Apple reveals "All Time Top Apps" after 25 billion downloads

The Apple App Store is certainly pleased with itself, for reaching 25 billion downloads about two weeks after the contest was declared. While the winner has not been named, we do know that he or she is from China (apt). Apple has also released another list of "winners", as one may call them. This list comprises of the top 25 apps (seperate list for free and paid) across all their iOS devices. The list exists in iTunes and you can check it out by going to the Apps page in your iTunes. Here's how it looks.

25 billion reached. 100 app winners named

iPhone Top Paid Apps
1. Angry Birds
2. Fruit Ninja
3. Doodle Jump
4. Cut the Rope
5. Angry Birds Seasons
6. Words With Friends
7. Tiny Wings
8. Angry Birds Rio
9. Pocket God
10. Camera+
11. The Moron Test
12. Plants vs. Zombies
13. Skee-Ball
14. The Game of Life
15. Scrabble
16. Monopoly
17. Fat Booth
18. WhatsApp
19. UNO
20. Color Splash
21. The Sims 3
22. Flight Control
23. MotionX GPS Drive
24. Where’s Waldo
25. I Am T-Pain 2.0

iPhone Top Free Apps
1. Facebook
2. Pandora Radio
3. Words With Friends Free
4. Skype
5. The Weather Channel
6. Google Search
7. Google Earth
8. Angry Birds Free
9. Shazam
10. Netflix
11. Paper Toss
12. Twitter
13. Movies by Flixster
14. Bump
15. PAC-MAN Lite
16. Flashlight.
17. Unblock Me FREE
18. Temple Run
19. Instagram
20. Touch Hockey
21. Angry Birds Lite
22. ESPN ScoreCenter
23. Fruit Ninja Lite
24. Groupon
25. Angry Birds Rio Free

Top Paid iPad Apps
1. Pages
2. Angry Birds HD
3. Angry Birds Seasons HD
4. Penultimate
5. Scrabble for iPad
6. Fruit Ninja HD
7. GarageBand
8. GoodReader
9. Angry Birds Rio HD
10. Cut The Rope HD
11. Numbers
12. Keynote
13. Words With Friends HD
14. Star Walk for iPad
15. MONOPOLY for iPad
16. Plants vs. Zombies HD
17. Where’s My Water?
18. Friendly Plus for Facebook
19. QuickOffice Pro HD
20. Notability
21. Splashtop Remote Desktop for iPad
22. Pinball HD
23. MyPad+ – For Facebook & Twitter
24. Infinity Blade
25. Real Racing 2

Top Free iPad Apps
1. Angry Birds HD Free
2. The Weather Channel for iPad
3. Netflix
4. Skype for iPad
5. Kindle
6. ABC Player
7. Pandora Radio
8. Angry Birds HD Free
9. CNN App for iPad
10. Words With Friends HD Free
11. Google Earth
12. Calculator Pro for iPad Free
13. Fruit Ninja HD Lite
14. Calculator for iPad Free
15. NYTimes for iPad
16. USA TODAY for iPad
17. Facebook
18. MyPad – for Facebook & Twitter
19. Flipboard
20. eBay for iPad
21. Angry Birds Seasons HD Free
22. Dictionary.com
23. Twitter
24. Solitaire
25. Friendly for Facebook

Of course, iPhone apps, include apps downloaded for the iPod Touch. The list doesn't include the top 25 apps downloaded for the Mac platform. This may be because the Mac App Store has only been around for a little over a year. Looking at the apps, games are still the more popular genres of applications to download and Angry Birds still dominates. Furthermore, Facebook retains its position as number one free app for the iPhone.

Read More

iOS App Store hits 25 billlion downloads

Apple's download the 25 billionth app from the iOS App Store contest has come to a close, which means the iOS App Store has officially reached 25 billion downloads. The winner of the contest has not been named, yet, but some lucky girl or guy out there has a $10,000 (approx Rs.4,92,700) gift certificate to the iTunes Store to her or his name. According to Redmond Pie, this confirms that the iOS App Store is currently the biggest hub for mobile applications. Apple made the announcement on its website with a banner reading, “A billion thanks. 25 times over. The App Store has reached 25 billion downloads. Thanks for getting us there.” The winner can spend the winnings on apps, music or books from Apple's online stores.

The contest began on the 13th of February and was set to end whenever the 25th billion app was downloaded from the App Store or the receipt of the non-purchase entry after the download of the 24,999,999,999th app, whichever came first. Contestants entered the race, either by downloading apps or by filling out a form online on the Apple website, which served as a non-purchase method. Last year in July, the iOS App Store crossed 15 billion downloaded applications. To compare notes, the Android Market has sold 11 billion apps and BlackBerry's App World has sold 2 billion apps. On the 18th of February, the download ticker clocked 24.328 billion apps and two weeks later, the contest target was met. According to The Next Web, this means that an average of 48.6 million applications were downloaded per day.

Read More

5 Hot Keyboard Apps for Android

It's an all too familiar scenario: You went ahead and bought a shiny new Android smartphone, but now, you realise that-having used physical keyboards all this while-you're finding it rather tough to adjust to typing on a touchscreen.

Add to that the fact that most smartphones running the Google OS don't come preinstalled with the best touch-typing software. But have no fear; help is at hand in the form of myriad alternatives. Check each one out to see what's right for you.

SwiftKeyX

The more you use it, the more SwiftKeyX adapts to your typing style to present to you eerily accurate word predictions. Reviews across the interwebs, including user polls, have awarded it glowing epithets, including the keyboard for "fat-finger typists", "the virtual keyboard Google would be crazy not to acquire" and it even makes it to various lists of essential apps for Android. 

The downside? Swift KeyX is free for use for just one month, after which you will have to shell out Rs 205 to use it further. Still, one month should be enough to figure out if it is indeed the keyboard for you. 

Swype
It's no guarantee, but there's more than a fair chance that your Android phone comes preinstalled with two types of virtual keyboards - the normal Qwerty and SWYPE. (Go to Settings > Locale and Text.

Alternatively, Settings > Language and keyboard). Activate SWYPE and you're ready to go... Now, unlike the traditional poke-to-type keypads, this software lets you input text by merely gliding along the alphabets of a word - this, without you having to lift your finger.

For example, to write MUMBAI, place your finger on M and then glide it over each of the subsequent alphabets U-M-B-A-I. Of course, sliding your fingers over your touchscreen keyboard will mean that you touch many unwanted alphabets, but SWYPE's inbuilt algorithm is intuitive enough to discard the rest and only use the letters you intended.

Type a new word, and you have the option to add it to your dictionary list so it readily appears the next time you input it. Oh, and just in case your phone doesn't come with SWYPE, you can get it for free at swype.com.

TouchPal
It is similar to SWYPE, but has a few tricks of its own that may turn out to be exactly what you were looking for in your virtual keyboard. For example, it lets you blind type on your touchscreen after you have gotten used to the keypad layout.

It does this by more or less learning your input patterns. It also studies the curves as you glide along the keypad to predict the words that you want to type. Seriously, though, these features must be seen to be believed. TouchPal also supports some unique gestures - swipe up to input a number and swipe down for a special character.

And one can even cut, copy and paste from the keyboard itself. Currently, it is free for use as part of public beta. Check it out at www.cootek.com.

ICS Keyboard
In 2010, a company called BlindType demonstrated superb text-prediction software that worked with Android. But before the company could release its product, it was snapped up by Google. Now, some of that technology has made its way to the keyboard in IceCream Sandwich - the latest version of Android.

Well-meaning hackers have taken this keyboard out from ICS and put it up on Android Market for people using older versions of the Google OS. Features in the free version of ICSK include multi-touch, built-in dictionary, configurable auto correction, speech to text (select languages only), custom vibration intensity (haptic feedback), long press "Enter" key to bring up smiley alternatives and even long press on the "/" key in URL mode to bring up domains.

Go Keyboard
This free app on the Android Market is easily one of the best-looking keyboards for the Google OS. In fact, users can choose between various themes that are available for download. Other features include auto-correct as you type, multi-point touch keyboard, support for slide input. And if you are someone who likes to personalize their apps, you will love the customization options-position of various keys, size, smileys and so on-that Go Keyboard offers.

via TOI

Read More

Must-Have Android Apps For Business

Any time you move to a new phone, you've got to determine if the software you've grown accustomed to or dependent upon will work on your new device. If you're moving from one device to another that uses the same mobile OS, this isn't a huge issue, but when moving from, say, a Blackberry to an Android smartphone, you have some big decisions to make.

There's a great deal of valuable software in the Android Market that can help you make the switch. Finding it is the hard part. Here are my suggestions for must-have apps that can help busy road warriors integrate a new Android phone into their daily routine.

Android Agenda Widget. Whether you are a C-level exec or a busy soccer mom, having your schedule in front of you when you turn on your device is a must. Unfortunately, the Android Calendar widget leaves a great deal to be desired. Android Agenda Widget from Everybody all the Time comes to the rescue. With its ability to display multiple calendars and support a number of different display sizes, this free Android widget fills a huge hole and makes it easy to keep your next appointment in front of you.

Go Weather. Everyone I know loves the HTC Clock & Weather widget. It's too bad you'd have to root your non-HTC device with a custom ROM to enjoy the same features. Fortunately, plenty of Android Market developers have jumped in with their own weather apps that provide a similar look and feel to HTC's popular widget. One of my favorite freebies is Go Weather.

Like the HTC widget, the app can display not only the current time and weather conditions on your home screen, but extended local forecast information. The app supports skinning and full-motion HD video, and has live wallpaper as well as a status bar icon that displays current temperature information for the location you're currently "following." This temperature status bar alone is worth installing Go Weather on any device you have.

Launcher Pro. Android's stock program launcher is okay, but there are better launchers out there at very reasonable prices. Take Launcher Pro, a free launcher that provides access to not only the standard Android application tray but also an unlimited number of scrollable docks. Launcher Pro also uses less memory than HTC's Sense UI widget. The $3.49 registered version gives you access to the app's custom home screen widgets.

Note: Using Launcher Pro on a Sense UI device might disable the interface.

Google Voice. Any Android phone can benefit from Google Voice. Its deep OS integration allows free, unlimited text messaging through your standard cellular data connection. Regardless of your carrier or voice and data plan, Google Voice's coveted visual voice mail features let you manage your voice mails like online emails, including filing and archiving. Sprint users get the added benefit of using their standard cell number as their Google Voice number without having to port their number to Google Voice, thanks to an agreement between Google and Sprint.

Google Maps with Navigation. Although Google Maps is a standard application from Google, not every Android device has it installed. This might be the case for you if your wireless carrier has a branded navigation app. In that case, installing and using this free, turn-by-turn navigation app is high on my recommended application list. It's one of the best free navigation apps available, and its data connection dependency for map delivery insures that you've always got the latest maps for your geographic area.

Read More

Search App updated for Android 2.2 & 2.3

Google has taken to stealth updating Search and Maps for Android while attention is squarely placed on CES this week. The updates for Maps for Android center on improved battery life with Latitude now featuring faster refreshes for locations and adds the ability to guess location based on vehicle speed if the GPS signal is lost during a drive and offers more public transportation route options for supported public transit systems.

Google has also updated its Search for Android to feature faster, smoother performance, with an updated and simplified user interface. Suggestions for search are now grouped by type, with web suggestions at the top as well as country-specific suggestions and search results for all countries with Google domains with long press capability added to remove history items.

Some additional tips from Google on the new Search for Android:
1. Tap the arrow to the right of a search suggestion or history item to add it to your search term before searching.
2. Get suggestions from other apps on your phone – check out searchable items in Search settings.
3. Long press on home screen to add the Google Search widget, if you don’t have it already, to access search faster.

With the latest update to Maps, Google is seeking to address the biggest issue with the application in battery life compared to previous versions as well as adding additional features for users of public transport while Search being updated for Gingerbread and earlier versions for Android is Google’s attempt to continually maintain the Search app for those versions of Android while gradually transitioning to the newly merged Ice Cream Sandwich.

Read More

CES 2012: Vimeo launches app for Windows Phone and Android

Vimeo launches first ever Windows Phone and Android application at CES 2012.

Video sharing site Vimeo was in attendance at CES in Las Vegas and announced versions of its app for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform as well as both smartphone and tablet builds for Android.

We spoke to Vimeo lead developer Joe Schmitt about the new launches and asked how Vimeo's app was aiming to appeal to users and compete with Youtube, which comes pre-installed on many devices.

Schmitt described the experience as ‘totally different' to Youtube, emphasising that Vimeo's focus was on using a device's camera to shoot and upload video seamlessly. ‘It's about shooting first,' he said, ‘Youtube is just a viewing experience.'

Schmitt also made a point about the community-driven aspects of Vimeo, the fact that Vimeo is built around uploading and editing high quality video footage and has a following of ‘enthusiastic' amateurs as well as professionals.

Vimeo is trying to bring its desktop experience to mobile devices, according to Schmitt. He said the company had paid great attention to the interface and design to create a ‘uniquely mobile' experience and emphasised the goal of having an app which looks attractive and feels good to use.

At its most basic it allows users to login to their Vimeo account, view, capture and upload video content, and to comment and interact with the content and community.

Schmitt said a good deal of work had gone into the tablet interface for the Android version: ‘We look at them [tablets] as a different device and really try to make use of the screen real estate to browse, comment and view simultaneously.'

According to Vimeo you'll be able to multi-task extensively within the app itself. It'll also be specifically optimised for the Amazon Kindle Fire to give the ‘best experience' possible.

For the Windows Phone 7 build, Schmitt said the company was ‘really excited' and explained that this was ‘not just a port'. Vimeo has taken Windows Phone's unique interface into consideration and designed the app around it. ‘It's visually different but functionally the same,' said Schmitt.

The company also revealed it would be updating its iOS app in the new year. The new build will feature native iPad support with a similarly tablet-tailored interface tweaked for Apple's larger device.

Perhaps the most stand-out feature of the app, which will at first be exclusive to the iOS build but will come to other platforms later, is the in-built editing suite which Schmitt said will include a music store with licensable music tracks, something he described as a ‘huge advantage' to users.

Read More

Use Headphone to Capture Photos on iPhone

iOS 5 is latest release for iPhone with so many new features, now with the help of iOS 5 on your iPhone you can easily click photos without ever touching the display screen. This means without touching the iPhone screen you can click you favorite picture with the least amount of camera shake. The trick is simple to use, all you need a iPhone with iOS 5 and headphone with volume buttons.

So how to use it, just open your iPhone’s camera app, ready your shot, and click the volume up button of your headphone to click the photos. If you have a Bluetooth headset with volume control, it’ll likely work with that, too. Any Bluetooth headset paired with the iPhone can be used in a similar manner to the wired headphones to take a photo.

If you are using the Bluetooth headset, this is perfect for taking photos on trips without having to use a camera app with a timer. Just attach your iPhone to a tripod and use your bluetooth headset volume + button as self timer remote to click the pictures.

Read More

Add Cool Effects on Your Android Mobile Images with Pho.to Lab app

Are you an Android phone user and want to add some cool effects on your clicked images. You can do this easily with Pho.to Lab android app, there are so many apps are available in the market which do the same, but Pho.to Lab app is one of the best. Pho.to Lab is a split of over 450 unique effects such as multiple comic pictures creation, backdrops, photo montages, virtual picture postcards, mashups, mosaics, beautifully framed photos, animations, jigsaw and coal & paper filters and many others.The app is easy to navigate thanks to gesture-based interface.

In simple words with the help of this free app you can design your photos by adding frames and special effects so easily. If has lots of features which help you to add cool effects on your image and it allows you to share your creation through MMS or e-mail and can also socialize the final image via Facebook or Twitter.

Check out some of the cool features of Pho.to Lab Android app:-

1. Photo Montages allows automatic face detection, so you can turn yourself or your friend into Darth Vader, Rambo.
2. Photo Effects. With the help of this feature you can put your photo on famous international magazine cover page.
3. Photorealistic Effects put your face onto museum walls, a soccer fans banner, in a hot off the press newspaper; airbrush yourself on exclusive cars or leave your face as a sand imprint on the beach.
4. Photo Filters includes neon glow, fire, jigsaw puzzle, pencil drawing and more.
5. Collages is best and unique way of combining different photos in one.

Pho.to Lab android is one of the best free app for android users with huge collection of photo templates, photo effects, montages and more.

Try the Pho.to Lab Android app here

Read More

Forget PIN Numbers, Apple Wants to Let You Unlock Your iPhone With Your Face

Currently, if you have a passcode for your iPhone, it's the one where you have to unlock it by typing in a code. However, according to ReadWriteWeb, Apple now wants to simplify your life and have you unlock your iPhones with your face. While the feature is already available on jailbroken phones, Apple has filed a patent to make it available on every iPhone. The way the feature would work is pretty self explanatory. You pick up your locked iPhone, place it a few inches away from your face (with the front camera viewing your face, of course) and once approved, your iPhone is unlocked.

This feature is already available on Android phones with Ice Cream Sandwich with Face Unlock as well as Nokia phones running Symbian 3 and higher. However, as noted in the case of Android phones, the feature is not entirely secure, because it can unlock phones using photos of the "password face". However, Apple is reportedly working on the technology to combat this issue. The feature would use a  two-dimensional analysis of the way facial features are placed. It would also check skin tone and cross-check those details against "target images" that were previously captured by the device.

Read More

Top Ten iTunes Health Apps of 2011

Apple recently launched its annual App Store Rewind 2011 on iTunes featuring its top picks for the year's best overall health apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Topping the list is an app that offers three-dimensional views of your muscles while your work out, an app that photo-documents your meals for review by your friends, and another that offers intense, equipment-free workouts no matter what your fitness level.

iMuscle : An on-the-go workout aid that can help you capture three-dimensional views of your muscles or body parts you want to exercise or rehabilitate. Comes complete with exercise guide, labeling, and "medically correct" descriptions.
Price: $1.99/$4.99.

Nike Training Club : This app aims to be your customized personal trainer with 60 workouts, including new training regimens from five professional athletes. Earn app reward workouts from Rihanna's personal trainer Ary Nuñez.
Free.

The Eatery : This new app helps you photo-document everything you eat, rate it on a scale from "fit" to "fat," and share with your friends for feedback.
Free.

Fooducate : Fooducate lets you scan the barcode on food products in the US to get a quick health grade from A to F. Free.

P90X : This app allows you to keep track of your sets, reps, and weights, view your progress, log your nutrition, access workout series, and share your results.
Price: $4.99.

Fitness Class : lets you stream workout videos over WiFi or 3G while you listen to your own music (iOS 4+) and post your workouts to Facebook and Twitter.
Free.

My Fitness Pal Calorie Counter and Fitness Tracker :This app's food database has more than 400,000 items with "precise data" on calorie content and nutritional ingredients. Use the app to calculate your daily intake of vitamins or create your own diet and physical activity plans to lose or gain weight.
Free.

Sprout : Designed for pregnant women, Sprout offers color images and three-dimensional models of your growing baby, weight trackers, kick counter, contraction timer, and Personal MyBaby and Doctor Says sections.
Price: $3.99.

Gorilla Workout - This app offers a fast-paced, no-equipment series of more than 40 exercises. Each exercise targets specific muscle groups to help you strengthen and tone your core, abs, chest, back, arms, and legs, and burn fat.
Price: $1.99.

Airstrip Cardiology : An app that allows doctors to access ECG data for their patients while on the go, rather than relying on faxes or PDFs on computers, which could distort data, according to AirStrip.
Free.

Next year, consumers can expect another hot year for health- and fitness-tracking sensor devices and apps. According to a December report from consumer trend firm Trendwatching. For example the number of "health" apps in the App Store, currently around 9,000, is expected to grow to 13,000 by around June 2012.

Read More

Now control Android device via internet with AirDroid

Sand Studios have come out with an Android app which completely changes the way users interact with their Android devices, including smartphones and tablets. The app is named AirDroid and it allows users to connect with their Android smartphones through the Internet browser or through WiFi. Not that there are no other similar solutions in the market, but this one is very easy to set up and lets the users work with their usual PC. The app is available free for download.

Users have to install the app on their smartphone or tablet. Once the WiFi has been enabled, the app displays an IP address and a password. Users then have to start a browser on their desktop, enter the IP address and the password, and the access to their Android smartphone will be established.

A quick menu and other shortcuts would appear in the browser, which would give users access to the messages, ringtones, apps, contacts, and call logs of their phone. There is a search field on the page as well which the users can use to search apps in the Android Market. A tool on the right side also shows internal storage and SD storage in the phone.

The AirDroid app is very easy for the users who spend most part of the day working on their desktops. Answering SMSes is typically easy with the app as users can access the same on both the screens so they choose how to answer those SMSes. The quick menu allows access to five apps, including new contacts, text messages, show desktop, and logging off.

Read More

Majel may be Google’s answer to Siri?

Google are working on a voice-recognising Siri-beater say the blogs, and it's going to be called Majel. Google phones have had voice control for donkey's years but the Majel app will be better than the old stuff says a Google insider quoted on Android and Me.

According to blog's unnamed source, the new app will sauce up Google's current Voice Actions service with natural language programming. That will allow users to speak to their phones normally without having to phrase their commands in a particular way. The source also implies that Majel will come from Google's secretive Google X lab, where crack teams of programmers work on new products. And sometimes on products that allow Android to catch up with Apple.

The name Majel comes from Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, the actress best known as the voice of the Federation Computer from Star Trek.

Google this week bought a software company called CleverSense which provides a virtual assistant called Alfred. Alfred uses different search engines and services to provide answers to user questions, but doesn't have a voice recognition component. But it's possible that with some grafting and modification, Alfred could form part of the basis for Majel.

The product is tipped to arrive soon - likely sometime in January or February, and it's believed new features will be added after launch.

Read More

Facebook Rolls Out Timeline for Android First, Not iOS

Facebook pushed out its new Timeline feature Thursday. The long-awaited profile revamp, which arranges each user’s photos, posts and personal milestones chronologically, is now available to all users on its network for the first time since it was announced months ago.

Thursday’s rollout includes a version of Timeline for one of the major mobile platforms — but not the one you’d think.

Facebook is releasing Timeline to Android-based smartphones first, forcing iPhone and iPad users to wait.

Most of the features on the Android version of Timeline aren’t all that different from the browser version. Both include major cover photos that act as headers on the page, both depict map screenshots upon checking in to locations, and both give shared photos a more prominent position in your stream.

What’s odd, however, is the company’s decision to go with Android first. It’s almost an unspoken law of the Valley that if you’re planning to launch a new app, you start with Apple’s software first. Reasons include the ease of coding for a handful of fixed screen sizes — namely the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad — and the notion that a launch in the App Store causes a bigger stir than a launch in the Android Market.

And based on our conversations with programmers, we’ve been told that it’s just plain easier to develop for iOS given the toolsets provided, compared to what Google gives Android coders (though we can’t say either way).

Facebook, however, certainly isn’t hung up on monetizing its app, and considering it’s kept its Android app current while many other companies haven’t even launched non-iOS versions of their software, it’s not as if Facebook is struggling with Google’s developer tools or the myriad Android device screen sizes.

So why choose to go with Android first? Perhaps the company wants to target Google’s gigantic user base first. Or maybe Facebook just wants to switch it up to keep things fresh.

Fret not, Apple devotees. We’re sure iOS updates aren’t far behind. Today’s victory, however, goes to Android.

Read More

The Android Team Launches Online Android Training - Free Classes With Lessons And Sample Code For All

In order to make it easier for Android developers to get started with creating robust applications, the Android team today formalized and unified various coding tutorials into one clearly defined area of the Android developer site: Android Training. The tutorials, or classes, are very well put together, with splits into logical steps to make them flow well, along with sample code you can utilize to "do your homework." There is no fee for taking any of them - think of Android Training as a collection of well organized and curated tutorials.

"We’re starting small and this is just the beginning for Android Training," said Reto Meier, an Android Developer Relations Tech Lead. The several classes I looked at were complete with code and accompanied by a whole array of annotated illustrations, and I believe the new site is going to be the most useful resource on the web for both beginning and seasoned developers.

Today I’m thrilled to announce the beta launch of Android Training — a collection of classes that we hope will help you to build better Android apps.

From designing effective navigation, to managing audio playback, to optimizing battery life, these classes are designed to demonstrate best practices for solving common Android development problems.

Each class explains the steps required to solve a problem, or implement a feature, with plenty of code snippets and sample code for you to use within your own apps.

We’re starting small and this is just the beginning for Android Training. Over the coming months we will be increasing the number of classes available, as well as introducing over-arching courses and sample apps to further help your development experience.

Helping developers build great apps is what the Android Developer Relations team is all about, so we’re excited to see how you use these classes to make your apps even better.

We’d love to know what you think of these classes, and what classes you’d like to see next.

In order to get started, head over to Android Training and start reading. 

Read More

Android App Allows Remote Search of Macs and PCs

Wyse Technology has launched an Android app that lets people search remotely for files on their PCs and laptops, then download them, copy them, or send them to another person, all from inside the app.

The idea behind the app, called PocketCloud Explore, is to help people who have multiple computers and can't always remember on which machine they stored something. One snag: The app can't search Apple's iPhone or iPad devices.

Wyse is best known for its thin-client computers, but two years ago it made a bit of a splash at the International Consumer Electronics Show with an app called PocketCloud Remote Desktop Access, which lets people access a Windows desktop from an iPhone by streaming the desktop over the network. A year later, it released a version for Android.

PocketCloud Explore, released Thursday, is an add-on for the Remote Desktop app. Explore lets users type a query on their smartphone, initiating a full-text search of their other computers, as well as the Android phone itself, to return documents, images and any other type of file that matches the query.

"With the range of devices people have today -- computers, smartphones, tablets -- getting to the files you need has become a problem," according to Daniel Barreto, general manager of the Mobile Client Business Unit at Wyse. "The idea is to provide a friendly user interface that makes it easy to search across all those devices."

To enable the search, users must first install another, free app, called PocketCloud Companion, on each of the computers they want to be able to search. It indexes the content on those computers, making it faster to search.

When PocketCloud Explore finds a result, the app presents the file along with a drop-down menu that lets the user download, copy, move, or transfer the file to someone else. If they choose to transfer it, the app can automatically open Gmail and create an email with the file attached to it, ready for sending. Wyse posted a video about the app here.

PocketCloud Explore for Android is priced at $4.99 to search as many as two computers remotely. A higher-priced, premium version due early next year will be able to search many more computers, Barreto said.

Wyse plans to release a version of the Explore app for iPhone users early next year, but even that won't be able to search iOS devices, only Macs and PCs. That's because apps on the iPhone are "siloed," Barreto said, meaning they can only access storage associated with the app.

There are other ways for users to search all their files at once. For example, they could upload them to a service such as DropBox. But that means constantly uploading new files, and some users might not want to put sensitive documents in the cloud.

Still, the Explore app isn't without its own potential security issues. If the user's smartphone were stolen, for instance, the thief might be able to access files on all their other computers, just as the app is designed to let people do.

Wyse advises customers to use the password lock on their smartphones, and the company noted that the Explore app and the remote desktops can also be password protected. Plus, users can block PocketCloud Explore from accessing certain files.

Still, for use in the workplace, Barreto acknowledged there are "definitely security issues IT managers need to be aware of." He argued the concerns are no greater than with virtual desktops and thin-client computing -- technologies that also provide remote access to files. And Wyse recently acquired Trellia, he noted, which makes technology to improve security and management of mobile devices.

via PCWorld

Read More

iXiGO Launches Travel Search App on Android

Gurgaon-based iXiGO.com, online & mobile travel search engine, has launched a full-featured flights and hotels search application for Android devices. The app is available globally on the Android market and can be downloaded and installed for free on any smartphone running the Android Operating System

Launched in 2007 by IIT, INSEAD and Amadeus alumni Aloke Bajpai, Rajnish Kumar and Dharmendra Yashovardhan, the company was soon chosen a finalist at the Red Herring Global 100, 2007 and the Red Herring Asia 100, 2007. iXiGO is an offering from an international team of web and travel enthusiasts. iXiGO is an investee company of SAIF Partners and MakeMyTrip.

The iXiGO’s Android App allows Android smartphone users to instantly search for flights and hotels and compare fares across multiple airlines, hotels and online travel agency websites. The app allow users to track flight status and delays, view hotel maps, see hotel information and pictures, view airport information and locations and even complete the booking by redirecting to the booking provider’s website or by making a call to the relevant booking provider’s phone number.

Rajnish Kumar, C0-Founder and CTO, iXiGO, said, “We are proud to announce the first Indian travel search app on the Android app market. With the growing market-share of Android phones and the availability of cheap smartphone devices, we are committed to delivering the same richness of user experience and depth of flight and hotel information as our website, on Android phones and tablets.”

Kumar has an experience of eight years on technology lifecycle management and several J2EEE applications to his credit. He holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

The company has earned a reputation among travelers as the most trustworthy, comprehensive, transport and accurate travel site in India for flights, hotels, buses, train and deals. Its meta search business model compares travel deals from more than 100 travel sites and has helped millions of travelers save time and money on their travel.

Aloke Bajpai, Co-Founder and CEO, iXiGO.com, said, “Our mobile strategy is gaining more prominence since over 5 percent of our website now come from a mobile device. In addition to our Android and iPhone apps, we also have a full-feature mobile website coming soon.”

Bajpai believes in lean and mean teams and building the best products. He evangelises Travel 2.0 and has eight years of managerial, operational and product experience in the industry. Bajpai holds an Electrical Engineering Degree from IIT Kanpur and an MBA from INSEAD where he also did a summer exchange at Wharton.

Read More

Foursquare launches 'Save to Foursquare' and 'Follow' buttons

Foursquare launched its "Save to Foursquare" and "Follow on Foursquare" buttons Wednesday in an effort by the New York company to get users to integrate what they do on the Web with what they do in the real world.

The Save to Foursquare button is aimed at online publishers and can enable publications to relate stories and reviews to places listed in the Foursquare app.

"For example, from a user perspective, if the L.A. Times were to use this feature, and I'm on the L.A. Times website and I'm reading a review of a new sushi place at LA Live, then I can click the Save to Foursquare button from the review online and that sushi place will be added to my to-do list on Foursquare," said Jonathan Crowley, who oversees Foursquare's partnerships with media companies. "And then when I'm in L.A. near LA Live and I'm looking at my to-do list, I'll see that sushi place on my list and the L.A. Times review would show up when I am looking at that sushi place in the app.

"So I could go back and read that review if I wanted to remember why it's on my list in the first place. And all of this would take place with the publisher's logo and branding."

As of now the L.A. Times isn't using the Save to Foursquare button, but Crowley's hypothetical example went into practice Wednesday with launch partners such as Frommer's Travel, Eater.com, New York Magazine, Time Out NY and Time Out NY Kids, Time Out Boston, Time Out Chicago, AskMen.com and CBS.

CBS' use of the Save to Foursquare button is something that Crowley said he is particularly excited about because it's a move many people wouldn't expect, he said.

"We wanted to bridge the gap between what you're reading and watching online, and what you go out and do in the real world," Crowley said. "A lot of people don't look at CBS as a local brand, but if you think about it, there are all of these markets out there that have local CBS stations and they're producing a ton of locally focused content, so it actually makes a lot of sense.

"The fact is that the best content creators, the places that know cities the best, are publications like newspapers and magazines and local TV stations. And now we can connect the work all of these publications are doing with what we're doing on Foursquare very easily. It's something we've been working on for a while now."

The Follow on Foursquare button enables anyone with a website to allow Foursquare users to follow that person or business on Foursquare with a simple click, similar to Twitter's follow button, he said.

"The Follow button is even easier to put on a website," Crowley said. "With the Save to Foursquare button, a publisher has to structure the location data of what they're writing about in a certain way. With the Follow button, it's as easy as copying code from our website over to your website. Anyone can do it."

When a person follows someone or something on Foursquare, they'll see that person's or brand's tips when they check in at a location and they'll see lists of things to do by who they follow as well, he said.

"It's all the same as when you've followed a person or a brand on Foursquare before, but now you can follow someone you see on the Web without having to take your phone out of your pocket and go looking for them," Crowley said.

The company also launched a redesigned developer website Wednesday that should make it easier for third-party apps to build on what Foursquare has built and has coming up.

"I think a lot of people look at us as a 'check-in service,' but it's so much more than that," Crowley said. "It's about exploring your city, having a travel guide when you're in a new city, getting brand or friend recommendations wherever you go -- and all of this just adds to that.

"We've got a very long product road map, and we're focused on building more of these types of tools that make it easier for people to explore what's going on around them."

[via Los Angeles Times]

Related Posts :

• Foursquare app for Android, iOS, Blackberry

Read More

Duke Nukem 3D

Duke Nukem 3D – a cult game – shooting, familiar to all from childhood in now on Android devices! The game includes levels, weapons, maps, monsters appearance of the PC game and requires Internet connection and 40 MB of SD card space. The main character, U.S. security agent, Duke Nyukem bravely fights with aggressive aliens who have come to kidnap women. There are lots of various weapons and possibility to use some tricks. The shooter has a classic first-person control including   new features of Android sensors. Buttons for shooting and movements are in the right side of the touch screen, and rotation is fulfilled by the accelerometer. The game includes the 1st episode. Episodes 2 and 3 can be purchased.

Android Market web link

Read More

Angry Bots

This app is designed for both iPhone and iPad
 Price: Free
 Category: Games
 Released: Aug 04, 2011
 Version: 1.1
 1.1 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
 Size: 31.2 MB
 Seller: Unity Technologies ApS
 © Unity Technologies

Angry Bots is a dual stick shooter that has a bit of a Dead Space vibe to it with your health bar on the back of your character. If you manage to die, the game takes hints from BioShock and spawns you at the nearest Vita Chamber-like point.

  

 It's not very difficult, but it's not supposed to be a game, it's a tech demo. I'm totally excited to see more games using the 3.4 engine, and you likely will be too after giving Angry Bots a try.

Download from itunes


Related Posts:

• Google+ for iPhone 
• iPhone 5 : The Rumours
• iPhone Winterboard Themes
• 30 Best iPhone Applications

Read More

How to Jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 for iPhone 4 / iPhone 3GS / iPhone 3G / iPad

Here ia a video guide on how to Jailbreak the iPhone iOS 4.2.1 with RedSn0w 0.9.6b4 tethered for iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch 2nd gen, ipod touch 3rd gen, ipod touch 4th gen, iPad, iPad 3G.

Note: All users relaying on unlock stay away! this will update your baseband = no unlock.

Related Posts:

• Angry Bots
• Google+ for iPhone 
• iPhone Winterboard Themes
• Top 10 Free iPhone Games

Read More