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New Media News Every Morning

Lunchwalla Checks-In at Foursquare Not Gowalla

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For awhile I thought Lunchwalla which we featured not so long ago was related to Gowalla. So, It was quite surprising to know that the site which lets you organize everyday social events like breakfast, lunch, dinner, movies and more has integrated with Foursquare. So this means that aside from voting in on what to do, you can now check-in when you get to the events you helped organized.

If you’re a regular Foursquare user and have also used Lunchwalla before, this integration would complement each other now. Meaning, all the check-ins you make on the events you organized or helped organized through Lunchwalla will be counted to your quest for mayorship of the place where the event was held. This is in addition to the fact that your check-in appears on your Foursquare profile which you can also display as an update to your Facebook profile. It’s like hitting three social networking sites with one check-in.

Best of all, if you’ve got hooked into Lunchwalla since we’ve featured it on this blog, you must be earning Lunchwalla points right now.  Of course, you still remember that those Lunchwalla points can earn you some schwags from participating merchants, right?

And while we’re at it, the Foursquare – Lunchwalla integration also lets you import your Foursquare friends into your Lunchwalla contacts list. So, planning events and coordinating them with your friends is now easier.

Incidentally, Lunchwalla is holding a gig right now which might earn you free tickets to see Iron Man 2. So, if you haven’t checked Lunchwalla yet, this gig might entice you to start using Lunchwalla.

Originally posted on May 3, 2010 @ 4:56 pm

Google Intros New Versions of Docs, Spreadsheets and Drawings

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Google is surely prepping up its online collaboration tools to become a formidable force in the cloud computing space.  Gradually being rolled out today are new versions of its Google Docs, Spreadsheets and Drawings online collaboration tools.

According to Google, the new versions of  these tools were completely rebuilt to give more flexibility, improved performance and better platform to allow them to develop more features quickly.

So new for Google Docs is a more responsive, real-time editing experience. The same features that Google Spreadsheets has right now which allows you to see character-by-character changes as you edit your documents. A new sidebar chat was also added to let you discuss documents with your colleagues as you work on documents. The new Google Docs architecture also brings forth improved document formatting with better import/export fidelity, revamped comment system, real margins and tab stops and improved image layout within documents.

Google has also enhanced its Spreadsheets tool with speed and performance boosts. It also now features formula for cell editing, auto-complete, drag and drop columns and simpler navigation between sheets.

Finally, Google is also rolling out a new standalone drawings editor that allows you to collaborate in real time on flow charts, designs, diagrams and other fun or business graphics. You can copy these stuff using the web clipboard to docs, spreadsheets and presentations or you can also share and publishe your drawings just like any Google docs files.

To try out these features, simply click on “New Version” at the top of any spreadsheet or go to “Document Settings” page and choose “New version of Google documents.”

Originally posted on April 12, 2010 @ 4:05 pm

Twitter Tweaks its Homepage a Bit

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In case you’re visiting Twitter.com right now and you happen to be not signed in to your account, don’t be surprise to see a different Twitter.com homepage (see image above).  Twitter has just rolled a new interface design for its homepage, this is the main page that you see when you’re not logged in to Twitter.com.

Actually in terms of look and feel the new Twitter.com homepage is not really that different from the old design.  The large blue banner on top of the page is still there, although some phrases and branding statement where tweaked a bit.

Here’s  the old Twitter.com:

If you’re a keen observer, the first thing that you notice is the change in the Twitter tagline – from “Share and discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world” to “What’s happening anywhere in the world, right now.” Obviously the word “share” was omitted. The Twitter blog didn’t directly give an explanation, although a line in the post announcing this change might have suggested the reason for deleting “share” from the tagline.

All of our recent changes embrace the notion that Twitter is not just for status updates anymore. It’s a network where information is exchanged and consumed at a rapid clip every second of the day. With so much being shared, we know that there’s something of value for everyone. People who internalize the value of Twitter understand the power of this simple medium. But it hasn’t been easy to make that value transparent or obvious for curious folks coming to Twitter for the first time.

In other words, Twitter is trying to underscore the “sharing” aspect of Twitter and highlights the fact that Twitter is now a place were discussions among Twitter members are held, what people are tweeting about, and who are the Twitter members who just visited Twitter.com.

So below the huge blue-themed banner on top, you’d see dynamic content highlighting the top tweets at Twitter right now as well as some famous Twitter members.

Generally, Twitter wants to give first time Twitter.com visitors some compelling reasons to sign up for Twitter while maintaining interests among current members.

Originally posted on March 30, 2010 @ 5:11 pm

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

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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.

Originally posted on April 7, 2010 @ 5:02 pm

Palm’s Dynamic Duo, Pre Plus and Pixi Plus Go to AT&T

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Knowing the lackluster performance of Palm’s dynamic duo, the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus did not discourage AT&T from getting the two smartphones. AT&T just announced that it will be releasing the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus with all the goodness of WebOS under its various data plans.

And are these data plans enticing enough to convince you in getting one if not both of these phones? Let’s see.  AT&T is offering the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus for just $149.99 with $49.99 discount and a $100 mail-in rebate if you opted for a two-year contract.  You will also get AT&T Wi-Fi access at U.S. hotspots as part of their unlimited data plan.

Both Pre Plus and Pixi Plus will support AT&T services such as AT&T Navigator, AT&T Address Book, YPMobile for finding local businesses. And of course, you’d also get to enjoy the specs and features of both Pre Plus and Pixi Plus smartphones running on Palm webOS.  Among these features as multitasking on apps, Palm Synergy, unobtrusive notifications, and universal search.

In addition, Palm webOS apps can be integrated into core webOS functionalities includng contacts, layered calendars, notifications and GPS. You might as well add the rich catalog of apps available at the Palm webOS applications store.

So, what will it be? Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus on AT&T or Google Nexus One?

Originally posted on March 22, 2010 @ 6:03 pm