffic restriction, caching, profiling etc. All components are configurable, so you may incorporate them into your own design frameset. Components from JSOS do support mobile web, so the same set of components can be used for wireless users too. At this moment JSOS provides a largest set of servlets and filters over the Net.

Check out the latest version of Java Servlets Office Suite here: http://www.servletsuite.com

Similar images

Google Images search by images: photo from FB profile. Similar images are cool :-)

Daily photos

A picture is worth a thousand words. Our mashup Twitter's day in photos has been updated.

It presents for you trends in Twitter, illustrated by the photos from Twitter (all stores for images, including Instagram and Twitter's own image hosting for example)

Technically it is based on our images search for Twitter

Bookstore in London

from staff member last night: "We’ll probably stay open. If they steal some books, they might actually learn something."

/via Twitter in London

WiFi expert - context aware browsing

Indoor positioning at this moment is a hot area for LBS applications. There is no common denominator for indoor location but technically WiFi based solutions are probably prevail.

WiFi approach for indoor positioning is always based on the net of basic nodes (WiFi tags for example) with known location. Based on that we can deploy some triangulation for getting position for our WiFi device. Actually, it is similar to cell-id, where WiFi tags play the role of base stations.

So, the main problem is the need for some preliminary preparation steps for WiFi network we are going to use for indoor positioning. And what if we need some dynamic solutions? It is actually a starting point for our SpotEx (Spot expert) project.

What if we will take from traditional indoor positioning systems the first step only – WiFi networks detection? And as the second step we will add the ability describe some content that depends on the WiFi networks visibility. We will get some kind of context aware браузер – our user will see content depends on the exiting WiFi points. Actually, we can add rules for the visibility where we can use WiFi, time, probability, history of access etc.

We do not need in this case any preliminary preparation for that network. We can proceed even dynamically added nodes. For example, WiFi access point we can associate our rules with could be WiFi access point opened by demand right on the another mobile phone.

Once again – it is not about access to some WiFi network. Access point could be protected and closed for public access. The only thing Spot Expert is based on is its visibility. Access point plays a role of sensor (trigger) here. If our mobile user can see that network he/she is nearby.

Current implementation provides Android application for end users and web client (including mobile web) for creating rules and setting content nodes. See site Spot expert site for details and downloading application.

A side effect - WiFi chat. Here the available elements of content are web chat and discussion groups connected to some visible Wi-Fi access point. Suppose we have some WiFi network in train (bus etc.) WiFi chat application provides communication tools for people in the net’s area. You can see more details here WiFi chat.

WiFi 802.22

New 802.22 Wi-Fi standard has a range of 62 miles

Web intents

Google announces plans for support Android-Like web intents in Chrome. I think it is very interesting solution.

Intents allow two separate applications to communicate with each other, without either of them having to actually know what the other one is. Instead, they offer and listen for generic hooks.

It means, for example, that a new photo hosting site could easily integrate editing functionality from existing photo-editors, without either of those services needing to implement a special API unique to that photo editor site.

This is an incredibly cool idea that essentially brings back the concept of a decentralized web. By the way, I think custom URL schemes like: mailto:, tel:, sms:, twitter: (on iPhone) are like lightweight intents. For example, wee can add link for sending SMS without knowing how that functionality is implemented.

Btw, one of interesting area intents should be good for is M2M. What is we need to add some new M2M device to our system? It is almost no way to redevelop system for the each new device (new API). With Intents we should be able to describe (add) new devices (new measurements) without deep dive into new programming. The future for M2M is here.

Facebook and Google Static Maps

It is strange, but it is not so easy to add Google Static Map links to Facebook. Sometimes it works, sometimes does not. Even worse – the same link being posted several times can show the different results. We faced this behavior in our Places for Facebook mashup where you can describe customized check-ins. The quick search (stackoverflow, developer groups) confirms this problem as well as the lack of reaction from Facebook. Strange.

By the way, check-in messages from Foursquare use map fragment from MS.

I suspect the problem is on Facebook site. If you use some proxy for Google Static Map – it works on Facebook. Proxy lets you include map from your own site. But even with this solution we can see the problem – the map published in status works, the same map being published in check-in record – does not. Is it bug or feature?

802.11

WiFi day: 8.02.11

Places and check-ins from Facebook

You are welcome to check out a new version of our mashup Places from Facebook.

Lets you search for known places, show them on the map, copy locations to mobile, check-in anywhere as well as prepare customized mobile web pages for check-in

You can directly pass the following parameters to the basic URL:

lat - latitude
lng - longitude
q - query for search

For example, Facebook in London

With customized check-ins service places owners can create own pages for check-ins. Created page could be presented via some link on any web site (like ‘Check-in here’) or via QR-code (for real visitors). Customized check-in page lets creators provide own content for all steps in the check-in procedure (what should be posted on customer’s wall, what should be provided as a response etc.)

P.S. and here you can see Google Places

P.P.S. See also QRpon – customized check-ins for Facebook

Temporary available JSP pages

Suppose your web application needs pages that should be available during the limited time only. For example, page that offers password restore or some like that. For dynamically created JSP pages you can add Redirect tag on the top. There is a parameter after. It lest you set the last time your page is available. Any requests after that will be simply redirected.