The business of text messages is a big one for wireless carriers and people seem not to mind using them a lot. Some of them even text more than they talk, specially teens and pre-teens. But for parents not ready yet to let their youngest own a cellphone or people whose ability to text is limited by their wireless' plan, there is a way to get around that. The solution is the possibility to send and receive text messages without a cellphone being involved. The only requirement is an iPod Touch and the willingness to download an app called Textfree from a company called Pinger. The service assigns users a real phone number and allows them to send and receive text messages for free. Users are connected through Wi-Fi with the only trade-off being the presence of banner ads at the bottom of the app.
With the assignment of a phone number, Textfree has the capability to offer also voice service.
That option is in the works with a beta phase set to debut in late September. Called "Textfree with Voice", the service will give users the option to pay for voice minutes or earn free minutes by performing tasks like downloading free apps, filling out surveys or performing other tasks, according to CNET.
For more, see CNET.com
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Synth and Studiotrack belong to a group of very useful music apps for the iPad.
The iPad has been around only for a short time, but already developers have been busy at work coming up with an array of apps and the results of their work is quite impressive. That is evident in the musical field where a few apps have emerged as very useful for music makers and lovers. They range from virtual synthesizer, multitrack recording program, to a virtual analog musical instrument etc. Here are five of them:
1.The Synth polyphonic synthesizer from Retronyms. Modeled after the MIDI keyboard controller, it comes with over 40 built-in instruments, five control knobs, a modulation wheel, and the ability to choose between five octaves using the octave buttons. The app also have a "sample record" button which allows you to sample sounds using the iPad's built-in mic.
The Synth app is available at the iTunes store for $1.
2.According to pcworld.com, StudioTrack from Sonoma Wire Works is a multitrack recording program exclusively designed for the iPad. It has key features like multi-track recording, a metronome, an effect rack for each channel.
3. Modeled after Korg'Electribe series of analog synthesizers, iELECTRIBE is a full-on virtual analog musical instrument synthesizer that offers a lot of effects, sound banks and a a step sequencer. It sells for $ 20 at the iTunes store.
4.Amateur music makers will find the Groovemaker very useful thanks to its large library of loops that allow users to layer them therefore creating music on the go. It comes in two versions: a free one and one selling for $10 at the iTunes store.
5.For people wanting longing to spin vinyls, Mixr turntable app still in the development, offers that chance. According to pcworld, using the Mixr feels the same as spining real vinyls with the possibility to go back and forth and to cut and mix between tracks.
Still in development, the Mixr app is not priced yet but people interested can fill out a form at Mixr.com and get updated on the development's progress.
1.The Synth polyphonic synthesizer from Retronyms. Modeled after the MIDI keyboard controller, it comes with over 40 built-in instruments, five control knobs, a modulation wheel, and the ability to choose between five octaves using the octave buttons. The app also have a "sample record" button which allows you to sample sounds using the iPad's built-in mic.
The Synth app is available at the iTunes store for $1.
2.According to pcworld.com, StudioTrack from Sonoma Wire Works is a multitrack recording program exclusively designed for the iPad. It has key features like multi-track recording, a metronome, an effect rack for each channel.
3. Modeled after Korg'Electribe series of analog synthesizers, iELECTRIBE is a full-on virtual analog musical instrument synthesizer that offers a lot of effects, sound banks and a a step sequencer. It sells for $ 20 at the iTunes store.
4.Amateur music makers will find the Groovemaker very useful thanks to its large library of loops that allow users to layer them therefore creating music on the go. It comes in two versions: a free one and one selling for $10 at the iTunes store.
5.For people wanting longing to spin vinyls, Mixr turntable app still in the development, offers that chance. According to pcworld, using the Mixr feels the same as spining real vinyls with the possibility to go back and forth and to cut and mix between tracks.
Still in development, the Mixr app is not priced yet but people interested can fill out a form at Mixr.com and get updated on the development's progress.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Amazon announces a $139 Kindle to be available at the end of August.
Locked in a fierce war against some formidable competitors like Barnes & Nobles and Sony and a host of new entrants, Amazon the maker of Kindle and a pioneer in the area of e-readers, has just introduced two new versions of the Kindle e-readers last week. With competitors like Barne & Noble and its Nook e-reader which starting last June was offered at the low price of $ 149, Amazon could not stay on the sidelines too long and watch risking loosing some market share. It comes up with a $139 Kindle version that has the particularity of connecting to the Internet using Wi-Fi only unlike the previous versions.
The other model introduced is the new Kindle 2 slated to go on sale at the same price as the older one or $189. Both new models are smaller and lighter than previous ones and with higher contrast screens with the ability to deliver crisper texts. They also boost twice the storage capacity of previous ones, up to 3,500 book according to the New York Times.
The other model introduced is the new Kindle 2 slated to go on sale at the same price as the older one or $189. Both new models are smaller and lighter than previous ones and with higher contrast screens with the ability to deliver crisper texts. They also boost twice the storage capacity of previous ones, up to 3,500 book according to the New York Times.
For more, see NYTimes.com
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Yahoo Upshot Blog will post articles based on most popular search terms.
With the news moving Online at an ever increasing speed and the sources so scattered, it is increasingly hard for any news lover to keep up with the latest. Sensing an opportunity, Yahoo is trying to move in with big ambitions to become a major player in that arena, with the help of its position as the number two search engine in the U.S. With that goal, earlier this month, Yahoo launched a new blog called The Upshot that will scan its wealth of database to scout for the most popular search queries to guide it post articles.
The Upshot blog content will be written with a mix of humans and automation based by on the result of the most searched terms on various topics; it also plans to include original reporting.
For more, see AppScout.com
The Upshot blog content will be written with a mix of humans and automation based by on the result of the most searched terms on various topics; it also plans to include original reporting.
For more, see AppScout.com
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
YouTube increases its video upload limit from 10 to 15 minutes.
YouTube users who untill now had to settle with the site's 10 minutes limit for video upload, got a good news last week when the company announced a 50 percent increase. The new limit is now 15 minutes and to help kick it off, YouTube is organizing a contest, encouraging its users to upload their own 15 minutes long video describing best their lives to the rest of the world.
Users have untill August 4th to upload their videos and a few winners will have theirs featured on its YouTube's home page.
When uploading their videos to enter the contest, users should have to tag them with
"yt15minutes."
For more, see Youtube.com
Users have untill August 4th to upload their videos and a few winners will have theirs featured on its YouTube's home page.
When uploading their videos to enter the contest, users should have to tag them with
"yt15minutes."
For more, see Youtube.com
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Ways to avoid huge cell phone bills while traveling overseas.
When traveling abroad, there are ways to avoid cell phone bills shocks by just doing a few simple things.
The first one is the most obvious and consist of simply turning off your phone specially if you own a smart one that can access the Internet. Turning it off will prevent apps downloaded in it to roam the Internet without your knowledge.
For travelers who own an iPhone, AT&T advices its users to "reset their usage tracker to zero so they can keep an eye on new charges, and make it a point to use Wi-Fi instead of their phones' 3G services to access the Web" according tp the New York Times. That option may work for casual Web users who access the Internet for light things such as checking e-mails. For those with heavy surfing, AT&T offers data roaming for the iPhone and other smartphones that "provides 20 megabytes of data usage within 90 countries for $24.99 per month, and up to 200 megabytes for $199.99 per month" says the New York Times.
Secondly, if traveling abroad and in need to make phone calls, the first order of business is to get the right kind of phone. That is important because outside the U.S.A., many countries use a different wirless technology incompatible with most phones from the States. So it will be helpfull to check with the service provider to see if its phones work outside the country.
Verizon Wireless for instance do not use the GSM technology generally found oversea. To make up with that, Verizon Wireless have phones designed to work outside the U.S.A. available for loan for free for people that have been subscribers six months or longer.
AT&T and T-Mobile on the other hand, have phones compatible with GSM technogy more prevalent in other countries.
"Another option is to buy an inexpensive travel phone from a company like Telestial (telestial.com) or Planet Omni (planetomni.com). They typically cost less than $50. For example, Planet Omni’s Kit V520 ($49) offers a dual-band GSM phone, SIM card with both a United States phone number and a global phone number, and $5 in airtime. The service allows you to receive free incoming calls in France, Italy, Spain and Britain on the global number, and free voice mail in 60 countries. Costs for outgoing calls depend on the country. For example, an outgoing call from France to a United States landline is 99 cents per minute, while a call to a mobile phone is $1.49 per minute. Telestial’s Passport package (starting at $99) provides free incoming calls in Europe, as well as calls back to the United States for 49 cents per minute." according to the New York Times.
Thirdly, savvy international travelers will choose the option of changing their original SIM card to one from the country they are traveling to. Doing so, all their incoming calls would be free while the outgoing ones will be billed at a much lower rate.
Fourth, An increasingly popular option for making phone calls while abroad, is to use an Internet based telephone service or VoIP. One of the most popular of those services are Skype or Truephone
For more, see NewYorkTimes.com
The first one is the most obvious and consist of simply turning off your phone specially if you own a smart one that can access the Internet. Turning it off will prevent apps downloaded in it to roam the Internet without your knowledge.
For travelers who own an iPhone, AT&T advices its users to "reset their usage tracker to zero so they can keep an eye on new charges, and make it a point to use Wi-Fi instead of their phones' 3G services to access the Web" according tp the New York Times. That option may work for casual Web users who access the Internet for light things such as checking e-mails. For those with heavy surfing, AT&T offers data roaming for the iPhone and other smartphones that "provides 20 megabytes of data usage within 90 countries for $24.99 per month, and up to 200 megabytes for $199.99 per month" says the New York Times.
Secondly, if traveling abroad and in need to make phone calls, the first order of business is to get the right kind of phone. That is important because outside the U.S.A., many countries use a different wirless technology incompatible with most phones from the States. So it will be helpfull to check with the service provider to see if its phones work outside the country.
Verizon Wireless for instance do not use the GSM technology generally found oversea. To make up with that, Verizon Wireless have phones designed to work outside the U.S.A. available for loan for free for people that have been subscribers six months or longer.
AT&T and T-Mobile on the other hand, have phones compatible with GSM technogy more prevalent in other countries.
"Another option is to buy an inexpensive travel phone from a company like Telestial (telestial.com) or Planet Omni (planetomni.com). They typically cost less than $50. For example, Planet Omni’s Kit V520 ($49) offers a dual-band GSM phone, SIM card with both a United States phone number and a global phone number, and $5 in airtime. The service allows you to receive free incoming calls in France, Italy, Spain and Britain on the global number, and free voice mail in 60 countries. Costs for outgoing calls depend on the country. For example, an outgoing call from France to a United States landline is 99 cents per minute, while a call to a mobile phone is $1.49 per minute. Telestial’s Passport package (starting at $99) provides free incoming calls in Europe, as well as calls back to the United States for 49 cents per minute." according to the New York Times.
Thirdly, savvy international travelers will choose the option of changing their original SIM card to one from the country they are traveling to. Doing so, all their incoming calls would be free while the outgoing ones will be billed at a much lower rate.
Fourth, An increasingly popular option for making phone calls while abroad, is to use an Internet based telephone service or VoIP. One of the most popular of those services are Skype or Truephone
For more, see NewYorkTimes.com
Monday, August 2, 2010
New version of CNN News iPhone app is now available to international users.
Even if it has been around for a while, CNN News iPhone app was till now only available to users in the U.S.A. But last week, CNN announced a new version available to iPhone and iPod Touch international users. The new version comes with added features like "push notification" for breaking news and the ability to use the phone camera to capture photos and videos and upload them to CNN's iReport citizen journalism website" according to AppScout.
"The new CNN app also allows iPhone and iPod Touch owners to customize their news experience. You can select certain topics and subjects and "follow" them so you get regular updates on the news and alerts on information that interests you specifically" still according to AppScout. "As you find stories that interest you, you can also save them for future or offline reading, and depending on where you live and the type of news you frequently read, the app will show you news stories of regional interest." AppScout said.
Another new feature of the app is its integration with CNN's iReport citizen journalism Web site allowing users to report on events happening in their areas. They can register right from their phone through the app to either submit material or view some submitted by others.
On top of the new features, the new new version of the app allows users to do all the other things that they use to do with the old one like watch the latest news reports or access CNN videos on -demand etc. The new CNN News iPhone app is free to download from the iTunes store or from CNN's Website.
For more, see AppScout.com
"The new CNN app also allows iPhone and iPod Touch owners to customize their news experience. You can select certain topics and subjects and "follow" them so you get regular updates on the news and alerts on information that interests you specifically" still according to AppScout. "As you find stories that interest you, you can also save them for future or offline reading, and depending on where you live and the type of news you frequently read, the app will show you news stories of regional interest." AppScout said.
Another new feature of the app is its integration with CNN's iReport citizen journalism Web site allowing users to report on events happening in their areas. They can register right from their phone through the app to either submit material or view some submitted by others.
On top of the new features, the new new version of the app allows users to do all the other things that they use to do with the old one like watch the latest news reports or access CNN videos on -demand etc. The new CNN News iPhone app is free to download from the iTunes store or from CNN's Website.
For more, see AppScout.com
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