The times they are a changin’… certainly in the way people get their news. This is especially true for the youth demographic who live and breathe by their cell phones.
As a result, I’ve been noodling about how to get this blog content onto iPhones given all the web-based tools that allow developers to build an iPhone App. It seems logical that a blogger would want to create an app for the millions of iPhone users, right? Sure it’s easy enough to call up a blog site on the Safari browser by typing in the URL, but wouldn’t it be much easier to push an icon button on the iPhone app screen and the like magic the blog content is there on your mobile device? Complete with rich media. And while we’re at it how about having the ability to jump to the Flickr photos and then over to Vodpod/YouTube to watch recent video posts?
Well…drum roll please….that day is here. I’ve developed an application and placed it on the blog (under the calendar, right side). There are a couple methods to get this application. With your iPhone browser go to NWHOG and click on the app icon under the calendar. Or go directly HERE. Once the page loads for the first time, you’ll see a pop-up that instructs you to tap the ‘+’ sign, then tap the ‘Add to Home Screen’ selection, and finally tap the ‘Add’ button, which will add your app icon to your iPhone app screen. Tapping the icon will start the webapp.
Some might ask, “What are you trying to accomplish with this, Mac?” My answer is simple. I don’t know. Other than to make it a little easier for mobile users to get to the blog content. Plus I needed a little science project to fill those rainy evenings — it serves no other real purpose. But, that could define much of the internet these days…
I do believe this Harley iPhone/blog application is a first. Who knows if this will take off. But, I thought it was worth a post and it serves as a reminder to Harley-Davidson corporate that they really should be doing more in the area of application development to promote or connect their customer base. Try it out and let me know how it works for you.
Northwest Harley Blog 