AppMakr makes annoying branded iPhone apps even easier to create

Before I get started here, I have to say that I don't blame PointAbout one bit for coming up with AppMakr. All kinds of sites are launching branded iPhone apps to deliver their web content - our esteemed sister sites, TUAW and Engadget, both have neat little apps you can download - and at $199 or $499 for an easy way to make an app out of your site's RSS feed, AppMakr is probably looking at a tidy little profit.

I'm also not saying that AppMakr doesn't work. The demo video (check it out after the jump) shows off a quick and easy-to-use creation process, and the price is less than what you'd pay a dedicated developer to make you an app from scratch. AppMakr also helps you navigate the sometimes-dicey App Store approval process, and will even publish your app through its own Apple Developer account, which is all worth a bit of money in itself.

Here's my beef, though: an iPhone app based around an RSS feed of your web content is just annoying. Why would I want to download that, even for free, when I can just add your site to Google Reader along with my other favorites and view it in a great RSS app like Reeder? How obsessed with a site do you need to be before you'll clutter up your home screen with its logo? So, no offense to AppMakr, I just don't see the appeal of the trend it's riding.

[via Mashable]

MacLife iPhone App - Built By AppMakr.com in 27 Seconds. from Daniel R. Odio on Vimeo.

Tags: app store, appmakr, AppStore, branding, developer, iphone apps, IphoneApps, pointabout, rss