Update: Talk About A Turnaround Strategy: HP Makes More TouchPads After All
HP (NYSE: HPQ) is one of the world’s biggest and established tech companies, but if you look at its mobile division at the moment, it is giv… Read more at paidContent »
Updated: CNN Snaps Up iPad Magazine Zite In Bid For Scale And Technology
As rumored a week ago, CNN has purchased Zite, the makers of a personalized iPad magazine application that aggregated content around user pr… Read more at paidContent »
Updated: New iOS 5 Beta Adds To iCloud Streaming Confusion
It looked like one of the mysteries of Apple’s new iTunes Match service has been solved as developer preview versions of the software make a… Read more at paidContent »
How local Q&A apps can be a reverse Twitter during disasters
Social questions apps are normally used to find out the real-time status of a location, like “Is that bar crowded?” But during Hurricane Irene, users of Localmind were finding even more practical uses, with questions like “Is it safe to go surfing right now?” Read more »
Will buying Zite make CNN better or Zite worse?
CNN announced Thursday that it has acquired personalized iPad newsreader application Zite. CNN says that Zite will continue to operate as a separate app, and I talked to CNN’s KC Estenson and Zite’s Mark Johnson to discuss how the companies will navigate those waters. Read more »
Samsung Soon To Release ChatOn Mobile Messenger App For Android, iOS
Samsung wants to get in on the chat app scene, with plans this week to release a service called ChatOn that would let mobile users communica… Read more at paidContent »
Updated: Sale Ending Soon? Yelp Rethinks Its Daily Deals Service
The rapid growth of me-too daily deal services was bound to see a turn at some point, and it looks like that moment has come. Today, it emer… Read more at paidContent »
Deal Or No Deal? Facebook Shuts Down Daily Deals, But Keeps Check-In Deals?
Another social media service bites the dust. Facebook has today announced that it is shutting down Facebook Deals, a daily deals service tha… Read more at paidContent »
Games for the weekend: Ticket to Ride
At first Ticket to Ride for the iPad seems complex, but after a brief orientation period, it’s actually rather simple. It’s also engrossing, and requires some quick strategic thinking with one eye constantly on the clock. Check our explanation of the game’s mechanics and fun factor. Read more »
Evernote hits for the cycle with iOS and OS X updates
Evernote, the popular note-taking app, recently updated its clients on both Mac OS X and iOS, and though there are highs and lows, overall each update brings appreciated improvements. The changes could even upgrade Evernote from bench-warmer to starting player in my daily workflow. Read more »
Skype’s platform play includes a new app store
Skype is helping introduce its third-party apps to consumers with a new app directory that lets people browse and access apps that are built on Skype’s API. The directory features dozens of free and paid apps that are available on both Windows and Mac. Read more »
Keep tight control of group convos with Glassboard
Group messaging and conversation apps are everywhere these days. But despite all the competition, a new entrant with a less-is-more approach and emphasis on privacy might be just what some users are looking for. That’s exactly what the new iPhone app Glassboard offers. Read more »
iPad, what is it good for? News and games for starters
When you pick up your iPad, where do you poke first? I tend to hit Reeder first, and read quite a few articles before moving on to my local newspaper app. It looks like I’m not alone, according to new engagement statistics released Tuesday. Read more »
Samsung Galaxy S II review: An iPhone owner’s tale of betrayal
While my iPhone 4 still mostly satisfies my needs, I have to confess: For the past two weeks, I haven’t been exactly faithful. I’ve been testing out Samsung’s latest and greatest, the Galaxy S II Android smartphone. Here’s how I feel about my indiscretion. Read more »
Hands on with Elements 2.0 for iOS
Norman McLean was haunted by waters. I’m haunted by iOS text editors. I usually switch between Pages, PlainText and Elements. Elements, recently updated to version 2, stands a chance at having the biggest impact on my writing workflow, thanks to new sharing and publishing features. Read more »
Reader’s Digest signs on with iPad in-app subscriptions
Apple’s stable of periodicals available for in-app subscription got a little bigger with the release of an update to Reader’s Digest magazine on Thursday. Reader’s Digest is now offering annual subscriptions (10 issues) for $14.99, or monthly subscriptions at $1.99 through in-app purchase. Read more »
Photo finish: Upstart Photovine vs. reigning champ Instagram
Google wants to eat everyone’s cake. Photovine, the photo-sharing app built by Google’s Slide team, is now open to public use after an initial beta period, and is gunning for Instagram’s iOS App Store crown. How does it stack up against the champ? Read more »
Now you can get an app with your grande chai latte
Thanks to a new aspect of the ongoing partnership between Apple and Starbucks, you can now get paid apps free at the coffee chain via redeemable codes printed on cards. It’s a smart way to get paid apps to people who don’t normally buy them. Read more »
How to use iPhoto as a recipe manager and meal planner
One of the most dreaded questions in any household is “what’s for dinner?” The question is fraught with complex issues of family responsibilities, finances, and personal preferences. While it won’t do the dishes, iPhoto has become an indispensable meal planning tool in my family. Read more »
4 useful tips for working with OS X Lion’s Launchpad
Launchpad, the new app launcher in Mac OS X Lion, can be useful for hunting down apps you don’t use very often. However, sometimes it can feel bloated and difficult to navigate. Here are a few tips to make Launchpad a bit easier to work with. Read more »
Photo Hack Day highlights rise of NY hacking culture
Come August 20 and 21, the next Instagram and Hipstamatic could emerge in New York City, ready to do battle in the increasingly tough photo app market. Those are the dates for the Photo Hack Day, billed as the largest photo hackathon for developers. Read more »
iOS 101: How to recover from an app or device failure
It happens to the best of us, and usually at the worst times: Your device freezes up or iOS decides to go on a long weekend without you. Don’t panic, though; there are a number of options to help get your iPhone/iPad/iPod up and running again. Read more »
Android Market driven by prolific, active devs
Android Market is paced by a number of very prolific app makers and it also sees more updates per app than the App Store, according to app ratings analytics and discovery firm Mobilewalla. The company found that Android users are also focused more on popular apps. Read more »
Apparently, small ISPs and rural telcos love Google Apps
Google Apps might not have many takers amongst the big boys of business, but the company is finding success with small and rural telecoms and Internet service providers, which, in turn, are offering Google Apps to their customers. Read more »
Skype updates Mac client, adds HD video
Skype just dropped an update for its Mac client. Version 5.3 includes support for HD video, so long as your Mac is equipped with one of the new FaceTime HD cameras introduced in MacBook Pros earlier this year, or a third-party camera that supports HD resolution. Read more »
Find My Mac is reason enough to sign up for iCloud
Apple is including a tool in iCloud that should make signing up for it a no-brainer for Mac owners: Find My Mac, which went live for iCloud beta users Wednesday. Like Find My iPhone, the service provides an approximate location for all a user’s iCloud-connected Macs. Read more »
Go away: The most useful iPhone apps for getting out of town
There aren’t many things I love more than planning and going on trips. For my fellow iPhone-toting travelers, here are a few of my most relied upon iOS apps for planning a trip and to use while making your way around your destination. Read more »
Can Editions find a place in the iPad news aggregation crowd?
AOL’s new Editions iPad app, billed as a “daily magazine that reads you,” is now available in the App Store. It’s actually remarkably smart and sexy, but can Editions hope to make a significant splash when similar apps like Flipboard already seem so firmly entrenched? Read more »
Wi-Fi plus Android apps make for a smarter watch
Wearable smart displays aren’t new, but the category hasn’t caught on yet. WIMM hopes to change that with a wearable Android module that includes many smartphone components including a Wi-Fi radio. That could be the break these displays are looking for when it comes to apps. Read more »
3 ways to use your iPhone to lose weight
Over the past year I’ve been using my iPhone to help me lose weight. I lost over 70 pounds, thanks in large part to my iPhone. Here’s a list of the tools I used to accomplish my goal, and how they could help you accomplish yours. Read more »
Electronic medical records get a boost from iPad, federal funding
The iPad may help electronic medical records (EMR, sometimes also referred to as electronic health records, or EHR) finally gain wide adoption, thanks in part to a new program that will see the federal government dispersing grants to doctors who use a free iPad app. Read more »
iOS 101: 5 tips for taking better iPhone pictures
There’s an old adage: The best camera is the one you have with you. These days, the camera most people have with them is their mobile phone. Here are some tips to help you take better photos with your iPhone, which likely seldom leaves your side. Read more »
The 5 best third-party apps with Lion full-screen support
Want some great Mac apps that work with Lion’s new full-screen mode and really show off why the new feature is one of the best new additions to OS X? We’ve got you covered, with this list of five of the absolute best full-screen stars. Read more »
Google Books says goodbye to Apple App Store
Apple’s new rule preventing e-book apps from linking to outside storefronts appears to be in effect. Developers are pushing out updates to their apps that bring them in-line, and Google Books is just gone. But what will Amazon do, and how will it affect iOS? Read more »
5 apps to improve productivity and collaboration
Your to-do list has taken on a life of its own, and after several failed attempts at taming it, you’re now looking for a way to peacefully co-exist. Fortunately, new apps and devices are being created almost daily to help us improve our productivity and collaboration. Read more »
How the iPad is driving Apple’s business
When Apple released its third-quarter 2011 earnings results Tuesday, the numbers were, as is becoming almost customary for the Cupertino crew, a huge blow-out. Success was spread over many parts of the business, particularly the company’s flagship products. But those iPad results? Those were fairly stunning. Read more »
Do-gooder apps, brought to you by the EPA
Do-gooder developers are the new superstars of the programming world, and Uncle Sam wants in on the innovation action. I chatted with the EPA team recently to hear about what’s behind their app-contest plan. Read more »
