RustyBrick, Inc. - All News & Blogs

The RustyBrick Baby Girl Streak Is Over

Barry Schwartz — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:31:43 EDT

I am so excited and a bit relieved to say that the RustyBrick baby girl streak is officially over!

Mordy had a healthy baby boy a few days ago!

About two months ago, Ronnie had the tenth baby girl and then about 4 weeks ago, I had the eleventh baby girl born to the RustyBrick family.

Note, there were no boys born to RustyBrick Geeks during their employment at RustyBrick before Mordy broke that streak earlier this week.

Number twelve is a baby boy! Here is a picture:

Maybe this will set a new streak for the company to have eleven boys in a row?

Congrats Mordy and your wife on your beautiful new baby boy!

Image credit to ShutterStock & Mordy

Source: The RustyBrick Baby Girl Streak Is Over at RustyBrick.

The Day I Realized My Wife Is Geekier Than I

Ronnie Schwartz — Wed, 18 April 2012 09:14:12 EDT

On a recent trip to my inlaws, my wife, Civia, discovered a gem of history.

Turns out her 1st grade notebook was wrapped in an Apple II ad that read, "IIe or IIc. That is the question." The journal also features a Apple logo on the back and is dated August 1987 - June 1988.

Besides the improvement of penmanship, vocabulary, etc, I noticed at this moment that my wife is geekier then I.

Just amazing how the timing works. This week marked the 35th birthday of the original Apple II.

For a better look, see the IIe/IIc notebook in more detail.

Source: The Day I Realized My Wife Is Geekier Than I at RustyBrick.

Adobe Browserlab

Sebastian Puerta — Sun, 01 April 2012 11:47:20 EDT

Now that there are multiple browsers to choose from, one of the biggest obstacles in web development is making sure that your website displays and functions properly all across the board. Whether it is Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari, each browser will act differently and will require tweaks to get them to function properly. As a QA tester, this task can be quite time consuming and requires multiple environments in order to run different versions of each browser. That was until Adobe updated their Browser Lab Services.

BrowserLab allows the user to select from a variety of web browsers on multiple operating systems to ensure that their website is compatible on all popular browsers. It renders a screen shot and displays the website as it would appear on the specific browser the user has selected. A nice feature that is built in to browserlab is the “2-up-View” which splits the screen in two and allows the user to compare the site in two different web browsers side by side. This makes it easier to focus on a specific area that might require some modifications rather than switching from browser to browser. Another useful feature that Adobe Browserlab provides is the “Onion-Skin” view. This view layers two copies of the webpage on top of each other so that the user can see how well the website lines up on different browsers. My favorite feature about Adobe Browserlab is that it is an online service and there are no applications to download. Try it for yourself at browserlab.adobe.com

Source: Adobe Browserlab at RustyBrick.

Jewish Press Selects RustyBrick Siddur As The One Must Have App

Barry Schwartz — Fri, 23 March 2012 11:59:51 EDT

Yoni Glatt from the Jewish Press said in an article published yesterday in the magazine that the RustyBrick iPhone Siddur is the must have app have for any Jew with an iPhone. His words, "I can say that if I could only have one Jewish app on my iPhone the Siddur would be it."

I am biased but it is definitely the most used non-Apple App I used on my iPhone. I use email and Safari maybe a little more than I use our own Siddur. But I run into people all over the world who tell me they live by the iPhone Siddur. It is a true honor to be able to contribute our portion to the Jewish community with this Siddur.

Yoni wrote:

I remember that before getting an iPod touch (and later an iPhone), I would carry a tiny siddur in my wallet. It certainly added unwanted bulk, awkwardly making my wallet protrude from my pocket. I immediately downloaded a free app with tefillah on it, but then came across the Siddur app – and became sincerely awed. It had full prayer services in Ashkenaz, Sephard, and nusach Ari, could find a shul or minyan near your current location, and had a full luach with daily z’manim. For these reasons alone, I felt (and still feel) that it’s worth the $9.99 price tag. And that was only the early version of the app. Two weeks ago RustyBrick updated the Siddur app to version 5.0.

The Jewish Week a few weeks ago listed seven of our apps as the top 30 Jewish apps in the Apple iTunes App Store. Now to see the Jewish Press say that if they were only allowed on app on their device, it would be our Siddur App, that is tremendously meangingful for us.

We are really excited for the future and working with Artscroll, with endless rich content, the possibilities are endless. Hold on - exciting things to come.

Image credit to ShutterStock.

Source: Jewish Press Selects RustyBrick Siddur As The One Must Have App at RustyBrick.

Keynote At SEMSEO Germany Conference

Barry Schwartz — Thu, 22 March 2012 10:07:08 EDT

I am honored to be the keynote speaker for the upcoming SEMSEO conference taking place in Hanover, Germany on June 15, 2012.

The German press release is out and lucky me, there is Google Translate.

Hanover, 22 March 2012 - Speaker-coup for the sixth SEMSEO! Barry Schwartz, CEO of RustyBrick, is the keynote speaker at the conference on 15 June in Hannover hold. The American SEO expert and founder of the "Search Engine Roundtable," and co-author of the popular blog "Search Engine Land" speaks for the first time at a German conference. The theme will get a recap of the major Google update and what changes the algorithm on SEOs and webmasters in Europe yet. Barry Schwartz has been one of the most sought after consultants, the U.S. media when it comes to SEO. Schwartz thus represents a worthy prelude to the SEMSEO, which features traditionally associated with high-profile keynote speakers. Last year, inspired Vanessa Fox, the founder of Google Webmaster Tools, the 600 conference participants.

"We are proud to have won with Barry one of the most popular heads of global SEO scene for our keynote address. This shows how important the SEMSEO has become internationally as a conference and networking event," says Uwe Tippmann, CEO of ABAKUS Internet marketing, will accompany the SEMSEO 2012 with Alan Webb as a moderator.

Alan Webb and I go back about ten years now. I haven't heard from him in maybe 5-7 years and then I get an email from his asking if I'd speak. True honor! Alan Webb is one of the leading SEO experts in Germany. So a true honor.

You can see the full agenda plus pictures from last year where Vanessa Fox did the keynote. A tough act to follow up on.

My focus will be on the history of Google's updates and based on that history, what can you expect to happen in the future. Instead of being reactive to Google updates, think a few steps ahead and be proactive.

Last year I was privileged to speak in Spain. So I am really happy about continuing the international tour. The only issue, I need to brush up on my German.

For all those near Hanover, please attend the conference. I'd love to meet the SEOs and SEMs out there.

Source: Keynote At SEMSEO Germany Conference at RustyBrick.

CMT Insider App Featured As Apple Staff Favorite

RustyBrick — Thu, 15 March 2012 00:00:00 EDT

On March 5, 2012 the CMT Insider App was published to the Apple App Store. 10 days later Apple has featured it in the Staff Favorites section of the App Store.

RustyBrick was contracted by MTV Networks to build out CMT Insider iPhone and iPad app. The app is designed to give you access to the biggest country stars in the world. The features include:

Watch exclusive music videos and clips from your favorite CMT shows.
Customize a grid of your favorite artists.
Read articles sorted by artist or browse all of the latest headlines.
Scroll through celebrity photos from CMT events and more.
Find out when your favorite artists will be touring near you.
Share news articles and photos on Facebook, Twitter, SMS or e-mail a friend.
Listen to your favorite songs and discover new music from your favorite artists with Rhapsody audio clips added to each artist's profile./li>

We are honored that MTV selected us for the iPhone app development and honored that Apple picked it as a Staff Favorite.

About CMT
CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.

About RustyBrick, Inc.
RustyBrick is a New York Web service firm specializing in customized online technology that helps companies decrease costs and increase sales. RustyBrick's Web services include; Web page design, Web development, logo design, e-commerce, mobile Web development, iPhone development, search engine optimization and more. Since 1994, RustyBrick has been creating Web software for businesses and organizations of all kinds.

RustyBrick designs premier iPhone & mobile applications for the Jewish market. They also work with clients such as MTV, Harper HarperCollins, Comedy Central, Harvard University and many more.

Source: CMT Insider App Featured As Apple Staff Favorite at RustyBrick.

RustyBrick's New Social Network - The Wall

Barry Schwartz — Fri, 09 March 2012 13:14:25 EST

I have been pretty bad at updating my personal blog this year, mostly because I am out of the groove. It is not a busy issue, because I blog like mad at my search blogs and even keep this site fairly updated. The real reason is because RustyBrick and us personally here have a new place to share our content, thoughts and feelings when things are good and bad. It is our server closet wall.

Here is a picture of the wall that is updated fairly often:

For example, this morning I was upset because the internet upload speed in our office was at about 1 Mpbs. It was bad, so I called and CableVision came in and said it is an outside thing and it has been going on for over a month at the building across the street. So I decided to post a screen shot of the speed test on the company social wall.

Two minutes after posting it on the RB social wall, the upload speeds bounced back to normal. So I posted a revised speed test to show I am happy again.

Typically, when you complain about a company on Facebook or Twitter it can get a response quickly from that company. But it seems like posting a complain on the RustyBrick social wall has the same impact. ;-)

Source: RustyBrick's New Social Network - The Wall at RustyBrick.

iPhone Siddur 5.0: Gesture Support Added

RustyBrick — Wed, 29 February 2012 00:00:00 EST

Suffern, New York - RustyBrick, Inc. is happy to introduce version 5.0 of the iPhone Siddur. The new version supports Apple's multi-touch gestures by enabling full screen mode, swipe to flip to a new section and pinch for font size controls.

"Currently, we have created the smartest Siddur [Jewish Prayer Book] on the planet," Barry Schwartz, the CEO of RustyBrick said. "Version 5.0 is our attempt at not just making the Siddur the smartest but also the easiest to use," Schwartz added.

Full Screen Mode:

Remove the navigation bars from both the iPhone and iPad version of the Siddur by simply double tapping the screen with your finger. The menus will go away and put you in a mode of full concentration and devotion to the text you are saying.

Swipe To Flip Sections:

To switch from one section of the prayer to the next, now just swipe your finger from left to right (Hebrew orientation) and the page will flip to the next section. This can replace those top navigation arrows in future releases.

Pinch To Zoom:

Now with pinch to zoom, you can control the font size of the text in the app. Instead of going to the settings screen and adjusting the font size, all you need to do is pinch to zoom. This pinch to zoom feature will not have awkward wrapping issues, it will act as a font size option instead.

"The latest version, version 5.0, is one of our 60 or more updates to the Siddur since we launched three and a half years ago," said Ronnie Schwartz, RustyBrick's CTO. The feedback we get from the Jewish community has been outstanding and our strongest motivation to continue to make improvements and future thinking updates to the iPhone Siddur.

Here is a video demo of some of the new features in version 5.0:

RustyBrick designs premier iPhone & mobile applications for the Jewish market. They also work with clients such as MTV, Harper HarperCollins, Comedy Central, Harvard University and many more. RustyBrick also designed the most popular Siddur for the iPhone at http://rustybrick.com/siddur and has some of the most popular Jewish apps at http://rustybrick.com/iphone.

Source: iPhone Siddur 5.0: Gesture Support Added at RustyBrick.

Artscroll & RustyBrick To Create ArtScroll Schottenstein Talmud App

RustyBrick — Wed, 29 February 2012 00:00:00 EST

Suffern, New York - Monday night, at the Mesorah Dinner, Artscroll announced the "ArtScroll Digital Library." We at RustyBrick are responsible for designing and developing the application software for mobile devices including the Apple iPad & iPhone. We are honored to be working with the premier publisher and seller of Jewish books, Artscroll, to build out this app.

First, we will be starting with the ArtScroll Schottenstein Talmud. The ArtScroll Schottenstein Talmud will revolutionize how the Jewish world learns and studies the Talmud. By combining Artscroll's mastery of design, layout and content with our technical prowess, this application will change the world of Jewish study forever.

Some of the features include:

Page Syncing
Place Tracking
Extra Hand
Page Fusion
Hybrid Page
Floating Translation
Quick Scroll
Integrated Notes
Page Mapping
Color Coding
Show It To Me
Find It For Me
Advanced Search
Daf Yomi Map
Daf Yomi Calendar
Automatic Delivery
Monthly Subscriptions
Resizable Text
Notes
iPhone, iPad Support

Here is a video demo of what to expect by July 2012.

If you are having issues with the video, Click Here

About Artscroll
ArtScroll is the official imprint of Mesorah Publications. Based in Brooklyn NY, the company has grown from one small book, a dedicatory printing of Megillas Esther in 1976, to over 1,000 titles in stock today. ArtScroll publishes scholarly and popular works for the Jewish world from a Torah observant perspective. ArtScroll is best known for publishing the monumental, 15-year, 73-volume Schottenstein Edition of the Babylonian Talmud.

Source: Artscroll & RustyBrick To Create ArtScroll Schottenstein Talmud App at RustyBrick.

RustyBrick Dominates The Top Jewish Apps List by The Jewish Week

Barry Schwartz — Fri, 24 February 2012 13:31:54 EST

Rabbi Jason Miller (@rabbijason) posted his annual top Jewish apps list at The Jewish Week today and I am happy to say we dominated the list. Out of the 30 apps who made the top list, 7 of them are RustyBrick Jewish iPhone Apps. For those math geeks, that is 23% of the apps on that list.

The RustyBrick apps that made the list include:

I am a bit surprised Kosher app and the Jewish Radio app didn't make the list, but 23% isn't bad.

You can see Rabbi Miller's full story at The Jewish Week online over here or in this weekend's print version.

Rabbi Jason Miller can also be found on Twitter @rabbijason and he is the president of Access Computer Technology in Michigan.

Source: RustyBrick Dominates The Top Jewish Apps List by The Jewish Week at RustyBrick.

Nike+ Fuelband Launches

Sebastian Puerta — Wed, 22 February 2012 09:53:14 EST

Today Nike launches their highly anticipated Nike+ Fuelband, a very sleek and modern wristband that tracks your activity throughout the day. It tracks the time of activity, calories burned, amount of steps taken throughout the day and Nike Fuel points – a point system Nike has designed based on how active you are during the day. Once you have set up your daily goal (based on Nike Fuel points) the LEDS on the wristband will gradually move from Red to Green depending on how close you are to your goal. All the data gets uploaded to the Nike+ website through Bluetooth (Iphone App) or on your computer through USB. Although a bit pricey ($150) Nike has had no trouble running out of pre-orders multiple times earlier this month.

Nike has also announced that there will be another opportunity to purchase the fuelband later today at 5PM Est. My goal is to snag one of them along with Jimmy and Alex here at RB. This will give us an opportunity to have some friendly competition here in the office .

Source: Nike+ Fuelband Launches at RustyBrick.

Our Apps On Channel 2 Israel (ערוץ 2‎)

Barry Schwartz — Wed, 08 February 2012 17:40:09 EST

Channel Two (aka ערוץ 2‎) in Israel seems to have featured some of our apps in their segment named "יקציות בסמארטפון לחרדים" or "Orthodox Smartphone Apps." I honestly do not know Hebrew all that well, so I cannot translate the video, but here is the Hebrew and English translation from the description of the video as posted on YouTube.

First the news segment:

חדש: אפליקציות בסמארטפון לחרדים

נראה שהטלפונים החכמים כבר יודעים לעשות, ואפילו היהדות הופכת טכנולוגית יותר באמצעות המכשירים הניידים: תוכנת תפילות, איתור מקווה קרוב וגם הדלקת נרות בלחיצת כפתור -- אפליקציות חדשות הופכות את הטלפון גם לתשמיש קדושה

*מובייל מניין הינו כלי חדשני ביותר המשתמש בפסגת הטכנולוגיה כדי לאפשר ליהודים בכל העולם לקבל את כל המידע הדרוש להם בזמן אמת.
*עשרות אלפי נקודות עניין יהודיות בכל העולם. מדובר במאגר היהודי הגדול ביותר בעולם. בתי כנסת, מקוואות, מסעדות כשרות, בתי ספר, מלונות כשרים, כל הזמנים ביהדות, סידור ועוד.
*כל משתמש יכול להוסיף ולעדכן נתונים למערכת.
*ניתן לקבל גישה למערכת גם מתוך אתר האינטרנט שלנו: www.m-minyan.com , כך תוכל לתכנן את הנסיעה הבאה שלך עוד לפני שיצאת מהבית..
*הרשת החברתית הראשונה בעולם המתייחסת לצרכיהם של היהודים באשר הם. אתה יכול ליצור קשר מיידי עם משתמשים אחרים להגשמת מטרות משותפות.
*חידוש: ניתן בלחיצת כפתור לארגן מניין עם משתמשים אחרים הנמצאים ברדיוס הקרוב אליך ביותר ! נתמך ע"ג מפה (דמוי GPS) בכל מקום בעולם !
*באישור ובהמלצת גדולי ישראל, והרב הראשי לישראל.

New: Orthodox smartphone applications

Smart phones seem to already know, and even Judaism becomes more technology through mobile devices: Prayers software, finding hope and candle close at the touch of a button - new applications also become the holy relic phone

* Mobile Where is the most innovative tool for the user at the top of the technology to allow the Jews all over the world get all the information they need in real time.
* Tens of thousands of Jewish points of interest around the world. This is the largest Jewish population in the world. Synagogues, ritual baths, kosher restaurants, schools, kosher hotels, all times in Judaism, sequencing and more.
* Each user can add and update data in the system.
* You can also access the system from our website: www.m-minyan.com, so you can plan your next trip before you left home ..
* The world's first social network relates to the needs of Jews everywhere. You can create an immediate connection with other users achieve common goals.
* Request: You can organize a minyan at the touch of a button with other users in the radius near you! Supported with on a map (like GPS) anywhere in the world!
* Approval of the recommendation of the great men of Israel, and Israel's chief rabbi.

Source: Our Apps On Channel 2 Israel (ערוץ 2‎) at RustyBrick.

TravelSharkPix Launches Photo Sharing For Trips

RustyBrick — Tue, 31 January 2012 00:00:00 EST

We are proud to have worked on the latest TravelShark launch - TravelSharkPix. TravelSharkPix is a service designed to allow travelers, vacationers and Jetsetters a way to share photos of their favorite places and destinations.

There are many cool features to discuss with TravelSharkPix from uploading photos, sharing the destinations, sharing on social networks, and the chance to have your photo featured on these top travel sites (LasVegasHotels.com, SingaporeHotels.com, HotelLondon.com, VancouverHotels.com, and more. But one of my favorite features is that you can raise money for charity every time you submit a photo.

TravelShark said they will donate between $0.10 and $0.25 for every photo accepted into the TravelSharkPix database. Where will all this money go? That is up to you! TravelShark is running a charity hunt asking users to submit suggestions for charities. To learn more about that, see details on selecting charities.

Finally, check out this awesome video they made to help promote this launch:

About TravelShark

TravelShark is the world’s largest online travel network, with thousands of location-based travel websites for destinations around the globe. TravelShark connects global travelers with hyper-local travel solutions and memorable trips. TravelShark recently launched the Sharky Awards, recognizing unique and unexpected “finds” in travel, and TravelSharkPix, which allows people to share their favorite trip photos with fellow travelers looking for inspiration for their next trip. The company’s content-rich websites – including BostonHotels.com, SingaporeHotels.com, BeijingHotels.com and SeattleHotels.com – help hotels and resorts generate profitable revenue for travel companies by driving direct bookings through TravelShark’s Featured Hotel Program. TravelShark is headquartered in Singapore, with a U.S. office in Boulder, Colorado. To learn more, visit www.travelshark.com, or call +1-720-239-1280 or +65 6734 8515.

Source: TravelSharkPix Launches Photo Sharing For Trips at RustyBrick.

The Tenth Baby Born To The RustyBrick Family & All Are Girls

Barry Schwartz — Sun, 29 January 2012 21:33:14 EST

Ronnie's wife just a few hours ago had a baby girl. Congrats Ronnie and Civia!

That is their 3rd child and 3rd girl - 3 for 3! But that isn't the unusual part - what is a bit weird is that of all the kids to be born to the RustyBrick family, all of them are girls. All 10 of them!

Ronnie had 3 girls while at RustyBrick, Joe had 2 girls while at RustyBrick, Steve had 2 girls while at RustyBrick, Jimmy had 2 girls while at RustyBrick. I had a girl while at RustyBrick as well.

So Ronnie's 3rd girl makes that 10 girls to be born to the RustyBrick family with no boys yet to be born to the RustyBrick family.

The big question is, who will break the streak?

Congrats again Ronnie and Civia!

Source: The Tenth Baby Born To The RustyBrick Family & All Are Girls at RustyBrick.

Chairing SMX Israel 2012 On January 15th

Barry Schwartz — Wed, 04 January 2012 20:07:14 EST

The end of next week I travel to Israel to 'chair' SMX Israel 2012.

SMX Israel, formerly known as SphinnCon Israel, a conference I've been running since 2008, is now officially known as an Search Marketing Expo, aka SMX, event. We have grown so much in the years, moving from a free, but very nice, college to a conference hotel to make more room. And now I am worried that the conference hotel that we are in will be sold out as well.

The conference is a week from Wednesday, on January 15th - a Sunday. Earlier this week, we sold more tickets than last year's record and we still have our busiest ticket sales week to go - that is the week prior to the conference. So I expect to sell out.

We have about 50 speakers from both in Israel and around the world. We have official Google representatives. We have awesome marketers, we have outstanding experts and even some spammers joining us.

We even have more sponsors than ever before, which means a lot to me. It shows the SEO/SEM industry in Israel is being taken very seriously. I have to shout out to the sponsors, which include Majestic SEO, Analytics Ninja, Universal McCann Search, Mad Mimi, Go Internet Marketing, Rapid Fire, Responder.co.il, SEO Genie, Sorezki, SEFO, iSEO and Viruous Online.

If you are planning on coming, make sure to check out the agenda and register now - I really think we will sell out.

Hope to see you in the holy land!

Source: Chairing SMX Israel 2012 On January 15th at RustyBrick.

Miracle Lights By Shazak On iBooks

Barry Schwartz — Wed, 21 December 2011 17:28:32 EST

We have published our first iBook on Apple iTunes for one of Shazak's books named Miracle Lights.

This is just in time for Chanukah - yes, as you can tell from the name and imagery of the book, this is a Jewish book for children on the holiday of Chanukah.

You can buy it on iTunes for $9.99. I can't promise the price won't change in the future, so get it while it is hot. Here are book excerpts.

The book is beautifully designed and illustrated and having it on your iPad is a no brainer.

About The Book:

Join Benny and his Zaidy (grandfather) for the thrilling adventure of the CHANUKAH STORY!

Laugh, thrill and cheer as the action-packed adventure of Chanukah unfolds in this incredible illustrated book!

Get it today on iTunes.

Source: Miracle Lights By Shazak On iBooks at RustyBrick.

Testing 50 X-mini II Capsule Speakers

Barry Schwartz — Tue, 20 December 2011 12:40:03 EST

This year's RustyBrick holiday gift for select clients are X-Mini II Capsule Speakers (aff link). They are small speakers that can be plugged into your computer or any audio jack, such as your iPhone or Android device. You can play music out of these little small balls and the sound quality is pretty darn good.

Since we never like to ship anything out of our office that is not tested, including code - we decided to test them out. We actually found a bad one, out of the fifty.

We tested them by daisy chaining them all together and plugging them into my iPad while listening to Weapon Of Choice - Fatboy Slim on YouTube. Check it out:

Happy Holidays All!

Source: Testing 50 X-mini II Capsule Speakers at RustyBrick.

A Geekier Way To Manage Playdates

RustyBrick — Mon, 05 December 2011 00:00:00 EST

Have kids? Then you know how managing your children's playdates can become a true hassle. Between figuring out which of your children's friends your kids want to play with, the location, the timing, risks (such as pools, allergies, etc) and then multiply it by the number of children you have - it can become stressful.

Then you set up several playdates and you have to remember which kids go where, when! It can be a full time job.

There is an easier way, a more efficient way - a "geekier" way as we at RustyBrick like to call it. It is the Playdate Planet way!

We designed and developed this site for parents by parents to help them manage the day to day hassle of playdate scheduling.

We made it social, integrated and easy to use. All you need to do is go online and invite your child's friend(s) to attend a playdate of your design. The system will do the rest, from reminders, friend invite notifications, and even manage the risks of allergies, animals, pools, and so on.

Read the truly inspiring story behind the conception of the Playdate Planet idea and sign up today at playdateplanet.com.

Source: A Geekier Way To Manage Playdates at RustyBrick.

Cyber Monday Results: 712% Jump In iPhone App Sales

Barry Schwartz — Tue, 29 November 2011 13:43:54 EST

Ronnie posted our Cyber Monday deals for our iPhone apps and I wanted to share the outstanding results from the sale.

712.5% Increase in Paid App Sales
500% Increase in Revenue from App Sales
175% Increase in All App Sales (combining free and paid)
Some Apps Had 4,000%+ Increase In Downloads

So this sale worked pretty well and I am glad we were able to give many of you a discount on your app purchases!

Hope you all had a successful shopping on Cyber Monday!

Image credit to ShutterStock : apps icon and sales icon.

Source: Cyber Monday Results: 712% Jump In iPhone App Sales at RustyBrick.

Cyber Monday Sale - Huge iPhone App Savings Across The Board

Ronnie Schwartz — Sun, 27 November 2011 19:54:54 EST

We started writing mobile apps over 5 years ago and this Monday, we will be offering our first - across the board - Cyber Monday Sale!

The savings are really great. You can save up to $4 per app! Apps that have never been on sale, are now on sale. This is a once in a lifetime deal. Grab it now!

Alef Bet $5 -> $2
Expecting $5 -> $1
Guide to the Old City of Jerusalem $3 -> $1
Jewish Radio $3 -> $1
Kitzur Shulchan Aruch $15 -> $12
Kosher $5 -> $4
Mikvah $8 -> $6
Mishneh Torah - Rambam $10 -> $8
Mizrach Compass $1 -> FREE!
My Little Black Book $4 -> $1
Parking Meter $2 -> $1
Selichos $3 -> $2
Siddur $10 -> $8
Siddur HD $20 -> $16
Tanach $15 -> $12
Tefilla Pack $3 -> $1
Tehilim $2 -> $1
Tikun Korim $20 -> $16
Torah for iPad $8 -> $6

Download Now!

Source: Cyber Monday Sale - Huge iPhone App Savings Across The Board at RustyBrick.

Our ShulCloud Booth at Kinus Fair & URJ Biennial

Barry Schwartz — Mon, 21 November 2011 13:09:18 EST

Are you headed to one of the upcoming synagogue conferences? ShulCloud by RustyBrick will be at the International Conference of Chabad Lubavitch Shluchim at the Resource Fair and the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial exhibits. We will also be giving away handouts at some of the other conventions.

Kinus Annual Resource Fair (Chabad):

Meet us at the International Conference of Chabad Lubavitch Shluchim Annual Resource Fair this Sunday, November 27, 2011 from 10:30am to 3:30pm, at Oholei Menachem, 667 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11213 [Map]. We will be demoing our software, Shul Cloud, synagogue software, between those hours. I currently do not know the location of our booth, but keep an eye out for our signs as displayed below.

URJ Biennial:

Then on December 14th through 18th we will be in Washington, D.C. for the URJ Biennial. We are in booth 610, so make sure to stop by. The exhibit hours are Wed, Dec 14th 5:00 - 8:00pm, Thurs, Dec 15th 11:00am - 8:00pm, Fri, Dec 16th 10:00am - 4:00pm, Sat, Dec 17th 6:00pm - 11:00pm and Sun, Dec 18th 9:00am - 2:30pm. The address is Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center, 201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD 20745 [Map]. For more information, see here.

We've never exhibited before - so please be kind.

Source: Our ShulCloud Booth at Kinus Fair & URJ Biennial at RustyBrick.

Sharky Awards : For The Sharkiest People, Places & Things

RustyBrick — Wed, 16 November 2011 00:00:00 EST

Today, we helped launch the Sharky Awards for the world's largest online travel network, Travel Shark.

As the press release states, the awards are "designed to recognize the freshest, most unique travel experiences across the globe." They are awarded for people, places and things:

People

Places: Sharky places are bold, funky, and more than a little off-beat. Sure, you can recommend these spots to your mother if your mother' writes avant-garde haiku and teaches hula dancing in her spare time. The Sharky Awards drop a pin on the must-see destinations that turn a trip into an odyssey. If you know what we mean.
Things: If you whip out your camera phone while on vacation--and you're not taking a picture of your kids or your third-degree sunburn you may have spotted a Shark! Sharky things make travelers stop in their tracks, pinch themselves, and possibly cry tiny tears of joy. Sharky Awards give a shout-out to the little things that turn an ordinary trip into a life-changing revelation. Or at least a pretty good story for your next Toastmasters meeting.

Feel free to nominate a person, thing or place for the award and see the winners over here.

About TravelShark:
TravelShark is the world's largest online travel network, with more than 12,000 location-based travel websites for destinations around the globe. TravelShark's optimized websites facilitate transactions from more than 100 countries, generating profitable revenue for travel companies by driving direct bookings to hotels, resorts, spas, and more through its Featured Hotel Program. The TravelShark network includes major-market, content-rich sites like www.LasVegasHotels.com, www.SingaporeHotels.com and www.HotelLondon.com. TravelShark is headquartered in Singapore, with a U.S. office in Boulder, Colorado. To learn more about how TravelShark can work for your property or travel company, please visit www.travelshark.com, call toll-free 866-308-7265 or +1-720-239-1285.

Source: Sharky Awards : For The Sharkiest People, Places & Things at RustyBrick.

NSCAA Revamps Web Site & Features: Learn. Participate. Belong.

RustyBrick — Fri, 04 November 2011 00:00:00 EDT

NSCAA has announced their new web site - a new home that focuses on members by providing information and resources to their membership.

The new site's focus and brand messaging, which RustyBrick helped create, is around "Learn. Participate. Belong."

Learn. NSCAA.com is your link to coaching education courses, information on how to host your own course and other educational resources.
Participate. NSCAA.com is your destination for information on the Convention, symposiums, showcase tournaments, tours and new events being developed on the soccer calendar.
Belong. NSCAA.com is your site for information, resources and the many benefits and services offered to you as a member. Your exclusive online member access begins with...

The features are almost endless, starting with a custom design and branding build out on the frontend of the site to a custom content management system and complete integration into their membership database.

Some of the features include but (trust me) are not limited to:

Pay your annual dues, register for the Convention or a coaching course and more.
Nominate and vote for awards to honor your team, players or coaching peers.
Share ideas with 30,000 members and build your online community.
Access to many other benefits such as the online version of Soccer Journal.

Check out the NSCAA web site at www.nscaa.com.

About NSCAA:
Based in Kansas City, Kan., the NSCAA is the largest soccer coaches' organization in the world.

Since its founding in 1941, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America has grown to include more than 30,000 members who coach both genders at all levels of the sport. In addition to a national rankings program for colleges and high schools, NSCAA offers an extensive recognition program that presents nearly 10,000 individual awards every year. The NSCAA fulfills its mission of coaching education through a nationwide program of clinics and week-long courses, teaching more than 6,000 soccer coaches each year.

Source: NSCAA Revamps Web Site & Features: Learn. Participate. Belong. at RustyBrick.

Steve Jobs Has Died On October 5, 2011

Barry Schwartz — Wed, 05 October 2011 19:52:39 EDT

On Apple.com, Apple announced Steve Jobs has passed away. There is a tribute post at apple.com/stevejobs.

This is indeed a very sad day for Apple and virtually all people the Apple brand has touched. May he rest in peace.

Source: Steve Jobs Has Died On October 5, 2011 at RustyBrick.

Learn The Alef Bet On Your iPhone, iPod Or iPad

RustyBrick — Wed, 05 October 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Suffern, New York - RustyBrick, Inc. has designed our first iPhone app designed specifically for Jewish children to learn the Alef Bet, the Hebrew alphabet. The application is an interactive and fun, study guide to be used by young children to learn the ABCs of the Hebrew language. The Alef Bet app is designed to work on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices.

The iOS Alef Bet uses pictures, sound, animation, and interactivity to teach children the Hebrew alphabet. Each letter of the Alef Bet is accompanied by the hebrew pronunciation of the letter, a picture of a word associated with the letter and how it is pronounced in Hebrew and the English translation. In addition, you can play with the image, moving it, dipping cookies in milk, watching a train drive by and much more.

RustyBrick produced the design, coding, audio and animation all in-house.

So instead of your kids playing with those English learning games, why not have them try this new Hebrew learning game?

Features Summary:

Aleph Bet / אלף בית Training
Colorful Letter Cards
Letters Spoken In Hebrew
Images Representing Word Association To Letters
Word Spoken In Hebrew
Word Translated Into English
Animation Within Each Letter
Interactivity Within Each Letter
Fun Sounds & Illustrations
Quick and Fun To Learn

The app can be downloaded today via the iTunes App Store for a fee.

For more information on this app, including a download link, pictures and features, see www.rustybrick.com/iphone/alefbet.

Source: Learn The Alef Bet On Your iPhone, iPod Or iPad at RustyBrick.

Ambit Electronics Brings Dead Stock Alive With New Web Site

RustyBrick — Tue, 13 September 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Ambit Electronics hired RustyBrick to overhaul the web site in order to convey the true essence and culture of the 30 plus year old company.

The new design features high-end graphics, easy to understand navigation and much more. We worked closely with Ambit's team to bring out the company's personality in the new design.

From their new logo and web site design to a custom built content management system and lead capture forms - the site has been completely revamped.

Don't get me wrong, Ambit is still the same great company helping large companies with "dead stock" and surplus electronics, sell off those assets for a pretty good penny. But the web site now helps convey the greatness of the company to the public.

About Ambit:
Since 1979, Ambit Electronics has helped OEM's, CEM's, component manufacturers and distributors discreetly sell their surplus components. Ambit also assists companies seeking to purchase quality components.

For more information on Ambit Electronics, see their web site at www.ambitelectronics.com.

Source: Ambit Electronics Brings Dead Stock Alive With New Web Site at RustyBrick.

Michael Mozart of JeepersMedia Interviews Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz — Thu, 25 August 2011 21:21:02 EDT

Michael Mozart of JeepersMedia, who is best known for his "Fail Toy Reviews" videos on his incredibly popular YouTube channel with 400,000 subscribers and over 100 million video views, interviewed me earlier this afternoon.

The cool part is that he is one of twelve people with access to the YouTube Live feature, which I really really want access to, and even better is that he used Google + Hangouts to interview me, bring in select guests to ask additional questions, stream it live on YouTube Live and then publish the final video on YouTube for later viewing.

What did we talk about for almost an hour?

My background
How I got into search and SEO
Google + and +1 buttons as it related to SEO
Reverse SEO, harming competitors in search
Some past Google updates
Social media and how it helps with rankings
And much much more...

Here is that video:

It is also on his live channel or viewable via my Google + profile.

It was really fun to do. Thanks Michael Mozart!

Source: Michael Mozart of JeepersMedia Interviews Barry Schwartz at RustyBrick.

Google Chrome Preloading in Action

Michael Butler — Wed, 24 August 2011 09:41:56 EDT

I'm currently on Google Chrome 13 and just noticed the web page preloading in a real life scenario. You can reproduce the effect and try it yourself by following these steps:

Go to Google.com
You must be using Chrome 13
Type "USA Today" in the box
Press Enter
Press the down arrow on your keyboard one time to move the arrow next to the first non-sponsored search result, which should point to usatoday.com
Wait about 4-5 seconds and then press enter or click the link with your mouse - get your eyes ready to watch how fast the page appears
In a fraction of a second, the web page appears with everything already loaded, as if you were already there!

To prove that it is pre-loading you can go back to google.com and clear your browser's cache and then repeat the steps. You can compare results by performing the same steps in Mozilla Firefox and all elements on the page will not be loaded until you visit the page.

This does not seem to work on all websites, and may depend on the site's popularity or the webmaster's setting to prevent preloading. Some webmasters may want to prevent Chrome from preloading their site, especially if it means using up bandwidth when the user might not even visit. However if it is enabled and the user does visit your site, even the ads will appear faster!

It seems to be just another chapter in Google's goal of making the web faster for users.

Source: Google Chrome Preloading in Action at RustyBrick.

RustyBrick Indoor 2011 BBQ

Barry Schwartz — Tue, 16 August 2011 13:09:22 EDT

We had the annual RustyBrick BBQ this Sunday. No, it wasn't the best day to host a BBQ, being that it rained all day but we had it anyway!

While Ronnie cooked the food on his grill under the awning outside, the rest of us enjoyed the tasty burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, salads, desserts and drinks.

Why didn't we postpone? Well, it was a rare day that 95% of us could make it. So we just had it anyway.

As we get larger, it becomes harder to schedule these events. We actually used a tool named Doodle to see who can come when and the day that had the most votes won (well, kind of).

Here is looking forward to a dry BBQ for next year!

Source: RustyBrick Indoor 2011 BBQ at RustyBrick.

Free Mac Bencher App

RustyBrick — Wed, 10 August 2011 00:00:00 EDT

I am excited to announce the release of our first ever Mac App named the Bencher for Mac.

Wouldn't it be great to pull out a quick Jewish prayer book that had typical Jewish prayers you might say by your computer? Well, that is exactly what this does. Birkat Hamazon, Al Hamichya, Borei Nefashot, Asher Yatzar and more with this app.

Best of all, it is currently free!

It is even smart siddur enabled, showing you the proper prayers specific to that day. Note, this version is based on the English day, not the Hebrew day, keep that in mind.

Here is a picture, click to enlarge:

To learn more or for a download link, go here.

Source: Free Mac Bencher App at RustyBrick.

Audios For Bar Mitzvah Parshas Now Available In Tikun

RustyBrick — Thu, 09 June 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Suffern, New York - We are proud to bring you a new feature that was highly request for the Tikun iPhone/iPad app. The feature allows you to download audio recordings of a professional Bar Mitzvah teacher reading from the Torah.

By listening to the reading of the Bar Mitzvah teacher, you can train yourself by ear to learn the torah yourself. This makes for an excellent supplement for your Bar Mitzvah training or for a refresher on reading new parshas or old ones.

Note: The available recording are currently in Ashkenaz format and not available for all Parshas as of yet but we will be adding more as we go. They can be purchased book (parsha) by book for $4.99 each.

The Ashkenaz reading is provided by Ira Slotnick, who is available for hire as a Bar Mitzvah teacher.

How Do You Purchase Audio?:

(1) Click on the left top index icon to bring up the Parsha list:

Then click on the top right price tag icon:

(2) Then price tag icons will show on the right of each Parsha that audio is available for download. Note, we will continue to add more and they do not require new app updates to show up in this list. We also will add more Nusachs.

(3) Clicking the price tag will trigger a confirmation that you want to download the audio for the app:

(4) Specify the audio quality: Low quality downloads faster and takes up less room on your device, while high quality sounds better but takes longer to download and takes up more space on your device:

(5) A download progress bar will appear after you select the quality:

(6) When the download is complete, you will be notified with this alert:

(7) Then the downloaded Parsha will be broken down into seven chapters (perakim), so you can listen to each chapter individually.

Source: Audios For Bar Mitzvah Parshas Now Available In Tikun at RustyBrick.

ShulCloud: Revolutionizing Synagogues With Web Technologies

RustyBrick — Thu, 02 June 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Suffern, New York - RustyBrick, Inc. is proud to announce new online software to help you manage the day to day activities of your Shul. The software gives you a Shul web site, automated calendar building, advanced email communication and membership database and billing. We are calling this software, ShulCloud.

ShulCloud revolutionizes how shuls operate on a day to day basis by helping shuls collect donations and membership from members and streamlining the tasks a synagogue performs daily. The results we have from the web site in our beta have been outstanding, leading to incredible growth in membership billing collections and tremendous efficiency improvements for the staff and volunteers. The features include, but are not limited to:

Elegant Design:
Simple to use Content Management System with beautiful designed Templates ready to go.

Scheduling Tools You Need:
Automate your Shul's Calendar with our customizable rule-based Schedule system and daily Zmanim software.

Membership and Donation Tracking:
Collect & Track membership and donations with ease using the advanced accounting system enabling members to pay online, view statements and much more.

Photo Galleries:
The Interactive Photo Gallery allows you to spread the word on your Shul's activities and events.

Easy, Smart Newsletters:
Send Smart Emails to your members with ease for announcements, billing, general communications, polls and schedule emails.

Early Results:

We have been beta testing this for several months now and the results have been outstanding. Here are some results the Synagogues shared with us:

Check out the options, pricing and features today at ShulCloud.com.

Source: ShulCloud: Revolutionizing Synagogues With Web Technologies at RustyBrick.

New Bar Mitzvah Learning Tool: Your iPad or iPhone

RustyBrick — Sat, 23 April 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Suffern, New York - RustyBrick, Inc. is proud to announce today a revolutionary new Bar Mitzvah training application designed to work on iOS devices. The application is an interactive Tikkun, study guide used when preparing to chant the Torah reading from the Torah in a Jewish synagogue. The Tikkun is designed to work on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices.

The iOS Tikkun works very much like a paper Tikkun where the right side of each page is written with the cantillation marks and vowel points, while the left is written in unpointed Hebrew, as it is written in the actual scroll. But when you flip the device from landscape orientation to portrait orientation, it will only show you either the cantillation marks and vowel points mode or the actual scroll mode. You can quickly toggle between both modes with the tap of a finger.

Other interactive features include the ability to bookmark sections of the Torah, record audio to send to your bar mitzvah teacher via email or listen to later, Ta'amim chart with professional audio recording of a bar mitzvah teacher, zoom capability and much more.

The typesetter for this Tikun is by Divrei Emes and the audio laining is done by Ira Slotnick.

Features Summary:

Interactive Digital Tikun
Landscape / Portait Modes for both iPhone & iPad
Record Audio & Email Recordings
Bookmark Sections
Parsha Slider & Quick Finds
Ta'amim Chart with Professional Audio
Great Bar Mitzvah Teaching Aid
Clear & Crisp Text With Zoom Capability
Shvah Nah Notation
Alternate Opinion Notation

The app can be downloaded today via the iTunes App Store for a fee.

For more information on this app, including a download link, video demonstration, pictures and features, see rustybrick.com/iphone/tikkun.

Source: New Bar Mitzvah Learning Tool: Your iPad or iPhone at RustyBrick.

Free Nuclear Power Plant Detector iPhone & iPad App

RustyBrick — Wed, 13 April 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Suffern, New York - RustyBrick, Inc. is happy to announce Apple has approved our Nuclear Power Plant Proximity detector app today.

The app is designed to show you how close you are to an active nuclear power plant. The app will first attempt to locate your current position and then inform the user how far the closest power plant is to that location.

The app also overlays historical earthquake data, which is highlighted in different colors of yellows, orange and red based on the severity and age of those earthquakes. It also contains fault line data within the United States and plots that on the map as well.

"The app idea came to me when my wife was asking me how close the Indian Point nuclear power plant station is to us," Barry Schwartz, the CEO of RustyBrick, said. " We turned out to be within 10 miles of the facility and it struck me that an app to determine your distance to nearby power plants would be a useful and educational tool," Barry added.

With additional features such as Wikipedia data on each power plant, real time alerts from the International Atomic Energy Agency and helpful tips on what to do in case of an emergency - that app can become a useful tool for those who are concerned of a distaster occurring.

Feature List:

Locates Nuclear Power Plants Near You
Plots Nuclear Power Plants Globally
Displays Historical Earthquake Data On Map
Displays Fault Lines within The United States
Contains Wikipedia Data on Each Nuclear Power Plant
Alerts from the International Atomic Energy Agency
Information and shopping information in case of emergencies

The app is free for download in the Apple App Store and works universally on all iOS devices running 4.0 or later. Supported devices include iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch hardware devices.

For more information on this app, including a download link, video demonstration, pictures and features, see rustybrick.com/iphone/nuclear-plants.

Source: Free Nuclear Power Plant Detector iPhone & iPad App at RustyBrick.

Get Rid Of Your Chametz Before Passover With An iPhone App

RustyBrick — Thu, 07 April 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Suffern, New York - RustyBrick, Inc. today announced a new iPhone app designed to help Jewish iPhone users remove and dispose of Chametz, leavened products that are forbidden to be consumed on the Jewish holiday of Passover, before the Passover holiday. This iPhone App is available for iOS download on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad and is named No Chametz.

The app contains three primary functions:

Selling of Chametz
Searching for Chametz
Destroying Chametz

Each section of the app gives you the traditional orthodox Jewish blessings made during the selling, searching and destroying processes. They also contain applicable times based on your GPS location for when you can search for the Chametz, stop eating the Chametz and burning the Chametz. The app contain Jewish laws related to these actives, by Rabbi Elozor Barclay & Rabbi Yirzchok Jaeger.

The app helps you search for Chametz, the bedikat chametz, by giving you the halakhah, brachas zmanim, a checklist builder and a flash light. It also helps you destroy the chametz with the Bittul and Bi'ur with halakhah, brachas and zmanim for that process. Finally, it helps you sell, Mechirah, the chametz with zmnaim, halacha and a link to sell it to an organization.

Feature Summary:

Sell Your Chametz: Selling Halachos, Zmanim, & Transaction
Search For Chametz: Searching Halachos, Zmanim, Checklist, Bracha, & Light
Destroy Your Chametz: Destroying Halachos, Zmanim, Bracha & Transaction
Flash Light for iPhone 4
English Translations for Brachas
Zmanim Based on GPS
Halachot from Rabbi Elozor Barclay & Rabbi Yirzchok Jaeger

The app is free for download for all iOS devices.

For more information on this app, including a download link, pictures and features, see rustybrick.com/iphone/chametz.

Source: Get Rid Of Your Chametz Before Passover With An iPhone App at RustyBrick.

Megillas Esther iPhone App Now Works On iPad

RustyBrick — Thu, 03 March 2011 00:00:00 EST

We have updated our popular Megillas Esther iPhone App to enable it to work as a "universal" app, meaning, it works natively on an iPad and takes full advantage of the large screen.

The Megillas Esther iPhone App has the full content of the Megillah of Esther, including before and after blessings. It has five noise making sounds with the option to add more sounds at a fee. It includes Trup aka Cantoral Marks and now works just as well on an iPad.

Besides for the iPad support, we added a couple new things include:

Haman Highlighter (Check Settings App)
Added Extra Blessings Said After the Megilla
Quick App Switching Support
Better iOS4 Support

So check it out over here and download it for free on iTunes.

Screen Shots:

Source: Megillas Esther iPhone App Now Works On iPad at RustyBrick.

Hebrew Translation For Android

RustyBrick — Thu, 16 December 2010 00:00:00 EST

As you may know, we are high gear into Android development. We have released several Android apps for clients and now 3 RustyBrick Android apps.

Our latest is Hebrew English Translator for Android. It is very simple, it uses Google Translate to translate Hebrew to English or English to Hebrew.

You can download it for free on Android via this link or scan the code on this page.

Here are some pictures:

Source: Hebrew Translation For Android at RustyBrick.

Now Free: Kosher Restaurants iPhone App

RustyBrick — Thu, 09 December 2010 00:00:00 EST

I am happy to announce that we have released, in conjunction with Shamash.org, a free version of the Kosher iPhone app. The free version has all of the same features of the paid version but is supported by ads.

If you would like to find kosher resturants in your area and not have to pay for the app, then you got it. You can download it for free by clicking here.

If you want to remove the ads, then simply buy the paid version for a one time fee. To buy the paid version click here and buy it on iTunes.

Kosher Free for iPhone Includes:

Kosher Restaurants Database
Kosher Symbols Database
Finds restaurants by distance or keyword
Filter restaurants by metro area, price, style and more
Map View with meat and dairy markers
Score View for Augmented Reality view
Add/Edit/Delete Restaurants
Add Reviews
Sort kosher restaurants by nearest, name, rating and price
Add kosher restaurants to your "favorites" list
Get benching and other food related prayers within the app
Oh, and ads...

We hope you like the app and feel free to give us feedback!

Source: Now Free: Kosher Restaurants iPhone App at RustyBrick.

Complete Revamp Of Search News & Tips Site

RustyBrick — Thu, 02 December 2010 00:00:00 EST

The Search Engine Roundtable is a site operated by Barry Schwartz, the President of RustyBrick. He has run the site for over seven years now and has finally decided to revamp the site from the bottom up.

The Search Engine Roundtable's new look breaks itself away from the standard blog look and now looks more like an official news or magazine web site. It includes an improved design for navigation and browsing older stories. It shows a quick snap shot of the top stories for the day. The new improved interface for commenting and sharing stories makes it easier for readers to interact on the site. The video content and picture content is quicker to interact with. Finally, the design supports a very cool and fun theme system that lets us set different holiday themes to give the design a fresh look on special days.

On the development front, we moved off a standard blog content management system (CMS) and are now utilizing a custom RustyBrick CMS. The core reason for moving is flexibility and security. In the past, there were limitations on what features can be added to the site, now there are no restrictions. We've added tons of features and many more are to come, both on the front end user interface and on the backend CMS components. These include:

Better category system, authors sections and date archives
Weekly video now automatically pulled from YouTube without manual intervention
Daily photo of the day manager
Holiday theme scheduler system
Improved commenting controls
Advanced RSS & XML Sitemap management for stories
and more...

So check out the site now at the Search Engine Roundtable, heck, maybe you'll learn an SEO tip or two during your visit.

Source: Complete Revamp Of Search News & Tips Site at RustyBrick.

Kosher Restaurants iPhone App Gains Maps & Augmented Reality View

RustyBrick — Mon, 29 November 2010 00:00:00 EST

It has been almost about two years since we released a major update for our iPhone Kosher App. Yes, we have released small updates recently, but this update is major.

We have added two main features and improved many of the already great existing features. The two new features include:

(1) Map View: You can now see on a map how close or far the various kosher restaurants are based on your currently location.

(2) Scope View (Augmented Reality): Pretend you are walking down the street and you want to know if a specific restaurant is before or after the tree in front of you. Well, with this augmented reality scope view, you can look through the lens of the iPhone and it will automatically plot the restaurants in front of you and around you.

I'll show screen shots of each of these features below. But let me explain some of the minor updates to this app. We improved the search feature to enable you to find restaurants in an expanded area around your search. You might not notice any change with that, but trust me, it comes in handy. We pre-loaded fresher database and made the data loading feature more stable.

Screen Shots:

Map View: Now plots dairy restaurants with blue pins and meat restaurants with red pins around your current location.

Scope View: Shows you restaurant data overlaid on top of what you see via the iPhone camera. This picture will explain it:

For more information and to download this app, please the Kosher iPhone App produced by RustyBrick and data provided and updated by Shamash.org

Source: Kosher Restaurants iPhone App Gains Maps & Augmented Reality View at RustyBrick.