Hasta La Gadget!

(Credit: DDH Software)

HanDBase, from DDH Software, is an easy-to-use relational database system ported from Palm OS to the iPhone. (HanDBase sells for $9.99 from iTunes.) The application ships with a starter gallery of databases that include a checkbook, customer list, shopping list, movie list, password keeper, and billing log. If none of the included databases meet your needs, you can create your own or access more than 2,000 database templates to find one that satisfies you–all databases are free to download.

Create your own customized database

My IT career started as a software developer and database designer, I’ve been exposed to a variety of databases running on different platforms. HanDBase is the first I’ve used on a handheld device, and it works better than I expected, even on the iPhone’s small screen.

To give HanDBase a workout, I launched the app on my iPhone 3GS and started developing a database template for testing various platforms and development tools.

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Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

Wondering why you keep getting followed by shadowy figures in trenchcoats and fake moustaches? Worried that those snipers on the rooftops always seem to know exactly where you are? We think we know what’s going on: it’s the Pre in your pocket. Turns out that Palm has code tucked away in webOS that’s uploading your location periodically — once a day or so — along with a list of applications you’ve used and how long they’ve been open. Here’s our take on the situation:

• One of the very first screens you see when you power on the Pre for the first time is a disclaimer asking you to allow Google to collect, aggregate, and anonymize your location data in order to improve the performance of location-based services. Furthermore — and this is important — “collection will occur regardless of whether any applications are active.” We don’t know whether Palm acts as a conduit for that data to get to Google, but we’d be surprised if Palm had built services to pipe location data straight to Google within webOS itself; in all likelihood, Palm’s getting the data first, which is why it’s being uploaded there. Bear in mind that you’re seeing this warning outside the context of any Google app on the Pre — it’s right in the operating system. Palm has its own terms and conditions that you agree to above and beyond Google’s, too, and they flat-out say they “may collect, store, access, disclose, transmit, process, and otherwise use your location data.” There you have it.
• App usage is a pretty benign stat — equate it to TiVo anonymizing and selling your viewing habits, except even less interesting, because we have no evidence to suggest Palm’s trying to sell this. We can totally understand why Palm would want insight into app popularity, and when you think about it, this could actually lead to some pretty clever ranking systems in the App Catalog; the iPhone has starkly demonstrated that download volume doesn’t equate to replay value, and Palm might be able to do something about that. Oh, and seriously, you need to cut it out with the Jon & Kate Plus 8.
• When an app crashes, Palm gets some more in-depth information about the crash, most notably a list of installed apps. You know what else collects and sends a crapload of information when an app crashes? Mac OS. Windows, too. If they really wanted to go into CYA mode, they could ask before sending the way those desktop OSes do, but we’re not sweating bullets here — we just want stability, and this kind of data helps them get there.

Bottom line: we’re all carrying phones that can identify who we are and where we are — and they have the wireless means to ferry that data wherever their makers wish. And let’s not forget that your Palm Profile lives out there in the cloud anyhow, right?

[Via PreCentral]

Update: Palm has issued a statement on the situation, basically confirming what we suspected — it’s collecting information to offer “a great user experience,” which we take to mean that it’s trying to squash bugs and keep location-centric apps functional, among other things. They’ve also mentioned that it’s possible to turn data collecting services off without going into details — ostensibly they’re referring to the checkbox at setup (see above) that lets you stop sending aggregated location results to Google.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Pre phones home with your location, which explains the black helicopters all around you originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you were hoping for RealNetworks’ “Facet” set-top box to come to market, you probably don’t want to know that Kaleidescape has already done preliminary work on a Blu-ray ripper box, at least according to chief executive Michael Malcolm.

The problem, of course, is that a California appellate court reversed a trial court’s decision and paved the way for Kaleidescape to be sued for breach of contract by the DVD Copy Control Association, making any such product a pretty slim hope for now. But it’s a hope nonetheless.

“We’ve put a lot of work into a Blu-ray product, but we don’t have plans to record Blu-ray onto hard discs unless managed copy becomes a reality,” Malcolm said on Wednesday. “I don’t know if it becomes a reality; it’s really up to the studios. But we’ve certainly done the development work.”

Wanna spice up your next poker night? Meninos would love to help you out there with its deck of iPhone-inspired playing cards. They certainly look the part, as at first blush we thought we were dealing with an app, and are novel enough to appeal even to our cold and cynical souls. Another shot lies after the break, and you can grab your own deck for $25 through the read link.

[Via Chip Chick]

Continue reading iPhone playing cards use washable PVC touchscreen technology

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

iPhone playing cards use washable PVC touchscreen technology originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While the entire world (or at least bloggers) seemingly holds its breath for the announcement of a tablet PC from Apple, one might think that touch-screen computing is some kind of shocking new development. In fact, tablet PCs have been around for years, and there are several touch-screen laptops currently on the market that could easily satisfy your finger-tapping needs.

We’ve always loved tablets conceptually, but in real-world situations their usefulness can be dubious for mainstream computer users–most tablets are actually targeted at hospital, education, or industrial customers. Windows XP’s wonky tablet support also didn’t help matters (although both Vista and now Windows 7 do a much better job).

The most common type is the convertible tablet laptop, which looks like a normal notebook until you swivel the touch-sensitive screen 180 degrees and fold it down over the keyboard. HP’s tx series of “entertainment tablets” is one of the only examples of a convertible tablet aimed squarely at casual consumers (we’ve profiled two recent versions below).

Netbooks, with their tiny keyboards and buttons, always seemed like prime candidates for the tablet treatment, and the new Asus Eee PC T91 is a worthwhile attempt, if you don’t mind the small 9-inch screen.

Of course, Apple could easily steal the tablet spotlight with a well-made, easy-to-use device (especially if the company follows the hints in our Apple tablet wish list), or they may announce nothing at all in the near future. And despite the reams of mindless speculation about Apple’s tablet plans, one company has already beaten them to the punch, in a way.

The current closest relative to an Apple tablet is the Axiotron ModBook, which takes a stock 13-inch MacBook, and reconstructs it as a tablet, removing the keyboard and trackpad, and replacing the display with a Wacom-enabled LCD and digitizer.
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