Pseudo local apps and Puffin

A colleague uses the Puffin browser on his android because it supports web games otherwise un-runnable. (I thought about using it for google voice since google blocks certain features when mobile is detected and proceeds assuming the mobile has an active phone carrier, which none of my 6 mobile devices does. Btw, why is browser app not compatible with iTouch as stated in app store.)

I looked into Puffin further. It really stretches the boundary of a native app, not in a good way. To support local features (like handling a file type), it outsources the processing to a server. So they will enable/disable local browsers features at their whim (like during the Olympics), which violates several paragraphs in Apples app guidelines (which is a sham anyway). Also, your local browser could be down when their servers go down. Quite a paradigm shift for "local" app. I would say Puffin is a SAAS browser, but its a clever response to the arbitrary restrictions on mobile devices. Industry leaders should like this trend because SW can turn in subscription revenue streams. On the other hand, gatekeepers (like app store) want their protection money revenue stream for subscription-based apps as stated in iphone dev agreement.

I think everyone should put their mobile on airplane mode once in a while and see which of their apps behave like local apps.

Network Drives For Generic Use

Which network drive is best that meets these criteria?
- No cloud/internet connection, local wifi only
- No host computer, just a host wireless router (if needed)
- Preferably no client software requirement on androids and iOS
- Preferable writeable via wifi

No manufacturer documentation addresses (reveals) these details, so user comments are the most reliable. If you've spent the dough, let me know which device does or does not meet any of these criteria.

Here are some review comments for a Kingston wi-drive.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=network+drive&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4710560936236043438&os=reviews

Serious Android bug

Some Android phone are getting false "Memory Full" errors that are blocking contact additions, emails, texts, etc. This occurs on multiple hardware models and carriers and are sprinkled over various forums. Whether this is a configuration issue or a cellular integration issue, such a fundamental functionality should not be left up to implementations. But that's the fundamental difference between Apple-dictated iOS/iPhone vs cooperation needed between Android OS and various players.

Bonjour

Not too many iPhone apps take advantage of Apple's Bonjour local network discovery protocol. VLC streamer does a nice job of showcasing the possibilities with Bonjour. Paired with a streamer helper, it makes the iPhone/iTouch pretty powerful in accessing contents on a PC or laptop. I tried it with an MBP which sets up an ah-hoc wifi a million times easier than any winbox and seeing the mpb contents listed on the iTouch was pretty cool. Doing video streaming is a tall order, so that part of the app is not ready for prime time. But it won't be long.

Adobe AIR Layer

Acrobat is essentially a layer for viewing pdf files and the browser is a layer for html content and flash is a layer for animation. Much like the other layers for their respective content type, Adobe AIR makes application content available seamlessly to several platforms (Win/Mac/Linux) after an intial install of the foundation software. AIR applications can also be published to iOS and Android. AIR restricts apps much like how browser restricts web apps, Acrobat restricts pdf apps, and Apple restricts iPhone apps. While web apps can be HTML5-extended (browser layer upgrade) for offline functionality, AIR can do the same plus desktop presense and some native integration. Adobe has a marketplace for AIR apps to expand user base. Some settop and DVR appliances have shown the appeal of previous layers for viewing pdf, flv, and media content. The AIR layer may allow future appliances to easily offer app experience like iPad without reinventing the OS.

Links

Building an iPhone Appcast by email

Here is a short video showing the ENTIRE process of building, downloading, and saving an appcast to your iPhone from your iPhone. The appcast is
- launched from a home screen icon
- can be launched offline
- supports touch gestures


You can then distribute that appcast by sending or posting that url like I'm doing now. http://appcastofl.appspot.com/ac-load?load=Abm-123 You should click on this using an iPhone to get the full effect.

I have other sample appcasts that does more:
- perform predefined calculations and operations
- save results and input to sqlite database
- retrieve results and input from sqlite database
- interactive quizzes
- sync local db with cloud when online
- receive push notification
- interact with calendar and addressbook
- works on android and iPhone with same file

Sqlite db max size

In Safari/iPhone, sqlite databases are allocated 5MB by default. When usage goes up, Safari prompts user to confirm reallocating to 10MB. The next level is 25MB. If there is more than one db for a domain, all the max size settings are the same, even after increasing allocation. I have tried about 50 databases in one domain (easy to do with js object instantiation) now increased to 25MB. If each db was allocated 25MB, that would be 1.2GB total. I think the 25MB max is for the whole domain. That's why all databases say 25MB even empty one showing 20KB used.