RIM BlackBerry PlayBook In Action - Video

At last, a little bit of video goodness showing off RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook in action.

4 things I have to say about it:

• Go beyond consuming content (hint hint)…
• The most impressive multi-tasking (reminds me of Palm's webOS)
• Adobe Air is practically everywhere around the tablet…
• Flash, complete flash support.

Enjoy the video:

 

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1 comments | Read more...

At last, a little bit of video goodness showing off RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook in action.

4 things I have to say about it:

• Go beyond consuming content (hint hint)…
• The most impressive multi-tasking (reminds me of Palm's webOS)
• Adobe Air is practically everywhere around the tablet…
• Flash, complete flash support.

Enjoy the video:

 

If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Windows Phone 7 Marketplace hits 1,000 apps in less than a month?

2 weeks after launch, Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 continues to be a mystery: will it be a huge success? will it fail like the Kin? will it challenge the big players or smash the smaller ones completely?

No answers yet, but according to MobilityDigest, 777 apps are already loaded into the marketplace – not bad for such a short period no? To be honest, the report took place almost 10 days ago which means by today, the total number of apps might even be close to 1,000!?

Here, at the mobile spoon we are very excited with Windows Phone 7, we like it, we are in favor of it, we wish we were one of those 89,900 Microsoft employees that are going to get one for free(!) and we even started building our own little silverlight application – check out this post series discussing the experience of building the first Windows Phone 7 application! In fact, we are so excited we wish we could work for Microsoft, now that each one of its' employees is going to get one…

---

Building My first Windows Phone 7 App: How To Install Silverlight For Windows Phone?

Building My first Windows Phone 7 App: Silverlight Basics, Controls, and More…

How to download Silverlight Toolkit for Windows Phone 7 

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1 comments | Read more...

2 weeks after launch, Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 continues to be a mystery: will it be a huge success? will it fail like the Kin? will it challenge the big players or smash the smaller ones completely?

No answers yet, but according to MobilityDigest, 777 apps are already loaded into the marketplace – not bad for such a short period no? To be honest, the report took place almost 10 days ago which means by today, the total number of apps might even be close to 1,000!?

Here, at the mobile spoon we are very excited with Windows Phone 7, we like it, we are in favor of it, we wish we were one of those 89,900 Microsoft employees that are going to get one for free(!) and we even started building our own little silverlight application – check out this post series discussing the experience of building the first Windows Phone 7 application! In fact, we are so excited we wish we could work for Microsoft, now that each one of its' employees is going to get one…

---

Building My first Windows Phone 7 App: How To Install Silverlight For Windows Phone?

Building My first Windows Phone 7 App: Silverlight Basics, Controls, and More…

How to download Silverlight Toolkit for Windows Phone 7 

If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.

13 must have productivity apps for iPad and many additional resources for more:

OK people, it's time to join forces with Google, Bing, and other giants.
I've made some searches and found many great collections of 'must have' productivity tools for iPad. I've compiled them with some of my own recommendations, and there you have it:

13 must have productivity apps for iPad and many additional resources for more:

---

iWork:
Pages, Numbers, Keynote… if you are not familiar with those, you should. Those are the Apple version of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint and they are great applications for iPad. Not that it's so easy to edit a complicated excel sheet without a mouse, but still, for reading, minor editing – it's great.

Must have apps for iPad.

---

QuickOffice HD:
Cannot compete with the usability of iWork, but it has one huge advantage: it can synchronize your documents with Google Docs. For some – this is the most important feature, and when the application is so good as well – nothing is missing! Read more about it in: How To Edit Google Docs From Your iPad?

---

NewsRack:
In my opinion the best RSS/News reader for iPad. Stable, features rich, simple to use – just about right. Read the entire review to learn more about it: NewsRack - The best iPad News Reader!

---

EverNote:
Evernote is a must have iPhone app as it allows you to record both voice and text memos and organize them in any manner you like.  It is great for recording student reflections or reading samples and muck like dropbox will sync with other devices without hassle.

MobileSpoon's Comment: I'm not a huge fan of EverNote, but since most of the technology blogs include it and recommends it – they must be right and I must be wrong…

---

Things:
I'm about to write a more detailed review about the different 'todo lists' for iPad.
I'm currently focusing on the top 3 ones which are:
Todo – great looking application, extremely popular, but I don't use it often.
Things – probably the most elegant one, and up to 1 month ago – my favorite one. It's here because I still use it, and since the collections I've searched for included it over the others.
2Do – the fanciest application ever created for iOS (extreme statement, I know, but wait until you try it!) – probably the best Todo application to date, and deserves a concentrated article about it, so stay tuned.

---

GoodReader:
GoodReader is hands-down, the best PDF reader for the iPhone and the iPad version is even better. What makes GoodReader special is that it can not only view local files (and you can transfer files to it from iTunes), including PDF, Word, Excel, PNG, TXT, JPEG and more, but you can download files from a URL or connect to a web server.
(Source, link)

---

iQue:
iQue is called FORGET on the iPhone, and it’s for forgetful people. Passwords, account numbers, personal info you don’t want to just jot down in a non-password-protected note? No problem. iQue uses associative memory, mimicking the way a normal brain remembers to help your gadget-addled version work properly.
iQue. Infomato, Inc. Free. Rating: 8/10.

MobileSpoon's Comment: I never tried that one before, but hey, this is why we are collecting those 'must have' lists – to learn something new…

---

GoToMeeting:
I use gotomeeting all the time in my business. Since I interact with customers and resources globally, this SaaS application has proven to be an essential tool to running my business successfully. Having this valuable tool in my iPad allows me to be more versatile and productive.
(free, Source)

---

Box.Net:
Box.net has updated its iPhone app to also work on the iPad and the results are pretty impressive. You can view all of your files, view activities, leave comments and more. In the future the ability to open files with other programs and integrate with other services will be added. Box.net isn’t at full speed yet, but it’s a great start.

(Source, link)

---

DropBox:
It is this simple: got a PC at home, a school network drive, and maybe another laptop as well.  Dropbox will sync all of your devices seamlessly the moment you alter the file on any of the devices you use.  Never carry a flash drive again.  This is my all time best web tool after 2 years of solid use.  It has never let me down.  AND – it's Free.
Dropbox for iPad

MobileSpoon's Comment: I am using DropBox and like it very much, it's definitely a must have app for iPad.

---

Analytics HD:
MobileSpoon's Comment: If you own a website, you probably are using Google Analytics. Analytics HD is the ultimate tool to keep track of your visitors, statistics, trends, etc.
My only complain is that the initial loading time takes too long, other than that? PERFECT.

---

Free Handwriting Apps:
PogoSketch Stylus: For those of you who just have to write or draw on your ipad then for $15.00 the pogo sketch stylus and brush will allow you this option.  Pair it up with a solid handwriting app such as WritePad that will convert your scrawl to editable text and you have the best of both worlds.  A real must have for any iPad user.  Feel free to get artistic too – either way the Pogosketch Stylus is much better to write and draw with than your finger.
(Source)

---

Bloomberg:
If you like keeping up with your portfolio and business news throughout the day, Bloomberg offers a great iPad app to help you do so. The app offers customized news, stock quotes, company descriptions, market leaders/laggers, price charts, market trends analysis, and more
(free, Source)

---

Sources:
http://mashable.com/2010/04/18/ipad-apps-business/
http://www.appconsumer.com/best-ipad-apps-for-teachers/
http://bpmchat.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/my-top-10-ipad-apps-for-productivity-lifestyle-utilities-and-more/
http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/top-budgeting-ipad-apps-07282010/
http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2010/10/26/26gigaom-7-essential-ipad-productivity-apps-29164.html
http://mobilespoon.net

Technorati Tags: iOS,iPad,iPhone,iPod Touch,Productivity

 

If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.

43 comments | Read more...

OK people, it's time to join forces with Google, Bing, and other giants.
I've made some searches and found many great collections of 'must have' productivity tools for iPad. I've compiled them with some of my own recommendations, and there you have it:

13 must have productivity apps for iPad and many additional resources for more:

---

iWork:
Pages, Numbers, Keynote… if you are not familiar with those, you should. Those are the Apple version of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint and they are great applications for iPad. Not that it's so easy to edit a complicated excel sheet without a mouse, but still, for reading, minor editing – it's great.

Must have apps for iPad.

---

QuickOffice HD:
Cannot compete with the usability of iWork, but it has one huge advantage: it can synchronize your documents with Google Docs. For some – this is the most important feature, and when the application is so good as well – nothing is missing! Read more about it in: How To Edit Google Docs From Your iPad?

---

NewsRack:
In my opinion the best RSS/News reader for iPad. Stable, features rich, simple to use – just about right. Read the entire review to learn more about it: NewsRack - The best iPad News Reader!

---

EverNote:
Evernote is a must have iPhone app as it allows you to record both voice and text memos and organize them in any manner you like.  It is great for recording student reflections or reading samples and muck like dropbox will sync with other devices without hassle.

MobileSpoon's Comment: I'm not a huge fan of EverNote, but since most of the technology blogs include it and recommends it – they must be right and I must be wrong…

---

Things:
I'm about to write a more detailed review about the different 'todo lists' for iPad.
I'm currently focusing on the top 3 ones which are:
Todo – great looking application, extremely popular, but I don't use it often.
Things – probably the most elegant one, and up to 1 month ago – my favorite one. It's here because I still use it, and since the collections I've searched for included it over the others.
2Do – the fanciest application ever created for iOS (extreme statement, I know, but wait until you try it!) – probably the best Todo application to date, and deserves a concentrated article about it, so stay tuned.

---

GoodReader:
GoodReader is hands-down, the best PDF reader for the iPhone and the iPad version is even better. What makes GoodReader special is that it can not only view local files (and you can transfer files to it from iTunes), including PDF, Word, Excel, PNG, TXT, JPEG and more, but you can download files from a URL or connect to a web server.
(Source, link)

---

iQue:
iQue is called FORGET on the iPhone, and it’s for forgetful people. Passwords, account numbers, personal info you don’t want to just jot down in a non-password-protected note? No problem. iQue uses associative memory, mimicking the way a normal brain remembers to help your gadget-addled version work properly.
iQue. Infomato, Inc. Free. Rating: 8/10.

MobileSpoon's Comment: I never tried that one before, but hey, this is why we are collecting those 'must have' lists – to learn something new…

---

GoToMeeting:
I use gotomeeting all the time in my business. Since I interact with customers and resources globally, this SaaS application has proven to be an essential tool to running my business successfully. Having this valuable tool in my iPad allows me to be more versatile and productive.
(free, Source)

---

Box.Net:
Box.net has updated its iPhone app to also work on the iPad and the results are pretty impressive. You can view all of your files, view activities, leave comments and more. In the future the ability to open files with other programs and integrate with other services will be added. Box.net isn’t at full speed yet, but it’s a great start.

(Source, link)

---

DropBox:
It is this simple: got a PC at home, a school network drive, and maybe another laptop as well.  Dropbox will sync all of your devices seamlessly the moment you alter the file on any of the devices you use.  Never carry a flash drive again.  This is my all time best web tool after 2 years of solid use.  It has never let me down.  AND – it's Free.
Dropbox for iPad

MobileSpoon's Comment: I am using DropBox and like it very much, it's definitely a must have app for iPad.

---

Analytics HD:
MobileSpoon's Comment: If you own a website, you probably are using Google Analytics. Analytics HD is the ultimate tool to keep track of your visitors, statistics, trends, etc.
My only complain is that the initial loading time takes too long, other than that? PERFECT.

---

Free Handwriting Apps:
PogoSketch Stylus: For those of you who just have to write or draw on your ipad then for $15.00 the pogo sketch stylus and brush will allow you this option.  Pair it up with a solid handwriting app such as WritePad that will convert your scrawl to editable text and you have the best of both worlds.  A real must have for any iPad user.  Feel free to get artistic too – either way the Pogosketch Stylus is much better to write and draw with than your finger.
(Source)

---

Bloomberg:
If you like keeping up with your portfolio and business news throughout the day, Bloomberg offers a great iPad app to help you do so. The app offers customized news, stock quotes, company descriptions, market leaders/laggers, price charts, market trends analysis, and more
(free, Source)

---

Sources:
http://mashable.com/2010/04/18/ipad-apps-business/
http://www.appconsumer.com/best-ipad-apps-for-teachers/
http://bpmchat.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/my-top-10-ipad-apps-for-productivity-lifestyle-utilities-and-more/
http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/top-budgeting-ipad-apps-07282010/
http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2010/10/26/26gigaom-7-essential-ipad-productivity-apps-29164.html
http://mobilespoon.net

Technorati Tags: iOS,iPad,iPhone,iPod Touch,Productivity

 

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What is the best racing game for iPad? It's Reckless Racing HD!

Every once in a while I come across a really good game which I must promote. Reckless Racing HD is one of those games.

 

Reckless Racing is, in my opinion, the best racing game for iOS (iPhone, iPod, iPad) – it has great graphics, sounds effects, music, enough difficulties, but most importantly, it makes you want to play it again and again, one race after the other.

Passing through pools of water, sand, roads, crashing into fences, houses, barrels, jumping through small cliffs, and of course, crashing into other cars – the joy!

I was looking for a while now after a great top-down perspective racing game for my iPad. As a kid, I used to play Iron Man with my friends (see image below), collapsing one each other with long jumps etc. I'm now 20 years older, but Reckless Racing HD makes me feel happy again with racing games, for the iPad, at last.

 

So, take it with guarantee, if you don't like most of the racing games available these days, and looking for something else – this one is for you.

Here's a video showing how great this game is:

*Note: Reckless Racing is also available for iPhone, iPod, and Android without the HD version…

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Technorati Tags: Games,Race,iPad,Application,iPhone,iPod Touch,Android

8 comments | Read more...

Every once in a while I come across a really good game which I must promote. Reckless Racing HD is one of those games.

 

Reckless Racing is, in my opinion, the best racing game for iOS (iPhone, iPod, iPad) – it has great graphics, sounds effects, music, enough difficulties, but most importantly, it makes you want to play it again and again, one race after the other.

Passing through pools of water, sand, roads, crashing into fences, houses, barrels, jumping through small cliffs, and of course, crashing into other cars – the joy!

I was looking for a while now after a great top-down perspective racing game for my iPad. As a kid, I used to play Iron Man with my friends (see image below), collapsing one each other with long jumps etc. I'm now 20 years older, but Reckless Racing HD makes me feel happy again with racing games, for the iPad, at last.

 

So, take it with guarantee, if you don't like most of the racing games available these days, and looking for something else – this one is for you.

Here's a video showing how great this game is:

*Note: Reckless Racing is also available for iPhone, iPod, and Android without the HD version…

If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Technorati Tags: Games,Race,iPad,Application,iPhone,iPod Touch,Android

Samsung Captivate (Refurbished) Free w/new AT&T Contract

Here's some motivation for those of you who are on the fence about switching to Android, or those who know someone who is.  AT&T is offering a Refurbished Samsung Captivate for free with a new 2-year agreement.  Of course, that also means the mandatory Data plan in addition to the voice.  Speaking of which, before you decide which data plan, look carefully at how much data you' typically use, then double it.  Once you get your hands on something like this, you’ll find yourself using more than you would think.  I personally never went over 300MB in a month until I got my Captivate.  However, I’m only 10 days into my current billing cycle and I’ve already used over 158MB.  I know, I know... everyone loves to bash AT&T. Personally, I've had just as many issues over the years with Sprint and Verizon as I've had with AT&T.  'Nuff said on that subject.  Back to the phone.
My phone is a Samsung Captivate, though I got it new, not refurbished.  However, I have purchased refurbished equipment before, both for personal use and for business clients, and have never had any more problems with it than with brand new gear.  Just make sure to check the warranties, support options, and return policies before you buy.  That applies not only to this offer from AT&T, but to refurbished in general.
Anyway, check it out if you've been considering it, or pass it on to someone who may want to.  I can't say enough good things about my Captivate.  The only issue I have with it is the GPS leaves much to be desired.  I've read rumors, though, that this should be resolved when they relase Froyo for the Captivate.  Of course, it goes without saying (but I'm sayin it anyway!), Android is in-freakin-credible!  Okay, enough lauding (is lauding a real word??) the captivating Captivate. Here's the link: Free w/new 2-yr contract Refurbished Samsung Captivate.  If this is the straw that broke the camel’s back for you to switch, let us know what you think after you pull the trigger.

1 comments | Read more... Here's some motivation for those of you who are on the fence about switching to Android, or those who know someone who is.  AT&T is offering a Refurbished Samsung Captivate for free with a new 2-year agreement.  Of course, that also means the mandatory Data plan in addition to the voice.  Speaking of which, before you decide which data plan, look carefully at how much data you' typically use, then double it.  Once you get your hands on something like this, you’ll find yourself using more than you would think.  I personally never went over 300MB in a month until I got my Captivate.  However, I’m only 10 days into my current billing cycle and I’ve already used over 158MB.  I know, I know... everyone loves to bash AT&T. Personally, I've had just as many issues over the years with Sprint and Verizon as I've had with AT&T.  'Nuff said on that subject.  Back to the phone.
My phone is a Samsung Captivate, though I got it new, not refurbished.  However, I have purchased refurbished equipment before, both for personal use and for business clients, and have never had any more problems with it than with brand new gear.  Just make sure to check the warranties, support options, and return policies before you buy.  That applies not only to this offer from AT&T, but to refurbished in general.
Anyway, check it out if you've been considering it, or pass it on to someone who may want to.  I can't say enough good things about my Captivate.  The only issue I have with it is the GPS leaves much to be desired.  I've read rumors, though, that this should be resolved when they relase Froyo for the Captivate.  Of course, it goes without saying (but I'm sayin it anyway!), Android is in-freakin-credible!  Okay, enough lauding (is lauding a real word??) the captivating Captivate. Here's the link: Free w/new 2-yr contract Refurbished Samsung Captivate.  If this is the straw that broke the camel’s back for you to switch, let us know what you think after you pull the trigger.

Looking for a Windows Phone 7 handset, what model should I pick?

 

OK, I've made up my mind. I will not be getting a new iPhone 4. Instead I will get myself a totally amazing Windows Phone 7 device.

Only question is – which one?

Given that there are now many alternatives, and most of them will have the exact same UI (guidelines by Microsoft), and the same 3 buttons – the decision may be related to the technical specs and looks.

Most of the new ones are using 1GHz CPU, but not all of them have have the same screen size.

My favorite 2 at the moment are the Samsung Omnia 7 and HTC 7 Pro

What should I do?

2 comments | Read more...

 

OK, I've made up my mind. I will not be getting a new iPhone 4. Instead I will get myself a totally amazing Windows Phone 7 device.

Only question is – which one?

Given that there are now many alternatives, and most of them will have the exact same UI (guidelines by Microsoft), and the same 3 buttons – the decision may be related to the technical specs and looks.

Most of the new ones are using 1GHz CPU, but not all of them have have the same screen size.

My favorite 2 at the moment are the Samsung Omnia 7 and HTC 7 Pro

What should I do?

Mobile Legends: Palm Treo 750

Following Palm's execution its' savior HP, I thought it would be appropriate to add another smartphones legend here, at the mobile spoon's tribute for our beloved mobility legends.

It's the Palm Treo 750.

My very first smartphone, and probably the one I kept for the longest time ever.

It was running Windows Mobile actually (not PalmOne OS), and it was made by HTC. Still, it had Palm's great usability all over it, turning the old Windows Mobile 5 into a powerful and even comfortable smartphone!

The device felt perfect in the hand although it was a bit chubby. The keyboard worked well, and it was solid as a rock! (I dropped it many times and besides one keyboard button that didn't work so well – all the rest worked perfectly after a few years of using it).

Even today, from time to time, I enjoy holding it in my hand and remember the years when Windows Mobile and Palm were today's iOS and Android.

Mobile History:
History of PDAs - Part #1
History of PDAs - Part #2
History of PDAs - Part #3
The History of Windows Mobile

Even older History:
Smartphones trends in... 2005
The Evolution of Mobile Phones
Why text messages are limited to 160 characters

More Mobile Legends:
Smartphones Legend: HTC Touch

0 comments | Read more...

Following Palm's execution its' savior HP, I thought it would be appropriate to add another smartphones legend here, at the mobile spoon's tribute for our beloved mobility legends.

It's the Palm Treo 750.

My very first smartphone, and probably the one I kept for the longest time ever.

It was running Windows Mobile actually (not PalmOne OS), and it was made by HTC. Still, it had Palm's great usability all over it, turning the old Windows Mobile 5 into a powerful and even comfortable smartphone!

The device felt perfect in the hand although it was a bit chubby. The keyboard worked well, and it was solid as a rock! (I dropped it many times and besides one keyboard button that didn't work so well – all the rest worked perfectly after a few years of using it).

Even today, from time to time, I enjoy holding it in my hand and remember the years when Windows Mobile and Palm were today's iOS and Android.

Mobile History:
History of PDAs - Part #1
History of PDAs - Part #2
History of PDAs - Part #3
The History of Windows Mobile

Even older History:
Smartphones trends in... 2005
The Evolution of Mobile Phones
Why text messages are limited to 160 characters

More Mobile Legends:
Smartphones Legend: HTC Touch

Is that a transparent smartphone in your pocket?

From time to time it's nice to look at the future and imagine how things will look like in a couple of years.

Of course, then comes Apple and "teaches" us something about ourselves with an iPhone, iPad, or anything that can bring some more money using the combination of the two, but let's leave that for a second…

(more iTouch products in here)

Here's a nice imaginary device, smartphone that is changing according to the weather. Nice.

4 comments | Read more...

From time to time it's nice to look at the future and imagine how things will look like in a couple of years.

Of course, then comes Apple and "teaches" us something about ourselves with an iPhone, iPad, or anything that can bring some more money using the combination of the two, but let's leave that for a second…

(more iTouch products in here)

Here's a nice imaginary device, smartphone that is changing according to the weather. Nice.

Palm webOS 2.0 is the sweetest mobile operating system today. Here's why…

Yesterday we were shocked to discover that webOS2.0 was released while losing the Palm brand from it.

Today I would like to point you to a detailed video showing some of the new stuff in webOS2.0. Probably the sweetest mobile operating system today, and the one that turned UI gestures and overall usability more serious than anyone else. Oh, and there's some Flash in it too, for the ones of you who just couldn't stay without it…

So there is it: a little bit of love, courtesy of PreCentral.net:

I love it.

4 comments | Read more...

Yesterday we were shocked to discover that webOS2.0 was released while losing the Palm brand from it.

Today I would like to point you to a detailed video showing some of the new stuff in webOS2.0. Probably the sweetest mobile operating system today, and the one that turned UI gestures and overall usability more serious than anyone else. Oh, and there's some Flash in it too, for the ones of you who just couldn't stay without it…

So there is it: a little bit of love, courtesy of PreCentral.net:

I love it.

Wallpaper, Dragons, and Wizards! Oh my! (Unicorns, too!)

If you're anything like me, you've made or found some really sweet wallpapers for your Android phone. Personally, I like static images with a martial flair, especially samurai pics. That's just how I roll. The problem is that I also have a boatload of shortcuts and widgets on my desktop and I'm constantly adding, removing, or changing them; which means if I want to actually see my ultra-cool wallpaper, or if I want to show someone just how awesome my custom image of a unicorn pooping a rainbow looks (You do NOT want to see the live version of that wallpaper, trust me!), I have to rearrange everything on my desktop! What a hassle! My fingers cramp up just thinking about it! Ouch!

<Cue deep Infomercial Voiceover Voice>

No more crazy icon arrangements or sore fingertips for you, my friend! That's right, now you can show off that picture of the plastered Pomeranian puppy you found on the intertubes! Feel free to proudly display the snapshot of your sleepy Sherpa guide from your tantric Tibetan trek! You can even go ahead and gloat about the GIF of the girl goalie with the Great Britain soccer/football team uniform painted on! All displayed in brilliant, beautiful, bodacious color on your Android phone!

How is this possible? I'm glad you asked!!

According to legend, the wizard Merlin grew tired of having to constantly rearrange this desktop every time he downloaded a new wallpaper of Morgana & Excalibur, so he summoned the powers of the Dragon and concocted a macabre app that would solve his problem. Unfortunately for Merlin, the Dragon gave him an alpha version that required him to have root access.  And, since he couldn't sideload the app to let him root it (He was on ye olde AT&T), he was forced to suffer.  The story goes that what actually killed him was cramped and bruised fingers resulting from constantly rearranging widgets.  Seriously.  I’m not making this up.  Keep in mind, though, that this is just a legend. Still, they say that all legends have a grain of truth at their heart. I'm just sayin'...

The truth is probably closer to a kick-ass Android developer named Richard running into the same frustration as Merlin (allegedly) and building an Android app to solve his problem. Regardless of whether it was Merlin with the power of the Dragon or a Richard with the power of the frustrated Android developer, today you can have a completely icon and widget free desktop with the gentlest tap of your finger! Simply go to AppBrain.com and download Cleaner.  By installing Cleaner, you can add it's widget to your desktop (seems counter-productive, doesn't it?) and simply tapping that widget will remove all shortcuts and widgets from the screen, giving you completely a completely un-obscured view of your own pooping unicorn! How do you get my shortcuts and widgets back, you ask?  Simply tap once in the lower right corner of your screen, or tap the back arrow button once and all will be as it was before! It's so simple, a caveman could do it!

But wait, there's more!

Act now and you can pay in three monthly installments of $0.00, for a total of $0.00!! (Plus 0% tax and $0.00 shipping and handling) That's right, you heard me correctly... (Can you hear me?  Really?!?  Cool!) All of the awesome alleged wizard/dragon/human-developer desktop-clearing goodness of Cleaner for the low, LOW, LOW price of $0.00!!! So what are you waiting for? Browse over to AppBrain.com and Act NOW!! Supplies are unlimited, so hurry!  Those unicorns can only hold it for so long!

5 comments | Read more...

If you're anything like me, you've made or found some really sweet wallpapers for your Android phone. Personally, I like static images with a martial flair, especially samurai pics. That's just how I roll. The problem is that I also have a boatload of shortcuts and widgets on my desktop and I'm constantly adding, removing, or changing them; which means if I want to actually see my ultra-cool wallpaper, or if I want to show someone just how awesome my custom image of a unicorn pooping a rainbow looks (You do NOT want to see the live version of that wallpaper, trust me!), I have to rearrange everything on my desktop! What a hassle! My fingers cramp up just thinking about it! Ouch!

<Cue deep Infomercial Voiceover Voice>

No more crazy icon arrangements or sore fingertips for you, my friend! That's right, now you can show off that picture of the plastered Pomeranian puppy you found on the intertubes! Feel free to proudly display the snapshot of your sleepy Sherpa guide from your tantric Tibetan trek! You can even go ahead and gloat about the GIF of the girl goalie with the Great Britain soccer/football team uniform painted on! All displayed in brilliant, beautiful, bodacious color on your Android phone!

How is this possible? I'm glad you asked!!

According to legend, the wizard Merlin grew tired of having to constantly rearrange this desktop every time he downloaded a new wallpaper of Morgana & Excalibur, so he summoned the powers of the Dragon and concocted a macabre app that would solve his problem. Unfortunately for Merlin, the Dragon gave him an alpha version that required him to have root access.  And, since he couldn't sideload the app to let him root it (He was on ye olde AT&T), he was forced to suffer.  The story goes that what actually killed him was cramped and bruised fingers resulting from constantly rearranging widgets.  Seriously.  I’m not making this up.  Keep in mind, though, that this is just a legend. Still, they say that all legends have a grain of truth at their heart. I'm just sayin'...

The truth is probably closer to a kick-ass Android developer named Richard running into the same frustration as Merlin (allegedly) and building an Android app to solve his problem. Regardless of whether it was Merlin with the power of the Dragon or a Richard with the power of the frustrated Android developer, today you can have a completely icon and widget free desktop with the gentlest tap of your finger! Simply go to AppBrain.com and download Cleaner.  By installing Cleaner, you can add it's widget to your desktop (seems counter-productive, doesn't it?) and simply tapping that widget will remove all shortcuts and widgets from the screen, giving you completely a completely un-obscured view of your own pooping unicorn! How do you get my shortcuts and widgets back, you ask?  Simply tap once in the lower right corner of your screen, or tap the back arrow button once and all will be as it was before! It's so simple, a caveman could do it!

But wait, there's more!

Act now and you can pay in three monthly installments of $0.00, for a total of $0.00!! (Plus 0% tax and $0.00 shipping and handling) That's right, you heard me correctly... (Can you hear me?  Really?!?  Cool!) All of the awesome alleged wizard/dragon/human-developer desktop-clearing goodness of Cleaner for the low, LOW, LOW price of $0.00!!! So what are you waiting for? Browse over to AppBrain.com and Act NOW!! Supplies are unlimited, so hurry!  Those unicorns can only hold it for so long!

UGLY: HP Removes 'Palm' From webOS 2.0 Branding

  

I just finished reading a horrible piece of mobility news saying that HP Drops Palm From webOS’s Branding, Launches HP webOS 2.0.

I mean, it was supposed to be a positive thing – a new version of webOS! Good stuff in it and a great day for any mobility fan, but what about dropping the name 'Palm' and replacing it with HP???

HP webOS???

How mean! How fast!

Question is: is that a wise move by HP?

Just to remind you, HP, the one who managed to completely destroy the name of the famous Comaq iPaq PDA's, turning them into the worst smartphones ever created (and I know, I had one when I used to develop for Windows Mobile).

The same HP that didn't do well in the past few years in mobility.

And on the other hand, there is Palm – the company that many of us used to like, appreciate the quality of products, and wish for the best. The company who didn't manage to pull it off, but still leaves a good taste in the mouth when talked about…

Do you really think that HP webOS sounds better than Palm webOS?

I think not. Would be interesting to read your thoughts about it…

(Upset about it like me? Follow me on twitter!)

What's new in webOS 2.0?

Regarding webOS 2.0 – the list of new features and improvements looks impressive with some interesting items:

Improvements:

• True Multitasking – Pause a game, tap an email notification, check your calendar, read a restaurant review, send an email reply, then switch back to the game without closing anything.^(1,2) webOS lets you easily manage multiple open applications and notifications using natural touch gestures. New in webOS 2.0, Stacks logically groups together your open apps so they work the way you do. Whether you’re reading email or planning a night on the town, Stacks keeps related items together so managing multiple tasks is even easier.
• Just Type – Start an email, create a message, update your status, search your favorite websites – all before you’ve even opened an app.⁽¹⁾ With webOS 2.0, whenever you want to do something on your phone – whether it’s emailing, texting, searching or almost anything – just type. And Just Type is open to developers, so they can integrate with the search function and add their own user-customizable shortcuts, called Quick Actions.
• HP Synergy – webOS was the first mobile OS to connect you seamlessly to multiple web services. With the Synergy feature, you just have to sign in to your Facebook, Google, Microsoft® Exchange, LinkedIn and Yahoo! accounts and your information automatically populates your phone.⁽³⁾ webOS 2.0 will extend the support for Synergy so developers can easily plug new Messaging, Contacts and Calendar application sources directly into the core webOS experiences.⁽⁴⁾
• Exhibition – A new way to use your webOS phone, Exhibition lets you run apps designed specifically for the Palm Touchstone Charging Dock, turning charge time into useful time.^(4,5) Set your phone on the dock and Exhibition launches automatically, showing you anything from today’s agenda to a slideshow of your Facebook photos. Exhibition will enable developers to display aspects of their existing app experience or create specialized apps for use when users have their webOS device in charge mode on the charging dock.
• Adobe® Flash Player 10.1 Beta – With version 2.0, webOS now supports a beta of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 in the browser, which provides access to rich, Flash-based web content.

New Features:

• Favorites – With webOS 2.0, you can tag your favorite contacts so they appear as favorites in Phone and Contacts views. When you search for them by name, they instantly show up at the top of the Contacts, Email, Messaging and Phone apps. Favorites make it simple to get in touch fast.
• Skype Mobile™ (Verizon Wireless only) – For Verizon Wireless customers, webOS 2.0 supports Skype-to-Skype calls and messaging while in the United States to anywhere in the world, and low-rate calls to international landlines and cell phones.
• Text Assist – webOS 2.0 offers greatly expanded capabilities to spell check, auto correct, set up macros and customize the dictionary.
• Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite – An all-new document viewer from the leading provider of mobile document viewers offers support for Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents and provides integration with a variety of services, including Google Docs and Dropbox.
• Facebook 2.0 – Available via the Palm App Catalog, Facebook 2.0 will support Facebook IM via Synergy in the Messaging application,⁽⁴⁾ as well as Stacks, status updates via Quick Action and the Exhibition feature.
• Browser – The browser adds support for more HTML5 features, including geolocation support. OpenSearch plug-in support makes it easy to add your favorite websites to Just Type web search.
• Messaging – The unified Messaging app in webOS 2.0 adds Yahoo! IM and buddy management. Customers can now connect to their buddies through SMS, MMS, Google Talk, AIM and Yahoo! IM.
• VPN – webOS 2.0 supports the most popular ways to connect to a corporate network, including IPsec and Cisco AnyConnect mobile-optimized VPN, which supports SSL (TLS and DTLS).
• App Catalog – The redesigned Palm App Catalog makes finding and discovering great apps even easier.⁽⁷⁾ And the new Software Manager helps you keep your apps up-to-date.
• Launcher – A redesigned app launcher lets you add, label and reorder launcher pages.
• Phone – The webOS 2.0 Phone app lets you easily dial your favorites and offers reverse area code lookup and Skype Mobile integration (Skype Mobile for Verizon Wireless only). Accounts – The new Accounts app provides a single place to manage all your Synergy accounts.
• Bluetooth® keyboards – webOS now supports Bluetooth keyboards and Bluetooth SPP peripherals, enabling applications such as barcode readers and realty lock boxes.
• A host of developer features – In addition to Exhibition, Just Type and Synergy APIs, webOS 2.0 adds Node.JS, enabling developers to create services in JavaScript. They also can now use the webOS Plug-In Development Kit (PDK) to combine C/C++ with web technologies in a single app.

Looking good. the press release also included a note about the new version of the Palm Pre (at least HP was kind enough to keep that name…).

If you are interested in more information and video demonstrations, visit this page: Palm webOS Specifications.

Technorati Tags: HP,Palm,Palm Pre,webOS2.0

4 comments | Read more...

  

I just finished reading a horrible piece of mobility news saying that HP Drops Palm From webOS’s Branding, Launches HP webOS 2.0.

I mean, it was supposed to be a positive thing – a new version of webOS! Good stuff in it and a great day for any mobility fan, but what about dropping the name 'Palm' and replacing it with HP???

HP webOS???

How mean! How fast!

Question is: is that a wise move by HP?

Just to remind you, HP, the one who managed to completely destroy the name of the famous Comaq iPaq PDA's, turning them into the worst smartphones ever created (and I know, I had one when I used to develop for Windows Mobile).

The same HP that didn't do well in the past few years in mobility.

And on the other hand, there is Palm – the company that many of us used to like, appreciate the quality of products, and wish for the best. The company who didn't manage to pull it off, but still leaves a good taste in the mouth when talked about…

Do you really think that HP webOS sounds better than Palm webOS?

I think not. Would be interesting to read your thoughts about it…

(Upset about it like me? Follow me on twitter!)

What's new in webOS 2.0?

Regarding webOS 2.0 – the list of new features and improvements looks impressive with some interesting items:

Improvements:

• True Multitasking – Pause a game, tap an email notification, check your calendar, read a restaurant review, send an email reply, then switch back to the game without closing anything.^(1,2) webOS lets you easily manage multiple open applications and notifications using natural touch gestures. New in webOS 2.0, Stacks logically groups together your open apps so they work the way you do. Whether you’re reading email or planning a night on the town, Stacks keeps related items together so managing multiple tasks is even easier.
• Just Type – Start an email, create a message, update your status, search your favorite websites – all before you’ve even opened an app.⁽¹⁾ With webOS 2.0, whenever you want to do something on your phone – whether it’s emailing, texting, searching or almost anything – just type. And Just Type is open to developers, so they can integrate with the search function and add their own user-customizable shortcuts, called Quick Actions.
• HP Synergy – webOS was the first mobile OS to connect you seamlessly to multiple web services. With the Synergy feature, you just have to sign in to your Facebook, Google, Microsoft® Exchange, LinkedIn and Yahoo! accounts and your information automatically populates your phone.⁽³⁾ webOS 2.0 will extend the support for Synergy so developers can easily plug new Messaging, Contacts and Calendar application sources directly into the core webOS experiences.⁽⁴⁾
• Exhibition – A new way to use your webOS phone, Exhibition lets you run apps designed specifically for the Palm Touchstone Charging Dock, turning charge time into useful time.^(4,5) Set your phone on the dock and Exhibition launches automatically, showing you anything from today’s agenda to a slideshow of your Facebook photos. Exhibition will enable developers to display aspects of their existing app experience or create specialized apps for use when users have their webOS device in charge mode on the charging dock.
• Adobe® Flash Player 10.1 Beta – With version 2.0, webOS now supports a beta of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 in the browser, which provides access to rich, Flash-based web content.

New Features:

• Favorites – With webOS 2.0, you can tag your favorite contacts so they appear as favorites in Phone and Contacts views. When you search for them by name, they instantly show up at the top of the Contacts, Email, Messaging and Phone apps. Favorites make it simple to get in touch fast.
• Skype Mobile™ (Verizon Wireless only) – For Verizon Wireless customers, webOS 2.0 supports Skype-to-Skype calls and messaging while in the United States to anywhere in the world, and low-rate calls to international landlines and cell phones.
• Text Assist – webOS 2.0 offers greatly expanded capabilities to spell check, auto correct, set up macros and customize the dictionary.
• Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite – An all-new document viewer from the leading provider of mobile document viewers offers support for Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents and provides integration with a variety of services, including Google Docs and Dropbox.
• Facebook 2.0 – Available via the Palm App Catalog, Facebook 2.0 will support Facebook IM via Synergy in the Messaging application,⁽⁴⁾ as well as Stacks, status updates via Quick Action and the Exhibition feature.
• Browser – The browser adds support for more HTML5 features, including geolocation support. OpenSearch plug-in support makes it easy to add your favorite websites to Just Type web search.
• Messaging – The unified Messaging app in webOS 2.0 adds Yahoo! IM and buddy management. Customers can now connect to their buddies through SMS, MMS, Google Talk, AIM and Yahoo! IM.
• VPN – webOS 2.0 supports the most popular ways to connect to a corporate network, including IPsec and Cisco AnyConnect mobile-optimized VPN, which supports SSL (TLS and DTLS).
• App Catalog – The redesigned Palm App Catalog makes finding and discovering great apps even easier.⁽⁷⁾ And the new Software Manager helps you keep your apps up-to-date.
• Launcher – A redesigned app launcher lets you add, label and reorder launcher pages.
• Phone – The webOS 2.0 Phone app lets you easily dial your favorites and offers reverse area code lookup and Skype Mobile integration (Skype Mobile for Verizon Wireless only). Accounts – The new Accounts app provides a single place to manage all your Synergy accounts.
• Bluetooth® keyboards – webOS now supports Bluetooth keyboards and Bluetooth SPP peripherals, enabling applications such as barcode readers and realty lock boxes.
• A host of developer features – In addition to Exhibition, Just Type and Synergy APIs, webOS 2.0 adds Node.JS, enabling developers to create services in JavaScript. They also can now use the webOS Plug-In Development Kit (PDK) to combine C/C++ with web technologies in a single app.

Looking good. the press release also included a note about the new version of the Palm Pre (at least HP was kind enough to keep that name…).

If you are interested in more information and video demonstrations, visit this page: Palm webOS Specifications.

Technorati Tags: HP,Palm,Palm Pre,webOS2.0

The Double-Rainbow of Apps

Hello all you 'droid fanatics out there!  The name’s John and I answered the call for Android bloggers.  Since this is my first post here on Mobile Spoon, I thought I'd give me thoughts on some of what I use.  I'm on AT&T, so I have the Samsung Captivate.  Considering that my last phone was an HTC Hermes/Cingular 8525, the Captivate is a whole new world of awesomeness, smothered in a rich gravy of cool, topped off with a cherry.  I'm sure you're all familiar with the specs: Super AMOLED 4", 1GHz Hummingbird processor, Android 2.1 OS, and a 5.0MP camera and camcorder.  I haven't played with any custom ROM's yet, but I have rooted it and am running RyanZA's One Click Lag Fix.
Speaking of apps, there are two apps that absolutely make Android the best, most incredible piece of code ever to grace a phone: AppBrain and Fast Web Installer.  They are the double-rainbow of apps…  If you're not familiar with them, the website http://www.appbrain.com is basically an online catalog tied to the Android Market.  There you can browse through apps broken down into different categories, and you can read reviews by people running the apps, as well as see a history of the app's development.  If you install the AppBrain app, (http://www.appbrain.com/app/appbrain-app-market/com.appspot.swisscodemonkeys.apps) you can create a free account on the site that allows you to sync your phone with the site, which allows you to select apps directly on the site and, once you sync with your phone, install them in one swell foop.  For me, a much better experience than doing it from the Market app on my phone.
Okay, here's where it gets cool...  If you install Fast Web Installer (http://www.appbrain.com/app/fast-web-installer/com.appspot.swisscodemonkeys.apppusher) on your phone, when you click the "Install" button on an app's page, it will actually push the app OTA to your phone!!  This is so cool and so convenient, it almost got me in trouble at work for spending too much time installing apps while I was working!  It works over both Wi-Fi and 3G, though 3G is obviously going to be slower.  I don't know whether or not Apple has anything comparable, but it doesn't matter.  If they do, I've no doubt that they charge for both the apps and the service.  With AppBrain and Fast Web, all you pay for is your airtime/data usage.

Of course, I have a boatload more apps that I play with, but out of all of them, AppBrain and Fast Web are the must-have's in my opinion.  If you haven't tried them yet, you're missing out.  Just don't do it at work!

1 comments | Read more...

Hello all you 'droid fanatics out there!  The name’s John and I answered the call for Android bloggers.  Since this is my first post here on Mobile Spoon, I thought I'd give me thoughts on some of what I use.  I'm on AT&T, so I have the Samsung Captivate.  Considering that my last phone was an HTC Hermes/Cingular 8525, the Captivate is a whole new world of awesomeness, smothered in a rich gravy of cool, topped off with a cherry.  I'm sure you're all familiar with the specs: Super AMOLED 4", 1GHz Hummingbird processor, Android 2.1 OS, and a 5.0MP camera and camcorder.  I haven't played with any custom ROM's yet, but I have rooted it and am running RyanZA's One Click Lag Fix.
Speaking of apps, there are two apps that absolutely make Android the best, most incredible piece of code ever to grace a phone: AppBrain and Fast Web Installer.  They are the double-rainbow of apps…  If you're not familiar with them, the website http://www.appbrain.com is basically an online catalog tied to the Android Market.  There you can browse through apps broken down into different categories, and you can read reviews by people running the apps, as well as see a history of the app's development.  If you install the AppBrain app, (http://www.appbrain.com/app/appbrain-app-market/com.appspot.swisscodemonkeys.apps) you can create a free account on the site that allows you to sync your phone with the site, which allows you to select apps directly on the site and, once you sync with your phone, install them in one swell foop.  For me, a much better experience than doing it from the Market app on my phone.
Okay, here's where it gets cool...  If you install Fast Web Installer (http://www.appbrain.com/app/fast-web-installer/com.appspot.swisscodemonkeys.apppusher) on your phone, when you click the "Install" button on an app's page, it will actually push the app OTA to your phone!!  This is so cool and so convenient, it almost got me in trouble at work for spending too much time installing apps while I was working!  It works over both Wi-Fi and 3G, though 3G is obviously going to be slower.  I don't know whether or not Apple has anything comparable, but it doesn't matter.  If they do, I've no doubt that they charge for both the apps and the service.  With AppBrain and Fast Web, all you pay for is your airtime/data usage.

Of course, I have a boatload more apps that I play with, but out of all of them, AppBrain and Fast Web are the must-have's in my opinion.  If you haven't tried them yet, you're missing out.  Just don't do it at work!

Guide: How To Download YouTube Videos To Your Smartphones?

Looking for a way to download a video to your smartphone? Here's how:

1. how to download YouTube videos to your Android smartphone
2. how to download YouTube videos to your iPad
3. how to download YouTube videos to your iPhone
4. how to download YouTube videos to your Windows Mobile smartphone (actually 3 ways: 1, 2,3)

If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.

8 comments | Read more...

Looking for a way to download a video to your smartphone? Here's how:

1. how to download YouTube videos to your Android smartphone
2. how to download YouTube videos to your iPad
3. how to download YouTube videos to your iPhone
4. how to download YouTube videos to your Windows Mobile smartphone (actually 3 ways: 1, 2,3)

If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.

How to download Silverlight Toolkit for Windows Phone 7

Open source community CodePlex has a very powerful open source toolkit for Windows Phone 7.

"A product of the Microsoft Silverlight team, the Silverlight Toolkit adds new functionality for designers, developers, and the community to provide an efficient way to help shape product development. It includes full open source code, samples, documentation, and design-time support for controls focusing on both Silverlight 4 as well as the Windows Phone."

Here's a download link:
Download the Silverlight for Windows Phone 7 Toolkit

1 comments | Read more...

Open source community CodePlex has a very powerful open source toolkit for Windows Phone 7.

"A product of the Microsoft Silverlight team, the Silverlight Toolkit adds new functionality for designers, developers, and the community to provide an efficient way to help shape product development. It includes full open source code, samples, documentation, and design-time support for controls focusing on both Silverlight 4 as well as the Windows Phone."

Here's a download link:
Download the Silverlight for Windows Phone 7 Toolkit

Building My first Windows Phone 7 App: Silverlight Basics, Controls, and More…

The Mobile Spoon is excited to continue with the series of posts about developing our first Windows Phone 7 App using Visual Studio 2010.

Last week I wrote about How to install Silverlight for Windows Phone 7, check it out if you are looking for useful tips and some extra resources.

Today I will write about my experience as a non-professional Silverlight developer, trying to learn my way around Silverlight for Windows Phone 7, looking for some help etc.

So first of all, Visual Studio 2010. At last, a new look. Gray is out, dark purple is in. On my Windows 7 Lenovo T400 laptop it is running a bit slowly. That's a bit annoying, but that's life.

Silverlight:

If you haven't heard of Silverlight before, that is Microsoft's Flash killer. The technology is similar to WPF but is targeted to developing advanced web based applications.

The idea behind Silverlight is that the UI design is separated from the actual code. That enables 2 people working on the same module: one is responsible of the visual design (look & feel, icons, animations) and the second is responsible of the code behind. The code behind is actually the code (not sure why they "downgraded" the term to be "behind"…) – it' can be C# or any other .Net language – which is what I like about Silverlight over other "web" development tools: once you are in the code – it's exactly like anything else from Microsoft – simple, friendly, easy to debug.

Nice, the only problem is that I only have myself at the moment, which means I had to get my hands dirty with some XAML (XML based user interface files creating Silverlight UI in runtime) work. Not the easiest thing to do if you have no idea what you are doing, but Google is very helpful in those things… :-)

(XAML files can also be edited using Microsoft Blend – a powerful UI editor for visual designers – part of the visual studio installation).

Using the split view, you can edit your XAML and see a nice preview of your app pages (no Forms in Windows Phone 7 – they are now Pages…).

*Note: Since this is not a development blog, I will not write about how to develop using Silverlight. This articles series is about my first impressions of the Windows Phone 7 development experience.

Windows Phone 7 Emulator:

The emulator is fantastic. A bit slow, but enough to get the feeling of how things will look and behave on a real device. Comparing to the Windows Mobile emulator which was a nightmare, this one looks like a modern and simple tool to use. It also stores your development apps once you they were used, which is very convenient.

Panorama & Pivot Controls:

If you had a chance to look at the Windows Phone 7 video demonstrations (more Windows Phone 7 Stuff) you probably saw the use of Panorama view – where the HUB is actually a wide page and the phone lets you navigate through small portions of it.

Microsoft created 2 pre-configured controls called "Panorama" and "Pivot". They are extremely useful if you want your app to be completely aligned with the Microsoft UI design principals. The risk is that if everyone will create similar apps it may become boring after a while…

Since I'm thinking of building a simple To-do list, I decided my main view will be based on the Pivot Control. The Panorama view may look cooler, but the title is so big it doesn't leave much room for the actual content…

That's it today, I will continue to play with Silverlight for Windows Phone 7, and write my impressions of it while also trying to build a simple application at the same time.

Stay tuned for more updates…

If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Technorati Tags: Silverlight,Windows Phone 7,The Mobile Spoon,WP7

0 comments | Read more...

The Mobile Spoon is excited to continue with the series of posts about developing our first Windows Phone 7 App using Visual Studio 2010.

Last week I wrote about How to install Silverlight for Windows Phone 7, check it out if you are looking for useful tips and some extra resources.

Today I will write about my experience as a non-professional Silverlight developer, trying to learn my way around Silverlight for Windows Phone 7, looking for some help etc.

So first of all, Visual Studio 2010. At last, a new look. Gray is out, dark purple is in. On my Windows 7 Lenovo T400 laptop it is running a bit slowly. That's a bit annoying, but that's life.

Silverlight:

If you haven't heard of Silverlight before, that is Microsoft's Flash killer. The technology is similar to WPF but is targeted to developing advanced web based applications.

The idea behind Silverlight is that the UI design is separated from the actual code. That enables 2 people working on the same module: one is responsible of the visual design (look & feel, icons, animations) and the second is responsible of the code behind. The code behind is actually the code (not sure why they "downgraded" the term to be "behind"…) – it' can be C# or any other .Net language – which is what I like about Silverlight over other "web" development tools: once you are in the code – it's exactly like anything else from Microsoft – simple, friendly, easy to debug.

Nice, the only problem is that I only have myself at the moment, which means I had to get my hands dirty with some XAML (XML based user interface files creating Silverlight UI in runtime) work. Not the easiest thing to do if you have no idea what you are doing, but Google is very helpful in those things… :-)

(XAML files can also be edited using Microsoft Blend – a powerful UI editor for visual designers – part of the visual studio installation).

Using the split view, you can edit your XAML and see a nice preview of your app pages (no Forms in Windows Phone 7 – they are now Pages…).

*Note: Since this is not a development blog, I will not write about how to develop using Silverlight. This articles series is about my first impressions of the Windows Phone 7 development experience.

Windows Phone 7 Emulator:

The emulator is fantastic. A bit slow, but enough to get the feeling of how things will look and behave on a real device. Comparing to the Windows Mobile emulator which was a nightmare, this one looks like a modern and simple tool to use. It also stores your development apps once you they were used, which is very convenient.

Panorama & Pivot Controls:

If you had a chance to look at the Windows Phone 7 video demonstrations (more Windows Phone 7 Stuff) you probably saw the use of Panorama view – where the HUB is actually a wide page and the phone lets you navigate through small portions of it.

Microsoft created 2 pre-configured controls called "Panorama" and "Pivot". They are extremely useful if you want your app to be completely aligned with the Microsoft UI design principals. The risk is that if everyone will create similar apps it may become boring after a while…

Since I'm thinking of building a simple To-do list, I decided my main view will be based on the Pivot Control. The Panorama view may look cooler, but the title is so big it doesn't leave much room for the actual content…

That's it today, I will continue to play with Silverlight for Windows Phone 7, and write my impressions of it while also trying to build a simple application at the same time.

Stay tuned for more updates…

If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Technorati Tags: Silverlight,Windows Phone 7,The Mobile Spoon,WP7

How Many Smartphones Users Want Flash?

Numbers numbers numbers.

Few weeks ago I published a short poll trying to figure out how important is Flash to the readers of The Mobile Spoon and MobilityDigest (Link to poll).

The answers surprised me a bit, but probably did not surprise many Android users out there:

Over 60% of the people who voted indicated that they want Flash, around 20% answered they do not need it.

Today I saw an interesting post over at MobileCrunch saying that Flash for Android hits 1 million downloads. It's a high number, but the calculations that MobileCrunch were doing gave them interesting numbers:

"If we use the numbers we know to be true (roughly 500k Android phones sold in 2008, 7.7 million in 2009, 100k per day from Jan to May 2010, and 200k per day from June on), we can estimate that at least 41.2 million Android handsets are floating around. More generous estimates put the platform at around 50 million units pushed."

50 million units. Around 15 million of them running the latest Android OS (2.2) which is compatible with Flash, out of which, 1 million handsets now have Flash.  Not bad, but absolutely not even close to the 60% that indicated in our poll that they will want it… I guess not all of them own an Android phone running version 2.2… 

If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.

2 comments | Read more...

Numbers numbers numbers.

Few weeks ago I published a short poll trying to figure out how important is Flash to the readers of The Mobile Spoon and MobilityDigest (Link to poll).

The answers surprised me a bit, but probably did not surprise many Android users out there:

Over 60% of the people who voted indicated that they want Flash, around 20% answered they do not need it.

Today I saw an interesting post over at MobileCrunch saying that Flash for Android hits 1 million downloads. It's a high number, but the calculations that MobileCrunch were doing gave them interesting numbers:

"If we use the numbers we know to be true (roughly 500k Android phones sold in 2008, 7.7 million in 2009, 100k per day from Jan to May 2010, and 200k per day from June on), we can estimate that at least 41.2 million Android handsets are floating around. More generous estimates put the platform at around 50 million units pushed."

50 million units. Around 15 million of them running the latest Android OS (2.2) which is compatible with Flash, out of which, 1 million handsets now have Flash.  Not bad, but absolutely not even close to the 60% that indicated in our poll that they will want it… I guess not all of them own an Android phone running version 2.2… 

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Best Tower Defense Games for iPhone

You all know I'm a huge fan of tower defense games. Especially when it comes to mobile games (iPhone, Android, iPad).

Few months ago I wrote about The Incomplete Guide to Tower Defense Games (for iPhone) . Since then I started the collection of 'Must Have Apps For…' articles referencing collections of must have apps for iPhone and iPad.

Here's aadditional list of great tower defense games collections:

7 Must have Tower Defense Games by associatedcontent.com:

7) Tap Defense
6) 7 Cities
5) TowerMadness
4) Sentinel
3) Besiegement
2) Star Defense
1) Fieldrunners (the winner is also the one I like the most)

15 Castle Defense Games by iPhoness.com

Knights OnRush: the best one according to the author
Sticky Wars
Defender Chronicles
Dungeon Defense
Sentinel 2 – Earth Defense
TriDefense
Battle Shock
TapDefense
TowerMadness
Medieval
Archmage Defense
Sweetwater Defense
Castle Defense
SAGA Catapult
Defend Your Castle

The Top 10 Tower Defence games on iPhone by KnowYourMobile.com

The best…
Fieldrunners (Amazing – all the bloggers tend to think that way!)
Geodefense
7 Cities
The Creeps!
Sentinel
…and the rest
TapDefense
Garden War
Circuit Defenders
Retro Defense
Zombie Attack

Now go and destroy those enemies!

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Technorati Tags: Tower Defense,iPhone,iPad,Games

2 comments | Read more...

You all know I'm a huge fan of tower defense games. Especially when it comes to mobile games (iPhone, Android, iPad).

Few months ago I wrote about The Incomplete Guide to Tower Defense Games (for iPhone) . Since then I started the collection of 'Must Have Apps For…' articles referencing collections of must have apps for iPhone and iPad.

Here's aadditional list of great tower defense games collections:

7 Must have Tower Defense Games by associatedcontent.com:

7) Tap Defense
6) 7 Cities
5) TowerMadness
4) Sentinel
3) Besiegement
2) Star Defense
1) Fieldrunners (the winner is also the one I like the most)

15 Castle Defense Games by iPhoness.com

Knights OnRush: the best one according to the author
Sticky Wars
Defender Chronicles
Dungeon Defense
Sentinel 2 – Earth Defense
TriDefense
Battle Shock
TapDefense
TowerMadness
Medieval
Archmage Defense
Sweetwater Defense
Castle Defense
SAGA Catapult
Defend Your Castle

The Top 10 Tower Defence games on iPhone by KnowYourMobile.com

The best…
Fieldrunners (Amazing – all the bloggers tend to think that way!)
Geodefense
7 Cities
The Creeps!
Sentinel
…and the rest
TapDefense
Garden War
Circuit Defenders
Retro Defense
Zombie Attack

Now go and destroy those enemies!

If you like this post, subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Technorati Tags: Tower Defense,iPhone,iPad,Games

Building My first Windows Phone 7 App: How To Install Silverlight For Windows Phone?

I have decided to get a little bit of "hands-on" experience with Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Developers Tools.

I decided I will create a series of posts about my experience as a developer for Windows Phone 7. I still don't know what my goals are or what kind of app will I build eventually, but I figured it would be an interesting experience for me and my readers, here, a the mobile spoon.

First thing's first: Installing the Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools.

I downloaded it from here: Download Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools, and tried to install…. BOOK, got this ugly message box:

Visual Studio setup cannot run in compatibility mode. For more information see the 'Installing' section in the

Visual Studio Readme at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=143397.

Great… Now what?

No worries, boys and girls, I found a solution… (Funny how Google actually helped me solve my Microsoft problem…) here it is:

You need to remove the compatibility mode from the file you are trying to install. It is done by right clicking the file, selecting "properties" and going to the "compatibility" tab and un-checking the compatibility checkbox.

Simple.

Now my installation is running, and I cannot wait to open my first Windows Phone 7 Project… I bet it will look like this…

But before that, here are some more links to useful resources – in case you are interested:

Getting Started with Silverlight Development on Windows Phone

Excited about developing Windows Phone 7 applications and want to get started? Head over to the Windows Phone Developer portal to get information on:

• Windows Phone Developer portal
• Windows Phone Developer Tools
• Download the Windows Phone 7 Toolkit
• Developer Reference Documentation
• Developer guides for platform overview and UI guidelines
• Code samples for using gestures, accelerometer, application bars
• Channel 9 for hands-on-labs and other tutorials
• Dedicated developer support forum for Silverlight for Windows Phone
• Watch some getting started videos on the Silverlight community site

Stay tuned with more details real soon.

24 comments | Read more...

I have decided to get a little bit of "hands-on" experience with Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Developers Tools.

I decided I will create a series of posts about my experience as a developer for Windows Phone 7. I still don't know what my goals are or what kind of app will I build eventually, but I figured it would be an interesting experience for me and my readers, here, a the mobile spoon.

First thing's first: Installing the Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools.

I downloaded it from here: Download Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools, and tried to install…. BOOK, got this ugly message box:

Visual Studio setup cannot run in compatibility mode. For more information see the 'Installing' section in the

Visual Studio Readme at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=143397.

Great… Now what?

No worries, boys and girls, I found a solution… (Funny how Google actually helped me solve my Microsoft problem…) here it is:

You need to remove the compatibility mode from the file you are trying to install. It is done by right clicking the file, selecting "properties" and going to the "compatibility" tab and un-checking the compatibility checkbox.

Simple.

Now my installation is running, and I cannot wait to open my first Windows Phone 7 Project… I bet it will look like this…

But before that, here are some more links to useful resources – in case you are interested:

Getting Started with Silverlight Development on Windows Phone

Excited about developing Windows Phone 7 applications and want to get started? Head over to the Windows Phone Developer portal to get information on:

• Windows Phone Developer portal
• Windows Phone Developer Tools
• Download the Windows Phone 7 Toolkit
• Developer Reference Documentation
• Developer guides for platform overview and UI guidelines
• Code samples for using gestures, accelerometer, application bars
• Channel 9 for hands-on-labs and other tutorials
• Dedicated developer support forum for Silverlight for Windows Phone
• Watch some getting started videos on the Silverlight community site

Stay tuned with more details real soon.

Details About Samsung Omnia 7

Becoming sober after the Windows Phone 7 Launch, here are some details about the new Samsung Omnia 7 – the successor of the first Samsung Omnia, and the first Samsung smartphone running Windows Phone 7.

There's an impressive video from GSMArena that shows almost everything that exists in the phone in terms of the OS. I must say I simply love it, although reading the review, and looking at the video I did noticed a lot of limitations in the OS.

Check out the full 7 page review here.

More Samsung Omnia Reviews:

• Samsung Omnia 7 Hands On (slashgear.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 Windows Phone 7 Also Made Official (pocketnow.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 details revealed ahead of Microsoft launch (Windows Phone 7) (intomobile.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 Windows Phone 7 handset outed early (slashgear.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 first hands-on! (engadget.com)
• "Samsung Omnia 7 Windows Phone 7 Smartphone" and related posts (geeky-gadgets.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 brings 4-inch Super AMOLED screen to Windows Phone 7... a little early (engadget.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 revealed early (electronista.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 Windows Phone 7 handset outed early (Chris Davies/SlashGear) (techmeme.com)

0 comments | Read more...

Becoming sober after the Windows Phone 7 Launch, here are some details about the new Samsung Omnia 7 – the successor of the first Samsung Omnia, and the first Samsung smartphone running Windows Phone 7.

There's an impressive video from GSMArena that shows almost everything that exists in the phone in terms of the OS. I must say I simply love it, although reading the review, and looking at the video I did noticed a lot of limitations in the OS.

Check out the full 7 page review here.

More Samsung Omnia Reviews:

• Samsung Omnia 7 Hands On (slashgear.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 Windows Phone 7 Also Made Official (pocketnow.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 details revealed ahead of Microsoft launch (Windows Phone 7) (intomobile.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 Windows Phone 7 handset outed early (slashgear.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 first hands-on! (engadget.com)
• "Samsung Omnia 7 Windows Phone 7 Smartphone" and related posts (geeky-gadgets.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 brings 4-inch Super AMOLED screen to Windows Phone 7... a little early (engadget.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 revealed early (electronista.com)
• Samsung Omnia 7 Windows Phone 7 handset outed early (Chris Davies/SlashGear) (techmeme.com)

No Windows Phone 7 For You!

I'm excited about Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7. I just tried looking for my next Windows Phone 7 device. I really did.

I Entered Microsoft's new site, clicked on the "see the phones" option, and got this…

Come on Microsoft, help me help you… get me a Windows Phone 7 smartphone!

0 comments | Read more...

I'm excited about Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7. I just tried looking for my next Windows Phone 7 device. I really did.

I Entered Microsoft's new site, clicked on the "see the phones" option, and got this…

Come on Microsoft, help me help you… get me a Windows Phone 7 smartphone!

Is Windows Phone 7 Dead Before It Was Born?

Oh no! Microsoft is just about to start the Windows Phone 7 event, but it looks like Gartner doesn't give it high chances to succeed:

Gartner predicts the release of Windows Phone 7 will help bump Microsoft’s share of the worldwide market from 4.7% in 2010 to 5.2% in 2011, but says the company’s share will ultimately decline to just 3.9% by 2014.

By then, Microsoft will badly trail virtually every other major mobile OS developer, according to Gartner. The firm predicts the Symbian OS will continue to lead the market in 2014, with a 30.2% stake, just barely ahead of Google’s Android. Gartner sees Android’s share ballooning to 29.6% by 2014, up from 17.7% in 2010 and just 3.9% in 2009.

Is it because of Windows Mobile? Sure it didn't look that great, but it was old! Is it because of the Zune? It may not sell that great but it's a solid device!
Is it because of Android is unstoppable with 32% U.S. market share?

I for a change, would like to say I am completely in favor of Windows Phone 7 and am going to give it a chance.

Read more about new Windows Phone 7 stuff

0 comments | Read more...

Oh no! Microsoft is just about to start the Windows Phone 7 event, but it looks like Gartner doesn't give it high chances to succeed:

Gartner predicts the release of Windows Phone 7 will help bump Microsoft’s share of the worldwide market from 4.7% in 2010 to 5.2% in 2011, but says the company’s share will ultimately decline to just 3.9% by 2014.

By then, Microsoft will badly trail virtually every other major mobile OS developer, according to Gartner. The firm predicts the Symbian OS will continue to lead the market in 2014, with a 30.2% stake, just barely ahead of Google’s Android. Gartner sees Android’s share ballooning to 29.6% by 2014, up from 17.7% in 2010 and just 3.9% in 2009.

Is it because of Windows Mobile? Sure it didn't look that great, but it was old! Is it because of the Zune? It may not sell that great but it's a solid device!
Is it because of Android is unstoppable with 32% U.S. market share?

I for a change, would like to say I am completely in favor of Windows Phone 7 and am going to give it a chance.

Read more about new Windows Phone 7 stuff