Hasta La Gadget!

PDF Converter takes almost any document or web-page on your iPad and turns it into a PDF

Readdle’s PDF Converter will do just that. It takes pretty much any file on your iPad and turns it into a PDF. There are a few hard-to-use web services that will do this for you, but PDF Converter takes care of everything on the iPad itself. This is both more secure, and way more convenient.

There are lots of ways to get documents into the converter. The main one is to use the “Open with” command in other applications (like Dropbox, Mail or MobileMe). Supported document types can then be sent to the app, where you can do the actual conversion. The app will open Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, TXT, HTML, JPG and PNG files. Once converted to PDF, you can store them in the app itself or open them in your favorite PDF reader.

You can also convert any image saved in your Photos app, or even put together a PDF containing the contact details of single or multiple entries in your contacts list.

But the biggest feature is the conversion of web pages. When you find a page you want to convert — an online form, say, or a flight boarding pass — just tap the URL bar and add “PDF” (without quotes) in front of the “HTTP” prefix. Hit return and the page opens up in PDF Converter, ready for action.

This is great. I use it like this: In my Spanish classes, I take a snap of the whiteboard with the iPad camera (or my actual camera, if I want to actually read anything). I then convert to PDF and open in the PDF Highlighter app. From there, I can add highlights and notes on top.

PDF Converter costs $7. Available now.

PDF Converter [Readdle]

See Also:

• Hands-On with PDF Highlighter, the iPad's Best PDF App?
• iTunes Update Adds Book Support, iPad Sync

Android’s Market now has an entirely new user interface. Photo courtesy of Google

Look out, iTunes, the Android Market is getting a face-lift.

Google launched an entirely new user interface for its mobile platform Tuesday, completely changing the layout of the application portal.

“The new Market client is designed to better showcase top apps and games, engage users with an improved UI, and provide a quicker path to downloading or purchasing your products,” wrote Android developer Eric Chu in a blog post.

Navigating the differing app categories on the phone-based market requires a swipe left or right, which switches to new, tile-based menu screens. The name and price of a given app you’ve chosen moves to the top of the screen. In addition to apps and games, you’ll also be able to browse movies and books available for purchase from the Market.

Android has long faced platform criticism for its Market setup, as both users and developers alike have had difficulty finding the programs they want in the 200,000+ app-packed Android Market. Apple, by contrast, has long promoted featured and popular apps in its iTunes-based App Store, a one-stop shop for all things iOS. But Google is trying to counter the complaints: At its I/O developer conference in May, Google rolled out a streamlined, app-promoting look for the Market’s web store, with the inclusion of categories like “Top Grossing, Trending” and other ‘top’ apps.

Google claims its latest changes will appeal to developers’ bottom line. The new layout enables two-click purchases of apps, eliminating as much friction as possible so customers can purchase apps faster and easier.

Typically, developers have started creating apps in an iOS environment, perfecting the program their before eventually making it over to the Android ecosystem. But Android co-founder Rich Miner says that will be changing soon.

“It’s become clear that the market has definitely matured for Android,” said Miner at the MobileBeat technology conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. “Towards the end of last year I was recommending to companies that they focus on iOS mobile system — that has clearly flipped,” Miner said.

As a whole, the smartphone industry is growing at a rapid pace. 55 percent of U.S. mobile devices purchased over the last three months were smartphones, according to a Nielsen report published in late June. Android currently holds the title for the most used platform across U.S. smartphones with a marketshare of 38 percent according to ComScore. That’s a 15 percent bump up from February results. Apple edged out Research in Motion for second place, with shares of 26.6 percent and 24.7 percent, respectively.

But if Android wants to stay ahead of Apple and the rest of the pack, it needs to keep its app ecosystem attractive to both customers and developers alike. Beefing up the platform’s app catalog helps, but if customers can’t find the apps they want inside the huge pile, boasting big app numbers will be an exercise in futility.

The new landing page will roll out gradually to users running Android version 2.2 (Froyo) or higher over the next few weeks. If you aren’t keen on waiting, check out the video below for a peek at the Market’s new look.

Motorola’s Droid 3 debuted on Thursday, though phone modification enthusiasts aren’t happy with its locked-down software. (Photo courtesy Motorola)

For phone modification junkies, the Android software platform comes with a host of mod-friendly features. It’s too bad, then, that Motorola’s latest Android phone lacks all of them.

Motorola’s Droid 3 features a locked boot loader, which is a program that loads the operating system software on every smartphone when it’s turned on. The company said it planned to change the policy this year.

The news first came from a Motorola support forums representative.

“As we’ve communicated, we plan to enable the unlockable-relockable boot loader in future software releases, starting in late 2011, where channel and operator partners will allow it,” said a Motorola spokesperson in a statement provided to Wired.com. “Droid 3 is not built on a software version that includes this feature.”

Locking down the boot loader is a big pain for those who want to modify their Android phone operating systems. Essentially, it drastically limits the extent of modification and customization you can accomplish on your phone. If you wanted to install a particularly popular piece of modding software like, say, CyanogenMod — a very popular custom Android build that optimizes a phone’s hardware performance and adds a number of nifty flourishes — with a locked boot loader, you’re out of luck.

In today’s smartphone landscape, handset manufacturers face pressure from wireless carriers like Verizon and AT&T to lock down phone boot loaders. This is done especially to prohibit the potential installation of software used to do things that carriers don’t want you doing, like, say, capture licensed streaming content. There’s also software available that lets you tether your phone to your computer — providing it with an internet connection for free — a feature for which wireless companies normally charge users. Bypassing that charge means cutting into a carrier’s bottom line.

Motorola doesn’t want to deal with the tech support nightmare that widespread phone hacks entail. “If you brick your phone messing with it” — which basically means rendering the device useless, like an electronic “brick,” as it were — “we don’t want to have to fix it under warranty,” a Motorola representative wrote in a message board post.

Because of all this, hacker-unfriendly phones aren’t uncommon. Motorola’s Atrix debuted with a locked boot loader, as have many of the company’s phones since the release of the Droid 2. Motorola’s upcoming Photon 4G smartphone will also be locked down.

Android modification junkies aren’t happy about Motorola’s decisions. In March, one Motorola smartphone owner started an online petition, asking others who don’t agree with the company’s locked boot loader decisions to sign and bring up the issue on Moto’s Facebook page. As of this post’s publishing time, the petition has over 10,000 signatures.

Given the hardware specs on the Droid 3, it’s especially disappointing for hackers to see the phone debut as mod-unfriendly. The Droid 3 has a beefy dual-core 1GHz processor under the hood, which, when used in conjunction with modding software, can be overclocked to faster speeds.

The future isn’t entirely grim for phone hackers. Motorola continually promises a change in locked boot loader policy come late 2011, and other companies like Sony Ericsson have even begun to court the modding community, providing a detailed list of instructions on how to unlock the company’s phones.

It seems as if the predominant feeling is “we’ll believe it when we see it.”

“There’s not a single reason to believe that Motorola has truly changed their views,” wrote an angry Motorola message board user in a post. “We’re not saying you have to unlock all our devices now, but a little sign of good faith would be much appreciated.”

Photoforge 2 is my new favorite iPad editing app. Photo Charlie Sorrel

IPad-owning photographers should stop reading right now (well, not right now, or you won’t know what to do next) and go download PhotoForge 2, a rather splendid update to the already decent photo-editing app. Better still, if you already bought the iPhone version, the update is free — the app is now universal.

The biggest differences are in interface design. Once you load a photo from your camera roll, you see nothing but a row of six icons across the bottom of the screen. These access the different editing sections. Press one and up pops a row of big, finger-friendly icons for special effects, image tweaks and adjustments, metadata, cropping and history.

All of these are presented like the magnified Mac OS X dock: as you scroll through, the central icons grow bigger and labels show above them. And once all the icons have scrolled across, they wrap around and come back in as if they were on a wheel. This makes it quick to navigate.

Hit the button and you are taken to the relevant controls. Everything is a lot smoother than it was in the previous version.

Under the hood, a lot has changed. That speed is everywhere, and renders of effects happen almost immediately. You can also work in full-resolution, zooming 1:1 with a double tap, and things like the crop tool and curves dialog have been made easier to use with the fingers.

Biggest of all, though, is the addition of layers. And not just any layers. You can pick blending modes, adjust opacity and even add layer masks. Coupled with a stylus, this last makes a very powerful tool.

Finally, an iOS image editor wouldn’t be complete without retro-style film effects. While you get a lot of built-in effects, you can also opt for the $2 in-app purchase of Pop!Cam, a whole new set of FX which emulate films, add filters, simulate flash effects and even adds frames and grungy paper backgrounds. You can test many of these out before buying, too.

Right now, PhotoForge 2 is $2. If you haven’t already, go get it now. You’ll get $2 worth of entertainment out of it in the first ten minutes.

PhotoForge2 [iTunes]

See Also:

• Photogene 2.0 for iPad: A Desktop Photo Editor on a Tablet …
• FX Photo Studio for iPad: Amazing Filters, Amazing Facts
• Photoshop Crashes onto iPad

As app stores proliferate with the rise of multiple mobile platforms, one question remains: Which one will you choose? (Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com)

In the mobile world, tablets and smartphones are only as good as the apps they’ll run. Besides, what’s a tablet without apps? A fancy digital photo frame.

There’s no dearth of choice in hardware out there, and considering the pros and cons of a mobile platform’s application ecosystem is equally important to purchasing the device itself. From “open” to closed, sprawling to sparse, each platform’s parent company has a different philosophy when it comes to delivering apps.

Over the past few years, application markets have been popping up hand in hand with new hardware releases, all in varying states of maturity. Some, like Apple’s iOS devices, have flourished. Others, like Android devices, have seen tremendous growth and promise. And still others, like RIM’s BlackBerry products, have dwindled. But whatever the case is with the hardware, half the battle lies in figuring out how to beef up an app ecosystem properly, and how to catch on with consumers.

Why is an app store so important? In today’s app-obsessed age, a software ecosystem defines a gadget’s longevity as an investment. Customers get more value from their hardware if they have access to the latest and greatest apps. And programmers will make software for app stores that have a large audience and a viable future.

We took a look at some of the most prominent mobile-application ecosystems out there today, comparing the benefits and drawbacks of each. Before buying that next tablet or smartphone, we suggest you take a look.

Apple’s App Store

For better or for worse, Apple’s approach is clear: We’re in control.

Well known by now as the “walled garden,” Apple reviews every app submitted to its App Store. Developers are required to follow a seven-page list of strict guidelines in order for their app to be approved.

But the vetting process has its upside. Official reviews from Apple employees means an average of higher quality apps — more wheat, less chaff.

The Good:
Apple worked extensively with developers from the beginning, and it shows. As of late May, the App Store is host to more than 500,000 approved applications, with over 85,000 registered developers creating apps for the platform. The iPad alone has over 90,000 native applications available for download.

If your app is featured on the App Store’s front door, you’ve got a chance at striking it rich. Steve Demeter made $250,000 in just two months after releasing his application. The creators of MacHeist, another popular iOS game, have raked in millions.

The Bad:
With such a large ecosystem, it’s difficult not to get lost in Apple’s sea of apps. That’s hard on developers — who want to be seen, and want their apps downloaded — as well as customers who just want to find a cool app. Despite Apple’s careful curating and centralized location for apps, it’s nearly the same amount of work as finding an independently distributed web app.

Apple’s wait time to approve your app is also uncertain, ranging anywhere from two days to two weeks, according to independent app developer Ralph Gootee.

And of course, Apple maintains complete editorial censorship control over any and all apps submitted. So if your ideas are too racy, twisted or politically incorrect, you’re probably susceptible to Apple’s axe.

Android Market

Even though the gradual development of iTunes gave Apple’s App Store a 10-year head start, Google’s platform growth is a force to be reckoned with.

As the second biggest player in the mobile app space, Android has made staggering gains in the two-plus years it’s been publicly available. In May, Google announced that the platform surpassed 200,000 apps in the Android Market, and a recent tweet from Android chief Andy Rubin claims 500,000 new device activations every single day.

The Good
Google’s main draw rests on its heavily-marketed “open” approach. Although this mainly applies to the open source principles of the Android platform code itself, some of this openness ideal has spilled over into the Android Market. Unlike Apple, for instance, there’s absolutely no vetting process for developers who want to submit apps to the Market. As long as developers follow the relatively lax rules Android has in its submission agreement — no malware, no porn — many types of apps make it in to the store that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to find with Apple. Upload the app and boom — it’s available for download almost instantaneously, no waiting period required.

Not to mention the other open aspect of Android apps: alternative markets. Unlike Apple, which only lets you download applications from its official App Store — unless your iPhone is jailbroken, of course — Android allows the existence of app markets outside of its own. By authorizing installations from “unknown sources,” you can install an app store provided by someone else, right on the phone. And through a process called sideloading, you can transfer apps you download from a website to your Android device either via USB, or by downloading the .APK file independently. Although you run the risk of installing malicious code, it’s far more choice than you’d otherwise get with an iOS device.

The Bad
Despite the burgeoning platform’s promise, developers still have problems making money on their apps. Eighty percent of all paid applications in the Android Market are downloaded less than 100 times, according to a study published by Destino in May.

And even with the flood of Android-powered tablets hitting the market this year, relatively few native tablet apps populate the Android Market. As of early June, only 232 apps created specifically for Honeycomb are available for download through Google’s store.

The Android Market web-based presence isn’t as mature as that of its main competitor. Unlike Apple, which has allowed access to its App Store via desktop or laptop since 2007, Android launched its web store in February of this year.

Google is still working out the web store kinks, too. In May, Android drastically revamped the Market’s front page, highlighting top paid, free, grossing and trending app downloads, among other categories. By contrast, Apple has had much more time to mature its landing page with a three-year head start.