My name is Teun, i’m one of the founders of a little company called Self Made Miracle (http://www.selfmademiracle.nl). During a previous project we learned about the Imp, and got really enthusiastic about its possibilities. Currently we are planning developing an iPhone application that allows for basic data to be sent from an iPhone to the Imp. We want to submit this app to the App Store so that developers who don’t have access to an Apple developer license can also play with the possibilities of connecting your iPhone to an imp, besides the app will also be a quick tool to just mess around with the imp.
Currently we are thinking of sending accelerometer, gyroscope and GPS data to the imp. Through the app’s UI any user is able to select what data to send and the interval in between data packets.
We are looking for new ideas for this app, and are trying to find out if there is enough interest from the Imp community.
Anyway, we’d like to hear your ideas/comments/input!
It is a good idea. I happen to have an Apple dev license, so I can make all the apps that I please, but for everyone else it would be great to have a generic type app that you could plug in variables to.
For example, I set up a garage door opener using the imp, and created an IOS app that just had a simple button that sent HTTP with parameters to my imp. I’m sure that type of thing would come in handy for lots of projects. Maybe just a utility app where you could define the name of several buttons, and then input the address of your imp and one or more parameters. Its a great idea. If you guys don’t create one, maybe I’ll put one together.
You got me interested in the idea, so I mocked up somethings simple that would just allow you to enter your IMP URL and then give you two buttons and two switches, and allow you to name them and enter whatever values you want to send with the HTTP request. Comments on this anyone?
No need to jailbreak, these will be legit apps. I have a simple app nearly complete, just need to test it a bit and see if Apple will accept it. This will be my first iOS app on the App Store as all the rest have been personal or for work.
Just a little question: is it really necessary to do all this with legacy apps?
Most (all) of those functions can work with simple HTML for the interface and some PHP behind, or HTML5 if want to make it looks better (but loosing compatibility).
Look at this ugly video, made with less than 40 lines of PHP:
I think that a nice idea could be put together an open set of functions that can be used to deploy very quickly an interface compatible with any broswer.
I would agree with you about a web app being highly useable, and cross platform. I guess I like the nice iOS user interface objects for one, and there is some added security in that there isn’t a web application out there that someone could find and trigger my garage door/security system/whatever. You could certainly add security to a web app, but its pretty convenient to just have it behind a locked smartphone.
Also, not everyone knows how to, or wants to build web apps, so “imp apps” would provide an easy smartphone interface.
I’ve got mine functionally ready. Two buttons and two switches with assignable names and values. I just need to pretty it up and submit it.
I was going to call mine the Imp Buddy, but since it could be used for any project that passes HTTP, I think I’ll call it the IoT Buddy. (Internet of Things).
@Teun, I’m not clearly understand idea because on current stage iPhone cannot directly communicate with imp. Or vice versa. It’s necessary to connect to imp cloud via wireless, at least for warm start.
Make iPhone app is easy - iOS SDK have an web example, as I can remember (I haven’t do anything with iOS for several years) or something similar.
Besides, until imp cannot perform cold start (we all waiting for that), there are a lot of projects around.
To give better idea/solution, we need to discuss more in details…
Nothing will ever communicate directly with the imp. Its always over the imp cloud/servers. I love the ios app for the imp…I have android but not ios control!
