Category Archives: Apps

Google Introduces New Services And Features At I/O Conference

Posted on by Chris Poindexter | NO COMMENTS

google_play

Google announced a flurry of new services and updates to existing services at their I/O Conference in San Francisco. There were a steady stream of new products and enhancements to established services, so much so at times it was like trying to get a drink of water out of a fire hose.

For developers Google announced three new APIs, all of which will supply big improvements in battery usage. The fused location provider will supposedly use only 1 percent of the battery power used by older APIs. Along with that will be the Geofencing API, which tracks user location changes and activity recognition which can tell if a user is driving, walking or biking.

Whatever you’re doing you’ll be able to tap into Google’s new All Access streaming music service. Sign up now and get a free month and only $7.99 a month if sign up before June 30th, after that it will be $9.99 a month. Google says its service will make it easy to find and organize the type of music you like and with everything that Google knows about you that might be more frighteningly accurate than you would imagine.

Google Maps is getting a raft of new features that will make it easier to explore the world around you while keeping track of traffic, mass transit schedules and the fastest route to your favorite places to eat. Map enhancements will include 3D views, integration with Google Earth and…don’t ask me how they’re doing this…real-time rendering of cloud cover around the globe.

Google is touting the cross-platform theme for all their services and gaming APIs, one of the reasons I believe they’ll ultimately survive to take over the world from Apple and Microsoft. Users just don’t care about operating systems anymore, but developers do. Being able to build for all platforms against a single set of APIs is a very big advantage for Google. Cross platform and single sign-on for a variety of services is convenient for users and, if it’s one thing I’ve learned about technology over the years, always bet on convenience.google_maps_traffic

It remains to be seen if updates to Google+ will make that application any less of a muddled mess, but I’m not hopeful. HangOut keeps getting better and stands to become a serious competitor for Skype, TeamViewer and other group sharing apps, able to support multi-user video conference calls right out of the box.

With a continued emphasis on open development and small, quick apps, Google is like a digital candy store that keeps cranking out the gummy bears. If Apple and Microsoft don’t come up with a competitive strategy to co-opt developers and package services for users, it’s going to be a long, slow slide to obscurity for both of them.

Five Tips For Getting The Most From Your Wifi-Only Tablet

Posted on by Chris Poindexter | 1 Comment

kindle_fire_7inAccording to sales statistics most of you seem content with wifi-only tablets, much to the chagrin of wireless data carriers. AT&T, Verizon and the others would much rather see you paying for data you don’t use or, even better, exceeding your bandwidth caps.

Statistically you’re also content with 7 inch tablets, which seems to be the sweet spot between screen real estate and convenient portability. In the go-go days of desktops you could look forward to buying a new, bigger machine with a new operating system every couple years. Today you’re downsizing, your apps and data are in the cloud and that big PC sits largely unused.

But wifi-only is not exactly second tier technology these days and with these handy apps you might not notice much difference at all.

Kindle Reader

Download thousands of books to read at your leisure, online or disconnected. Anytime you’ve got a few minutes you can get lost in your favorite book.

Pocket

Formerly known as Read It Later, Pocket lets you grab web pages, twitter feeds and videos for offline viewing. It takes only a few minutes to pocket enough material to get you through your morning commute.

Wifi Analyzer

Never wonder if there’s an open network nearby with Wifi Analyzer. Find the best networks and just the right place to sit for optimum reception.wifi_analyzer

Offline Mapping

Google Maps has new features for offline navigation, provided you lookup the route before you leave a hotspot, you can get around with 3D maps and a host of offline functionality. With City Maps 2Go you have to pay for the download maps but the detail is quite good.

gmapsThese apps will make paper maps a thing of the past, which is going to be a real problem for pirate movies of the future.

Google Voice or SendHub

When Google bought Grand Central it kind of dropped off the map, but they’re still working on it. In the meantime other competitors have arrived on the scene.  Get a free phone number or port your old phone number over for a small fee. With online telephony you can listen to messages, read transcripts, send text messages and make calls, all from a web interface. You can create custom messages for groups or individuals, screen calls and myriad of other handy features.

Early problems kept Voice from being more popular than it could have been and the fusion of your phone and the web it still a very compelling combination. Being able to send texts from your tablet is a great feature. Having a phone number to hand out that masks your real phone number and blocks that can’t be skirted by phone company greed or policy is an awesome feature.

With the explosion of useful apps and the portable power of tablets it’s becoming easier to tell AT&T where they can stick their expensive data plans and that may be the best feature of all.

Networks Experiment With Live TV Via Smartphone

Posted on by Chris Poindexter | NO COMMENTS

abc

Mobile technology has been rapidly changing the world since data first became an option on cell phones. Through most of the march of technology content providers have been reacting to changes in the market. Now it appears content providers are more willing to forge their own path in mobile media instead of dealing with a middleman aggregator like Hulu or iTunes.

The gold rush in mobile media has been building for a long time as years of fighting for revenue with more traditional entertainment pipelines, such as cable and satellite, have left both sides weary and annoyed at one another. Entertainment providers are growing increasingly hesitant to deal with aggregators and feel that mobile entertainment offers them the ability forge their own path forward.

Networks are starting to dip their toe in the direct to mobile market. CBS is making full episodes available through streaming apps on the iPhone and iPads, although the episodes aren’t available until 24 hours after the show airs on television and are delayed by 8 days for prime time shows.

ABC just announced their first app aimed at live streaming to Apple devices and Windows 8, but they’re pushing it more aggressively with their app syncing up with their cable and satellite providers to provide live content on the go. You can bet that ABC’s parent company, Walt Disney, is looking for ways to forge their own entertainment distribution channels as well and will be monitoring ABC’s experience closely.

Android apps are supposedly in the works and should be popping up later this year.

The mobile content land grab is on in force and I believe that when the dust settles this will be a big plus for consumer choice. Content providers will be free to deal directly with consumers rather than forge relationships with middleman providers, eliminating another layer of profit between consumers and their favorite shows.

Another side effect of the great mobile land grab will also be the democratization of content development. Independent developers will be able to bypass the lengthy and frustrating process of trying to negotiate distribution deals and make their pitch directly to consumers.

In the end it will mean more choice and more competition, at least at first. Eventually the forces of Balkanization will consolidate choices in the mobile market, just like they did in broadcast and internet technologies. But that will take time and in the meantime, we will have more choices.

The interesting question to me is that TV on a smartphone is not much different than carrying a small portable TV. Maybe some consumers are starting to think they already watch too much TV and this will be a step too far. Either way look for the mobile push to make big changes in the worlds of technology and entertainment.

Google Now Coming To Your Desktop

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500px-Android

Google Now is a mobile Android app that takes predictive technology to the next level. So much so that one starts to wonder exactly where the line between “convenience” and “creepy” is actually drawn. Google Now knows where you’re going, when you’re going to get there and can make some eyebrow-raising guesses at what you’re going to need when you arrive. All that combined with reminder and organization features that make Siri look primitive by comparison.

I do have to say the convenience is quite amazing; during your commute to work Google Now will map out alternate routes in case you run into traffic and keep you posted on train and bus schedules. Near mealtimes Now will present a panel with nearby restaurants and if you’re by a particular restaurant it will present the menu. Besides the location features Now also keeps tabs on the weather, notifies you of changes to your flights when traveling, keeps you on schedule for your appointments and keeps you posted on your travel time back home. The panels in Google Now are constantly changing to provide information about where you are and what it thinks you might need when you get where you’re going.

Now speculation abounds that Google is getting ready to integrate Now with the desktop. Support for Windows and Chrome OS have been spotted in the wild and, once the applications are opened up to third party developers, the universe that is Google Now could expand dramatically.

Imagine the possibilities for a suite of applications that coordinate both your work and personal life, for those of you fortunate enough to have a life outside work. Google Now would know when you’re at the office and switch over to desktop mode automatically, when your phone leaves it knows you’re on the move and starts populating your panels with relevant information.

The big, red flag with applications like Now is, of course, privacy. Google Now not only can take a guess about where you’re going but it will know everywhere you’ve been. If you’re around other people also on the service, the system would be able to build a relationship matrix in the background, both in your working and private life. And that’s just your physical location information. Google would be able to combine all that with what knows from your email, contacts and search as well.

In the age old battle between privacy and convenience, the smart money is on convenience. But now we’re starting to get into some pretty scary privacy territory. Santa Claus won’t be the only one who knows when you’re sleeping and when you’re awake, or whether you’ve been naughty or nice. As more of our life revolves around our phones, the greater the privacy implications. And there’s no place to hide from your own phone.

For now the Google Now server URL remains out of reach for testing, but as soon as it’s available, you can check back here for the full review.

Three Ways To Tame Chrome’s Start Page

Posted on by Chris Poindexter | 1 Comment

speed_dial

For those wanting to customize that start page, the ways to do it through Chrome’s internals are bizarre and, in some cases, complex. The way the start page works has changed over the last couple years and searching for help frequently lead to outdated solutions that no longer work.

It was a problem looking for an app to fix and clever developers responded with some tools that make Chrome’s start page a customizable wonder and tear down the limitations on how the start page is setup.

Speed Dial

Speed Dial, pictured above, lets you configure the number of shortcut panels and includes many site logo panels. It’s simple, attractive and very useful. You can customize the number and size of the panels and set your own background. Speed Dial adds a speed link to your address bar which you can later disable when your panel page is set to your liking.

My only dings on Speed Dial are there could be more site logos and every so often some site panels will go blank for no apparent reason. Aside from those two minor dings it’s a big improvement over the stock start page. Note that Speed Dial 2 is a similar application by a different author, not the second generation of Speed Dial. Really, I like them both so you can’t really go wrong if you select the other one.

Incredible Startpage

incredible_Start

A Google featured extension Incredible Startpage rearranges the start page to include both side shortcuts and other types of bookmarks and task panels. The big bonus to Incredible Startpage is being able to put your apps on the same page as your shortcuts. Something that seems odd Google couldn’t figure out for themselves.

Start!

start

Start! is a highly rated bookmarks and app aggregator for your Chrome start page. Has a convenient Ctrl + R refresh shortcut for the days you’re burning up the net. This is another app that puts bookmarks and apps on the same page. Still a mystery that Google didn’t come up with that on their own, but that’s what keeps developers in business, right?

These three apps will make your Chrome start page a joy to use and take a good idea and make it even better.

Microsoft Modifies Office 2013 License and Three Alternatives If You Don’t Like It

Posted on by Chris Poindexter | 2 Comments

officeChanges to Microsoft’s Office 2013 licensing agreement have users and journalists alike confused about the future of Office installations and what it means if your computer dies.

The most consistent answer is that the new licensing agreement binds Office 2013 to a single computer for life. If that computer dies or you have to reinstall Windows and Office 2013, the most frequent, though not universal, answer is that reinstalling on the same machine under those circumstances will be alright but transferring the license to another computer will not fly under the new rules.

The latest puzzling ding to Office users comes on the heels of the somewhat unpopular Windows 8 offering and have left many casting a wary eye on the future of their productivity applications. Many of the Microsoft faithful have determined their best option is to stay on Windows 7 and Office 2010, essentially forever. In the meantime here are some options for those considering alternatives.

GoogleApps For Business

Probably the best indicator of how fast GoogleDocs has grown in functionality are the number of companies scrapping Office and Outlook in favor of the business version of GoogleApps. I’ve helped many small businesses make that transition and, after a period of adjustment, most end up liking the portability and platform independence.

As more companies transition to a Bring Your Own Tech business model, device and platform compatibility become more important. In combination with services under development, like GoogleVoice, Google may be closing in on a turn-key office system with many compelling features.

LibreOffice

Now up to version 4, LibreOffice was forked from OpenOffice in 2010 and pursued a divergent development path. LibreOffice is a full-featured and powerful desktop productivity suite with a wide base of OS support.

While functional, the downside to Writer and Calc can be that there are formating and compatibility issues with Microsoft products. LibreOffice may be fine for you, but if all your customers use office and the documents you send back and forth don’t look right, that’s not a win.

OxygenOffice Professional

Another OpenOffice fork that comes packaged with templates, clipart, and 3D models so you don’t have to chase all those down yourself. It also comes with VBA support for automation.

Caligra Office

Calligra Office is one of the few that has a project manager built-in along with an app called BrainDump that lets you capture and organize your thoughts and brainstorming ideas. Calligra Office has some compelling features and it’s an application package worth watching.

If you stick with Office 2013 and run into a situation where you have to reinstall Office and you don’t like the answer you get from one tech support operator, try a different one.  Right now there is a lot of confusion, even inside Microsoft, so don’t hesitate to shop for a better answer if at first you don’t succeed.

Kindle Fire Dominates U.S. Android Tablet Market

Posted on by Chris Poindexter | 2 Comments
Kindle Fire (kid)

The Kindle Fire dominates the Android tablet space in the U.S.

With all the buzz about Samsung’s Galaxy Note “phablet” it may come as a surprise to learn that the Kindle Fire still accounts for the single largest group of Android tablet users, that according to data from Localytics.

Nook is a distant second at 10 percent and, at present, the Samsung Galaxy family is running third with 9 percent.

The news is relevant to Android app developers who will want to put getting into the Amazon app store high on their ToDo list. Google Play is unavailable to Kindle Fire owners and the Fire doesn’t come with the usual suite of Android apps, which may leave some users missing their Google goodness. Google Play apps can be side-loaded onto a Kindle Fire but the apps don’t always work right.

The fact that Amazon has been able to carve out such a large niche for themselves in the Android tablet space without Google Play is pretty impressive in its own right, but the lack of coordination between app spaces in the Android universe means that Apple will continue to face only fragmented competition.

Five Android Apps To Tickle Your Funny Bone

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If you can't laugh you'll go crazy - by Etamme

If you can’t laugh you’ll go crazy – by Etamme

It seems ironic that there’s really nothing amusing about bumping your funny bone which is the ulnar nerve, one of the largest unprotected nerves in the human body running along the ulnar collateral ligament. How it got associated with laughter might have been a play on the words “humorous” and humerus, which is the big bone in your arm. Either way it’s usually not laughter that spews out of your mouth when you bang your elbow while it’s in a flexed position.

But enough with the anatomy lesson, this is about applications that are really funny and don’t involve electric shocks running up your arm, unless you’re into that kind of thing. These are apps that are good for killing a few minutes, maybe taking quick break when things are getting stressful at work or to pick up a slow-moving get together with friends.  Life is better when you can take a minute and laugh.

It’s tough to narrow it down to just five of anything in the fast moving Android application market, especially one where fashion can make what’s hot today turn not so hot tomorrow. Consequently, I looked for the funny and highest rated, rather than those that appealed to my somewhat cynical and jaded sense of humor.

LOL Pics by Tap Tap Entertainment

The pictures range from locker room humor to the subtle and cerebral, heavy on both cats and Chuck Norris visual jokes. It compiles pics from many of the web’s top funny picture sites and allows you to choose by category or upload your own funny pics to see if the rest of the world shares your perverse sense of humor.

Funny Jokes by Swiss Codemonkeys

There are, literally, tens of thousands of jokes at this site from every imaginable genre. You can mark your favorites, upload your own jokes and tag those that either spam or inappropriate. The draw of FJ is more than the humor, though there’s plenty of that, it’s also the community. Some of the users have complained of late that site is increasingly drawing trolls and the less savory elements of the internet but it’s still funny.

Fat Booth by PIVI and Co

Anytime you get tired of diet and exercise just whip out your copy of Fat Booth to see what you’ll look like with a few extra pounds. It can also lighten up a party but just be aware that a lot of people wrestle with body image issues. Have fun but don’t use it to be mean. The same company also makes Stash Booth and Old Booth, if you’re looking for an app you can deploy a little more freely in social occasions.

Funny Kid Cams by PhotoMobileApps

Because the only thing better than dressing your kids up in dorky costumes and taking pictures of them is being able to skip buying the costume! Funny Kid Cams is pure gold for building up a collection of blackmail photos you can use to maintain your grip over them through the rebellious teenage years. Sure you can smoke if you don’t mind me posting this picture of you as a cute little pea pod on Facebook. You don’t mind me doing that, right?

18,000 Cool Jokes by Cramzy

Another huge joke sites on every imaginable subject in hundreds of categories. Don’t open this app unless you have at least 10 minutes on your hands because it tends to be addicting. The strength of this app are the regular updates and categorization on just about any topic you can imagine. The app will also rate jokes on a daily, weekly and monthly basis so you can see what’s trending in humor.

And there you have it, five easy ways to raise the value of the humor variable in your life equation.  After all, laughter is the ultimate defense mechanism against the crazy.

Customizing Your Desktop: Turn Your Computer Into A Tropical Paradise (Or Whatever You Choose)

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I’m lucky enough to have a real tropical paradise right outside my window; if I want to see palm trees and sunshine all I have to do is look up. You may not be fortunate enough to live in the tropics or the beach may hold nothing for you but bad memories of sand in the wrong places and stepping on a man-o-war.

Whatever your preference, whether it’s sand and surf or mountains, meadows and majestic forests your PC screen can become a window on that world no matter where your desk or office might be physically located. Any city, any country, any time of year there are now, literally, a world of choices available for your computer.

Wallpaper Image Slideshow

In the beginning you could change the desktop color, later you could select a picture to be your desktop background and, for a long time, that was good. Today there’s no need to be limited to just a single picture, you can set your background to rotate through several images.

This functionality is built-in for Mac and if you’re a Linux user you can try Crebs.

Screensavers

Screensavers started out as a way to images from burning an image on the phosphor behind the screen. Even though modern monitors don’t have phosphor or an electron gun, screensavers can add both security and a touch of visual panache for your PC.

Screensaver.com has a huge selection of screensavers, many of which are free, some cost a few dollars. One of the more popular screensavers is the Living Marine Aquarium.

Do be aware that some office networks will not allow custom screensavers, although it’s usually possible to negotiate a compromise. A few are vehicles for spyware or pop up ads, so be careful where you shop.

Video Screensavers

Now you can take any video clip and turn it into a screensaver. Point to the screensaver to a folder of videos and you can have them play either randomly or in sequential order.

If you have an older version of Windows there’s a video screensaver from Microsoft or if you have Windows 7 just right click on the desktop and select Personalize > Screen Saver > Windows Live Photo Gallery and under the Settings tab point it to a folder with images and video.

You can also find applications that will let you use YouTube videos as screensavers.

So there’s no need to feel trapped at the office or a long way from travel adventure. With screensavers, wallpaper and custom themes for your browser you can pretend your PC is a window to anywhere.

Organize Your Digital Life – ToDo Apps

Posted on by Chris Poindexter | 1 Comment

When GPS first came out for your car I resented them a little because the last thing I needed was something else in my life telling me what to do. But the utility outweighed the annoyance, particularly after I discovered the MUTE AUDIO option.

For the same reasons, I hesitated a long time before taking advantage of electronic ToDo lists, particularly those which  allow other users to add items to my list. But a life well lived is a full one and that means meetings, events, friends, relatives, travel, adventure and activities. The more events and people in your life, the more there is to remember and details to track.

Even slow-adopters like me eventually will cave to the necessity of electronic assistance in managing a busy schedule and, in many ways, it can be wonderfully liberating. There are some new ToDo and Task managers that are really handy. You can not only track your schedule, but integrate across all the devices in your life and the software you’re using now. Here are my picks for the best digital Task and ToDo managers.

Wunderlist

Wunderlist gets my top pick for several reasons, but primarily because it’s one of the few that is platform independent. It will run on any of the major operating systems including Linux, Android, iOS, Windows, BlackBerry, Windows Phone or even a web browser.

As for features Wunderlist does it all. You can set reminders on any device and sync it with the rest of your digital life through their cloud connector or send lists to others via email.

Wunderlist also pays attention to user feedback and loops those suggestions back into development. The one feature that would make it a home run, being able to add tasks to someone else’s list, is currently under development and should be available soon.

Remember The Milk

Remember The Milk has been around forever is one of the more mature task managers available. Add notes to tasks, which is very handy, and sync them with Google Calendar.

The option for email and SMS options is another plus for Remember The Milk, along with working offline and sharing task lists.

 

ToDo

ToDo 5 is a bit Apple-centric but makes the list because it incorporates elements from project management and syncs with Outlook.

 

 

 

ToodleDo

ToodleDo makes the list for multi-platform support, customizable alarms, filters that can mask some less important tasks, and online synchronization. ToodleDo also analyzes your work patterns and can assist with scheduling and if you have two hours free, ToodleDo can suggest task items to fill the time you have available.

ToodleDo’s automation pushes the envelope in time management and also gets an award for having the best name.

Any of these apps will help you keep up with the modern pace of life and all have unique features that separate them functionally. The one that’s right for you is the one with the features you need and matches your needs. For me that’s Wunderlist because I prefer apps that run on any OS, but most of the others have online components that skirt the OS issue to a greater or lesser degree.