Various mobile devices are the perfect vehicle for social media apps. You can put your social media app of choice on your mobile phone or tablet and coupled with a mobile broadband plan you can already make updates wherever you are. It may be an easy way to use social media sites like Twitter but there are still many users who prefer to access Twitter using their mobile browsers. If you are one of those people who prefer the latter then you should consider using InstaBG. [Read more…]
Watch Video on Your Ebook Reader
Is your Kindle or Nook (or any other ebook reader) your constant companion? Have you shelved your “real” books for your ebook reader?
I am a book lover – in any format, really, but the convenience of ebooks make this format my main choice lately. One thing about ebook readers these days – at least those that function mainly as ebook readers – is that they are rather limited in functionality. I am not talking about the iPad, Samsung Galaxy, and other similar tablets. These devices can definitely be used as ebook readers, and they excel at that.
If you get the chance to use ebook readers such as the Kindle and the Nook, though, you will immediately notice just how limited they are. Then again, if all you really want or need is to read books (which is what these things are made for), then there is no issue. On the other hand, if you feel like getting more out of your ebook reader, you’ll be interested in what software developer Mark Longstaff-Tyrrell has created.
He has developed software that will allow you to watch video or animation on your ebook reader. Nook and Kindle owners already know that their devices are not meant for video playback. Knowing that, however, does not mean that one would not want the ability to watch video if at all possible. With Longstaff-Tyrrell’s solution, that ability is within reach of every ebook reader owner.
The premise is simple: to go around the refresh rate limitation of ebook readers. In order to do this, Longstaff-Tyrrell decided to pick out the critical frames in the video. Included in these frames are the ones which have the subtitles. The result? An HTML file or a PDF which you can read as if you were watching the video. There is also an option for an embeddable HTML player if you prefer that format.
Yeah, it is not exactly the same as actually watching the video. In fact, I wouldn’t blame you if the word “lame” is in your head right now. You have stop comparing ebook readers to the iPad, though. For something that totally cannot play videos, this solution is actually a brilliant workaround.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread Is Coming to Town
There is no doubt about Android-based devices becoming more and more popular. And amongst the Android-based devices out there, Samsung does seem to have an edge over its competitors. The Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Galaxy S are perhaps two of the most sought after gadgets in their respective categories (maybe next to the ubiquitous and more expensive Apple products).
With the rising popularity of these devices, it is but expected to have users on the constant lookout for improvements and updates. And speaking of updates, it looks like Samsung Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S (as well as other gadgets in the Galaxy line) users are in for a treat in the very near future. That is, the Android 2.3 Gingerbread upgrade will be made available to the range of Galaxy devices.
In a press release published today, Samsung outlines the following: ((Mobile Syrup))
- Faster Performance – Multimedia content now has a lower CPU consumption rate, while support for more powerful 3D Graphics enables an enhanced mobile gaming experience.
- Upgraded Usability – The user interface has been improved, enabling faster access and control and a more intuitive user experience. Users will also benefit from improved copy-and-paste functionality.
I repeat: this upgrade is going to be available for all the Galaxy devices, even the cheaper ones like the Galaxy Mini! This piece of news is enough to make users clap their hands with glee, yes?
The thing is that the upgrade will not be available everywhere at the same time. In the same press release, Samsung mentions that the UK and Nordic countries will receive the Android 2.3 upgrade for the Galaxy S starting the middle of this month (that’s right about now?). The rest of Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the rest of the world will have to wait for the update, which will be gradually rolled out.
Get Your Favorite Song from YouTube!
Sometimes you love a track so much but just can’t find it anywhere on the Internet – yet of course, YouTube has a video with it. And it seems that you can’t do anything to get your hands on that song – but the truth is, you can. You just need the proper knowledge!
It’s actually a multi-step process that you need to go through, but it’s fairly simple and you should be able to learn to do it quickly and start downloading your favorite songs. First you’ll have to use a program to download videos from YouTube and similar sites – after you’ve got the file of the video you’re after, this is where the other tool comes in play.
You’ll have to get another program with the ability to convert videos to MP3 files, so that you can extract the song from the file you downloaded earlier and enjoy it on your MP3 player wherever you go – or simply listen to it on your computer. Make sure you’re careful with the settings of the second program, as sometimes the extracted file can sound bad if you didn’t pick the right settings initially. It may take a few cases of trial and error, but you should be able to get the knack of it soon enough!
And in the end, you’ll find out how enjoyable it is to have instant access to all the music you need straight from YouTube, just with a few clicks of the mouse!
Flash on the iPhone is officially dead
Apple released a new draft of their iPhone developer program license, and it contained the following clause:
3.3.1 — Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs. Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).
The thing is, Adobe has been, for a time, trying to find a way to bring Flash or at least Flash-based apps to the iPhone. In fact, Adobe has proved that there is no technical reason that Flash can’t run on the iPhone, and that developers can create well performing and compelling content for the device with Flash.
Mike Chambers says that Apple’s new developer program license “has the effect of restricting applications built with a number of technologies, including Unity, Titanium, MonoTouch, and Flash CS5. While it appears that Apple may selectively enforce the terms, it is our belief that Apple will enforce those terms as they apply to content created with Flash CS5. Developers should be prepared for Apple to remove existing content and applications (100+ on the store today) created with Flash CS5 from the iTunes store.”
However, they feel that it’s not a total loss. There’s Android, which has been doing well because of the Droid and the Nexus One, plus the fact that Android-based tablets are just around the corner, which everyone who would like a tablet PC but don’t give a damn about the iPad (like me) are excited for. This is going to be interesting.
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We can expect to see Symbian ^3 soon
Nokia seems to be pushing ahead with Symbian even though rumors abound of Nokia’s move to switch the entire N-Series from Symbian to Maemo. Right now, there’s new of Nokia skipping development of Symbian ^2 so that they can go ahead and proceed with Symbian ^3. And the good news is that we might be able to see Symbian ^3 this year, as Nokia is aiming to release v3 by the third quarter of 2010!
According to Digitimes:
The Symbian version 4 is believed to be based on the Qt cross-platform application development framework developed by Trolltech, which Nokia acquired in June 2008, said industry sources. The Qt will allow software developers to develop application software supporting Symbian and Maemo platforms simultaneously, added the sources.
For terminal end products, Nokia will continue to offer Maemo-based mobile computing devices, Symbian S60-based smartphones as well as Symbian S40-based feature phones, with the prices for Symbian S60-based models likely to be more competitive in 2010, Hsu said.
By 2011, smartphones based on the Symbian S60-platform will account for 55% of Nokia’s total handset shipments, followed by Symbian S40 feature phones at 35% and Maemo-based devices at 10%, according to sources who are familiar with Nokia’s product roadmap.
I can see Nokia using Symbian on its low-end consumer phones, but if they want to have an edge over the up-and-coming Google Android phones – just about every other phone manufacturer is making one – they really have to step up and make more Maemo-based phones, soon. That doesn’t mean I’m not interested to see what they’re planning for Symbian ^3, though.
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Google Goggles: First Peek
If you need any more proof that Google Android is definitely going to step up to take the iPhone down, Google is coming out with Google Goggles. Okay, that product name kind of reminds me of a website that used to infect unsuspecting users with loads of malware, but trust me, Google Goggles is different. Way different.
Google Goggles basically is mobile search taken to a different level. Instead of using words, use your Android phone’s camera to take a picture, and Google Goggles will process and attempt to recognize the image, and will return relevant search results.
Okay, since Google Goggles is still in its infancy, we’re going to definitely run into a coupe of caveats when using it. Books, business cards, artwork, places, logos and landmarks are going to work brilliantly, but take a picture of food and other things, we’re going to end up with gibberish results, if any.
Actually, the first glimpse of Google Goggles is actually a video showing animated caricatures of Google engineers presenting a cartoon demo of Google Goggles. So it was vaporware and all, and we weren’t expecting Google Goggles to go live for a while.
I was pretty surprised to see a live demo of the experimental software on a yet-to-be-released phone. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, the other Android phone other than Nexus One that I want to get my hands on in the future, has got Google Goggles installed on it. Here’s a video demo of the much-awaited android app, and this time it’s not a cartoon:
I’m pretty impressed with Google Goggles. Tell me what you think!
S60 gapless playback for your music files with FolderPlay
I’ve made the move of dumping my iPod (at least temporarily until the iPod touch gets a 100+ gig iteration) and put my music on my Nokia E63. It’s got a decent playlist maker, a great equalizer (better than the iPod’s I must say), it even supports audioscrobbling (with Mobbler), and carrying around one device instead of two saves me a bit of space.
One disadvantage to using the built-in S60 player is that it doesn’t support gapless playback. This usually isn’t a problem, but when I’m playing an album such as Brian Wilson’s SMiLE, it can get pretty annoying. Thank goodness there’s FolderPlay for the S60.
FolderPlay is an audio application for Symbian OS, that gaplessly plays back a subset of the directory structure with orientation on lossless formats and supports the following audio file types: WAV, LPCM, FLAC, APE/MAC, AC3, MP3, OGG, AAC (ADTS).
FolderPlay works beautifully with the Beatles’ LOVE. However, it has a pretty ugly UI (it’s just practically a file manager) and it doesn’t have an equalizer or audioscrobbler yet.
Download FolderPlay here.
Apple Snow Leopard ships this Friday: August 28, 2009
Apple Mac fans get ready, and make sure you have $29 to spare, because the next version of Mac OS X (version 10.6) codenamed Snow Leopard goes on sale this Friday, August 28.
If you’re into Apple’s Server operating systems, then Snow Leopard Server also goes on sale on that day.
Shazam being given away on Nokia’s Ovi Store
I’ve made no secret of my lackluster feelings towards Nokia’s Ovi Store, which is supposed to make it easy and pleasurable to find applications for Nokia cellphones like the new N97, but I do think the Shazam music discovery software is worth pushing, so I’ll let this one through.
After all, Shazam is available on most other mobile devices, including the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android phones, so it’s about time Nokia got some of the love.
Until 30th November, and purely on a first-come-first-served basis, Shazam will be free to download from the Ovi Store.
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