After letting us know last month that it was getting ready to release a toolkit to let developers easily bring their Chrome web apps to iOS and Android, today Google released a developer preview of the tool. In its blog post, Google explains the tool is based on open-source framework Apache Cordova, which allows devs to build native apps for iOS and Android using CSS, HTML, and Javascript. It’s also making a lot of its own core Chrome APIs available to developers through the preview. It essentially means devs will be able to bring their Chrome web apps to the App Store and Google Play, but it will also let them build new cross platform apps in CSS, HTML, and Javascript. Google explained how it works: Expand Expanding Close
Apple’s iAd Producer tool for creating HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript ads for its iAd platform gets updated to version 4.0 today and adds a number of notable new features on top of some performance enhancements that Apple outlined in a knowledge base article. The updated app now allows users to create iBooks Author widgets, iTunes LPs, and iTunes Extras. Apple provides more information on the new features, such as creating an iBooks Author Widget for iBooks Author projects on the iAd Producer support page:
You can create an iBooks Author widget for use in your iBooks Author projects. For example, you can create a widget that allows users to stream video from the Internet, draw using their finger, or interact with a timeline.
A full list of what’s new in iAd Producer 4.0 including: folder-based organization support, new HTML, Stack, Drawing, and Panorama objects, in-app quick previews, CSS filter support for objects, and much more below:
New in iAd Producer 4.0
This release contains a number of new features and improvements
Improved Object library interface
Improved Actions library interface
Support for folder-based organization in the asset library
New HTML, Stack, Drawing, and Panorama objects
New actions for adding and removing CSS classes, animating background position, animating image masks, and text slide-in animation
Support for applying CSS filters as well as image and gradient masks to objects.
In-app quick preview
Project-wide search in the Code Editor
Better export performance
Improved menu layout
Improved font support, including support for OpenType fonts
Improved rulers and alignment guides
Enhanced inspectors, with pop-up color pickers, and gradient sliders that now represent opacity
Support for QuickLook previews in iAd Producer project files
Support for iTunes LP, iTunes Extras, and iBook Author widget project types
Adobe announced updates on Thursday to many of its HTML5 design tools for Creative Cloud users. Among the updates, we get new features for Edge Animate, Dreamweaver, and Edge Code. Adobe is also releasing the first public preview of its Adobe Edge Reflow responsive web design tool. Head below for all the details:
Adobe Edge Reflow:After giving us a look at its new responsive design tool Adobe Edge Reflow in September, Adobe is finally releasing the first public preview free of charge to all Creative Cloud users. Adobe said the tool provides designers with the ability to create responsive layouts and high-fidelity web designs using CSS, a resizable design surface, and real-time previews with Edge Inspect. Users will also be able to extract the CSS for use in Dreamweaver, Edge Code, or another editor. Adobe detailed today’s public release in the video above.
Adobe Edge Animate:Today’s update to Edge Animate brings new features, including: “gradients, CSS filters, and enhanced font support.” Adobe highlighted new CSS capabilities that consist of the ability to style and animate linear and radial gradients, new CSS filters such as blur, greyscale, brightness, contrast, sepia, and saturate filters, and a visual web font selector to add typography and live preview web fonts.
Adobe Dreamweaver:As for Dreamweaver, Adobe has updated the app exclusively for Creative Cloud members to bring integrated access to typography and a new fluid grid layout. The fluid grid layout feature was first introduced in Dreamweaver CS6, but it now includes “class tags in addition to ID tags” and a new editing UI. Users will also be able to preview and select Edge Web Fonts in Dreamweaver.
A demo of Angry Bots iOS app embedded using Kickfolio
We told you about a service called Kickfolio in December that would allow developers to demo their iOS apps directly in the browser using a new HTML5-based platform. The service converts a zipped version of an iOS app into a private test page with a completely interactive HTML5 and CSS version of the app. Today, the service got a few updates including the ability to embed app demos on any webpage using an iframe. You’ll find embedded iOS apps above and below that Kickfolio sent over for us to try. Kickfolio also now supports iPad apps, and it is making the service much more affordable for all. This is a powerful tool for developers promoting their apps online, and it’s one I expect many to take advantage of when providing free demos to potential customers and press on their website.
Kickfolio originally had some feedback for users about plans starting at $50 a month. The good news: the company just slashed the cheapest plan to $9 a month (that includes 500 embed sessions). Every plan now also includes unlimited apps, and the company is reopening 15-day free trials so everyone will get a chance to try the new features.
Just launched this week, Kickfolio is a new HTML5-based platform that allows developers to test and share builds of their iOS apps in the browser. Developers simply upload a zipped version of their app (no SDKs or changing code), and the service spits out a link to a private test page displaying an interactive HTML5 and CSS version of the app controllable by mouse and keyboard in portrait or landscape. Testers will also be able to leave feedback and interact with testers in a comment section on the page. Kickfolio has an example of the Angry Bots iOS app from Unity Technologies on its website here.
A pro version of the service also includes a feature to embed apps that allows users to insert the interactive apps in press releases, websites, and elsewhere. The company has a 15-day free trial available, but is also offering pricing ranging from $50 a month for one to two apps to $300 a month for unlimited apps. You can learn more and create an account on the company’s website here.
A demo from Kickfolio of an iPhone app running inside a browser on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus is below:
