News about Software:
Microsoft Encouraging Higher Prices for Windows Phone Apps
With Microsoft’s software update due this fall, nicknamed Mango, the company is trying to bring over developers to the Windows Marketplace for Mobile by encouraging them to charge more for Windows Phone apps. Microsoft hopes to compete with the highly successful iTunes App Store by offering up better quality apps, as opposed to cheap or free apps that involve fart sounds.
Google Wallet introduced, and PayPal is upset
Google has recently announced their new mobile payment system with Google Wallet. It is a free Android Android App that will arrive sometime this summer that will allow users to make payments for products and/or services.
Yahoo! Mail hits latest iteration, kisses goodbye to beta version
Yahoo! hasn’t had it good lately over the years with the emergence of new players in the tech market, but that doesn’t mean this Internet giant is about to throw in the towel. No sir, they are still a formidable force, one to be reckoned with, and has just announced that they will be rolling out their Yahoo! Mail that will drop the Beta tag, making it available for all 284 million users worldwide to make the upgrade in the coming weeks.
RageGage helps tide you over those temper tantrums
RageGage is one of the more interesting computer peripherals that you will ever find – after all, the company is one of the leading manufacturers where rage-release devices are concerned, so their latest invention – the RageGage, was specially designed to be physically abused (without letting you end up on the wrong side of the law to boot), especially when you’re over your top due to the incompetence of others around you.
RecognizeMe relies on facial recognition to unlock an iPhone
A few days ago, we reported on the Hoyos Eyelock USB Iris Scanner that allows the user to enter their laptop or desktop device via eye-scan. All it takes is just connecting it via USB, but what if you could get similar security on your mobile phone?
Library books can be easily shelved with ShelvAR
When I was in the 8th grade, I did some time in a library, shelving some books. If you have never done painstaking work like this, I highly don’t recommend it.
GoLiveCampus.com – YouTube at School?
My daughter is only 8 and she came home from school the other day asking if she could get on the computer and I allowed it. In the 2 minutes it took for me to check on what she was looking for, she had hit YouTube.com and was watching (and dancing to) a suggestive rap video, it seems she learned about YouTube at school, from her music teacher. Great.
Evoluce uses a Kinect to control Windows
Some of you might remember when we covered the Gmail Motion a few days ago. I was told that Gmail Motion was essentially a big joke for April Fool’s Day, and that there isn’t a system where you can send emails by doing a “slapping a stamp” hand motion.
Amazon introduces Cloud Drive, Cloud Player for Web and Cloud Player for Android
Amazon thinks that the future of computing lies in cloud storage, and hence has announced a trio of new services – Cloud Drive, Cloud Player for Web and Cloud Player for Android. Basically, any one of the three allows you to buy anywhere, play your tunes anywhere while making sure your digital music collection remains in a centralized place.
Red Bull’s Augmented Reality App lets you design your own track
There are a lot of augmented reality apps and a lot of racing apps for the iPhone, and this particular one from Red Bull is pretty unique.
Red Bull’s Augmented Racing has a feature that allows the user to build their own virtual track. That is actually a common feature for a racing game, but how it does it is pretty amazing.
Grace Digital rolls out remote control app for the Android Market
Folks who are rocking to the world of Android smartphones as well as its growing Android Market presence will be pleased to know that there is another innovative piece of software coming your way thanks to Grace Digital, where the company’s innovative remote control application will offer users control over key internet radio functions including power, volume, channel selection, presets, alarm management, not to mention a whole host of other features.
Genius jumps into tablet game with Kids Designer Tablet
Genius knows that there is plenty of room for the tablet market to expand, and have decided to take the plunge as well with their Kids Designer Tablet. What you see on the right intends to usher children in to the world of technology – a primer of sorts, so to speak.
Balance separates work and play on your BlackBerry
Research In Motion (RIM) knows that they have to do something to ensure they are still around in a few years’ time and avoid the path of irrelevance that Nokia is taking, and hence intends to go all out in maintaining their territory when it comes to the corporate smartphone market by making sure the BlackBerry is smart enough to segregate a user’s personal data from work-related emails as well as other applications sponsored by employers thanks to the Balance software. This software will more or less give you more from a single phone – making you feel as though you were using two phones in one, and RIM intends that this move will help combat the erosion of its market share in the corporate segment to other competitors such as Android-powered and iOS devices. Balance is currently undergoing testing and should hit North America within a couple of months’ time. In addition, Balance will arrive on the PlayBook tablet to make it one of the more exciting software releases for mobile devices these coming months.
Don’t text while you drive!
The cell phone is often a curse as much as it is a boon to modern society – after all, how many of you have gotten out of a tight spot simply because you had your phone on you, and managed to ring for some help in the nick of time? Of course, there is a flipside to all of this – one of the main ones being letting technology control your lives. I am pretty sure that many of you have seen people walking down the street without once looking up from a tiny little display in the palm of their hands, but somehow they can magically avoid their fellow phone users even on the busiest of streets. Well, texting while driving is another minus point that will not only endanger your life, but that of others sharing the road with you. Location Labs intends to put a stop to texting while driving with its DriveSmart Plus application on T-Mobile devices, making it the industry’s first carrier-grade service to help prevent texting while driving, specifically designed for T-Mobile customers with Android smartphones.
MouseMail.com now open for beta registration
You know how it is, with the number of psychos running around these days who just can’t wait to jump upon children at any and every chance, and with the advent of the Internet, this has become a whole lot easier to do. Well, that doesn’t mean companies out there are unable figure out a way to stop the rot – MouseMail.com might just be able to step in and help. For instance, they have already opened up for beta registration, where this revolutionary patent-pending online security service is touted to offer protection to children from vulgar, sexual or bullying emails, text messages and social networking interactions. This service is free just in case you are wondering, as parents are given the freedom to screen emails as well as text messages while monitoring other online activity of their progeny for questionable or objectionable content.
MEA Mobile delivers instant vintage video for iPhone
While there are many great things about the iPhone that we know of, among them the camera is something that truly stands out. I must say that after using the initial versions of Android, I was pretty disappointed by the kinds of images those Android phones took, although Android 2.2 Froyo on select handsets did bring up the notch by some, albeit not coming near where Apple’s iPhone camera is. This is not a biased opinion as I don’t own an iPhone, but rather, an honest one. Well, those who own an iPhone and have a keen interest in photography and videography will certainly be looking forward to what MEA Mobile has planned for the year – an 8MM Film Filter that will help you shoot instant vintage video, wherever you are!
Avatar Kinect program shown off at CES 2011
While I was at CES 2011, I decided to wait in the line for the Kinect exhibit at Microsoft’s gigantic booth on the showfloor.
While I was waiting in line, there was a screen nearby, and a Kinect Avatar showed up and began talking to the girl in front of me. He asked her: “Are you texting on that phone?”
GEAR4 announces UnityRemote
Mention the name GEAR4 and chances are you will definitely have heard of it before, where this UK-based iPod and iPhone audio brand and case manufacturer has brought a bunch of its memorable creations to the world before, placing a strong emphasis on design. Well, they have just announced the availability of the UnityRemote in the US, which is available via Amazon (where else) – basically, the UnityRemote will be able to turn iPhone, iPod touch or iPad into a universal remote control. Sounds like the perfect Christmas present to receive this year if you happen to own any of the aforementioned iDevices, considering how pervasive the couch potato culture is worldwide these days. On a side note, do you remember the good old days when the TV had only a few channels, and yet you found yourself glued to a particular channel for much longer than you can remember? Today’s so much different, where kids go through a few hundred channels and complain that there is no thing to watch…
World Lens App can translate words inside of an image
I generally report on end-user consumer devices, and usually do not report on cool Apps on this site. Otherwise, I would constantly fill this blog with the cool Apps that come out everyday. Maybe we should have a separate blog known as Coolest Apps.
Choose Your Own Adventure Books finally go to video format
If you grew up in the early eighties, then you probably remember reading the Choose Your Own Adventure books where you select a page depending on where you wanted your main character to go.
Jawbone THOUGHTS unveiled
Mention the word “Jawbone” and most people would definitely have the image of one of those sleek looking Bluetooth headsets spring to mind. After all, Aliph did a pretty good job in getting word of their Jawbone series around, backing it up with some really solid performance where hardware is concerned, although certain quarters do feel that the physical size is still somewhat larger than most of the other Bluetooth headsets in the market.
Beutiful Modeler uses an iPad for 3D printing
I thought that I would post this Beautiful modeler app just to show you the technological wonderland that we might live in one day.
Western Digital announces WD Photos photo viewer
Western Digital has just announced their latest WD Photos photo viewer which enables Android-powered smartphone users to view all the photos that are stashed away on their WD home network drive, where among them include My Book Live, My Book World Edition and WD ShareSpace models, as long as an Internet connection is present. Not only that, iPad owners can also carve a smile on their faces as the WD Photos app also is available for the iPad. iPhone, iPhone 4 and iPod touch owners will also be able to take advantage of the WD Photos photo viewer, but as of right now, Android users too can jump in on the action.
NOOK kids announced by Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble has just announced something for the little ones while the adults can have fun with their NOOKcolor – we’re talking about NOOK kids. This is a state-of-the-art digital reading experience that will target little ones, making NOOK kids the first-ever platform which can deliver the largest and growing collection of nearly 12,000 popular children’s picture and chapter books in an enhanced and engaging digital format. It will range from beloved children’s classics to new releases, where NOOK kids will launch with over 130 digital picture books, doubling before 2010 comes to a close. We will look at NOOK kids in greater detail in the extended post.
Netflix app hits iPhone and iPod touch
While the Netflix app was originally meant for the iPad, this free app has been modified to cater for those who are rocking to the iPhone and iPod touch, thanks to the availability of the free Netflix App for iPhone and iPod touch. Basically, this app enables current Netflix members to enjoy watching their favorite shows and movies anytime, anywhere on the mentioned two iDevices for just $8.99 a month. To put it in layman’s terms, you will be able to instantly watch a vast selection of TV episodes and movies streamed to your iPhone or iPod touch at no additional cost.
Gmail now lets you make phone calls
The next time someone tells you that he/she is going to give you a call from their Gmail, try not to look as though they escaped from a nearby mental asylum. After all, it always remains to your advantage to be as cool as a cucumber regardless of the situation that unfurls, and to ask questions if you aren’t sure so as not to assume. This is where being knowledgeable comes in handy, and if you were to take this post into heart, it might just save you from future social faux pas situations. Google has just announced that they will allow you to make phone calls through Gmail – yes, something that we never really thought of was possible until today. No longer do you need to have two parties sitting in front of their computers to dial one another – why not just call the other person using your Gmail account?
BlackBerry 6 announced
What better way to introduce a new smartphone in the form of the BlackBerry Torch than to accompany it with a spanking new operating system as well? That’s what we’re talking about today with the BlackBerry 6 heading your way from Research in Motion. Boasting a redesigned interface which seamlessly works with a touch screen and trackpad, it will also throw in expanded messaging capabilities that simplify managing social media and RSS feeds. Apart from that, you will find your BlackBerry 6 powered device to double up as an advanced multimedia device as well, touted to rival the best in the industry. Since search is such a big thing these days, RIM also threw in a convenient new Universal Search tool, alongside a new and efficient WebKit-based browser which ensures your favorite web pages are rendered in a quick and beautiful manner.
BlindType vows to autocorrect all wrongs with your iPhone or Android virtual keyboard (video)
Remember that episode of The Simpsons where Homer gets too fat to be able to dial a number? Well, he wouldn’t have had that problem had BlindType been around. This soft keyboard is described by its makers as being extremely resilient to inaccurate input and looking at the demo video after the break, you kinda have to agree — it seems to have a pretty kickass predictive algorithm. Aside from that, the keyboard also dynamically adjusts to wherever and however you choose to type, meaning its size and orientation track along to your input, which goes some way to justifying the somewhat odd name (it’s meant for blind operation, not blind people). Text can be inserted without the keyboard even being on screen, while spaces are automatically added at pauses in your typing. BlindType should be coming to Android and iOS devices some time in the near future.
Apple to charge upgrade fee for iPads moving to iOS 4?
As if waiting around until fall to get iOS 4 weren’t enough of a downer for iPad owners, the latest rumor we’re hearing is that they’ll have to pay a fee in order to do so. That’s right, for the privilege of waiting patiently to get some semblance of multitasking on your slate device, you’ll have to pony up the cash — or so the story goes. Stuff has it on strong authority from app developers in the know that Apple will be asking for a (relatively small) tithe from those wishing to update their iPads when the leaves start turning amber. We’d advise keeping the pitchforks stowed for now — at least until there’s some solid corroboration for this — but then it’s not like Apple hasn’t done this before. Read the rest of this entry »
Apple releases iTunes 9.2.1 and iBooks 1.1.1, fixes galore promised
Merely days after iTunes 9.2 hit the pipes in order to enable iPhone 4 syncing, Apple‘s software team has pushed out the first “minor” update since with 9.2.1. Truth be told, the list of changes, fixes and tweaks is rather lengthy for a simple point-point update, with this one allowing users to organize apps on the iOS 4 home screens into folders using iTunes, organize and sync PDF documents as books, etc. As for fixes? For starters, it’ll “disable older versions of some incompatible third-party plug-ins” (thanks?), while also addressing “minor issues with dragging and dropping items, a performance issue when first syncing to some devices with iTunes 9.2″ and other general speed issues that users were reporting. As for iBooks 1.1.1, that one still seems to be propagating through the iTunes server factory, promising support for books with audio and video, improvements for PDF documents and other miscellaneous bug fixes. Feel free to toss your impressions of the new builds in comments below, but don’t blame us if your eagerness ends up breaking something you love dearly.
Vlingo unveils SuperDialer for Android devices
Vlingo is a name synonymous with intelligent voice applications that are capable of transforming words into action, where the company has rolled out a spanking new feature known as SuperDialer, targeting Android-powered devices in the process. Of course, as we all well know, Android devices are mostly smartphones, but many of them also come in portable media player or tablet form factors. Well, you can’t call anyone out of a tablet or portable media player, so it is safe to assume that the SuperDialer, as its name suggests, will work only on smartphones. First of all, a little bit of history lesson – the original voice dialer from Vlingo connects users with people from a personal address book, while its new and improved SuperDialer expands on that functionality by accessing an infinite phone book to bridge a connection with any business, anywhere, anytime.
Swype spotted swiftly slinging fingers across Windows 7 screens?
That’s not your grandpappy’s touchscreen panel, nor his standard Windows 7 input method of choice, oh no — unless our eyes deceive us, we’re looking at a 3M M2256PW ten-finger multitouch display, and on it, a genuine Swype keyboard. Though we’ve heard nothing about a partnership between Microsoft and Swype and we see nary a mention on the internet at large, there’s no denying the idea — spotted during last week’s Internet Explorer demo at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference — is an attractive one. The question is when and how Redmond might deliver such functionality to the existing OS… and if we might possibly see the same on the company’s upcoming phones as well. See it in action at the source link, and fast forward to 2:58:30 for the goods. Trust us and skip ahead — we’ve got a feeling you won’t want to hear Microsoft kick this party off.
Apple affirms: no software fix for iPhone 4 antenna issue
In case it wasn’t obvious enough from Apple‘s agitated response to our question during today’s iPhone 4 Q&A session in Cupertino, there’s no software fix in the pipeline for the antenna issues that are plaguing users today. A prior report in the New York Times seemed fairly confident that the troubles could (and would) be solved in the near term by a simple software update, but the company’s own Scott Forstall called said report “patently false.” So, there you have it — the only thing that’ll be fixed via software is how big your smallest bar of signal is. Beyond that, you’ll need to grab some Duct tape, a free case or a white glove if you’re looking to avoid attenuation entirely. Read the rest of this entry »
iPad iOS 3.2.1 update promises WiFi fix, adds Bing
It’s not just the iPhone 4, 3GS and 3G that have seen an iOS update; both flavors of the iPad have also been treated to a new version of their software, too. Not iOS4, sadly, but iOS 3.2.1 which brings with it various bugfixes together the most important of which is to address dodgy WiFi connectivity on the Apple slate.
iPhone signal tweaks compared; iOS 4.0.1 quietly fixes Exchange support too
We love a good colored diagram here at SlashGear, and so this comparison chart showing just how Apple has changed iPhone signal strength bar mapping in their latest iOS 4.0.1 update is tickling us nicely. The handiwork of AnandTech reader Mike Escoffery, it shows the considerable margin by which Apple emphasized a “full bars” signal. Meanwhile, while there was no mention of it in the iTunes release notes, iOS 4.0.1 also addresses Exchange ActiveSync problems.
Firefox Home for iPhone & iPod touch hits App Store
The cynic might say that Mozilla heavily previewed their Firefox Home app for iOS back in May so that, should Apple reject it, they could make a huge song and dance of it. Happily that won’t be necessary, since Apple’s App Store guardians have approved the browser companion app for iPhone and iPod touch. The concept is a little confusing at first glance: Firefox Home isn’t a standalone browser, instead using Firefox Sync to bring your browsing history, bookmarks and open tabs from the desktop to your mobile device.
iOS 4.0.1 released to fix iPhone 4, 3GS and 3G signal meter
Apple’s promised iOS4 update has been pushed out for the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G. iOS 4.0.1 apparently “improves the formula to determine how many bars of signal strength to display,” after Apple discovered they had been using the wrong calculations. Previewed earlier today in the iOS4.1 developer beta, the update is expected to make the iPhone’s signal meter more accurate, but not address the hardware issue experienced by iPhone 4 owners where holding the smartphone in a certain way can significantly impair antenna performance.
Elgato debuts Turbo.264 HD Software Edition, cuts price of hardware edition
Here at Engadget HQ, there’s hardly a more overused piece of equipment than Elgato’s (Mac only) Turbo.264 HD — in our experience, it chews through bloated video files at a breakneck pace, leaving us with shrunken versions of CES hands-on and the like without any noticeable degradation in quality. Now, that same functionality is being introduced sans an easy-to-forget USB dongle as the Turbo.264 HD Software Edition. For all intents and purposes, the SE version does the exact same thing as the original, albeit at a presumably slower pace. ‘Course, it’ll still convert videos for use on portable devices (or just shrink the files sizes for easier archiving) far quicker than whatever method you’re using now, and the $49.95 price tag is certainly a bit easier to swallow. Oh, and speaking of MSRPs — Elgato just hacked $50 from the price of the hardware-accelerated version, leaving it at a delectable $99.95. Mmm, files. Delicious. Read the rest of this entry »
Road SMS Augmented Reality messaging app video demo
Samsung has taken it upon itself to rescue avid Android texters from the dangers of sturdy street furniture with Road SMS, a free download that overlays a QWERTY keyboard on top of a live feed from the camera. We’ve been putting it through its paces over at Android Community – together with flagging up some of the issues – but you can get a sneak peak of our hands-on (or, as the photo shows, our hands-through) video after the cut.
Jolicloud 1.0 demonstrated on Acer Aspire One 533, coming to your netbook soon
We’re always skeptical when it comes to underground operating systems whipped up for one specific purpose, but Jolicloud has managed to continually impress us with each passing build. Now, at long last, the netbook-centric OS has arrived at the magical 1.0, and our comrades over at Netbook News have managed to score an early copy. Better still, they’re showcasing it on Acer’s just-released Aspire One 533, and if the bootup speed is any indication, we’d say the two are a match made in heaven. The 1.0 version sure looks grown-up compared to those earlier builds, and while we suspect it would take a bit of getting used to before we really found ourselves comfortable in an app-driven desktop OS, we definitely like the looks of it. Feel free to hop on past the break for a lengthy video demonstration of the refaced system, and if you’re currently using an earlier version, the company has informed the world that upgrades will start slipping out as early as this week. Read the rest of this entry »
SkypeKit SDK beta gains Windows and Mac support
Skype has updated its new SkypeKit SDK beta to support Windows and OS X systems, meaning developers for those platforms can now add background VoIP and video call functionality using the service. Launched last month but only compatible with Linux apps, the SkypeKit SDK allows for so-called “headless” Skype integration where the app itself needn’t be separately installed by the user.
Apple acquires web mapping firm Poly9, probably has something up its sleeve
Per usual, it seems as if this deal has happened in the dark of the night, but thankfully for the curious among us, it’s a bit difficult to disguise a caravan of humans escaping Québec and fleeing to Cupertino. According to a report in The Sun as well as an independent confirmation on our end, Apple has picked up a small Canadian firm by the name of Poly9. As of now, every last employee has been relocated to California, with the couple who declined left to find other work in the Great White North. Poly9′s official website is also blanked out, but in the past, the company has been credited with developing loads of web-based mapping programs (primarily in Flash, crazily enough) as well as APIs for a handful of monolithic clients like Microsoft, Yahoo!, NORAD and MSNBC. Generally speaking, Apple tends to integrate its purchases into the workflow at a rather rapid clip, so we’re actually expected something to come of this in the not-too-distant future. What, exactly, remains to be seen.
Windows 7 SP1 public beta now ready for download
Slightly ahead of schedule, Microsoft has dished out Service Pack numero uno for Windows 7. The hot-selling OS has been a revelation since its release and it’s therefore no surprise that this update pack does nothing remarkably new or important. It collates all of Microsoft’s patches since launch into a neat little (well, not really, it’s 1.2GB in size) package and throws in a few other hotfixes to boot. Microsoft treats its betas rather unceremoniously, however, so don’t expect any support with this thing until it goes final — which we’re hearing might not be until early 2011. We’d say that’s a long way out but it’s not like Windows 7 isn’t treating us well enough already. Hit the source to obtain the download, if you must.
