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Facebook Places Hits iPhone, Touch Devices

Aug 18 2010 Posted in Facebook, Featured News by Dina Ely with View Comments

Facebook Places

Facebook’s newest feature, Facebook Places, debuted Wednesday with a company event showcasing the new Facebook iPhone app that will allow users to “check in” from any location. It’s essentially the marriage of Facebook and services like Foursquare.

Wednesday night the app is slated to be released for download for iPhone users. It will allow users to check in from a location already in the app’s database, or to add a new location. Once checked in, the user can discover which, if any, of their friends are also in the location. The app will also allow users to tag their friends who are checking in from the same place.

Facebook Places was discovered prior to its official release on the Facebook touchscreen-enabled site at touch.facebook.com. For users of that site, Facebook Places will also allow friend tagging, TechCrunch reveals.

Facebook Places will also be available for iPod Touch, Android, BlackBerry Torch, and iPad.

And according to USA Today, Facebook users who are concerned for their privacy can easily opt out of the feature. By default, all check ins are set to be viewable by friends only, limiting your location’s exposure to total strangers.


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Top 10 iPhone Apps for Back to School

Aug 14 2010 Posted in Featured News, Mobile by Dina Ely with View Comments

iPhone Applications for Back to School

It’s that time of year again: time to buy school supplies, stock up on lunch bags, arrange your schedule around the scholastic calendar, and prepare your school-age child for the transition from summer to back to school.

Whether you have an elementary school or college age student, you always want to set them off on the right foot for a good academic year. This year, you might consider educational iPhone applications for your iPhone-toting student as part of your back to school planning. Everything from educational games to speed reading instruction can give them a competitive edge when it’s time to crack the textbooks.

Here are the top 10 iPhone apps for back to school:

Oregon Trail App for iPhone

10. Oregon Trail

You may know it. You may love it. You may salivate at the thought of introducing this classic game to a whole new generation. This highly entertaining and educational game got its start on ancient computers, but Gameloft has brought it into the iPhone in style. It has all the same elements of strategy and problem-solving that the computer version possessed. Mini games test reflexes and focus. And along the way, your child will learn a lot about a vital era in American history. This is really an application for all ages, so if you load it on your iPhone and loan it to your child to play, you can sneak a game or two in yourself when nobody’s looking… Site

Periodic Table of the Elements Names Symbols Quiz App for iPhone

9. Periodic Table of the Elements: Names & Symbols Quiz

One of the trickiest subjects for many high school students is chemistry, and this iPhone app will drill them about the very important basis of chemistry practices and principles, the Periodic Table. Really, this application does just what its name suggests. It’s an effective way to get a head start on chemistry studies. Site

Grockit SAT FlashCards App for iPhone

8. Grockit SAT FlashCards

An unavoidable aspect of high school life is the SAT exam. And it can also bring with it a great deal of undue anxiety. Help your student wade through the jungle of SAT prep with this simple application that will quiz him/her to increase understanding and retention of SAT-related concepts and methods. Site

Exam Support with Andrew Johnson App for iPhone

7. Exam Support with Andrew Johnson

While not strictly an educational app, this relaxation app is aimed at students – particularly college age – who are cramming for a big exam. It contains meditations that help them focus and relax to make their studying more effective. Site

Cute Math App for iPhone

6. Cute Math

Cute Math is an elementary school game with basic mathematics coupled with bright colors and age-appropriate graphics. It’s eye-catching and it’s something your child will likely want to play voluntarily, in addition to part of a study routine. Since it’s not likely your elementary school-aged child carries his/her own cell phone, it’s one you’d be better off loading on your own phone and loaning to him/her when study time calls…or any time you want to keep him/her entertained in a thoroughly educational way. Site

QuickReader App for iPhone

5. QuickReader

QuickReader is a stellar application for learning how to speed read. And the further you advance in school the more reading materials you’re given. A student who can read faster while still comprehending what he/she is reading will have a leg up on schoolwork. QuickReader is a one-stop shop for what it takes to train to read at speeds you might’ve though were impossible before. Site

Graphing Calculator App for iPhone

4. Graphing Calculator

High school and college-age students will come to greatly appreciate this fully-featured graphing calculator application, which can effectively replace an expensive standalone scientific calculator for any classes where advanced features and graphing are needed. Site

Dictionary.com App for iPhone

3. Dictionary.com Dictionary & Thesaurus

The free Dictionary.com dictionary app combines a dictionary and a thesaurus (via Thesaurus.com) so students can better their vocabulary and reading comprehension with a couple taps. It’s a solid piece of software when it comes to thorough definitions and range of available words, and of course, you can’t beat the price! Site

24/7 Tutor for Spanish App for iPhone

2. FREE Spanish Tutor

With Spanish becoming such a popular language in schools today, this 24/7 Tutor free Spanish tutor app is a handy tool for students who are just beginning to learn the language or who need to stay on top of vocabulary as they progress in their studies. If your child isn’t taking Spanish, 24/7 Tutor offers several other free language tutor apps as well. Site

CliffsNotes-to-Go App for iPhone

1. CliffsNotes-to-Go

CliffsNotes are the bumblebee-colored savior for high school and college students everywhere, and now students can take their CliffsNotes on the go with this series of $.99 applications. Many different books are available, and the features you’ve come to know and love (and rely on!) with CliffsNotes are still included in the tiny digital package. Truly an invaluable tool for study! Site


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Barnes & Noble Moves Nook Front And Center

Bookstore Chain Challenging Amazon Kindle

Jul 31 2010 Posted in Gadgets by Ted Webb with View Comments

Barnes & Noble Nook ebook readerBarnes & Noble plans to move its Nook electronic reader out of its cubbyhole beginning this September, placing it front and center in the bookstore chain’s most serious challenge yet to Amazon.com’s popular Kindle. Barnes & Noble plans to build Nook boutiques in its largest stores, set aside floor space near its cafes for Nook displays, which will include accessories and demonstrations. The bookstore chair will make room for the Nooks by devoting less space to CDs, PCWorld reports. The latest Nook models cost around $199 ($149 for a Nook with Wi-Fi but no 3G). In contrast, Amazon.com is offering new Kindles at $189 and $139. The latest generation Kindles will ship Aug. 27, but customers can pre-order on Amazon.com, which is currently devoting its home page to promoting the new Kindles. To stay competitive, Barnes & Noble is not only offering e-reader hardware such as the Nook, but also offering e-reader software for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, PC and MAC. As electronic publishing takes off and e-readers become more common, which device do you think will ultimately dominate the market? Will Amazon’s Kindle stay on top? Or does Nook or some other device stand a chance? With the prevalence of mobile smartphones, do you think at the end of the day market domination might be more about which e-reader software is the best, rather than a specific device? Leave your comments below.


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Microsoft Playing Catch Up With Apple iPad

Working With Computer Makers On Tablet Device To Rival iPad

Jul 30 2010 Posted in Gadgets by Ted Webb with View Comments

iPad

Microsoft is playing catch up to Apple’s iPad, but analysts say the software powerhouse will have its work cut out for it if it wants to beat Apple’s head start. Microsoft is working with big name computer companies (and Apple competitors), Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Asus, Levono and Toshiba to produce an alternative to the iPad, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Thursday. Microsoft’s version would be Windows-based, according to PCWorld. Ballmer told analysts that the effort to produce a Windows-based tablet device that could rival iPad is urgent. Apple has sold over three million iPads since its April launch, and some believe sales could top 10 million by the end of the year. Ballmer told analysts he thinks Microsoft’s version should use Intel processors and Windows 7. The company had a Windows XP Tablet edition back in 2003, but the devices never caught on fully with the general public the way the iPad has. But Apple’s been in some hot water recently with both its iPad and iPhone. A federal lawsuit was filed against Apple over the iPad, claiming the device overheats and shuts down in the sun. A class action lawsuit was also filed against Apple over reception problems with the iPhone 4, a public relations debacle for the company, which ultimately forced CEO Steve Jobs to come out publicly and say that Apple isn’t perfect. Could Apple’s problems with the iPhone and iPad create enough of a window for Microsoft to produce a competing touch screen tablet device or capture more market share? What do you think? Leave your comments below.

Photo by Matt Buchanan via Wikimedia Commons. iPad with display keyboard.


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Google Gives Up On Nexus One Smartphone

Jul 19 2010 Posted in Featured News, Mobile by Robert Halprin with Comments Off

Google Nexus One smartphone

Lackluster sales have apparently convinced Google to stop offering its Nexus One smartphone. The device, which uses the Android operating system, received generally good notices when it was introduced in January, but evidently it couldn’t compete in the marketplace with handsets such as the Apple iPhone or the Motorola Droid.

In an official but low-key blog statement, Google said in part:

This week we received our last shipment of Nexus One phones. Once we sell these devices, the Nexus One will no longer be available online from Google…To ensure our developers have access to a phone with the latest Android OS, Google will be offering the Nexus One through a partner for sale to registered developers

According to CNN, Google managed only to sell 135,000 of the devices while the Droid and iPhone were racking up sales of at least one million. Moreover, neither the Verizon Wireless network, nor Sprint, were ever able to support the Nexus One.


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“Oracle” Octopus Paul iPhone App Will "Show You The Way"

Jul 15 2010 Posted in Mobile by Ted Webb with View Comments

Paul Oracle OctopusFeel burdened by those pesky things in life like making your own decisions? Not to worry! Paul, the “Oracle” octopus, will now make all your decisions for you via a new iPhone application (app), using the same purported “psychic” abilities he used to predict the outcome of the 2010 World Cup. Of course, “Paul” (the real Paul lives in an aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany) got a little help with the app from a software engineer in Brazil, uTouchLabs. The “Ask the Octopus” program will assist non-decision makers with everything from which shoes to wear, sneakers or heels, to whether to eat hotdogs or organic lettuce.

Just be sure to pay “Paul” 99 cents to download the app from Apple’s iTunes. Remember, the “octopus” isn’t a completely altruistic sea creature using his psychic abilities only for the pure, unconditional benefit of humankind (and humanity’s desperate need to solve one of it’s most pressing problems, like predicting the World Cup outcome.)

Before you rush out and get the app, you might want to read up on the “5 Theories to Explain “Oracle” Octopus Paul’s Perfect World Cup Predictions.”

Could “Paul” just be in the app business for the money?

Either way, he’s joining another World Cup staple that’s jumped on the iPhone app bandwagon, the world’s “favorite” annoying instrument, the vuvuzela. If the post-World Cup world had cheerleaders, they’d be cheering, “Can you say mollusk?! Can you say vuvuzela?! Mollusk! Vuvuzela!”


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Apple Sued, Admits iPhone 4 Problem, Offers Remedies

Jul 2 2010 Posted in Gadgets by Ted Webb with View Comments

iPhone 4 Apple Inc. today admitted a problem with the iPhone 4 in an open letter addressed to users, just a few days after getting slapped with a class-action lawsuit.

“Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength,”

says the letter.

Apple will issue a free software update in a few weeks which will have a corrected formula. The company also says that anyone not fully satisfied can return their undamaged iPhone to the Apple Retail Store or online Apple Store within 30 days for a full refund.

Law firm Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff LLP Injury Attorneys filed a class action lawsuit against Apple  and AT&T on June 29 in the Northern District of California, saying more than 1,200 iPhone 4 users have contacted the law firm to report reception problems. In a statement announcing the lawsuit, the firm implies that Apple knew about the issue prior to selling the phones.

“Reports from inside Apple leaked to the media may suggest that the inherent defect in the phone’s design was known to Apple and AT&T before it was sold, and was not disclosed to the millions of initial purchasers,”

says Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff.


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Law Firm Investigating Alleged iPhone 4 Flaws

Jun 30 2010 Posted in Mobile, TV by Ted Webb with View Comments

iPhone 4 Steve JobsKershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff LLP Injury Attorneys is investigating reports of reception problems, alleged dropped calls, and other issues surrounding  Apple Inc.’s release of the iPhone 4. The law firm’s website is asking people who feel they’ve gotten bad reception to get in touch with attorneys via email.

The firm has also issued a statement regarding its investigation, which is also up on its website.

“We think that the iPhone 4 is a remarkable device. But it is inherently flawed,”

says the firm in its statement. The statement goes on to outline the firm’s argument that the phone “appears” to have “a significant design flaw.”

“We are looking to see what other remedies may be available,”

the firm says, addressing the 1.7 million consumers who purchased the phone.

Apple doesn’t currently have any public statement addressing any of the iPhone 4’s alleged reception issues. The company’s most recent public statement quoted Apple CEO Steve Jobs lauding the iPhone 4 release while apologizing for some supply issues.

“This is the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. Even so, we apologize to those customers who were turned away because we did not have enough supply,”

said Jobs in a press release.

The blogosphere has some rumors about a possible iPhone recall, but right now these appear to just be rumors. So don’t get your hopes up. There is no hard verifiable evidence or public statements from Apple to back up these rumors. But Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff’s statement sounds like a potential class action lawsuit may be in the works. Stay tuned.


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Jason Bateman Is "Sorry" For Apple Incident

Jun 30 2010 Posted in Celebrity News by Angie Rentmeester with View Comments

Jason Bateman Issues Public Apology

Actor Jason Bateman issued a public apology for skipping the line at Apple to get his iPhone 4, Us Magazine reports.

Bateman made 2,000 people pissed off when he cut the line at the Apple store to get his hands on the new iPhone 4. Bateman took to his Twitter to say that he went inside so he can avoid the annoying paparazzi and there were no booing from those in line.

However, on Tuesday more people confirmed to the magazine that Bateman wasn’t telling the truth and now he’s changing his story.

“Correction- If there were boos, I didn’t hear them,” Bateman, 41 tweeted. “If some were mad, I didn’t see them. I wish I had. If you’re out there, I’m sorry.”


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Jason Bateman “Sorry” For Skipping Line For iPhone

Jun 30 2010 Posted in Celebrity News by Angie Rentmeester with View Comments

Jason Bateman Skips Line at Apple

Actor Jason Bateman issued a public apology for skipping the line at Apple to get his iPhone 4, Us Magazine reports.

Bateman made 2,000 people pissed off when he cut the line at the Apple store to get his hands on the new iPhone 4. Bateman took to his Twitter to say that he went inside so he can avoid the annoying paparazzi and there were no booing from those in line.

However, on Tuesday more people confirmed to the magazine that Bateman wasn’t telling the truth and now he’s changing his story.

“Correction- If there were boos, I didn’t hear them,” Bateman, 41 tweeted. “If some were mad, I didn’t see them. I wish I had. If you’re out there, I’m sorry.”

Angela Mayhew, who got in line around 3:30 in the morning, told the magazine that there was a lot of drama. “It was the most surreal experience. People were so pissed, that line was ridiculous.”

TechBurrito blogger, Alan Natale, was in line right next to Bateman and confirmed how angry people were. They “were groaning, making comments in MY earshot of him not having to wait in line and some boos.”

Natalie said there was only one paparazzo there and another who took Bateman’s photo. “Both from across the street from a distance of at least 40 feet- so no one bothered him.”


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