Web Spiders, Inc., the premier global Web 2.0 Rich Internet and Rich Mobile Application (RIA) product development company for entrepreneurs and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) will be exhibiting (Booth no. 1021) its latest Silverlight, Windows Mobile and Flex solutions at the Microsoft Partner Conference, July 7-10, in Houston, TX. Web Spiders will also be serving as a bronze level sponsor of this event.

Continuing its leadership in the RIA & RMA space, Web Spiders is expanding its enterprise scale RIA development offerings, adding Microsoft’s new Silverlight application platform. In addition, as demand continues to build for improved rich applications in the mobile space, Web Spiders has launched a center of excellence for Rich Apps for mobile phone platforms such as Windows Mobile, Blackberry and iPhone.

“Our customers are leading-edge product companies and entrepreneurs who are looking at launching the next “Rich” version of their Web or Mobile Apps,” said Siddharth “Sid” Jhunjhunwala, Web Spiders’ CEO. “We are extremely pleased to add Silverlight to our portfolio along with Adobe Flex, as this offers a compelling value proposition to the ISV and entrepreneurial community.”

Web Spiders’ RIA and RMA development services, which are delivered using a dual-shore model between US and India, have been receiving outstanding praise from clients including that of Tim Hamilton, CEO of Astonish Design who observed: “Web Spiders has provided a highly engaging and functional Web Application for one of our major clients. Leveraging Rich Internet (RIA) Web 2.0 development services, Web Spiders delivered with quality, on time and with a real sense of partnership with my business and clients.”

Another leading ISV, Daniel Saaty, Vice President of Decision Lens noted: “We look toward Web Spiders to provide an extremely innovative GUI and usability for our specialized and highly complex web application. Their approach to development and quality processes has been a strong benefit to our business and investors.”

At the conference, Web Spiders will demonstrate examples of its Rich Internet and Rich Mobile offerings on Silverlight and Flex, including examples of a Car Configurator developed for Mitsubishi Motors, a Rich Mobile App developed for Samsung and several other applications developed for leading ISVs, Entrepreneurs and Corporations.

Web Spiders’ Sr. Account Director for North America, Stephen Harris was interviewed while exhibiting at the Interop/Software 2008 conference in Las Vegas. Stephen explains how Web Spiders, the premier product development company, can provide Rich Internet Applications for ISVs and corporations seeking a competitive advantage online:

Internet World is UK’s largest digital business show, and the 17th Internet World event in London, held this time from 29th April to 1st May, was yet again a showstopper. This event features industry leaders like BBC Worldwide and Google amongst its speakers, and it has consistently been able to attract heavyweight keynote speakers like ITV, MySpace and Nokia. Web Spiders was once again a bright star in such a luminous constellation.

In addition to showcasing our expertise in eCommerce, Social Networking, “No Refresh” Technology and Mobile Applications, our primary focus was on customised Web 2.0/ RIA (Rich Internet Applications) development and Snockles (Social Software for Businesses). Our 1-Page Checkout and Desktop Widgets also attracted a lot of interest. Web Spiders CEO Sid (Siddharth Jhunjhunwala) presented on the subject “Enterprise 2.0 – Social is good for Business” in the Web 2.0 theatre.

Internet World, true to tradition, attracted a serious business audience interested in the key issues relating to online strategy. Over the 3 day period, we interacted with thousands of attendees and had the opportunity to educate business decision makers on the latest developments in the market and future trends. 

To know more about our offerings, visit Web Spiders online and learn how we can radically change your business with the help of the latest Web technology.

Stephen Harris, VP/ Sr. Acct Director (North America) explains how Rich Internet Applications (RIA) Flex can be used on a B2C web site, featuring Web Spiders’ “No Refresh Technology”. Stephen was interviewed while exhibiting at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco:

Once again, Web Spiders will be sponsoring trade shows across North America discussing Rich Internet Applications (RIA) and our “No Refresh” Technology. First stop is Atlanta, GA where we are a Silver Sponsor at 360|Flex. This event, which we also sponsored last year in Seattle, focuses on the Flex/RIA development community – with some of the top names in the field providing education and product updates. For Web Spiders, this is a great opportunity to meet with developers and agencies – to discuss how we can help them to overcome resource capacity issues, and even join the Web Spiders team.

We now offer North America based on-site RIA/Flex services on a 1099 or Corp-to-Corp basis, so this event helps us identify where the opportunities exist and get to know developers too that will help fill these jobs under the Web Spiders banner. And we also learn what is up and coming in this exciting area of development.

Watch for updates from the 360|Flex show and look for Web Spiders at future events. So far we are sponsors at the Reilly Web 2.0 Conference (SF) and Software 2008 (Vegas). - Stephen Harris

At the Technology for Marketing & Advertising (TFM&A 2008) exhibition, UK’s only dedicated event delivering digital, data and CRM solutions for marketing, media and advertising professionals, Web Spiders again made its presence felt strongly in the international arena.

During the 2-day event (12th-13th February, 2008) at Earls Court 2, London, Web Spiders exhibited its expertise in eCommerce, Social Networking, Desktop Widgets, Mobile Applications and Web 2.0/ Rich Internet Application development in front of thousands of visitors.

This year at TFM&A, the number of visitors increased by more than 50% to witness the fantastic line-up of keynote speakers, two-tier Google University, CIM Marketing Experience sessions and the many reputed international suppliers demonstrating the latest and most cutting-edge solutions. The free case-study led seminars covering data, CRM and digital, and the excellent industry networking were added attractions.

Web Spiders showcased the following:

• Why Social Networking is good for Business

Web Spiders’ Snockles for Enterprises provides a scalable (no user limit), on-demand (no maintenance overhead and quick go-live) and mobile phone integrated social software for businesses to achieve the same level of collaboration and networking as with consumer social networking sites.

• Reducing customer abandonment of shopping carts with single page checkout and “no refresh”

According to figures from Marketing Sherpa, the average abandonment rate for shopping carts is 60%, of which 12% give up before hitting the checkout. Web Spiders can help reduce abandonment by making the shopping process easy, informative and responsive.

• Desktop Widgets (Gadgets) - create a 24/7 bond with your customers

By providing bespoke development of Widgets, Web Spiders can produce a customized opt-in marketing solution that helps to generate customer loyalty and repeat business.

Web Spiders has been focused on delivering responsive digital solutions for more than 10 years. To know more about how such cutting-edge digital solutions can help your business, visit our website at www.webspiders.com.

Rich Internet Applications are the latest buzz in the software industry. A new generation of web applications has come of age with RIA technologies. With RIA, user interface has become richer than ever.

RIA has redefined user interactivity on web pages. In fact, the whole concept of a web page has been rewritten. With RIA, users request and get information on the same screen. No refresh, and no waiting! This is something very important for web applications that run e-stores. Customers get more freedom in browsing the store from the comfort of a single page, all the while adding products to the shopping cart. Moreover, user interfaces have become much more sophisticated with RIA technologies. Designers can use more graphics, animation, with sound effects in applications developed on RIA platform.

RIA products are so varied and sophisticated that choosing the most suitable one might turn out to be a bit confusing. AJAX and Flex are the two technologies primarily used for developing RIA products. For granting end users unlimited access, AJAX based web solutions are the best. AJAX based products also rank high in terms of reliability, scalability, availability, security and above all, maintenance. On the other hand, Flex is more suitable if the designer plans to use lots of animation in the application.

AJAX and Flex has given user interactivity a new meaning. In Web Spiders, Flex and AJAX are being variously used to create more sophisticated user interfaces in web applications. You can check out www.webspiders.com for more information regarding RIA.

Web Spiders completed this years UK exhibition circuit at the World of Learning Conference and Exhibition (14^th – 15^th November 2007) in the NEC, Birmingham as the final leg of the “Say no to refresh” tour.

This event provided the ideal showcase on how Web Spiders’ full range of skills can provide a complete elearning solution; from researching/ writing training course material and assessments through to providing an appropriate on-line learning platform for easy administration by the tutor, and interactive responsive experience for the student (using Rich Internet Applications).

Neil Burton, Web Spiders UK & Europe Business Development Manager commented: “We had a good couple of days meeting organisations from various sectors, not just from education establishments, and the specific areas of interest from visitors was varied. Web Spiders Nalanda LMS, eBooks, Web Recruiter, eGames demonstrations were well received and interest in Web Spiders translation services was also pleasing.”

However the real buzz on the stand was around Web Spiders soon to be released social networking platform ‘Snockles’. Snockles Enterprise will be a social networking platform specifically aimed for business use; whether you are logged into Snockles on your desktop, or are offline with mobile phone access, this will keep the communication channels open.

Visitors grasped the concept very quickly and were dreaming up their own uses for Snockles. A few comments below -

“… lecturers could connect with other lecturers when researching or writing a course module for their comments or ideas.”

“… students will use this as a way to quickly find out answers to questions.”

“This could be good for project work; stakeholders are kept aware of any dramatic changes…”

Web Spiders exhibited at eCommerce expo (30^th-31^st October 2007) in Olympia, London as a continuation of the “Say No to Refresh” worldwide tour.

This event proved to be very successful with the attraction of Web Spiders Rich Internet Applications, developed in Adobe Flex, AIR and AJAX, providing highly responsive eApplications and Web sites.

Neil Burton, Web Spiders UK & Europe Business Development Manager commented:

“Visitors to our stand were captivated by the demonstrations and how Web Spiders is harnessing the power of Web 2.0 technologies for the benefit of eCommerce”.

“Grabbing the attention in particular was the strength of using Desktop Widgets as a powerful marketing tool, 1 page shopping check out cart to reduce abandonment and eBooks for interactive catalogues as well as product users manuals.”

“Decision makers are recognizing how an edge can be gained over competitors through great performance as well as advanced search and filter capabilities to help customers purchase on-line, delivering real Return on Investment through this channel.”

You can send us your comments or suggestions at the Web Spiders website.

In a competitive market, a greater consumer satisfaction can tip the revenue balance towards you; and this is where Rich Internet Applications are so useful. The software industry is still exploring the full potential of RIA technologies with the primary focus on enhancing the usability of web applications.

How is RIA different from traditional Web Applications?

In traditional web applications, there is a limit to the interactivity that can be added to a single page. Once the on-page options are exhausted, the user has to refresh the page and a new page is downloaded. This often leads to delays, during which users may get tired of waiting or potential customers may change their minds about buying a product. With RIA technologies, the client computer and the server can communicate without page refreshes. In this way, web applications can support more complex and diverse user interactivity within a single screen. Requested information appears on the same screen upon which information request was registered. This allows real time user interaction.

Richness of RIA

Besides increased user interactivity, RIA technologies have also redefined the use of graphics, sound and animations in revitalizing the user interface. RIA technologies offer more options for designing a visual interface. Graphic formats designed using RIA technologies use network bandwidth sparingly. With RIA, designers can use more graphics and sound throughout the website. Rich Internet Applications are an entirely new experience for the end user.

Flex and AJAX are the latest buzz in the realm of Rich Internet Applications. At Web Spiders, Flex and AJAX are being used to create more sophisticated user interfaces in web applications. Web Spiders has been a pioneer in providing solutions using RIA technologies like Flex and AJAX. You can visit Web Spiders for more information in this respect.