Two-man startup AppLoop has added to its suite of self-service tools for iPhone developers by launching App Generator, which automatically turns any blog with an RSS feed into a native iPhone app modeled after that of the The New York Times.
To create an app, all you have to do is answer a series of questions for the App Generator’s setup wizard. These include your blog’s address, name, icon and logo, as well as how much you’d like to charge for your application (if anything) and what color scheme you’d like to use. Once you finish the form (and verify that you are indeed the owner of the domain in question), AppLoop will submit your application to Apple for approval and, once approved, you can start promoting it to your readers.
The first version of these self-service apps are fairly basic. You can browse a list of the most recent posts, save your favorite posts, and share posts with friends via email, Facebook or Twitter. Blog content is also cached so you can read it when finding yourself in cellular dead zones.
AppLoop plans to add several advanced features in the future, including categories for multiple-feeds, comments and ratings, archive search, and even location-awareness so you can see what other people in your area are reading and saving. They might even roll out support for media RSS so you can display a photo gallery like The New York Times’. With the impending arrival of the T-Mobile G1, AppLoop will soon let you create apps for both the iPhone and Android platforms at the same time.
We’ve submitted an application for TechCrunch using AppLoop and will announce its availability once approved.
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1980009&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1
iPhone Application Generator Demo from AppLoop on Vimeo.
