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Friday, September 30, 2011

Hongkiat.com: Hottest Web Apps of the Month – September

Hongkiat.com: Hottest Web Apps of the Month – September


Hottest Web Apps of the Month – September

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 06:11 AM PDT

We’ve got a great roundup of web apps and tools for you this month, following on from last month’s roundup, and we think they are all going to be very handy for you

hottest web apps september 2011 Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

This month our selection includes useful web app that helps you to register and manage domains very easily, a great tool to help you manage relationship with your users who are using your web apps, a very neat and effective project managing tool, and even a social network for food recipes!

Don’t forget you can also suggest apps for the list by commenting below, or sending us a tweet @Hongkiat using the tag #hkwebapp. We’d love your feedback on the types of apps you’d like to see, and your favorite apps. On to the apps then!

Intercom

Intercom is a fantastic tool for anyone who runs a web app. It enables you to develop and maintain personal relationship with everyone using the web app, and that means users always know there is a friendly face waiting at the end of their support queries. In essence, it humanizes the relationship between you and your users.

Furthermore it enables you to see how users are using your app, where they are using it from, and a whole range of other useful information. One of my personal favorite features is that it shows you the local time of each user, which really helps smoothing out the communication process.

We’ve been using it on our very own web app, IntutionHQ for a while now, and we’ve had some really great feedback on it. People love interacting with people. It’s currently in private beta, but you can sign up for an invite, and one should be floating to your inbox in the near future. Well worth a look for anyone who runs a web app.

intercom Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

Pivotal Tracker

Pivotal Tracker is a great tool for anyone who follows Agile development practices. You create tracker stories and move them from step to step as they go from an idea in your head to finished product.

I’ve tried a whole range of tools for this purpose, but Pivotal Tracker has been the best I’ve tried so far. It’s got a slick interface, lots of keyboard shortcuts to make the process quicker, a fantastic free iOS app, and great team integration. If you work in an Agile environment, this is an app you should check out.

pivotal tracker Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

IWantMyName

IWantMyName is a domain registrar with a twist. Along with having more the 90 domain extensions for registration, they also have a killer feature on top: 1 click web app configuration for your domain.

As anyone who has gone through the set up process for a new domain can tell you, it can be pretty time consuming. Setting up Google apps, Blogger, Flavors.me or whatever else all takes time. With IWantMyName, there 70+ services you can choose from to set up in an instant, with a huge range of app types to choose from.

If you’d like your domain setup process to be a little easier, I suggest you check them out next time when you are considering a domain register.

iwantmyname Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

WebPutty

WebPutty is a neat tool for all the CSS junkies out there. It gives you a syntax-highlighting editor in the cloud for whenever you need to make changes and your favorite text editor isn’t by your side.

In fact, even if your favorite text editor is by your side, there are some really great functions built in that make WebPutty incredibly useful, the most obvious of which is one click publishing. On top of this it also features live preview, and CSS3 support, so you can easily try out all the new ideas you read about online. Great.

webputty Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

Trello

Trello is a really neat tool for managing projects together with teams, released by Fog Creek Software, whose CEO Joel Spolsky (of Stack Overflow fame) many of you might be familiar with.

Trello lets you organise all your different projects into boards, share them with your team, and see very quickly what is being worked on, who is working on what, and where something is in a process. It’s a great concept that looks to make managing even more effective. It’s currently free to sign up, so head on over and have a look.

trello Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

Recipefy

Recipefy is a social network for recipes, which enables you to share and discover recipes in a rather unique way. Essentially you can start sharing recipes with your followers, follow people who share recipes you like, reshare recipes that appeal to you, and like recipes!

As I said, it’s really a social network for recipes, and one that who enjoys good food should take a look at.

recipefy Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

Sifter

Sifter is a bug tracking app for keeping track of all those nasty issues in your apps, and how far along you are to fixing them. It lets you create projects, set milestones, assign different issues to different people, reply to comment threads, and everything else you might expect from bug tracking software.

What appeals to me about Sifter is their marketing copy – they don’t claim to be the biggest or bad-ass bug tracking out there, just a simple tool that works well for small teams. Nice.

sifter Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

Tout

Tout is an useful app for those of us who have to send a lot of repetitive emails, where you have to repeat the same content. You create templates of those repetitive tasks (which you can also sort into categories), and when it comes the time to send them to someone, just enter their name and email address, that’s possibly all!

One of the neat features of Tout is that you can link it with your Google, LinkedIn, Twitter or other accounts, and it can automatically populate different fields based on the information it pulls from there, talking about less typing works!

tout Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

Yoono

Yoono is a tool to unify all your social sources, and to enable you to share from one central location. It’s very powerful and comes in several different flavors – browser/web app, iPhone app and desktop app.

For people who have to manage multiple profiles on multiple sites, tools like Yoono are essential. Yoono enables you to sync your status across multiple sites, share great content to all of your different networks, and stay connected wherever you are.

yoono Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

Action Method

Action Method is a tool for ‘capturing tasks, collaborating and getting organized’. That means you capture your action steps, delegate tasks (if required), manage projects and get things done. Action Method also has a strong product roadmap with a whole range of new features on the way including a focus area (with your top 5 tasks), team projects, and more.

There is also a great iOS app available, and for those of you who like throwbacks to the good old days, you can even get paper copies printed out to jot down your actions on the go.

action method Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

Portrit

For those of you who have trouble sorting through photos, Portrit could be the tool for you. Rather than sorting through all of your photos in isolation, you and your friends can come together and rate your photos, add a range of different tags, and decide which photos are the best. Think of it as crowdsourcing for photos sorting.

They have also added some fun and encouraging features where you get badges for rating your friend’s pictures. It’s a great way to find which of your photos stand out from the rest, and it’s pretty fun to play with as well. Check it out!

portrit Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

Listhings

Listhings is a very simple tool, but for one thing it does, it does very well – sticky notes in the cloud.

If you are always searching for the little bits of paper you jot your notes down on, or you often have (and often forget) great ideas that will make you rich, Listhings could be a lifesaver. Just head to the website, jot down your note, and you are done. It’s free to use, and (apparently) very eco friendly, so try it out.

listhings Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

Crowdbooster

Crowdbooster is a tool for managing, measuring and optimizing your social media marketing. It shows you what works and what doesn’t so you can focus more on the things that actually make a difference.

You can see charts of your follower numbers, retweets, view your influential followers and top retweeters and find out all sorts of handy information. It’s also a very useful way for showing people the true value of social media. It’s also free, so you can have a play, and make sure you are doing as much as possible with your social media presence.

crowdbooster Hottest Web Apps of the Month   September

That’s all for this month…

That’s all for this month, but we’d love to hear your suggestions for next months’ list, as well as your comments on the apps we’ve featured this month.

What is your favorite web app? What kind of web apps would you like to see more? Be sure to let us know in the comments below – we’d love your feedback.

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter or RSS feed to keep up with all the latest and greatest web apps, and all the other great content we offer.

Suggest An App!

This is a monthly feature, so if you have any great app you’d like to suggest for our next month’s round-up, here’s what you can do:

Blogger Templates

Blogger Templates

Link to Blogger Templates

iFashion

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 02:00 PM PDT

iFashion is a free blogger template adapted from WordPress with 2 columns and right sidebar. Download iFashion for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8661

ShoppingMania

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 01:47 PM PDT

ShoppingMania is a free blogger template with 2 columns, right sidebar, exclusive design for Blogger, space for ads, slideshow, twitter support and vectorial elements. Excellent layout for blogs about girls or people. Download ShoppingMania for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8659

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Hongkiat.com: HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

Hongkiat.com: HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools


HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 06:24 AM PDT

Although the big players in web design industry have been adopting HTML5 in recent years, there are not really many others using it in practical solution, mostly due to the lack of time or understanding. Chances are if a language is being promoted for certain time, there will be enthusiasts going into the troubles of eliminating your troubles by creating HTML5 template generators and frameworks.

html5 template generator framework HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

At Hongkiat, we always want to make your development work as easy as possible, so below is the list of HTML5 template generators and frameworks that either speed up your HTML5 development, or helps you ease troubling issues like browser compatibility. By the end of the day, your HTML5 development will only get easier and happier with these generators and frameworks!

Why Framework?

Although it might takes some time to actually learn the framework, if you have the framework at ready all you need to add is the content and slight modifications according to your taste. Also don’t get worry about it, the world won’t look at you disdainfully for using an HTML5 template generator or a ready-to-use framework. Practicality comes first!

html5 framework HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

Besides, frameworks that are out there for using usually have loyal followings and support. An advantage to using frameworks is you really don’t have to worry about serious issues like cross-browser and cross-platform compatibility, somebody else has already brooded over that for you. But, of course, you can contribute to their cause, especially for open-source libraries and frameworks.

After all, it’s always good to have an extra gear in your design toolbox!

Template Generators & Frameworks

Initializr

Few clicks are all it takes to generate yourself a HTML5 template. Initializr also gives you an option whether you’d want your template to include JavaScript or jQuery, server configurations, and Google analytics.

Initializr is also built on HTML5BoilerPlate, another great tool to expand your HTML5 grasp, add functionalities, and improve your whole site.

initializr HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

HTML5 Template Generator

An alternative is Shikiryu.com’s HTML5 template generator. It has an additional option to include description for the website’s author, also includes options for Favicon and Apple Touch icon in case you want them to be automatically inserted into the template.

html5 template generator HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

SwitchToHTML5

Another great HTML5 framework generator is SwitchToHTML5. Like others, it allows you to add several elements such as <section>, <mark>, <figure>, <nav>, and others. SwithToHTML5 also gives you the option whether you’d want to support Internet Explorer or not, as its version earlier than IE9 does not support HTML5 natively.

switchtohtml5 HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

reformed

Say, I can’t be the only one who hates creating forms, right? Creating forms is a tedious task, at least for people like me, that’s why reformed was here to help people to create clean and functioning forms! reformed is an HTML5 form builder that is very lightweight and won’t cause you too much trouble, like if you do the form from scratch.

There are two versions, a web application and a standalone desktop application, although you’ll have to pay to have it work offline. Well, if you like the application, show some love!

reformed HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

Modernizr

Take advantage of HTML5 and CSS3 using Modernizr. It is an open-source JavaScript library to help developers create the best websites that incorporate HTML5 and CSS3.

Older browsers are not the issues with Modernizr, visitors will see what they ought to see no matter what version their browser is.

modernizr HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

52framework

Technically not a generator, but a downloadable framework which expedites the development process. 52framework eliminates the hassles of HTML5 and lays out everything right in front of you, making development faster and easier.

52framework supports a large variety of browsers, making cross-browser compatibility a less issue. And the good news for developers? It even supports IE6 partially!

52framework HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

HTML5 Editors

Aloha Editor

Since we’re already talking about services and applications that expedites development, here’s an amazing tool to help you edit your site content with xHTML5 compliant content.

Aloha Editor is an HTML5 editor, not just any editor, but a WYSIWYG editor that can modify your site content instantly, as soon as you make the changes in the editor.

aloha HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

Wallaby

Every dreamt of converting Flash animations to HTML5? Wallaby, a project by Adobe, makes the conversion of Flash animations and artworks to HTML5 possible, rendering the files editable on Dreamweaver or other editors.

wallaby HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

References

Dive Into HTML5

A great and enjoyable book to start learning about HTML5 in a creative way of thinking, this is also a good resource that gives a fresh idea for people who already know the workings of HTML5.

dive into html5 HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

HTML5 Reference

An original W3C’s guide to HTML5, with focus on simplicity and practical applications for beginners, while providing detailed information for advanced web developers.

html5 references HTML5 Template Generators, Frameworks And Tools

More

For now, there isn’t much to see actually. There are still, relatively, few tools for HTML5 framework and templates to use, as you may have noticed if you checked the links, most of the features for each generator/framework are similar. I may have missed tools that you are using to develop awesome HTML5 websites, so if you’d like to share feel free to post them in the comments!

Also, do check out our posts if you are willing to get more about HTML5!

Blogger Templates

Blogger Templates

Link to Blogger Templates

Lock Heart

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 03:08 PM PDT

Lock Heart is a free blogger template with 2 columns, left sidebar, gallery-styled, perfect for photologs, minimalist and exclusive design for Blogger. Download Lock Heart for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8657

Simplr

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 02:52 PM PDT

Simplr is a free blogger template with 1 column, perfect for photologs, minimalist, exclusive design for Blogger and neutral colors. Excellent layout for blogs about photography. Download Simplr for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8655

ActionGames

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 02:31 PM PDT

ActionGames is a free blogger template with 2 columns, right sidebar, exclusive design for Blogger, slideshow and twitter support. Excellent layout for blogs about games. Download ActionGames for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8653

Subline

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 02:20 PM PDT

Subline is a free blogger template adapted from WordPress with 2 columns, right sidebar, space for ads, footer columns, slideshow, twitter support, posts thumbnails, tabs and drop down menu. Download Subline for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8651

Limex

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 02:06 PM PDT

Limex is a free blogger template with general, space for ads, footer columns, slideshow, twitter support, neutral colors, posts thumbnails, tabs and drop down menu. Download Limex for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8649

Youblog

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 10:32 PM PDT

Youblog is a free blogger template with 2 columns, right sidebar, web 2.0 design, rounded corners, exclusive design for Blogger, slideshow and posts thumbnails. Excellent layout for blogs about movie, music or photography. Download Youblog for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8647

Elegante

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:50 PM PDT

Elegante is a free blogger template with 2 columns, right sidebar, exclusive design for Blogger, neutral colors and posts thumbnails. Download Elegante for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8644

SpeedRacer

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:22 PM PDT

SpeedRacer is a free blogger template with 2 columns, right sidebar, exclusive design for Blogger, slideshow and twitter support. Download SpeedRacer for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8642

SuvSite

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:09 PM PDT

SuvSite is a free blogger template adapted from WordPress with 3 columns, sidebar on the right and left, space for ads, footer columns, slideshow, twitter support, posts thumbnails, tabs and drop down menu. Download SuvSite for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8640

Urban Landscape

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 08:38 PM PDT

Urban Landscape is a free blogger template adapted from WordPress with 2 columns, left sidebar and vectorial elements. Excellent layout for blogs about fantasy. Download Urban Landscape for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8635