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One enormous benefit of the smartphone revolution is that we now have applications which can do, well, basically anything. Just have a look through BlackBerry App World. There are applications for almost any occasion. While we’re BlackBerry-focused here, we’d be remiss not to mention the iPhone App Store in conjunction with this idea. There are tons of highly useful applications in both stores which take advantage of existing software and technology to deliver a remarkable user experience. But what about those times where an existing app won’t do? Most of us don’t have the coding chops to create a random number generator, never mind a full-fledged application. If only there were an application which would let you build your own mobile applications…

Magmito helps you create applications

Magmito, a service by Didmo, works with users to create dynamic applications which can be used for many personal and corporate functions. They’ve set up an engine whereby users can select from a number of pre-defined templates to create a menu-driven application, which can then be used for any number of purposes.

The specific use of the application is left to the user’s discretion. Magmito does supply templates for weddings, parties, and corporate, but those can be expanded for really any use. Since the menus and the content are all user defined, you can go nuts with the menu-driven application creator.

To make an example of the application I saw in action, Magmito is perfect for a corporate trip to CTIA (which happen to be the location of the demo). A company is sending, say, six people to the convention. They need a way to stay on the same page, and the bigger the corporation the tougher that is to coordinate. You can make an application on Magmito wherein you could include the names of the attendees, their contact information, the hotel information, rental car details, conference schedule, directions to dinners and other functions…basically, anything you can think of which would make the trip more efficient.

The key to the service is that the menus are user-defined. Even when using the templates you can change almost any aspect of the application. This customizability is what makes Magmito an excellent service. There are very few restrictions, which means you can create applications for all types of events.

Walking through Magmito

To show what you can do with Magmito’s application creator, we’ll take the time to walk through the service. Thankfully, this will not take much time, as it’s a fairly easy process.

The first step is to register for an account at Magmito.com. Just a few fields to fill in, and you should have an email confirmation within seconds. Click the activation link and you’ll be ready to create your first application.

Under the Application tab you’ll see a list of your applications. At first, this will obviously be blank. Click on Create to get started. Here you’ll name your application and then choose a template. The three pre-defined ones — Wedding, Corporate, and Party — all have their own design elements already in place, so choosing one of them makes the process a bit easier. If you’re a DIYer, by all means select Blank.

After choosing the template type and specific template, click OK to head to the creation screen. Here you’ll see your main menu, plus a number of additional pages. There can be up to four per application. If you selected Blank you’ll be able to name the pages however you wish. With templates they come pre-named, but you can change them at any time.

After you define the menu you can move onto the individual pages. Here’s where things get fun. For the page background you can choose a solid color, or just keep it white. You can also insert an image, either as an insert or as a background image. The difference between picture and background image is that you can click and move/resize a picture. It might even make for a better background image.

Above the pictures section is a section for Links. Here you can link to another page in the menu — so if you’re on Page 1, you can link to Page 3. You can hyperlink a telephone number for easy one-click calling. Or you can insert a hyperlink to the Web. That might get a bit tricky, since the application creator is on the desktop Web, while application will be on a mobile. Still, with the way many sites now render on the mobile Web, this might not be as much of an issue as it once would have been.

To finish your application just fill in the information for all pages. You can have just one page, or you can have four. In any case, make sure to hit Save after each screen so you don’t lose your work — though you’ll be prompted anyway.

Distributing the application

What good is an application if you’re the only one who can use it? Thankfully, Magmito provides a means to distribute your application to the friends, family, and co-wokers for whom it is intended.

To set up a distribution list, click the Contacts tab. This will bring you to a screen where your name will appear. You can add contacts in three different ways: by creating the entries individually, by importing a .csv file (in a specified format), or by using Magmito’s Mobile Contact Uploader Tool at m.magmito.com/cu.jad. Once you’ve added all the contacts you’ll need, go back to the Applications tab.

Here you’ll go to your applications list. There are a few icons next to each. To select the recipients, click the green and blue figures — the ones that look like the MSN Messenger logo. This will bring you to the screen where you select all the recipients for the application. Check the appropriate names, and hit Save.

Finally, head back to the Applications tab, and hit the Publish icon, which is next to the recipients one. Here you’ll have another chance to add recipients. You can also test and publish your application here. Yet there’s one aspect we’ve yet to go over, and it occurs right here.

The cost

While Magmito provides completely free application creation software, it is not totally without cost. You’ll have to buy SMS credits for distribution. Credits are denominated in Euros, not so great for us U.S. folk, but you can do a quick conversion. Credits range from 1.50 EUR for 10.00 credits, to 1425 EUR for 10,000 credits.

For ad-free applications, it costs two credits per recipient. If you choose to include ads it costs one credit. Accoding to Didmo, this is covers the cost of sending out the application, but looking at the price it also looks like their means of monetization.

Check it out for yourself

You can head to Magmito.com to check out this service for yourself. There are tons of ways you can use it for all types of events. Kids’ sports teams, get-togethers, business trips, weddings, or just keeping up with old friends. So check it out and let us know what you think.

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