Free Wikipedia iPhone App Launches

This article was written on August 20, 2008 by CyberNet.

Ever since Apple’s App Store launched, we have been waiting for a free app to view Wikipedia articles. Up until today, the only Wikipedia application for the iPhone that we knew of was called iWik, but you had to pay for it. Today Wikipanion launches, it’s nearly perfect, and it’s free.

Wikipanion auto completes as you type which means that you may not have to type out the full search term of what you are looking for. One of the things we like about Wikipedia is that there is a table of contents which makes finding the specific information you’re looking for a little easier. Wikipanion incorporates the table of contents and you’ll find it by tapping the bookmark button at the bottom of the screen (shown in the image below).

wikipanion.png

Another nice feature is that you can click the button with the arrow at the bottom of the screen, and you’ll be shown a list of the links that are found within the article. It also works in landscape mode, and you can navigate forward and back. The paid application doesn’t even offer this type of navigation.

One feature that we’re not too fond of is the super large text. It may be nice for some people because it’s easier to read, but there needs to be an option to scale the text down or zoom out. On the bright side, everything loads fast which makes viewing Wikipedia articles on the iPhone easy to do, and the photos are an appropriate size as well.

Just remember that you can tap at the top of the screen (by the time) if you want to quickly navigate to the beginning of an article. You may need this feature if you are viewing some of the longer articles.

Get Wikipanion here (iTunes link)

Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com

3 Ways to Watch Cable Television on Your iPhone/Android

This article was written on December 28, 2011 by CyberNet.

Now that internet-enabled smartphones are rapidly expanding their market share, we’re increasingly turning to our phones to pass the time while we’re on the bus, sitting in a waiting room or even when we should really be keeping our eyes on the road. People have been watching videos on their phones for some time now, but due to recent developments you can now legally stream major television channels as well. Here are three cheap ways to watch your favorite channels on your smartphone.

Through your television provider

Cablevision's Optimum appThis year many cable and satellite television providers have released their own TV viewing apps, often for both iOS and Android. They have been subject to controversy because some TV channels weren’t happy about this move, so your experience may vary depending on your location.

Apps are available for some, but not all, of the major television distributors:

Comcast/Xfinity subscribers are left in the dark for the time being. HBO has released HBO Go (iOS/Android), which offers an on-demand app but no live streaming capabilities.

In Europe, similar apps are available for subscribers of Sky (United Kingdom), KPN (The Netherlands), Ziggo (The Netherlands), Telenet (Belgium) and Belgacom (Belgium).

Cost: free with your subscription

No cable subscription?

TVCatchupIn the United Kingdom, you don’t even need to have a cable subscription to stream live television. All major Freeview broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5) are available from the ad-supported TVCatchup app.

The worst thing about this service is the 30-second preroll when you tune in to a channel but other than that it is really easy to use. Paid ad-free accounts are not available at this point. I suspect this has more to do with complex legal rules than an unwillingness to offer paid alternatives. Also, keep in mind that you still have to pay TV Licensing if you watch live television online!

If you live in Germany, Spain or Denmark you can watch a selection of the big networks in your area through Zattoo. Depending on your country’s regulations, you may have to pay for a TV license to legally access these streams.

Cost: free, ad-supported

The do-it-yourself solution

OrbIf some of the channels that matter to you aren’t available through these apps, there’s a DIY route. You will need some form of TV reception (terrestrial, cable or satellite) and the appropriate software to redistribute these channels for personal use. Orb and SlingPlayer are some of your options.

Orb: streaming from your computer

Among other things, Orb can be used to stream live television from your computer to your mobile devices. You’ll need to install a free piece of software on a Windows/Mac computer and connect an Orb-supported TV tuner to your computer. Their mobile apps for iOS and Android will run you about 10 dollar. If you’re not sure that this is what you need, you can try the lite version of their app for free.

SlingPlayer: streaming from your television

If you have a Slingbox at home, you can buy the SlingPlayer app for iOS and Android to stream live video from your television. Their app will cost you 30 dollar in addition to the price of your Slingbox. Two more caveats: not all of their models are supported and you can only stream one channel simultaneously.

Cost: one-time fee

Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com

How to Bulk Email, Copy, Print and Delete Photos on Your iPhone and iPad

This article was written on May 20, 2011 by CyberNet.

A few weeks ago I was talking to someone who had said what a pain it was to manage their iPhone and iPad photos in bulk. They told me that there were about 20 pictures they took that didn’t turn out well, and in order to remove them from their phone they had to go through and delete them one-by-one. Ouch! I could see how that would be frustrating, but there is a much simpler way that not many people seem to know about. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap the arrow in the upper-right corner of the screen.
    Bulk edit photos button
  3. Most people I’ve talked to realize you can select multiple photos by tapping on them individually from this screen, but the cool thing is that you can tap and hold on the first photo you want to select and then slide your fingers across all of the photos you want to share/copy/delete. Unfortunately the screen won’t scroll as your finger reaches an edge, but this trick should still ease the process of selecting a lot of photos.
    Bulk delete photos
  4. Tap the Share, Copy, or Delete button depending on which operation you want to do.

Note: You can repeat Step 3 to deselect items you didn’t mean to select.

So the key things you need to remember once you enter the selection screen is to tap, hold, and slide. From there you can send the photos through Email or MMS (limited to 5 photos at a time), copy them to the clipboard, print them, or delete them from your iOS device.

 

Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com

Turn Your Old iPhone into a Wireless Music System

Turn Your Old iPhone into a Wireless Music System

Attention, Mac people who just bought or are about to receive a new iPhone. If your old iPhone is still fairly new, you don’t have any kids yammering for an iPod Touch (that you want to give them), and you have no other reason to keep it, you should probably sell it.

Read more…


    



The iPhone’s First Demo Was Buggy as Hell

The iPhone's First Demo Was Buggy as Hell

Saturday is the second anniversary of Steve Jobs’s death, and a lot of remembrances are making their way around the web. One of the most revealing comes from the New York Times Magazine who just published a sprawling report on the original iPhone. Long story short, that thing was a mess.

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iPhone smoke & mirrors as Apple engineer dishes on Steve Jobs’ big reveal

A signal gage permanently showing five bars to hide radio crashes, a “golden path” for demos that was the only way to avoid crashes, and Steve Jobs accusing “you are [expletive] up my company”: the launch of the original iPhone wasn’t straightforward. In a lengthy retrospective about Apple senior engineer and iPhone radio manager Andy […]

iPhone 5c already seeing cuts as retailers hunt plastic sales [Updated]

Apple’s iPhone 5c is already facing up to 50-percent price cuts, only weeks after going on sale, as retailers like Best Buy chase customers toward the mid-range plastic smartphone. Although offered at $99.99 from Apple, with a new, two-year agreement, Best Buy will bundle a $50 gift card with the iPhone 5c over the weekend, […]

iOS 7’s Most Common Bugs (and How to Fix Them)

iOS 7's Most Common Bugs (and How to Fix Them)

No operating system launch is without a few bugs, but it seems like iOS 7 has had more than it’s fair share of blunders. From iMessages not working to lock screen exploits, here are some of the biggest bugs, and how you can fix them.

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OtterBox Commuter Series Wallet Case Protects Your iPhone

If you’re anything like me, you always have your smartphone with you. I always have a fear of losing something in my pocket, especially my car keys, so it drives me crazy to have a lot of things stuffed inside the pockets of my jeans. If you like to go a bit more minimalist and don’t want to have to carry your smartphone and your wallet, OtterBox has a new case that you might appreciate.

ottebox commuter wallet 1 620x325magnify

The case is called the Commuter Series Wallet and is available for the iPhone 5/5S and the Samsung Galaxy S4. This certainly isn’t the first case on the market to offer wallet capability, but it does look like OtterBox’s offering will hold more than a lot of other cases on the market. OtterBox is also well-known for making cases that actually protects your phone in the event of a drop.

otterbox commuter wallet 2 620x326magnify

Rather than having slots, this smartphone case has a sliding drawer on the back that appears to be approximately a quarter of an inch deep. You can cram credit cards, driver’s license, and cash inside the wallet drawer and have them with you at all times. The only downside I see is that the case is rather thick and might not fit in your pocket if you’re the sort who wears skinny jeans.

The Commuter Series Wallet is available now from OtterBox for $44.95(USD).

Gold iPhone 5s demand becomes reasonable while supply stays mysterious

While demand for the gold-colored iPhone 5s seems to have been high the world over, the oddest cultural response continues to be in China, where the device is given the nickname “Tyrant King.” It’s there also that some of the highest prices have been demanded, with some 3rd party sellers taking the opportunity to follow […]