The Mobile Spoon - Smartphones, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone

iPhone Free App: Beep Me – create instant reminders with minimum clicks

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:43:00 +0000

The biggest visual difference between iOS and Android has to do with Android’s widgets, or lack of widgets in iOS.

Widgets are a great way to increase productivity, but at the same time they destroys any chance of having a clean, consistent UI. And this, in a nutshell, is a big difference between Android and iOS.

There are many iPhone apps that are designed to replace widgets. Small, quick, they perform something specific in a really efficient way, and nothing more. I usually don’t use those simple apps and prefer the ones that provides a wider set of features, but there are exceptions.

Beep Me is a small app that is designed to create simple reminders instantly. It’s simple in the sense that it operates almost like a widget: one click will take you straight to the screen that will let you add a reminder with minimum clicks. On the other hand, Beep Me has a lot of features: configuring the time is very convenient, number of repeats, sounds, theme, there are really a lot of capabilities surrounding the area of creating instant reminders.

This is why I like Beep Me. It is well developed, it combines simplicity with flexibility. So if you are looking for a way to create reminders instantly without opening the calendar, or task applications – then Beep Me might suit your needs.

Oh, and it’s free. We all like free apps. Especially if they are good ones.

Mac OS X (10.8) Proves That Apple's True "Lion" Is iOS

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:17:00 +0000

Apple is making a fascinating change to its' Mac OS X, turning it to be more like iOS: simple, friendly, convenient, practical. I recently joined the Mac ecosystem and got very disappointed. Looking at the changes made by Apple I believe Mac OS X is definitely getting an important facelift in small dozes.

Revolution? While it may not look like one – I think it is.

I was never a Mac kind of guy.
For years, while developing software, whenever someone would tell me: "this is how it's done in Mac" it somehow managed to annoy me. After all, who cares about Mac? Things need to be done the "Windows" way, right? That's what people know. That's what they are looking to see.

It took me 4 years of admiration for the iPhone (and iPad) to get a MacBook. It was a combination of the need to learn more about this environment, along with my frustration with Microsoft and Windows, but it was mostly my extreme satisfaction with iOS.

So I got myself a Mac.

To be honest? I'm not impressed.

In fact, I can definitely understand how Apple managed to sell more iOS devices in 1 year than Mac devices in 28 years(!!!). (Hint: it's not just because iOS is a good product…)

So what's the deal with this Mac? Nothing, actually… and that's the problem.

No special "charm" like in the new iOS products. Nothing unique you can claim in favor of Apple. In fact, it even feels a bit old (the fonts, the menus, the buttons size). I admit I might need more time to get used to it (which I intend to do) but as of now, it seems like when it comes to PC – I'm still a "Windows"…

This is why the recent developments Apple is doing with Mac OS X are so interesting.

You see, Apple has a goldmine in hands. It's not OS X. It's iOS. People admire this OS. It's successful, all the competitors are copying the designs and concepts it brings (did you see Android's latest folders feature BTW? It's exactly the same like in iOS…) – iOS is the way to go for Apple. I runs on phones, music players, tablets, and now Apple wants to bring it to PC too.

To make Mac and OS X more dominant in the PC market, Apple slowly turns it into iOS. It's a real revolution, but it is done in small dozes.

If you look at the email app, you see it's nothing like a desktop application. It's almost identical to the one that is running on the iPad (plus some additional capabilities).

Finger gestures are also included. Another step in the direction of iOS. Those things already exist. But Apple is doing much more:

Couple of days ago, Apple revealed some new features that will come in the next release of Mac OS X (called: "Mountain Lion"):

iMessages
iCloud
Reminders
Notes
Notification Center
Twitter Integration
Game Center

All of the items in the list are taken from iOS. Most of them look the same on the Mac! Here's one example: the notes app – identical to what you have in the iPad.

More images and details about the next version of OS X in here.

So this is not a small change. It's a revolution. Apple is turning OS X into an improved, multi-tasked version of iOS. If people will like this approach like they love iPhones and iPads, we are going to see some blood very soon. Microsoft is already bleeding hard in the mobile world, and no one can guarantee Windows is protected…

Apple's move makes sense when analyzing at the company biggest risk:

Reading Ed Bott's article at ZDNet shows that while Microsoft is pretty balanced in its' revenue sources, Google and Apple are definitely not.

Microsoft

Apple

Google

Google revenues all come from one source: advertising. If something goes wrong there, the company is doomed.

Apple is now too dependent on one product, with over 50% of the revenues coming from iPhone. that's a risk. Especially with the tough competition it has with Android smartphones.

With that in mind, Apple is looking for ways to reduce the risk: it can be done by making Mac more successful. Making it more successful is doable by making it more… iOS-like…

Summary:

So there you have it. A summary of my thoughts of the Mac, and where Apple is taking it.

Apple may call it a Lion, but as of now it seems like the true Lion is iOS.

OS X was not the kind of product I hoped for. Not as innovative as the first/second iPhones. Far from being "young" and "refreshing" like I thought it would be, but who knows, it's just the beginning, I might regret I said that, eventually.

Looking ahead, it seems like Apple is pushing hard to revolutionize Mac OS X and make it more "iPhonish". Some will call it the evolution of PC. Others will call it "squeezing" the hell out of iOS, or just doing the obvious; making a safe bet. I think it's all of the above, but after getting all disappointed with OS X and the MacBook, I believe this is a good direction Apple is taking.

Breaking News: French people eat croissant and use iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:15:00 +0000

"Bonjour peut j'avoir un autre croissant?". That's me, asking for another croissant.
Yep. I'm in Paris for a few days. Doing mostly business. But also eating croissants.

There's nothing like baked food, I can tell you that. And if it comes in the right amount of crispiness and with a good coffee, then it's even better (not that there is good coffee around here…). And while drinking, I'm staring at the people, walking around, using their phones, laptops, iPads, minding their own business.

One thing I immediately spot is that there are much more iPhones around here than in other countries I've been visiting. Is Android outlawed in France or something? Looks very fishy… I need to get to the bottom of this.

Lucky you, I did a small research. Extremely scientific one (it included opening Google and doing 2-3 searches).

According to StatCounter.com, Android does not only exist in France, it's actually getting stronger every month. However, based on the chart below, you can see Apple is still strong in France with over 55% of smartphones market which is a huge market-share. Bigger than the average you see in other countries, (which might be the reason why it looks as if everyone around me are using those damn iPhones!).

Nice. So there is indeed something here: While Android is aggressively getting stronger, iPhone is much more popular in France than in other countries…

As for the others? I see some BlackBerries here and there, as usual. the people I've been meeting with were mostly BlackBerry users complaining about their company not giving them a decent phone (how quickly did BlackBerry turn from a business tool to being a sad joke…).

Windows Phone? None. As usual. You will probably get to see a Samsung Bada smartphone before you see a Windows Phone. Did you know that despite the "kind of" optimistic launch of the Nokia Lumia phones, Windows Phone 7 lost additional 14% in market shipments? (resulting in a decrease of 43% year over year…). Another reason to make a change, Microsoft…

And as for myself?

You know my point of view. I never managed to stick with an Android phone more than a month or two. As much as I want to, Android and me do not get along… I always come back crawling to this annoying piece of perfection (iPhone) that gives me exactly what I want in the way I want it.

Just like a good croissant in a cold morning.

UNBELIEVABLE! The end of bip bip (Road Runner)

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:44:00 +0000

So here I am, watching some YouTube videos with my 3 years old kid.

Yes, I know this site is about mobility and not about cheesy family stuff, so let's say we were using my iPad… OK? Oh, and if you insist: Android sucks (there, got the SEO terms I needed and managed to start that old fire again… now let's get back to the story…).

So as I said, we are sitting there, watching some cartoons.

He asks for Batmen – I give him Popeye.
He asks for Spiderman – I give him Tom & Jerry…
After all, if watching The Smurfs made him scared of Gargamel – I should probably soften the crap he's watching, right? Teach him some classics…

And then I see this Road Runner video.

- "You will love this one!" I say to my boy; "It's a nice bird, called bip bip, and she always run away from this nice coyote…"

He seems terrified with that crazy looking wolf…

- "Oh, don't worry, son! He is not evil! it's just a game they play – see?
He never catches the bird, he never manages to… what the f…?!"

And while I'm talking, trying to convince my boy that this is just a funny cartoon, I realize that the horror we are watching is probably the last chapter of the series.

Yes. It has an end. You DO NOT want to see it.

But if you must – here it is.

(Don't say I didn't warn you, though)

Funny Video: GhettooSiri – iPhone 4S

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:51:00 +0000

Siri continues to be a subject for many jokes and funny stuff.

This time, here's a funny video called GhettoSiri, enjoy!

Will you upgrade your iPhone for Siri? You may after you see this one…

Who's Afraid of Siri?

Hey Microsoft, Isn't it the time to replace Ballmer?

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:44:00 +0000

Warning: the following text was written after my Windows 7 laptop gave me a blue screen again, reminding me how I hate Microsoft these days. If you are a "PC", please go away.

While Apple continues to break new records, almost tripling revenues in 2 years, Microsoft decline continues. Few months ago I wrote about the fact that iPhone business generates more revenue than entire Google. Few days ago I read that in Q4 iPhone generated more revenue than entire Microsoft!? What the F...???

Yes. Believe it or not, Apple's recent quarter earnings report showed that iPhone generated $24.42 billion revenue. During the same quarter, all of Microsoft generated $20.89 billion. This is unbelievable!

As a "PC" (most of the time) and a software developer, I'm shockingly disappointed with Microsoft, although I cannot say I'm surprised! Everyone is talking about Microsoft's failure in the mobile space, where in fact, Microsoft has failed in many other areas too.

I'm working with Microsoft's software and development tools for the past 12 years. They used to be perfect for me not too long ago. But lately it seems like Microsoft simply lost its' touch. The company cannot dictate technologies any longer, and in the mobile space it is chasing all the others without any positive sign…

Think about IE10 and its' so called HTML5 support. Is there a reason why Microsoft believes it supports HTML5 when it's not? Maybe there's another HTML5 technology we are not aware of?

How about Silverlight? The mother of all web technologies, this is how Microsoft once presented it. In the good days, Microsoft would have able to pull this one off successfully and destroy all other web technologies. Today I'm not sure even 10% of the readers of the mobile spoon ever had a chance to even install silverlight on their browsers…

How about Windows Mobile? Microsoft now calls it Embedded Handheld and "pretends" to continue and promote it to special industries. What most people don't know is that if you install Microsoft's latest Visual Studio (development environment) – there is no longer a way to develop applications to Windows Embedded Handheld… What does that mean exactly?

But those are just technical examples.
How about 2 scenarios that demonstrate best the Microsoft failure:

1. Windows 7. Despite of all the superlatives it received, the thing still requires a restart every couple of days! Are we back at the 90's or what? Why is it fu<beep>ing so slow!?
As a comparison, I didn't restart my iPhone (nor my iPad) for months. In fact, in many occasions, when my laptops becomes (for some unknown reason) tired, stuck, slow, old, outdated, yesterday's news (you pick the term) – I use my iPhone to do some emails, or check the internet for something… is that humiliating for Windows 7 or what?

(BTW, I used to think I was the only one doing it, but I found I'm not alone in this one…)

2. Typing. The world has progressed. Auto-correction is now everywhere. People got used to it. For some reason, if you compare WP7, iOS, Android auto-correction capabilities with the ones Windows has – you realize you can actually type faster with an iPad these days… I would say that's another point against Microsoft, wouldn't you agree?

So numbers are going the wrong way, technology is not what it used to be, usability is far behind (yes, I love Metro, but Metro alone will not save Microsoft), momentum is with the competitors, how about some vision?

Allow me to end with a quote:
Something Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer said a few years ago:
"There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share.
No chance."

With such an outstanding visionary skills, and great execution, I think it's time for Microsoft to make a change, don't you?

(source)

(Inspiration by BetaNews)

What is the mobile popular operating system in the enterprise? (part 2, based on ClickSoftware numbers)

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:26:00 +0000

This post was originally written for mobilefever, read the full story in here:

Few days ago I tried to answer the question: What is the most popular mobile operating system in the enterprise? There isn't one simple answer to that question of course (although you can probably guess it's not Windows Phone 7, or webOS…).

No doubt, IT consumerization along with the BYOD trend, are reshaping enterprise mobility.

In my "real life" (unlike this "virtual" one), I am managing ClickSoftware's mobility products and development. ClickSoftware's customers are mostly large enterprise companies, with hundreds and thousands of employees, most of them mobile users. Analyzing the changes in our customers preferences, really shows the changes in enterprise mobility.

Old mobile world vs. new one:

The old mobile enterprise world was dominated by Windows and Windows Mobile, with 85% of the companies using either Windows-based tablets or Windows Mobile devices (both smartphones and rugged PDA's). This wasn't so long ago; we are talking about the years between 2007 and 2009, in which iPhones were already very popular among consumers, but not quite in the enterprise.

The new mobile enterprise world, as you can see from the charts, is completely different. While Windows remains in the area of 20-30% (mostly laptops and ToughBooks), Windows Mobile is almost gone. We still see new customers asking for Windows Mobile devices here and there (yeah, it's called Windows Embedded Handheld now…), but the numbers dropped (well… actually crushed!) from 85% to 7%.

The new leaders:

The new kids on the block, at least when talking about enterprise companies, are still iOS and Android.

In just 2 years time, iOS managed to reach 45% (of ClickSoftware joining customers) and today we see more and more organizations building their entire mobile strategy with a clear focus on iPhones and iPads.

Android has also made a solid entrance during 2011, with 24% of our new customers asking for different Android models. Those numbers, BTW, have grown since the beginning of 2012 and we definitely expect to see Android gaining some additional momentum this year despite the familiar fragmentation and security issues.

Both operating systems, provide multiple forms factors. The most popular choices are iPhone, iPad, Android tablets and Android smartphones (in that order). We haven't seen rugged Android devices being used as of yet, although there are already a few alternatives out there.

So bottom line, in 2011 (and it will be interesting to see if this trend continues in 2012) – the most popular OS (based on ClickSoftware customers) was iOS. Windows continues to be strong, along with Android, while Windows Mobile is no longer a significant player, even in areas where rugged PDA's used to be the standard for years.

More Trends:

There are additional trends that we have witnessed in the last year or two: a growing number of average mobile users (20% in 2 years: a natural change due to the fact there are more devices people use and more roles in the organizations that require mobile solutions), multiple devices used inside business units that in the past "dictated" one device model, and more.

Check out the full article in here:

Mobile Operating Systems In The Enterprise - The ClickSoftware Numbers

Video: "a day made of glass", a glimpse at the future

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:59:00 +0000

Imagine we were all living inside a virtual operating system where everything is touchable, reacting to our hands, and fingers gestures, data is dynamically presented to us, everywhere, accessible, always with the right context…

Now, imagine all of that is working on transparent glass…

This is what presented in the video "A Day Made of Glass" that takes a look at Corning's vision for the future with specialty glass at the heart of it.

Notice few of the principal's that exist in all of those futuristic videos: personal assistants are everywhere, car, bathroom, kitchen. Touch is, of course, everywhere. Phone is transparent, and is the basis of all computers, it's like the chip that moves around with the user and "expands" to the surfaces in touch with it…

Enjoy!

About Nokia Lumia 900 and colorized live tiles in Windows Phone 7

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:35:00 +0000

Here's a great video showing the Nokia Lumia 900. Nokia's high end model, and one of the 3 Windows Phone models Nokia released as part of the Nokia-Microsoft mobile comeback attempt.

The video is fresh, cool even, but if you are familiar with Windows Phone you might have noticed it uses an element that doesn't really exist in the current platform: colorized tiles.

Few months ago, I complained about some missing “personalization” capabilities in WP7, as part of an article called: "5 things that Microsoft should do in order to save Windows Phone 7 from dying". I asked for more colors, more tiles options and other ways to spice things up in Windows Phone.

The video below really opened my appetite. Hopefully Microsoft is working on some new ways to make the Metro UI even better, more colorful.

Until then, and until Microsoft adds some other missing features in WP7, I guess I’m going to stick with around my iPhone...

Enjoy the video.

How to turn your web-related activities into an organized, automated machine

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:16:00 +0000

A friend of mine recently discovered this cool site called ifttt (like “lift” but without the l).

ifttt stands for "If This Then That" which is something that most developers will immediate recognize as one of the most basic elements in software programming.

The idea behind ifttt is simple: we all use a lot of web-based services. In most cases they require a lot of attention looking for data or updates. ifttt allows you to define "triggers" that will trigger a push message (such as email or SMS) whenever they occur. Once the trigger has happened, ifttt will know what to do, and it will know it based on the way you selected it to behave.

Got a new message in facebook? Got tagged into a picture? it's going to be raining tomorrow and you asked to know about it in advanced? ifttt might help you…

The service is still in beta stage, but already has a nice collection of web-based services that can be easily pushed to you without having to look for them. On the other hand, most of those services are social oriented which may become disturbing more than helpful.

It will be interesting to see how this idea will evolve and to what directions.

If it sounds interesting, head over to ifttt and start automating your web life in a couple of clicks.

(Thanks Mashram for the tip)

What is the most popular mobile operating system in the enterprise?

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:59:00 +0000

Hint: it's not BlackBerry...

During most of 2011 we all heard about Android activations number constantly growing while iOS remains still, but the 4th quarter of 2011 really shakes that picture. First came Apple's crazy earnings report, then came the report indicating that iPhone is king again in the US and growing faster than Android in many countries in Europe. Talk about a momentum… but that's not all; the iPhone and iPad are both so strong among consumers that they are now penetrating the enterprise faster than in the past. After all, we all feel the BYOD and the consumerization processes many enterprise companies are going through. I believe a lot of those trends can be credited to Apple and the iOS products.

According to new research by Good Technologies, Apple's iPhone is entering the enterprise quickly while Android still creates some security challenges and is somewhat left behind: "iPhone 4S was a new device in Q4 and quickly dominated, representing 31 percent of all activations for the quarter.", says the report.

here are some graphs indicating the unbelievable advantage Apple managed to create in an area that seemed (and not to long ago) like something that is not likely to happen, given that the iOS devices are most of all entertainment products.

There are a lot of additional interesting graphs and pieces of information available in the report. A nice summary can be found in here.

Good Technologies are not the only one to release an pro-Apple enterprise/mobile report. According to a new report from CheckPoint (network security company) and Dimensional Research, Apple's iOS is the most popular mobile operating system in business environments while Android was perceived to have the greatest risk for companies. Read more about this report in here.

Last, but not least - a new Forrester report reveals that around 20% of enterprise employees are using Apple products (iPhones, iPads or Mac's).

Here are some of the highlights made by Forrester:

Managers and execs are more than twice as likely to use Apple products.
Younger info workers are twice as likely to use Apple products as older ones.
Higher income workers are more likely to use Apple products.
Info workers in countries outside North America and Europe are more likely to use Apple products for work.

History of Phones – Mobile Infographics

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:51:00 +0000

3 cool infographics to start the week with (click images to enlarge):

What Apple could do with their $100 billion	Mobile Productivity	History of Phones

More about the history of smartphones in here

Smartphones Market by the numbers: iPhone is king again

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:38:00 +0000

Following the crazy sales results by Apple last quarter, there is a huge buzz all over the world wide web, with all sorts of amazing numbers, facts, and other statistics about Apple's momentum.

Here's some of the interesting stuff I found:

Who Buys iPhone 4S?

According to a new research, 36% of the people who bought iPhone 4S switched from another platform (Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Android), while 64% upgraded from an older iPhone model. Not only that, over 20% of them purchased the most expensive model (64G). Talk about customers loyalty.

Apple is now making iPhones at a rate that exceeds the amount of babies that humans produce on earth every day.

During its' quarterly earnings, Apple announced that it had sold 37 million iPhones in Q4 2011. Those are higher numbers than any other manufacturer around the globe, but more interestingly, might be higher than the world’s average birth rate.

What about Android?

Last time we checked, Android was doing great with 700,000 activations per day. Time to check how the Android devices manufacturers are dealing with this iOS dizzying success:

Motorola Mobility posted an $80 million loss in the fourth quarter. Motorola sold 5.3 million smartphones and 200,000 tablets. Motorola sold 18.7 millions smartphones throughout all of 2011. That's half of what Apple did in one quarter…
Nokia was rumored to sell the new Windows Phone smartphones quite nicely: over 1 million WP7 based Lumia smartphones over the last quarter. That didn't help a lot in terms of numbers the company posted losses of $1.2 billion last quarter, selling 19.6 million smartphones. A decrease of 31% year over year.
Samsung, the most successful Android manufacturer announced its' best ever smartphones sales in 1 quarter. Samsung shipped more smartphones in 2011 than Apple did for iPhones (although the trend changed in Q4), selling a record 300 million handsets (number includes both smartphones and feature-phones).
Read about HTC in here: What's wrong with HTC?

Having fun? Show me some love by following me on twitter!

Who wins the US Market?

According to Ed Bott from ZDNet, it's Apple. Here’s how complete the domination is among this country’s top two carriers, that hold around 70% of the U.S. mobile carrier market:

According to Ed Bott: "Google still has an edge in other parts of the developed world, but it’s eroding. A report last week from Kantar Worldwide Tech said “Apple sales are now growing at a faster rate than Android across the nine countries we cover.” The list includes Great Britain, where iPhone’s share is up nearly 10% in a single year, to 30.9%. (Germany is a bedrock of Android strength at 61%.)"

Mobile in the enterprise – Infographic by ClickSoftware

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:32:00 +0000

Check out ClickSoftware's latest infographic about workforce preferences, ROI statistics, and more than a dozen other facts about mobility in the enterprise.

How strong is the BYOD trend? What are the top 3 barriers to BYOD? Is Laptop still considered to be a mobile device? Mobility in the cloud, the role of tablets and much more – all included in this beautiful Infographic (click on the image to see the entire set).

10 useful iPhone tips you may or may not know about

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:59:00 +0000

I was sitting with some friends the other day, comparing smartphones (you know the "My Android is OPEN" vs. "my iPhone LOOKS BETTER" kind of pointless discussions), when it occurred to me that most of the iPhone owners were not aware of some cool hidden tricks that were recently added.

I decided to summarize some of the things I know of, I'm sure there are more, but hey, we need to start with something, right?

So here are 10 useful iPhone tips & tricks you may of may not know about:

Do more with your iPhone Calendar:

Tip #1: Switch to landscape mode and get a weekly calendar view

Yep, I bet you didn't know about this one; Open your calendar, rotate your phone to landscape mode, and you will be able to view 3-4 days in one snapshot. Oh, and BTW, you can also use finger gestures to navigate between days in case you haven't found this one yet.

Tip #2: Create new calendar events quickly using a long finger touch

I always hated the way iPhone's calendar lets you add new meetings: you need to click on the plus button, then select the date, time, details, it's painful.

Recently I discovered (and maybe it was there all along) that if I touch a certain time slot for more than 2 seconds – it creates an event on the fly. You can even drag & drop it all over your calendar, resize, change day. This is the fastest way to create new meetings, events, or reminders using the calendar. Great stuff isn't it?

Few cool tricks to do more with your camera and pictures

Tip 3#: Open your camera without unlocking your iPhone

Yep, that's now doable with iOS5: just double click your home button and you will see a small camera button. Click it, and you will get into the camera. This one is a basic one I'm sure most of you are already familiar with.

Tip #4: Use the 'Volume Up' button to take a picture

Clicking the camera's virtual shutter button in the middle of the screen is hard, especially when you are trying to focus on the moment you are trying to document without moving… I always hated the fact there is no real physical button for the iPhone camera.

Well, now there is; the Volume Up button acts as the camera shutter. It makes the entire experience of taking pictures with your iPhone feel much more… well… normal (as it should have been 3 years ago to be honest).

Tip #5: Slide right to switch from camera to pictures

When using the camera, you can now easily slide your finger to the right in order to skip directly to your pictures folders.

Tip #6: Do more with your pictures

The default pictures app was kind of basic in the past. This is why there are so many pictures apps in the AppStore. In iOS 5, there's a collection of nice improvements added to the pictures app: you can now create folders on the fly, directly from your iPhone, and multiple copy images from one folder to another.

More importantly; you can modify existing pictures (rotate them, cancel red-eyes, crop your pictures, etc.) without having to download 3rd party apps for that.

Other tricks worth mentioning

Tip #7: Modify the phone volume directly from the lock-screen

iOS 5 added some new capabilities to the iPhone lock-screen: notifications, quick access to the camera, and one additional thing not many people are aware of:

When you double click your home button – it shows the lock screen with two additional elements: camera button (opens the camera directly, without unlocking the phone), and volume bar. The volume bar is there in order to allow easy, accessible way to change the volume without unlocking the phone. You can use either the volume buttons on the left side or slide your finger in the slider. Either ways it means you do not need to unlock your iPhone to tune the volume.

Tip #8: Place a folder with your favorite apps in the iPhone's dock

Folders are great, but what most people need is a way to have more apps accessible from everywhere (meaning: from the dock panel in the bottom of each page). If you try to drag one app onto another app located in the bottom dock area (where those fixed shortcuts are located) you will notice you can't create a folder over there in the same manner you can create them in other places.

It's as if Apple blocked the way to place folders in the dock area. The good thing is that there's a workaround for this limitation: you can create your folder somewhere else and then drag the entire folder to the dock area. The end result is that you can create folders and place them in the dock area, where they will be accessible all the time and from any page.

Is that cool, sexy, shocking, eye-opening, all at the same time or what?

Tip #9: Deleting a single SMS message without deleting the entire thread

Let's say your wife or girlfriend sends you messages with some dirty stuff (never had it). And let's say your phone is used for work, ending up reaching the wrong hands at the wrong time (say, even your boss. Not that I ever experienced this situation). You want to delete some messages, but you don't want to remove the entire thread (it's nice to have it in your recent threads as a shortcut). With iOS 5 you can now click the 'Edit' button (when inside the thread) and select the messages you wish to delete.

No no, don't thank me… this is what I'm here for. If I won't do it – who will?
Oh, you insist? in that case – go up, retweet this article and show us some love!

Tip #10: Type faster using your own shortcuts

Typing email addresses (when you register or log-in to apps or sites) is a pain. With iOS new custom shortcuts you can now make this process much more simple using your own shortcuts.

Suffer from a long email address like I do (try 'Gil.Bouhnick'… it's long!)? Now you can create a shortcut so that typing 'gil.b' will auto-complete the entire email address.

Of course you can use shortcuts for other phrases as well and not just emails and url's, which makes this feature great for faster typing from your phone.

That's it for this one. If you have any additional tip you believe most people haven't discovered yet – please share it with the rest of us. More tips coming soon.

Technorati Tags: iOS,iOS 5,iPhone,iPhone Tweak

DraftCraft - an elegant app for blogging from your iPad

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:56:00 +0000

Hello everybody!
This is a test done by an app I just purchased called DraftCraft.

It's a clean, elegant blogging app that allows you to easily manage your drafts, review and rate them, and update them on the move.

I've been looking for a blogging app for a long while now. Non of them work for me when I'm with my iPad. This one looks better although I already found that the spellcheck feature doesn't work here (just the auto-correct).

The app allows you to add your tags and labels, place images, and save your drafts locally or publish them once they are ready. Lovely!

Capabilities:
Ok, so first of all, you can set a text to be bold... As I just did.
Secondly, you can place an image.

Modifying the images is not yet supported. Hopefully this feature will be added soon.

What about links? Well, as this is my first post with this app, how about we give it a try?
http://www.mobilespoon.net/
Working? Well, you tell me...
There is also a way to mark some text as a link. Let's try it out: the mobile spoon.
Cool!

One thing I already noticed is that the app crashes too frequent. 4-5 times already is a lot. After all, I'm just writing this sort post as a test, nothing more... The good thing, though, is that most changes are saved even if the app shuts down.

Well, that's it for this short review. Cute app, it costs $3.99, and still misses some basic stuff, but definitely has a great potential. I think I will keep it. (well, i already paid for it...)

Posted via DraftCraft app

5 reasons why you shouldn't be checking your emails all day long

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:34:00 +0000

Emails have become an integral part of both our work and personal life. We respond to emails no matter where we are or what we are doing; shopping, going out, shepherding, taking care of our kids, watching TV, working out at the gym, etc. The emails are just there, jumping all over us, waking up our sleepy smartphones, turning on the screen (or any other visual indication), playing those well-known sounds, and we simply cannot restrain ourselves from taking a peek.

A small peek, and then a short reply, nothing serious, then another one, and another one…

It's an addiction.

And most of us are addicted: 70% of employees with smartphones regularly check their emails outside of normal business hours. 43% of employees use their smartphone emails to ease their workload for the following business day.

The problem is that emails have slowly changed from memos into one giant, endless, time-wasting chat which is done with just about everyone including customers, colleagues, bosses.

Here are 5 reasons why you shouldn't read your emails when you are not working:

1. Because you deserve a real break

Sure, it's just email, it's not real work. It's short, you just finish that sentence and then you are free again. Until the next email, that is…

Emails are one of our biggest distracters during the working hours. They encourage chatty discussions over short, efficient, focused decisions. They distract our minds, they make us switch our context frequently.

THEY ARE OUR PRODUCTIVITY ENEMIES!!! (OK, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit…)

The same goes with our personal life. Breaks are important. Spending time with the family, quality time with the kids, hanging out with our friends, neighbors, greengrocer, whatever – those things are important and should not be distracted by an email.

The problem gets even worse when receiving an annoying email that might piss you off exactly when you are trying to have some fun. It takes a second to become upset about an incoming email. It will take minutes (or even hours) before you forget about it.

2. Because of the people surrounding you

They deserve better than seeing you fading away to your smartphone, trying to understand the meaning of the email you just received. It's never fun to be with a person who gets distracted every few minutes. You hate it when people are doing it to you, they hate it too…

It's bad for relationships. It's a bad example of restlessness to your kids. It's bad.

3. Because it's not as efficient as it seems

Reading long email is hard when it's done from a smartphone. Typing is slow (and might have embarrassing typos, especially if you do it while working out at the gym – the fingers tend to be shaky when working out…). Many attachments or links cannot be viewed properly. It can sometimes take the sting out of the bite; you know you have to do something, you know you just can't do it now, but it keeps bugging you.

Reading emails without being able to properly respond from your mobile is annoying, and many times those emails get lost in your growing inbox as you might accidently think you already handled them. After all, they are in "read" status, right?

4. Because of your boss

Being able to respond to incoming emails during your non-working time turns you into a working beast. Every time they need you – you are there - for the rescue! Regardless to the timezone, day of week, holidays. You might even get some positive credit for being so responsive (at first at least).

You are there, ready to add your two cents, ready to respond to a customer asking about something, ready to solve that technical problem. It's great. But it also creates expectations.

Ah… Expectations. What a great word. But a problematic one as well.

If the business you are into is global, and you are answering emails all day long, then the expectations are that you keep on doing so. Before you know it, people will start scheduling meetings during your evening, days off, etc. calling you 24/7. After all – they need you.

Oh, and if for some reason you didn't reply – they might get disappointed.

Your boss BTW, will too. After all - he is, just like you, answering his email when he is not supposed to, and as your boss, half of his emails end up becoming YOUR action items…

5. Because of your career

99% of the emails are tactical/operational ones: issues, red flags, questions, ongoing threads.

Dealing with emails during your free time means your brain keeps dealing with those short term issues instead of getting some rest. Most innovations come when you least expect them to, when your brain is free to think outside the box, not when you are thinking how to respond to a question asked by one of your colleagues or customers.

To innovate, and come up with fresh ideas, you need to free up some cells and clean your head from repeating distractions.

Convinced?

Need help getting over it?

Don't worry.

The Mobile Spoon is here for you. Stay tuned for our second part of this one, where we will try to address some useful tips to get over the emails addiction.

MobileSpoon Recommends: Woody Woodpecker Game For iOS [iPhone, iPad]

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:36:00 +0000

My dad recently bought an iPad. He was never afraid of new technologies but smartphones were never something he looked for. The iPad is a different story though. The size, the internet browsing, the classic advantages. He and my mom are downloading games, apps, calling us to make FaceTime calls with the kids and it seems like they really enjoy it.

Still, every time we meet I need to teach them how to operate the emails, calendar, or relatively complicated apps they download.

This weekend, my dad showed me something for a change (how cool is that?); a really cool game he downloaded: Woody Woodpecker.

The game is a race where you need to tune your speed by jumping between valleys. It's simple, short, requires little fingers acrobatics – just the kind of games I like for my iPhone/iPad. The graphics are great, the UI is perfect. I love it!

Oh, forgot to mention you get to play with all the famous characters. Which is another plus for this game.

So head over to the iOS AppStore and look for the game: Woody Woodpecker.
The game costs $0.99 and believe me – you will like it. There's an iPhone version and iPad (HD) version as well.

Free App Alert: Get Cheap Car Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:04:00 +0000

[Guest Post]

There’s nothing better than finding out a quicker way of doing something that you really don’t enjoy, especially if it can also save a bit of money in the process.
Take buying car insurance, for example. Nobody likes the annual hassle of trying to get a good deal.

Car insurance comparison sites like Moneysupermarket have made the whole process easier by allowing motorists to head to one site to get a comprehensive list of quotes from a variety of different insurance companies. And now Moneysupermarket have brought out the first car insurance comparison app to be launched in the UK.
The car insurance app is free and even though it is initially only available for iPhone users, is expected to be out for Android phones soon. The app is a doddle to use and could see drivers pocket themselves average car insurance savings of £375

Simply put in your details and then access an array of quotes within seconds. Then you can either ‘click to call’ insurers or just complete the transaction on the spot. The whole process of getting car insurance can be over and done with for another year in a matter of minutes.
“The cost of running a car has been increasing markedly over the last few years, with petrol prices on the up and car insurance a yearly necessity for all drivers,” said Moneysupermarket’s Julie Fisher.

“People are naturally keen to take action, and shop around to switch to the best possible car insurance deal. The launch of the Moneysupermarket car insurance app has made it even easier for people to find the right car cover for the best possible price – allowing people to compare a huge range of quotes quickly and easily – anytime, anywhere.”

* Image courtesy of moneysupermarket

How would you call your next Android phone model?

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:34:00 +0000

With so many Android models being released so frequent, it's really hard to keep up with the different model names.

In fact, except for Samsung, which is doing a fairly good job in promoting the Galaxy brand, all the other model names always sound similar, as if they were taken from another disappointing Transformers movie:

Incredible, Legend, Dream, Optimus, Transformer, Magic, Plus, Pro, Prime and so on. Those are all great names, but they sound the same, which is probably a bad thing for the companies who selected them.

Here's an idea: how about calling HTC's next device: HTC FAIR?
Like saying: "it's a fair model, fair price, fair design. It's fair."

Or maybe: LG Passable?
Like saying: "Hey, it's not the Galaxy S2, but it's enough for most of you people…".

LG Marketing team, HTC Product Strategy Group – there's more where it came from – I'm easy to find.

Back to our topic. Here's a site that took the Android phone names seriously and decided to do something to help all of those phones manufacturers in the process of picking the names for their products.

Head over to Android Phone Name Generator, and start playing with the model names that were not released yet.

Enjoy!

The Mobile Spoon Summarizes 2011. Is It Possible That Nothing Has Changed?

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:15:00 +0000

2011 is officially over, and boy, was that a crazy year or what?
Well, actually, despite of all the action, if you think about it – nothing has really changed this year. The winners are still winning, the losers are still losing.

The winners:

Samsung Galaxy – HTC? Motorola? LG? Nokia? Give Samsung a break. 2012 was the year of the Galaxy. A number of amazing models that placed Samsung at the top of the phones manufacturers pyramid.
Google Android - climbing to new heights in terms of sales and activations per day, but despite of all the success, Google is still looking for a bit of personality to its' successful robot, re-inventing the user interface every few months.
Apple iOS – iPhone 4S is disappointing? iOS 5 failed to innovate? Who cares. Users are happier than ever, Siri rocks, and iPad continues to be the undisputed king. On the other hand, the momentum is constantly slowing down; Apple lost Steve Jobs, the stock is not as happy as usual, and iOS is officially the oldest mobile OS in today's market.
Amazon Kindle Fire – sales are rocketing, the Fire seems to be the first true competitor to the iPad. 2012 could become the year of Amazon in mobility. On the other hand, I heard about more people who returned the Kindle Fire saying it's a crappy device than people that are actually happy with it…

The Losers:

RIM BlackBerry – it's hard to believe how RIM, once one of the most successful companies in the world is impotently surrendering without a fight. Try one of RIM's latest BlackBerry devices and you will understand why analysts are not giving RIM a lot of hope.
Microsoft Windows Phone 7 – year after year I'm writing about Microsoft's failing mobile products. I actually bought a Windows Phone 7 devices, I even like it a lot. I'm all in favor of Metro UI, yet it took me 6-7 months and then I went back using an iPhone. The apps, the user experience, the possibilities… Microsoft still has a long way to go.

The Tragic Hero:

Palm's webOS – I'm thinking of all the ups and downs webOS had this year,and I cannot help myself from thinking about the engineers who built webOS and how they must feel about it. A brilliant piece of work that never had a chance to make it in this cruel world.

So you see? 2011 had so much activity, and yet nothing has really changed.

Here's 2011 as it was presented here at the mobile spoon:

December, 2011

iPhone 5 rumors emerge once again. Feels like we've been there already: new design, bigger screen, new materials, different back-cover… talk about a Déjà Vu!
HP announces that WebOS would be available as an open-source project. Yet another zigzag by HP.
Android activations reach 700,000 per day.
It doesn't change the fact consumers and developers prefer iOS over Android.
Microsoft continues to fail in smartphones sales.

November, 2011
RIM continues to decline and seems to be loosing the enterprise world too. Android is still doing great, but is being considered to be "too risky" for the enterprise webOS continues to look for a new home Motorola Razr is making an official comeback with a legendary model. Flash is officially dead for mobile. HTML5 is the new way to go.

	October, 2011
	iPhone 5 turns out to be iPhone 4S. What about all the rumors? Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is officially released. Targeted to challenge iPad's dominance in the tablets world. BlackBerry devices stop synchronizing for 3 days. iPad surpasses netbooks sales Steve Jobs dies

September, 2011
Amazon reveals its' new Kindle Fire. The first HTML5-based App store is released Microsoft reveals Windows 8. It's going to kick ass, but will it be sufficient to compete with iPad? We think of 3 possible scenarios. Regardless to the growing competition, 90% of tablets users are interested in iPads. Mobile Spoon finally reveals what is the most popular smartphone in the world

	August, 2011
	HP TouchPad is sold out. Did HP find a winning formula? Nope, they actually decide to dump all webOS products and sell its' Personal Systems Group. Mobile patents war crosses a few red lines We explain why Android smartphones are just like Tamagotchi

July, 2011
First WP7 Mango devices show up. Will Mango be a game changer for Microsoft? Users are happier with iPhone and Windows Phone, than with Android. It doesn't help Microsoft, that is still making more money out of Android than it does out of WP7…

	June, 2011
	iOS 5 is announced – is it a lame catch-up or a final blow to competition? Android continues to rage, 500,000 activations per day. Windows Phone barely exists… Android vs. iOS, the apps comparison shows Android Market full of crappy apps.

May, 2011
BlackBerry. Chronicle of a death foretold? WP7 sales look very bad. It doesn't change Microsoft's decision to bring Metro UI to windows 8. HP's webOS sales look very bad too. Modu is making a comeback in the shape of a WebTop.

	April, 2011
	The world is in shock – Apple and Google are collecting our information! iPhone products generate more revenue than entire Google. Studying UI - How can user interface change the way you hold your smartphone? Mobile Spoon Predicts: By 2013, Html5 Will Rule Enterprise Mobility

March, 2011
Google is tired of low quality devices manufacturer, ruining the Android code – does not release Android 3 as an open source NFC is here The Mobile Spoon App is available in Windows Phone 7 MarketPlace

	February, 2011
	Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) is released, targeted to challenge iPad's domination in the tablets world. (Didn't I just said that?) Android activations per day reach 400,000!
	Palm/HP is back! TouchPad, Pre3, and Veer are announced. Is there still hope for webOS? Windows Mobile future is a bit blurred…

January, 2011
RIM's decline seems inevitable: even Windows Phone 7 is considered to be more attractive than BlackBerry. iPhone 5 rumors begin; new design, bigger screen, new materials, different back-cover… talk about a Déjà Vu!

What a year! So much action, yet so little have changed.

Here are some of the most popular articles of 2011:

2011 is officially over now. Thank you all for reading the mobile spoon. See you all next year!

Happy new year,

Gil Bouhnick, The Mobile Spoon.

How to push your RSS Feeds to your Notification Center using Push? [iPhone]

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 22:06:00 +0000

As part of my attempts to turn my iPhone Notification Center into a all-in-one productivity tool, I spent some time looking for a News Reader with Push Notifications.

My requirements were fairly straightforward:

An iPhone RSS Reader App, with Google Reader support, and Push Notifications.

Let's write it one more time (mainly for SEO's purposes and my personal fun):

RSS Feeds with Push Notifications, and Google Reader support for iPhone!

I tried many great RSS Readers, but most of them do not support Push Notifications. The reason is that in order to have Push Notifications the application needs to have a dedicated server, and that design typically conflicts with the simple RSS engine approach.

Focusing on the push capabilities, I managed to find a few nice RSS Reader apps with push capabilities. I actually purchased them for the sake of the research, (and got very disappointed from some of them) – but eventually I found the winning one!

RSS2Push – Disqualified.

A free app that allows you to manually subscribe to RSS feeds. I've tested it for a while, and the push does work for the RSS Feed, however, the app is limited to only one site subscription! (What's that?) It says something about a full version available in the AppStore, but no details are given as to how to get it… brrr… that was enough for me to disqualify this option. Next please…

FeedRunner – The Crashing One

Did you ever purchase an app just to find out it doesn't work? I just did. And – I paid good money for it too ($2.99?? that's much more than $1.99!). FeedRunner looks great in pictures, I was positive that would be my winning app. The only problem is – it crashes all the time (5 seconds after loading to be more accurate). How bad is it? It cannot be used. The crashes are consistent, the app is currently not working (for me at least, I'm sure the developers will fix it soon).
For now, FeedRunner wins the doubtful category of "the crashing one".

BlogKeen – Almost?

BlogKeen is another app for reading news and RSS feeds. It has a great user interface and it works well. It lets you configure "push notifications" for certain feeds, however – you cannot view them in your Notification Center (only lock screen is supported).
Besides that limitation, I think BlogKeen (free app) is a solid RSS Reader with some cool additions too, but there are better news readers out there with more sophisticated features. As I was looking to the complete push experience and this app doesn't show the pushed messages in the Notification Center – it is still lacking.

Feed Push – Good Enough (and free!)

Feed Push is a free app that lets you import specific sites from your Google Reader and set them to a "push" mode. It's working for the most parts, unfortunately the push itself is a bit clunky. The UI is not the strongest side of this app, but at least you can manage your subscriptions in a nice manner.

I am still testing this app, I like it, but something is not perfect with it. For now, Feed Push is almost the best one in my list, with a good potential to become the champion in one of the next releases. It's free, so you should give it a shot.

BoxCar – The Interesting One

BoxCar is a well known iPhone app. It lets you subscribe to a huge list of services and get notified via push notifications whenever something changes in one of those services. It's an all-included Push machine, and it looks like a killer app.

Unfortunately for my humble needs (following some RSS Feeds using push) it never worked. I subscribed to a variety of blogs and got no push notification…
Still, I recommend checking out BoxCar (it's a free app) – you may find one of the included services to be useful.

You can read more about BoxCar for iPhone in here: Boxcar 2.0 Is A Must-Have For the iPhone. It's The Best Push Notification App Yet.

Push Reader – The champ

Push Reader for iPhone is the best RSS Reader with Google Reader integration and fully configurable Push Notifications.

Yes, I know, the UI is not perfect, and you cannot see thumbnails of the images in those RSS lists. You can definitely find better RSS Readers. However, as I was looking for a way to get those RSS notifications to my lock screen and notification center, almost in real-time – this app gives the best value for money (and it does cost $1.99).

You can define when will the push mechanism work (and define a "night mode" when you are sleeping) and you can import all of your Google Reader subscriptions and select only few ones to be pushed to you.

The app still has some areas to improve, but for this list of RSS Readers with Push Notifications capabilities – Push Reader is the champion.

Terms you may have been looking for:

How to push RSS Feeds to your iPhone, RSS feeds in notification Center, How to push RSS feeds? Push Notifications with Google Reader, Google Reader RSS in Notification Center

Technorati Tags: iPhone App,Push Notifications,iOS 5,Notification Center

Who's Afraid of Siri?

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:06:00 +0000

Happy holidays season! Here's a great video to celebrate those great holidays, by RoosterTeeth.

Enjoy!

Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Smartphones war by the numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:40:00 +0000

700,000 Android devices are activated every day. Got that? 700,000 more people every day are using Android!

As a comparison;

iOS has 275,000 activations per day,
Windows Phone 7 has something like 29 activations per day (oh wait, actually it's 29 activations every week, not day… sorry…)

What an amazing momentum: half a year ago the numbers stood on 400,000. In June it went up to 500,000 and in July it was 550,000.

However, when taking into considerations some other statistics from the mobile world…

Here are the real numbers:

Every day, 350,000 people around the globe are making a small decision that will make them unhappy.
210,000 confused consumers go back to their mobile store every day asking for a real iPhone.
Summarizing Android, iOS, BlackBerry - there are 1 million smartphones operating systems activated daily (that's 1,000,029 if you include Windows Phone 7 as well).

Having fun? Here are some more:

AT&T is selling 100,000 new smartphones every day
Samsung broke its' own record selling 300 million mobile phones (not just smartphones) during 2011. Average of over 800,000 units per day. (source)

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Want to see Siri plays the piano? You don't? Oh, stop it! You know you do!

noreply@blogger.com (Gil Bouhnick) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:24:00 +0000

Cool? Weird? Stupid? People are so obsessed with that Siri stuff, and it just doesn't stop.

Here's Siri playing the piano… Yep, I kind of feel silly to even write it.., but that's what it does… here's the video if you do not believe me.

Click here if you are interested to understand how this is working…