For those of you who couldn't make it to Lotusphere 2012 and missed the GBS Sponsor session from Scott Hooks (with some awesome co-presenting live demo work from Brad Balassaitis), here's the 18-minute fail safe demo video I made in case the Lotusphere Wireless connectivity was an issue.

See, Scott -- who is extremely smart when it comes to stuff like this -- always has a backup plan, and in this case if he couldn't show a live demo of XLibrary (an IBM XPages-based Document Library mashup with Twitter, LinkedIn, Connections, and the Google Search API), he at least wanted to be able to show it off via a demo video.

(Demo video, upcoming article, and demo download details after the jump!)

I was recently asked by a fellow IBM Lotus Notes Domino application developer [and reader of the site] a question that -- surprisingly -- took some research to uncover. The question, in summary, was this:

Using XPages -- either in the Lotus Notes Client or Web Browser Client -- is there a way to create a simple link to the user's mail file that will launch in the Lotus Notes client?

My first thought was to use a Notes URL [ie., Notes://ServerName/db.nsf] that would be dynamically built using SSJS to lookup the OS filename of the active/authenticated user from their Domino Directory Person document.

That technique is flawed quite frankly, so I thought I'd create a simple XPages XAgent to control the Content-Type and spit out an NDL link... which is equally flawed [if not moreso]...

(Click thru for more...)

I think that the best way to showcase the capabilities of a platform is to shock people, and make them consider that the technology addresses needs previously considered out of scope or -- quite frankly -- where the technology wasn't even considered as a viable option in the first place.

This is why I loved TSAzr. It showed that XPages and thus IBM Lotus Domino could be employed to handle Web Services requests and house data for mobile device fat apps.

It shows the potential of the platform in a unique and interesting way.

It shows that, if properly motivated, platform developers can extend the technology to an entirely new market, and even monetize that investment.

It shows that the platform has a life far-beyond the enterprise, and it is demos that showcase that application that I would love to see.

I think we need more demos like that. Demos that make people reconsider the platform and change their perceptions of what it can do... and more importantly, what it can be employed to do.

With that, I plan on putting together some demos of Domino and XPages that -- I'll put it this way -- leverage the capabilities of the platform and use the technology in alternative ways.

If you have any ideas or suggestions, feedback rocks. So feel free to comment on the post or email me at ctoohey@dominoguru.com.

While the on-stage demos at Lotusphere 2011 were great, it was obvious that this year was a rebuilding year for the Lotus portfolio. We have major releases coming out, which promise advanced features that our users demand... but at the same time IBM has given us Lotus Notes and Domino professionals the tools to -- if it's not already in the product -- address any functionality gap ourselves should we feel inclined to </bitching><doing>.

There were a few amazing takeaways from Lotusphere 2011 however... but one of the ones that I found most inspiring and certainly telling of the capabilities now available to the IBM Lotus Notes Domino XPages application developer wasn't something that I saw on stage or even at the Product Showcase...

(Click thru for more...)

Exciting news for Android fans, as Amazon jumpstarts their Appstore for Android Phone and Tablet devices with the release of their Developer Portal.

This appstore -- which reports a potential 70% of the sale price of the app or 20% of the list price [whichever is greater] payout to sellers, unless you choose to sell the apps for free -- sports a non-exclusive distribution agreement [read: you can publish them in the Google Android Marketplace too...] and targets Android 1.6 or greater devices.

Amazon also has stated [confirmed in the Developer Portal FAQs] prominent placement of this new store:

The Amazon Appstore will be a new category on Amazon.com. Customers will be able to shop for apps both from their PC’s and from their mobile devices. Amazon will market your apps using proven eCommerce and marketing features like search and search refinement, browse, and app recommendations based on customers’ past purchases.

A trusted eCommerce giant debuting an appstore, readying it via promotion and early-adoption fee-waiving, and promising prominent feature and integration with it's current customer-facing services, all which will only strengthen the target platform? That's pretty sweet.

Check out http://developer.amazon.com/ for more details!