August 2011 Summaries

The Twilio and Box Developer Contest was a highly competitive event where developers from both platforms showcased their creativity in combining the two services. The contest resulted in innovative applications such as VentureBox Assist, which organizes client information in one place, and TheInterviewr, a lifesaver app for journalists and recruiters. Open-FTP is another notable project that utilizes Box's file sharing service with ease. The winners of the contest received exciting prizes, including a brand-new MacBook Air, a 32GB Galaxy Tab from Samsung, and a Parrot AR Drone.

MuleSoft has released the Cloud Connector for Twilio, a tool that simplifies integration with Twilio APIs and allows developers to create integrations across different SaaS and on-premise applications. The connector is built using Java and can be used in Mule Studio, a visual design tool, or as part of Mule iON, a cloud offering. The product was developed quickly due to Twilio's simple API architecture, which took less than a week to integrate with the chosen tools and technologies. Future plans include expanding the product to allow developers to create integrations using Cloud Connector for Twilio via Mule Studio. The connector provides value to customers who want to build Twilio Voice or SMS applications, enabling them to quickly develop applications that interact with other SaaS vendors such as Salesforce and NetSuite.

Twilio has partnered with DemandResults to create RingDNA, a Salesforce-integrated application that combines call tracking, inbound IVR, and virtual call center capabilities into one solution. This integration enables marketers to bridge the analytics gap between online and offline conversions, while providing sales and customer support teams with advanced caller ID and script suggestions. The platform is designed for small businesses and large enterprises alike, offering ease of use and flexibility in its architecture. RingDNA was built on Twilio's APIs, which were chosen for their reliability and stability. The company will demonstrate the solution at Dreamforce, where attendees can learn more about how to build call tracking and IVR applications on Twilio.

You can set up a conference call line using Twimlets with just a few steps. First, you need a Twilio account and 2 minutes of time. Then, head over to the Conference Twimlet page where you can configure settings such as moderators and hold music. Next, copy the URL and set it as the Voice URL for your Twilio Phone number. Finally, when you're ready to start the conference call, have people call a specific phone number, and everyone will be connected to the room. This setup requires no coding and is easily done using just Twimlets, making it a convenient solution for quick conference calls.

The Twilio Client contest saw five winners take home prizes after a massive two-week effort from the developer community, with entries ranging from add-ons that let users dial phone numbers directly in their browser to 3D games using Twilio Client for in-game chat. The contest aimed to test the capabilities of developers and was made possible by tools such as Koderank, which allows for online coding interviews, and RingDNA, a tool that helps improve sales by providing real-time call management and analytics.

The 24 hour hackathon, held at General Assembly, brought together developers to create innovative projects using APIs from various image-centric services such as Aviary, Instagram, and Flickr, with a focus on Twilio integration. The event saw a number of clever projects, including the winning hack PhotoJabber, which uses Face.com's recognition API to determine if someone other than yourself is using your computer, and other notable hacks like Honey Badger and Slideboard. The event provided $10,000 in prize money and a spot in Times Square for the winning project, as well as Twilio credit for all participants. Overall, the hackathon showcased the creativity and innovation of developers working with Twilio and image-centric APIs.

Congratulations are in order for GroupMe! A New York startup with a team of twenty has achieved a huge win, which is also a significant milestone for the global community of Twilio developers. The company's journey from inception to acquisition in just one year serves as a stunning validation of Twilio's mission to open up the black box of communications to web developers. This acquisition is a testament to the power of great entrepreneurs, execution, and technology, leaving room for speculation about who will be the next huge Twilio success story.

Twilio is hosting a developer contest where participants are challenged to use its Twilio Client to build a call management tool or any other solution that improves sales. The winner will receive a brand new MacBook Air, a full pass to the Twilio conference, $100 in Twilio credit, and some awesome swag. The contest aims to encourage developers to explore Twilio's capabilities and showcase their creativity in building innovative solutions.

This week, Twilio is hosting a developer contest that challenges developers to use the Twilio Client to power up customer management and sales. The contest encourages developers to build innovative solutions using Twilio's cloud communications platform, with the goal of improving sales and customer engagement. To participate, developers can submit their projects by September 4th and receive prizes including a full pass to Twilio's annual conference, $100 in Twilio credit, and swag. The contest aims to showcase the versatility and potential of Twilio as a platform for cloud communications, and provides resources and support for developers to help them succeed.

Wonder-Space, a supplemental education company founded in 2002 by Emmie Chang and Josefa Marquez, has integrated Twilio into its latest project, Wonder-Space Mobile, to provide 24/7 access to tutors via SMS notifications. The integration with Force.com enabled the company to manage various aspects of its business, including invoicing, hosting lesson content, and tracking interactions. The Twilio implementation was completed in a matter of days, leveraging existing resources from Twilio's developer gallery and oDesk group. Emmie Chang advises other companies getting started with Twilio to utilize available resources, such as code samples and documentation, to build successful integrations.

Mile High Pong`, a large-scale game of Pong played with hundreds of people, was built using Twilio's API. The project was first tested at a local coffee shop with 9 players and later scaled up to be projected on the side of a building with over 800 players. Despite initial concerns about smooth operation, everything ran smoothly. For new Twilio developers, it is suggested that they should focus on best practices and resources available through Twilio's community hub to improve their skills and build engaging experiences.

To get started with using the Box API in PHP, developers need to create an application on the Box developer portal, grab the PHP helper library, and make minor edits to upload it to their server. They then use the library to authenticate with Box, retrieve the file tree, and add comments to a file by SMS through Twilio. The code examples provide a basic structure for interacting with the Box API, but note that they lack additional features such as storing authentication tokens securely and providing user-friendly interfaces. Once set up, developers can build their own applications using Twilio and Box to comment on files through SMS.

This integration uses Twilio's calling functionality to automate the deployment of Subversion-released code to production servers without requiring users to log in or navigate to the server. The script checks if the incoming caller is authorized and then performs various actions such as retrieving the revision number, updating the production version, or displaying the repository status. The key benefits include reduced deployment time from hours to minutes, improved productivity, and increased efficiency. Shawn's implementation allows for easy extension to deploy specific revisions of a Subversion repository, overcoming potential challenges related to automation and integration.

Hacking LA` was a coding event where developers and designers had the opportunity to play around with new APIs such as SimpleGeo's neighborhood data and Factual's living data, during a day-long event that ran from 8 AM to approximately 7:30 PM. Eight teams presented their projects and three winners were chosen, with Jay Stakelon taking first place with his SoundClash project that used Rdio and Echonest's API to build an epic playlist. The second and third places went to Jorge Garifuna with GiveMeMoney which used Twilio for credit card payments over the phone, and Brad Gilreath with GeoRadio which used SimpleGeo and Rdio to play music based on location. The event was made possible by sponsors such as Factual, Mashery, SendGrid, and SimpleGeo, and Coloft donated their space for the event.

Brian Fountain Wins Twilio Prize at NYC Game Hack Day The winner of the Twilio prize at the NYC Game Hack Day event was Brian Fountain, who built an adventure game called "Evil Mountain" in just 24 hours. He incorporated Twilio's services into his project to make it easy to build and launch applications that use Voice and SMS. The app is built using Ruby on Rails and deployed on Heroku. Brian's experience with Twilio was painless due to the availability of helper libraries, which made implementing the service "dead simple".

We've got a fantastic lineup of speakers at the Twilio Conference featuring developer, enterprise leaders, business visionaries, and Twilio employees sharing their expertise on various topics including real-time web technologies, building scalable software as a service applications, creative game development, and more. The event promises to be packed with learning, inspiration, and actionable advice for taking businesses to the next level. Additionally, Twilio is offering an entrepreneur discount of $99 for attendees who are running startups, providing a unique opportunity for bootstrapping and networking.

Austin Lone Star Ruby Conference: A Stranger in a Strange Land The author is attending the Austin Lone Star Ruby Conference as a PHP developer who hasn't worked with Ruby or Rails since 2008, and is looking forward to learning about new concepts such as MVC and unit testing. The conference features sessions on topics that are relevant to the web development world, including poorly structured code and how to make money from it. The author is interested in meeting other developers and learning from their experiences at the conference. They will be attending the opening reception and can be found via @CaseySoftware. The conference also provides resources for developers, such as documentation, ebooks, industry reports, webinars, and a developer community hub.

OpenVBX is a virtual phone system now featuring native VoIP integration with Twilio Client, allowing users to make and receive calls directly in the browser using a sleek and intuitive interface. This integration brings the power and affordability of VoIP to the virtual PBX while retaining its signature elegance and ease of use. With Twilio Client, OpenVBX users can set their status to be online or offline, making outbound calls from any modern browser at any time. The system also retains its existing features such as building phone trees, routing calls to any phone, and transcribing voice messages.

The Twilio API Explorer is a new tool designed to simplify the process of building telephony applications by providing an easy-to-use interface for making requests to Twilio's REST API, exploring responses, and copying code snippets. The API Explorer now allows developers to access a wider range of REST API requests through the browser, including operations not previously available from the web portal. This enhancement aims to make it easier for developers to integrate Twilio into their applications, with support for generating snippets in curl and Ruby helper library, and plans for future language support.

Twilio is running a developer contest in collaboration with Box, where developers will have two weeks to create an application that combines Twilio's API and Box's API. The first place winner will receive a full pass to the Twilio conference, $100 in Twilio credit, and various swag items, while the third place winner will get a Parrot AR Drone and more swag. Entries must be submitted by August 21st, and extra points can be earned for creating helpful materials or listing the entry in the Twilio gallery. This contest is part of Twilio's efforts to encourage developers from all backgrounds to find success with their platform and solve problems with Twilio.

Twilio powers call tracking and virtual phone systems for real estate, enabling improved business returns through enhanced lead conversion and customer support response times. A presentation at the RealPage User Conference showcased Twilio's cloud communications capabilities, including real-time provision of phone numbers for SEO campaigns, track leads performance, customize workflows, and route leads to call center operations. The presentation also highlighted a new product, Propertyware PBX, powered by Twilio, which offers browser and mobile-based calling via Twilio Client integration. This technology is designed to improve communication experiences in the real estate industry.

The Portland API Hack Day was a successful event where developers showcased their projects and innovations in the field of APIs and software development. A tool called Planrrr took the grand prize, which is an event management platform that allows users to send personalized invitations to guests via multiple channels such as SMS, email, or Facebook message. Another notable project was Visual Resume, a LinkedIn data visualization tool that combines Gantt charts with real-time updates. The Twilio team also presented their plan to integrate click-to-call functionality into their platform, which is expected to enhance user experience. Overall, the event highlighted innovative ideas and projects from developers who are shaping the future of software development and API integration.

We at @WalmartLabs leveraged Twilio's short code SMS service as a quick proof of concept for a project, and after positive initial tests, we decided to move forward with the implementation, which took only a few hours due to the ease of use of the Twilio API. To avoid overwhelming our users with multiple texts, additional logic was added to ensure that SMS users only receive the "Value of the day" message without affecting all Twitter followers. We used a simple LAMP stack for this project and recommend starting with Twilio's basic how-to examples for other developers getting started with Twilio SMS integrations.