An estimated 500,000 people lined up last weekend at Apple stores around the country to buy an iPad 2. The best part, after getting past that annoying Connect to iTunes screen, is loading up the tablet with apps.
Which of the 65,000 iPad apps should you download? From utilities to games, here’s Wired.com’s quick list of must-haves for your brand-new iPad 2.
Multimedia is not a natural fit for every type of tablet magazine. It is an exceedingly natural fit for a music magazine. Spin Play, the new iPad version of the well-known music mag, tells you about new music and lets you listen to it. How thoughtful! More »
A screen shot of part of the page you would see when visiting amazon.com/apps before it was taken down. Photo: androidnews.de
Android fans shouldn’t have to wait too much longer for Amazon’s anticipated Android App Store.
A sneaky Android fan typed http://www.amazon.com/apps into his address bar and discovered a horizontal sliding menu of 48 apps and their prices.
Popular titles and tools such as EasyTether, Wolfram Alpha, Zenonia, SetCPU, and The Moron Test appear to be among the app store’s premier lineup.
The link above has since been removed; it now redirects to Amazon’s homepage. Before its removal, you could view the apps as long as you were logged out of your Amazon account. If you were logged in, Recent History recommendations would replace the app suggestions.
Amazon’s Android App Store, which was announced back in September, will be an alternative to Google’s own App Store, and is reported to be curated more like Apple’s App Store: Amazon will select what goes in, rather than Google’s “anything goes” policy. Also unlike Apple, Google allows multiple app stores on its Android operating system.
The screenshots support the claim that Amazon’s Android apps will be competitively priced with Google’s app store. Most apps are priced identically across both markets, a few are slightly cheaper, and a handful are more expensive. A full listing of the apps and their prices are available at the source link.
Although a firm release date hasn’t been set, the service is expected to launch “very soon” and will exclusively feature the Angry Birds Rio game.
Amazon Appstore: Apps and Prices Leak [androidnews.de]
Tesla Model S will support third-party apps and text-to-voice, red lights will never be the same originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
March Madness! We’re just two hours away from another awesome dance. But you know what makes the NCAA tournament even better this year? Apps! You can watch all the games, win your office pool, get a betting edge, root for your team, and even automate your bracket picks, all from your smartphone. Here are the six best apps for March Madness. More »
If we referred to an Apple or Android army, you might assume we’re talking about a legion of brand-loyal fanboys, with which most Engadget commenters are intimately familiar. Defense contractors, however, are trying to turn the US Army into a lethal Apple / Android force with soldier-centric apps. Harris Corp. has a tablet app in the works that allows soldiers to control IP cameras on UAVs for more pertinent intel on the ground while simultaneously sending that information to command centers anywhere in the world. Meanwhile, Intelligent Software Solutions aims to bring mapping mashups to the battlefield (no purpose-built device needed) with an app that combines smartphones’ geolocation with historical data to show troops what’s been going down in the area — from IED explosions to insurgent arrests. Best of all, these apps lower training costs since most warriors are already fluent in Android or iOS and the consumer handhelds can be cheaply ruggedized to replace the more robust $10,000 units in the field today. Should protective measures fail, the devices’ (relatively) low replacement cost makes them “almost disposable.”
Apple and Android get drafted, soldier-centric Army apps coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 02:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
If you’re into the app game even a little bit, you probably have something for fancying up the photos you take with your phone. There’s a wealth of options. But Halftone does something a bit different—it dresses your photos up as surprisingly faithful reproductions of comic strips of yore. More »
Well, it looks like you weren’t imagining things if you thought in-app browsers or web apps saved to your iPhone’s home screen seemed slower than Safari itself. Ars Technica has now confirmed that pages or web apps loaded using those methods aren’t receiving the JavaScript boost added to Safari in iOS 4.3, which the site found to be about 2.5 times faster than Safari in iOS 4.2. The problem is that those apps don’t have the necessary permissions to execute dynamically generated native code stored in writeable memory (as Safari does), which basically leaves them running at the same speed they did in iOS 4.2. Not surprisingly, that has prompted some to speculate that it’s all part of a grand plan on Apple’s part to force developers to use full-fledged apps instead of mobile apps, but Ars Technica points out that it could just as easily be due to some technical problems. Hit up the source link below for all the technical details.
Web apps found to be lacking Safari’s speed bump in iOS 4.3 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Samsung’s 2011 product showcase is underway in New York City and while most of these products we got a peek at during CES, it’s only finally ready to show off the new QWERTY flip remote for its smart TVs. The QWERTY TV remote is looking a lot sleeker in its glamour shot than it did in the FCC tests weeks ago, and is available in the box with all D7000 and D8000 model HDTVs, or as an add-on compatible with the D6300 line and above (no mention of the Smart Touch remote or Google TV devices in the press release we received.) Samsung’s also putting a lot of stock in its new lighter 3D glasses and officially announced the new 3D Starter Kit that includes two pairs along with a copy of Megamind and all the Shrek movies on Blu-ray 3D, along with prescription-ready models for kids and adults. Finally, an app market is nothing without apps, and there’s two new ones to announce today with HBO GO making its debut on the TV and MTV Music Meter. Check the details (Update: now including MSRPs!) in the press release after the break and the gallery for a few pictures.
Updated: We got a few minutes to play around with the new QWERTY flip remote after Samsung’s NYC press event today. It’s not exactly the most glamorous handheld keyboard remote control out there with its monochrome screen, although we do like that the center of the D-pad can me morphed into a touch sensitive mouse-like control. Okay, so this thing isn’t exactly ground breaking, but check out the shots below for a closer look.
Gallery: Samsung QWERTY flip remote hands-on
Samsung’s QWERTY flip Smart TV remote is official along with new TV apps and Megamind Blu-ray 3D pack-in (updated: hands-on!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Samsung Tango View Cleaner has an onboard webcam and mic
Gadget Lab Notes is an eclectic roundup of gadget news briefs and intriguing products that catch our eye.
Samsung Tango View Cleaner-Bot Streams What it Sees
If you’ve always wanted some sort of spy cam in your home, and your floors are perpetually dirty, Samsung has created the hybrid device you’ve been looking for. The Tango View VC-FL87W is an autonomous, Roomba-like vacuum cleaner with a built-in webcam that can stream its view to a smartphone or tablet. An onboard mic and low-light video support make it a sneaky (creepy?) way to keep tabs on what’s going on in your abode when you’re not around to keep an eye on things. Or you can just have fun getting a mouse-eyed view of the world as your floors get cleaned.
Samsung Robotic Vacuum Cleaner [Akihabara News via Slashgear]
Expedition Tripod Is Made of Wood Instead of Metal
The Expedition Tripod is made of sustainably harvested varnished ash in Germany. Why wood? It absorbs vibration better than metals like carbon, steel, or aluminum (or so they manufacturer says). And craftsmen have used the same techniques to build it for over a century.
Wood Camera Tripod [Photojojo via Uncrate]
LinkedIn and Snaptu Join Forces to Bring a Smartphone-Style App to Feature Phones
For international users who want to access LinkedIn on the go but are lacking a smartphone, life will soon get easier. LinkedIn is working with mobile developer Snaptu to create an app that lets dumbphone users access their update stream and profiles, search their network, accept invitations, and invite users to their network. Snaptu is also working with Facebook to bring the social network to feature phones.
LinkedIn Teams Up With Snaptu [TechCrunch]
Google Joining In on the NFC Payment Game
Although Google has explicitly stated that they don’t sell hardware, they have, according to Bloomberg’s sources, been purchasing “thousands” of VeriFone’s NFC payment terminals. The search engine giant is planning to install them in the tech-forward cities of San Francisco and New York City so users can swipe their Android smartphone to pay for transactions. There have been previous rumors that Google was developing their own payment system; this Verifone-purchasing information is right in line with that.
Google is said to ready payment test in New York and San Francisco [Bloomberg via Engadget]
Harman GHS-1 Gaming Headphones Look Sweet, Are Packed With Features
Currently available for $80, Harman’s GHS-1s feature a directional (cardioid) boom mic and passive noise reduction for filtering out background noises. It’s got in-line volume control and mic on/off switch as well as a mechanism in the headband so it can fold up compactly. They’re designed for longwearing comfort, and won a Red Dot Design Award for their good looks.
GHS-1 [Harman via Crunchgear]
Magic Spoon, A Simple Solution for Transporting Flatware
When I decide to eat some food in my room, it’s always a pain to juggle a glass, plate, and forks or spoons as I walk across the house. The Magic Spoon design fixes at least part of that problem by elongating and bending the handle of your utensil, turning it into a hairpin-type clasp. Just slide and clamp it onto a plate or cup to secure it.
The Magic Spoon [Yanko Design]
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