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How to Build an App: Temboo Offers Flexibility and Power

So you want to create a new app, but you’ve never written a line of code, and you don’t have the budget to hire a developer?

You could use a newbie-friendly app like AppGeyser, but it’s only for Android Apps. You could try Google’s App Inventor, but according to a NY Times article, “App Inventor will not, in fact, permit average, nontechnical people to write their own apps unaided.” How about GameSalad? Simple enough —vbut the “drag and drop” style of app building certainly has its limitations, especially if you’re looking to create something more than your average app.

Stepping into the void where users can create smart and easily designed apps is Temboo, which aims to change the way you think about app design, whether you’re a newbie or a veteran developer.

The designers, Jean-Baptiste Leonelli, and Trisalda Chandaria presented Temboo at the October NY Tech Meetup. Interestingly, neither Leonelli or Chandaria are programmers. Their goal? Simply to make building apps, “more available to regular people.” Temboo’s library offers over 100 application programming interfaces (APIs) — covering everything from social media to the United States Postal Service.

Those APIs are broken down by lines and snippets of code called “Choreos,” or code shortcuts. According to the website, they’re local XML codes that run in a cloud, and they make everything happen — from “[handling] common development tasks” to “[deploying] from your own code.”

There are over 1,500 of them. Although it’s clear from sheer numbers that Temboo leans toward non-profit and civic-minded apps; there’s also a solid collection of pre-made code for things like music and video functions.

“We’re trying to change the way developers work … using the language they do,” says Trisalda Chandaria, one of Temboo’s designers.

Because Temboo writes the basic code for you, you can focus on building “apps of a different magnitude,” adds Chandaria. Because codes are editable, you can tweak them to fit your needs.

What sets Temboo apart is not just its usability and power  it’s also the fact that the designers are highly attuned to the needs of their users. They make that clear on the website, where they say, “If there’s some way [they] can help you better develop your mobile app/software/however-you-use-Temboo,” they want you to get in touch.

Temboo’s plans start at free  for 10,000 calls/month, 512 MB, 20 credentials, and one application key. As apps gain momentum, users can move up to the $9 level (25,000 calls/month, 1 GB data/month, 200 credentials, 3 application keys), or contact the designers to create a custom plan that works with your unique needs.

Images courtesy of Cienpies Design/shutterstock

 

 

 

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