Since fully launching a year ago, Onswipe has built touch-optimized experiences for iOS — starting with the iPad and, more recently, adding iPhone. Today it’s taking its first step beyond the Apple ecosystem with the launch of support for the Kindle Fire.
Onswipe’s stated goal is to deliver native app-like experiences through the mobile web. Achieving that on the Kindle Fire was particularly challenging, says CEO and co-founder Jason L. Baptiste, because it’s a relatively low-end device with an older operating system.
“We had to do a lot to optimize to provide the same level of functionality,” he tells me. “Basic CSS properties were missing and it provided a unique challenge.”
Despite the hurdles, Onswipe is now ready to bring publishers to Amazon’s tablet, and in fact it says Bonnier Corporation, Flavorwire, NewBay Media, The Investing Channel and Vibe Media are already live. Baptiste says the company now works with thousands of publishers in all, “ranging in size from long tail bloggers to top 10 ranked on Quantcast.” He adds that total pageviews are up 2,000 percent in less than a year. (Yes, it’s easy to see big percentage jumps when you’re a newly launched company, but hey, it’s better than the alternative.)
Baptiste also says we can expect to see support for other touchscreen devices in the coming months. That may mean more tablets, but as we saw with the launch of iPhone support, it could mean smartphones too.
As for making money, Onswipe is also bringing its full-page, interstitial ads to the Kindle Fire. Those ads can include features like geo-location, social sharing, and video, and the company claims they perform 50 to 100 times better than traditional banners.
The startup has raised $6 million in funding, most recently a $5 million “Series Awesome” led by Spark Capital.
Onswipe is a platform that provides a way for publishers of all sizes to make their content and advertising a beautiful experience on touch-enabled devices via Web browser. With Onswipe, media content and advertising will appear and function as they do on native websites and applications, providing a magazine-like experience on touch devices. Onswipe addresses a growing industry need with tablet use on the rise.
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