directly It has long offered developers ways to create apps for kiosks and payment systems that use its Screenly Box hardware (or Raspberry Pi, for the DIY crowd). Its clients include the likes of Amazon, NASA and Lowe’s. Today, it is taking the next step in making it easier for developers to create apps for its platform using Launch Edge applications.
These new Edge apps can run directly on the device, so unlike devices that rely on content provided by the web, they will also run when the internet is down. Because it runs locally, loading times and latency are also reduced.
“in directlyWe have been managing displays on a large scale for over a decade. “We’ve solved all these complexities,” said Victor Peterson, CEO of Screenly. “With Edge Apps, we enable developers to focus on crafting their apps using established web tools. We manage the complexities, from device management to security patches, helping businesses reduce costs and accelerate time-to-market.
Peterson noted that many of the company’s customers want a better way to build more complex and flexible applications — as well as the ability to work with local devices, including sensors and printers.
The promise of Screenly and the new Edge Apps platform is that developers will be able to focus on the app, while Screenly handles app distribution, device management, OS, and security functions.
“Over the past decade, we have built what is arguably the most secure digital signage platform in the industry,” Peterson said. “It has always been extremely over-engineered to only show photos, videos, and web pages. That’s why we’re able to enter the next phase of Screenly: opening up our screen platform to developers.
To write these edge apps, developers can reuse their existing web development skills. Peterson also noted that it’s helpful to learn about serverless tools like Cloudflare Workers and AWS Lambda for provisioning their applications, since they use very similar concepts. To help developers get started, I created the company A number of experimental applications that showcase the capabilities of the platform.
“Our platform provides an easier learning experience than many other platforms,” Peterson said. “It was designed to be as easy to use for beginners and as reliable as a traditional desktop application.”