MobileViews Blog

In the MobileViews review queue: Slingshot phone camera stabilizer (a Kickstarter project)

todd — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:20:58 +0000

The SLINGSHOT is a Kickstarter project that claims to: Stabilizes smartphone video . . . and more! The testimonials would have you believe this thing works magic and is priced at merely $14. And, to their credit, this product is actually shipping. The PR firm working with the developer asked if I would like to […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

Smule/Khursh Songify for Android released: Android audio latency solved? Not so fast… (Podcast 55)

todd — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:07:19 +0000

GigaOm reported on the first music app from iPhone music creation app pioneer Smule. Music app maker Smule finally gives Android some love It references an interview discussion I had with Smule CTO Ge Wang last year (December 2011) in which he said that Smule had not released Android apps because of the platform’s audio […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

In the MobileViews review queue: Energizer USB Chargers

todd — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:28:43 +0000

OK. I admit it. I am woefully behind in reviewing a bunch of mobile accessories and hardware. It is embarrassing and, unfortunately, rude to the nice PR people who provided these items. So, the least I can do is let people who stumble upon this blog know what is in my review queue. First up? […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

Apps updated for my iPhone or iPad in the past week: 39

todd — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:00:36 +0000

Thirty-nine (39) apps for my iPhone or iPad were updated in the past week. Here’s a summary of the updates that I found interesting. Adobe Ideas 2.0 Free 2GB Adobe Creative Cloud storage (requires membership). Sync to Creative Cloud. Evernote 4.2.0 Improvements for iPhone: Easy access to attachment features. Redesigned on-screen note information. Improved note […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

A dissenting opinion: Google+ 2.0 for iPhone is awful

todd — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:49:41 +0000

Everyone seems to think the recent Google+ 2.0.0 for iPhone update is the best thing since the sliced bread. I, however, have a very different opinion of the updated app: It is terrible in general and provides an especially awful experience on an iPad. The updated app focuses on the evolution of Google+ from a […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

Windows Phone app update weirdness

todd — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:05:29 +0000

I have a SIM-less HTC Surround that is used to try out Windows Phone apps. It works like you would expect for a WiFi-only device for the most part. The one exception is that the Windows Market app does not update software for it as expected. In fact, until last week, no app had been […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 software update delivered 2012.05.06

todd — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:39:20 +0000

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 has only been available in the U.S. for two weeks. However, it already has a software update available. I woke up this morning to see this notice on my device after powering on its display. It is not clear what the update brings. However, Samsung’s notice states: Software and […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

40GB tablet for under $275? 32GB SD card for Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 arrived

todd — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:45:47 +0000

The new Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is a great little tablet for a very reasonable price ($249). However, the price of that price is having only 8GB of internal flash storage. And, only 4.6GB of that space is actually usable for end-user storage. Fortunately, the Tab 2 7.0 has a microSD slot for storage […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

PAC-MAN Kart Rally for Windows Phone: Great looking graphics. WiFi multi-player mode too!

todd — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:00:25 +0000

Fans of “Kart” racing games will enjoy PAC-MAN Kart Rally for Windows Phone which was released today for $4.99. The game has great looking graphics and smooth animation. Kart control is challenging but not impossibly so. The game’s unique feature is the ability to for up to four Windows Phone owning players to compete in […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (7-inch display) running Ice Cream Sandwich arrived

todd — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 19:43:25 +0000

My Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 running Ice Cream Sandwich (Android OS 4.0) arrived. Look for a review and thoughts about tablets with smaller-than-10-inch displays in BYTE soon.

TweetCaster Pro for Android crashing like mad on my Honeycomb tablet. Switched to freshly updated Twitter for Android 3.2.0

todd — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:38:19 +0000

I like TweetCaster Pro for Android ($1.99 in the Amazon App Store and $4.99 in Google Play) a lot. In fact, it has been the default Twitter client on Android phones and tablets that I use. Unfortunately, however, it has been crashing nearly everytime I open in on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Honeycomb 3.2) […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

LinkedIn app upgrade adds iPad support

todd — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:58:21 +0000

I’m not a big LinkedIn user. However, if you are and have an iPad, the LinkedIn for iOS 5.0.0 update is just the thing for you. In addition to working with the iPad’s larger display, the update also provides a New calendar feature lets you see LinkedIn profile information for people you’re meeting with. You […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

Google Docs app became Google Drive on Android. Widget disappeared. Rate going up 600%?

todd — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:00:43 +0000

Google finally announced its Google Drive product that competes with Dropbox, Box, Microsoft SkyDrive and other cloud storage products. One of the effects of this launch is that the Google Docs for Android app was updated and renamed Google Drive. Installing the updated and renamed app on my Android tablet resulted in its widget disappearing […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

Samsung announces Android Ice Cream Sandwich updates 6 month after OS release

todd — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:25:48 +0000

I realize that most people don’t care when or if their Android phone or tablet gets a major OS upgrade. But, I do and have been annoyed by how long it takes vendors to get upgrades out the door. Android 4.x (Ice Cream Sandwich), for example, was released on October 19, 2011 – 6 months […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

Apps updated for my iPhone or iPad in the past week: 51

todd — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:00:23 +0000

Fifty-one (51) apps were updated for my iPhone or iPad in the past week. Here’s a summary of the updates that I found interesting. Animoog 1.0.3 New expansion pack in-app purchase option available. Google Play Books 1.3.0 Bookmark a page by tapping top right corner. Touch & hold to select text. Highlight selected text. Private […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

Time Warner updates TWC TV for the Android 1% – only works on Ice Cream Sandwich devices

todd — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:29:48 +0000

Six months after its release, Google’s Android 4.x (Ice Cream Sandwich) only accounts for 2.9% of the devices that access the Google Play store. Toss in the popular Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook Color, which do not touch Play at all, and ICS probably accounts for only 1% of all Android devices. […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

Note to self: MYK (Manage My Kindle) page

todd — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:11:32 +0000

I ran into the Kindle app registration limit the other day. This is the result of using it on a number of devices over the years. Some of those devices are no longer in use or were test devices loaned to me. So, it was time to clean house and deregister Kindle apps on those […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

Apps update for my iPhone or iPad in the past week: 39

todd — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:00:35 +0000

Thirty-nine (39) apps were updated for my iPhone or iPad in the past week. Here’s information about some of the more interesting updated apps. Bamboo Paper 1.6 Add images to notes. Lock notebooks with passcode. Read-only mode. Bobsled Calling 2.0.19600 Login with email (instead of Facebook?). Show only Facebook friends who are currently online. Google […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

iPad display polarization disappearing display problem nothing new (video from June 2010)

todd — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:10:20 +0000

I was surprised to see this “news” item appear in ZDNet a few days ago: iPads go black in portrait mode with polarized sunglasses. This problem has existed since the first iPad launched in 2010. You can see a video demo of the problem that I posted back on June 5, 2010. What is surprising, […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

Fitbit milestone (for me): 3000+ miles

todd — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:07:05 +0000

Sometime yesterday, I hit a Fitbit milestone: 3000+ miles logged on my Fitbit activity monitor.