Oh, how the “splinternet” is growing! Each day a new device with its own unique requirements wants to visit your web site. How do you deliver your content to each visitor?
Onswipe Demo Video from Onswipe on Vimeo.
In the WordPress ecosystem, you can manage this with plug-ins, bundles of code that give your site special superpowers. For example, this site uses the Carrington Mobile theme for mobile devices. When an iPhone visits the site, WP does a browser detect and serves the Carrington version of the site. Easy.
While Carrington does have a pro version that supports the iPad, a new plug-in called OnSwipe raises the ante. Using HTML5, Onswipe delivers a true App-like experience to visitors who use the iPad. It performs much like FlipBoard, but the experience is delivered through the Safari browser.
OnSwipe reformats your site for landscape or portrait orientations, and pulls a graphic from your most recent post as a splash screen. You can also control type and colors from the Appearance menu inside your WordPress install. You can also install a “favorites” icon on your iPad screen to call the site directly (here’s how to do it).
While the overall effect isn’t quite as slick as a dedicated app, you can effectively crash the app store with OnSwipe, publishing what you want, when you want. It’s a big plus to not have to wonder when you’ll be approved by Apple.
If you’re not a WordPress user, OnSwipe has created other options for publishers that is available by invitation. If you would like to see a well-implemented version of OnSwipe technology for a magazine, grab your iPad and head on over to Marie Claire.
Develop content once and share it in multiple formats, effortlessly. We’re getting there.
Read more:
Technology Review: Forget Custom iPad Magazines: Onswipe Turns Any Site Into One
ZDNet: Onswipe plugin creates iPad-friendly WordPress sites
Thanks to Robert Tolley at Greteman Group and Amy DeVault at Wichita State for the heads up.
Leave a Reply