Web Development Blog

lightsafe secure cloud data protection

lightsafe secure cloud data protection

Lightsafe.io is our killer new cloud backup solution for Windows and Hyper-V
stage left live streaming platform

stage left live streaming platform

Stage Left streams events and ensures those who deserve it get paid. We are on your side.
camsafe ai-powered solar security cameras

camsafe ai-powered solar security cameras

Last year, an old friend of Silverink's had a problem ...
OnDemand Web2Print e-commerce platform

OnDemand Web2Print e-commerce platform

Silverink has developed an innovative online sales platform in collaboration with leading UK promotional products manufacturer, Listawood.
Belfast Music Story AR App

Belfast Music Story AR App

The Immersive Belfast Tourism Challenge prototype combines Augmented Reality, GPS mapping/routing, exclusive video footage and live/recorded 360 video
Open Fairways launches mobile app

Open Fairways launches mobile app

Open Fairways, founded in 1995, was Ireland's first golf-incentive company.  Today their Privilege Card will get you "4 for the price of 2" deals at over 1,000 of the world's top championship courses.
360 degree NIE Training Video

360 degree NIE Training Video

Northern Ireland Electricity has decided to immerse new recruits in a 360° virtual reality pole-climb
Crescents Arts Belfast Website

Crescents Arts Belfast Website

One of our favourite new websites and a great team to work with, The Crescent in Belfast is an arts centre and cultural hub where diversity and creativity flourish. 
Live VR Broadcasting and Streaming

Live VR Broadcasting and Streaming

LiveVR is an all in one live360 video streaming platform. All you need is an account, 360 camera and a good connection. Your audience can then watch your stream on their desktops, headsets and Android devices.      
Silverink dons chaps and strides toward SXSW2018

Silverink dons chaps and strides toward SXSW2018

Your trusty developers hit the road with nothing but 360 livestreaming platform, AR music app and freshly-sharpened spurs
Expertise Direct video conferencing platform launches

Expertise Direct video conferencing platform launches

This new platform connects you to a global community of online Experts
Jewellers relaunches flagship store with 360 video

Jewellers relaunches flagship store with 360 video

Lunn's Jewellers relaunched its Queens Arcade store with a new interior design and 'Lock & Key' competition - which we helped them capture in glorious 360 video
Live 360 Video Broadcast

Live 360 Video Broadcast

The main technical challenges to broadcasting live 360 video
Online Video Communications with WebRTC

Online Video Communications with WebRTC

We love it when a client gets in touch with a new idea that pushes our talents in new directions and forces us to think outside the old box
Live 360 VR at SXSW

Live 360 VR at SXSW

Silverink takes its VR chops to South by Southwest Interactive festival
Serverless cloud thumbnail images

Serverless cloud thumbnail images

Creating thumbnail images - no big deal, right?  But what if you need to do it WITHOUT A SERVER?
Responsive Web Design For Intelesens

Responsive Web Design For Intelesens

New Year, new Web Site! We are pleased to have launched a new responsive Web Site for local Medical technology company, Intelesens. 
Rural Network Website Portal

Rural Network Website Portal

We've just launched a brand new Web Portal supporting those who live in rural areas of Northern Ireland
Lunns Jewellers Website Design

Lunns Jewellers Website Design

With three generations of expertise, Lunn's is Northern Ireland's leading jeweller
Athletics NI Website

Athletics NI Website

Athletics NI is one of four organisations consituting the governing body for athletics in the United Kingdom
Diddy Doodles website design

Diddy Doodles website design

Ever thought your child could be the next Da Vinci, Picasso or Warhol?  You're not alone: Diddy Doodles is the website for us!
Queens Film Theatre Website

Queens Film Theatre Website

QFT has been Northern Ireland's best-loved cinema since its opening in 1968
Live 360 degree VR Video

Live 360 degree VR Video

Over the past 6 months, we have been developing workflows for the delivery of Live 360-degree VR Video
Belfast Half Marathon Website Redesign

Belfast Half Marathon Website Redesign

Belfast's Half-Marathon website has been redesigned and incorporated into the full Marathon site.
Scanprint website design

Scanprint website design

World leader in betting-capture devices chooses Belfast web designers
Virtual Reality in Northern Ireland

Virtual Reality in Northern Ireland

It was fascinating to meet with a like-minded group of VR enthusiasts last week.
Unity Technologies technical talk

Unity Technologies technical talk

Unity Technologies gave a great technical talk in The Mac on 12th October, in partnership with Northern Ireland Screen.
New website for The Hairbus mobile barbers

New website for The Hairbus mobile barbers

Possibly our most mobile-friendly website yet (sorry)
New website for Belfast City Marathon

New website for Belfast City Marathon

Hot on the heels of the Half-Marathon, we launch the new full-marathon website.
UK responsive website rollout

UK responsive website rollout

We recently rolled-out a raft of responsive updates to four Portfolio franchisee websites across the UK.
Responsive website for NI manufacturing company

Responsive website for NI manufacturing company

Ashlock Door Systems is a well-established manufacturing company based in Stewartstown, Northern Ireland
Film Hub NI Website Design

Film Hub NI Website Design

Film Hub NI is one of 9 Film Hubs established across the UK by the British Film Institute (BFI)
Web site design for Belfast Jewellers

Web site design for Belfast Jewellers

We've worked closely with Portoflio of Fine Diamonds for many years now and everyone is proud of this latest responsive website design
Britains Top Real Role Model website design

Britains Top Real Role Model website design

Set up a business inspired by your passion or hobby? Whatever your passion, Britain's Top Real Role Model website wants to hear from you!
Stair Runners Direct website redesign

Stair Runners Direct website redesign

This E-Commerce website has relaunched in a new responsive, mobile-friendly format
Virtual Reality Development Strategies

Virtual Reality Development Strategies

In this nascent market, a Web Developer needs to be Jack-of-all-trades
New Web Design For Hospitality Ulster

New Web Design For Hospitality Ulster

Ulster Pubs have been one of our oldest clients and it’s always great to work with them on new features and redesigns for their Web Site. 
360 degree video cameras

360 degree video cameras

Three more GoPro Hero4 Black cameras arrive at Silverink Towers
3D VR spatial interaction

3D VR spatial interaction

OK, they're pretty big words .. just read *THIS STUFF IS LOADS OF FUN!*
New responsive design for leading NI accountants

New responsive design for leading NI accountants

Silverink has designed & developed a great new responsive website for Daly Park & Co Ltd
Virtual Reality in the heart of Belfast

Virtual Reality in the heart of Belfast

What a couple of weeks it's been.  Fun and frustration in equal measure as we come to terms with the Oculus Mobile SDK.
Google to reward Mobile Friendly websites

Google to reward Mobile Friendly websites

A few weeks back, Google announced that from April 21st 2015, mobile-friendly websites will rank higher than their non-mobile counterparts.
Funds Axis logo

Funds Axis logo

Right, what is going on.  More logo / branding work?  We're Web designers for goodness sake!
Realex acquired by Global Payments

Realex acquired by Global Payments

The Irish payment gateway has been bought by a US-based Fortune 1000 company for a cool €115 million.
Urban Dynamics - identity design

Urban Dynamics - identity design

We recently developed this new logo for a consortium of Chartered Architects, Town Planners and Surveyors
Mooskins website integrates with Facebook

Mooskins website integrates with Facebook

Mooskins offers you the ability to create truly unique personalised mobile phone and tablet covers - even from your photographs on Facebook!
Microsoft cuts its losses with Project Spartan

Microsoft cuts its losses with Project Spartan

Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser - an acute source of pain for Web designers over the past two decades - has finally reached the end of the road.
Google has released a YouTube app for the kids

Google has released a YouTube app for the kids

Any parent who's fumbled with a keyboard in the wake of the F-Bomb will follow this development with interest
New Website Developed For Snuga

New Website Developed For Snuga

Snuga have been providing the industry with the very latest quality 3D and 2D Dye Sublimation equipment.
Microsoft ushers in new era of virtual computing

Microsoft ushers in new era of virtual computing

Microsoft recently surprised most of us with the announcement of its Hololens project
Tim Berners Lee calls for net neutrality

Tim Berners Lee calls for net neutrality

The Web founder has written a blog on the European Commission website, calling for all data packets to be treated equally.
Web Design trends to watch out for in 2015

Web Design trends to watch out for in 2015

Heading towards February already and I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the state of play regarding web design technologies.
CoolSierras relaunches with new brand and website

CoolSierras relaunches with new brand and website

Europe's premier cycling holiday company CoolSierras has rebranded and relaunched with a new website
Navigate IFA website launched

Navigate IFA website launched

Need a Belfast-based Independent Financial Advisor?  Look no further.
New BPG image format could replace JPEG

New BPG image format could replace JPEG

Fabrice Bellard - creator of the QEMU virtualization hypervisor and FFMPEG multimedia libraries - claims his new format features better compression and smaller file sizes.
Puppet Labs gets into bed with Windows

Puppet Labs gets into bed with Windows

Microsoft's flagship bats eyelids at DevOps darlings
Microsoft battles US govt over Irish servers

Microsoft battles US govt over Irish servers

Back in July, a New York court ruled Microsoft was obliged to hand over emails held in Dublin - the battle continues ..
The 3D Web

The 3D Web

Over at Silverink Towers we sense a real buzz about the new 3D technologies emerging in Web design
HTML5 vs Native App Development

HTML5 vs Native App Development

Historically seen as the poor cousin, HTML5-based apps are now exploding in popularity
Bye Bye Flash  - Animation in Website Design

Bye Bye Flash - Animation in Website Design

There was a time that Adobe Flash ruled the roost when it came to interactive, animated Web Sites. That day is no more.
Mozilla launches virtual reality website

Mozilla launches virtual reality website

Firefox developer explores VR on the Web with support for Oculus Rift
Ireland to shut Double-Irish tax loophole

Ireland to shut Double-Irish tax loophole

Controversial tax-avoidance strategy to be phased-out over four year period
Google calmly guns-down POODLE in broad daylight

Google calmly guns-down POODLE in broad daylight

Troublesome mutt culled to prevent website vulnerabilities
Responsive website design for Belfast-based IFA

Responsive website design for Belfast-based IFA

Requiring a fresh new website design, Belfast-based startup Navigate IFA came directly to us
Google may hook Kubernetes to the cloud

Google may hook Kubernetes to the cloud

As previously reported on these pages, Kubernetes helps containerized codebases work together in order to deliver and manage Web-based apps
Web design webinars push cloud programming

Web design webinars push cloud programming

Web technologies move so damn fast, it's tough just keeping up. But where can tomorrow's super-duper programmers go to learn these core skills?
New Apple iPads to shake up the networks

New Apple iPads to shake up the networks

It seems like only yesterday we fought for the freedom to choose providers - now that's all about to change with the software SIM
Chrome support for responsive website images

Chrome support for responsive website images

Google browser now leads the way with support for the new HTML Picture tag
Irish govt to increase data protection budget

Irish govt to increase data protection budget

With EU-wide data protection regulation looming, the Irish government is expected to increase its €1.7m annual expenditure
Video calls - Skype vs Lync vs WebRTC

Video calls - Skype vs Lync vs WebRTC

Microsoft made a splash back in 2011 when it bought Skype for $8.5bn, but was it a short-sighted move?
Developing 3D interfaces in JavaScript

Developing 3D interfaces in JavaScript

So here's the latest challenge: create an interactive 3D user experience without the help of 3rd-party development tools
Web Design For The Internet Of Things

Web Design For The Internet Of Things

Google has announced a new initiative to try and create a standard for the Internet of Things. 
HTML5 and the UX revolution

HTML5 and the UX revolution

We have now entered a new era of browser standardization, heralding the widespread use of groundbreaking new website user interfaces
Amazon cloud to undergo global reboot

Amazon cloud to undergo global reboot

Amazon's entire global EC2 service - typically used to host websites and other Web services - is undergoing a rolling reboot that will take days to complete.
Rise Of The Web App

Rise Of The Web App

We love the openness of the internet and think it should be something to be cherished. 
Puppet Labs to create 100 Belfast jobs

Puppet Labs to create 100 Belfast jobs

The US firm - a shining light in the exploding DevOps scene - is establishing a software engineering centre in Belfast, with assistance from Invest NI.
Chrome Apps for Mobile Updated

Chrome Apps for Mobile Updated

Google updated their Chrome Apps for Mobile project yesterday. 
Easibuild Channel simplifies social network updates

Easibuild Channel simplifies social network updates

Social media are incredible constructions, but let's face it: they can be a pain to update.
One Click For The Web

One Click For The Web

Seems everyone wants to make our online purchasing experience on the web better. 
Microsoft buys Minecraft developer Mojang

Microsoft buys Minecraft developer Mojang

The deal has gone through for a whopping $2.5bn, with all three founders Markus Persson, Jakob Porser and Carl Manneh leaving in the process.
Flash, Drive or Tape - the archival medium of choice

Flash, Drive or Tape - the archival medium of choice

With millions of users storing billions of photos and videos on cloud-based websites, storage is a hefty factor in our digital lives.
Ad Blocking On The Rise -  Kids to blame

Ad Blocking On The Rise - Kids to blame

A new report by pagefair and Adobe has suggests that online advertising annoys ever increasing numbers of people and they install ad blocking software in their browsers.
Alibaba seeks USD21bn for new Silk Road

Alibaba seeks USD21bn for new Silk Road

Alibaba - the Chinese online marketplace - is looking to sell over 320 million shares in its US IPO.
Some Games for Tomorrows Web Developers

Some Games for Tomorrows Web Developers

Following on from the article at the start of the week about BBC code-related shows, I’ve been looking around at some activities I could be doing with my daughter.
The rise and rise of the chunky phablet

The rise and rise of the chunky phablet

Whether it's a phone that looks like a tablet - or a tablet that works like a phone - one thing's for sure: large-screen portable communication devices are where it's at.
Apple denies system compromise in selfie leaks

Apple denies system compromise in selfie leaks

Apple claims that after 40hrs of investigation, it has discovered certain celebrity accounts have been targeted, but that none of its iCloud or Find My iPhone systems have been breached. 
Aunties going to help you code

Aunties going to help you code

The BBC have just announced an new initiative ranging from coding-related shows to web content that will help kids learn to code. 
Free Photo Editor Released By Pixlr

Free Photo Editor Released By Pixlr

We’ve had full integration of Pixlr image editing software with our Content Management System for a few years now.
Amazon Buys Twitch

Amazon Buys Twitch

Amazon have announced that they have just beat Google by purchasing gaming site Twitch to the tune of 970 million Dollars. 
Web Development and Design Links

Web Development and Design Links

It’s not feeling a lot like Summer anymore, so I thought I’d gather together some light (and not so light) reading to keep busy as the nights draw in. 
Microsoft Azure struggles to perform

Microsoft Azure struggles to perform

Microsoft's Azure cloud services have been suffering a series of outages that prevented access to various Web services across the world.
Website underway for Trichord

Website underway for Trichord

We have been working with Trichord for a number of years now after developing an HTML5 Javascript solution for their 3D case design website, Mooskins.
Sort Out your Browser Woes

Sort Out your Browser Woes

Website design has changed over the past two decades.  Where a developer once wrestled with Dreamweaver and flat files, the industry's matured into distinct disciplines. 
Social Media - Marketing to the Millennials

Social Media - Marketing to the Millennials

New data is out from Comscore, breaking down Social Media penetration among the Millennials. 
Microsoft phasing out support for older browsers

Microsoft phasing out support for older browsers

From January 2016, Microsoft will only support the most recent versions of Internet Explorer available for any supported operating system.  
Class action privacy suit against Facebook

Class action privacy suit against Facebook

Max Schrems, an Austrian lawyer, has filed an action against Facebook over a list of alleged EU law violations.  
The value of Professional Web Design Services

The value of Professional Web Design Services

We all love a bargain. There’s nothing wrong with that of course.
Web Components return power to Web designers

Web Components return power to Web designers

One recurring source of frustration for Web designers is the speed at which browsers develop.  Being really creative requires the use of cutting-edge Web design tools ..
Cloud backup services flourishing

Cloud backup services flourishing

With virtual server backup specialist Veeam announcing 30% revenue growth in 2014, it's clear the cloud backup sector is growing apace.
Apple Paying ISPs to speed up their data

Apple Paying ISPs to speed up their data

Apple has just switched it’s new CDN (Content Delivery Network) on. 
Microsoft Cloud threat to Amazon Web Services

Microsoft Cloud threat to Amazon Web Services

With its cloud services revenue growing 147% on an annual basis in the second quarter of 2014, Microsoft's Azure cloud offering is growing at a much faster rate than AWS.
40 minutes spent daily on Facebook

40 minutes spent daily on Facebook

Some interesting statistics from Facebook last week at their earnings call:
Irish genealogy website leaks personal data

Irish genealogy website leaks personal data

The Irish government's genealogy website has been partially shut-down after it became clear sensitive personal data was being exposed.
Web Design primer - APIs

Web Design primer - APIs

With 11 percent of Americans thinking HTML is an STD and 30% thinking mp3s are robots from Star Wars, then maybe we should be explaining ourselves better. 
Web design and social networking

Web design and social networking

Here at Silverink we're not restricted to the world of Web design.  
Web Developments

Web Developments

Thought it might be a good idea to share a few links to sites and news I’ve discovered in the past few weeks surfing.
Website Development How-To

Website Development How-To

OK, so you have a great new business idea and you need a website to promote it.  But where do you begin?  
Website Design Trends

Website Design Trends

It’s important in the creative industry to stay on top of the latest technologies and trends. 
Microsoft joins open source Internet of Things platform

Microsoft joins open source Internet of Things platform

The Internet of Things - an all-encompassing term for the interconnectivity of everyday devices - is estimated by Cisco to be a $19 trillion market.  
Amazon Workspaces reinvents the thin client

Amazon Workspaces reinvents the thin client

With its WorkSpaces product, Amazon now offers a managed desktop computing service in the cloud. 
There Is A World Wide Web Outside The Social Network

There Is A World Wide Web Outside The Social Network

OK, so we have a vested interest as Web Designers and Developers, but there’s no better time than now to kick the Social Network habit and broaden your horizons.   
Sell more online with a responsive design

Sell more online with a responsive design

We can’t stress enough just how important it is to have a progressively enhanced, responsive website. 
Confidence levels increase within Irish Tech sector

Confidence levels increase within Irish Tech sector

Technology companies in Ireland are showing a marked increase in confidence about their businesses, according to a new report from the Irish Software Association
Cloud industry matures with Platform as a Service

Cloud industry matures with Platform as a Service

So you thought cloud was the Next Big Thing?  Think again.  This industry never sits still for long, so let's give a warm welcome to Platform as a Service!
Social network content management in webdesign

Social network content management in webdesign

A few years back, managing website content was simple. Not any more!
What we can expect from the Amazon Mobile Phone

What we can expect from the Amazon Mobile Phone

With Amazon poised to wade into the notoriously fickle mobile phone market, the industry is abuzz with rumours.  
A Font For Everyman

A Font For Everyman

A German ad agency has been commissioned by Bic as a branding exercise, to come up with a handwritten typeface, based on the handwriting of people from all sorts of backgrounds. 
Irish govt accused of giving Apple selective advantage

Irish govt accused of giving Apple selective advantage

The European Commission announced on its website yesterday that it is to investigate Ireland's handling of Apple's tax affairs.  
Think Different - Use Helvetica

Think Different - Use Helvetica

So for the first time in over decade Apple have changed their font from Lucida to…. Helvetica. 
Flickr to bin Facebook and Google website logins

Flickr to bin Facebook and Google website logins

Flickr, one of the biggest photo-sharing sites on the planet, is planning to remove Facebook and Google sign-in options from its website design.  
Best time to post on your favourite social network website

Best time to post on your favourite social network website

Used correctly, social media is great way to communicate and network with other businesses online.  
Web Design Tips - Photos

Web Design Tips - Photos

Although we’re really proud of having one of the easiest to use Content Management Systems out there, something we find people struggle with is image sizing and optimisation. 
Apple WWDC 2014

Apple WWDC 2014

Last night was that once a year event where I turn off My Little Pony on my daughter and flick on the live stream of Apples WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference). 
Microsoft targets cross-platform Dev with Xamarin

Microsoft targets cross-platform Dev with Xamarin

In partnering with Xamarin, Microsoft has set its crosshairs firmly on cross-platform mobile development.  
Free Images For Your Web Site

Free Images For Your Web Site

One of the trickiest parts of managing your own web site is sourcing good, high quality images. 
How to keep Windows XP patched

How to keep Windows XP patched

As most of us know by now, Microsoft has officially cut its XP operating system adrift and stopped issuing security updates.  Or have they ..
Google updates its key search algorithm

Google updates its key search algorithm

Matt Cutts just announced that Google is rolling out v4.0 of its Panda search engine algorithm.
Launch of FarmSafeNet Responsive E-Learning Tool

Launch of FarmSafeNet Responsive E-Learning Tool

The Rural Development Council got in touch with us to look at creating an online learning tool for Farm Safe Awareness. 
Responsive website for Francis Hanna Solicitors

Responsive website for Francis Hanna Solicitors

This well-established Belfast solicitors firm picked Silverink to develop a new Web presence.
Improving your website speed

Improving your website speed

Despite enormous improvements in Web technologies and bandwidth, most sites are still slow to load.  Why is that and why should we worry?
Lunns Portfolio mobile site redesign

Lunns Portfolio mobile site redesign

Bringing the mobile website design in-line with the main Portfolio rebrand: http://goo.gl/QSM6c8
What is the story with Net Neutrality

What is the story with Net Neutrality

On the surface of it, the Net Neutrality campaign is all about preventing a "two speed" internet. 
Giro a bittersweet success

Giro a bittersweet success

As keen cyclists & sports fans, we are thrilled to witness the Giro D'Italia's Grand Depart in Belfast today.  
Ladies flaunt their pins

Ladies flaunt their pins

Recent stats show there are 15 x times as many women using Pinterest as men.
Future Web Design Trends - CSS Shapes

Future Web Design Trends - CSS Shapes

This will be huge and is pretty exciting for us Web Designers. 
Belfast City Marathon Success

Belfast City Marathon Success

It was great to see so many thousands of runners take part in yesterday's Belfast City Marathon.  Whether running for charity, fitness or fun, those those who took part contributed to a wonderful day.
Cloud providers designing CPUs

Cloud providers designing CPUs

A job advertisement was recently spotted for 'CPU and System Architect, Amazon Web Services'.  
Website Specification Process

Website Specification Process

Every Silverink website project starts with a specification to outline project objectives, deadlines & budgets
Fonts And The Web

Fonts And The Web

Having come to Web Development from a print background I love good typography. We can now take advantage of a number of web services and support is pretty universal on web browsers.
Code and Babes - together at last

Code and Babes - together at last

In a novel development for the computer-science education sector, the new website "CodeBabes" purportedly combines "learning to code" with "checking out babes".
Cloud Storage Price War

Cloud Storage Price War

If you use email or a mobile phone, you store files in the cloud whether you know it or not.  
The Flexbox CSS property

The Flexbox CSS property

As everyone knows, Web standards constantly push forward, whilst developers are left waiting on browser adoption to catch up. One such feature is Flexbox. 
What Is Responsive Web Site Design

What Is Responsive Web Site Design

Put simply, Responsive Website Design is an approach aimed at responding to the device a user may be using to access your content.
Game Of Thrones Google Map

Game Of Thrones Google Map

Looking for more Game Of Thrones between Episodes? Check out this fan created Google Map of westeros (and don't worry, no spoilers - choose what you've read / watched up to)
Building Blocks Smartphone

Building Blocks Smartphone

It's a great idea - build your smartphone from modular blocks with just the functionality (and pricepoint) you need! 
JQuery Plugins - Tilted Page Scroll

JQuery Plugins - Tilted Page Scroll

Neat little plugin to create a 3D titled page scroll website design effect. 
Content Management For Facebook

Content Management For Facebook

A common request from our clients is how to add new tabs and apps to their Facebook pages.
Belfast City Half Marathon Launch

Belfast City Half Marathon Launch

The Belfast City Half Marathon was such a success last year that the organisers decided it needed it's own web presence. 
Hyperoo Cloud Console

Hyperoo Cloud Console

We've been working away on a cloud backup web app for Hyperoo and it's getting really close to an initial beta launch so stay tuned! 
Easibuild Site Update

Easibuild Site Update

We've given our own CMS Easibuild a great new site to promote it. Super easy to use content management.
New Responsive Web Site For Pronuptia Belfast

New Responsive Web Site For Pronuptia Belfast

The Pronuptia Belfast site launched about a month ago and just had a chance top look at the Analytics, Mobile visits now account for over 50% of traffic.