This Tuesday, Israel-based Dapper will launch the private beta of Facebook AppMaker, a new tool that the company claims will provide people with a dead simple way to create new Facebook applications.
At its core, Dapper allows users to create API’s called “Dapps” by selecting data from Websites, RSS/XML feeds, Google Gadgets, and more. Each “Dapp” is an XML which can be manipulated in any number of ways. The company released a tool to create Netvibes modules in late 2006.
Dapper’s Facebook AppMaker lets these Dapps be transformed into full-blown Facebook applications. This includes functionalities such as remote search and retrieval, remote login, and multi-page apps. A Facebook Developer account is a prerequisite to the AppMaker process itself.
The test app I created was an effortless process: I created a Dapp, entered it in the AppMaker wizard, entered the appropriate Facebook’s API/Secret keys, saved and installed. While creating a Dapp was not a sophisticated process on Dapper’s side, it certainly could be more intuitive. I found the Facebook side of the process to require a higher degree of technological aptitude.
Dapper is debuting the AppMaker with an Answers.com application that features three applets: Word of the Day, Today in History, and Do You Have the Answers? Another already available app is Go2Web20’s. Expect an additional application to be launched in the next couple of days with a “high-profile” media player.
Headed by Eran Shir (CEO) and Jon Aizen (CTO), Dapper employs a team of 15 and is in the midst of setting-up an office in San Francisco. In 2006, the company secured a $1.2M funding round from Accel Partners. The company first launched in August 2006 and we covered them as part of a roundup post along with Yahoo Pipes, Teqlo, Proto and OpenKapow in March 2007.
Sign-up for beta access by emailing techcrunch@dapper.net.
kinda wish I had this a month ago. I’ll have to give it a try with another site that I’m building.
Sounds cool, I wish I could build an app on facebook to have sex online…
This is the smart way to think. Facebook App are a big business and what better than to make something that makes app. Going bigger is the smart way. I wish I would of thought about it first.
Roi, thanks for the writeup. I hope we’ll see a lot of FB apps emerging with the AppMaker in the coming weeks.
Those of you who want to read a bit more about it, we’ve just posted a blog post on it: http://dapper.wordpress.com/20.....lications/
Those of you who are applying to get into the beta, please include the URL of your site to build an app for.
Thanks,
Eran
I have to say that I do love Dapper. They are great, no doubt… My only concern is, if an entrepreneur seriously wants to take Dapper’s solution into consideration, the cost of doing so is very important. Dapper will obviously also want a piece of the pie if the application becomes truly successful. Does one really want to bring in another middleman into the process?
Aydin.
http://www.bOKnow.com
Weird…Does anyone here use Google maps?
I was watch Miss Teen South Carolina 2007 on Youtube. I find it funny. Miss Carolina said
“I personally believe that US Americans are unable to do so, because some … people out there in our nation don’t have maps, and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and the Iraq everywhere like, such as and … I believe that they should, that our education over here in the US should help the US, errr, that should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries *ding* so we will be able to build up our futures.”
I think it’s a great idea. I was just looking to see how can I create a facebook app and this comes in handy.
I will sign up for the beta now.
just what the world needs, more kind of cute, but but basically worthless facebook applications that don’t do anything new. Oh boy, word of the day and this day in history. Soooooo 1997.
Maybe Mark Cuban is right!
because that’s just what we need more FaceBook apps?
Sounds great!
Sounds cool!
Of course the idea for an applications is more important than the technology. That is what we are trying to do at the Flat Planet Phone Co. If you have an idea for a voice app, you can launch it almost immediately!
More of the S.O.S and it keeps getting deeper every day. I agree, maybe Mark Cuban hit the nail on the head.
Why doesn’t every site on the web just give up the ghost? Nothing matters except FaceBook. Ya think not? Just ask the folks here at TC.
This sounds like a timely offering. Can’t wait to try it out.
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http://www.fantasysportsmatrix.com
Facebook is becoming a marketing gold mine.
FacebookCrunch
Can I build applications from an excel spreadsheet?
Never understood the interest for this company. Mike why do you think there is a value in building tones of useless facebook applications? don’t you think there are enough of those already?
Great article. Working with Dapper has been awesome so far, and Answers.com is looking forward to more Dapper-inspired Facebook apps.
Liz
Chief BlogWatcher
Answers.com
Sorry for the intrusion here folks. I’ve got some ideas for FB apps and need the help of some developers. If interested, let me know.
Gracias.
Why has dapper to run inside Facebook? I think that is only a “marketing app”.
Also, if you use a browser based service like iMacros (instead of Dapper), your mashups work on/with all websites and you can even “distribute” them via a simple link like http://tinyurl.com/2on7j3