Software
Twitter For Mac OS X Review
February 24, 2011
It was a long time coming, but Twitter for Mac OS X, also known as Tweetie 2, was finally brought to the masses with the introduction of the Mac App Store earlier this year. After using it virtually all day long for a couple of months, I thought it was time to put my thoughts down on paper, so here we go!
Twitter for Mac retains many aspects of Tweetie‘s user interface that made it so popular. The navigational buttons are present on the left hand side of the window, and allow you to toggle between your timeline, mentions, messages, lists, profile and search for tweets as well as see what’s currently trending.
Continue reading »Windows 8 Roadmap Leaked, Set For Beta Release In September?
February 23, 2011
A leaked roadmap for Windows 8, obtained by ZD Net, suggests that we may see the new operating system in beta by September of this year.
Even more interesting is that we may see the final version of Windows 8 shipping to consumers by mid 2012, which could allow Dell to show off their Windows 8 based tablet device as well as other potential ARM-Windows 8 powered mobile devices at CES 2012 next January.
Continue reading »Microsoft Releases Windows 7 Service Pack 1 To The Public Via Windows Update
February 23, 2011
Those of you on the P2P bandwagon may already be running your PCs off Windows 7 Service Pack 1, but the rest of us have had to wait until today to grab the latest update from Redmond. The update is available to download now through Windows Update, although you can also download it manually from the Microsoft website.
The size of the update will vary from machine to machine, which is why Microsoft recommends that you download it through Windows Update, so that you don’t grab any unnecessarily large files that you don’t need.
Continue reading »BBC iPlayer iPad App Review
February 21, 2011
It’s been a long time coming, but the BBC iPlayer finally came to our iPads this month as a free application on the UK App Store! Following months of setbacks and blocking of the application by the BBC Trust, UK viewers are now finally able to catch up with BBC programs and watch live without being in front of a traditional computer or internet enabled TV.
Is the BBC iPlayer iPad App everything we’d hoped it would be? Does it make us want to watch Match of the Day on Apple’s tablet every Saturday night instead of on the big screen? Let’s check it out and see for ourselves, shall we?
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Sony Ericsson Live View Software Update Review
February 15, 2011
Last month we had a look at Sony Ericsson’s watch-cum-phone accessory ‘Live View’ and although we had some initial reservations we found it was quite a fun device to use and that it could be even better if it wasn’t held back by a few simple flaws; however just as was promised in our Sony Ericsson Live View Review, they’ve now brought out an update which hopes to eradicate the worst of these and make the product even more attractive.
For those of you that already own one you can wander over to www.sonyericsson.com/support to get hold of the update, but for everyone there are a few additions to the Live View that are worth pointing out as they will probably make the device itself a lot more appealing (and a lot less frustrating!).
Continue reading »Androidify Android App Review – Create Your Very Own Mobile Avatar
February 14, 2011
Forget about your Mii’s everyone – there’s a new avatar king in town! Google has just released the Androidify app on to the Android Market, a really simple, but really fun, application that’s free to download.
The concept of the app couldn’t be simpler: give users a base template of that loveable green Android we’ve been seeing so much of lately, then allow them to change everything from the colour of its skin (paint?) to the hat on its head.
Continue reading »iPerfumer iPhone & Android App Review – Find The Perfect, Last Minute Valentine’s Gift
February 14, 2011
I’m sorry what’s that? It’s February 14th today? Already?! For men all over the country that can only mean one thing: a sudden dread following the realisation that they haven’t bought their significant other something nice for Valentine’s Day. Don’t worry, though! All is not lost just yet. If you’re wondering what to get for the missus then look no further; I have an app that may just save your day…
iPerfumer is an app for iOS and Android which helps you choose a fragrance for either yourself or someone else, by asking you what kind of scents you prefer and choosing a fragrance for you. The concept is quite simple, but may just help a lot of guys that don’t know the difference between, well, good perfume and bad perfume. (As you can see, I am most probably one of ‘those’ guys).
Continue reading »Windows Phone 7 ‘Copy & Paste’ Update Now Coming in March? Do Microsoft Need To Speed Up Development?
February 11, 2011
Well, it wasn’t that long ago that we reported the first official Windows Phone 7 update was going to arrive at the beginning of February. Reports elsewhere suggested maybe January was a possibility, but that came and went with no such update.
It’s now being reported on tech blogs around the world that it will be March before we do see the update hitting devices, but will it actually be happening?
Continue reading »ArticleSearch iPhone App Released – Student Research Made Easy!
February 10, 2011
Almost synonymous with being a student is drinking, living off no money and reading though large amounts of old textbooks, but it is the last of these that ForeMind’s latest app for the iPhone is hoping to ease.
The ArticleSearch iPhone App essentially allows you perform simultaneous searches for academic articles across a range of sources, which not only saves you the time of having to search on a range of different engines, but also the irritating hassle of having to type all your criteria in every time.
The concept is fairly simple: you start by filling out one field (or a form for a more advanced search) and tap search which will prompt the app to gather results from the libraries, search-engines and databases that you have selected. It then displays the number of results in a nice little ‘test-tube’ graphic so you can easily see where the bulk of the results lie; to then access the specific content – which really is what you want to do – you just tap the relevant tube and the built-in web browser let’s you look at the results list and then on selection the raw text.
Continue reading »HP’s webOS Coming to PCs Late 2011
February 9, 2011
Well, I ended the report on the new HP TouchPad by declaring my satisfaction with the maturing ecosystem of mobile devices running webOS. Of course, that only incorporates tablets and phones, thus far, as the planned printers aren’t exactly mobile. However, HP didn’t leave it there, as it also decided that it would be a good idea to throw webOS on its PCs. And I couldn’t be happier.
Amazon Kindle 3.1 Software Update Released, Brings Real Page Numbers To Latest Generation Devices
February 9, 2011
Amazon has got some good news, and some bad news for all you Kindle owners today! The good news is that if you possess a latest generation Kindle (3), Wi-Fi or 3G, then you can head over to Amazon’s website to download a brand new update for your device!
The bad news? If you happen to own a 1st or 2nd generation Kindle, or Kindle DX, then you’re unfortunately out of luck for now, as Amazon has seemingly excluded these devices from the latest update.
So what does this brand new update come with? The main talking point is the addition of real (no, really!) page numbers for many of the books that you own. For years, us early adopters have had to struggle with ‘locations’ and percentages to see where we’re at in our books, which makes it virtually impossible when someone tells us how ‘there was such a good moment on page 319′.
Continue reading »Last.FM Becomes Subscription Only For Home & Mobile Devices – Will You Pay Or Move Streaming Music Services?
February 9, 2011
Last.FM has announced that users will now require a £3 / $3 / €3 per month subscription to utilise its mobile applications on devices such as the iPhone and Android smartphones from next Tuesday, February 15th.
The service has always been free with an optional subscription available for ‘premium’ features, however, the free ad-based model that works well on the website, and will continue to do so, has not been as prominent on mobile applications.
Continue reading »BBC iPlayer iPad App Launching This Thursday, February 10th In The UK
February 9, 2011
Catch-up on demand TV services have exploded on to the scene in the past few years, and BBC’s iPlayer is undoubtedly the most popular in the UK, offering all BBC shows on the internet. The only problem for owners of a certain Apple tablet device, however, is that the iPlayer website plays back content using Flash, which of course the iPad doesn’t support. There are third party solutions and websites available, although they aren’t tailored for use on the iPad, either.
It is, therefore, an absolute pleasure to be able to tell you that BBC are launching an iPlayer app specifically for the iPad this Thursday, February 10th! We first heard news of the iPlayer service going global, via an ad-supported service, back in November last year, so it’s no surprise that there will be an app heading to the US app store too, later in the year.
Continue reading »Things Review (Mac OS X)
February 7, 2011
I procrastinate. A lot. When it comes to getting things done, I need all the help I can get, so when I heard about Things for Mac OS X, I couldn’t wait to get my (virtual) hands on it and try it out for myself.
Things is a task management system that makes sure you always know what you’ve got coming up, whether it’s in the next day or the next year, and keeps you as productive as possible by alerting you when tasks are due.
The concept of Things is fairly simple: you input any details of a task that you have to complete, either by using the main application window, or the system-wide quick entry window, give it a due date if it has one, and tag it with any additional information you deem necessary. You can even add links to files and email attachments that are relevant to your to-do.
Continue reading »iDisplay iPad / iPhone App Review – An Extra Monitor For Your Computer!
February 6, 2011
The iPad can do a lot of things. It can play games, help you to communicate and keep up with the latest news. One thing I haven’t yet used my iPad for, however, is a second monitor.
iDisplay allows you to do just that, turning your tablet in to a second monitor for any Mac or PC that you have. Wirelessly. Simply download the iDisplay app from the app store for £2.99, and then head over to the SHAPE services website to grab yourself the corresponding software for your Mac or PC. The software runs on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard for Apple users.
Continue reading »Postbox 2 Email Client Review (Windows & Mac OS X)
February 5, 2011
If there’s one thing that we have an abundance of in the world, it’s e-mail clients. There’s Apple’s built in Mail application, Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird… the list goes on, so when a company enters the market with a client that costs $39.95 (approx. £25 at the time of writing), how does it compete with its rivals?
Postbox is actually based upon Mozilla Thunderbird, but it packs in a lot of additional features that are nowhere to be seen in its free counterpart. When you first launch Postbox, you will be greeted by a setup wizard that guides you through the setup of your email account. You can, of course, choose to connect through either POP or IMAP, and for most popular providers, this will be a mostly automated and pain-free process.
Continue reading »‘The Daily’ Newspaper iPad App Review
February 3, 2011
Reading on the iPad is a big business. Whether you’re checking out the latest comic book, your favourite magazine or the daily newspaper, there is an abundance of apps to cater for your needs.
Most of these publications, however, already existed in one form or another before the iPad came along. In this respect, The Daily is something completely different, something completely new and unexplored. It’s an iPad-exclusive daily newspaper from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.
Currently available only on the U.S. app store, The Daily contains stories in six main categories: News, Gossip, Opinion, Arts & Life, Apps & Games, and Sports. When you open the application, the latest issue of the newspaper will be downloaded on to your iPad. Over Wi-Fi, the paper took no longer than 2 minutes to be downloaded on to my device, but it may take significantly longer over a 3G connection due to the contents inside each issue, such as high resolution images and embedded video.
Continue reading »Google Launches A Website-Based Market For Android Users
February 2, 2011
Honeycomb isn’t the only thing that’s been getting a bit of love and attention in the past few months, you know! Google today announced that the Android Market can now be accessed from the web by visiting market.android.com.
Using the website, Android users can browse the store, search for specific applications, and purchase applications directly from the website so there’s no need to worry about viewing apps on the internet and then having to re-search for them on your mobile device.
Continue reading »Google Shows Off Android 3.0 Honeycomb Demo At Its Press Event
February 2, 2011
Google has just given the world an up-close and personal look at Honeycomb, it’s upcoming Android operating system tailored for tablet devices, alongside the launch of the website based Android Market. We saw the operating system in a brief promotional video at the start of the year, and most of the news covers what we already suspected, although some interesting details have been released including detailed information on cloud service integration, Google’s new 3D rendering framework and the video chat application.
Entering the stage with a Motorola Xoom in tow, Andy Rubin, VP of Engineering at Google, enforced just how much of Android was completely cloud-centric (like we had to be reminded!), commenting “you could lose your laptop, your phone or your tablet, and all your data is safe and secure”. It’s clear that seamless integration from the cloud is the way forward in an ecosystem such as Google’s, where your phone, tablet, and even your TV may be running the same operating system.
Continue reading »Mflow Review (Update) – New HTML5 Interface & Recommendation Credit System
January 22, 2011
Last May we wrote about music streaming service Mflow and what affects the then new Spotify social features would have on the fledgling application.
Mflow have recently updated their offering and released a brand new web-based application which is currently rocking along quite nicely in beta.
The first thing you notice about the service is the tweaked interface which is now cleaner and more intuitive to use.
However, what is very cool about the update is the use of HTML5 to build the service. It means that you can use any browser and Mflow will work with ease, making your experience identical no matter what your preference.
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