901am

New Media News Every Morning

OS 6.0 is Upon Us All BlackBerry Users

By

It’s only been a few months since I got my BlackBerry Bold 9700 and I haven’t fully maximized and enjoyed its current OS. But it seems I wouldn’t be able to do this after as RIM seems to be preparing to release its latest BlackBerry OS  – version 6.0. BGR managed to obtained some “official” screenshots of the BlackBerry OS 6.0, running of course on a BlackBerry device.

So, what are we looking at here? First up is the new BlackBerry default browser which if you can see from the screenshot below shows tab switching functionality, new favorites and – multitouch!  The new browser is of course banking on RIM’s WebKit.

What else should we expect from BlackBerry OS 6.0? BGR got them pointed as follow:

New Media Player – Not really as good as the iPhone or Android OS media player, but certainly RIM is working doubly hard to make their device’s media player at par with those two smartphone rivals.  So you got finger browsing capability and touch-enabled playback.

Better Scrolling – More fluid scrolling through lists, web pages, emails and the like thanks to system-wide kinetic scrolling with rubberbranding

Cleaner Message Inbox – Yes, the outdated message inbox of BlackBerry phones are finally getting a redesigned to make it more in tune with the times.

Customizable Homescreen – Again, this may not be as good looking as other smartphones but certainly RIM is doing great in enhancing BlackBerry devices’ homescreens.

Modal Popups Using Gestures – BGR explains this very well, “ If you tap and hold (obviously a touchscreen device is required), you’ll get a 9 icon group centered on the screen which is basically a pretty context menu. For instance, you could be composing an email, and instead of pressing Menu + Send, you could tap and hold on the email, see the popup window, and hit the send icon there.”

Improved Photos App – The new photo app takes some cue from how good the iPhone photo app is. If you’re like me who is also using an iPhone, you’d feel comfortable and familiar with BlackBerry’s new photo app.

So, what time frame are we looking at here? Around June or July perhaps? Oh common RIM, release it earlier. I know you can do so much faster than what you’re doing right now.

Google Maps for BlackBerry 4.0 Updated with Google Buzz and Other Cool Features

By

Google has just updated its Google Maps for BlackBerry app to version for. It’s a pretty big update if I may say so with some great features such as Google Buzz on Maps, voice search, location starring and more.  It’s a pretty cool update, especially Google Buzz which I’ve been wanting to check out on my Nexus One phone but still couldn’t make it run.

Let’s go over to these new features of Google Maps 4.0 for BlackBerry. First off we have search by voice.  The new feature lets you do your search by simply speaking out your search term. Just press the green “call” button, speak out and wait for your search results. As easy as that. The app lets you search for name of establishments, addresses or generic search terms. Search by voice support English and Mandarin Chinese.

Next Google Buzz for Mobile – a feature that I’ve been wanting to try in my other smartphones but failed to execute. Google Buzz for mobile on BlackBerry Maps 4.0 app lets you add the Google Buzz layer to see what’s going on around you as well as post to your Google Buzz account. You can share pictures, news and more. You can enable this feature by selecting Layers > Buzz and you’re good to go with your Google Buzz activities.

Another nice feature of  Google Maps for mobile 4.0 for BlackBerry device is personalized search suggestions. What the app does is to utilize your search history to suggest search terms for your new search. You need to enable web history on your Google account to use this feature on Maps for Mobile.

Once you’re signed in to your Google Account, the app will synchronize starred items between your maps.google.com on your computer and on your BlackBerry so much so that you’ll have the same starred locations on both interfaces.

Other new features of Google Maps 4.0 for BlackBerry include – Google Labs’ experimental features and viewing nearby businesses by choosing a point from the map.

To get Google Maps 4.0 for Mobile on your BlackBerry devices, simply point your phone’s browser to m.google.com/maps.

Avoid the Mad Rush! Submit your iPad Apps Now

By

Come April 3, there will definitely be an influx of iPad applications trying to gain exposure on the iPad App Store.  So, if you are a developer and you want your apps to be among the iPad launch apps, you better start finalizing these apps now and submit it to Apple for approval. You only have until March 27 to ensure that your apps will be featured during the iPad launch on April 3, say Apple.

Apple has issued the following guidelines to help you with your plans of submitting your iPad applications:

  • Build and test your iPad application using iPhone SDK 3.2 beta 5 available on the iPhone Dev Center. Only iPad apps built with SDK 3.2 beta 5 will be accepted for this initial review.
  • Upload your distribution signed app through iTunes Connect by Saturday March 27, 5pm PDT.
  • The App Review Team will review your app on iPad and email you details about the readiness of your app.
  • You wil also receive additional information about submitting your app for final review before iPad ships.
  • Only apps submitted for the initial  review will be considered for the grand opening of the iPad App Store.

So there. You’ve got a whole week to prepare your applications and submit them to Apple for review. Since the it will only be a fews before the iPad App launch there’s a pretty big chance that your application will make it on time. I mean common, can Apple really review all the apps that will be submitted on March 27 thoroughly?

Amazon Outs Kindle for Mac App

By

Suddenly, Amazon announced the availability of Kindle for Mac app. As if sending a signal to all Mac users planning to buy the iPad for e-book reading purpose that they can do the same thing with their current machine.  That they don’t need to spend some precious $525 dollar just to have an e-book reader.  They can do so with their existing machine and with the help of Amazon’s Kindle for Mac.

Now that I have let that issue out, let’s get into the details of the Kindle for Mac. Features? Pretty much what the application can do with its other iteration – Kindle for PC, Kindle for iPhone, and Kindle for BlackBerry.

Some of these features will let you:

  • Purchase, download, and read hundreds of thousands of books available in the Kindle Store
  • Access their library of previously purchased Kindle books stored on Amazon’s servers for free
  • Choose from 10 different font sizes and adjust words per line
  • Add and automatically synchronize bookmarks and last page read
  • View notes and highlights marked on Kindle, Kindle DX, and Kindle for iPhone
  • Read books in full color including children’s books, cookbooks, travel books and textbooks

Amazon also promise to roll out some more features soon. These include – full text search and the ability to create and edit notes and highlights. Kindle for Mac is available as a free download requiring around 20MB of your Mac’s storage. It works for all Intel Mac models.  Ready to take this app for a spin?  Here’s the download link - www.amazon.com/kindleformac.

First Lady Obama Seeks Apps for Healthy Kids, Are You Up for the Challenge?

By

First Lady Michelle Obama and the USDA has launched a competition for developers, game designers and students to develop the most fun and engaging tools and games that will encourage children, specifically “tweens” (ages 9-12) to eat better and be more physically healthy and active.

Apps for Healthy Kids aims to halt the increasing rate of obesity among children which have tripled in the past 30 years which may shorten the expect lifespan of chilren.

If you’re up for the challenge, the Apps for Healthy Kids  is requiring that any tools and games that you will develop be built based on USDA nutrition dataset which is available through the Open Government Initiative. These datasets provide information on total calories, calories from “extras” and MyPyramid food groups for over 1,000 commonly eaten foods.

So here’s how you can enter the contest:

During the competition submission period (March 10 – June 30, 2010), first register here (registration is free) and read the complete Official Rules and Questions and Answers. After you register you must verify your email address via the registration email sent to the email entered in the registration form. You will then be able to enter a submission. Fill out the submission form on the submit application tab, including your submission title, text description, link to game or tool, data set(s) used, and whether you are submitting in the “tool” or “game” category. A picture is optional but helpful. Be sure to read the terms and conditions, and if you agree, check off the box, and submit!

Finally, the prize, not much at $40,000 but hey, it’s for a good cause anyway.