When rich Internet applications were first introduced, they were quite a novelty. The first generation of applications provided some great examples, but the terms "enterprise" and "commercial" were rarely associated with these applications. Now that RIAs have matured, they have taken their place in the software ecosystem. Traditionally, developers could not find a way to directly monetize their applications, but that is rapidly changing as users begin to realize the benefit of browser-based and desktop RIAs.

The three RIAs covered this month are commercial applications. While they have different monetization strategies, they provide enough value to the end user that their developing companies actually charge for their use.

MindManager Web
Technology: Adobe® Flex®

Mind mapping RIAs have been around for the last few years. While many of the applications have done well, none of them has reached the level of the new MindManager Web application. This application from MindJet provides an experience almost equal to the traditional native desktop application. Traditional features such as formatting, visual markers, relationships between map points, callouts, boundaries, and links are all available in the web application as well as the ability to utilize your own images. If you are new to mind mapping with MindManager, a whole series of tutorials focuses on the web application.

One of the benefits of MindManager Web is that it can work seamlessly with the traditional native desktop application. The file format for the desktop application can be imported to and exported from the web application. One of the hallmarks of a great RIA is how it capitalizes on collaboration. This application is no exception. If users have a Mindjet Connect account, they can utilize the secure shared workspaces that allow for collaborative map development. In addition to the shared workspaces, the application also includes integrated web conferencing and chat (both are Windows® only).

MindManager Web is available for a free 30-day trial.

TimesReader 2.0
Technology: Adobe AIR®

The TimesReader application for The New York Times attempts to change the way that readers experience its content. This application is widely seen as an exciting experiment that could influence the next generation of newspapers. The TimesReader application was originally written as a WPF application (Windows only) and has recently been converted to a cross-platform AIR® application. This application takes a complete New York Times edition and makes it viewable in a desktop AIR application. It takes advantage of some of the advanced text capabilities in AIR 1.5 to deliver an experience to end users that is much like reading a traditional newspaper.

In addition to enabling you to read articles, the application provides the ability to view video clips and do the daily crossword puzzle. It also includes a browse view that provides a more traditional experience of thumbing through pages. To keep you from missing any important news, the application stores up to 7 days of the full paper on the user's hard drive (with more content available on the nytimes.com website). Each article gives you the ability to print or e-mail it to a friend.

The New York Times TimesReader 2.0 is available to download today. A subscription is required for full functionality.

Balsamiq Mockups for Desktop
Technology: Adobe AIR

The Balsamiq Mockups Desktop application has quickly become an industry-standard application for building quick wireframes. This AIR application makes creating wireframes as simple as drag and drop. The application includes 75 controls as well as the ability to bring in your own custom controls or download more from a community repository.

One of the greatest features of Balsamiq is its ease of use. Within a few minutes of launching the application, most users will understand how to add controls to the workspace, position items, adjust layering, and edit text. Once users master the basics, they can start using the keyboard shortcuts, which makes working in Balsamiq even faster. Balsamiq can export your layout to BMML, a custom XML specification for declaratively outlining the controls and their positions. And Balsamiq also includes a handful of command line options, which means that it can even be integrated into a build process.

The Balsamiq Mockups functionality is also available for Confluence, JIRA, and xWiki. The desktop version works seamlessly with these other plug-ins. Balsamiq Mockups Desktop is available to purchase today, and a trial version with limited functionality is also available.

Conclusion

These applications do a great job of illustrating that RIAs go far beyond Twitter clients and Flickr mashups. They also demonstrate that companies should view RIAs not just as a benefit to give customers but also as a potential revenue stream. As RIAs continue to mature, this will become commonplace with a variety of monetization strategies. The bottom line: Users are beginning to realize the value of a commercial-quality rich Internet application, and they are willing to pay for that value.

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