PointAbout’s 2009 Inauguration application was featured today in TIME magazine’s Travel section, in an article titled “Travel News: An Inauguration Day How-To”. TIME writes,
“Inauguration 2.0. A new iPhone app called PointAbout is a mobile Inauguration guide, complete with Metro and bus schedules, local weather, directions to the inaugural ceremony, Zagat restaurant listings for the hungry and Starbucks locations for the weary.”
Already have an iPhone web app? We can wrap it with our native springboard and submit it to the iTunes App Store within 24 hours.
By turning your iPhone web app into a native app, you’ll get access to the phone’s features via javascript calls, including the accelerometer, GPS latitude & longitude (or we can reverse-geocode for you to the nearest physical address), the contact address book, the camera, and more. Suddenly, you can make your web app do a whole lot more!
And it gets better. We also support BlackBerry and we’re working on Android and WindowsMobile. We can wrap your app for those phone platforms too, as well as future phones that aren’t even out yet.
And our pricing plans are very flexible. They start at absolutely free (where we share users & advertising), or you can pay monthly to have absolute control over everything. And we’re even willing to do a revenue share with you, if you want to charge for your app or for advertising.
A native application is a piece of software. Think of it just like software on your computer, like Microsoft Office, for example. You download native applications onto your phone, just like you would install Microsoft Office onto your computer. Most of the icons on an iPhone are native applications.
Web applications, by contrast, are served to you inside a website. There’s nothing to install. The problem is, web applications don’t have access to all the phone’s features like native applications do. That’s where PointAbout comes in. We bridge both worlds and give you the best of each.
Microsite:
Think of a “microsite” as a “child” to your main PC-based website. If your main website is www.YourBrand.com, then your web-based microsite might be www.YourBrand.mobi, or http://m.YourBrand.com. The beauty of using the web to create your microsite is that you have access to all the same data that your main PC-based site does.
Additionally, since your microsite is just a website, your existing programmers will know exactly what to do to make it based on your requirements. We even have a robust development section to help them build the microsite out. You get to use all your existing databases, image assets, and even much of your existing code to make a “child” microsite to your main PC website. And since you’re developing to the web, the benefits to you are enormous. You can use your existing analytics or multivariate testing methodologies on your microsite.
This is native code that PointAbout develops for each different phone platform, such as the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Mobile, etc. Think of it as the “frame” of a picture. Your microsite is the “picture” inside the frame. All you have to worry about is picture, and we can change the “frame” depending on what phone platform wants to use the application.
The “frame” we create is very important because it allows you to get access to the phone’s features, such as the phone’s camera, accelerometer, address contact book, GPS or Cell-ID information, and more. With this information, you can do much, much more than you could do with a regular website.
Thinking of making your own iPhone application? Stop! Here are five really good reasons to consider PointAbout’s approach instead:
Building a native application is expensive. Making a native iPhone app requires deep knowledge of Objective C. Making a native BlackBerry app requires deep knowledge of Java. And the list goes on for each phone platform. Are you really in the business of finding, hiring & managing expensive programming talent? Contrast that with PointAbout’s approach: We allow you to just focus on web programming, which almost all programmers know inside & out. And we can even handle that piece for you as well.
Building a native application is slow. Building a native application requires a “heavy lift” from a development perspective, which requires extensive planning & execution. Native apps can (and often do) take months to develop. Contrast that with PointAbout’s approach: We can literally submit your application to Apple’s iTunes store within 24 hours of engagement.
Native applications can’t keep up. Your native phone application will be outdated the day it’s released. Native applications are software, and software has to be re-downloaded anytime there’s a change. Users typically don’t download updates when they are released (just ask any friend or colleague who has an iPhone how many software updates they have waiting). Anytime you want to innovate with a native application, you’ll have to send out a software update to all your users. But it gets worse. Since your business leverages the web, in all likelihood you’re going to put most of your development resources into your website and web applications. But what about that pesky native application you made awhile back? You’re going to have to divert your resources to update that app. Contrast that with PointAbout’s approach: We wrap your web-based mobile microsite with our native thin-client springboard. That means all you have to worry about is your mobile microsite. Since you’re just focusing on a mobile version of your website, it’s easy for you to keep your microsite updated and to innovate on the microsite. Everything stays in sync and up to date, and your mobile users don’t have to re-download any software when you make a change.
Native applications aren’t cross-platform. If you decide to make your own native iPhone application, you’ll next have to turn your attention to making a native BlackBerry application. And then a native Android application. And then a native Windows Mobile application. And what about the next hot phone that everyone’s buying? Are you going to drop everything to make a native application for that phone as well? How are you going to keep all these applications updated? Do you really want to be in the business of trying to keep up with all these mobile platforms? Contrast that with PointAbout’s approach: We handle the messy details so you don’t have to. Our mission in life is to make your web-based mobile microsite, which we wrap with our thin-client springboard, work on multiple phone platforms. When a new phone comes out, we’re busy porting our thin-client springboard to that phone so your existing microsite will work on those phones. You don’t have to worry about getting onto the next phone platform, because you’ll already be on it just by using PointAbout.
Native applications aren’t faster than PointAbout’s approach. You may think that native applications are faster than web applications, but with PointAbout, your web-based mobile microsite, wrapped in our thin-client springboard, will be just as fast as a native client. We can cache content using our local storage module so your users don’t have to wait for web pages to load. Plus, even native applications have to access the web for data, so in many cases PointAbout’s approach can be faster than going native.
PointAbout was featured in the Washington Business Journal today. The article mentions, “The application was designed by Qorvis’ in-house interactive team and created by PointAbout, which also added on a polling component to gauge real-time user sentiment about the inauguration.” Click here to read the full article.
Some five million visitors are expected to crowd DC for the Presidential Inauguration on January 20, but a free phone app may make it just a little easier to get around, find a meal and connect to the web.
The app, called the 2009 Presidential Inauguration Guide, is available for the iPhone and soon Blackberry, with Android possibly on the way, say the makers, Qorvis and PointAbout. What the app does is bundle together information, largely from other sources, that is useful to the inauguration attendee.
There are maps and schedules for the DC Metro rail, directions, Zagat reviews, and the Open Table restaurant reservations service, as well as parking garage and free wi-fi hot spot locators. Finally, there is Realtime Alerts, which warns of nearby construction and crime. Mostly crime.
There are a few quibbles. For one, you can’t zoom in on the DC Metro rail map, making it impossible to read. With an iPhone you can remedy that with a different app, iTrans DC metro. But at $4.99 for iTrans, you might prefer to decipher the maps at the Metro entrances. Also, no taxi finder?
Sean Shadmand, Chief Strategy Officer of PointAbout said they are working to remedy both of those shortcomings, as well as to add more functions before the Inauguration. On the slate are local weather, traffic and news, Starbucks and ATM locators, and the all important restroom finder.
PointAbout was featured today on “The Swamp” - The Chicago Tribune’s Washington Bureau’s blog. The Tribune writes, “The ap comes courtesy of Qorvis, the public-relations firm; Patton Boggs, the law firm, and PointAbout, a software maker. For them, it represents an excellent opportunity to get their brands in front of potentially hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city.”
“President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration this January could be quite a chaotic scene, with as many as 4 million people possibly heading to the National Mall to watch, but a new application available on Apple’s App Store could help spectators navigate the crowds a bit more smoothly.”
PointAbout was featured today in Macworld’s iPhone Central column for its 2009 Inauguration Application. Here is an excerpt of the article:
“Finally, we’re a little more than a month out from another significant event—this January’s presidential inauguration. And 2009 Presidential Inauguration Guidefigures to help visitors heading to Washington D.C. for the big event. The free app from PointAboutfeatures a countdown screen to Inauguration Day as well as a distance calculator that tells you how far away you are from the steps of the Capitol Building. More important, the app offers info on local restaurants, parking, transit info, and nearby Wi-Fi hotspots.”
PointAbout announced today a partnership with Qorvis Communications and Patton Boggs, LLP, along with support by Zagat Surveys, LLC to create an Inauguration Application for the 2009 Barak Obama Washington DC Inauguration.
The application has been approved by Apple in the iTunes App Store and is currently available for download.
From concept to fully executed application in 3 weeks!
PointAbout, Qorvis, Patton Boggs and FortiusOne devised, executed and delivered a 2009 Inauguration Guide iPhone and BlackBerry application in an astounding 3 weeks from start to finish - a timeframe that would have been unthinkable with a fully native application.
Here are details on how we did it:
What
§Qorvis and Patton Boggs created a free mobile Inauguration Guide application for multiple mobile devices.
§The first iteration will work on iPhones, with a Blackberry version to follow later. We are also pursuing development of a version for Android (Google’s phone) in early 2009.
§The application will provide GPS-enabled information about where inaugural galas and events are being held. It will deliver the basics in real time about where to eat, walking directions to the inauguration, what metro line to take and how to find a museum.
Services include:
Zagat Restaurant Guide
Metro train and bus schedules and alerts
Free Wi-Fi zone locations
Local weather, traffic, and news
ATM-bank search
Bars and nightclubs, powered by Zagat
Walking directions to the inauguration
Polling questions with geo-coded results shown on a heat-map
(This list will continue to be updated as we approach the inauguration)
Why
§President-elect Barack Obama is going to usher in a new era of government—one that embraces technology and advanced communications. It is appropriate that Qorvis and Patton Boggs are contributing to the celebrations in this way.
§We created this mobile app primarily for our clients and friends to ease their experience as they navigate Washington before, during and after the inauguration, which looks to be of unprecedented size this year.
§Just as FortiusOne did with the Twitter Vote Report, they will be providing the visual analytics which enable users to visualize and interact with real-time geo-aware polling results surrounding the inauguration.
§Everyone is Washington, DC is throwing a party, or hosting clients, family and friends for the inauguration. We wanted offer the public a useful and fast way to obtain information about inaugural events.
§Qorvis and Patton Boggs help organizations and companies navigate the complexities and nuances of Washington—with regard to legal services, lobbying, public affairs, issue advocacy, media and public relations. This mobile app is just a reflection of the broader services we provide.
How
·Qorvis and Patton Boggs have a lot of clients and friends coming to Washington, DC for the Presidential Inauguration. Given the historic proportions of this year’s event, we knew it would be important to help our guests navigate the city—something we help them do professionally anyhow. Instead of just giving everyone maps and restaurant recommendations, we felt it was most appropriate to create a mobile application, which would also serve to celebrate the nation’s first high-tech president.
·As a fully integrated communications firm, Qorvis had the in-house capabilities to design the web application, but it would take too long and cost too much to make a fully native iPhone application.Our friends at PointAbout solved this problem by “wrapping” our web application with their thin-client springboard to mobilize the app on the mobile platforms as a hybrid web and native application—iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, etc. We got the best of both worlds with this approach; the speed & flexibility of a web application, coupled with the benefits of a native application, such as use of the camera, GPS, etc.PointAbout also added on a polling component to gauge real-time user sentiment about the Inauguration. FortiusOne came aboard to help analyze and visualize the results through their GeoCommons platform.
What will happen to the application after the Inauguration?
·The app will become a general guide to Washington, DC. Since PointAbout is wrapping our web-based application with their native client, we have the flexibility to change it as often as we want – a benefit that would not otherwise be available to us had we created a fully-native application.Thereofore, we will be able to improve the functionality of this application as we approach the inauguration, and after the inauguration we can change it to focus on “Navigating Washington” without the inauguration component, as the tools will still be very useful.
Can you create something like this for my company?
·Absolutely, and we can tailor it to your needs. Qorvis specializes in making fully featured web applications, and PointAbout specializes in turning those into native applications for seamless distribution across multiple phones.By using this approach with both of us, a company can quickly and inexpensively mobilize their brand in new an innovative ways.
·We can also provide integrated supportive services—from marketing to media and public relations. Give us a call, and we’d be glad to chat about how we can help you out.
Who is Qorvis?
·Qorvis Communications is one of the nation’s largest independent communications firms. Formed in August 2000, Qorvis provides its clients with expertise in the areas of advertising, public and media relations, public affairs, marketing communications, Internet campaigns, investor and financial relations, grassroots, and research and opinion surveys. www.qorvis.com
Who is Patton Boggs?
·Based in Washington DC, Patton Boggs is a national leader in public policy, litigation, and business law and is well known for its deep bipartisan roots in the national political arena. With nine offices and more than 600 lawyers and professionals, the firm provides comprehensive, practical, and cost-effective legal counsel to clients around the globe. www.pattonboggs.com
Who is PointAbout?
·PointAbout helps companies create new revenue streams by extending their brand across multiple types of mobile devices.Our thin-client phone application can be private-labeled and installed on existing customer’s phones, and an entirely new segment of customers can be attracted by the functionality PointAbout enables companies to provide.For the first time, PointAbout offers companies the ability to know the profile and exact physical location of their customers in real-time, opening a new channel of communication between a company and its users. www.PointAbout.com· 1.800.976.3703 ·info@PointAbout.com
Who is FortiusOne?
·FortiusOne, based in Arlington, VA, specializes in creating user-friendly tools that enable non-technical individuals to quickly derive actionable conclusions from complex data.Users can easily analyze and visualize their own data with GeoCommons’ repository of more than 7,000 data layers creating insightful maps and reports to empower decision making.
“And we’re interfacing with all these engines using a variety of devices: laptop, PND (Personal Navigation Device), GPS units, mobile phones, and waymarking signs. PointAbout recently won an award in the Apps For Democracy for their DC Location Aware Realtime Alerts mobile application that displays the route to the nearest arriving metro.”
In order for us to submit your application to iTunes, we’ll need the following information. Please email the information below to info@PointAbout.com:
Short name of your app: This can be up to 12 characters. This is the name that shows below the icon on the phone.
Full name of your app: This can be up to 40 characters. This is the main name for the app. It will show below the icon on the iTunes App Store, and next to the icon once it’s opened to the iTunes store page. (For an example, click here to open iTunes. The full name is “2009 Presidential Inauguration Guide”. This name must conform to the guidelines for using Apple trademarks and copyrights.
Description of your app: This goes under the “Application Description” section of the iTunes Store. This can contain any text you want. It is searchable, so putting keywords here is a good idea. Maximum of 4,000 characters. We recommend you keep it under 500 words.
Unique Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) for each major version of your application (typically version 1.0)
Choose a Primary Category to file your application under (choose categories by going to the iTunes app tore and looking at the available “categories”)
Choose a Secondary Category to file your application under (optional but suggested)
Support URL for the company (i.e., www.MyBrand.com/support)
Support email address (i.e., support@MyBrand.com)
End User License Agreement. (Optional) If a EULA is not provided, standard iTunes App Store EULA will be applied.
Countries application is to be distributed in (if your app requires GPS logic such as using street addresses, application must be restricted to US only). Typically you would select “US Only” or “International”
Application Availability Date (typically the date of submission)
Application Download Price (typically free, or 99 cents, 1.99 etc.)
Below are the media assets we’ll need when submitting your application to the iTunes App Store:
Icon, 57 pixels square
72 DPI .jpg, .jpeg, or .tiff format. The icon should be square, not be rounded, or have any type of glare on it (Apple will add the rounding and glare).
72 DPI .jpg, .jpeg, or .tiff format. This is usually just a larger version of the 57 pixel icon above. This will be used to feature your application on the App Storefront. To be featured prominently on the App Store we recommend you provide an attractive, original icon.
Screenshots of the application
To be shown on the iTunes page. (at least 1, up to 5)
72 DPI .jpg, .jpeg, or .tiff format. Note: You must leave space on the lower 1/3 of the loading screen for a dynamically generated “Finding Location” notice to show. Please don’t put any text below pixels 300 - 480 (counting from 0 pixels at top-left).
TheBestHomeSearchEver.com, a site allowing users to search area homes for sale, was mobilized by PointAbout. By mobilizing TBHSE users can now find houses nearest to them, get listing prices, as well as check out the interiors of a house without needing to wait for an agent. It combines the benefits of being on site and see a house you like an being able to learn more about it on the fly with the data search power of a home PC. Screenshots are attached:
PointAbout was featured in the TechJournal South today for its role in powering the MyTalk mobile social networking application. You can read the full article here.
PointAbout is working with several institutions to create a new type of reporting & alerting system - one where the users are the eyes & ears of the system, and can send user-generated reports into the institution. This is putting an entirely new spin on “311″ style non-emergency reporting and alerting.
To demonstrate this technology, we have created a fictional university called “ACME University,” which in the video above has implemented the 311 reporting & alerting system. Here’s how it would work:
An institution, say a university, would private-label PointAbout’s 311 reporting application so it showed the university’s brand. The university would then distribute this application to students across the various types of mobile devices they carry.
Students can then use the application to report maintenance items, noise disturbances, and much more. The trouble tickets they submit can also be managed through this application. Since the application is web-based, it can be changed & modified by the institution as desired.
Additionally, PointAbout’s Application Gallery allows for the institution to add a list of complimentary, related applications for students to use, such as local metro or bus system schedules, free wi-fi locations, etc. This increases the “stickiness” of the application.
This 311 reporting type system isn’t limited to use in universities. Condo or apartment buildings, for example, could private-label this application and distribute it to residents for them to be the eyes & ears of the building. Home Owner’s Associations or Neighborhood Watch organizations could likewise use this reporting tool for their communities. The possibilities and opportunities are vast! If you’d like to discuss applying this to your organization, pleasecontact us.
Park It DC, a silver medal winner in Washington, DC’s Apps for Democracy contest, is utilizing PointAbout’s thin-client springboard to create a location-aware downloadable iPhone version of the Park It DC web application.
How he’s doing it: Since PointAbout wraps a web micro-site with our native thin-client springboard, it’s an easy lift for Shaun to re-code his full-fledged Park It DC website application as a limited-functionality web-based microsite that renders well as a mobile iPhone web application.
Then, PointAbout wraps that microsite with our thin-client native iPhone code and we turn it into a private-labeled iPhone application, complete with its own icon and loading screen.
That application can then be distributed through the iTunes App Store. Anyone who downloads the Park It DC iPhone application will in reality be downloading a private-labeled version of PointAbout that opens directly into Shaun’s web micro-site.
By using PointAbout, Shaun is able to get the mobile user’s location off the phone, and into his site, so he can utilize that location to show the most relevant information to the user. So even though Shaun doesn’t have to do too much, he can still gain the functionality of a full-fledged native iPhone application while still being able to code in HTML standards.
Shaun, we can’t wait to see what you come up with!
PointAbout was interviewed today for PBS’ Nightly Business Report, in a segment about DC-based start-ups that aired on December 31, 2008 (video and transcript below).
The segment focused on the strategies PointAbout is employing to succeed in the current economic climate. PointAbout, which is comprised of four co-founders with previous start-up experience, was chosen by PBS as a case study for its approach to weathering the state of the economy.
Here is a gallery of photos from the interview:
Here is a video of the interview:
Here is a transcript of the show:
The Scarcity of Start-Up Funds
SUSIE GHARIB: It looks like California’s governor has come up with a plan to fix his state’s budget crisis. California is facing a $42 billion budget deficit. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger plan calls for a $14 billion tax increase, more than $17 billion in spending cuts and borrowing against the future value of the state’s lottery. The proposal now heads to the state legislature. State finance officials are urging quick action, they expect to run out of money in February and at that point could start paying the state’s bills with IOUs. Businesses and investors have been hit hard by the economic downturn this year. So have entrepreneurs, who often rely on outside investors to get help to get their companies off the ground. As Dana Bate reports, getting start-up funding in this environment isn’t easy.
DANA BATE, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Say “start-up company,” and you probably picture a company like PointAbout: casual office, cutting edge product, and a bare bones staff working the phones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going in with the iPhone is a good idea.
BATE: But the phone the company cares most about is yours. Co-founder Daniel Odio and his team have come up with software that can put Web sites on your mobile device, and tell those Web sites exactly where you are.
DANIEL ODIO, CO-FOUNDER, POINTABOUT: This is a real estate site that has said, I want anybody who is carrying a phone to be able to download this application and just walk around and see what houses are for sale around them. So it’s going to open up here a list of properties that are for sale around us. We can see this one is 0.1 miles away.
BATE: So if you were outside, you could just go find this place?
ODIO: Yes, that’s exactly right. I mean, that’s exactly what we’re doing right here.
BATE: But as a start-up, the company faces challenges in this economy.
ODIO: Really, to be successful right now you have to be ready to bootstrap and to have a real business with real customers paying real money in order to have enough runway to find some kind of funding source.
BATE: That funding often comes from venture capital firms, “VCs,” in start-up lingo. Those firms get their money from sources like university endowments or pension funds. But money manager Michael Farr says stocks in institutional portfolios have taken a hit this year, meaning investments in venture capital now take up a bigger portion of the pie.
MICHAEL FARR, PRESIDENT, FARR, MILLER & WASHINGTON: When that happens, and institutions say, I now have a much — an over-allocation to private equity, to venture capital, to these alternative investments and hedge funds, I’m not going to commit any more capital. In fact, I’d like to reduce that.
BATE: That means less money for venture funds and less money for start- up companies like PointAbout.
ODIO: It’s difficult right now. And for inexperienced entrepreneurs, I would say it’s probably not worth even looking.
BATE: Roger Novak runs venture capital firm Novak Biddle.
ROGER NOVAK, GENERAL PARTNER, NOVAK BIDDLE VENTURE PARTNERS: This is a time where cash is king.
BATE: He says even before the economy nose-dived, VCs had become increasingly cautious about funding start-ups.
NOVAK: This has been exacerbated by the current problem. And that has caused people — a lot of people to say, if a company doesn’t have $5 million in revenues, I’m not interested.
BATE: With only three paying customers, PointAbout hasn’t hit that $5 million mark. For now, Odio says he’s focusing on building his business until conditions improve.
ODIO: We’ve been having what I call the “first date” conversations with a lot of VCs where we’re just getting to know them but we haven’t asked them for money yet. But we want to make sure that they know what we’re doing and that we’re here.
BATE: Some business leaders worry the current environment could curtail U.S. innovation if no one is willing to fund companies at the earliest stages of development. But keep in mind, some of today’s biggest companies were founded during tough economic times: just look at Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT). Dana Bate, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Washington.
Point About (iPhone app) Do you find yourself in a hurry, walking down Connecticut Avenue wondering where the closest Metro is, Dupont Circle or Farragut North, and what time the train is coming? Point About is a real-time, location-aware D.C. alerting tool for the iPhone, which includes crime reports, building permits and more, all from where you are standing.
PointAbout just announced today that it has extended the functionality of the iPhone’s accelerometer to the web.
This means that clients who use PointAbout to distribute their web applications as native iPhone applications will have access to the accelerometer functionality of the phone. (To learn more about private-labeling PointAbout’s springboard for your mobile website click here.)
This is quite significant because the accelerometer information is not typically accessible to websites. However, with PointAbout acting as the “bridge” between the phone itself and the web, clients are now able to do all types of innovative things, such as:
- determine where the user is physically standing (latitude & longitude, or we can reverse-geocode to the nearest physical mailing address)
- determine the unique device ID of the phone (so you’ll know when a phone is returning to your site after having been away; this can also be used as log-in credentials)
- phone vibration feature; allows you to make the phone vibrate when certain actions are taken by the user
- accelerometer functionality, as shown in the video above, from the user’s phone to your website, wrapped with PointAbout’s thin-client springboard!
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Thinking of making your own iPhone application? Stop! Here are five really good reasons to consider PointAbout’s approach instead:
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