Review: PressReader brings 2100+ Newspapers Directly to You

The world is moving away from traditional mediums. Fast. Mail have become email. Phone calls have become Skype. And now newspapers are slowly going digital. But going to each newspaper or magazine's website or app can be difficult and inconsistent. That's where PressReader comes in.

PressReader is a multi-platform service that brings over 2100 newspapers and magazines directly to your iPhone. Or any other platform you could think of. PressReader offers apps for Android (Gingerbread or Honycomb), the BlackBerry Playbook, the Apple iPad and iPhone, and both Windows Phone and Windows 7 Slate PC. They also offer apps for both Windows and Mac, as well as legacy versions for both BlackBerry phones and Windows Mobile phones. So, yeah, they've got an app for any device you'll ever use. And all the devices you'll never use. And they're all free apps.

But what exactly does PressReader do? It allows you to subscribe to and read specific newspapers and magazines on your device. They offer over 2100 newspapers from 95 countries and 54 languages. But it's not like they're all newspapers you've never heard of, from countries you've never been to, in languages you have no idea how to read. It's not like that at all. PressReader's got some big name newspapers, like The Washington Post, the Daily Mail, and USA Today, among many others.

Playing with the iOS version of the app, I found it simple and easy to use. It has a nice slider at the bottom of the page, allowing for users to swipe through specific sections of the newspaper. You can attempt to read the newspaper straight, by zooming in on the specific article you're interested in. However, tapping on a headline will bring up the story in an extremely easy-to-read format. Any continuations of the story on a different page will appear there, right below the first half of the story, as a convenience.

The iOS app allows you to print either the screen you are seeing, or the entire page in the newspaper via AirPrint. You can use text-to-speech to listen to your newspaper, and the voices used are surprisingly un-robotic, although they can err on certain things. For example, instead of saying "10 million dollars", when it sees $10M, it would say "10 dollars M".

The service costs $0.99 for a single download of one issue of any newspaper, or $29.95 a month for unlimited downloads. 

Overall, the app seems pretty nice. I found no shortage of reading material, and most of the newspapers I'm interested in were available, including my hometown paper, The Denver Post. The one paper obviously missing is The New York Times.

If you only read a couple newspapers and magazines regularly, checking to see if they have individual apps might be a good idea, as they'll be more personalized and work better with that specific paper than PressReader. However, if you read many papers regularly, or even if you just want to be able to look up an article any time someone mentions one, PressReader is a definite download.

$0.99 is not too bad for a single issue, but buying that every day might be a bit expensive. $29.95 a month is pretty expensive, and while it may be worth it if you're subscribing to many newspapers or magazines, if you just want to subscribe to one or two, it's probably too expensive. It'd be nice if there was some sort of middle ground where one could subscribe to one or two newspapers for something less than $30 a month, and more affordable than buying each issue for $0.99.

PressReader is a great service overall, there are a few flaws, but if you can get past them, PressReader could be a great way to digitize your newspapers, slowly shy away from paper, and simplify your newspaper and magazine consumption.

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Google adds App Search

A new option has recently appeared in Google searches, called Applications. When clicked, it searches for the query searched, but looks specifically for apps, searching sites like Apple.com (for iOS apps), Google.com (for Android apps), CNET.com, and more. You can choose from a few sites to search specifically, as to find certain apps that may be compatible with your device, or apps from a site you specifically trust.

A  full-size screenshot of the new feature in action can be seen here.

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Instagram finally available for Android

Instagram, the extremely popular photo sharing app, has finally been released on Android. As we reported earlier, the Android version of this popular app has been in the making for a while, but hit Google Play (formerly known as the Android Market. Confusing, right?) today. 

This app brings the same photo-sharing functionality as the iOS version did. It allows you to take or import a photo, a cool retro filters, and share it out for the world to see. 

The app has been so popular, in fact, that Kevin Systrom, CEO of Instagram, said that it had been logging 2,000 new sign-ups a minute. Not bad.

The app can be downloaded for free from Google Play here. More information can be found at instagram.com.

Will you be downloading the free new Android app? Why or why not? Answer in the comments.

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Instagram coming to Android

Instagram is a popular iOS app that allows you to share photos with friends and followers, as well as add cool retro-looking filters to the photos you share. Click this link to read more about Instagram. 

Android users have never been able to use Instagram, as it is an iOS exclusive. Well, was an iOS exclusive. 

At South by Southwest, a geek conference in Austin, Texas, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom announced that Instagram would be coming to Android pretty soon. He says that currently, the Android Version is in a private beta testing stage, and will be "coming soon".

"In some ways, it's better than our iOS app. It's crazy", said Systrom. In addition, he announced that the iOS version of the app, which was featured as Apple's iPhone App of the Year in 2011, had reached over 27 million downloads.

Although we still don't know exactly when Android users will gain access to this great service, as Instagram co-founder says, it's coming soon. So Androiders, hold on, soon you too will be able to take vintage square images.

Instagram on Android

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Google Currents: News made Beautiful

Google recently announced their new news-aggregation application, called Google Currents. Currents allows users to browse many content providers (magazines, blogs, etc.), and add them to their Currents, where they would have easy access to their articles, as well as a beautiful way to browse what might interest you. Currents is available as a free app for iPhone and iPad, as well as both Android phones and tablets.

To add a publication, called by currents an "edition", you simply search for the content you want, or find it using the "featured" section, or from any of the categories, and add it to your currents. However, as this is a fairly new service, don't expect to find every publication that you read. Once you have added all of your desired editions, you can tap on any of them to view the content in a beautiful, minimalist design. 

Publishers can add content via a simple webpage, and can choose to add more than just simple articles. Publishers can add an updating section based on an RSS feed, a photo section that pulls in from Flickr, a video section hooked up with YouTube, and even a social update section, with updates pulled in from Google+ or any other RSS or Atom feed.

Google Currents already has many great publishers using the service, including PBS, The Guardian, and Zagat, as well as many well-known online blogs. There is no cost to subscribing to any of the editions associated with Currents. Users can also import any RSS feed, as well as easily import their Google Reader subscriptions, to quickly fill the application with relevant content. 

The one thing that makes Currents stand out the most from any other news service is the design. Google Currents' design is simple and elegant, making things easy to see, and making using the app an overall enjoyable experience. The one slightly disconcerting thing about the design and user interface is that, once in an edition, you can basically scroll sideways endlessly, as each article in an edition is laid out one after another, with the only thing distinguishing one article from another being the article's title. Although this works if you think of the content as a magazine, it can be confusing if you think as each article being a separate post. 

Google Currents is currently not available outside the United States. It would make sense for Google to have plans to roll the service out elsewhere, but no such plans are released at this point, so those outside the United States will just have to wait and see. 

Google Currents is free, so what is there to lose by trying it out? Download Google Currents for your iPhone, iPad, Android phone, or Android tablet, and, while you're at it, add Gadgetator to your list of followed editions by searching for us.

Watch the video below for more information about Google Currents.

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5 Android Apps you Need: App 5

This is the final post of a five part series. Read the fourth post here.


So we've been pretty productive with our first four apps, and it's time to have some fun. If you follow sports of any kind, this free app from ESPN.com, is a great download. Called ESPN ScoreCenter, the app puts sports news, videos, scores, and more, in the hand of the user.

The app allows you to what's going on in tens of different leagues, including the big ones like NFL, MLB, and NBA, and the smaller ones, like Formula 1, NCAA Water polo, and Cricket. The app offers live scores, news, videos, and more for free, ad-free, from ESPN.

LauncherPro for Android

Although the design's not the prettiest, it's definitely a lot better than many other apps, making this sports-lover's app a sure download. It can be downloaded for free from the Android Market, or ESPN.com.

Now, I promised in the App 2 post that App 5 would contain a special bonus app. So, here goes.

Everyone knows that User Interface design isn't one of Android's strong points. It may be a powerful system, but iOS leaves Android in the dirt as far as UI. The good thing about Android, is that you're not stuck, and here's an app that'll make your phone just a little more pretty.

A free app from a developer named Federico Carnales, LauncherPro completely changes the look of your Android device, hopefully for the better. It is also extremely customizable, so check out the pics below, and see if you like it. If you do, it's a free download from the Android Market.


Hope you enjoyed this series, bye for now.

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5 Android Apps you Need: App 1

This is the first part of a five part series. Check back every Monday and Thursday for more.

If you've been reading Gadgetator regularly, you probably know about the 5 iPhone Apps you Need series we did a while back. Although iPhone may be slightly more popular than Android, I never like to be biased, so here's... 5 Android Apps you Need.


iOS, the operating system behind the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, has always been known for it's large number of apps available. However, with Android's success over the past few years, it's app numbers have been slowly creeping up, and it's getting hard to choose the great apps from the not so great ones. Here's a little  bit of help, as I, over the next few weeks, will highlight 5 of the best apps for your Android device.

The first app in this series, called Kindle, is available for free from Amazon.com, as well as a free download from Google's Android Market.

Many people enjoy reading for different reasons. Be it to relax, laugh, or soak up information, Kindle strives to help get that reading done without having to lug around heavy books. All you need is your Android phone and the Kindle app (iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry apps also available), and you're set. You can now read wherever you are without carrying heavy books around.

Now, you get that you can read with the Kindle app, but there is much more to it. Kindle allows you to browse over 950,000 books, as well as newspapers and magazines, and read them on your device. Although some books are free, most cost close to $10.

The reading experience is also great, as you can change font size, search inside the book, and instantly look up hard words with the built in dictionary. The Kindle app's Whispersync technology means that the page you are on, any notes you took, and bookmarks are automatically synced with any other Kindle apps you have on other devices, as well as on the actual Kindle device itself, so you never miss a word.

So, if you're running Android and enjoy reading, the Kindle app is a great, free download.

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5 iPhone Apps you Need: App 5

This is the last post in a series of five. Read the fourth post here.


I don't have to go over it again. But I will. So you're managing your money, cooking, listening to music, and traveling to the Chumbe Islands, now that you've done all this, you probably want to sit down and relax. And share pictures of your new-found stacks of money, your beautiful onion soup, you dancing around to that new band you just found out about, and of course, the wonderful vacation you just had. There's an app for that.

Instagram, recommended by my friend AJ Goren of TechLand, is available, for free, from Instagram.com. Instagram allows you to take photos with your iPhone or iPod touch's camera, and, after putting the photo through one of the many vintage filters, post it for all to see.

Instagram is not only a way for you to share photos, it's also a great way to find beautiful photos that others have taken, either by following a specific person, or by just browsing the popular section. You can also easily export your photos to Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter.

One of the biggest parts of Instagram is the filters. Although you can keep a photo "normal" there are also many filters that make the photo look like it was taken before today's technology existed.

You can download Instagram at Instagram.com, or directly from the AppStore. I hope you enjoy Instagram, and I hope you enjoyed this entire five part series.

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5 iPhone Apps you Need: App 4

This is the fourth post in a series of five. Look out for the fifth on Thursday, July 14th. Read the third post here.


Now that you're cooking, managing your budget, and listening to music all at the same time, it's time you took a break and traveled to Chumbe Island in Zanzibar (Where else?). Now, when someone goes to Chumbe Islands, they want to do it right. The right flights, the right hotels, and the right rental cars. All at the right price. Kayak is here to help.

From Kayak.com, this free app allows you to look for hotels, flights, rental cars, as well as keep track of your trip with their My Trips feature, although some features require a free Kayak.com account.

When you first launch the app, you see a list off features to take advantage of. You can look for hotels, flights, and rental cars, as well as look at your planned trip agenda (which you set by emailing your booking conformations to Kayak). You can also track flight times, get price alerts on rates, and call airlines directly from the airline directory.

Although Kayak does not do the booking itself, it allows you to book a hotel, flight, or rental car either directly from the company, or through a few booking services.

If you're traveling anytime soon (even if it's not to Chumbe Islands), you might want to check out Kayak. It's free, and you can learn about it from Kayak.com, or download it directly from the AppStore. Free's always good, so check it out.

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5 iPhone Apps you Need: App 3

This is the third post in a series of five. Look out for more every Tuesday and Thursday. Read the second post here.

So, in this series we have dealt with money management, as well as cooking. Now we're heading on to something less important in everyday life, but still something done by most people in the world, and that is listening to music. There are thousands of apps in the AppStore that are designed for doing just that. Some are paid services, some you just pay for the app, and some are completely free. This one app, called Pandora, is available for free from Pandora.com, and is one of the best apps dedicated to listening to music.

Pandora allows you to type in a song, an artist, or a genre, and it will automatically create a "radio station" based on what you entered. The station might play the song you entered first, and then go on to something of a similar style, or something by the same artist, every song has a thumbs up or thumbs down button, and Pandora will learn, as you go along, what kind of music you like.

Pandora has a clean and simple interface, one that looks very iOS-like. However, the only negative of Pandora is the ads. Advertisements appear when you open a station. Audio ads also come up every few songs played. If the ads really bother you, you can sign up for a premium account, and completely eliminate the ads.

Pandora is a great, free way to listen to music, and discover new artists and tracks too. If you aren't already using it, no better time to start. It can be downloaded from the Apple AppStore. You can also find out more at its website.

There are two more posts to this series, that's two more apps, any of which can be your suggestion. Leave a comment below telling me about your favorite iPhone App, and it might make it to the next post in this series. Plus, if you leave your name, and any website you want me to plug, I'll put it in in the post. Comment below!


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5 iPhone Apps you Need: App 2

This is the second post in a series of five. Look out for more every Tuesday and Thursday. Read the first post here.

Search on Epicurious

The first app was one that helped you with your finances, something that really applies to everyone. This app will also help you with something you can't avoid: eating. Of course you could eat in some restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and supper every day, but if you want to go the cheaper route, you've gotta cook. This free app from Epicurious.com will help you do just that.

I find it really fun to stop once in a while and cook. And for that you need recipes. And for that you need Epicurious. Epicurious.com has been around for a while, and packs in thousands of recipes, as well as articles, cooking videos, and user polls. The Epicurious app only deals with the recipes, but it does it well. Very, very well. The Epicurious app allows you to look for recipes by many categories, including the basics: lunches, dinners, and sides, but there are also some sometimes more useful categories, including I Cook like a Pro, I can Barely Cook, and Quick and Easy. 


Another cool feature is the advanced search option, where you start off choosing a main ingredient from a list of many options, listed in alphabetical order. You can then choose a meal or course, a cuisine, dish type, season or occasion, and even dietary consideration. All of this is presented in a beautiful and intuitive way, and is really fun and easy to use.

Epicurious is available at it's homepage, as well as on the iTunes AppStore. Thanks for reading, I have to go check on my Devil's Food Cake.

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5 iPhone Apps you Need: App 1

This post is the first in a series of five. Look out for more every Tuesday and Thursday. Read the second post here.

So you just got a new iPhone. Or you've had an iPhone for a while, but you haven't really gotten into the hang of the app thing. Or you've had the iPhone for a while, and you've been downloading apps, but you just haven't heard of these. No matter what your situation is, you have an iPhone or iPod touch, you need to check out these cool apps.

The first app in this five app series is Mint. From mint.com, this free app is available in the App Store.

Mint.com

Once you become old enough to live by yourself, you're bound to be confused with all of your financial responsibilities. Be it the mortgage, your college loan, or the groceries. Mint.com's free app is here to help. Although you might feel worried giving Mint.com all of your personal finance information, Mint is using the same service to keep the information as most banks do, so you aren't really giving any information you haven't already given. Once you put in all of your info, Mint will help you create a budget, and really manage all of your  finance needs. Mint is free, safe, and a definite download for any iPhone user.

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iPad 2 Announced

     The original iPad was, like Apple said, a magical and revolutionary device. It was the first majorly successful tablet PC, and started the 2011 "Tablet Rush".
     At an event earlier today, Apple's CEO Steve Jobs announced the next generation of the iPad: the iPad 2. Steve Jobs was, or maybe still is, on medical leave. There had been reports that he had only six weeks to live, and pictures of him walking out of treatment very thin, so everybody was relieved when he walked on stage, looking just like he did a year ago.
     The iPad 2 is thinner, lighter, and has a faster processor than it's predecessor. It comes in WiFi only and 3G models, both of which are 9.50 inches high, and 7.31 inches wide. They are also both only 0.34 inches thick, making it easier to hold than the original iPad. Also, the WiFi version weighs 1.33 pounds, with a the 3G  version weighing in at 0.1 pound heavier. Both the WiFi and 3G models come in 16, 32, and 64 gigabyte versions.
     Both the WiFi and 3G versions come with Bluetooth, making it good for wireless keyboards. The 3G version is available on both the AT&T and Verizon wireless carriers.
The iPad's 9.7 inch glossy capacitive touchscreen makes playing with the iPad a beautiful experience. There was some speculating about the iPad 2 bringing a better screen resolution, but it stays at the same 1024 by 768 resolution.
     The iPad 2 comes to the market as the first shipped dual-core tablet with Apple's new A5 processor. This 1GHz custom designed chip gives high performance without draining battery life. Another improvement is in the graphics, which Steve Jobs says are now up to 9 times faster.

Steve Jobs at iPad 2 Event

     It also has the expected front and rear facing cameras. The rear facing camera is capable of taking 720p video at 30 frames per second, while the front facing, VGA camera can also do 30 frames per second video. These cameras are great for the iPad's new integrated FaceTime app. FaceTime allows you to videochat with other iPad owners. It also has compatibly for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Macs, so you can videochat with anyone in the Apple Universe.
     Despite the added features and slightly smaller body, the iPad 2 claims the same 10 hour battery life on WiFi as the original iPad, using 3G, the battery life should be about an hour less, at 9 hours.
     The iPad 2 also brings the gyroscope of the iPhone and iPod Touch to the iPad experience, which will greatly enhance the gaming experience on the iPad.

iPad 2 with FaceTime

     Some other new features include the ability to completely mirror the iPad's screen onto an HDTV via the $39 HDMI connector, the choice now of black or white, and a new kind of case.
     Last iPad, Apple did it's own case. The case was simple but efficient. Apple wanted to do another case this time, but one that wouldn't take away from the sleek design of the iPad, and also wouldn't add too much weight. They came up with the iPad Smart Cover.

            Smart Cover Closed

     The smart cover was designed long with the iPad 2, making it work extremely well with he device. The Smart Cover is a screen cover that attaches with magnets. There are magnets inside the iPad and on the cover, so it's easy to put on, and it also auto-aligns. The cover is made out of 5 flat attached by either Polyurethane or leather. It can be lifted up and folded to use as a stand for typing, or a stand for watching movies. The iPad also automatically wakes up when the cover is raised, and locks when it is placed back on. As an added bonus, the side of the cover touching the iPad screen is made of microfiber material, so the screen is cleaned anytime you open or close the device.
     A big thing Apple focused on in then announcement was the software. iPad 2 will run iOS 4.3 which brings some new features with it. 4.3 brings new AirPlay enhancements. AirPlay allows users to stream content from their iOS devices to an Apple TV or other compatible device. The update allows AirPlay from the Photos app, and makes streaming a lot easier, as it will scan your network for an Apple TV, so you don't have to set up anything.
     4.3 also brings Apples Nitro JavaScript engine to the iPad's Safari app, making web pages load a lot faster, especially ones with a lot of interactive JavaScript.
     Another cool feature in iOS 4.3 is iTunes Home Sharing. Home Sharing allows you to stream your entire library to your device over a shared WiFi connection. This seems like a cool feature, but if you ever have to leave your house, your content won't come with you.
     Apple also introduced two new apps, both available for $4.99 in the app store. These apps are iMovie and Garage Band. iMovie allows users to do complex movie editing, and offers cool themes. Garage band allows users to create and edit music, even without any musical talent.
     The iPad 2 brings many new features to a thinner, lighter package, and keeps the $499 price tag of the original iPad. Available on March 11th, the iPad 2 seems like a good buy for anyone who wants to spend $499 on a new device.
  
  
    
  

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Mac OS X Lion: Available to Developers

     Quite a while ago, Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple at that time, held a keynote titled "Back to the Mac" At that same keynote, he gave us a sneak preview of the next generation of Mac OS X, called Mac OS X Lion.

     Although Mac OS X Lion is still a while away, software developers signed up for Apple's Developer Program got an early look. OS X Lion is coming sometime in summer 2011, so the version of the operating system the developer's go is still in it's early stages. Still, what the developer's saw had some cool features.
     This new version of OS X brings the best features of the iPad onto the big screen size and more powerful specs of the macs.
     Apple integrates the elegant home screen of the iPad onto the Mac, and allows you to click the little black Launchpad icon on the dock a the bottom of the screen. Any open Windows fade away, and an iPad like grid of icons appear. This is where you can find all of your apps. The apps can be dragged into folders, which look and open just like the folders on the iPad and iPhone.

     Apple also apparently likes how all iPad and iPhone apps open full-screen. The new iPhoto, Mail, iCal, and Preview apps all can open full-screen. This allows you to concentrate on one thing at a time, or so Apple says. The apps can be changed to full-screen with one click, and open apps can be swiped through with multitouch gestures on the trackpad. The Developer platform also allows third-party apps to take advantage of the full-screen capabilities.

Launchpad

     A new and funnily named feature in Mac OS X is Mission Control. Mission control allows you to see everything that's running on your Mac, from a birds eye kind of view. It shows little icons of running apps, the dashboard, and the desktop.

    OS X Lion also integrates a new auto-save feature. This automatically saves your work, and allows you to revert back to previous versions of a document. Similarly, you can see all previous versions of a document in the order that you edited it.
     The new version of he OS also allows you to resume exactly where you left off when you restart your Mac. There is no more need to save and close everything, and then restart it all when you turn on your computer again.
     A few new features come in the new Mail app, Mail 5. Mail now supports conversations, which groups a conversation of emails in one group, rather than showing ten emails separately. The layout of the app is also redesigned for the Mac's widescreen. It shows the one line preview on the left side of the screen, as well as a full height preview at the right.

Mission Control

     The last main feature is called AirDrop. AirDrop allows you to share files with others wirelessly. To use AirDrop, you click the icon in the Finder, and you then see any Macs around you also using AirDrop. If they are in your contacts, you can even see their profile picture. To share a file, just drag a file to the other users profile. They can then accept the file, and it will start to download.

     Overall, this seems like a very exciting update to the Mac operating system. The fact that Apple is bringing it's Macs closer to the iPad scares some. The iPad is a very closed platform. Any apps must be approved by Apple to be included in the App Store. With the recent launch of the Mac App Store, it seems that the Mac platform is getting less and less open, giving Apple more control. The end user thinks that the closed platform of the iPad is great, but overall it gives more control to Apple, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

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HP Touchpad, Veer, and Pre3

     At an announcement recently, HP announced three new products that will run it's webOS mobile operating system. HP announced two phones and a tablet, all of which look slick and seem to be good products.

    WebOS is a mobile operating system created by Palm. Palm was then acquired by HP, who seems to be doing a good job keeping the operating system alive. 

The webOS Card UI

    WebOS's unique cards user interface gives it an appealing look. The apps it comes with catch your eye and make playing with the device fun. 

    The Messaging client combines all the messages from one person into one big flow, so a message can be sent as an instant message, and replied to as a text. 

    The web browser mostly disappears, letting you browse the entire web page without having to worry about the URL bar getting in your way. With a smart phone's small size, this can be very important.

    The email client gives you a unified inbox for multiple email accounts. With many of us getting emails at our work and personal email accounts, the unified inbox can be really helpful.

     A really interesting feature can be found in the contacts app. Many of us have spent hours entering our contacts information into the phone, all of which is available on Facebook or other social networks. WebOS's contact app just requires you to enter your friend's name. It will download info from Facebook, Google, Microsoft Exchange, and more. 

     WebOS also gives access to the Amazon Music Store. This gives access to thousands of songs, all DRM free, which means that once a song is downloaded, you can move it and copy it to any device, without any complicated copyright laws getting in your way.

     A really cool feature is HP's Touchstone. The Touchstone is dock for the phone that charges the phone wirelessly on contact. There are ways to do this with other phones like the iPhone, but these require bulky cases. The Touchstone also changes to nightstand mode when the phone is not in use. Nightstand mode displays the time and notifications. 

     The webOS operating system described above will be running on all of the devices that HP announced at the event. 

HP Veer

     The HP event started with the announcement of the HP Veer. The Veer is a small, touchscreen phone with a full, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The Veer is only about the size of a credit card, has a 5 magapixel camera, and has a 2.6 inch touchscreen. 

     An interesting trend with the new smartphones is the lack of physical buttons. The Veer has no home button. The front is a plain, black surface. The home button is virtual. You just tap under the screen to go to the homescreen.

Palm Pre3

     The announcement then moved on to a slightly larger topic. The next product to be announced was the Pre3. It is basically a slightly bigger version of the Veer. The Pre3 adds a front facing camera, a 3.8 inch screen, and adds a 16 GB option. It has the same 5 megapixel camera as the Veer, but adds a flash.
     The last, and biggest (literally) thing of the event was the HP TouchPad announcement. The TouchPad is webOS's step into the tablet world. The TouchPad offers the same great webOS experience as the two smartphones, but makes it a bit bigger.
     An interesting thing about the TouchPad is that it straightens out the rounded corners of the webOS user interface. The card UI is gone, but the UI still looks slick.

HP TouchPad

     The TouchPad is pretty much a giant Pre3, but the extra screen real estate can sometimes really make the difference.
     The TouchPad has the same front facing camera as the Pre3, but offers a slightly higher resolution.
     Overall, these three devices look really compelling. They are missing just two slightly important things: price and release date. They give the general idea with summer or spring on the website, but no distinct date. I haven't yet played with any of the webOS devices, so I don't know how responsive they are, which could also be an issue. Another big issue is the app market. Apple has hundreds of thousands of apps in it's store, with android slowly creeping up behind it.
     With no price, a small app market, and no official release date, it's hard to know whether or not the devices will be worth it. We will have to wait for more info to come out before a decision is made.

To watch the actual event, click here.

     

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The Daily iPad Newspaper Anounced

     The iPad has become increasingly popular, especially with news apps. When I looked in the Apple app store today, there were over 400 apps specifically designed for the iPad. That's a lot of stuff to read, and Rupert Murdoch wants to give iPad users the best.
     Today, at an event in the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Murdoch, along with Jon Miller, Jesse Angelo, and Greg Clayman, announced a new, daily newspaper for th iPad called The Daily. The Daily is a newspaper that completely rethinks news consumption for the iPad. The Daily takes the average newspaper or magazine, digitizes it, and adds a lot of multimedia affects.

Carousel on The Daily

     The Daily can be flipped through like a regular magazine. You can also browse articles with what The Daily calls "the carousel". This shows the front page of all of the articles in a carousel like way. Those familiar with the Apple MP3 players will recognize this as a kind of Cover Flow idea. You can then tap on an article, and it will be enlarged to full size and allows you to read through the article.
       You can also browse by category. The Daily is divided into six topics. These topics are News, Gossip, Opinion, Arts and Life, Apps and Games, and Sports.
       News includes the regular stuff, international news, important stories. Some stories include video or even 360 degree images. The weather section brings you completely away from a traditional magazine, and looks more like an app. It brings you very in depth reviews of the weather, while giving you the ability to tap on different icons for different things.
     Gossip has celebrity news and things like that. In the first issue, which they showed off at todays event, there was an article about two celebrities and their Twitter feeds. Using the special software that The Daily developed, the Twitter feeds were shown just under their picture.
     Apps and Games was a section The Daily did because they knew that their audience was one that owned iPads, and therefore many of them were interested in the app thing. Apps and Games has app reviews, along with photos, and a direct link into the App Store if one decides to download the app. Like a traditional newspaper, it includes daily crossword puzzles and Sudoku, which, unlike a traditional newspaper, can track your time and scores, and even let you play against others.

Weather on The Daily

Sports on The Daily

    The sports section offers a very unique experience and customization abilities. Since The Daily is a national newspaper, it needs some sort of way to customize it. You can choose the teams you want to read about, you can also see live scores, stats, and more.
    The Daily seems really great, but how much would you pay for it? Five dollars an issue? 1 dollar an issue? The Daily will be available for... 14 cents an issue! At 99 cents a week, The Daily gives you great value for your money.
    The Daily said at the event that it would eventually come to all major tablets, but the few two or three years are Apple's. The Daily also said that right now most of the revenue would be based on subscriptions, but they would like to eventually be 50% advertisement revenue and 5o% subscriptions.
    You can find The Daily on the App Store, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
    The Daily is free for the first two weeks, so if you own an iPad, you should definitely check it out. If you have an iPad and tried it out, please leave a comment telling us what you like or don't like about it.

Watch the Video Below for More Info. To watch the entire The Daily announcement click here.

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Staying Connected While on the Road

     It's a few days until I take a trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I'll be there about three days, and have been thinking about how to stay connected. For my work, all I really need is a web browser, but some need powerful desktop machines that can do HD video editing or 3D rendering. You can't really bring a 10 pound desktop computer with you on the trip, so how do you stay connected without lugging around a giant PC?  

     There are some great, free tools to help. I use a great free remote access program called TeamViewer. TeamViewer is free for noncommercial use only. I don't know exactly what the term "noncommercial" means, but buying a licence for commercial use costs a crazy $749. TeamViewer gives you amazing capabilities for free, such as file transfer, recordable sessions and more. You also get a free iPhone and Android app ,both which allow you to connect to other PCs remotely. The android app is still in beta, which does have some serious restrictions, but expect a non-beta version soon.

TeamViewer  on Windows

     TeamViewer is pretty simple to use, but each PC has to download the free application. When you download and open the application, the first thing you see is a home screen with an ID number and a password. Next to it is a text box labeled "create session". To have someone remotely connect to your PC, tell them your User ID and password, they enter that in, and the other user is on your PC. It's just as simple to start a session.

     Once you are connected, you see the other one's screen. You use the mouse and keyboard just like you  normally would on your PC. At the top of the screen is a small taskbar which lets you record the session and even do VOiP (voice over the internet). 

     To connect normally you have to have a person at both PCs to tell you the password. You can set up unattended access by making a free TeamViewer account. You then give the computer a name and password and you're ready to go. 

TeamViewer iPhone App

     The iPhone app is also really simple and easy to use. It works almost like the desktop client, but has less customization options. It gives you a list of recent remote access connections, and a cleaner looking interface. The controls for clicking and scrolling might take some getting used to, but overall, the entire system is easy to use.

     The days of not being connected because you aren't home are definitely over. With always connected smartphones, WiFi all over the place, and even data connections in some laptops, you really don't have the excuse of "I'm on vacation." With tools like TeamViewer, you now can work wherever you are, for little or no cost.

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Apple Mac App Store

     Over the past few years the idea of apps became very popular. You can now get iPhone apps from the iOS App Store, or Android apps from the Android Market (although you have to download them from your phone), you can even get apps for your Windows netbook with Intel's AppUp.

Mac App Store Running on a MacBook Air

     Apple, who kind of started the the app thing with it's iPhone and iPod Touch, is doing it again with a app store for the Mac. According to the Apple website, the Mac app store will be available for download on January 6th. It seems almost exactly like the iTunes app store for iOS, but the apps here are a lot more expensive.
     It seems that almost all of the Mac programs you can buy on the shelf at a computer store will be available for  download here. Some programs include iPhoto, GarageBand, Color Studio, and Home Watch.
     A similar program to the Mac App store exists already, called Bodega. Bodega can probably do almost everything the Mac app store can do, but must have a smaller selection.

Bodega 

     So what will the Mac app store give me that something like Bodega won't, and what benefit do I have by using this rather than going to the store and taking the software off the shelf? Why would I want to use the Mac app store?

Mac App Store Logo

     Firstly, coming from Apple, it will be a clean interface, a lot easier than surfing around the web for a download that might not even be there. Also, it will be a great place to find reviews, both good and bad, for the software.
    It seems good so far, but there a few reasons why you may want to stay away. If you have a slow internet connection, this is a bad idea. You don't want to spend hours waiting for a 1GB program to download. Also, Apple will probably have the same approval process here as they do in iOS. Apps may get pulled, and you might not be able to find the apps you want.
    So is this a good thing? For most, yes. But some may find themselves going back to the brick and mortar shops, and pulling that same old software off of those great metal shelves.

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