Posts tagged apps
Google pumps out updates to Gesture Search and Voice Search for Android
Aug 12th
[Click here for mobile friendly viewing]
Google seems to be on a roll with first-party apps these days. Not one day after they update Gesture Search to include an intuitive new way of activating the app, the company releases Voice Actions to complement the already-comprehensive voice control of the device. These updates are only available for Froyo, but we know that the OS is being pumped out to many devices as we speak. And according to Google, it will be available already on the Droid 2.
Though the app isn’t yet available in the Canadian Marketplace, I will update when I play around with it. But as it stands, this is another way Google is trying to separate itself from the iOS crowd by allowing interaction with the device anywhere the API can be activated, regardless of what app is currently being used.
Check out the available commands available with Voice Actions:
- send text to [contact] [message]
- listen to [artist/song/album]
- call [business]
- call [contact]
- send email to [contact] [message]
- go to [website]
- note to self [note]
- navigate to [location/business name]
- directions to [location/business name]
- map of [location]
While you’re at it, take a look at the updated Gesture Search functionality, which lets you rotate your phone in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction in order to activate the gesture search app. Brilliant.
Majority of Apps in the Palm App Catalog are Free From Now Till July 9th
Jun 18th
Palm hinted the other day that they were going to run a half-off deal on many of the applications in the App Catalog and it looks like they have come through today. Right now, you can pick up almost any app in the App Catalog for half it’s original price. Don’t worry about the developers though, because Palm is paying them the same amount that they would if the app sold for full price making this a win-win for them.
If there is an app you have been holding off on because you couldn’t come up with the cash, now is your shot to buy it. There are a ton of apps going for $0.50 and the offer even includes a bunch of 3D games that make use of Palm’s PDK.
No excuses people. Get in there, buy some apps, and support webOS developers!
[Via The Official Palm Blog]
Another Reason For iPhone 4′s High Resolution
Jun 12th
–The iPad!
Think about it. I can’t believe I haven’t heard this from anyone else yet! So the iPad has a 1024 x 768 pixel screen, that’s 786,432 pixels. iPhone 4 has a 960 x 640 pixel display, which is 614,400 pixels. With a little bit of math, you’ll find that the iPhone 4′s screen is about 80% of the iPad screen. When iPhone apps are invariably rewritten to take advantage of the new hardware…, it follows that the iPad version (when blown up) is going to look much better. Having limited experience with an iPad, I’m unsure how good or bad blown up apps look. My guess is that this will help ease developers that don’t really have the resources to make multiple apps. We’ll probably know more when iOS 4 apps start releasing.
WordPress For BlackBerry Updated to v1.2.1
Jun 2nd
As most of you know, WordPress for BlackBerry was updated to version 1.2 just last week, with some nice new features. If you’d missed my write-up along with the changelog, you can find it here. WordPress for BlackBerry has been updated again to Version 1.2.1. The update is small, including just a minor bug fix.
Version 1.2.1 Released
- Version 1.2.1 has been released to App World today. This release contains a bug fix that resolves localization issues on some older BlackBerry devices.
- If you are experiencing issues using WordPress for BlackBerry in languages other than English, we strongly encourage you to update to this new version.
- Depending on your region or country, you might not see the latest version in the BlackBerry App World, but on your device you should now already see the latest version 1.2.1.
Via: WordPress
Cropping Photos On Your BlackBerry With Capture It
May 17th
From time to time, people ask me if there’s an app that will crop photos on their BlackBerry. The short answer would be yes. Even though there’s no photo editing app with cropping capabilities, there is most definitely a work around.
First you need to install CaptureIt on your BlackBerry. Capture It is a free app, developed by The Tech Mogul, that will essentially take a picture of your BlackBerry’s screen. Whenever you want to capture your screen, you just hit menu and select ‘CaptureIt’. Your BlackBerry will vibrate when the capture is taken, and the image will be added to the same folder that your new pictures go into.
Now, if you want to crop a photo, this is easy as well. Navigate to the photo you would like to crop, in your media folder. Then zoom in and move the photo around until only what you want is on your BlackBerry screen. Hit menu and select ‘Capture It’. Vuala!
CaptureIt obviously has uses other than cropping, but those uses are pretty much straightforward. The file size is extremely small at 13kb, barely taking up any space on your BlackBerry. Once you start using CaptureIt, you’ll never know how you went without it.
Note: If your first capture comes up blank, delete the app, pull your battery and re-download it.
You can download Capture It OTA at m.thetechmogul.com/ or head to their website for more info.
Weekly BlackBerry Roundup: May 8th-15th
May 13th
This week got off to an early start at The Cellular Guru on Saturday when an anonymous tipster sent us an exclusive video of the BlackBerry 9670 running BlackBerry 6. Unfortunately, RIM contacted us and asked that we take the video down, so you longer be able to watch it, but it was a doozy. On the other hand, RIM had no issue with us leaving the editorial up so click here if you missed it.
There have also been some updates on new devices coming into the market, as well as price drops, app reviews on some very handy apps, and more. Scroll on down to see the full list of what we have this week at The Cellular Guru.
News, Rumors & Leaks:
Hands-On Video Of The BlackBerry 9670 Running BlackBerry 6
Pearl 3G Passes Through FCC – What’s Up AT&T?
Price Drops in Store for Rogers Bold 9000 and Curve 8900
White Blackberry Bold 9700 Pops Up in Rogers Upgrade System
App Reviews:
BlackBerry App Review: Kik Chat
Review: Bolt Browser For BlackBerry
Pageonce Personal Assistant For BlackBerry Updated To v3.0
Accessories:
Accessory Review: Desktop Charging Pod For The Bold 9700
Editorial:
What’s Your Favorite BlackBerry Alert?
bit.lify for BlackBerry
May 13th
Sometimes I feel like the a lot of the tiny useful apps for BlackBerry go un-noticed. Well today I’m featuring bit.lify for BlackBerry. I’m sure most of you are familiar with bit.lify or some type of url shortening service. You twitter users probably have a twitter app for BlackBerry with a url shortening tool as well. That’s all well and good if you are posting to twitter, but what if you just want to send a shortened url somewhere else?
Whether you want to fit a link into an SMS, or look tech savvy in an email, you don’t really want to go through the extra steps of using a twitter client to shorten a url, do you? That’s where bit.lify comes in.
Once installed, bit.lify will always be in your browser menu. If you select bit.lify, you will have the option to Email, SMS, PIN, or Copy the url to the clipboard. Its that simple.
Bit.lify is one of those great little apps that I use multiple times a day, without really thinking about. The file size is very small at only 41.7kb. You can download bit.lify from Ubitiquous Systems OTA here.
Review: Bolt Browser For BlackBerry
May 13th
Bolt Browser is a Webkit based browser that has been available for a little over a year now. Bolt’s main focus is speed, and I must admit, it is fast. It is also a very lightweight browser taking up only .321MB on my BlackBerry.
Now Bolt isn’t the most visually pleasing browser, but how important is that to you? Do you really care how cool your browser looks and what the visual effects are, if there is something else out there that is just plain faster? With that said, one of the things Bolt prides itself on is that they never re-format web content, which means no option for mobile/column view. Now, me being a QWERTY BB user, I like my mobile view. I remember downloading Bolt the day it first released and not keeping it for that very reason. I have re-downloaded Bolt every time there was an update just hoping they added that option but always ended up disappointed and deleted it. When using a non-touchscreen device, I don’t want to have to scroll from left to right when viewing a web page. According to the Bolt forums, I’m not the only one that feels this way and I hope they eventually decide to give the users what they want.
Bolt 2.0 was recently released with several new features like streaming video, widget support, and tabbed browsing. Bolt now has web apps such as Wikipedia, twitter profile & search, Dictionary.com, and more. Bolt also has options to post a webpage directly to Facebook or twitter. Bolt is now up to 2.02 with another minor speed enhancement and now stays on my BlackBerry. My BlackBerry browser is still my first choice, but I sometimes use Bolt to view a page that the native BB browser has trouble viewing, or to open up an additional web page. All of which I wouldn’t need to do if BlackBerry would release their all new webkit browser already! Webkit for BB, where are you?! Bolt does render some sites much better than the current BB browser, but the only way to find that out is through trial and error.
If you’d like to give Bolt a try you can find it in App World or download it OTA at http://www.boltbrowser.com
Pageonce Personal Assistant For BlackBerry Updated To v3.0
May 11th
Isn’t it a tedious task to keep track of all your bills and accounts? Even though all of my bills are electronic, its still such a pain to log into each account one by one. Pageonce is an app that helps you keep track of your life’s deadlines on a single page. You can monitor accounts such as banking, credit card, investments, cell phone, netflix, ebay, skype and more. Pageonce reminds you when your bills are due. You also have the ability to keep track of your frequent flyer miles and itineraries.
Pageonce was just updated to version 3.0 with some new features and improvements:
Calendar Integration:
Integration with your calendar, all upcoming events, including bill due dates and upcoming itineraries will automatically be added to the calendar.
Super Fast:
The application is running in the background and as a result is now super fast, over 1000% performance improvement from previous versions.
Enhanced Notification system:
The feature was already introduced in version 2.5 and now has enhanced capabilities with more alerts, such as APR change to your credit card and more. Also, all alerts are shown aggregated in a new alert tab.
Improved user interface:
More readable account information screens and ability to refresh all accounts at once (refresh all available only for the premium version).
Pageonce has a both a free and premium version. The premium version offers additions like unlimited accounts, real time flight information, no advertisements, and an exclusive pin for extra security. I recommend downloading the free version first to see if its sufficient. If you desire the extra features, you can download the premium version for $6.99. You can also see a full breakdown of the features on the Pageonce website.
Download Pageonce Personal Assistant In BlackBerry App World
Download Pageonce Personal Assistant Premium In BlackBerry App World
Google Turn-By-Turn Navigation Now Available In UK
Apr 21st
Blah! First America, now the United Kingdom; us Canadians always get the Royal Shaft. According to Engadget, Google has decided to turn on turn-by-turn navigation on England’s carriers running Android 1.6 and above. This means that as long as you are operating an Android device with 1.6 or greater, you can open the Maps app and get voice directions streaming out of your speaker.
Whether this is going to come to any other countries is anyone’s guess at this point, but it’s encouraging to know that Google is (slowly) expanding their Android-exclusive features beyond just the United States. It certainly bodes well for the platform’s viability if they’re extending those killer features to everyone.
(via Engadget)
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