Hybrid Application integrates mobile Web site content of kicker online with native functions of mobile devices

Kaiserslautern, May 28, 2010 — Netbiscuits, the world’s leading development and publishing platform for mobile Web sites and apps, and kicker online announce the successful launch of the iPhone app of the leading German Web portal for sports coverage. A corresponding Android app for devices based on Google’s mobile OS is available since May 25.

The kicker online iPhone App has already been downloaded over 120,000 times from the German App Store since its first appearance in mid April. For about three weeks after its launch, kicker online defended the pole position in the App Stores’ sports category. For the same time the iPhone app ranked second among the most frequently downloaded applications in Apple’s App Store in Germany.

The app offers convenient access to all content of the iPhone optimized kicker online portal iphone.kicker.mobi. It provides news, score tables, statistics and background information on soccer and other popular sports as well as major sporting events. The "Media" menu icon delivers videos, podcasts and image galleries at your fingertip. To stay up-to-date on your favorite German soccer team, the "My Team" menu icon leads to comprehensive coverage of a premier to third league soccer club of your choice.

An extraordinary service for soccer fans represent the iPhone app's goal alerts for more than 100 international leagues and tournaments, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The app user simply subscribes message alerts for his matches of interest and never again misses any goal, half time score or final result. You instantly get notified even when the app has been already closed.

The kicker online apps for iPhone and Android were both implemented as hybrid applications which are a combination of mobile Web site and app. In the case of kicker online, the hybrid app is a shell for content being delivered by the mobile Web site that has been served by Netbiscuits for many years. As with native applications, any hybrid app can embed native functions of the device. These include the Apple Push Notification Service that is used by kicker online to display instant notifications on the iPhone screen without direct user interaction.

“Netbiscuits based hybrid apps are the best way for us to efficiently market our content and services with comparatively little effort on both mobile channels – Web and app,” says Werner Wittmann, Head of New Media at Olympia-Verlag publishing company. “The success of our iPhone app proves that hybrid applications are warmly embraced by the users.”

“Hybrid applications let you combine the best of both worlds,“ adds Michael Neidhoefer, CEO of Netbiscuits. “They allow including native functions of an app, offer additional visibility in App Stores, and obtain their real-time content from mobile Web sites that are automatically optimized by Netbiscuits for every single accessing device worldwide.”

With the launch of the hybrid apps for Apple and Android devices, Netbiscuits and kicker online continue their cooperation that has begun more than seven years ago.