Imagine you’re driving in a city you’ve never been to before to visit a business partner. You’ve probably used your address book or smartphone to get the address you’re going to and then entered it in your sat nav. But isn’t this process a bit over-complicated? Wouldn’t it be great if you could call up your XING address book in your sat nav and then simply select it as your destination?

This probably sounds like something from “Back to the future”, right? Well, at the moment it is, but it’s actually highly realistic from a technical point of view! That’s because XING is rolling out its API (Application Programming Interface) for external developers which enables them to build great apps just like the idea I mentioned above. (more…)

David Montiel, Senior Java/Android Developer

As you already know, XING has an Android app available in the Google Play Store that we continuously upgrade by adding very useful features for your networking needs. So here‘s a list of some of those features that will show you how to get the most out of XING using the Android app.

Share on XING

Wherever you see the “share” option in Android OS you’ll find the option to share on XING. So in the Twitter app, for example, you’ll see all the apps that allow you to share text after pressing the share button. Then just look for XING in this list and share your information with your XING network.

Share on Twitter

The XING Android app allows you to share anything you want in the Twitter network feed as well. Simply check the “Post on Twitter” box before you post your update and once it has been shared on XING, you’ll be taken to your favorite Twitter Android client with the text already there so all you need to do is press the send button to share your XING status on Twitter.

(more…)

Marc Ehrich, Product Manager Mobile

Version 4.0 of our iPhone app was developed to make things better, more logical, and more intuitive. You probably won’t see a lot of the details at first glance, but the more time you spend using the app, the more you’ll notice an overall improvement in visual consistency (checkered background, transparency) and usability.

If you tap on the gray box with two arrows that appears in the top left-hand corner of every section, you’ll be presented with the main menu. Here we’ve tidied things up a bit, so upcoming birthdays and contact requests now appear in the contacts section while visitors to your profile can now be found as an item in your profile. This helps to streamline the main menu while also bundling items that make sense from a contextual perspective. (more…)

There are less than two weeks until you can open your presents – people are trawling hectically through the shopping malls and streets, and on Gänsemarkt, too. The brisk pace continues a few metres above it all – our developers are nimbly tapping away, line of code by line of code, the project managers are coordinating assignments, our colleagues in Quality Assurance are on top bouncer-like form, making sure no bugs get into the platform.

Launching today: XING Beta Labs

And all our staff’s efforts are so that we can present you with a whole load of visible improvements to the platform. These include: (more…)

New interaction possibilites within the apps.

Marc Ehrich, Product Manager mobile

We recently released new versions of our iPhone and Android apps that now provide you with full access to your network news as well as the option to

• comment on posts,
• like items,
• and share content (e.g., on/from Company Profiles).

On top of that, you can also see comments on posts from your network along with the number of likes a post has received. The new app versions also retain your user settings with regard to hiding certain people’s updates so you only see updates from people you want to hear from. That way you can keep up to date with information you’re interested in and get involved with ongoing discussions while out and about. (more…)

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Martin Welker, founder of click.to.

Do you know how it works? First of all, you discover a name in a text that you would like to search using XING.

Then just highlight the name, copy it to the clipboard and then paste it in the search field on the XING website. Unfortunately, XING isn’t currently an active open site so you need to open the site before being able to do anything. At worst, the browser will also need to be started. All these little actions will steal attention and take time. The Click.to app greatly simplifies these tasks as whenever you select a text such as a name, Click.to shows the matching quick-launch icons next to the text passage. From there, just clicking on the XING icon is enough to start a XING search. Google, Wikipedia, etc. are all searchable in the same way with just one click. In addition, the text can be sent as an email, published on Facebook, or kept as a note in Evernote: actions that would normally require up to a dozen clicks each! (more…)

Update: Unfortunately: As the sync framework – SyncServices – that our app is based has been deprecated and causes various problems in Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” and will no longer be a part of OS X 10.8 “Mountain Lion” at all, we have decided to no longer offer the application on the Mac App Store.

As a XING member you’re well aware of the multifaceted uses our business network offers, ranging from job or client searches to expert group discussions, from events through to personal address books that are updated automatically. What was John’s phone number again? Where does Paul work? All it takes is a quick and simple login to find out this and more. Ideally, this information should also be available no matter where you are, which is why we provide smartphone apps and the Xobni and Microsoft Outlook Social Connector (OSC) plugins. (more…)

Today we released version 3.2 of our app in the Android Market. This latest version includes a number of improvements ranging from shorter loading times to smoother scrolling and compatibility fixes for certain devices. On top of that we’ve added a highly sought-after feature that allows you to synchronize your XING contacts with your phone book. We recommend using Android version 2.2 (“Froyo”) and higher in combination with the XING app.

Synchronization made easy

To start the synchronization process, launch the XING app and click on “Contacts” followed by “Synchronize” in the top right-hand corner. Then you need to “Accept” the notification text, which informs you that your XING contacts will be synchronized with your local contacts. What this means is that the information your contacts have made available to you in their profiles will be added to your device’s contact list. (more…)

Today a little red icon will appear next to your XING app prompting you to go to the App Store to get an update. That’s right – The new XING iPhone app has arrived and we’re really excited about it! During the course of the last few months we carried out a number of interviews and usability studies, the results of which were channeled into the new design and functionality of the app. Our re-launch not only includes several new features, it also creates a basis we can build on to rapidly come up with new features from now on.

New iPhone App Features
The “Mobile Handshake” feature has been available with the mobile version of XING (http://mobile.xing.com) since September 15, and now we’ve added it the iPhone app as it makes it easier than ever to add new contacts, e.g. at a trade fair. All you need to do is press the Mobile Handshake icon and wait until you receive a list of people nearby who also have the Handshake feature activated, add them as a contact, and wait for them to confirm. For more information about how this all works, just watch our Handshake video on YouTube that demonstrates the feature’s functionality using the mobile version. But don’t forget to make sure GPS is enabled on your iPhone, otherwise it won’t work.
The new XING iPhone app also shows your contacts’ birthdays so you can also congratulate colleagues in and around the office and maybe club together with other colleagues to get them a present.

When viewing profiles, we’ve not just made it more appealing thanks to a better layout and design, we’ve also added more fields such as professional experience and education. On top of that, individual contacts and their profile photos can be directly imported into your iPhone address book.
Another useful new feature is the ability to select who can see your status updates (this only applies to your contacts or the entire XING network). In true iPhone style, fields such as “What’s new in your network” can be easily updated by swiping your finger downwards on the screen. The XING iPhone app now also includes a new integrated web browser that can be used, e.g. to open links people post in their status updates.

The Mobile Handshake, birthdays, improved profile content, and views with contact import function are all part of our new concept as we believe that our app is an excellent way of providing you with all the tools you need to network when out and about. When developing this app, we incorporated as much of your feedback as possible, and intend to continue doing so in future. So please feel free to post comments in our blog, in the XING Group, the App Store, or send messages to our Mobile support team.

BlackBerry App: New Design and Handshake
A few days ago we also released a new version of our app for BlackBerry devices, which are currently highly popular among business professionals. As well as the new design, BlackBerry users with GPS now also have access to the Mobile Handshake feature.
The Mobile Handshake also works on various platforms, e.g. BlackBerry and iPhone devices, and is also available to people who access the mobile version of the website.

So to all you smartphone users out there – Have fun with the new XING apps!

Editor’s Note: Andy McLoughlin, Co-founder of Huddle, talks about how social networks are changing the way we work and why this is so important. The Huddle Workspaces app was launched on XING last year and now has tens of thousands of users.

We spend nearly a quarter of all our internet time on social networks according to Ofcom’s seventh annual Communications Market report. Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook or professional networks, online networking has become a feature of everyday life.

Online networks are changing how we socialise, how we consume and disseminate information, and as a result, how we work. In some cases, the changes are obvious. Professional networks, such as XING, allow us to connect with people globally through a virtual roller deck of experts, colleagues, and friends. We can draw on this deck for opinion, advice, jobs and information in an instant. (more…)