We should make a iphone app representing ozbargain like cotd does, how awesome would that be?
iPhone App - OzBargain
regrakk on 05/01/2011 - 10:14
Comments
Perhaps just plug one of these into the RSS feed?
Ozbargain RSS: http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/6791062.rss
Twitter Ozbargain RSS: http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/6791062.rssTheres also an RSS feed for the Ozbargain Dominos account, but having wiki issues.
According to google this is an ad-free rss reader: http://www.oualid.net/iphone-rss-reader/
any for android eqiv rss ad-free?
I'd say if we start geotagging the posts then having an app that could pull up nearby deals would be cool. Salenear.me is doing that. Maybe something for submitting bargains where it could take in your GPS coordinates.
Now it's something very useful :) Making OzBargain more "local".
Agreed, iPhone and android apps are a must have and the rss feed is the easiest method I'd wager.
I'm on ozbargain all the time on my Android phone. Its almost perfect, a mobile version with big buttons would be great so I don't accidentally click the wrong thing. An application isn't really needed as the website is very simplistic.
The geotagging idea sounds awesome.
Yeah I think a mobile version of website with HTML5 would be more realistic than an Android App or iOS App. I have been developing software commercially for 13+ years and deployment is a PITA that I would prefer to avoid. Doing everything on the web is just so much easier.
Given things change all the time - new posts etc a mobile website version would IMHO be just as suitable as a specific app. That way it can work on more than just Android and iPhone. And I am an iPhone user
To be honest, i dont have the capacity to program it, my programming experience is over 5 years old, and limited to Basic.Net, Haskell, and Pascal (lol).
As far as screen design goes, yeah, i can sit there and modify size/photos/text boxes etc to make it all fit (with a mirror site like m.ozbargain.com.au). I'm not even sure if thats possible to easily adjust with php/drupal.
I also dont have a smart phone/iphone etc. My phone makes calls, thats all i need really.
You just create a different layout based on User-Agent. You don't need a phone, just use a bookmarklet to resize your normal browser window to whatever the target pixels are.
This whole site is database driven anyway, so the pages are dynamically generated. Thus all it needs is
if(iPhone){do_layout2();}
Why though? all modern phone browsers handle it all by themselves.
ozbargain is not even built for phones and its probably the easiest site to use on my phone.
I only have problems if i'm trying to +vote a bargain or someones post.
A dedicated layout means that there is no need to zoom.
The page is narrow and 200 or so pixels wide, rather than 800 or more. No side bars, navigation buttons etc all sized so that they are usable.
Here's what the main site looks like on an iPhone. Remember that it's even smaller than what will show on most monitors, since an iPhone screen is only 50mm x 76mm overall…
http://i53.tinypic.com/1603fjp.jpg
The deal headings are readable, but it's impossible to read the details and our smart alec comments, Log In, post, etc without zooming. It is impossible to accurately hit a link without zooming.
Without that massive chunk of rubbish on the right hand side, the main page would be pretty much usable with only a few tweaks to the form buttons, etc. But optimally a dedicated mobile layout would fundamentally change the interface, make log-in screen separate, remove wasted stuff like the sidebar and voting buttons on the left… all in the name of maximising the number of pixels available for content.
Actually, I just read your original post wrong, I thought you were saying different phones need different layouts, but you just meant that ozbargain.com.au should be the mobile site.
But your idea won't work for me anyway as I browse without a mobile user agent. This is because too many sites give me a horrible mobile site built for a blackberry or something. We could just have both user agent and m.ozbargain.com.au
I think removing the stuff on the right hand side would make it look great.
Davo,
Haskell - Does that mean you were at Melbourne Uni at some stage? Although then I would expect C to be included in the list if you were.
In my experience, rarely do people say they know Haskell.
A lot of CS courses teach Haskell… When I was doing tutoring at UNSW I have to teach Haskell. Nice language though.
hey domingo
my haskell is from my first year elective at ANU. I did comp sci "for kicks". (rolls eyes) :PWe touched java in the final week of the course, but i decided to just focus on haskell.
I know pascal and basic.net from High School
Yeah ANU haskell had a good lecturer though, He rick-rolled us in the exam revision lecture when we asked him to upload the previous year exam papers.
So Davo you didn't go into CS/IT , were you doing media arts by any chance?
installed and works well :)
Totally 5 star rating
what did you install Chingy123
Hi Scotty,
My boyfriend programs iOS apps and is interested in making an OzBargain iphone App. He asks "is there any possibility of getting access to your sql db so I can bring in the positive and negative votes for the item as they are not in the RSS feed?"
Please send me an email on my registered user email if you are interested.Thanks
I don't think "accessing SQL DB" would ever be a possibility.
However the plan is to expose some OzBargain data via Facebook Graph-API-like structure, so mobile apps can query those API to get more data out.
I lately made iOS app: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/bargainmate/id471649324?mt=8
Using xpath on OzBargain pages to parse data, it's… quite painful, I cannot wait to see OzBargain API. The main reason I wrote this app is: 1. Mobile web page too slow to compare with native app 2. Native app makes sharing deal easier.Ouch xpath. That would be a pain if HTML structure changes.
I have a Team of IOS and Android Developers and might be able to help you out. Even though you banned me not too long ago for plugging my new APP. drop me an email [email protected]
cheers
Incorrect. You were banned because you had multiple ghost accounts voting and commenting on your deal.
I use bargaindesk ios app. It's OK and free. It aggregates a bunch of sites, not just ozbargain. Pics are a bit small, but the links, etc. all work fine.
Mm, I use this too :D but have realised it can delay by 30-40 minutes on updating bargains sometimes.. and we all know that can be an eternity on the internet. The site recently (I think?) got a good update to the mobile version of the site, which is a pleasure to use really :)
I lately made one: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/bargainmate/id471649324?mt=8
I wish it's useful to OzBargainers.
dongsheng, I had a look at your app, and really like the layout. It's easier to read than bargaindesk app for ios, and it includes access to user comments. Is it ozbargain only? How quickly does it update, once new comments or deals are posted?
Anyways, good effort.
Hi janeymac
I'm happy you like, you can update the new deals any time you want, simply pull the table down, the comments will be updated every time you view the deal details. And it's ozbargain only at the moment, but I'm open to new ideas, let me know what you think.
Ya I tried the refresh. Works well; have you thought about push notification for new messages or deals? Some deals are very time-sensitive, and this is what is missing from other Ozbargain apps. If you have multiple sites, I would like to select my favorite sites and get push notification any time something new comes up - a new deal, or even a post that I'm subscribed to.
It's probably jut going to feed my ozbargain addiction. I'm on the site fifty times a day already!
@janeymac
I am working on the push notification, running some tests here, it will be in next release.
dongsheng, cool! Can't wait to try it out. One other thing, there seems to be only a couple of pages of results, and I can't scroll to a new page to see older deals… is that intentional? Sometimes I like to look at the last few days' bargains!
Could do, but I don't have enough time to implement it :-( will do it when I get some spare time :-)
I'd be willing to put together a free version that simply reads the RSS, filters to what you want, and then opens the site in a WebView. Nothing fancy, but more functional when compared to using safari to get around.
Simply set up a google reader account, add all rss feeds you need, then use a free decent google reader such as MobileRSS.
I just use the rss feed through flip book on the iPad. Works nicely, just flip through the pages of bargains like in a magazine and if anything interests me I the look at that page.
Catch of the Day app is nothing but showing today's catch with a big "Bite Me" button, which will then launch Safari for you to buy stuff. What's the point?
As of OzBargain App — well I heard that I need a Mac to develop iOS apps, which I don't currently have (just threw away my old iBook G3 a few weeks ago :) Okay I am now taking donation for that new MacBook Air 13. Nah. Just kidding.