device posts

Filed under: Business, Internet, Utilities, Web services, Apple, web 2.0

iPhone and iPod Touch SDK coming in February

by Chris Gilmer Oct 17th 2007

Get ready for iPhone and iPod Touch applications to roll out of the pipes early next year, an SDK is coming!

We heard a rumor yesterday, but our friends over at TUAW have let us in on some exciting news from the Apple front. Apple has said that the much anticipated iPhone SDK will be released to developers by February 2008. This Software Developer Kit will allow developers to create applications for the iPhone, as well as the iPod Touch. Of course, hackers have been developing iPhone apps pretty much since the day the device was released, but now we're talking about applications that won't be deleted every time Apple issues firmware updates.

So start that special savings account now, things are going to get really interesting with Apple devices. Its not like it wasn't heavily expected by Apple developers and loyal fans, but it sure has been long overdue and will unfortunately take some time for the release of the kit. This is mainly to ensure a proper advanced open platform is built that will not only protect iPhone's from viruses but from associated privacy attacks made on users.

This vital and dynamic third party community that is about to be created will be able to grab the SDK after MacWorld San Francisco in February 2008, something Apple and their stockholders are genuinely excited about.

Tags: apple, applications, developer, device, iphone, phone, sdk

Filed under: Business, Internet, Web services, Google, Search

Google phone in the final stages

by Chris Gilmer Sep 19th 2007

Rumors has it that the Google branded gPhone is on its way. Now when exactly is a different story.

Our brothers at Engadget report that sources at the DigiTimes have said that Google will definitely be launching a handset. The mobile OS is rumored to be Linux-based. The only issue is that hardware specs, production facility, and operating partners are still getting worked out.

As for the handset design, Google is supposedly leaning towards a 3G device instead of a full EDGE compatible cellphone, this all leading to a first quarter 2008 release.

We suppose we will wait for the initial gPhone announcement before deciding on whether to drop some coin on Google's device or the iPhone.

Tags: 3g, cell-phone, device, edge, google, google phone, GooglePhone, gphone, handheld, htc

Filed under: Business, Video, Google

LG hooks up with YouTube

by Chris Gilmer Jul 6th 2007

Video's on mobile phones. What a novel invention. Not only do you have to pay for the data rates associated with downloading each video, but you get stuck with watching them on a tiny screen (expect if you have an iPhone). Needless to say, it's what the market demands.

LG has announced they are teaming up with YouTube to release YouTube enabled handsets in a move to push forward in the wireless internet services industry. LG clients will be able to upload and view videos using YouTube on their mobile devices by the end of the year.

This isn't the first time LG has teamed up with Google. They have an agreement to pre-install other Google services including Google Search, Maps, Gmail on its devices.

Tags: device, google, lg, mobile, video, youtube

Filed under: Business, Design, Developer, Internet, Web services, Yahoo!

Location based photo browsing with Yahoo Zurfer

by Chris Gilmer Jun 12th 2007

yahoo zurfer location based photo browsing

Zurfer is straight out of the Yahoo! Research Berkeley facility. This handheld application is a location based photo browser. What it is in basic terms is Flickr for your mobile device.

The Zurfer application is currently being developed in the Yahoo research labs, and will -- when loaded on mobile phones -- showcase photos taken around you based on current gps co-ordinates. You can also pull in the latest photos from friends, take photos and add them to your Flickr collection, and perform searches in Flickr for images using the mobile software.

The Zurfer application is in testing phases, and could quite possibly contain bugs, so download at your own risk. It is available, and has been tested on Nokia S60, Motorola RAZR V3X and a few other devices.

Tags: based, berkeley, browsing, device, gps, labs, location, mobile phone, MobilePhone, photo, research, yahoo, zurfer

Filed under: Business, Design, Developer, Internet, Web services, Apple

Developers to be allowed into the iPhone?

by Chris Gilmer Jun 11th 2007

The iPhone has been anticipated for a long time. A very long time. It's finally coming out, and could have the potential to be better than we could have ever imagined with a surprise turn of events.

Apple's Wordwide Developers Conference is today in San Francisco, and some exciting news has been rumored to be dropped at the event. Steve Jobs may announce that they will be letting developers write programs for the iPhone to broaden the appeal of it. The phone does run on OSX, making it more than highly possible to open up the device for outside applications and many other issues as well. Jobs had said a while ago that they will not be opening up the device in the near future until Apple had monitored it due to possible security concerns that could arise, but has since changed their minds.

If this 3rd party accessibility news does indeed get released today, the possibilities for the iPhone are endless as a full and complete mobile device. The phone will get released on June 29th, ranging from $499-$599 for an 8GB device.

What would be your first application wish for the iPhone?

UPDATE: Its official, the iPhone has been opened up for developers. Developers can now write Web 2.0 and AJAX apps that look and behave exactly like apps on the iPhone.

Tags: app, apple, applications, developer, device, iphone, mac, mobile, osx, phone, steve jobs, SteveJobs, wwdc

Filed under: Business, Google

Google phone out by late 2007

by Chris Gilmer Apr 19th 2007

HTC, the company that has supposedly been hard at work manufacturing the Google phone apparently has a date for shipping the finished product. According to the handsets component makers, the official ship date will be the end of 2007, and could reach as high as one million units for the first run.

Unfortunately the handset will not have GPS functionality; it will support 3G and EDGE platforms. The top features of the phone will include preinstalled Gmail and Google Search functionality.

This device is expected to hit European telecom providers first, possibly Orange, before hitting North American soil.

[via digitimes]

Tags: 3g, device, edge, gmail, google, gps, handset, htc, mobile, phone, search

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Text, Web services

Read stories on your mobile device with Wattpad

by Chris Gilmer Apr 4th 2007

It's great to read emails, short RSS headlines, and instant messages on your mobile device, but what about reading novels? Has that just pushed the line?

Wattpad has introduced a mobile client that gets novels, like proper novels, onto mobile devices in text form. When users have the client installed on their devices, it makes it possible to download additional stories and read them offline. They might be a little eye straining on smaller devices, but I would imagine that when viewed on Blackberry's or Windows Mobile device it could be tolerable.

The application is a free download, either through a mobile website, or through a download link that you can load onto your device. There is a huge list of books available on the site with user comments and number of people that have read it through Wattpad. The books are surprisingly free with full text versions available online. So if your mobile screen gets a little small you can always just read it online, or print it off.

[via GigaOM]

Tags: application, book, data, device, mobile, novels, stories, wattpad

Filed under: Internet, Web services, Browser Tips

New web and mobile browsers from Opera released

by Chris Gilmer Mar 30th 2007

Looks like this one slipped by our radar, but Opera previewed their new web and mobile browsers this week, as we mentioned earlier this month. Not only are the new browsers out in beta versions, but Opera Mobile shows off the next generation of browsing for Windows Mobile devices.

The biggest feature change in the desktop browser is the new Speed Dial, an integration where users can create nine visual bookmarks for frequently viewed sites, and have them available at any time in any new tab. Speed Dial can be set up by opening a new tab, clicking on a numbered square, 1-9, then using Ctrl + [1-9] to activate the quick Speed Dial link. It's a very handy feature that makes browsing a little quicker and a little more keyboard shortcut friendly.

Opera Windows Mobile Mini has some very handy updates, including searching directly from the address bar, the ability to copy text, a save function for images, and Internet Explorer bookmark importing. How does it compare with the new Deepfish from Microsoft? We would have to say that Deepfish is a little cooler.

Both the Opera 9.2 and the Opera for Windows Mobile beta are available from the Opera website.

[Updated link to Opera Mobile for Windows 8.65]

Tags: beta, browser, device, mobile, opera, speed dial, SpeedDial, windows

Filed under: Business, Developer, Internet, Windows Mobile, Web services, Microsoft

Microsoft releases Deepfish, an enhanced mobile browser

by Chris Gilmer Mar 29th 2007

Could thisbe the start of "Browser Wars 2, the quest for the stronghold on the mobile world"?

Microsoft has just entered the space with their new enhanced mobile browser offering, Deepfish. The Deepfish browser plays off of what the iPhone showed us a short while ago, showing the user a recreation of desktop browsing on mobile devices, not stripping anything out. Deepfish gives users on mobile devices an identical look and feel of pages rendered on typical desktop setups. The application allows scrolling and zooming in and out of web pages, enabling increased readability, standard navigation, and simple form submission. When completely zoomed out, images are lossy, but zooming in provides more detail. If you are a little worried about your Windows Mobile device struggling when browsing with all of this extra content, don't be, Deepfish has bandwidth optimized rendering for faster content delivery.

Microsoft might be getting a little worried about Opera, and Mozilla's minimo.2 quickly entering the Windows Mobile device space and quickly starting to become the default offerings.

Deepfish is sadly in an invite only mode at the Microsoft Live labs. It's for Windows Mobile Smart Phones or Pocket PC's running Windows Mobile 5.0+, with a minimum of 64 MB program memory.

Check out a video of Deepfish's capabilities.

Tags: browser, deepfish, device, microsoft, minimo, mobile, mozilla, opera, windows

Filed under: Business, Google

No, there is no Google Phone in the works, or is there...

by Chris Gilmer Mar 21st 2007

Looks like our hopes for the development of the highly anticipated, and much rumored Google Phone have been stomped out. Richard Kimber, a managing director of sales and operations in Google's South-East Asia office, says that Google will not be entering the crowded handset market, but Google is obviously investing in the software side of things through partnerships with existing handset makers.

Software is key to Google, and equipment manufacturing is far from Google's business plan, as Vint Cerf had relayed earlier this month. As our friends over at Engadget point out, neither Vint or Richard have come out and flat out denied a mobile device is in the works, so who knows what the future can hold.

With this news out, I suppose everything will be ok, the world will go on, and Apple will have to look elsewhere for a worthy battle against the iPhone.

Tags: cell, device, engadget, google, handheld, mobile, phone

Filed under: Hardware, Google

Google Phone confirmed!

by Chris Gilmer Mar 15th 2007

The much anticipated and highly rumored Google mobile phone has been confirmed. Google's Chief Executive in Spain and Portugal has let slip that an "iPhone competitor" is in the works. The Google Exec downplayed the Google phone project, saying that its one of 18 current R&D projects in the works.

The "gPhone" may not be what you expected however, word has it the embryonic device might not be an iPhone killer after all. Google may be targeting developing countries with this device, so in order to cut costs GPS, touch screens, etc. might be out. Think "One Laptop per child" in mobile phone form.

[via Endadget]

Tags: apple, device, google, google phone, GooglePhone, handheld, iphone

Filed under: Internet, Productivity, Web services, Apple, Google

Sync Google Calendar with Apple iCal via Spanning Sync

by Chris Gilmer Mar 14th 2007

spanning sync syncs google calendar with apple ical

Spanning Sync will make your Google Calendars and Apple iCal play nicely together with devices.

iCal and Google Calendars are great applications for different sets of reasons, one is online with sharing capabilities, one is desktop driven with great notifications and offline capabilities. Get ready to get excited Mac users, Spanning Sync syncs all of these features together and lets Mac users choose which calendar application you want to work in with total two way calendar synchronization.

If you find yourself working on different Macs, or require a calendar that is shared throughout the day, Spanning Sync ties in support for multiple Macs and sharing capabilities. Simply share a Google Calendar, and Spanning Sync will sync them all together. Changes made in iCal, will appear on the Google Calendar, and changes that are made to Google Calendar will be made on the iCal calendars. Apple's iSync then works to sync up calendars onto capable devices like mobile phones and iPods as well.

There is a 15 day trial period for Spanning Sync, with a one year subscription costing $25, or you can drop $65 to purchase the app outright.

Tags: apple, calendar, device, google, ical, offline, online, synchronization

Filed under: Internet, Video, Web services, Google

YouTube on Nokia and Vodafone

by Chris Gilmer Feb 13th 2007

Chad Hurley spoke about his future dreams for YouTube last year: YouTube videos on mobile devices. He hoped that they would have something up and running within a year when he spoke about it in November, and now it looks like the time has finally almost arrived. With a number of deals on the way, Vodafone users in the UK will be seeing a selection of videos that are updated daily that they can forward to friends, and they'll be able to upload videos directly from their phones. Vodafone is moving to really look at what customers are doing, and improve their services accordingly. Being that Europe is on the leading edge of mobile services, it's no wonder why this is one of the first regions to embrace these types of services. YouTube and Verizon did ink a deal in the US last year to build a similar service which The Vodafone service that will be available later this year and will be accessible through Vodafone's Live Web portal, which is currently available on 4.7 million mobile devices in the UK.

In the device arena, Nokia has just dropped the news that users will soon be able to check out YouTube videos with their Nseries devices. The videos will be accessible through Nokia's web browser with Mini Map through a new YouTube mobile site that will be launched. No date has been set for launch yet. The new mobile browser supports single click playback of videos and the popular mobile video AVC format. Alternatively, YouTube video RSS feeds will also be accessible through the Nokia Video Center application, which allows for users to share and view favorite content. With all of this bandwidth-chugging content coming down the pipes, I really hope that carries drop rates and come up with special packages soon.

Tags: cell phone, CellPhone, device, google, mobile, nokia, video, vodaphone, youtube

Filed under: Internet, Utilities, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm, E-mail, Web services, Freeware

Flurry: free mobile email and RSS access

by Ryan Carter Oct 22nd 2006

Now that Download Squad is accessible via mobile device, I thought I would start bringing you more downloads for mobile users.

This slick little app will turn your mobile device into an email and RSS powerhouse. You set up an online account with Flurry first with your email accounts and RSS feeds, then you can download mail and RSS feeds from their gateway servers onto your mobile device. They support OPML import for all your news feeds, and POP3 or IMAP for your email accounts. The service is currently available on many carriers including T-Mobile, Cingular, Verizon, U.S. Cellular, Nextel, Sprint, Virgin Mobile, Boost, Edge and others. You need a phone that supports J2ME (Java) and MIDP protocols (most newer devices do support both) and a wap-enabled browser to download the app. Get this download (direct download for your mobile) of Flurry. Then set your Gmail or other POP3/IMAP service to allow access, and you're golden! If you can't download the app via your phone, it is also available to download onto your PC (JAD edition or JAR edition) then transfer using blue-tooth or a cable. Drop me a line below or send me a tip if there are sweet mobile apps you want me to cover in the future. The read link below is a PC-viewable version of the download page. Enjoy!

Tags: cell, device, J2ME, Java, MIDP, mobile, palm, PDA

Filed under: Business, Utilities, Windows, Office, Productivity, Microsoft

Spreadsheets for Pocket PCs

by Chris Gilmer Aug 1st 2006

PTab Spreadsheets is designed for Windows NT/2000, Pocket PC Smartphones, handhelds, and the new Motorola Q.

Some handheld devices unfortunately can only open, and not edit Excel documents. This is where PTab comes into play. PTab can open, edit and create .XLS documents, with most of the functionality that Microsoft's Excel has. It is a little scaled back, but it does the trick.

Z4Soft is offering this tool as a free download for 15 days of full functionality. From there, you have option of switching to a fully functional version if you are satisfied with it for $30 (Windows Mobile) or $15 for a desktop version.

Tags: device, download, handheld, microsoft excel, MicrosoftExcel, motorola q, MotorolaQ, pc, pocket pc, PocketPc, ptab, smartphone, spreadsheet, windows

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