Feel like jailbreaking your Apple iOS device? Fearful that Apple will set the law on you if you do? Fear not, because a decision just rendered by the U.S. Copyright Office now allows you to legally jailbreak your device for a number of purposes. Read more »
Rumors surfaced last week that T-Mobile USA — not Verizon Wireless — will soon offer the iPhone as AT&T loses its exclusivity. The move makes sense on a number of levels, and it would disrupt the mobile industry in a big ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
YouTube is experimenting with a new form of embeds that will play on an iPad right within a web page, making it unnecessary to launch the iPad YouTube app every time you want to watch a video. However, the new format isn’t ready for prime time. Read more »
Customers of ereader.com have been waiting for a version of the eReader program to hit the iPad. That wait is over as Barnes & Noble released eReader Pro for the iPad last night. Users of eReader on other platforms will feel right at home. Read more »
The second quarter of 2010 was an especially eventful one for the fast-moving mobile space, and amid the rise of LTE and WiMAX, speculation about Palm, and the end of unlimited data plans, the biggest story to emerge was the ever-escalating battle between Apple and Google. Read more »
Another week is in the bag and time to look back and see what I learned from the happenings in Mobile Tech Manor. It was a week largely focused on apps, and I gave a lot of thought to my shift from “programs” to “apps”. Read more »
The second quarter of 2010 was an especially eventful one for mobile, where the landscape shifted dramatically: Android continued closing the gap with iPhone, AT&T dumped all-you-can-eat data plans in favor of metered billing, HP acquired the beleaguered Palm and the race towards 4G is ramping ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Portable scanners can be the perfect tool for those mobile workers looking to go paperless. The 10.9-ounce Doxie scanner is as small as these devices can be, and it can now scan documents directly into iBooks for the iPhone and iPad on the fly. Read more »
Since purchasing the iPad for my family, I never considered it a “personal” device. In fact, I would not even consider it a “family” device as much as a “location-based” device. You see it, you pick it up, you use it, you put it down. Read more »
Pocket Informant has finally come to the iPad in the form of Pocket Informant HD. Pocket Informant brings integrated calendaring and task management to the big touchscreen. More importantly, it brings background syncing with desktop clients (Windows and Mac) and the cloud. Exchange syncing is planned. Read more »
Remember how the iPad was supposed to herald a new era of media consumption? Well, that day is finally here — or at least a glimpse of it, with the new iPad application Flipboard, built by a new company of the same name. Read more »
The iPad screen is good for Twitter due to its size and the ability to rotate it to landscape orientation. I have a weakness for Twitter apps, and I’ve tried so many I lose count. Here are the current top five Twitter apps for the iPad. Read more »
Filemaker has now brought its signature database solution to iOS devices. Filemaker Go for iPhone and Filemaker Go for iPad can run databases locally or act as a client to Filemaker databases that are hosted on the desktop or server version of Filemaker Pro. Read more »
Several significant events set the tone for the digital media ecosystem during in the second quarter. First among these was the release of the iPad, the impact of which went far beyond device uptake; among other things it does not support Adobe Flash, which has impacted the entire chain of web-based video production from content sites re-encoding video to new tools being developed for HTML5-based advertising.
Another principal event in the quarter was the announcement of Google TV, a software platform built on Android 2.1, Google Chrome and Flash 10.1 that will be incorporated into a variety of companion devices including TV sets, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes. The platform offers significant advancements in merging TV and the web experience (although TiVo says it has done just that for years). Sony and Logitech have both announced plans to launch Google TV products in fall 2010.
Also in the second quarter, both YouTube and Hulu refreshed their sites, reflecting the market’s growing maturity. But while YouTube spent the quarter on the defensive in its ongoing legal battle with Viacom over copyright infringement, Hulu was on the offensive, introducing new services and preparing a paid subscription service launch. A paid service would bring new revenue streams to the video site, and would put Hulu in more direction competion with Netflix, which is increasingly shifting toward its streaming video service, away from its former mainstay of DVDs by mail. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Give me flash video. I don’t want games or flashy website intros, just flash-based videos. I fear Apple is too proud to ever back-peddle on this and that may force me to seriously look into Google TV. Read more »
Apple has announced that on July 23 the iPad will be available in nine more countries. On Friday, it will be on available in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore. If you can find one, that is. Read more »
This lazy morning has me thinking about the gadgets I use, and the apps that make them zing. Putting the usefulness of the iPad aside, the apps I use play a big role in the utility it gives me. Here are my five favorite iPad apps. Read more »
In just over seven months, Vevo has become one of the largest video distributors in the US, and the premier place for users to watch all their favorite music videos. But Vevo also wants to power music videos on mobile devices and in the living room. Read more »
Feed reading is arguably one of the primary uses of the iPad, so making a good RSS client for it very important. Here’s a run-down of the five feed readers available now for the iPad. Read more »
Apple has gone all-in for streaming as the primary means of getting content onto its devices. That has distinct strategic advantages for Apple, but it’s not without risks, especially for ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
HTML5 isn’t yet fully ratified, but browser vendors are nonetheless starting to implement some of its features. This presents a huge opportunity for forward-thinking web app developers, which in turn will spell good news for ever-growing number people who uses web ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The iPad continues to prove itself as a video consumption device, with two announcements underlining new ways to deliver video to end users. While mSpot has launched a new video app for movie rentals, Bell Canada has launched up a website optimized for the tablet. Read more »
Apple’s often-confusing approval policies for its App Store have been criticized in the past, and have also lead to a marketplace littered with sub-par, sometimes fraudulent offerings. With Android Market now gaining momentum, it’s time for the folks in Cupertino to throw out the trash and ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple, being the savvy company that it is, has positioned itself well to capitalize on IT departments looking to make a change. Some of the largest organizations in the world are taking another look at Apple products, and with good reason. Read more »
Mobile Tech Manor is my home office, but since I often work mobile it can easily be anywhere I set up shop. This week I paid attention to how I used the EVO 4G to give my thoughts on how it’s been so far. Read more »
The iPad was expected to be a game changer, so Yahoo! started tracking visits by early adopters. Now that the iPad has been out for a while –and available outside the U.S. — the company made an analysis of those visiting Yahoo! sites using the iPad. Read more »
Summer is here and thoughts turn to vacations, traveling and leisure activities. It’s a time for heading to the beach or across the globe to experience new places. The iPad is an apt companion for all sorts of summer activities, if the right apps come along. Read more »
Hulu’s new paid version, Hulu Plus, has come under fire for charging a monthly subscription fee without taking ads out of its programming. Hulu CEO Jason Kilar tells us he’s not averse taking ads out entirely; users would just have to pay a higher price for it. Read more »
Paul Levinson, an author and professor of media studies at Fordham University is among those who believe that traditional content is ceeding its preeminence to “hot devices and popular digital media.” “What moves the industry forward is the new media and devices and the public’s love […] Read more »
One of the best features of the iPad is its lack of features, especially when it comes to writing. Knowing that chat is not running and Twitter is turned off lets the writer focus entirely on the task of writing. Read more »
Hulu’s subscription service has finally arrived in an invite-only beta, and a number of news sites have gotten early access to the service, which means the early reviews are in. The response has generally been positive, but is it positive enough for people to pay? Read more »
Today on the Net: Dish Network sues the FCC over requirements to carry high-definition feeds of non-commercial channels, Disney releases an iPad app to allow users to purchase and download movies and Comcast has rolled out its multiroom DVR service in more than 20 markets. Read more »
Instead of creating new touchscreen hardware for home energy management, Cisco ought to concentrate on wooing owners of web-enabled smartphones. Here’s ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
iPad owners find lots of different uses for the device except one. It is only natural to take a pen to a slate device, but it doesn’t work very well. A concept by Ten One Design that adds pressure sensitivity to the iPad may change that. Read more »
It’s been a crazy week at the home office — Mobile Tech Manor — with gadgets everywhere and business as usual. Unfortunately my attention was largely focused on a family crisis that dominated everything going on at the Manor. Let’s talk tech for a bit. Read more »
Hulu Plus on the iPad is nice – if you get it to work. We noticed some serious latency issues that turned watching TV show episodes through the app a test of our patience. However, once you get it to work, you’re rewarded with great-looking video. Read more »
The biggest speculative conundrum for Mac laptop watchers is, “Whither the MacBook Air?” It’s been over a year since the Air received its last refresh, and the puzzler is whether it will be getting another or just be allowed to fade away from relevance through neglect. Read more »
Are you bored with regular calendars? Diacarta, a new app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, has come up with a different way of visualizing your schedule. When you open the app, instead of the usual grid of hours, you’ll see an analog clock face. Read more »
The TV-on-the-web service, Hulu, is now offering a free iPhone & iPad app for Hulu Plus, its recently launched subscription service (currently in private beta). Though the service itself is in private beta, the iPhone/iPad app is available right now for download. Read more »
Hulu has officially announced its long-awaited premium subscription service, giving users access to more shows and a wider range of content that they’ll be able to watch on multiple consumer electronics devices, such as the iPhone, iPad and Samsung Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players. Read more »
