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Meet YouTube TubeMate! TubeMate downloads YouTube clips as HD video or MP3s straight to your phone.
Of course, this is a completely forbidden thing to do so I definitely do not recommend on using it. Not sure how long this will be around, but if, as an exception, you must do this, just once, and never again, forever, and ever, here's a link to download the application (for free…).
Meet YouTube TubeMate! TubeMate downloads YouTube clips as HD video or MP3s straight to your phone.
Of course, this is a completely forbidden thing to do so I definitely do not recommend on using it. Not sure how long this will be around, but if, as an exception, you must do this, just once, and never again, forever, and ever, here's a link to download the application (for free…).
InterContinental is about to start allowing guests to unlock their hotel rooms with smartphones. This way, if you put your hotel magnetic card next to your phone, and as a result the configuration is being deleted (as it always happens to me…) – you don't need to worry! You can still use your phone to unlock the door.
Call me old fashion, but I can easily see issues with this new idea: hackers will open other people's doors, smartphones will run out of battery… who knows what can happen?
I think I will prefer sticking with the good old magnetic cards…
InterContinental is about to start allowing guests to unlock their hotel rooms with smartphones. This way, if you put your hotel magnetic card next to your phone, and as a result the configuration is being deleted (as it always happens to me…) – you don't need to worry! You can still use your phone to unlock the door.
Call me old fashion, but I can easily see issues with this new idea: hackers will open other people's doors, smartphones will run out of battery… who knows what can happen?
I think I will prefer sticking with the good old magnetic cards…
Fragmentation,fragmentation, fragmentation. Rumors are pretty strong that Amazon is going to launch it’s own Android app store (which ties in to a possible Android tablet). We’ll get to the details of the market in a second, but this makes the third market for Android. There’s Google's, Verizon’s and now Amazons.
This is one of those really great and really awful things.
For me, I think the Android market is garbage. Really, going to ‘what’s new’ is a total waste of time since the newest things are picture of women that appear after you hang up on a phone call, some new children puzzle games and a theme or two. It’s a mess and filled with way too many underperforming apps.
Amazon can really clean up the categories and control what’s in their market to keep the crap out. On top of that, their reviews will (hopefully) be better (well they can’t be worse). I doubt they’d go so far as to test the apps to ensure they’re not malicious and work on various versions of Android but they are supposed to be limiting the devices that can buy from the market so at least they should cover compatibility.
The real problem though, is that once you start to have a lot of markets, it starts to cause fragmentation and developers have to deal with multiple markets and as an end users you have to search multiple markets… that is unless one is so good that it simply beats the others out. The openness of Android may hit a wall with Amazon’s certification process though – we’ll have to wait and see.
What do you guys think, is an Amazon market great for Android or a sign of trouble?
Here are the details of the Amazon store from Tech Crunch, and yes, it’s got a $100 certification fee.
For each sale of an App, we will pay you a royalty equal to the greater of 70% of the purchase price or 20% of the List Price as of the purchase date (70/30 is standard, this 20/80 split is somewhat odd and confusing)
The List Price is apparently in place so that you can’t sell your app cheaper on other “similar services” — meaning other app stores, presumably
The “similar services” should also include the forthcoming Chrome Web Store, if I’m reading this correctly
There is a $99 fee to be a developer in this program (the same as Apple’s iOS developer program)
It seems like if your app is available on other platforms, you have to make sure to update it at the same time on Amazon’s store that you do in any other store (this will piss off a lot of developers)
Apps will have to be laced with Amazon DRM — meaning they will only work on devices they approve (obviously)
Amazon has the right to pull any app for any reason (obviously)
Apps can also be shown on amazon.com (this is up to Amazon)
You can offer free apps
The app store is U.S.-only (at least for now)
This part is interesting too: “We have sole discretion to determine all features and operations of this program and to set the retail price and other terms on which we sell Apps.”
Fragmentation,fragmentation, fragmentation. Rumors are pretty strong that Amazon is going to launch it’s own Android app store (which ties in to a possible Android tablet). We’ll get to the details of the market in a second, but this makes the third market for Android. There’s Google's, Verizon’s and now Amazons.
This is one of those really great and really awful things.
For me, I think the Android market is garbage. Really, going to ‘what’s new’ is a total waste of time since the newest things are picture of women that appear after you hang up on a phone call, some new children puzzle games and a theme or two. It’s a mess and filled with way too many underperforming apps.
Amazon can really clean up the categories and control what’s in their market to keep the crap out. On top of that, their reviews will (hopefully) be better (well they can’t be worse). I doubt they’d go so far as to test the apps to ensure they’re not malicious and work on various versions of Android but they are supposed to be limiting the devices that can buy from the market so at least they should cover compatibility.
The real problem though, is that once you start to have a lot of markets, it starts to cause fragmentation and developers have to deal with multiple markets and as an end users you have to search multiple markets… that is unless one is so good that it simply beats the others out. The openness of Android may hit a wall with Amazon’s certification process though – we’ll have to wait and see.
What do you guys think, is an Amazon market great for Android or a sign of trouble?
Here are the details of the Amazon store from Tech Crunch, and yes, it’s got a $100 certification fee.
For each sale of an App, we will pay you a royalty equal to the greater of 70% of the purchase price or 20% of the List Price as of the purchase date (70/30 is standard, this 20/80 split is somewhat odd and confusing)
The List Price is apparently in place so that you can’t sell your app cheaper on other “similar services” — meaning other app stores, presumably
The “similar services” should also include the forthcoming Chrome Web Store, if I’m reading this correctly
There is a $99 fee to be a developer in this program (the same as Apple’s iOS developer program)
It seems like if your app is available on other platforms, you have to make sure to update it at the same time on Amazon’s store that you do in any other store (this will piss off a lot of developers)
Apps will have to be laced with Amazon DRM — meaning they will only work on devices they approve (obviously)
Amazon has the right to pull any app for any reason (obviously)
Apps can also be shown on amazon.com (this is up to Amazon)
You can offer free apps
The app store is U.S.-only (at least for now)
This part is interesting too: “We have sole discretion to determine all features and operations of this program and to set the retail price and other terms on which we sell Apps.”
According to my secret sources, which are reliable (they knew about Pink project, they started the facebook tablet rumor) and accurate – the BlackBerry PlayBook price will be… set in the near future…
But, you know what they say… there's nothing like a useless post every once in a while just for the sake of search engines…
Analysts think that a price range of $300-$350 would be about right. If this is the case, than Blackberry may create a nice market for itself, one for those unwilling to pay the hefty price of $500-$800 that an iPad may cost, and one for those who are more business oriented…
According to my secret sources, which are reliable (they knew about Pink project, they started the facebook tablet rumor) and accurate – the BlackBerry PlayBook price will be… set in the near future…
But, you know what they say… there's nothing like a useless post every once in a while just for the sake of search engines…
Analysts think that a price range of $300-$350 would be about right. If this is the case, than Blackberry may create a nice market for itself, one for those unwilling to pay the hefty price of $500-$800 that an iPad may cost, and one for those who are more business oriented…
With its' flagship product, the BlackBerry, losing ground in the Smartphone arena, Research In Motion is taking the battle to another arena: tablets.
It's time to see what is the BlackBerry PlayBook all about! Here is a summary of the new BlackBerry Tablet that includes a powerful 1GHz dual core processor with 1GB of RAM, true multi-tasking, two HD cameras, full 1080p HD playback in widescreen, and a complete web experience with HTML5 and Flash 10.1.
Everything you wanted to know about the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet:
Name: PlayBook? Horrible! The first thing that comes in mind is an unprofessional device, aimed towards sports or dramatic plays… Is it for business? Is it for playing? I actually liked the rumored name BlackPad more…
Specifications:
7" LCD display, 1024 x 600 screen resolution
5.1" x 7.6" x 0.4" (130mm x 194mm x 10mm) - that's Less than half an inch thick
Operating System: The PlayBook operating system is called BlackBerry Tablet OS which is not the same as the known BlackBerry OS, it is actually an OS which RIM has bought from a company called QNX Software (used in BMW’s and the USA Armies Crusher tank as well as in Cisco Systems Inc., General Electric Co. and Caterpillar Inc).
The operating system offers the following capabilities:
Powerful, user-friendly QNX technology - it's what the World Wide Web runs on
On-screen keyboard
True multi-tasking
It supports a whole bunch of standard platforms and technologies, like POSIX OS, SMP, Open GL, BlackBerry 6, WebKit, Java, Adobe Flash and AIR, along with RIM's new BlackBerry WebWorks platform. Apps written for WebWorks will run on BlackBerry 6 or the PlayBook, while Java makes it easier for developers to port Java-based BlackBerry 6 apps. Oh, and OpenGL means there's serious potential for graphically intense games.
Web Browser: Seems like the web browser tries to bring everything that is truly powerful nowadays with Flash and HTML5 support:
Full Adobe® Flash® 10.1 enabled
Built-in support for HTML 5
Multi-Tasking: Without seeing too much, it looks (from the pictures) that the multi-tasking will be done via "cards" similarly to the way it's done in Palm's webOS.
Development Platform: The development platform seems to include few possibilities:
Rapid development environment
Reliable BlackBerry Tablet OS, powered by QNX technology
Supports POSIX OS, SMP, Open GL, BlackBerry® 6, WebKit, Adobe® Flash®, Java® and Adobe Mobile AIR
RIM will begin working with developers and select corporate customers next month to begin development and early testing efforts.
The BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK is planned for release in the coming weeks and developers can register for early access at www.blackberry.com/developers/tabletos.
Special Capabilities: When comparing the BlackBerry PlayBook with Apple's iPad there are immediate advantages to the PlayBook around the complete web browsing support, the true multitasking, and some specifications like the 2 HD cameras etc.
Integration with BlackBerry Smartphones: For organizations with a clear BlackBerry strategy, the PlayBook would be a perfect fit as it can use the same subscriptions and when pairing the Playbook with an existing Blackberry smartphone brings all that data on a bigger screen. Still using BlackBerry BES, and RIM's powerful security.
You can pair the BlackBerry PlayBook with a BlackBerry smartphone via secure Bluetooth connection for full access to:
Push technology
Email, calendar, BBM™, tasks, documents and more
BlackBerry security and data efficiency
Availability: The BlackBerry PlayBook is expected to be available in retail outlets and other channels in the United States in early 2011 with rollouts in other international markets beginning in (calendar) Q2.
Open Questions: We have yet to see a meaningful video demonstration. There are, many open questions that may bring success or failure to the BlackBerry PlayBook:
How mature is the BlackBerry Tablet OS given that it's version 1, no smartphone experience, etc.
User Interface: you cannot compete with the iPad without an amazing user interface. We haven't seen anything yet…
Price
Battery life – with such impressive specs, that could be a problematic area.
Apps: is it going to be purely web (given that Flash and Html5 are supported)? Or Java? How many apps will be available when the product is officially released?
Those questions are still open, I'm sure we will get some answers soon, and the rest will be given in a few months. For now it looks like RIM has made a bold move (and not like the last BlackBerry Bold) forward.
Here's a vide preview:
Related Stories: Anxious to learn more? Mobile Spoon brings you some more highlights from the websphere:
With its' flagship product, the BlackBerry, losing ground in the Smartphone arena, Research In Motion is taking the battle to another arena: tablets.
It's time to see what is the BlackBerry PlayBook all about! Here is a summary of the new BlackBerry Tablet that includes a powerful 1GHz dual core processor with 1GB of RAM, true multi-tasking, two HD cameras, full 1080p HD playback in widescreen, and a complete web experience with HTML5 and Flash 10.1.
Everything you wanted to know about the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet:
Name: PlayBook? Horrible! The first thing that comes in mind is an unprofessional device, aimed towards sports or dramatic plays… Is it for business? Is it for playing? I actually liked the rumored name BlackPad more…
Specifications:
7" LCD display, 1024 x 600 screen resolution
5.1" x 7.6" x 0.4" (130mm x 194mm x 10mm) - that's Less than half an inch thick
Operating System: The PlayBook operating system is called BlackBerry Tablet OS which is not the same as the known BlackBerry OS, it is actually an OS which RIM has bought from a company called QNX Software (used in BMW’s and the USA Armies Crusher tank as well as in Cisco Systems Inc., General Electric Co. and Caterpillar Inc).
The operating system offers the following capabilities:
Powerful, user-friendly QNX technology - it's what the World Wide Web runs on
On-screen keyboard
True multi-tasking
It supports a whole bunch of standard platforms and technologies, like POSIX OS, SMP, Open GL, BlackBerry 6, WebKit, Java, Adobe Flash and AIR, along with RIM's new BlackBerry WebWorks platform. Apps written for WebWorks will run on BlackBerry 6 or the PlayBook, while Java makes it easier for developers to port Java-based BlackBerry 6 apps. Oh, and OpenGL means there's serious potential for graphically intense games.
Web Browser: Seems like the web browser tries to bring everything that is truly powerful nowadays with Flash and HTML5 support:
Full Adobe® Flash® 10.1 enabled
Built-in support for HTML 5
Multi-Tasking: Without seeing too much, it looks (from the pictures) that the multi-tasking will be done via "cards" similarly to the way it's done in Palm's webOS.
Development Platform: The development platform seems to include few possibilities:
Rapid development environment
Reliable BlackBerry Tablet OS, powered by QNX technology
Supports POSIX OS, SMP, Open GL, BlackBerry® 6, WebKit, Adobe® Flash®, Java® and Adobe Mobile AIR
RIM will begin working with developers and select corporate customers next month to begin development and early testing efforts.
The BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK is planned for release in the coming weeks and developers can register for early access at www.blackberry.com/developers/tabletos.
Special Capabilities: When comparing the BlackBerry PlayBook with Apple's iPad there are immediate advantages to the PlayBook around the complete web browsing support, the true multitasking, and some specifications like the 2 HD cameras etc.
Integration with BlackBerry Smartphones: For organizations with a clear BlackBerry strategy, the PlayBook would be a perfect fit as it can use the same subscriptions and when pairing the Playbook with an existing Blackberry smartphone brings all that data on a bigger screen. Still using BlackBerry BES, and RIM's powerful security.
You can pair the BlackBerry PlayBook with a BlackBerry smartphone via secure Bluetooth connection for full access to:
Push technology
Email, calendar, BBM™, tasks, documents and more
BlackBerry security and data efficiency
Availability: The BlackBerry PlayBook is expected to be available in retail outlets and other channels in the United States in early 2011 with rollouts in other international markets beginning in (calendar) Q2.
Open Questions: We have yet to see a meaningful video demonstration. There are, many open questions that may bring success or failure to the BlackBerry PlayBook:
How mature is the BlackBerry Tablet OS given that it's version 1, no smartphone experience, etc.
User Interface: you cannot compete with the iPad without an amazing user interface. We haven't seen anything yet…
Price
Battery life – with such impressive specs, that could be a problematic area.
Apps: is it going to be purely web (given that Flash and Html5 are supported)? Or Java? How many apps will be available when the product is officially released?
Those questions are still open, I'm sure we will get some answers soon, and the rest will be given in a few months. For now it looks like RIM has made a bold move (and not like the last BlackBerry Bold) forward.
Here's a vide preview:
Related Stories: Anxious to learn more? Mobile Spoon brings you some more highlights from the websphere:
Another player in the tablets business: say hello to Sharp. The company announced “Galapagos” in Tokyo (See Press Release), with Galapagos being the name both for Sharp’s cloud-based e-book service and two new Android tablet/e-book devices supporting that service.
Two models of the e-book readers have been developed—a mobile type featuring a 5.5-inch LCD screen that reads like a paperback book, and a home type featuring a 10.8-inch high-resolution HD LCD that allows users to enjoy magazines formatted across a two-page spread.
Other Features
Track ball feature in the mobile type with 5.5-inch screen. Users can rotate the track ball like a PC mouse and can flip the pages with one hand.
Sharp’s e-book application software for PC “GALAPAGOS Station” enables users to organize downloaded content on PCs. Users can mark and add comments on the e-book content.
PC data, including documents and maps, can be converted to XMDF format, and can be viewed on the media tablet.
Web browser will display websites for PCs on a high resolution LCD screen.
Pre-installed social network service application enables sharing readers’ comments and e-book list with friends.
The Galapagos e-bookstore service is scheduled to start in Japan in December. Sharp says that buyers of the reader can expect a total of 30,000 newspapers, magazines, and books at time of launch.
Another player in the tablets business: say hello to Sharp. The company announced “Galapagos” in Tokyo (See Press Release), with Galapagos being the name both for Sharp’s cloud-based e-book service and two new Android tablet/e-book devices supporting that service.
Two models of the e-book readers have been developed—a mobile type featuring a 5.5-inch LCD screen that reads like a paperback book, and a home type featuring a 10.8-inch high-resolution HD LCD that allows users to enjoy magazines formatted across a two-page spread.
Other Features
Track ball feature in the mobile type with 5.5-inch screen. Users can rotate the track ball like a PC mouse and can flip the pages with one hand.
Sharp’s e-book application software for PC “GALAPAGOS Station” enables users to organize downloaded content on PCs. Users can mark and add comments on the e-book content.
PC data, including documents and maps, can be converted to XMDF format, and can be viewed on the media tablet.
Web browser will display websites for PCs on a high resolution LCD screen.
Pre-installed social network service application enables sharing readers’ comments and e-book list with friends.
The Galapagos e-bookstore service is scheduled to start in Japan in December. Sharp says that buyers of the reader can expect a total of 30,000 newspapers, magazines, and books at time of launch.
Continuing with our new tradition, here's another collection of 'Must Have Apps' for iPad. This time we took it straight from the great site TechLand, and the focus of that list is iPad Games!
Continuing with our new tradition, here's another collection of 'Must Have Apps' for iPad. This time we took it straight from the great site TechLand, and the focus of that list is iPad Games!
The Mobile Spoon is looking for bloggers who are interested in writing about Android. If you are a techie, loves your Android, have a lot to say about Android apps, games, and teaks – contact us!
The Mobile Spoon is looking for bloggers who are interested in writing about Android. If you are a techie, loves your Android, have a lot to say about Android apps, games, and teaks – contact us!
Windows Phone 7 is just around the corner and is due to be officially available in stores within a month. I must confess I'm excited about it, not just because I used to be an old Windows Mobile fan, but also because we must admit it – smartphones world has become a bit boring lately with most of the focus going to the tablets devices.
It's time for something new!
Check out the new Windows Phone 7 ad (cute & funny):
Windows Phone 7 is just around the corner and is due to be officially available in stores within a month. I must confess I'm excited about it, not just because I used to be an old Windows Mobile fan, but also because we must admit it – smartphones world has become a bit boring lately with most of the focus going to the tablets devices.
It's time for something new!
Check out the new Windows Phone 7 ad (cute & funny):
Oh my! This video rocks – Samsung has just published an official video demonstration of the Galaxy Tab.
I must say I'm impressed!
I was never considered to be an Android fan, and I still think the user interface looks pale comparing to the iPad, but in terms of functionality, there are a few advantages in the Galaxy Tab that immediately pops while looking at the video. And this is just version 1 – imagine what will happen in a year from now in the tablets market (oh-ho-ho!!! I just can't wait!).
Oh, and by the way – I actually like the smaller size of this tablet. It makes it more portable than the iPad.
Oh my! This video rocks – Samsung has just published an official video demonstration of the Galaxy Tab.
I must say I'm impressed!
I was never considered to be an Android fan, and I still think the user interface looks pale comparing to the iPad, but in terms of functionality, there are a few advantages in the Galaxy Tab that immediately pops while looking at the video. And this is just version 1 – imagine what will happen in a year from now in the tablets market (oh-ho-ho!!! I just can't wait!).
Oh, and by the way – I actually like the smaller size of this tablet. It makes it more portable than the iPad.
You know that texting while driving is dangerous. But just how dangerous is it?
Well, according to the University of North Texas Health Science Center that looked at traffic data from the Fatality Accident Reporting System crossed it with texting data from the FCC and CTIA, texting while driving is responsible for accidents that claimed 16,141 lives during the period of 2001 – 2007
We can argue about the numbers of course, but no matter how you tweak it – that's a lot.
Some other factoids from the study:
The percentage of all traffic deaths caused by distracted driving rose from 11% in 1999 to 16% in 2008.
Distracted-driving crashes are more common in urban areas. Overall, 40% of all crashes happened in urban areas in 2008, up from 33% a decade earlier.
Only one-third of Americans had a cellphone in 1999. By 2008, 91% of us did.
The average monthly volume of text messages was 1 million in 2002. By 2008, it was 110 million.
“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 6% of US drivers are observed using a cell phone, a percentage unchanged since 2005,” the researchers wrote. “The increase in traffic fatalities since 2005 appears to be related to a shift in how handheld devices are used.” Nowadays, they beep at us or vibrate much more frequently – and when they do, they demand that attention be turned to the screen.
You know that texting while driving is dangerous. But just how dangerous is it?
Well, according to the University of North Texas Health Science Center that looked at traffic data from the Fatality Accident Reporting System crossed it with texting data from the FCC and CTIA, texting while driving is responsible for accidents that claimed 16,141 lives during the period of 2001 – 2007
We can argue about the numbers of course, but no matter how you tweak it – that's a lot.
Some other factoids from the study:
The percentage of all traffic deaths caused by distracted driving rose from 11% in 1999 to 16% in 2008.
Distracted-driving crashes are more common in urban areas. Overall, 40% of all crashes happened in urban areas in 2008, up from 33% a decade earlier.
Only one-third of Americans had a cellphone in 1999. By 2008, 91% of us did.
The average monthly volume of text messages was 1 million in 2002. By 2008, it was 110 million.
“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 6% of US drivers are observed using a cell phone, a percentage unchanged since 2005,” the researchers wrote. “The increase in traffic fatalities since 2005 appears to be related to a shift in how handheld devices are used.” Nowadays, they beep at us or vibrate much more frequently – and when they do, they demand that attention be turned to the screen.
I really get along with the iOS version of Safari. iPhone version works well, and the iPad one is even better, bigger, faster, comfortable. Still, when I started playing with Atomic WebBrowser I was amazed by the number of features this web browser includes.
The Good:
First of all, Atomic Web Browser is not expensive ($ 0.99) and with such a low price you get tons of features, and I mean TONS of them:
Multiple tabs just like in any normal desktop browser – iPad really makes a good usage of them thanks to the large screen. It's much better than the thumbnails based tabs in Safari
Integration with Facebook and Twitter
Support for any search engine (including custom ones)
Search inside a specific page (yeah! this is a killer!)
View source option
Dim screen options for night reading
Adjustable and saveable fonts
Lock rotation
Save page for offline viewing (another killer!)
Private mode
Built-in Adblock
Wow, what a list! Here are some images (click to enlarge):
The Bad:
Well, just by playing with it for an hour I did manage to find some issues with this great application:
Slow performance, because without background threads (coming soon to iPad) – the application must reload all tabs all over again on open.
You cannot assign Atomic Web to be your default browser, which means, you cannot move all of your internet work to Atomic Web.
Besides that, there are some other areas for improvements like the name (Atomic Web??? Come on!), the icon of the app, etc. But all of those are nothing compared to the "Ugly" section of this review.
The Ugly:
For now, every time you close Atomic Web Browser you lose your navigation history (which means the next time you open it, it reloads all the pages, from scratch… You do not have the option to navigate 'back' etc.). Of course, you don't have that problem with Safari which is enjoying unique background privileges and never really closes.
Show stopper? Maybe. For some of us - it is.
The Happy Ending:
But don't you worry boys and girls! There's a happy ending to our story:
With version 4 of iOS coming to iPad, the 'Ugly' section of this review (lose of navigation history) will be mostly solved with multi-tasking. It's sad, but if you are looking for a powerful web browser you may be willing to pay the price.
Summary:
To summarize this review – I believe Atomic Web is a serious competitor to the Safari browser if you are a power user seeking for a desktop-like browsing experience. The endless list of features make it efficient for many causes, and I'm going to use it from now on.
I really get along with the iOS version of Safari. iPhone version works well, and the iPad one is even better, bigger, faster, comfortable. Still, when I started playing with Atomic WebBrowser I was amazed by the number of features this web browser includes.
The Good:
First of all, Atomic Web Browser is not expensive ($ 0.99) and with such a low price you get tons of features, and I mean TONS of them:
Multiple tabs just like in any normal desktop browser – iPad really makes a good usage of them thanks to the large screen. It's much better than the thumbnails based tabs in Safari
Integration with Facebook and Twitter
Support for any search engine (including custom ones)
Search inside a specific page (yeah! this is a killer!)
View source option
Dim screen options for night reading
Adjustable and saveable fonts
Lock rotation
Save page for offline viewing (another killer!)
Private mode
Built-in Adblock
Wow, what a list! Here are some images (click to enlarge):
The Bad:
Well, just by playing with it for an hour I did manage to find some issues with this great application:
Slow performance, because without background threads (coming soon to iPad) – the application must reload all tabs all over again on open.
You cannot assign Atomic Web to be your default browser, which means, you cannot move all of your internet work to Atomic Web.
Besides that, there are some other areas for improvements like the name (Atomic Web??? Come on!), the icon of the app, etc. But all of those are nothing compared to the "Ugly" section of this review.
The Ugly:
For now, every time you close Atomic Web Browser you lose your navigation history (which means the next time you open it, it reloads all the pages, from scratch… You do not have the option to navigate 'back' etc.). Of course, you don't have that problem with Safari which is enjoying unique background privileges and never really closes.
Show stopper? Maybe. For some of us - it is.
The Happy Ending:
But don't you worry boys and girls! There's a happy ending to our story:
With version 4 of iOS coming to iPad, the 'Ugly' section of this review (lose of navigation history) will be mostly solved with multi-tasking. It's sad, but if you are looking for a powerful web browser you may be willing to pay the price.
Summary:
To summarize this review – I believe Atomic Web is a serious competitor to the Safari browser if you are a power user seeking for a desktop-like browsing experience. The endless list of features make it efficient for many causes, and I'm going to use it from now on.
There are countless sources of "must-have" applications for iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and more. I've decided to start collecting them, and I'm sure that when time comes, it would become handy.
20 apps that take advantage of the iPad's strengths:
This list focuses mainly on apps that help you consume content form the internet, news, and social media.
1. Flipboard - News aggregator
2. Kindle – Amazon books reading app
3. Documents to Go – best office documents editor and synchronization app
4. ToDo – Beautiful Tasks app
5. Twitter - Twitter’s official iPad
6. Analytics HD - Google analytics client app
7. Evernote - a great note taking app
8. Pulse - another iPad news aggregator based on RSS feeds
9. SkyGrid - Another great news aggregator for the iPad.
10. ProPublica - a non-profit publication of investigative reporters
11. NPR - Another one of the best iPad news apps.
12. The New York Times Editor’s Choice - offers a selection of its top 10-12 stories in six different sections (news, business, technology, opinion, arts, and features).
13. USA Today - offers virtually all of its stories in digital format.
14. The Guardian Eyewitness - features amazing world news photography from the popular UK newspaper.
15. The Weather Channel - takes advantage of the tablet interface to show weather…
16. NASA - lets you explore photography from satellites, research historical information and more.
17. Netflix - lets you watch movies and shows (on-demand).
18. Hulu Plus - streams video content from the major studios to your iPad.
19. Angry Birds – the famous iPad/iPhone game – one of the bests.
There are countless sources of "must-have" applications for iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and more. I've decided to start collecting them, and I'm sure that when time comes, it would become handy.
20 apps that take advantage of the iPad's strengths:
This list focuses mainly on apps that help you consume content form the internet, news, and social media.
1. Flipboard - News aggregator
2. Kindle – Amazon books reading app
3. Documents to Go – best office documents editor and synchronization app
4. ToDo – Beautiful Tasks app
5. Twitter - Twitter’s official iPad
6. Analytics HD - Google analytics client app
7. Evernote - a great note taking app
8. Pulse - another iPad news aggregator based on RSS feeds
9. SkyGrid - Another great news aggregator for the iPad.
10. ProPublica - a non-profit publication of investigative reporters
11. NPR - Another one of the best iPad news apps.
12. The New York Times Editor’s Choice - offers a selection of its top 10-12 stories in six different sections (news, business, technology, opinion, arts, and features).
13. USA Today - offers virtually all of its stories in digital format.
14. The Guardian Eyewitness - features amazing world news photography from the popular UK newspaper.
15. The Weather Channel - takes advantage of the tablet interface to show weather…
16. NASA - lets you explore photography from satellites, research historical information and more.
17. Netflix - lets you watch movies and shows (on-demand).
18. Hulu Plus - streams video content from the major studios to your iPad.
19. Angry Birds – the famous iPad/iPhone game – one of the bests.
For a fourth consecutive time, Apple ranks highest in customer satisfaction among manufacturers of smartphones with a score of 800 on a 1,000-point scale, and performs particularly well in ease of operation, operating system, features and physical design. Motorola (791) and HTC (781) follow Apple in the rankings. LG ranks highest in overall wireless customer satisfaction with traditional handsets for a fourth consecutive time with a score of 731. LG performs well in all four factors, particularly physical design, features and operation. Sanyo (712) and Samsung (709) follow LG in the rankings.
So smartphones put Apple at top with HTC in third. In non-smartphones LG wins. That one shocks me a little because I didn’t normally hear praise for LG, but then again in the non-smartphone world they may just kick ass. Anyone out there with an LG phone (a fridge doesn’t count) who can confirm that they make good phones? I presume if they can make a good feature phone then that says something about the quality of them as a manufacturer so maybe they can make smartphones…you know, ones with the words “Windows phone 7” on them and apparently I don’t want that Samsung any longer…
For a fourth consecutive time, Apple ranks highest in customer satisfaction among manufacturers of smartphones with a score of 800 on a 1,000-point scale, and performs particularly well in ease of operation, operating system, features and physical design. Motorola (791) and HTC (781) follow Apple in the rankings. LG ranks highest in overall wireless customer satisfaction with traditional handsets for a fourth consecutive time with a score of 731. LG performs well in all four factors, particularly physical design, features and operation. Sanyo (712) and Samsung (709) follow LG in the rankings.
So smartphones put Apple at top with HTC in third. In non-smartphones LG wins. That one shocks me a little because I didn’t normally hear praise for LG, but then again in the non-smartphone world they may just kick ass. Anyone out there with an LG phone (a fridge doesn’t count) who can confirm that they make good phones? I presume if they can make a good feature phone then that says something about the quality of them as a manufacturer so maybe they can make smartphones…you know, ones with the words “Windows phone 7” on them and apparently I don’t want that Samsung any longer…
Well, the title of this post could might as well be: Can Nokia Save Windows Phone 7, but I figured the first one will work better, especially given that I have high expectations form Windows Phone 7.
According to MobileTechWorld, "Looks like the “Nokia is switching to Windows Phone7″ rumors are back in full force thanks to the nomination of Stephen Elop as the new CEO of the Finnish company (he is Microsoft’s ex-President of Business Division). According to one of Venturebeat’s “trusted source” the company is contemplating the possibility of adding Windows Phone 7 as an additional platform for its phones. Unfortunately this is the only thing said in about this in the VB article so you better grab a hand-full of salt."
Well, I would be surprised if that will happen, but you know how most of the technology rumors end up (HAPPENING!).
Well, the title of this post could might as well be: Can Nokia Save Windows Phone 7, but I figured the first one will work better, especially given that I have high expectations form Windows Phone 7.
According to MobileTechWorld, "Looks like the “Nokia is switching to Windows Phone7″ rumors are back in full force thanks to the nomination of Stephen Elop as the new CEO of the Finnish company (he is Microsoft’s ex-President of Business Division). According to one of Venturebeat’s “trusted source” the company is contemplating the possibility of adding Windows Phone 7 as an additional platform for its phones. Unfortunately this is the only thing said in about this in the VB article so you better grab a hand-full of salt."
Well, I would be surprised if that will happen, but you know how most of the technology rumors end up (HAPPENING!).
I just found out that Sony Ericsson XPeria upgrade for Android 2.1 was just postponed, once again… and I'm asking Sony Ericsson: what's going on? The rest of the world is not moving to Android 2.2 and you guys are still fighting with version 2.1? How lame is that?
Many people have written about the danger in customizing an open source operating system too much. Here's a perfect example.
I once considered Sony Ericsson to build nice cellphones, but in the smartphones area I must say that it seems like the company fails to find the main road.
I just found out that Sony Ericsson XPeria upgrade for Android 2.1 was just postponed, once again… and I'm asking Sony Ericsson: what's going on? The rest of the world is not moving to Android 2.2 and you guys are still fighting with version 2.1? How lame is that?
Many people have written about the danger in customizing an open source operating system too much. Here's a perfect example.
I once considered Sony Ericsson to build nice cellphones, but in the smartphones area I must say that it seems like the company fails to find the main road.
There is an ongoing debate between the iOS people and the Android/Windows Mobile people regarding the importance of Flash.
No doubt, Flash is a very popular web technology used by many sites, but recently a question popped up about the importance of Flash in those sites, especially when accessed from a mobile device. Some believe that Flash is valuable and must be supported by today's powerful smartphones while others believe it is a source of many problems like stability, performance and battery life.
The Mobile Spoon would like to know your opinion. Do you think Flash must be supported by your smartphone? Are you suffering from the fact your current phone doesn't support it?
There is an ongoing debate between the iOS people and the Android/Windows Mobile people regarding the importance of Flash.
No doubt, Flash is a very popular web technology used by many sites, but recently a question popped up about the importance of Flash in those sites, especially when accessed from a mobile device. Some believe that Flash is valuable and must be supported by today's powerful smartphones while others believe it is a source of many problems like stability, performance and battery life.
The Mobile Spoon would like to know your opinion. Do you think Flash must be supported by your smartphone? Are you suffering from the fact your current phone doesn't support it?
There were a lot of news/rumors about HTC WinMo flagship product the HD and the new version of it which will run Windows Phone 7.
So finally, here are some pictures leaked, showing a nice looking device, HTC Style, but hey, the name HD7 is actually HD3.
(Not surprising given that the last HTC HD device was called HD2… Don't know who started the rumor about the 7 one, probably one with some counting problems… )
Anyhow, there they are: some images of the HTC HD3…
There were a lot of news/rumors about HTC WinMo flagship product the HD and the new version of it which will run Windows Phone 7.
So finally, here are some pictures leaked, showing a nice looking device, HTC Style, but hey, the name HD7 is actually HD3.
(Not surprising given that the last HTC HD device was called HD2… Don't know who started the rumor about the 7 one, probably one with some counting problems… )
Anyhow, there they are: some images of the HTC HD3…
Seesmic is a San Francisco based startup company that develops social networking clients for sites like Twitter and Facebook that run on the web, mobile devices, and the desktop.
The company did not develop an iPad application yet, but has a solid app for iPhone, Android and now – Windows Phone 7.
As usual, the WP7 UI stuff looks hot, extremely clean and innovative.
Seesmic is a San Francisco based startup company that develops social networking clients for sites like Twitter and Facebook that run on the web, mobile devices, and the desktop.
The company did not develop an iPad application yet, but has a solid app for iPhone, Android and now – Windows Phone 7.
As usual, the WP7 UI stuff looks hot, extremely clean and innovative.
Last time I looked at Twozaic I called it “dead sexy’ and it’s only gotten better. I now it’s a Twitter app, but it’s a new take on Twitter. Just check it out:
Here’s the feature list:
Twozaic supports different views of all your twitter timelines: - cloud view, to instantly see important people's tweets, - histogram, to zoom out on the timeline and observe peak moments or quarrels between your friends ;-) - and your ordinary list view. You can also post pictures with geo location using Plixi (Tweetphoto), Yfrog or Twitpic. Twozaic supports multiple accounts with easy switching. You can search users and tweets. You can create your own lists, add members, and follow lists of other people. Twozaic offers full support for managing your friends and followers as well as sending and managing direct messages.
Last time I looked at Twozaic I called it “dead sexy’ and it’s only gotten better. I now it’s a Twitter app, but it’s a new take on Twitter. Just check it out:
Here’s the feature list:
Twozaic supports different views of all your twitter timelines: - cloud view, to instantly see important people's tweets, - histogram, to zoom out on the timeline and observe peak moments or quarrels between your friends ;-) - and your ordinary list view. You can also post pictures with geo location using Plixi (Tweetphoto), Yfrog or Twitpic. Twozaic supports multiple accounts with easy switching. You can search users and tweets. You can create your own lists, add members, and follow lists of other people. Twozaic offers full support for managing your friends and followers as well as sending and managing direct messages.
Fruit Ninja, one of the most addictive games in iPhone AppStore is now available for Android as well. The game takes advantage of the touchscreen and lets you cut down… fruits… Yeah… sounds lame, but it's addictive, believe me.
Fruit Ninja, one of the most addictive games in iPhone AppStore is now available for Android as well. The game takes advantage of the touchscreen and lets you cut down… fruits… Yeah… sounds lame, but it's addictive, believe me.
I've said in the past that I think Flash is over-rated. At least in my own day-to-day tasks I usually don't find it to much of a problem not to have flash on my iPhone or iPad. But of course, it depends on the content each individual is accessing.
But you know what they say, nothing like a good Apple joke to bridge between different opinions:
(Thanks Mark for sending that one over!)
And of course, since we started with the usual iPhone vs. Android stuff – here's another one:
I've said in the past that I think Flash is over-rated. At least in my own day-to-day tasks I usually don't find it to much of a problem not to have flash on my iPhone or iPad. But of course, it depends on the content each individual is accessing.
But you know what they say, nothing like a good Apple joke to bridge between different opinions:
(Thanks Mark for sending that one over!)
And of course, since we started with the usual iPhone vs. Android stuff – here's another one:
I just finished watching this 9 minutes video by HTC and I have a conclusion: HTC Desire Z is the perfect smartphone.
If you have a few minutes to spare I would recommend you check out the video below, it's simply astonishing. Forget about the design, we are used to that, forget about the specs – this is the new standard when it comes to Android smartphones, I'm talking about the small things, the additional features that creates the true end user experience, plus some cool features like 'Locations' status line for incoming caller ID's, smart volumes and more.
Oh, and I've yet to see a device with a sliding keyboard so slim, I hope the images reflect the real thing.
I just finished watching this 9 minutes video by HTC and I have a conclusion: HTC Desire Z is the perfect smartphone.
If you have a few minutes to spare I would recommend you check out the video below, it's simply astonishing. Forget about the design, we are used to that, forget about the specs – this is the new standard when it comes to Android smartphones, I'm talking about the small things, the additional features that creates the true end user experience, plus some cool features like 'Locations' status line for incoming caller ID's, smart volumes and more.
Oh, and I've yet to see a device with a sliding keyboard so slim, I hope the images reflect the real thing.
XDAndroid 2.2 AOSP is now at its final version, bringing an almost perfect Android 2.2 experience to HTC devices such as the Windows Phone 6.5-powered Touch Pro, Touch Diamond, Touch Diamond 2, and Touch Pro 2.
If you are an old Windows Mobile fan, and don't mind tweaking your phone a bit to get the complete Android 2.2 experience, head over to XDA-Developers and claim your free copy!
XDAndroid 2.2 AOSP is now at its final version, bringing an almost perfect Android 2.2 experience to HTC devices such as the Windows Phone 6.5-powered Touch Pro, Touch Diamond, Touch Diamond 2, and Touch Pro 2.
If you are an old Windows Mobile fan, and don't mind tweaking your phone a bit to get the complete Android 2.2 experience, head over to XDA-Developers and claim your free copy!
Mobile Spoon Recommends: StopMotion Recorder for iPhone
Just finished playing with a cool iPhone application called StopMotion Recorder. I must admit this is one of the coolest iPhone apps I've ever seen. It's far from being perfect, but being version 1.0 as it is – I'm counting on the developers to continue and improve it.
StopMotion Recorder is toy video camera designed to make stunning stop motion videos.
Before we go on with the features – here is the first video I made using StopMotion Recorder for iPhone: (quality sucks, but it's my first try…)
Creating the movies is very simple, the grid on the screen plus a semi transparent picture of the previous take make it very simple and fun to create those movies.
StopMotion Recorder Features:
Loop & Reverse Rendering.
Automatic capture with time interval.
Manual capture with simple touch on screen.
Manual capture with clap sound.
With 'Preview', You can change FPS & remove frame by frame. And check how it looks right away.
With 'Onion Skin' feature on manual mode, You can make next shot more smoothly.
With grid on manual mode, You can check that object is exact horizon or vertical.
Video can be shared via email, 'Flickr', 'Twitter(TwitVid)', Twitter(yFrog) &'Youtube' ('Facebook' Will be included next update).
Mobile Spoon Recommends: StopMotion Recorder for iPhone
Just finished playing with a cool iPhone application called StopMotion Recorder. I must admit this is one of the coolest iPhone apps I've ever seen. It's far from being perfect, but being version 1.0 as it is – I'm counting on the developers to continue and improve it.
StopMotion Recorder is toy video camera designed to make stunning stop motion videos.
Before we go on with the features – here is the first video I made using StopMotion Recorder for iPhone: (quality sucks, but it's my first try…)
Creating the movies is very simple, the grid on the screen plus a semi transparent picture of the previous take make it very simple and fun to create those movies.
StopMotion Recorder Features:
Loop & Reverse Rendering.
Automatic capture with time interval.
Manual capture with simple touch on screen.
Manual capture with clap sound.
With 'Preview', You can change FPS & remove frame by frame. And check how it looks right away.
With 'Onion Skin' feature on manual mode, You can make next shot more smoothly.
With grid on manual mode, You can check that object is exact horizon or vertical.
Video can be shared via email, 'Flickr', 'Twitter(TwitVid)', Twitter(yFrog) &'Youtube' ('Facebook' Will be included next update).
ViewSonic has recently announced the ViewPad 7, another Android based tablet aimed to compete with the iPad.
It's actually a small tablet, 7 inch screen, similar to the size of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. We are guessing we'll see more and more of those mini-tablet running all kinds of customized versions of Android.
Google's mobility director has recently admitted that Android is not ready for tablets, but you know, he's just Google's mobile director, what does he know, right?
The tablets-rush is here and no one can stop it. Not even Google…
The ViewPad 7 does look nice from the front, but oh no, check out how thick it is from the side! Isn't that what Jethro Tull meant when they released their album "Thick as a Brick"?
Some Specs for the technical people:
Android 2.2
7 inch capacitive touchscreen
Front VGA video camera
3 megapixel camera
600 MHz processor
800 x 480 screen resolution
Full sized SIM card slot
Wi-Fi and 3G support
32GB microSD card slot
Assisted GPS
Bluetooth
USB port
Office document reader
Ebooks
Hand written note functionality
Like the Samsung Galaxy Tab, this one will have a complete phone functionality, although I still can't see people using it as a phone…
According to ViewSonic, the ViewPad 7 will hit the market in October at “no more than £350” which is considerably cheaper than an iPad which starts at £529 for a Wi-Fi and 3G data plan or a Samsung Galaxy Tab which is likely to cost even more than that (according to rumors).
ViewSonic has recently announced the ViewPad 7, another Android based tablet aimed to compete with the iPad.
It's actually a small tablet, 7 inch screen, similar to the size of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. We are guessing we'll see more and more of those mini-tablet running all kinds of customized versions of Android.
Google's mobility director has recently admitted that Android is not ready for tablets, but you know, he's just Google's mobile director, what does he know, right?
The tablets-rush is here and no one can stop it. Not even Google…
The ViewPad 7 does look nice from the front, but oh no, check out how thick it is from the side! Isn't that what Jethro Tull meant when they released their album "Thick as a Brick"?
Some Specs for the technical people:
Android 2.2
7 inch capacitive touchscreen
Front VGA video camera
3 megapixel camera
600 MHz processor
800 x 480 screen resolution
Full sized SIM card slot
Wi-Fi and 3G support
32GB microSD card slot
Assisted GPS
Bluetooth
USB port
Office document reader
Ebooks
Hand written note functionality
Like the Samsung Galaxy Tab, this one will have a complete phone functionality, although I still can't see people using it as a phone…
According to ViewSonic, the ViewPad 7 will hit the market in October at “no more than £350” which is considerably cheaper than an iPad which starts at £529 for a Wi-Fi and 3G data plan or a Samsung Galaxy Tab which is likely to cost even more than that (according to rumors).
