API app examples and ideas for HackTO2
Now that the API lineup for HackTO2 has been announced, you may be thinking: “Hot damn, what the heck should I build?”
Well, here to jump-start your brain are some example applications made using the same lovely APIs that will be available to you at HackTO2.
TweetAgora using Cadmus
TweetAgora is a Twitter app with all sorts of advanced features. They have implemented the Cadmus API in TweetAgora v2, which allows users to view their most relevant tweets using TweetAgora’s iPhone app. This implementation also allows users to view trending topics for their personal streams and lists.
Read more about the TweetAgora implementation
Get documentation for the Cadmus API
Tippify using Freebase
Tippify provides social recommendations for films, books and music. Using Freebase Suggest–which provides auto-completion based on Freebase topics–Tippify helps their users choose recommendations and displays related data and content from other sites.
Read more about this and several other Freebase implementations
Get documentation for the Freebase API
Poynt using Yellow Pages Group
Poynt is an all-in-one local search application for smartphones. Using YelowAPI from Yellow Pages Group, the app allows you to retreive information on businesses, retailers and events on an interactive map.
Read more about this and several other YPG implementations
Get documentation for the YPG API
And there you go: some great examples for three of the six fabulous APIs waiting for you at HackTO2. Hopefully that has got you thinking about application ideas!
Oh, and for you HackTO virgins: be sure to check out some of the apps that were created at the last HackTO.
API lineup for HackTO2
The HackTO percolations are imminent! Many of you may be wondering what the API lineup is going to look like for this round. Well wonder no more; we’ve got six fabuloso APIs here to dirty your hands and spark your imagination.
Each of the following APIs will be supported by a genuine, bona fide, electrified “rep” to answer any questions you may have.
Cadmus is a real-time service that manages your Twitter, FriendFeed and RSS streams. The API lets you sort your Twitter timeline by relevance. You can also see the entire conversation around a tweet, and any related tweets that have been made by your friends. Find top conversations from within your Twitter lists, and see trending topics specifically for lists and friends.
Get documentation for the Cadmus API
Freebase is an open, Creative Commons licensed repository of structured data containing information about 12 million real-world entities including people, places, films, books, events, business, and more. Use the API to access a graph database of about 400 million facts and connections between entities. Google just acquired Freebase so if you are not familiar with Freebase, this is your chance to become familiar before you start seeing this data goodness in your Google search results!
Get documentation for the Freebase API
FreshBooks supplies online billing services, allowing freelancers and small businesses manage their cashflow and get paid faster. The FreshBooks API allows 3rd party developers to expand and build on the FreshBooks platform. Access FreshBooks account data using HTTP and XML to create web and desktop applications that integrate with a FreshBooks account.
Get documentation for the FreshBooks API
OANDA provides Internet-based foreign exchange trading and currency information services. As one of the largest non-bank Futures Commission Merchants, it has access to one of the world’s largest historical, high frequency, filtered currency databases.
PixMatch (Idée and data from Internet Archive)
PixMatch is an image matching engine that allows you to perform large scale image comparisons. Identify exact image matches and modifications of a query image. For HackTO, the PixMatch API will be providing access to the Internet Archive’s Open Library collection of book covers.
Yellow Pages Group is Canada’s largest directory publisher. The API provides access to a large database of Canadian business content and allows direct streaming of local search content including video, photos, ad thumbs and more. Get geo-localized listings for map overlays and proximity search.
Get documentation for the YPG API
I hope that whets your appetite. Now eat your greens and start thinking about applications! In our next blog post I will point to a few ideas and implementations for the above APIs to get your creative juices flowing.
Wanted: APIs for HackTO!
With just a month to go, HackTO is quickly approaching (By the way, if you haven’t signed up yet already, get on that!).
I’m sure you’re all sitting on your hands right now, itching to get them dirty at HackTO, thinking: “Whatever will I do with myself in the meantime?!”
Well we need your help finding companies with interesting APIs for HackTO. What makes an API interesting? Last time we had APIs that could:
- Search local listings (Canpages)
- Manage and analyze revenue (FreshBooks)
- Match similar images (Idee)
- Add useful apps to any website (OPENApps)
- And rank blogs and RSS feeds (PostRank)
Some very cool apps were created out of these APIs, and we’d like to offer some similarly exciting APIs this time around!
So: If you are with–or know of–a technology company that you think should be involved, please get in touch!
Ideally, an eligible API for HackTO would be:
- Public (or made temporarily available to our hackers for at least a few weeks after HackTO ends)
- Well-documented
- Generally useful (and to creative folks, a lot of things could be considered generally useful!)
We would like to make this HackTO the best yet, so if you have any leads or ideas for APIs that you would like to see, please don’t hesitate to let us know!
Image by Daniel Dionne