End User

Amazon Appstore Opens Its Doors, Offers Free Angry Birds Rio

Today's smartphones and tablets are marvels of hardware engineering with increasing power from one generation to the next. But really, apps are what make the device. And a new app--whether it be for fun, productivity, or location sharing--can completely transform the way you use your mobile device. Yet discovering that new gem can be both cumbersome and frustrating, with a seemingly never-ending stream of new titles and just a couple of screenshots to get a feel for what the app can do for you.

Amazon wants to make app shopping for Android users easier with its new Amazon Appstore for Android, which officially opened its doors last week. There you'll find a wide selection of bestselling titles--including Pac-Man, Doodle Jump Deluxe, Evernote, WeatherBug Elite, Zagat to Go, and Twitter--for both Android-powered mobile phones and tablets. But Amazon also provides access to Test Drive, a great way to try apps out before plunking down your credit card and a feature that Engadget says "may be the most significant part" of the Appstore's introduction.

Accessed through the browser on your desktop computer, Test Drive enables you to explore an Android app to discover the actual experience of the app's functionality or gameplay instead of relying on static screenshots. But the best part is it's not stock footage encapsulated in a Flash video--you actually control the app through your computer via a simulated Android phone using your mouse.

And because you're shopping for apps through Amazon, you'll get the full Amazon shopping experience with personalized recommendations, customer reviews, and secure 1-Click payment options. Additionally, you can use apps purchased from the Amazon Appstore on any of your compatible Android devices--phone or tablet--hewing to the Kindle philosophy of "buy once, and read anywhere."

For a limited time, the highly anticipated Angry Birds Rio for Android is available ad-free in the Amazon Appstore for free. Additionally, you'll find a new paid app for free every day, right at the top of the page.

Speaking of those annoyed avians, the original Angry Birds and Angry Birds Seasons can be purchased for the first time on the Android platform in ad-free versions exclusively in the Amazon Appstore.

So head on over to the new Amazon Appstore and find your new favorite app today. While there, you can also download the Amazon Appstore app to your Android phone. And be sure to check back every day to see the free app of the day (to simplify things, you can like Amazon Appstore on Facebook or follow it on Twitter).

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Amazon Keeps Dealing Out the Apps

Amazon.com has been busy in the mobile app space the last couple of months, and today it releases its newest app for the iPhone. The Amazon Deals app enables you to keep track of daily deals from the Amazon.com Gold Box, where you'll find the Deal of the Day as well as limited-time lightning deals that appear throughout the day--everything from electronics to sporting goods to shoes. It's compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch, and while it will also work on the iPad, the app has been designed for the iPhone's screen.

When you open up the app, you'll see the Deal of the Day highlighted in the initial bubble, and swiping your finger to the left reveals currently available lightning deals--each with a countdown clock and the number of available items remaining. Tapping on one of the bubbles brings up its product details and customer reviews. With the Deal of the Day, you can add the item to your cart or choose two-day or overnight shipping if you have Amazon Prime.

With lightning deals, you only have the ability to add the item to your Amazon cart. Once you do, you're reminded of the remaining time left to claim that deal (a countdown badge also appears over the cart's icon at the bottom of the screen). Note that if you do claim a lightning deal by adding it to your cart and you subsequently delete it from your cart, you can't go back and re-claim the deal--so be careful when editing your cart on your iPhone!

And if you find a deal that might not be for you, but is perfect for a friend, you can send the deal to someone directly via e-mail or text message. Additionally, you can post the deal to your Facebook or Twitter accounts to reach a wider audience of friends. Other features include a complete access to your Amazon cart (including other items you may have placed in there previously) and a view of lightning deals that are coming up later in the day (actual provides a hint to entice you to check back later).

You can read more about the Amazon Deals app at www.amazon.com/dealsapp or download it directly form the iTunes App Store.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Windows Phone 7 Gets Unleashed

This week, Microsoft gets itself back on track in the smartphone field with the release of several highly anticpated phones loaded with its new operating system--Windows Phone 7. And while there are complaints about the (frankly understandable) low level of available apps right out of the blocks (2,000 versus 100K for Android and 300K for iPhone) and the lack of copy-and-paste (promised for an update in a "matter of weeks"), it's been garnering some promising reviews. In particular, the the rather Zune-like hub and tile interface has been pretty well received. Walt Mossberg likes the "novel and attractive" interface:

Instead of multiple screens filled with small app icons, or the occasional widget, Windows phones use large, dynamic tiles that can give you certain information, like your next appointment, at a glance. And it has special “hubs” for things like contacts and entertainment that use bold, attractive interfaces and offer personalized, updating information.

David Pogue at the NYTimes fleshes out the UI a bit more:

These big, finger-friendly tiles are also informative. A number on a tile tells you how many voice mail messages, e-mail messages or app updates are waiting. The music tile shows album art, the calendar tile identifies your next appointment, and so on.
[...]
Several apps are "hubs" -- more ambitious, multiscreen programs, like Pictures, People or Office. How do you know that you can swipe to view the next panel? Because you see the edge of the next "page" peeking out from the edge of the screen. Clever.

And while Windows phones in the past have been primarily targeted at business professionals, the new Windows Phone 7 phones are really targeted at non-business-y consumer users, what with access to Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming service and Zune music subscription service. But fear not, road warriors--the WP7 phones comes with a built-in Office suite that can also link to Microsoft's SharePoint online file sharing scheme.

But what about the phones? Because of Microsoft's tight requirements for minimum specifications, there's not a whole lot to differentiate the models from a spec point of view. On the other hand, these baseline specs are pretty darn impressive: 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, an 800 x 480-pixel capacitive touchscreen with multi-touch capabilities, 8 GB of onboard storage, GPS, 5-megapixel camera, microSD memory expansion, and Wi-Fi networking.

Ultimately, what separates the various phones are the spec tweaks (ranging from surround sound speakers on the HTC Surround to the slide-out keyboard of the LG Quantum) and bonuses that each company (or carrier) throws at their phones.

For instance, AT&T is providing an entertainment pack for its WP7 owners that includes 30 days of free Zune Pass music subscription service and 30 days of free U-verse Mobile TV streaming, as well as a free download of the ilomilo. Meanwhile, T-Mobile is all about the mobile multimedia, with pre-loaded apps for Netflix and Slacker Radio as well as access to T-Mobile TV streaming video service on the HTC HD7.

Additionally, those who choose the LG Quantum will be able to download "a selection of 10 free apps (valued at about $30 a bundle) via their LG Application Store every 60 days" (via MobileCrunch).

Here are the current crop of Windows Phone 7 phones available for ordering now at Amazon, with some of their key differentiators:

Models	HTC Surround	LG Quantum	Samsung Focus	HTC HD7
Carrier
Screen	3.8 inches	3.5 inches	4 inches (Super AMOLED)	4.3 inches
Keyboard	Onscreen	Onscreen + slide-out QWERTY	Onscreen	Onscreen
Internal Memory	8 GB	16 GB	8 GB	16 GB
RAM Memory	576 MB	256 MB	256 MB	576 MB
Surround Sound Speakers		--	--	--
DLNA Capable	--		--	--
Wi-Fi	Wireless-N	54g	Wireless-N	Wireless-N
Talk Time	Up to 4 hours	Up to 6 hours	Up to 6.5 hours	Up to 6.3 hours

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Something for the Weekend: Kickstart an iPhone Accessory

A couple months ago, I was introduced to the Kickstarter concept by a friend of mine who was looking to head into the studio to produce a full-blown album. If you're not familiar, Kickstarter is a micropatronage/crowdfunding site that uses the Web to garner microdonations to fund creative projects--whether it be music, a comic book version of James Joyce's Ulysses, or a vegetarian festival in northern Florida. Rather than find just a couple backers (i.e., banks, parents), Kickstarter spreads out the donation seeking to a wider audience where the dollar amounts can be more reasonable (i.e., in line with what you might give to your local NPR station).

Not every proposal to Kickstarter goes up on the site, and not everything gets funded. If a pre-set goal isn't met, the funds that have been pledged won't be collected and the project's originator goes back to square one. (Happily, my friend's album project was funded and has since been completed and released.)

Since I made donations to my friend's project, I'm on the Kickstarter mailing list, and this week one project caught my eye--an iPhone 4 tripod mount/stand:

As you can see it's very simply designed, but as with some very simple designs it's very adaptable to other uses. According to my pal Glenn Fleishman over at The Economist's Babbage blog, the duo behind the Glif were pretty sure they'd be able to make their $10,000 pledge level... but were astounded when they rocketed past that level (as of Friday afternoon, they're above $83K in pledges). You can pledge in any amount, but a $20 pledge essentially acts as a pre-order for once it's manufactured (I've put in mine). Glenn also adds some interesting background on how the design was created and tested:

They started with a computer model of the adapter, created with Rhinoceros 3D design software. The software is $995 for Windows, but they used the beta test version for Mac OS X, which is free. They tested their designs through rapid prototyping, uploading files to Shapeways in the Netherlands. It took about ten days for Shapeways to "print" each prototype in 3D, and a day later it would be in the designers' hands in New York. Shapeway charges by material volume, so each each Glif test cost about $10. They would try out a few variants each time just to meet a $25 minimum.

So check out the Glif and other possible projects over at Kickstarter this weekend. Some other items to ponder while chilling on the couch with your laptop or iPad:

• Become a master of your web browser in seven steps (Bridging the Nerd Gap)

• The reason why vinyl records are 12 inches in diameter (NPR)

• A trip down memory lane through mobile smartphone evolution (Ars Technica)

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Hands-Free Mobile Video Recording with Your Cell Phone

One of the features that you find on just about any mobile phone these days is the ability to capture video (as well as still images). However, you have to think about wanting to record something, open up the camera, and then point and start shooting--which can make you less of a participant in the action that's going on around you. What if your mobile videography could be even simpler?

Enter the Looxcie (pronounced "look-see"), a video camera that's been affixed to an earpiece that resembles a Bluetooth headset. And you don't even have to worry about starting and stopping video recording. Just put it on your ear, press the start button, and the Looxcie will continuously record all the action that you see for up to 5 hours. When it reaches the end of its video capacity, it will automatically purge the oldest material. And when you come across specific moments that you know you'll want to save, you can press an Instant Clip button on the bottom of the camera to save a clip that lasts up to 30 seconds.

You can transfer the video stored on the Looxcie over to your PC or Mac for editing longer clips from the complete footage (it's encoded in MP4 format), so you're not wholly reliant on the 30-second clip function.

And using the Looxcie's Bluetooth connectivity (yes, it does have it), you can connect to a Looxcie app available for select Android OS smartphones, which provides a live viewfinder (also good for optimizing the positioning of the earpiece) and allows you to create clips from stored video. Additionally, you can then share clips via e-mail or uploading to social networking sites and YouTube.

Speaking of Bluetooth, the Looxcie does indeed communicate with your phone as a communication headset (via the embedded hands-free profile), and it includes dual microphones for noise cancellation capabilities (i.e., you'll sound better to the callers on the other end). And the Bluetooth communication capability is available even as you're capturing video.

Here's a good demonstration of what you can do with a Looxcie from a video posted over at TechCrunch:

The Android app is currently supported by the following phones (with more to come throughout the fall):

HTC Aria (AT&T) HTC Droid Incredible (Verizon) HTC EVO 4G (Sprint) LG Ally (Verizon) Motorola DROID (Verizon)

Motorola DROID X (Verizon) Motorola DROID 2 (Verizon) Nexus One Samsung Captivate (AT&T)

Looxcie also promises similar apps to be available for iPhone, BlackBerry, and Nokia phones down the line.

The Looxcie is currently available exclusively from Amazon, and it's ready for pre-ordering.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Something for the Weekend: Put Down That Gadget!

Time to chill out after the working week and put your feet up over the weekend to read some more in-depth items you might have missed (with soundtrack provided by The Divine Comedy):

• Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime (NY Times): If anything, this article is a great incentive to put down that phone or laptop and just enjoy some downtime:

  At the University of Michigan, a study found that people learned significantly better after a walk in nature than after a walk in a dense urban environment, suggesting that processing a barrage of information leaves people fatigued.

  

• Why Smartphone Adoption May Not Be as Big as You Think (Mashable): A good reminder that not everyone has an Apple-, BlackBerry-, or Android-powered do-everything phone.

• Apple Events Chronology (AAPLinvestors via TUAW): While not a very lengthy read, here's a rundown of all the Apple standalone events with their taglines compared to what actually got rolled out. Speaking of Apple, we'll be bringing the weekly Bites of the Apple post out of mothballs this weekend, so stay tuned for what to expect from next Wednesday's acoustic hoe-down (based on the invite, seen at the right).

• iTunes To Sell You Your Home Videos For $1.99 Each (The Onion): Yes, it's fake and it's funny... but can't you just see this kind of thing get monetized someday down the line.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Galaxy Quest: Epic Goes 4G with Sprint

The latest Android-based Samsung Galaxy S variant got its official release last weekend, and it just might be the greatest (so far). The Samsung Epic for Sprint includes the same primary specs under the hood as other Galaxy S models like the Captivate (AT&T), Vibrant (T-Mobile), and and the still-to-come Fascinate (Verizon)--including a 4-inch Super AMOLED touch display, 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, Android 2.1 OS, Wireless-N Wi-Fi, and 720p HD video recording.

The Epic adds a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard, a front-facing camera for mobile video calls (using the Qik service), and Swype keyboard technology.

Check out this video from Michael Sherlock demonstrating all three of the Epic's keyboard input methods--virtual QWERTY, Swype input, and physical QWERTY:

But, most importantly, it takes advantage of Sprint's growing 4G network to jump ahead of the others in terms of connectivity speeds--which provides an average of 3-6 Mbps of download speed compared to Sprint's 3G network at 600 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps. You can check to see if 4G has come to your area with this Sprint coverage page (click the popup menu to see if your state and city are currently included). Additionally, the Epic features wireless hotspot capabilities, allowing you to share either the 3G or 4G connectivity with up to eight other devices via the phone's Wireless-N Wi-Fi.

And it's been garnering glowing reviews, such as from Ginny Mies at BusinessWeek:

Out of the Galaxy phones I've tested, the Epic 4G is definitely the best and definitely one of the top Android phones available. The nicely designed physical keyboard paired with the 4G goodness and front-facing camera makes it hard to beat.

And from Gizmodo:

Placed aside the other Galaxy S phones, the Epic still comes out ahead. It's the only one of the four that has 4G ... and the only one that has the slide-out keyboard. Most everything else across all four carriers are the same, except for small details in pricing and data plans. But when you're trying to decide between three skinny brothers and a stronger (but fatter) fourth brother, it's clear what the choice is.

The Samsung Epic 4G is available for pre-ordering right now (with shipment starting around August 31).

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Compare-o-rama: Droid vs. Droid 2 vs. Droid X

It seems there's a new Android phone hitting the streets every week lately, and with many of them using some variant of "Droid" in the name it can be hard to keep track of them all. Case in point: Motorola has just released not just one but two sequels over the last month to its original groundbreaking Droid--the Droid X and the Droid 2. The latter is the true sequel to the first Droid, while the former is the super-sized, non-physical-keyboard version. To help you keep your Droids straight, here's a score sheet with the key features and specs:

Models	Droid	Droid 2	Droid X
Android OS	2.1	2.2	2.1 (2.2 available soon)
Processor	550 Mhz	1 GHz	1 GHz
Screen	3.7" (480x854)	3.7" (480x854)	4.3" (480x854)
Text Input	Slide-out QWERTY + virtual keyboard	Slide-out QWERTY + virtual keyboard + Swype + voice-to-text	Virtual QWERTY + Swype + voice-to-text
On-board Memory	16 GB microSD	8 GB internal + 8 GB microSD	8 GB internal + 16 GB microSD
Camera (Stills)	5MP (dual LED flash)	5MP (dual LED flash)	8MP (dual LED flash)
Video Capture	DVD quality (720x480)	DVD quality (720x480)	HD quality (1280x720)
3G Mobile Hotspot	--	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	802.11b/g	Wireless-N (+ b/g)	Wireless-N (+ b/g)
GPS	Google Maps Navigation + VZ Navigator	Google Maps Navigation + VZ Navigator	Google Maps Navigation + VZ Navigator
HDMI Video Out	--	--	Yes
	Droid	Droid 2	Droid X

Both the Droid 2 and the Droid X offer Verizon's optional 3G Mobile Hotspot capability, which enables you to connect up to 5 other Wi-Fi-enabled devices (from laptop to iPod touch) to the phone's 3G cellular connection in order to get onto the Internet.

Additionally, both the Droid 2/X include the Swype virtual keyboard, which allows you to input text by swiping the finger with one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard. You can check out some demo videos on how this tracing method works over at the Swype site.

The Droid 2 is available for shipping now over at AmazonWireless, while Verizon says that the Droid X will be shipping by the end of August.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

BlackBerry Torch Paves Way to OS 6

Taking a break from the international intrigue that Research In Motion (RIM) has found itself in of late, the company got around to releasing its new flagship BlackBerry smartphone--and the first to be loaded up with its BlackBerry 6 OS. Running on AT&T, the BlackBerry Torch straddles the line between old and new BB designs with a new form factor, featuring a capacitive touchscreen display (longer requiring the SurePress tap input of the Storm 2) and a physical QWERTY keyboard that slides out of the bottom.

Despite a sturdy design that's meant to please as many BlackBerry users as possible, it's what's underneath the hood with the BlackBerry 6 OS that's most impressive. Highlights include universal search that scours both your phone and the web for your search terms, improved touchscreen navigation, overhauled music and video players with better graphical interface for browsing through your library, Wi-Fi Music Sync so you don't have to tether your phone to your PC to load your latest album purchases, and a new Webkit-based Web browser with faster loading pages and tabbed browsing.

Check out this overview of the Web browser's strengths compared to the browser in the Bold 9700 from Crackberry (and also check out their extensive overviews of both BlackBerry OS 6 and the Torch):

And for even more on the Torch, be sure to check out Lasa Gade's 4-star review of the Torch over at MobileTechReview (with her video overview below):

The BlackBerry Torch for AT&T is available from AmazonWireless today for as low as $99.99.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

The Android You're Looking For: Samsung Captivate Launches on AT&T

Vibrant variant and now comes Competition is hotting up in the Android space, where Samsung is taking on HTC for high-end handset supremacy with its Galaxy S line of Google-ized smartphones. Last week, T-Mobile rolled out its Vibrant variant and now comes Samsung's Captivate for AT&T, which Bonnie Cha from CNet calls "AT&T's most powerful and feature-rich Android device."

As with other handsets from the Galaxy S line, the 3G-enabled Captivate is powered by the Android 2.1 operating system and features a 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor and 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display (with 480 x 800-pixel resolution). In Ginny Miles' review over at PC World, she explains what Super AMOLED is all about:

Super AMOLED technology puts touch sensors on the display itself, as opposed to creating a separate layer (which Samsung's old AMOLED displays had), making it the thinnest display technology on the market. Super AMOLED is fantastic--you really have to see it in person. Colors burst out of the display, and animations appear lively and smooth.

To show off what a graphics powerhouse the Captivate is, check out this benchmarking video from Android Central (where the Captivate screen definitely shines in comparison to the Evo 4G, Droid X and now officially discontinued Nexus One):

Head on over to AmazonWireless, where you can pick up the Captivate for just $99.99 (for new contracts).

--Agen G.N. Schmitz