Source is
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/13/samsung-confirms-ice-cream-sandwich-event-on-october-19/
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Samsung confirms Ice Cream Sandwich event on October 19
Source is
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/13/samsung-confirms-ice-cream-sandwich-event-on-october-19/
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
What iOS 5 brings to iPad
With iOS 5, Apple cut back on the hyperbole (a little) and just delivered a great new OS that genuinely opens up new ways to use the iPad and reinforces the ties between complementing Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.
Installation
I'm happy to report that Apple forgot to screw over owners of the original iPad. Typically when I write these pieces they start off with me explaining how the update is only available to those who own the most recent version of the device. What a nice surprise to see that iOS 5 is supported on both the iPad 2 and the original iPad, not to mention the iPhone 3GS, and third- and fourth-generation iPod Touch.
As usual, updating the software requires connecting the iPad to your computer and syncing through iTunes. Shed a little sentimental tear, though, since it may be the last time you'll ever need to sync over USB again. One of the features introduced with iOS 5 is the ability to update the software over the air and also sync with iTunes over your home's Wi-Fi connection. Apple calls the feature PC-Free.
Headline features
The first thing you'll notice with iOS 5 is the addition of three new apps on your home screen: iMessages, Newsstand, and Reminders.
With iMessages, Apple gives you an instant messaging solution that works between any iOS device, including iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. You can instantly share text, photos, or videos. Messaging is free over Wi-Fi, but carrier charges may apply if you're using the app over 3G.
If it were any other company, I'd be quick to point out the
limitations of a messaging platform that communicates only with one
brand of products (see: BlackBerry Messenger), but when you add together
every iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch in the world--that's a lot of people
to chat with.
In real-world use, you'll still probably use the iPad's e-mail app for the bulk of your communication. Where iMessages comes in handy are those times when you're on your couch with your iPad and want to quickly send off a message to your spouse's iPhone, or gossip with your friends in real time.
The second new app introduced in iOS 5 is Newsstand.
This is Apple's attempt at capitalizing on the iPad's appeal as a
digital magazine or newspaper (and getting a cut of the profits). Like
the iBooks app, Newsstand is presented as a virtual bookshelf that
displays all your digital magazine or newspaper subscriptions, along
with a link into an Apple storefront for buying more content.
Much of the content included in the Newsstand store has been here all along. Really this is a cute way to automatically group together existing magazine and newspaper apps that use in-app purchasing and subscriptions. I had just as much luck finding great digital magazines like Wired and The New Yorker by downloading their apps from the iPad's App store instead of finding them through the Newsstand storefront (which really just takes you to a section within the App Store). In short, the Newsstand app is really just a clever repackaging of existing content, but it may be just the thing to get people back in the comfort zone of thinking about magazines as something distinctly different than apps.
Installation
I'm happy to report that Apple forgot to screw over owners of the original iPad. Typically when I write these pieces they start off with me explaining how the update is only available to those who own the most recent version of the device. What a nice surprise to see that iOS 5 is supported on both the iPad 2 and the original iPad, not to mention the iPhone 3GS, and third- and fourth-generation iPod Touch.
As usual, updating the software requires connecting the iPad to your computer and syncing through iTunes. Shed a little sentimental tear, though, since it may be the last time you'll ever need to sync over USB again. One of the features introduced with iOS 5 is the ability to update the software over the air and also sync with iTunes over your home's Wi-Fi connection. Apple calls the feature PC-Free.
Headline features
The first thing you'll notice with iOS 5 is the addition of three new apps on your home screen: iMessages, Newsstand, and Reminders.
With iMessages, Apple gives you an instant messaging solution that works between any iOS device, including iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. You can instantly share text, photos, or videos. Messaging is free over Wi-Fi, but carrier charges may apply if you're using the app over 3G.
In real-world use, you'll still probably use the iPad's e-mail app for the bulk of your communication. Where iMessages comes in handy are those times when you're on your couch with your iPad and want to quickly send off a message to your spouse's iPhone, or gossip with your friends in real time.
Much of the content included in the Newsstand store has been here all along. Really this is a cute way to automatically group together existing magazine and newspaper apps that use in-app purchasing and subscriptions. I had just as much luck finding great digital magazines like Wired and The New Yorker by downloading their apps from the iPad's App store instead of finding them through the Newsstand storefront (which really just takes you to a section within the App Store). In short, the Newsstand app is really just a clever repackaging of existing content, but it may be just the thing to get people back in the comfort zone of thinking about magazines as something distinctly different than apps.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Top 10 Useful Android Apps
The Android Market may not have as many apps as the iPhone App Store yet, but there are still more than enough to be overwhelmed, and it continues to grow at a breakneck pace. To help you sort through them all, here is our latest list of the 10 most useful Android apps.
Remember that this is a snapshot in time. The Android platform is developing so quickly that this list would look very different a month from now.
1. Advanced Task Killer
One of the realities of having a multitasking mobile OS is that you have to manage your apps so that they don't hurt performance or battery life. Advanced Task Killer (ATK) is our favourite on Android. It even comes with a widget that you can tap once to kill all open apps, and you can also set up ATK to kill all apps at periodic intervals. Some people will argue that task managers are irrelevant and unneeded in Android, but we still prefer to use ATK.
2. Dropbox
Dropbox is a great cloud service that automatically syncs a folder of files between multiple computers (Windows, Mac or Linux). This app extends Dropbox to Android, and interacts with other apps (such as Documents To Go) to open the files. It allows you to access PDFs, image files and business documents by simply dragging them to a folder on your computer, and then you immediately have access to them from your mobile phone, once you have this app installed.
3. Evernote
Once you get used to typing on a virtual keyboard (and it honestly took us over a year to do it), then these devices are great for note taking, and Evernote is a great note-taking app. It is similar to Dropbox in that it saves data locally, but syncs it across all of your machines and devices.
4. Taskos
There are plenty of to-do list apps to choose from on Android, but we prefer Taskos, because of the clean, easy, Android-friendly user experience. It also has a few extras that give it an advantage over apps. The biggest one is voice recognition, which lets you speak a task that the app turns into a to-do item (you might have to correct a word or two).
5. DroidAnalytics
For some reason, Google doesn't have an official app for Google Analytics (for either Android or iPhone). The best one we've found on Android is DroidAnalytics. Another good one is mAnalytics.
6. Documents To Go
The free version of Documents To Go offers a great little reader for Microsoft Word and Excel files. You can upgrade to the full version if you want to be able to create and edit files and add PowerPoint files to the mix. If you do want editing capability, we'd also recommend taking a look at QuickOffice.
7. Google Docs
If you mostly work with Google Docs (including uploading Microsoft Office files to your Google Docs repository), then the only app you'll really need is the Google Docs app. It's a nice mobile implementation of document management, although the one annoyance is that it always opens up files in a web browser, rather than within the app itself, which would be a little smoother.
8. TripIt
We dig TripIt. It is by far the best app we've found for keeping track of all of our travel itineraries. It runs on some great back-end systems. You simply forward your confirmation emails for your flights, hotels, rental cars and more to TripIt, and it automatically organises them into trips with all of your details and confirmation numbers. Or, if you use Gmail, you can even use a plug-in to automatically catch confirmation emails and turn them into TripIt trips.
9. Places
This is an awesome app for finding shops and services near your current location. From restaurants to medical facilities to taxis, this app is very accurate and takes advantage of the business information from Google Local. This app is better than the info you get from a GPS unit (or app), and better than any of the similar apps available on the iPhone. It's also integrated into Google Maps.
10. Astro File Manager
Another one of the great things about Android (if you're a geek or a tinkerer) is that you have lower-level access to the system itself. Astro is an app that lets you navigate the Android file system, which is mostly just interesting, but can also be handy once in a while.
Source is
http://www.zdnet.com.au/14-useful-android-apps-339322958.htm
Remember that this is a snapshot in time. The Android platform is developing so quickly that this list would look very different a month from now.
1. Advanced Task KillerOne of the realities of having a multitasking mobile OS is that you have to manage your apps so that they don't hurt performance or battery life. Advanced Task Killer (ATK) is our favourite on Android. It even comes with a widget that you can tap once to kill all open apps, and you can also set up ATK to kill all apps at periodic intervals. Some people will argue that task managers are irrelevant and unneeded in Android, but we still prefer to use ATK.
Dropbox is a great cloud service that automatically syncs a folder of files between multiple computers (Windows, Mac or Linux). This app extends Dropbox to Android, and interacts with other apps (such as Documents To Go) to open the files. It allows you to access PDFs, image files and business documents by simply dragging them to a folder on your computer, and then you immediately have access to them from your mobile phone, once you have this app installed.
Once you get used to typing on a virtual keyboard (and it honestly took us over a year to do it), then these devices are great for note taking, and Evernote is a great note-taking app. It is similar to Dropbox in that it saves data locally, but syncs it across all of your machines and devices.
There are plenty of to-do list apps to choose from on Android, but we prefer Taskos, because of the clean, easy, Android-friendly user experience. It also has a few extras that give it an advantage over apps. The biggest one is voice recognition, which lets you speak a task that the app turns into a to-do item (you might have to correct a word or two).
For some reason, Google doesn't have an official app for Google Analytics (for either Android or iPhone). The best one we've found on Android is DroidAnalytics. Another good one is mAnalytics.
The free version of Documents To Go offers a great little reader for Microsoft Word and Excel files. You can upgrade to the full version if you want to be able to create and edit files and add PowerPoint files to the mix. If you do want editing capability, we'd also recommend taking a look at QuickOffice.
If you mostly work with Google Docs (including uploading Microsoft Office files to your Google Docs repository), then the only app you'll really need is the Google Docs app. It's a nice mobile implementation of document management, although the one annoyance is that it always opens up files in a web browser, rather than within the app itself, which would be a little smoother.
We dig TripIt. It is by far the best app we've found for keeping track of all of our travel itineraries. It runs on some great back-end systems. You simply forward your confirmation emails for your flights, hotels, rental cars and more to TripIt, and it automatically organises them into trips with all of your details and confirmation numbers. Or, if you use Gmail, you can even use a plug-in to automatically catch confirmation emails and turn them into TripIt trips.
This is an awesome app for finding shops and services near your current location. From restaurants to medical facilities to taxis, this app is very accurate and takes advantage of the business information from Google Local. This app is better than the info you get from a GPS unit (or app), and better than any of the similar apps available on the iPhone. It's also integrated into Google Maps.
Another one of the great things about Android (if you're a geek or a tinkerer) is that you have lower-level access to the system itself. Astro is an app that lets you navigate the Android file system, which is mostly just interesting, but can also be handy once in a while.
Source is
http://www.zdnet.com.au/14-useful-android-apps-339322958.htm
Monday, October 10, 2011
Apple iOS 5 Release: A Guide to the 200 New Features
Apple plans to release its most advanced mobile operating system, iOS 5, on Oct. 12 at midnight. Current iOS owners can download the free upgrade from the iTunes Store, but every new iOS device sold after Wednesday will have iOS 5 pre-loaded.
To install iOS 5, users will need to connect to their Mac or PC and follow a set of instructions in iTunes, but once the update is complete, users will thankfully never need to plug into their computers ever again. One of the key features of iOS 5 is total device independence.
iOS 5 is Apple's most comprehensive and complete system upgrade ever with over 200 new features. Here's what iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch owners can expect to see.
iCloud: iOS 5 will be the first platform to run on Apple's new cloud infrastructure called iCloud. iCloud is a free service and users get 5 GB by signing up, but users can buy more storage if they so choose. By plugging into a power source, iCloud automatically pushes all documents, apps, calendars, mail, contacts, photos, and music to all of the user's other iOS devices. As Tim Cook says, "It just works."
Notification Center: In iOS 4, all phone activity was paused in order to display a new notification. Notifications are no longer in the way in iOS 5, as incoming messages and app notifications appear briefly at the top without interrupting activity on the phone, and all messages are kept organized within a convenient Notification Center. It's easy to access—users need only swipe down from the top of the screen to enter the Notification Center. Furthermore, new notifications can be viewed and attended to directly from the Lock Screen, making for quick and easy access.
Overhauled Apps: Mail and Calendar are two old apps that will look brand-new on iOS 5. In Mail, users can write in rich text, indent paragraphs, flag important messages, and search the archive in the body of messages. In Calendar, events are easier to create, manage, and view. iCloud syncs calendars to other devices, and even with select family and friends. Photos is also completely redesigned; no longer is the app simply a library for your photos. Users will be able to edit and crop their photos, add enhancements, or even remove red eye directly on the iOS device.
Camera Upgrade: Apple's latest mobile upgrade will magically changes phone's camera interface. With two clicks of the home button, users can access the camera from the lock screen and start shooting. Users can pinch the screen to zoom, tap the screen to focus, and can now shoot photos with a click of the + volume button.
Safari Overhaul: Apple doesn't like that its Safari browser is the third most popular Web browser after Google Chrome and Firefox. With iOS 5, Safari finally catches up to its competitors with tabbed browsing, a Reading List to save articles for later reading on any iOS device (thanks to iCloud), and the Reader, which removes ads and other clutter from articles, allowing for a clean and beautiful reading experience.
Game Center: Apple has already broken into the gaming industry with its bountiful and easily accessible App Store. Game Center's been around since iOS 4, but few tweaks here and there give it a completely different feel. Users can upload profile pictures, find friends they know and discover new ones, and see how they fare against their competitors over time.
Tweet Everything: Apple took social media seriously in the latest iOS. The company has elected to optimize nearly every one of its apps for Twitter, so users will be able to tweet new photos, pages from Safari, YouTube movies, and even their location. Just sign into Twitter once and iOS 5 does the rest.
iOS 5 will be a free download from the iTunes Store, and will be compatible with the iPod Touch, iPad 1 and 2, the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and the iPhone 4S.
Apple's iPhone 4S, available in stores Oct. 14, sold more than one million pre-orders in the first 24 hours, breaking the company's previous record set by the iPhone 4 of 600,000 first day orders.
Source is
To install iOS 5, users will need to connect to their Mac or PC and follow a set of instructions in iTunes, but once the update is complete, users will thankfully never need to plug into their computers ever again. One of the key features of iOS 5 is total device independence.
iOS 5 is Apple's most comprehensive and complete system upgrade ever with over 200 new features. Here's what iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch owners can expect to see.
iCloud: iOS 5 will be the first platform to run on Apple's new cloud infrastructure called iCloud. iCloud is a free service and users get 5 GB by signing up, but users can buy more storage if they so choose. By plugging into a power source, iCloud automatically pushes all documents, apps, calendars, mail, contacts, photos, and music to all of the user's other iOS devices. As Tim Cook says, "It just works."
Notification Center: In iOS 4, all phone activity was paused in order to display a new notification. Notifications are no longer in the way in iOS 5, as incoming messages and app notifications appear briefly at the top without interrupting activity on the phone, and all messages are kept organized within a convenient Notification Center. It's easy to access—users need only swipe down from the top of the screen to enter the Notification Center. Furthermore, new notifications can be viewed and attended to directly from the Lock Screen, making for quick and easy access.
New Lifestyle Apps: iOS 5 is all about making life easier for the user. An Apple-designed Reminders app aims to keep users organized and on time, and Newsstand neatly arranges news app subscriptions all in one place and automatically updates the user with the latest issue. The new Cards app is Apple's response to the greeting card industry. Cards lets users quickly design and send beautiful, cheap, 100 percent cotton "tree-free" cards to friends and loved ones. The app goes one step further by notifying users the second the card is delivered by the postal service. Find My Friends is a great way to organize events with other users, whether for a temporary rendezvous or a days-long event. And for those parents still wondering where their children are at 10 p.m., Find My Friends app, paired with the right Parental Controls, can allow parents to instantly view their location of their children on a map.
Parental Controls: Thanks to iOS 5, now we won't have kids running amok on their iPhones. The new system has built-in parental controls to manage use of Safari, Camera, FaceTime, Game Center, Location Services, YouTube, the iTunes Store, the App Store, and more. Parents can also lock the settings so kids can't go in and change them later.
Device Independence: Starting Oct. 12, all iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches will come pre-loaded with iOS 5. This will be the first system update that allows all Apple devices to be set up sans computer. Once you're all set up, you won't need to use cords to connect to your computer ever again. Thanks to iCloud, all information will back up and sync automatically with other laptops and iDevices you own.
iOS 5 will be a free download from the iTunes Store, and will be compatible with the iPod Touch, iPad 1 and 2, the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and the iPhone 4S.
Apple's iPhone 4S, available in stores Oct. 14, sold more than one million pre-orders in the first 24 hours, breaking the company's previous record set by the iPhone 4 of 600,000 first day orders.
Source is
1. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/228549/20111010/apple-ios-5-icloud-iphone-4s-ipad-ipod-touch-notification-find-my-friends-cards-twitter.htm
2. http://www.apple.com/ios/features.html#more
Sunday, October 9, 2011
iOS 5 release date brings magic but no Siri to iPhone 4, 3GS on Oct 12
Each new iPhone generation has its own “killer” feature around which Apple shapes its marketing campaign. For the iPhone 3G it was 3G networking, For the iPhone 4 it was FaceTime. For the iPhone 3GS it was… well, we’ll get back to you on that if we ever figure out what the 3GS was all about. But this time it’s unmistakably Siri for the iPhone 4S. Voice commands are nothing new, but they’ve long tended to be either overly simplistic or overly obtuse. Siri, based on the demos, puts a nearly human face on voice recognition. It also requires significant processing power to calculate in real time what it is the user it referring to and then come up with an appropriate answer or action. The iPhone 4 and 3GS, simply put, can’t do that. Apple is banking that despite all of the rest of the iOS 5 magic being given away to those users for free, the lack of Siri will drive at least some of them to end up buying an iPhone 4S after all. We’ll find out starting next week, as iOS 5 lands on Wednesday and the iPhone 4S with iOS 5 preinstalled hits stores on Friday. iPhone 4 and 3GS users, which way are you leaning on the iPhone 4S? Share your comments below.
Source is http://www.beatweek.com/news/9599-ios-5-release-date-brings-magic-but-no-siri-to-iphone-4-3gs-on-oct-12/
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Ice Cream Sandwich leak outs Music 4.0.1 for download, previews Google+ 2.0
A funny thing happened to the folks at Android Police, the same group responsible for leaking some of the first screenshots of Ice Cream Sandwich. They've since come across a few apps from Google's upcoming release -- purportedly straight from a Nexus Prime. The first is Google Music 4.0.1 -- a marked upgrade from the current 3.0.1 found in the Market today -- which sports refined tabs, a contextual dialog and new player controls. For reference, the latest version is shown on the right, which is most likely installed onto a Gingerbread device. Best yet, the APK is currently up for download (which you're able to grab for yourself from the source). There's also a sneak peek of the upcoming Google+ 2.0, which suggests Messenger (formerly Huddle) and Conversations will be renamed to... get this... Chords.
At the last present you both of 2 APK download links:
Google Music 4.0.1 download
Google + 2.0 Download
Source is http://androidcommunity.com/ice-cream-sandwich-google-2-0-and-new-google-music-4-0-apps-revealed-20111007/
Friday, October 7, 2011
iOS 5 vs. Android: Similar Features, Different Approaches
When Apple launches iOS 5 next week, iPhone and iPad users will get a bunch of features that Android users already enjoy, including notifications, wireless syncing, and PC-free operation.
But it's not a game of catch-up. Although Apple is scratching a few Android-first features off its list, iOS 5 also leapfrogs ahead in its own way. Android, meanwhile, retains plenty of its own unique features that make it a viable competitor. The result is two operating systems that, however similar they are in appearance, are actually quite different.
The Apple Approach: All About Service
The individual features that Apple is adding to iOS 5 aren't as important as the big picture: Apple is creating services for its users. With iOS 5, an iPhone can remind you to pick up the milk as you drive near the grocery store. It can deliver newspapers and magazines automatically via the Newstand app. It can send quick iMessages to other iOS users. It can render Web pages in an easy-to-read format with no clutter.
In other words, Apple handles things so you don't have to worry about them. Siri, the virtual assistant built into the iPhone 4S, is an extension of this idea, allowing users to literally tell the phone what to do and get feedback from a computerized female voice. iCloud, meanwhile, is the glue holding all these services together. It remembers what you've done on one device, so that other Apple devices and PCs can make that data available. Even as Apple adds new features, it's removing friction.
The Android Approach: Practicality, Utility
Google's vision for Android isn't as cohesive. The OS is a smattering of features and concepts that, to the average user, might seem daunting. But users who take advantage of Android's best features will find it useful in ways that iOS is not.
I've talked about many of these standout Android features before: turn-by-turn directions, widgets, extensive voice commands, no-size-fits-all hardware. But where Android also excels is in the little things. You can attach files to an e-mail--shocking, I know. You can create shortcuts to contacts, navigation instructions and bookmarks on the homescreen.
And for all Apple's talk about Twitter integration, Android's been doing allowing it for years in a way that's miles ahead. Tap the "share" button in an Android Web browser, for instance, and you'll see options for Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or any other app on your phone that accepts shared URLs.
Apple's iOS is a tightly woven bundle of services, intended to make life easier. Android is everything but the kitchen sink. This difference in approach is the first thing any consumer should consider before committing to either platform.
Source From: http://www.pcworld.com/article/241436/ios_5_vs_android_similar_features_different_approaches.html
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