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Top 5 Financial Apps for the iPhone and Droid

2012-05-02T01:40:10Z

Imagine this. There used to be a day where investors had to turn on a television in order to get stock and commodity future quotes. Or if a person was really serious, they could call up their broker and get the latest inside scoop on price movement in the S&P Index, the DJIA, gold, silver, or their favorite stock. In fact, scores of investors used to spread out the financial section of the newspaper on the kitchen table every morning and read through yesterday’s end of day prices for various financial instruments. The crazy thing is that this incredibly primitive era was just about 10 years ago!! But oh how things have changed.

In today’s hi-tech world, investors basically have more information in the palm of their hand than the heads of international trading desks had just 10-15 years ago. With an iPhone, Droid, or similar smart phone, you can set up a cutting-edge, virtual trading desk in the palm of your hand. Here are a few top apps to get you going.

E*Trade

E*Trade doesn’t just make awesome commercials. They are a technology firm at heart, and their smartphone app is incredible. The app is free, and it gives you live, streaming price data on stocks, commodity futures, and currencies. If you have a live account with E*Trade you can actually open, close, and modify existing positions right on your phone. This comes in very handy if you are an active daytrader and you need to step away from your computer for a few hours.

Oanda

If you trade currencies, Oanda is one of the most trusted, reliable, and lowest priced brokers in the industry. Oanda has provided industry best pricing to its customers for over 10 years because the firm focuses heavily on technology development, which, in turn, lowers its cost to customers. Oanda’s focus on technology has continued to be phenomenal as its smartphone application provides full charting and trading capabilities.

Oanda also offers total merchant services in order to control the deposit and withdrawal of funds straight from your phone.

Trade Interceptor

For currency traders, there is no better charting app than Trade Interceptor. This app allows traders to apply various technical indicators, such as MACD and Moving Averages, to a price chart, right on your phone.

Financial Times

If you are going to stay on top of the markets, you need up-to-the-minute financial news. The Financial Times is one of the most respected news outlets in the world due to its focus on unbiased reporting. The FT app allows you to stay in touch with global markets around the clock.

Twitter

Surprisingly, Twitter has become an incredibly powerful source of information. If you use Twitter correctly, you can basically have an endless stream of relevant information directly to your phone. Simply follow major news outlets and private party commentators, such as ZeroHedge, and you will never miss a major market happening.

We are in the information age. A few years ago, information used to be very pricey. Social media and technology have changed the game. Now, what used to cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month, is free, in the palm of your hand. Take advantage of it by optimizing your smartphone to provide you with relevant, cutting edge financial information every minute of the day.

Image credit: SeniorLiving

photo by: kenteegardin

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology journalist and blogger. See more of his blog posts here at racoma.com.ph, commentaries at racoma.net, and Twitter feed at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Would You Like a Nokia Lumia 900?

2012-04-12T19:00:16Z

Nokia has just launched the Lumia 800C in China, and is banking on smartphone sales in this region for a comeback in the smartphone industry. Nokia’s launch of its Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh (formerly “Tango”) smartphone likewise signals the arrival of the WP7 platform for entry-level devices. Will WP7 pose a serious threat to Android and iOS like analysts have been saying?

Perhaps you’d like to review a Nokia Windows Phone handset for yourself. Nokia is offering an opportunity for gadget lovers to take the Lumia 900 (or any other current Nokia device) for a spin. Check out the video below.

Nokia asks what extemes you would go to with your smartphone. I’m not sure if I’ll be jumping off cliffs with my smartphone just yet, although it sounds like a good idea to see how a smartphone peforms under extreme situations.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology journalist and blogger. See more of his blog posts here at racoma.com.ph, commentaries at racoma.net, and Twitter feed at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Twitter, China Censorship & Why Everything Seems to be Made in China

2012-02-02T01:27:47Z

News in the recent weeks involved much of Asia, particularly China. For one, the New York Times ran several features on why every gadget seems to be made in China these days, and how the region has taken middle-class jobs away from the Americans. However, this comes at the price of harsh working conditions, although working in gadget factories in China seems to be the better choice than starve elsewhere.

Meanwhile, another news-worthy issue involving Asia and social media is Twitter’s plan to censor tweets selectively on a per-country basis. Twitter says they are not doing this for censorship, but rather to comply with local laws.

Speaking of Twitter, experts have found out that Generation-Y does not take social media marketing too seriously. Studies say that word of mouth and viral marketing are more likely to sell brands than a social media push.

While tweeting or posting from your smartphone, though, consider that mobile phones are now a big threat to enterprise security, with businesses now being concerned about employees losing their smartphones and tablets to loss or theft, which can compromise data, including customer lists, passwords, and the like.

Meanwhile, if you don’t have a tablet or e-reader yet, consider that tablet and ebook reader ownership in the U.S. has doubled in the 2011 holiday season alone. Don’t wait for next Christmas to get your own tablet. With prices falling these days — and with the Chinese selling a $99 Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet — you’d be crazy not to get one for yourself.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology journalist and blogger. See more of his blog posts here at racoma.com.ph, commentaries at racoma.net, and Twitter feed at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Microsoft to Merge Mobile, Desktop Operating Systems With Windows 8?

2011-12-20T12:17:56Z

It’s the post-PC era, as the late Steve Jobs has called it. tablets and smartphones have far overtaken desktops and notebooks in terms of growth. And given the varied price points at which consumers can acquire mobile phones and tablet PCs (what with the cheap China-made Android tablets), computers are becoming cheaper and cheaper. But Microsoft is focusing on a post-post-PC era. Microsoft has already hinted that its upcoming Windows 8 operating system will run on both mobile and desktop platforms.

Will Microsoft merge its mobile and desktop operating systems with Windows 8? Microsoft has reassigned its chief of the Windows Mobile 7 division to a secret project under CEO Steve Ballmer. But whether this means they’re surrendering in the smartphone market, or they’re planning a resurgence through a unified OS, we will know by 2012, when Windows 8 launches.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology journalist and blogger. See more of his blog posts here at racoma.com.ph, commentaries at racoma.net, and Twitter feed at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Windows Phone 7.5 Mango is Out, Samsung & Intel Release New Mobile OS; Microsoft to Collect Android Royalties & More Mobile News

2011-09-29T05:22:44Z

The mobile industry is in exciting times lately, with news from major players. First is Microsoft’s silent roll-out of its latest Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” update. The update, which will include WiFi tethering, multitasking and improved social networking features, will start rolling out to Window Phone 7 devices starting this week. Availability will depend on carrier and region, though.

Samsung and Intel Launch Tizen OS

The LiMo and Linux foundations have announced a new mobile operating system. “Tizen” will be co-developed by Intel and Samsung, merging their MeeGo and LiMo platforms. Tizen promises an open-source, open-standards approach to mobile operating systems, and will have the support of various networks and handset makers.

iPod Classic and Shuffle on Their Way Out?

Apple is focusing on touchscreen iOS devices, and might discontinue the iPod Classic (with clickwheel) and Shuffle (without screen) soon. The iPod Nano will be their entry-level device. Should I say goodbye to my 5.5th gen iPod?

Barnes & Noble, Amazon to Launch New Tablets

Amazon has just announced their new Kindle Fire tablets. Priced at $199, and with free access to Amazon content, they might just have a winner here. Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble is reportedly updating their Nook Color line in time for the holidays, with both a premium and an inexpensive Android tablet.

Microsoft Extorting from Android Manufacturers?

Samsung and Microsoft have recently entered a cross-licensing deal, in which Samsung pays royalties to MS for each Android phone sold. Google says Microsoft is extorting money from Android makers. Microsoft basically says “Shut up and pay up.”

Companies Now Subsidizing Employees for Gadget Purchases

IT departments are losing control over devices, as companies move toward “bring your own device” policies. 41% of surveyed firms actually provide subsidies or co-payment schemes for smartphones, tablets and notebook computers.

In other news: Delicious has been relaunched. Facebook will update profiles with Timeline. Chrome 14 is out, with NaCl support and security updates. Do you have a website? Turn then into iPad HTML5 apps with Pressly. Will Facebook ever release an iPad app?

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology journalist and blogger. See more of his blog posts here at racoma.com.ph, commentaries at racoma.net, and Twitter feed at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Essential Apps for the Mobile Worker [Check Out Our Suggested Apps for iPhone, iPad, Android & Other Important Online News, Such as SSL Security, HTML5 App Creation & Linux]

2011-09-21T10:21:52Z

Mobile devices are gaining popularity as preferred communication and productivity devices in the workplace. In fact, mobile devices are set to overtake wireline access (cable, DSL) in terms of Internet use by 2015. But before you start using your iPad or Android device as your main work device while mobile, consider investing in a few apps, including unified messaging services, virtualization software, document management and cloud storage.

Convert Your Content Into HTML5 Tablet Apps

Meanwhile, if you’re on the other end of the content production business, you might want to consider optimizing your website for tablet computers. Apps like Pressly will turn your website into a format for tablets, which will include support for touch interfaces, gestures, swipes and the like. No need to build an iPad or Android app from scratch, since the service will do the conversion for you.

Chrome 14 On Its Way to Secure Browsing?

Google has just rolled out version 14 of its Chrome Browser, with support for the Native Client or NaCl platform. This is a secure environment for developing applications in C/C++, which can securely run in their own memory space.

SSL No Longer Secure?

But before you think you’re securely accessing your email, bank and other secure websites, consider that SSL/TLS transactions may have already been compromised. Security researchers have found a way to undermine the confidentiality of SSL/TLS, and even encrypted traffic can be viewed.

Mac OS X Lion Also Vulnerable

Aside from SSL potentially being broken, OS X Lion users might also want to watch out for possible intrusions. Security researchers have discovered a serious flaw in OS X Lion that lets any user change passwords with local access, without the need for admin access.

Linux, Android Concerns?

If you’re a fan of free software (meaning free as in speech, not free as in beer) you might want to think about how free Android really is. FSF’s Richard Stallman says Android still severely limits user control over the firmware and hardware. And if you use Linux, the introduction of unified EFI in Windows-8 certified computers might limit your options, as dual-booting or even booting Linux may not be possible.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology journalist and blogger. See more of his blog posts here at racoma.com.ph, commentaries at racoma.net, and Twitter feed at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Adobe Flash Now Works on iPhone, iPad Through Flash Media Server 4.5

2011-09-13T15:37:42Z

Apple has long stood against implementing Flash on iOS — and to some extent on its portable computers — due to the supposedly closed and resource-intensive nature of the platform. In former Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ infamous “Thoughts on Flash” open letter in 2010, he challenged Adobe to instead focus on emerging open standards like HTML5. It seems Adobe has risen up to the challenge with the launch of Flash-free Flash for iOS.

The lack of Flash support has been considered among the biggest disadvantages of the iOS platform, at least to some users and developers. This has forced some developers and web publishers to rewrite their content to support alternative platforms and protocols. Steve Jobs himself wrote that Flash is intended as a cross-platform development tool, which doesn’t necessarily result in the best user experience.

For end-users, though, it’s simple: We can’t play Flash videos and content on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Most who consider that a deal-breaker would opt for Android, BlackBerry or other mobile and tablet platform instead.

Flash Without Flash?

Adobe’s latest update for Apple devices is essentially a Flash-without-Flash implementation. It’s considered a “cheat” that Adobe has put in place, so that iOS users can run Flash content on their iDevices without even having native support for Flash. Adobe’s Flash Media Server 4.5 will essentially stream Flash content in a format that the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch can play, particularly HTTP Dynamic Streaming or HTTP Live Streaming.

With Adobe Flash Media Server 4.5, media publishers now have a single, simple workflow for delivering content using the same stream to Flash-enabled devices or to the Apple iPhone and iPad.

Adobe’s cloud-based solution to Apple’s holding out on Flash may actually bode well for other platforms, as well. Flash Media Server essentially off-loads all resource-intensive activities from the mobile device onto the server. As such, content rich in multimedia need not necessarily be a resource-hog, and so the concern of reduced battery life and performance has been addressed.

Full Flash Support Coming Soon?

But even with Flash being available as streamed content, Adobe says they’re still working on enabling the “full Flash experience” for mobile devices. Adobe is also implementing a tiered system, through which a more expensive option will enable publishers to run a more extensive feature set. Adobe’s Flash Media Server group head Kevin Towie says the challenge for websites is two-fold, which is “[t]o deliver video to desktop PCs, and to deliver to Apple devices.”

[Flash Server 4.5] bridges that gap, and will give consumers access to more video content. We already offer Air for iOS, which allows developers to create apps with Flash video – and prices for Flash Media Server 4.5 start at $999, for a lower-end version with less content protection.

While the tool will readily work on iOS devices, users will have to wait for the new Flash workaround to be more widely adopted, which might entail some cost on the part of web publishers. Nonetheless, the release of Flash Server 4.5 means Adobe has risen up to the challenge of developing for newer platforms and protocols, and seems keen on keeping Flash relevant even as we enter the so-called post-PC era.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology journalist and blogger. See more of his blog posts here at racoma.com.ph, commentaries at racoma.net, and Twitter feed at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Google Goes Offline [Google Adds Offline Support for Gmail, Docs, Calendar ... Plus More Tech News This Week]

2011-09-01T06:58:17Z

Cloud-based computing made news when Google released its Chromebooks through Samsung and Acer. While it’s certainly novel to run all your applications from the cloud, you won’t be able to do much work when you’re offline. But Google’s latest features will make Gmail, Google Docs and Calendar users happy, with offline Gmail, Docs and Calendar functionality.

With these, Chrome OS and Chrome browser users can access emails, schedules and documents even without a working connection. The free Chrome plugin works via HTML5 to enable both online and offline functionality. The app actually delivers a similar user experience as with the tablet/iPad version of Gmail and Docs, so tablet users will find this familiar.

In other news today …

Search Becomes More Social With +1 Integration

Google has earlier included +1 support in Search. But the big change of late is that the search giant will actually start using +1 data in its ranking algorithm. This gives more value to Google+ shares and website +1 buttons.

Amazon is Getting Ready to Release Tablets

Amazon reportedly has Android-powered tablets in the works. The retail giant will start shipping 7-inch tablets this October, primarily meant as higher-end ebook readers. Meanwhile, OEMs in China will start production of the 10.1-inch Amazon Android tablet starting first quarter of 2012.

Microsoft Windows Will Get Ribbons

MS Office users may have balked at the Ribbon interface introduced in Office 2007 onwards. But Microsoft is implementing the Ribbon in Windows Explorer when Windows 8 is released. This is in the aim of providing a better interface for both mouse- and touch-based computing.

Create PDFs From Your iPhone

Adobe has released a 10 dollar app that lets users create PDF files straight from mobile phones. No need for stellar processing power, since all the conversion is done in the cloud.

Google Warns of Security Breach

Are you paranoid about your online identity and security? Watch out for man-in-the-middle attacks, Google warns. A Dutch SSL certificate issuer has recently been breached, and attackers might pretend to be Gmail or any other Google app.

Are Patents Good or Bad?

This is a pressing question in today’s tech business environment rife with lawsuits. Independent BlackBerry developers are getting lawsuits for inclusion of in-app payment systems in their software. Google and Apple are helping out their respective third-party developers. Will RIM stand up for its developers, too? And the bigger question is this — are patents good or bad? Do they encourage or stifle innovation?

Check out more of my recent articles at CMS Wire and TFTS.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology journalist and blogger. See more of his blog posts here at racoma.com.ph, commentaries at racoma.net, and Twitter feed at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Samsung ChatON Service to Launch This Week; Will Compete With BBM, Kik & Other Cross-Platform Services

2011-08-30T00:19:04Z

Messaging is among the biggest applications in the mobile industry. Whether it involves SMS, emails or instant messages, smartphones and featurephones alike will need to support these features. With this, Samsung has announced plans to launch a cross-network and cross-platform messaging service called ChatON this week.

ChatON will bring text messages, group messaging, photo sharing and video sharing to Samsung mobile phones, and it’s not limited to Android smartphones only. Samsung says this new application and feature will support Smartphones, tablets and featurephones. Samsung will also release desktop and web-based applications in the future, for improved cross-platform messaging.

Knon as “Chateon” in Korea, the service will allow both Android and non-Android Samsung phones (like those running on Bada) support for the messaging feature. Feature-phones will support a basic version, while smartphones and tablets will have a more feature-rich version, which allows users to comment on other users’ profiles, much like social networking sites.

With this move, Samsung will be directly competing with the likes of Blackberry Messaging, although on a multi-platform basis, like popular apps Viber and Kik. The service is slated to launch this week at IFA in Berlin, and will be available by September in more than 120 countries and in 62 languages.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology journalist and blogger. See more of his blog posts here at racoma.com.ph, commentaries at racoma.net, and Twitter feed at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Audi Car Technology Upgrades to Consider

2011-08-23T19:02:18Z

Keeping your car relevant can be a difficult task, even in an Audi. Purchasers of luxury vehicles such as those in the Audi line tend to want cars that are new or like-new, with all of the technological conveniences they’re used to in the day-to-day.

If you’re either trying to resell your car to a top bidder, or simply want to bring your car into this new decade, there are a number of aftermarket automotive tech upgrades you’ll want to consider. Below, we provide a small guide on what may be of most use to you when adding new technology to your Audi vehicle.

Audio Technology

These types of upgrades may be the least necessary, but they’re also the most in-tune with your comfort and entertainment needs while driving long distances. If you become easily bored by radio surfing on your travels and just can’t be bothered with switching out CDs over and over again, you may wish that you could just plug your iPod or other mp3 player in and play your own music. Fortunately, there are various types of Audi mp3 player hookups you can purchase nowadays that allow you to do just that.

Whether it connects your iPod to your car’s stereo system through the tape deck or through another outlet, this mp3 player attachment is sure to come in handy when you need your music and not another radio advertisement.

Map Technology

Some drivers simply can’t get with the times and realize that paper roadmaps and atlases are outdated. Hassling with several maps at once and pulling over to the side of the road constantly can really put a dent in your otherwise timely vacation or other travel plans. With an Audi GPS unit, you can get back on track with a few quick commands to the system.

Audi navigation systems are designed to be easy to use, and are often quite intuitive in finding out the path you want to take. With a whole array of customizable features now available on so many nav systems, you’ll really be behind the times if you still keep 20 maps in your back seat just in case.

Other Car Technology

There are simply too many different Audi car tech upgrades to cover in a single article, but there are plenty to find if you want to browse around. A performance chip, for example, can improve both your Audi’s fuel economy and its horsepower output. If you want something a bit flashier and more visually-oriented, you may want to try installing new gauges with LCD technology that really illuminate your car’s dashboard.

Whatever you select, just make sure your car doesn’t seem like it’s stuck in 1991 all over again.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma