Earlier this week I released the Responsive Joomla template which is the first our club templates to be released on Zen Grid Framework version 2. The new update is a considerable update and while I port the existing framework templates across to the new version I thought I would post some of the new features and improvements here.

Unified Joomla 1.5 / Joomla 1.7 packages

This is a big one for us and hopefully for you too. From now on we will be releasing single packages of both Joomla templates and the framework plugin. This means that the packages will install on both Joomla 1.5 and Joomla 1.7. This will make managing versions and releasing updates a lot easier which means it will be easier for our users to keep track of versions and updates as well.

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Earlier today I released the first of our October Joomla template releases. It's a responsive Joomla template that also has the honour of being the first template to be released on Zen Grid Framework version 2.

Zen Grid Framework Version 2

I'll be writing more about the framework in the next few days, but in the meantime if you haven't already seen the screenshots of the new interface design for the framework, then be sure to take a look. You can also see a run down of some of the new features in the framework on the Responsive template's feature page.

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Over the last few months we have been working on the next major update to our Joomla template framework, which was released as a beta a few weeks ago. Over the last few days I've spent a bit of time redesigning the interface to make it a little more 'bamboo' and the screenshots below are the end result.

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The Responsive Joomla Template is a new skeleton template for Joomla 1.5 and Joomla 1.7 that we hope to unveil early next week. Over the last few days Ive plugged into development of v2.0 of the Zen Grid Framework and have made some real progress that should mean that we will see a stable release next week as well.

The Responsive Joomla template will be the first template released on the new version of the framework and as you will see from the screenshots its a mobile friendly clean skin for you to start developing your sites with.

On a side note ... A unified framework and Joomla template.

The big news is that v2.0 compatible Joomla templates will be a unified package - ie they will work on both Joomla 1.5 and Joomla 1.7. This is a massive boon for us as it will speed up the development and release process, but it also means members will no longer need to worry about discerning between J1.5 and J1.7 packages in our download area.

I'll post more on whats in the new version in the next few days and weeks but for now - take a look at a few snippets of the Responsive Joomla template's layout.

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Im happy to announce the availability of our September Joomla Template, Focus. Focus is available as a Joomla 1.5 and Joomla 1.7 template and also comes in quickstart packages.

Integrated Fullscreen slideshow and a responsive layout

Focus combines the power of the Galleria full screen jQuery slideshow with an intelligent responsive layout to deliver a stunning folio theme that is ideal for photographers and artists alike. Focus will render beautifully on all good desktop browsers and scale to suit the smaller iPad and iPhone screen sizes.

You may have noticed I said "good" browsers - unfortunately IE6 couldn't come on the whole journey with us this month but dont worry we have implemented some changes to ensure it degrades gracefully for all of those users.

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Just a short note to let you know that the Shopfront, Zen Simpleshop and Shop Ignition Joomla templates have been updated to be compatible with the recently released Tienda v0.8.0.

If you havent met Tienda yet it's a promising ecommerce solutions for Joomla, which is feature rich and loaded with potential. The latest update includes tons of bug fixes and what look like some really handy feature additions - new payment processors, a one step checkout page and oodles of other useful additions. Tienda is available for free download from Dioscouri.

Please be sure to check the changelogs for the updates as they contain instructions on how to update from the previous version of the template and their corresponding overrides.

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I've just uploaded a beta of the second version of our Joomla Template Framework - the Zen Grid Framework. The new version still has some known issues which you can read about on the forum announcement, however much of the core work has been done so we felt it was time to throw the new version over to our members to try out.

I will be writing about the new framework extensively in the next few weeks but until then if you are a member of the Joomlabamboo template club and are feeling adventurous, take a look at the new framework and tell us what you think on the forum.

I am hoping to have the stable version of the Joomla 1.5 version of the framework out in a week or so and then we will start work on the Jooomla 1.7 version. Please stay tuned for more news on the framework.

Club Members can download the beta release of the framework here and a also grab a copy of the beta version of the Hub template.

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While we gradually make our way through our Joomla template catalogue and create Joomla 1.7 template versions of previous designs, there are a couple of places on the Joomlabamboo network that you can keep aprised of Joomla 1.6 and Joomla 1.7 compatible templates.

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After a little bit of a hiatus from our Joomla 1.7 template release schedule, I am very happy to announce the availability of the Grid2 Joomla 1.7 Template. If you are unfamiliar with Grid2 you can see the template overview or the live demo.

We released Grid2 back in June 2010 as a follow up to the original Grid template and it's been a massively popular template for photographers, artists and pretty much anyone who liked the display of the grid layout on the front page.

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This is just a small update on the progress of the Focus Joomla Template that should be available for you to play with next week sometime. I've been having a bit of fun playing with media queries and for those browsers that can handle media queries - Don't worry I'm not looking at you internet explorer - the template will resize very nicely and rearrange some key elements to make them accessible at all screen resolutions.

I am personally a big fan of the media query route when designing for mobile devices. It might just be me, but I find having to click to a view the full website when I am surfing on my iphone a pain, and depending on the site I might even be tempted to browse away rather than navigate to the full site.

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Our September Joomla template release is shaping up to be a bit of a departure from some our recent offerings. We have been playing with this jQuery full screen slideshow plugin and in a word it is simply beautiful to work with.

The way it is shaping up it is going to be a killer photographer's folio / blog template with some pretty extraordinary features for getting your work out there. The theme will mix some subtle overlay patterns, static and fixed elements and also importantly a very intuitive way to create your fullscreen slideshows to slide and fade on the background of your site.

Be sure to check out the screenshots after the jump.

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The Meridian Joomla template is a subtle and minimal textured template that is a little bit clean, a little bit dirty and very very earthy. It comes with the usual flexibility of the Zen Grid Framework, a smashing k2 Joomla Template and some elegant colour schemes that are perfect for an earthy, eco friendly business website.

Meridian is available as a Joomla 1.5 and Joomla 1.7 template and comes with quickstart packages as well.

Check out Meridian's features and gallery, the template documentation and live preview or if you are already a member go straight to the download page and get your copy. If you are not yet a member you can sign up and get instant access to the template files.

Lapsed members can also take advantage of the jbrenewal2 coupon and receive 10% off the subscription price.

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