Thirty-four of the apps for my iPad &/or iPhone were updated in the past week. Apps that do not have comments in the list below indicates that the update is simply a bug fix release.
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Apps updated for my iPhone & iPad in the past week: 34
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Why Android tablets failed? Wait a minute…
TechRepublic published an item with a subject line guaranteed to get attention.
Why Android tablets failed: A postmortem
My reaction is: What a minute! Did the Android tablet die without me noticing this? While the officially sanctioned (with Android Market and other Google-ly apps) tablets have gone nowhere so far, the Ice Cream Sandwich based ones have not left the gate yet and may provide some competition for the iPad. But, more importantly, at least two non-Google-ly tablets seem to be doing quite well. The two are the Barnes & Noble Nook Color (and more recently the Nook Tablet) and the Amazon Kindle Fire.
Despite my own distaste for vendor changes to Google’s native user interface, it looks like both Barnes & Noble’s and Amazon’s Android-based (but without the official Google branding) are doing quite well in the ereader/tablet space. Based on this alone, I think it is too early to write a death certificate for Android tablets let alone provide a post-mortem.
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Dijit 3.0 for iOS update: Control TV, DVR, Roku & more from an iPad
The free Dijit for iOS app works with the Griffin Beacon to turn an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad into a universal remote control. It does this by accepting commands from the iOS device via Bluetooth and then relaying those commands via infrared to a variety of consumer electronics devices. Until now, however, did not scale to the iPad’s larger display. The 3.0.0 update fixes this by providing a universal app that works with the iPad’s larger display.
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Rumor: Microsoft buying Nokia smartphone division. Nokia CEO Elop exiting at end of 2012
This is just a rumor from a single source – from a Twitter tweet, no less. But, stranger things have happened (like Google buying Motorola Mobility). So, here goes… as reported by the Global Post. Eldar Murtazi, Mobile-Review.com, editor-in-chief Analyst, tweeted that Microsoft will buy Nokia’s smartphone division.
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The Economist for iPad magazine provides audio too (articles read to you)
My paper subscription to The Economist magazine just started. A quick check of its iPad app revealed that subscribers to the paper edition are able issues for free (normally $5.99 per issue). The digital magazine has a different navigation style compared to the two TIME Inc. magazines I’ve read (TIME and Entertainment Weekly). Its contents section is separate from its contents in that you cannot simply swipe out of the contents page into the first pages of the magazine. However, once you get to any particular article, the entire magazine is available without returning to the contents section.
The most interesting aspect of this magazine app, however, is that each of its articles has a downloadable audio reading associated with it. My initial guess was that it was some kind of text-to-speech system. However, this guess was wrong. Each article is read by a human being. There are a mix of female and male readers. And, each does a very good job reading each article. This is great for those times when you just want to lie back, close your eyes, and still be able to learn something new about the world.
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MyFord Mobile iPhone app for the all-electric Ford Focus
Apple’s iPhone app catch phrase, there’s an app for that, will soon apply to the all-electric Ford Focus car too. Ford’s video demo embedded above demonstrates some of the app’s features. It works with the Ford SYNC technology built into the car itself.
The app will feature social networking components, charge station location information, navigation, remote control of the car (start, pre-warm, etc.), driving and braking profiles, and more.
Ford’s Manager for Product and Business Development – Ford Connected Services – Bill Frykman demonstrated the app on an iPhone. He noted during the demo that it would also be available for Android and BlackBerry too. I found it interesting that he did not mention support for Windows Phone too sinc the Ford SYNC technology in the Ford Focus (and other Ford cars) is based on Microsoft Windows Embedded.