To shake things up a little, I thought we would do a review of an Android app today. We will be doing more Android reviews in the near future, but this is our first. Flyscreen is a lightweight app that enables you to get some use out of your Android device, while it is on the lock screen. The guys who designed this thought to themselves “Why let all that space go to waste?”
Adobe made some noise last week with the release of their new Photoshop for iPhone. Now before I discuss this app, let me tell you that I am a complete photography newbie, I do not use the desktop version, and photo editing for me was always a headache. I was hesitant to open Photoshop for iPhone thinking it was probably designed for those professional editors, and I would not know where to start. I could not have been more wrong.
One of the characteristics of the fast pace world we live in, is that new products replace old ones every day. When a new mobile phone comes out, one of the considerations consumers have when thinking of purchasing it, is what is coming out tomorrow? Will it be better than today? The answer is generally yes, and most good products are replaced very fast. This is true with mobile phones, it is true with computers, and it is true with software.
By: Hillel Fuld It is no secret that the iPhone has changed and revolutionized the mobile world unlike any cellular device that preceded it. This is true about its user interface, its simplicity, and its popularity. However, the iPhone has forced the mobile world to evolve mostly in the software space. As soon as Apple [...]
What kind of app review bog would we be without the occasional Twitter app review? I don’t think I need to tell you about the popularity of Twitter or iPhone, and it is that exact popularity that makes the iPhone Twitter app arena a crowded one. However, although there are probably close to 20 apps to tweet on the iPhone, I think it is safe to say that most Twitter users prefer to use one of three apps: Echofon, Tweetie, and Tweetdeck.
Without taking sides in the whole BlackBerry vs. iPhone debate, I will say that one of the main arguments to get a BlackBerry over an iPhone is its openness, or better yet, Apple’s very closed policy. This app illustrates the point perfectly. BuzzMe completely changes the core functionality of your BlackBerry, how it responds to incoming calls, emails, and text messages. You can be sure that Apple would never allow such an app on the iPhone, in fact, the core functionality change is exactly the reason they gave Google for rejecting their Google Voice app from the App Store.
A common misconception people have about Twitter is that it is a tool used to update your friends on what you are doing. I know the Twitter update box says “What Are You Doing?” and I know that might have been the intention of the founders, but Twitter has evolved into so much more. Twitter is now a platform used by millions to share and access the most interesting and current content on the Web. Many people now turn to Twitter as their news source as well as an easy way to stay updated on the latest developments of whatever industry/field interests you.
One of the very first apps I installed when first opening my new iPod Touch was Fring. Fring is a mobile app that supports multiple platforms including iPhone, Symbian, Windows Mobile, and even Java. The app enables you first and foremost to make VOIP calls on your mobile device, cutting your costs significantly. Until recently, Fring only worked over Wifi, which meant if you were not located in a Wifi hotspot, you could not take advantage of Fring’s VOIP capabilities. As of this week, Apple and AT&T approved the ability to make VOIP calls over 3G, giving apps like Fring even more of an edge for its users.
As part of our one stop shop for all things apps, we will be conducting interviews with some of the industry’s best developers. This time, we interviewed ustwo, a development company that will make sure you are entertained from the second you visit their website till the second you close any one of their apps. Their latest accomplishment, and it is quite the accomplishment, is to develop a fun and exciting game on the iPhone platform, and to do it in no more than 48 hours. Well, when ustwo puts their mind to something, it gets done, and so their new DOT app was born.
It is no secret that mobile consumers are beginning to pay more attention to software over hardware. If a few years ago, a phone was judged by how slim or slick it is, today, most people buying a phone will first inquire regarding the mobile platform and how many apps are available for that specific device. This is of course magnified by the iPhone, Apple’s App Store, and its 1.5 billion downloads. With all the hype surrounding the iPhone and its endless apps, it is easy to forget that there are other mobile platforms out there with some serious app numbers, might not compare to the App Store, but Symbian, BlackBerry, and Android are well on their way.
