May 2010 Summaries

The Twilio Google Chrome Extensions Contest has announced two winners: Chro-wilio by Brad Berkin and Notwifications by Timothee Boucher, who will receive $100 in Twilio credit and prizes as recognition. Chro-wili is an extension that displays notifications from a Twilio account, while Notwifications allows users to manage incoming calls without picking up their phone. The contest encourages developers to build Twilio apps for a chance to win prizes and be featured on the Twilio blog.

Join the SF HTML5 Meetup at Twilio HQ on Friday 5/28 7pm We are hosting the SF HTML5 Meetup group at our building, featuring Peter Lubbers as a co-organizer and co-author of Pro HTML5 Programming. The meetup will cover an overview of HTML5, hacking older browsers to support it, and include awesome demos and a Q&A session with experts. This event is expected to have about 180 attendees who have already RSVPed, and will feature food and drinks. The meetup will take place on Friday, May 28th, 2010 at 7:00pm in San Francisco, CA.

The Twilio developer contest is an ongoing initiative that challenges developers to create unique and powerful submissions using Twilio voice and/or SMS for alerts and notifications. The contest aims to encourage developers from all backgrounds to try Twilio for different use cases, industries, and integrations. Submissions are due by midnight on Sunday, May 30th, and can be submitted through a designated link. Bonus points will be awarded for creating helpful materials such as screencasts and blog posts that demonstrate the value of the submission or explain how it could become a business someday. Previous non-winners are eligible to resubmit their projects with improved features, and resources such as documentation, ebooks, industry reports, webinars, and community forums are available to help developers improve their skills and knowledge.

Twilio showcased several innovative applications during the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon Demos, including Groop.ly, a group chat app that uses Twilio SMS integration for users with or without smartphones, and FBCall, an app that reads out Facebook wall posts to users over phone calls. Another notable project was AudioPost, which allows users to update their Facebook walls by calling in and embedding audio files directly into the post. A team from NYC Resistor created Mr.Stabby, a pneumatic robot with a Twilio-powered IVR that controlled its movements during the hackathon demo. These projects demonstrate the versatility of Twilio's voice and SMS APIs, providing developers with opportunities to build engaging communication experiences.

A Glimpse of the Future at LessConf 3010` LessConf is a conference for creators who build communities, businesses, or other projects, which aims to inspire innovation and collaboration among attendees. The event provides an opportunity for individuals to learn from each other's experiences and gain access to tools and resources necessary for building successful projects. Twilio, the organization behind this assistant, will be present at the conference and invites attendees to connect with them through social media or in-person. The platform offers a range of resources, including documentation, ebooks, industry reports, webinars, best practices, code samples, and inspiration to help developers build effective communications and digital engagement experiences.

Touch Tone Telephony Control for Arduino` The Touch Tone Telephony Control for Arduino project utilizes Twilio technology to enable control of electronic devices using mobile phones from anywhere in the world. By combining Twilio with other geeky components, developers can create a system that allows remote control of devices such as lights or garage doors. This concept is reminiscent of the developer contest category for Twilio integration with real-world devices, where projects like David Bello's smart home application showcase the potential of this technology. The project provides a detailed example of how to implement DTMF telephony using Arduino and Twilio, making it accessible to developers looking to build their own communication and digital engagement experiences.

This article discusses extending the functionality of click-to-call, a popular feature that allows website visitors to call businesses directly with a few clicks, to simultaneously dial multiple numbers and connect the first person who answers to an agent. The updated implementation uses Twilio's simultaneous dial technique to connect the visitor to an agent, while also prompting the caller to record a message if no agents respond within 30 seconds. The code example provided demonstrates how to implement this feature using PHP and the Twilio PHP Helper library, including handling the call once connected and implementing simultaneous dial. However, it is noted that simultaneous dial may not be suitable for all situations, as it can cancel connections from other phones that pick up before a human answers.

The winner of the Twitter + Twilio mashup contest is Shane Jones with his 140Call application, which combines the power of Twilio and Twitter to send reminder and wake-up calls to mobile phones. Using a simple tweet, users can set up a call that includes weather forecasts or custom messages, making it easier to stay organized and on track. The application was built in just over a week using PHP, the Zend Studio IDE, and the Twilio PHP Library, with additional features such as integration with Google's Weather API. Jones plans to expand his app with new features, including flight status and stock updates, and is encouraging developers to explore the potential of the Twilio platform.

We launched a new developer contest challenging software engineers to build mashups of Twilio and Open311 APIs for the chance to win a Netbook and $100 in Twilio credit, with the goal of promoting innovation using these APIs. The contest aims to combine the capabilities of Open311, which provides open channels of communication for public services issues, and Twilio, which offers free web API access to existing 311 services. Developers have until May 23rd to submit their applications, with no limit on the number of entries but only one prize per developer that can be awarded. The first place winner will receive a Netbook and $100 in Twilio credit, while other prizes may also be offered.

Open 311 Developer Contest: May 10th – 23rd The Open311 contest is an opportunity for developers to showcase their skills in using the Open311 technology, which provides open channels of communication for issues related to public space and services. The contest runs from May 10th to May 23rd and allows developers to submit applications that use Open311 and Twilio to win prizes. The first place winner will receive a Netbook and $100 in Twilio developer credit, while the contest also provides resources and support for developers to improve their communication skills.

This project involved creating a Google Chrome extension that utilizes Twilio for making calls and sending SMS from the browser. The extension consists of a manifest, popup, and background script, which communicate with each other to achieve this functionality. The development process was straightforward, and the use of WebKit debugger tools made it easier to identify issues. The project also utilized HTML 5 features such as localStorage for storing information in the browser. Additionally, AppEngine was used to host TwiML, enabling the extension's core functionality.

This tutorial describes how to implement a simple phone verification system using PHP, MySQL, and jQuery. The system allows users to enter their phone number on a web page, generates a random verification code, initiates a call to the user's phone, and prompts them to enter the code. Once the correct code is entered, the database is updated with the verified status. The system also includes features such as error handling, polling for status updates, and displaying success messages to the user. The tutorial provides sample code and instructions on how to set up the system on a server, making it a useful resource for developers looking to implement phone verification in their applications.