ProInsights by Xlabz for BlackBerry PlayBook is a beautifully designed new app that turns your LinkedIn profile data into bite-sized infographics providing insight into your network. The app extracts the data from your LinkedIn profile and shows you useful nuggets of information through a cool portfolio style design. ProInsights claims to “reads between the lines of your LinkedIn profile” and extract the data.
Main features include the
- Connection Explorer – The crux of ProInsights is the Connection Explorer feature, which displays your connections in four convenient and interactive views and is an absolute visual delight. One look at the screenshots and you’ll know what we mean!
- Card Deck: Has the look and feel of a rolodex. Flip through a business-card view of your connections.
- Mosaic: Take a trip down memory lane and leaf through a photo-album of your connections
- Bird Eye: Get a bird’s eye view on your connections plotted geographically on a map. You might just discover that you have a contact in Uganda you had added ages back!
- Spring Graph: Gives you a closer look at your Inner Circle. View your contacts in node clusters that link to you by the number of connections that they have. Move your connections around in this highly interactive spring-like view!
- IntelliSearch – Trying to find contacts of yours from the Food Industry? Or a marketing expert maybe? Just type in a keyword on ProInsights’ very own search engine- IntelliSearch- and find the people you are looking for! True to its name, IntelliSearch does an intensive search on your connections and thus helps you zero in on the most relevant connections.
Check out ProInsights for the PlayBook in App World for $9.99
Daniel ( View Profile) Moderator - Posts: 2566
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 11:07 AM EST
Interesting, a little pricey so hopefully they have a trial-version of some sort. Would have to also start using linkedin again since I rarely visit the site.
Diego Nei, MBA ( View Profile) Beginner - Posts: 202
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 11:08 AM EST
Ouch… $9.99?
ofutur ( View Profile) Enthusiast - Posts: 553
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 11:26 AM EST
There is no way around that with such a small market. Development costs are the same.
ofutur ( View Profile) Enthusiast - Posts: 553
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 11:29 AM EST
It seems I’m wrong here… I’ve checked the prices on other platforms and they’re the same, so they’re just targeting a different segment which sees value in using such an app.
kiddo2050 ( View Profile) Guru - Posts: 1717
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 4:49 PM EST
Actually this is a good open question. THis may not be a ported Android App but I wonder how much extra development needs to go into “modifying” an existing app so it works on PB.
ofutur ( View Profile) Enthusiast - Posts: 553
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 6:36 PM EST
For an HTML5 port like this one, not too much.
Most of the design stays the same, you “just” have to tune your CSS and graphics to take into consideration the different pixel density and the supported features.
Before that, the developers have to complete three main tasks:
- Patch their framework of choice to get it to work properly on the PlayBook.
- Learn how to package and boot a WebWorks app.
- Write libs that give them access to the PlayBook native functions
This only needs to be done once and all your apps can then use the fruits of your labour.
XLabz Not Registered
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 8:21 PM EST
ProInsights is developed in Adobe AIR. The app was not ported from Android to PlayBook but it is rather the other way around. We developed it for PB and the ported it to Android but because of the holiday season, BB review team took a while to approve it but in the Android Market we were able to release it as soon as it was available.
Porting I wouldn’t say is that complex but addressing different screen sizes is. For that to happen, we would have to put extra effort into every app to make sure the UI adopts a fluid layout and can fit different screen sizes. As you might know, fragmentation is a large issue in Android Tablet market.
ofutur ( View Profile) Enthusiast - Posts: 553
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 9:05 PM EST
Yep, fragmentation is an issue…
XLabz Not Registered
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 12:18 PM EST
We understand that it’s a little expensive but then it took us close to 3000 man hours to develop this and not to mention the fact that if you hired a designer to create the kind of Infographics ProInsights generates out of your profile, it would cost you thousands of dollars
You would be suprised to know that the design of the icon alone took more than 100 hours and around 15 iterations. Frankly, it is rather underpriced for the kind of effort that has gone into it.
And yes you are partially correct, we are trying to target avid users of LinkedIn (at least 50 connections+) who can derive the real value of this app. The kind of insights the app reveals about your own network is surprising to say the least.
ofutur ( View Profile) Enthusiast - Posts: 553
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 1:12 PM EST
I like the design. It shows that you’ve paid someone to do it
.
It’s a shame that the frontpage is not interactive as I would have like to be able to drill down from there.
I’ve noticed some performance issues (on OS2). Some of the slowdowns are normal PlayBook HTML5 HW acceleration issues, but the card view is unusable for me.
kiddo2050 ( View Profile) Guru - Posts: 1717
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 4:51 PM EST
Ugh, I hate to hear this stuff we are supposed to be getting OS2 in Feb and it still doesn’t run well….
If RIM doesn’t bring out a fully finished OS on those phones they are finished, or I am finished with them.
XLabz Not Registered
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 8:24 PM EST
We agree that the performance of the card deck view is a little sluggish and as we speak we are working on an update which should give it some performance boost.
As far as interacting with the info graphics on the first tab goes, I would appreciate if you can send a detailed feedback to bbsupport at Xlabz dot com and we will be happy to consider them for the next update.
ofutur ( View Profile) Enthusiast - Posts: 553
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 9:06 PM EST
Will do
kiddo2050 ( View Profile) Guru - Posts: 1717
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 4:56 PM EST
I’m glad you are supporting the Playbook. Thanks!
The PB definitely needs more business oriented applications. I suspect RIM will end up practically giving some businesses playbooks just to get them out in that market.
XLabz Not Registered
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 8:25 PM EST
Thanks kiddo2050!
Daniel ( View Profile) Moderator - Posts: 2566
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 12:27 PM EST
Fair enough, I have no problem paying for a well-done app that will be of use to me but I do like to try before I buy, is there a trial version?
XLabz Not Registered
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 12:32 PM EST
@Daniel: We don’t have a trial version as such but I will take that as a feedback and notify the product team. We will be doing a video demo of the app shortly and that should give a fair idea of what ProInsights is capable of.
Daniel ( View Profile) Moderator - Posts: 2566
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 1:00 PM EST
A video demo would be sufficient for me at least but I do think a lot of people shop based on app price and a trial-period may help you to attract such customers. I could be completely wrong but the impression that I get is that 0-$5 and most people will buy the app without hesitation, above $5 and they will either move on and look for other apps or want a trial version. But, since you mentioned you’re targeting avid users, you may not be targeting volumes sales anyway…just the niche and who knows, the niche might be more willing to buy and pay the price for such an app (because it is of value to them) than the typical consumer out.
sf49er ( View Profile) Newcomer - Posts: 42
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 1:26 PM EST
looks like a smashing UI and I can see the effort gone into building this app, I don’t use LinkedIn to justify $10 but for $4.99 why not?
XLabz Not Registered
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 8:28 PM EST
You share the same feeling as many others who have pinged us on social media and emails so far. We “might” consider doing a sale for just a day. Follow us on @xlabztech to be notified if and when we do so. Thanks for your interest.
Steve ( View Profile) Moderator - Posts: 517
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 1:40 PM EST from my BlackBerry 9700
Agree with Daniel pretty much. Most people, regardless of the niche IMO, want to try an app out at this price level. However, for me a video demo would not suffice. I would want to “play around” a bit to see how it works to suit me or not. Just another view point
Daniel ( View Profile) Moderator - Posts: 2566
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 7:58 PM EST
Should have been more clear but yes, even the niche is capable of price shopping.
Diego Nei, MBA ( View Profile) Beginner - Posts: 202
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 7:34 PM EST
Always good to see a dev around here!
So, I agree with he mods, at $9.99 a trial (5 days should be more than enough for anyone) is a must have.
Else, how will I know I am not better off with LinkedIn in my browser?
Daniel ( View Profile) Moderator - Posts: 2566
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 8:01 PM EST
It doesn’t appear to me though that is a linkedin app but rather more of a linkedin add-on or analytical tool. For example, it appears to me, based on the description, that if you were part of a group on linkedin and wanted to read posts, you would still have to go to the linkedin website. Same with sending a contact a message. Again, I think it is intended to complement/enhance linkedin but not a full linkedin app.
XLabz Not Registered
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 8:41 PM EST
You are correct, ProInsights is not meant to replace the LinkedIn app and as a matter of fact the public LinkedIn API doesn’t allow access to the connections of your connections and such details. The ability to send a message to your contact from within the app is already on the works and will be part of the next update.
On a higher level, ProInsights is a LinkedIn Infographics and Insight app rather than a full fledged LinkedIn app that is supposed to replace the default LinkedIn app. We will eventually support most of the key functions but the real value of ProInsights it is ability to deep search your network and open up new insights into your network. In a way I would say it facilitates discovery or rather rediscovery of an otherwise active network.
ofutur ( View Profile) Enthusiast - Posts: 553
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 9:02 PM EST
How do you get to see infographics like on the landing page, but for your contacts? All I can see are the cards.
XLabz Not Registered
Posted: January 6, 2012 at 9:19 PM EST
The cards have a small info button on the top right which when you click on can see the details of your connection including their contact information but the Infographics itself can be generated only for your own profile. Though we would love to show the Infographics for your connections too, the API doesn’t allow us to get as much details about your connections for privacy reasons.
ofutur ( View Profile) Enthusiast - Posts: 553
Posted: January 7, 2012 at 7:32 AM EST
I see. well, if the API doesn’t let you, then there is not much you can do…
XLabz Not Registered
Posted: January 7, 2012 at 5:06 AM EST
ProInsights On Sale : 50% off Just for the Weekend!
Based on popular demand and to honour the request of 100′s of users who pinged us on Twitter and emails asking for a price reduction, we have slashed the price of ProInsights by 50% JUST FOR THE WEEKEND!
Go on, grab it before the sale ends on Monday.
Diego Nei, MBA ( View Profile) Beginner - Posts: 202
Posted: January 7, 2012 at 1:00 PM EST
That’s nice. What about the trial period? I hope that’s coming too!
At least now with the sale we’ll probably see some in-depth reviews.
ofutur ( View Profile) Enthusiast - Posts: 553
Posted: January 7, 2012 at 7:31 AM EST
Damn, just lost $5 for being an early adopter
XLabz Not Registered
Posted: January 8, 2012 at 8:48 PM EST
We are hearing from a few users that the price change has propagated and the correct sale price is reflecting in the payments page. Can someone please confirm this?
We will be extending the sale by another two days to compensate for this.
Daniel ( View Profile) Moderator - Posts: 2566
Posted: January 8, 2012 at 9:53 PM EST
I just bought it, listed price says $4.99 and price paid was $4.99 ($5.04 after tax), didn’t seem to be any problems with the listing.
XLabz Not Registered
Posted: January 9, 2012 at 2:36 AM EST
Thanks for confirming this Daniel. Hope you find ProInsights useful.
dapper Not Registered
Posted: January 9, 2012 at 12:22 AM EST
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1416406
vote for your PlayBook here. were 2 spots away from frist place and all the PB goodness that comes with it..