Will Fluther ever release an iPhone app?
Asked by
Jamkas (
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)
February 2nd, 2009
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18 Answers
I don’t know if they will, but if they did, I would use it!
An iPhone-optimized Fluther can be accessed at http://iphone.fluther.com – note this is not an app, just a special way of looking at the site.
Their web app (URL above) is excellent, and a non-web app is likely not a priority for them because their product is all about interaction online…
I’d use a peppy, little, iPhone app if you made one.
I agree with Megan64. As much as the webApps are fun, I’d love a little fluther icon I could tap and flick through recent questions, post a question on the go, and respond to questions when I had time on the go. I can totally see all the graphics in my head too. ^___^
That’s what the iPhone Fluther site does now. You’d have to get online to use it, so there’s no benefit to a standalone app.
They will likely keep with the iPhone version of their website instead of making an app.
There are many reasons to be discouraged from making an iPhone app. First off, it costs about $100 to get access to the SDK and other knowledge in order to start coding the app. Then, you can put it on the App Store, but if Apple doesn’t like the app for whatever reason they can take it down and you get no compensation for the time and effort spent in developing it. And then there’s the issue about price. Who would be willing to pay for a Fluther app when you can get the exact same functionality for free via the iPhone website? You’d have to give it away in order to get more iPhone users to come join the site… and from the plethora of iPhone related questions and iPhone-question asking newbies who ask their question, take the answers, but don’t ever give answers back to the community, I don’t think this is really the type of user they want to encourage to participate.
Best of all, you can bookmark the site from Safari and put the bookmark icon on your iPhone/iPod Touch app screen, so Dr J is still a part of your device. Win.
I’m confused. What’s the difference between an app and what I’m on now? I thought an app was just a different form of an existing site, making it easier to access from iPhone. I guess since I had a fluther icon on my page I automatically assumed it was an app. I never knew there was a difference.
An app is actually something you download from the App Store. It’s a stand alone application that does not run in Safari. It can store its own data, can be run without an internet connection (although this would be a problem for a site like Fluther which requires the internet), et cetera. Basically an app is like a program for your iPod/iPhone. Many apps are free but many apps cost money, ranging from 99 cents up to a few hundred dollars.
Fluther, however is just a website that’s been optimized for the iPhone’s display size and ergonomics (such as bigger links because you’re using your thumb and not a mouse). You do not need to install anything to make an optimized webpage display. You access it through the Safari web browser, and requires an internet connection to use. You can create website bookmarks and put them on the iPhone/iPod’s icon pages, and if the website has set it up right, you will see the icon they choose to display. Otherwise it often shows a screenshot of the site scaled down a bit. Accessing such websites usually don’t cost money.
Another difference: you can access iPhone websites through your regular browser. For example you can go to iphone.fluther.com and see the iPhone version of the site. Apps, for the most part, cannot be accessed without using your iPod Touch/iPhone.
There’s no point in an app, the web app is just fine!
yea, i went to fluther on my iphone safari, went to the mobile version, and saved it as a bookmark on my iphone homepage, it put the fluther icon and everything! its amazing, and its formatted great to view on the iphone. why make an app when they can do this? check it out
bookmark is prob the wrong word (although thats what it is) i saved it as an icon, like an app. click the + icon in safari then it says “add to home screen”
@futurelaker88 yeah that’s how I originally got it, I think that’s why I confused it as an app.
Sweet just gonna have a look!
It’s a great webapp, but I hope they make a “real” app, largely to promote themselves to iPhone users. It’s frustrating to see Aardvark get all this attention, when Fluther is so much better! (imho)
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