Google Wants To Make The One App To Rule Them All

So Google has this crazy idea where your smartphone would only need one, single app.....Google's. It used to be that when we wanted information we had to go to a library or read an encyclopedia. Then it transitioned into sitting in front of our computers and typing our queries into Google. Today, we simply open up our smartphone and verbally ask it questions and wait for it to find us the answers. In addition to that, other things aside from information have started getting their own apps. Looking for a good restaurant? There's an app for that. Looking for new clothes? There's an app for that. Trying to check out the latest in world news? App. However, Google wants to change all of that.

According to recent reports, Google wants to extend its domination in the search engine world to smartphones. Google wants to give you a way to use apps without having to actually download them onto your smartphone or tablet and they want to start this as early as next week. Sounds crazy right? I mean how am I supposed to use an app on my phone if the app isn't actually on my phone? Google's solution to this is actually very interesting.

If you search for something, like a cheap hotel, using Google's app on a smartphone running the Android operating system, you will receive search results from all over the internet, like normal. However, there will also be information from apps like Hotel Tonight or Kayak. If you tap a button, Google will open the app so that you can book a room on the app even if you don't have it installed on your device. This sounds like a ridiculous pipe dream to some and pure ecstasy to others, especially those people who don't download an app until the very moment they need it and then are in a time crunch waiting for it to download.

Google is using some shenanigans, though. The company is actually streaming a video to your phone from the internet while the app runs on a computer far, far away. In addition to that, there's also a catch. At the moment, Google can only achieve this feat with these nine apps: Hotel Tonight, Weather, New York Subway, My Horoscope, Daily Horoscope, Visual Anatomy Free, Useful Knots, Gormey (a restaurant finder), and Chimani (a national parks guide). According to Lead Engineer for Google's Mobile Search and App Indexing Team Rajan Patel, "We feel like it's our role to make sure we have answers. In mobile, oftentimes that's in apps."

https://www.rentacomputer.com/rentals/tablets/ipads

So what does this mean for consumers like me and you? Well for starters it means a decrease in the time and hassle it takes to download an app and install it on your phone or tablet. You will also have the ability to use an app without having it take up space on your device. For Google, this could be an attempt to make mobile apps less relevant while also keeping Google at the forefront of smartphone users' minds. Even though Google is basically untouchable on the desktop market, the same can't be said for its mobile counterpart.

This is but one of Google's attempts to make mobile search better. Back in April the company changes the way it organized all websites and prioritized those that come up better on smartphones. In addition to that, Google has also been working on making information from inside an app more searchable on Google, known as deep linking. Google said that it now has over 100 billion links to information from apps.

Google streams these apps with technology it got from a startup called Agawi last year. In reality, you aren't really getting access to these apps from Google. Sure it feels as if you are in the program, but Google is actually streaming you an HD video that you can tap and scroll through like a normal app, according to a company spokeswoman. The only real  difference here is that in the Google version a banner runs across the bottom fo the screen that says "App streamed by Google".

This technology is currently only available on Android devices though Google did say that it will eventually come to iPhones and other Apple iOS devices though a timeframe has yet to be established.

Content originally published here

---

Sharing this story on social media? Use these hashtags! #Google #Mobile #MobileApps #OneAppToRuleThemAll

Smartphones Now Capable Of Detecting Boredom

It sometimes seems like our phones can do literally anything. I mean they can make appointments for us, wake us up in the morning, remind us of things, help us search for things on the internet, take pictures, record videos, etc... and now, it seems, we can add boredom detector to that list. That's right, according to researchers, an algorithm has been developed that can tell if you are bored by looking at your mobile activity. The algorithm considers factors like the time since you last received a call or text, the time of day it is, and how much you are using your phone.

The research was conducted by several people at Telefonica Research in Barcelona, Spain and will be presented at the UbiComp ubiquitous computing conference in Japan. The researchers determined that looking at this kind of data gives a reliable prediction of boredom as often as 83% of the time. In addition to that, the researchers also sent bored smartphone users an alert to check a BuzzFeed article. This was to judge that people who were bored clicked on the link more often than those who weren't.

Granted, it is a bit tough using a machine to infer a person's state of mind, however being able to do so with a smartphone could be very powerful. Let's say an app were able to predict that you were bored and also knew your location, it could then attempt to feed you content that it things you would like to see. One startup has already started trying something similar. Triggerhood has built software that allows apps to collect data about how the smartphone is being used and then determines when the best time is to send the user a notification.

The researchers at Telefonica first determined characteristics of boredom by using an Android app that surveyed participants, asking them to rate their boredom multiple times a day for two weeks. These responses were compared to other data that was taken from phones measuring how many apps the user used and how intensely the phone was used overall. Both of these measures increased as the users became more bored.

To validate the algorithm, the researchers built another Android app that determined, on its own, whether or not the user was bored. When it did this it sent an alert to the user's phone asking if they wanted to read a Buzzfeed article on the site's news app. A separate set of participants used this app for two weeks and researchers determined that people who identified as bored were more likely to click on the alert and read the story.

University of Stuttgart Graduate Student and Co-Author of the paper Tilman Dingler worked on the study  as a visiting researcher at Telefonica last year. Dingler says that the researchers now want to find out more about what kinds of content people might want to see the most of when they are bored and whether or not that might include learning activities.

The biggest problem here is getting people to use an app or service that analyzes this much data about them. In addition to that, there is also the question of how accurately researchers can predict boredom due to the fact that they received their data by asking people to repeatedly report how bored they were. Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Rochester M. Ehsan Hoque believes that this may not accurately represent "true boredom" as our mental states are usually subconscious. Regardless, Hoque says that he is excited about the promise of the study as it shows that researchers are looking the mental state of people through smartphone data. "We know boredom leads to depression, so if you can infer the person is bored, you can do something about it," Hoque concludes.

Content originally published here

---

Sharing this story on Social Media? Use these hashtags! #Smartphones #Boredom #Telefonica

Moleskine's New Calendar App is Both Elegant and Beautiful

Moleskine is famous for their beautiful notebooks and notepads, and now they have their own calendar app that is along the same lines as their physical products. The new app is called Timepage. It has a minimalist design and it doesn't have the traditional calendar view of the whole month. Instead, you get a nice little day-to-day view which makes things a lot more simple and less overwhelming.

The app also has weather built into it, and the ability to work with Uber and take care of all of your upcoming appointments. The app is supposed to help with all of your daily needs by giving you weather, appointments, and even take care of directions and transportation.

When you open up the app you get a list of days, and even if you don't have anything scheduled for a day, it still takes up as much space in the list as the others so things don't get confusing, and it is hard to look at it wrong. If you don't have anything scheduled, it will throw in a historical fact of something that happened that day in history just to keeps things interesting and lively. You can also customize the look of the app and have days that already passed appear darker than upcoming days.

If you want to add a new event to the calendar, all you have to do is pull down on a day and type whatever it is that you want. You can also send out calendar invites and locations are automatically pulled from Google Places.

If you have Google Maps or Apple Maps, you can also get directions from them to your Timepage app. Then it will show you how long it will take to get to your appointments from wherever you are currently. It will give you options for driving, walking, and even public transportation.

Get a Quote on a Smartphone Rental today from Rentacomputer! Rentacomputer has the latest in Smartphone Rental technology, including the latest Android Smartphones and Apple iPhone!

Moleskine has made the weather portion of the app a really big part of the app. It always keeps you updated with the daily forecast which includes beautiful graphics that look a lot like the Fresh Air weather graphs. You can even check out the forecast for the same time and place as any of the events you create in your calendar. This way you can be prepared for anything.

They have also made the Timepage app compatible with the Apple Watch and made it super easy to use with the tiny device. You'll be able to use all of the same features with the tiny little screen. This makes having the app or the Apple Watch that much more convenient. You can get everything you need to know with just a glance.

The Timepage app will also pull information from the calendar apps that you already have including Google Calendar, Microsoft Exchange 2007, and iCloud.

Unfortunately, the app is not free. But it is cheap, and completely worth it. If you are interested, you can get it at the Apple App Store for just $4.99.

Content originally published here

Flipboard App for the iPhone

The new Flipboard app for Apple’s iPhone has reached more than one million downloads a mere week after it was released.

paidContent is also saying that Flipboard is not one of those apps that people download and then never use again. According to paidContent, the Flipboard app for iPad has been bringing in around 650 million flips per month, and after Apple added the app for the iPhone, numbers are on course for the app to bring in more than 2 million flips per month.

Jill Duffy, a junior software analyst for PCMag, brought up the potential issue that "one might worry that the comparatively cramped screen space might bog down the experience, but our first impressions are that design still reigns even on the smaller device," she wrote. "The usability and 'flipping' motion of paging through the app are just as graceful and pretty as they are on the iPad version."

So, some of you may be interested in what on earth the Flipboard app is. Well, it is a social reader app that offers feeds for formal news sources, as well as social networking sites, and presents them in a magazine-like format. The app seems to be a hit, as it has been receiving incredibly positive feedback from the press and Apple App Store reviews.

If this sounds like something that you would be interested in, you should definitely check it out!


Sources: PCMag - Flipboard iPhone App Logs 1 Million Downloads in a Week, paidContent.org - Flipboard’s Phone Flips Beating iPad 2:1 and Mashable Tech - Flipboard Has 5 Million Users, iPhone App Gets Million Downloads in First Week

A Tech Travel Agent can get a laptop rental to you within 24 business hours in over 1000 cities worldwide. Call Me Toll Free 800-736-8772

Apps from Nintendo? Not Any Time Soon!

The biggest app category in Apple’s App Store is games. However, according to The Loop, Nintendo does not plan to capitalize on that any time soon. Although Nintendo has been pressured by investors to begin designing games for iOS devices like the iPhone, the iPad and the iPod, according to comments made by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, there are not any plans for games for iOS devices in the company’s near future.

“This is absolutely not under consideration,” Iwata told the Japanese news site Nikkei after a 3DS press conference. “If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo. Having a hardware development team in-house is a major strength. It’s the duty of management to make use of those strengths. It’s probably the correct decision in the sense that the moment we started to release games on smartphones we’d make profits. However, I believe my responsibility is not to short term profits, but to Nintendo’s mid and long term competitive strength.”

However, tablets are on the rise. Will Nintendo need to change their stance in order to remain competitive?

“Collectively, iPad gamers are showing slightly decreased involvement with gaming on home consoles, mobile phones, and Nintendo handheld consoles,” Interpret analyst Jason Preston said in a statement. “These facts imply that iPad game developers and publishers can definitely reach a new audience on the iPad.”

Nintendo has already been going through some rough waters with the 3DS. In August the company had to drastically drop the price of their 3D hand-held device from $249.99 to $169.99. Nintendo felt that this was necessary to boost the sales numbers for the console a mere six months after its release.

On top of all of these issues that Nintendo is having, games sales are also down. In the July earnings report, Nintendo reported its first quarterly loss in its entire history. Despite this, Iwata does not seem to be concerned. He believes that Nintendo has a successful business model that will show its worth when the holiday seasons rolls around a little later this year.

Find out what is going on in the Tech Army World.



What are the Top 10 Money Making Missions?

What other companies have joined and what do they do?

How do I join the
Tech Army Organization ?

Android Market Now Has Over 200,000 Apps

Google’s Android Market seems to really be taking off and doing quite well. In just a few months, it looks as though the Android Market has more than doubled in size. AndroLib.com is releasing numbers that show that as of Tuesday, December 28, the store had more than 200,000 apps available to the public.

It was just in October 2010 that Google announced that its Android Market had surpassed more than 100,000 available apps. Now, so far Google has not confirmed any current numbers concerning its app market, but if AndroLib.com is right, then Google truly more than doubled the number of apps that they offered on the Android Market in less than three months.

Now, despite these incredible numbers that have been put forth by AndroLib.com, Apple’s App Store is still the largest apps source available to-date. The Apple Apps Store features more than 300,000 apps in the entirety of its catalog. AndroLib.com did not seem to be worried about this though. They stated that although Apple has more than 100,000 apps more than Google, there have been more than 2.5 billion apps downloaded from the Android Market, so it looks as though Google is definitely gaining some ground.

When the Android Market first debuted in October 2008, there were only 34 apps and nine games available. In February of 2009, Google started moving forward when they began to accept priced applications from different developers in the U.S. and the U.K. Just a month after Google began accepting priced applications from various developers, Google reported that the Android Market then had 2,300 different apps, and by the end of the year, they reported that the Android Market consisted of 20,000 apps.

2010 has definitely been a year for some major growth on the Android Market. In April, Google reported that the app store featured more than 38,000 apps. Just three months later, AndroLib.com claimed that the app store had grown to offer more than 100,000 apps, but this report was denied by Google who said that the number was closer to 70,000.

To give a comparison of the Android Market to the Apple Apps Store, Apple launched their store in July 2008, three months before the Android Market was launched. It was reported by Apple that in November 2009 the Apple Apps Store reached the 100,000 app mark. This occurred just a few months after Apple reported that they had achieved 1.5 billion downloads.

Google’s vice president did announce in early December that more than 300,000 Android devices are activated each and every day. This announcement came only a few months after the chief executive of Google, Eric Schmidt, said that 200,000 Android devices were being activated every day. In just a few months, the daily activation of Android devices increased by 50 percent.

It was reported in October that Android had 8.4 percent of the global market, but in November that number moved up to 14.9 percent. Two separate studies have shown that Android is ahead of both RIM and Apple in the last quarter, claiming 44 percent of the market.

"Much of Android's quarterly share growth came at the expense of RIM, rather than Apple," Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD, said in a statement. "The HTC EVO 4G, Motorola Droid X, and other new high-end Android devices have been gaining momentum at carriers that traditionally have been strong RIM distributors, and the recent introduction of the BlackBerry Torch has done little to stem the tide.”

It’s exciting to see how well the Android Market is doing. I think that it is really fascinating how quickly they seem to be catching up to Apple’s App Store. For now, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if they can really do it.

Looking for a way to really spruce up your event booth? Why not try a Plasma Display Rental? Renting Audio Visual equipment for your next event can be a real money saver if you aren't looking to spend a lot of money. Rentacomputer.com has been providing technological rentals to over 1000 cities worldwide for more than 20 years. Call 800-736-8772.

Mall Maps Deluxe App Can Help with Holiday Shopping

As the turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes settled in many content individuals' stomachs, other people were throwing on their hats and scarfs and rushing out at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning to catch the very best of the early bird Black Friday specials.

Many different companies did incredibly well with their Black Friday sales. Sears had great sales figures to report from Black Friday. A Sears spokesperson said, "Following the rush [Friday] morning, both Sears and Kmart stores across the country continued to see a steady flow of customers. Customers took advantage of our Doorbuster deals on home appliances, consumer electronics, jewelry, apparel and holiday trimmings – while also earning valuable Shop Your Way Rewards points at both retailers."

Although crowds flooded stores searching for the best Black Friday deals, the largest amount of sales were from online shopping. Internet retailers were the biggest winners concerning this year’s Black Friday sales, as many customers decided to make their purchases from the comfort of their own homes.

Buy.com is one of these online retailers that did very well. The company reported that this year was the most successful Black Friday in the company’s history. Their sales grew by more than 45 percent compared to last year. As of 5 p.m. on Friday, Buy.com reported their 45 percent growth, a 100 percent increase in their Buy.com marketplace sales, and “record numbers” of online consumers.

"Shoppers have come to know Buy.com as a one-stop destination for the best return on their dollar," said chief executive and president of Buy.com, Neel Grover. "Our initial holiday results point to a strong start of the season, as consumers responded favorably to the newest initiatives we put in place to create an even more wallet-friendly shopping experience."

Buy.com’s Black Friday deals included things like free shipping with no minimum purchase on over 2.7 million products and huge discounts on tons of their featured items. Most of the company’s deals were sold out by Saturday, but a few remained, such as a 23-inch Samsung B2330 LCD Monitor for $145, compared to its original price of $310.

Other Web sites like American Eagle and JC Penney did not do so well with their Black Friday sales due to terrible problems with their Web sites. On Saturday, WatchMouse reported that Americaneagle.com was only functional 64 percent of the time November 25 and 62 percent of the time November 26 (Black Friday). JCPenney.com also suffered Web site outage problems and was only operational 78 percent of the time on Black Friday.

Other companies' Web sites including Fry’s Electronics, Office Max, Williams Sonoma, and Toys ‘R’ Us also suffered outage issues.

For those who didn’t get all of their holiday shopping finished on Black Friday and are looking to ease the stress of holiday shopping, there are a variety of different apps that can help you with all of your shopping needs. Developer Medl Mobile has created Mall Maps Deluxe for the very serious shoppers in the world. The developer dubbed the app “the shopaholic’s Bible.” It features a GPS-based search that will help you find all of the nearest malls. It will browse mall databases by state, show store lists with directory numbers, give addresses, phone numbers, and URL of every mall, and even give you a detailed floor plan of the malls you are interested in.

Holiday shopping can be an extremely stressful ordeal if you don’t have a very detailed shopping plan. With an app like Mall Maps Deluxe, you can easily plan what malls you need to visit to cover all of the stores you need to hit to get all of your holiday shopping done in one easy trip. If you’re deciding to brave the holiday crowds, let your phone assist you with your shopping and make your trip as stress-free as possible.

A Laptop Rental is perfect if you are hosting a classroom training session or if you are just headed to another convention. Take the hassle out of your business trip. Rentacomputer.com has been offering quality laptop rentals for over 20 years to more than 1000 cities worldwide.

White Noise App Will Lull You to Sleep

I don’t know about you, but I have problems going to sleep in complete silence. Depending on where I am, there are different things that act as my white noise. Sometimes it’s the sounds of the city or of crickets in the country or even just the whir of a fan. At times, you might be sleeping somewhere where these natural white noises are not available. That’s where the White Noise mobile app comes in handy.

The White Noise mobile app is available for a variety of different devices. It can help you relax anywhere with different options ranging from crickets to rain and thunder.

There are two different versions of the White Noise mobile app. There is the White Noise Lite version that is free for iPhone, Android, and Palm phones. It gives you enough sample sounds that you might be completely satisfied with the free version, but if that isn’t enough, then you can purchase the full version. For $1.99 you can purchase the full version for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry phones. For $2.99 you can purchase the full version for Windows Mobile and Palm WebOS phones.

White Noise Lite (the free version) comes with 10 sample sounds including: trains rolling on a track, crickets chirping in a forest, and the sounds of an airplane cabin. The full version of the app has about a total of 40 different soothing sounds that allow you to choose between options like beach waves or crashing ocean waves, light rain or thundering storms, and tons of other sounds.

The White Noise app is perfect when you travel a lot. You can easily plug some headphones into your device and take a nap or sit your phone nearby before you go to bed and turn the app on. Now, you may be concerned that your battery will run down if the app is playing all night. Well, both White Noise and White Noise Lite feature a timer that you can set. It will allow you to decide when you want the app to turn off so your battery won’t be shot. Now, you will only be able to run the app in the background while you do other things on your phone if you have the full version, but that’s not a huge deal.

The lite version of the app is a great way to check out the app and see if you want to spend the money on the full version. It gives you a really good sampling and could be all that you need. Both versions of the app allow you to create playlists of sounds so you can fall asleep to something like a light rain and then wake up in the middle of the night to something like beach waves. You can mix and match tons of different combinations.

Want more free apps? Check out the top 10 free iPhone apps.

---

Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

Pocket Manager for iPad and iPhone

Last week, the company Intersog LLC, an "international software construction company that is located in Chicago, Illinois," announced an updated release of Pocket Manager: Accounting for Management for the iPad and iPhone. Pocket Manager is considered a Top 50 grossing business app and that shouldn't change with all the neat new features!

The original iPhone version of the app has lots of updates, including an in-app search feature and social networking options that allow you to post messages on Facebook and Twitter. It will also allow you to email course text to friends and co-workers. You can get the app at the iTunes App store.

The app itself is actually a course that is divided into three sections: the course, flash cards, and tests. It contains 11 chapters that cover many aspects of financial management. You can save your place at any time during the course and pick up where you left off at any time. There is also a glossary that helps you with definitions to words you may not understand. Once you complete the text, you can use flash cards which help you prepare for the tests, which follow each chapter. Regardless of whether you get an answer wrong or right, detailed explanations accompany each test answer and each test can be retaken.

Check out these related stories:
1. Rent an iPad
2. Chicago Computer Rentals

---

Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

Apps for Your Health

There's an app for everything these days and your health is no different. According to the LA Times, there are currently over 6,000 health apps available to smartphone-owning consumers.
Most of the apps are inexpensive or even free, and they offer anything from first aid instructions to tips on exercising.

According to the times, doctors are concerned that people will begin using apps in place of actual medical care, because let's face it, when you're running a business or working 10-12 hour days, that doesn't leave a lot of time for much else. But how do you know which apps are reliable? How do you know which ones will give you good information? One way is to discuss the app with your doctor. Another way is to look at reviews from other consumers. But ultimately, there is no exact way to know.

As far as apps go, the LA Times reports that 80% of the apps are iPhone-only. Android has around 500 and BlackBerry has even less. However, as the smartphone app business continues to grow, more apps are expected to be created. If you have a Droid and want an app that's on the iPhone, check and see if there is something that compares to it, or maybe even email the company that created the app and ask if they have plans to make one in the future.

Finally, the LA Times suggests a number of apps that they tested and like and if you're looking to improve your health with a little help from your phone, you might want to start with a few of these. They include:

The American Heart Association's Pocket First Aid & CPR App - For just $3.99, iPhone and Android users can have first aid at their fingertips. Not only was the app reviewed by several physicians, but the app is produced by a reputable group - the AHA.

LoseIt! Calorie Tracker - If you're an iPhone user trying to lose a few pounds, this free app is for you. Simply type in what you're eating and it'll tell you how many calories are in it. It even comes with exercise tips.

Medic ID - This app for Android is just $1.50 and it allows you to key in your medical history, insurance information, and emergency contacts for medical professionals to access in the event of an emergency.

iTriage - Another free app for iPhone users, iTriage helps you find your closes doctor, hospital or pharmacy, as well as give you real-time updates on wait time at your local emergency rooms.

HEARTifacts - Created by students at the University of Miami in Oxford, Ohio, this app allows you to locate the closest automatic external defibrillator in the event of cardiac arrests.

For more information on these apps and more, check out the LA Times.

---

Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

Gowalla 2.0 for iPhone 3G

Gowalla, a "social network that connects people with places by inspiring them to discover and share the world" based out of Austin, Texas, has announced Gowalla 2.0 for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. The new version is much like the older version, but with better, enhanced features. The location-based social networking app is said to be better than ever and offers tons of great features that let you check in and let your friends know where you are at any time.

Not only is the new app designed better - it's more flexible, readable and over all usable, but gives users the ability to do so much in the way of social networking. Users can check in and add new spots, upload photos, brows friends' photos, or see photos taken at a particular spot. They can also receive comments from friends and other users once they've checked in. If you want to add a message to your spot, you can do so, and if you want to do it later, you can come back and do that too. Hot spots in nearby areas will be highlighted so users can discover them and you'll have the opportunity to browse friends' bookmarked spots, as well as create trips.

You can build your network by staying in touch with friends from Twitter, Facebook, and other websites, as well as keep up with addresses, phone numbers, Twitter names, and Facebook pages of various check in spots. There is so much to do! The app is fun and useful.

In a press release, Josh Williams, the co-founder and CEO of Gowalla said, "Gowalla 2.0 for iPhone is an amazing step forward for us and our product. We’re very excited to have Chevy working with us during SXSW to showcase the new features of our platform. Gowalla is about going out and exploring the world around you, and it’s always great to have some friends along for the ride.”

Gowalla has also updated their SXSW website (gowalla.com/sxsw), to include real-world rewards, events, competitions, and challenges.

Chevrolet has partnered with Gowalla to let Austin, Texas users receive icons redeemable for transportation in a dedicated fleet of Chevrolet vehicles, or information at Chevrolet lounges around the city.

Gowalla 2.0 is free from the Apple App Store, or you can download it from Gowalla.com. People from over 165 countries have already checked in at over 600,000 places.

---

Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

Sell On the Go with New eBay iPhone Apps

If you like to sell on ebay, or even make your living that way, now you can do it on the go. eBay has announced two new apps for iPhone. One is an app for eBay.com and the other is for the company's new website, eBayClassifieds.com. The new apps allow consumers to take a picture of and list an item in under a minute and make auction-style listings for free. eBay.com has over 90 million users worldwide and the new eBayClassified.com allows you to reach buyers in your community. The new app will also allow you to buy items on the website, using your iPhone, and it's easier than ever. This week, an app for the new Apple iPad will be available as well.

In a press release, Lorrie Norrington, the president of eBay, talked about the apps and what they'll do for eBay users, "We offer more choice in ecommerce formats for sellers and buyers than any other online shopping destination. The eBay Selling app makes it easy for sellers to bring even greater value and selection to eBay and offer more great deals for buyers. Whether selling or shopping, we’ve put the world’s largest online marketplace in the palm of your hand, and we’ve introduced a great new option for consumers who prefer to sell and buy in a trusted, family friendly local classifieds format.”

Right now, over 8 million people are using their iPhones to shop on the website and this year the company expects to generate over $1.5 billion in merchandise volume through mobile platforms, alone, doubling the amount generated in 2009.

The eBay.com app allows users to do a number of things directly from their phones. Sellers can point, shoot, and click to list an item in less than a minute (or so says the press release). Sellers can also research sales trends before listing items and view the status of items for sale. The app allows users to share their listings on Facebook and Twitter, as well as quickly link to other eBay and Paypal apps.

The eBayClassifieds.com app allows users to post free ads in under a minute. The ad can have up to eight photos from the user's photo library or that were taken fro the iPhone camera. Users can also search by keyword, location, price range, and other specifications quickly and easily, s well as view a single-age ad view with reply, share, and watch features.

The new apps are available in over 190 countries, in eight languages. Both apps are free to download. Together, with the recently released Paypal Mobile for iPhone, the apps make mobile eBay transactions easier than ever.

---

Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

More People Using Phones for Social Networking

There's no doubt that social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are becoming more and more popular, but the way people access these sites is changing. In January, over 10% of smartphone users accessed a social networking site with their phones; that's over 5% more than January 2009.

That means that during that month, one in three smartphone users accessed a social networking website with their mobile browsers. According to ComScore, a web metrics firm, Facebook saw a 112% increase in mobile web suers, while Twitter saw a whopping 347% increase. Because the numbers came from the users who access the websites through their mobile web browser, it did not include the almost six million users who mobile applications to access these websites.

Mark Donovan, the senior VP of mobile at ComScore, said in a statement, "Social networking remains one of the most popular and fastest-growing behaviors on both the PC-based Internet and the mobile Web. Social media is a natural sweet spot for mobile since mobile devices are at the center of how people communicate with their circle of friends, whether by phone, text, email, or, increasingly, accessing social networking sites via a mobile browser."

Despite the overwhelming increase in Twitter users, Facebook still reigns as the most popular social networking site. Facebook more than doubled MySpace with its 25 million mobile browser users in January. Twitter saw 4.7 million mobile web users. And not only is social networking on smartphones seeing an increase, more and more people are using smartphones to access the web in general. At the end of 2009, 17% of mobile phone users were using smartphones, vs 11% at the end of 2008.

---

Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

Google's New Gesture Search for Android

Google has announced that it has created "Gesture Search," a feature that allows users to search through files on their Android smartphones by tracing a letter such as "A" on the phone's screen. It's supposed to learn from your search history to improve your search quality and is currently available for phones that run Android 2.0 or higher. This is just one of many things Google has done recently to increase its smartphone operating system's viability in the current market. It also comes as companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Apple have been working to create various forms of mobile search for their smartphones.

The features works well with Google's Nexus One, which uses Anroid 2.1. Other phones are supposed to upgrade to 2.1 throughout the rest of the year, including the Motorola Droid. It allows users to search their contacts, applications, bookmarks, songs, and other items.

And if your handwriting isn't too neat, that's okay. If you draw an "A" that looks like an "H," results from both letters will be displayed. If you need to erase something, just swipe your finger horizontally through the query.

You can download the app from Android Market and as for now, it's only available in English. The app joins the recent release of Google Earth for Android 2.1, which allows users to access places on a map via voice-recognition. It also allows users to see satellite and 3D views of almost any place on earth, just like the web version.

Google entered the smartphone market with the release of the Nexus One in early January.

---

Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

Amazon Releases Kindle for Blackberry

Amazon is releasing a version of its Kindle e-Reader for Blackberry, which means Blackberry owners won't have to have their Kindle devices in hand to read their e-books. The app is free and runs the Kindle software right on your Blackberry.

Using Amazon's "Whisphersync" technology, the app will automatically synchronize to your Kindle, taking you to your last page read. It also allows you to create bookmarks and view annotations you've created on your Kindle in the past. With it, you can access that same e-book on your Blackberry, Kindle, or your computer.

Unfortunately, newspapers, magazines, and blogs will not be accessible via the app, but you will be able to preview the first chapter of any of the 400,000 books in Amazon's catalogue, much like you can with the actual Kindle. According to PC World, the app is easy to use. Most of the books cost around $10.00.

The app is available for Blackberry Curve 8520 and 8900, Bold 9000 and 9700, Storm 9530, Storm 2 9550, and the Tour 9630. Currently, it's only available in the United States, but an international version is supposed to be available in the future.

---

Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

Google Voice Comes to iPhone

Google has announced that it has revised its Voice software so smartphone users can access it through their web browser, instead of having to download and install it like most other apps. It allows customers to make long-distance calls over the internet (cheaper than they might be able to with their phone) and provides you with an alternate dialing pad, as well as the ability to listen to voicemail from your browser.

Even though iPhone users may be excited, chances are, Apple is not. In July of last year, Google accused Apple of trying to block Google Voice from being distributed through the App Store. Apple said it was not blocking the application, but that AT&T (iPhone's carrier) had a provision in its contract that forced it to reject all internet calling programs that do not originate within the cellular network. However, AT&T denied this. The spat prompted an FCC investigation.

Many think Apple is simply feeling the heat of competition from Google, as the two companies start to overlap markets. In early January, Google began selling its own smartone, the Nexus One.

---

Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

The Best Free Blackberry Apps

The Blackberry is the number one smartphone platform in the U.S. It had tons of apps years before the iPhone was even thought up. The issue that Blackberry has had is that there has never been an easy way to find and install these apps. Some of them can be found at the Blackberry App World, where you download apps directly on your Blackberry. Others are available from the independent store GetJar or some are only downloadable from developers’ Web sites. Its harder to find Blackberry apps than iPhone or Android apps, so hopefully this guide will help you to find the top 10 Blackberry apps much easier.

1. AP Mobile News 2.5.5
Download at: The Associated Press; bb.apnews.com
This news app gives you easy access to local, national, and international news. You can receive up-to-the-minute news, send stories to your Facebook, read stories off-line, or watch news videos. Any news needs will be met with this very convenient app.

2. BBNotePad 1.1.2
Download at: Qin; http://krzysztow.com/BBNotePad/#downloadm
The BBNotePad is so much more useful than the Blackberry notepad. It has three different font sizes, gives you the ability to save files as .txt so you can open files right on your computer, and can send memos to other devices through Bluetooth.

3. Bloomberg Mobile 1.9.11.5
Download at: Bloomberg LP; m.bloomberg.com
Bloomberg is the best free business app for Blackberry. It can provide you with news, stock information, customized lists of stock, market trends, and company descriptions that can be very helpful and is extremely easy to use.

4. BOLT 1.5
Download at: Bitstream; www.boltbrowser.com
BOLT is a quick, high-quality browser that can actually download Web pages so they look the same as they would on your desktop computer. You are also able to use all the usual browser features just with a fantastic page views.

5. Facebook 1.7.0.18
Download at: Research in Motion; www.blackberry.com
This app can turn your Blackberry into a complete version of Facebook. You are able to view your news feed, lets you view recent status updates and photos, view comments and wall posts, upload or tag photos, a do pretty much anything you can do when using Facebook from a computer.

6. FlashLight 1.0.2
Download at: App Pro Shop from the Blackberry App World
There are a variety of different free flashlight apps to choose from but FlashLight from the App Pro Shop seems to be the easiest to use. The light is bright and you are given the option to adjust the color and the brightness. The manufacturers say that different colors work better for different situations.

7. Gmail 2.0.6
Download at: Google; m.google.com/a/
You can get so many more features with Gmail. If you choose to read your Gmail through the built-in Blackberry client, you’re going to have a pretty basic experience. If you download the Gmail app, you will be able to access your contact list, sent mail, labels, and stars, and the great thing is that it looks just like Gmail.

8. Google Maps 3.2
Download at: Google; m.google.com/maps
Google Maps gives you GPS navigation for free. It offers driving, transit, and walking directions. There are even real-time traffic updates that help you get around high-traffic areas. You can easily look up businesses and street addresses and keep yourself going in the right direction.

9. Ka-Glom 1.4
Download at: Magmic; www.magmic.com
Finding a fun free game for you Blackberry can be difficult, but Ka-Glom is a puzzle game that will keep you occupied for awhile. It’s a little bit like Tetris, but with some added bonuses. This is a quick, fun-loving game that can give you something a little bit different to amuse you.

10. Opera Mini 5.0
Download at: Opera Software; mini.opera.com
The Opera Mini is great for speed. It is able to compress Web pages so that they can transfer more quickly and reformat them so they are readable on small screens. You are able to utilize tabs and bookmarks and can view the page from a desktop view.

These are the top ten free Blackberry Apps. Although Blackberry Apps can be difficult to find, you now have a guide to find the most useful ones easily.

---

Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

A Health and Environment iPhone App

So once again we have another quite interesting iPhone app that is just being released. The San Francisco based company GoodGuide has just developed the first iPhone app that will allow you to scan a bar code and receive information on health, environmental, and social responsibility ratings of the products and their companies.

GoodGuide has shown to be a very helpful resource in the past when performing such tasks as shopping for toys. Their website will relay the levels of lead, mercury, and chlorine that can be found in different toys.

Now with the new developments that GoodGuide has made, you don’t have to remember to be super organized and do all of your research online before you start your shopping. Now all you need is to have your iPhone on you. You can simply scan the bar code and with this new application you can find out all the information that you might need from GoodGuide.

Now it will be so much easier to compare items side by side and see which one is better for your body and for the environment. I find this new application quite fascinating. It makes me want to borrow someone’s iPhone simply to scan a product and see the app at work. The other great part of this is that the app is free. So what more could you ask for? There is now an app that will help you find products that benefit you and the environment and the service is completely free.

A Mood-Based App for Your iPhone

How many iPhone apps can they come up with? Well here’s a new one! As if status updates weren’t enough to inform your friend how depressed, ecstatic, infuriated, or bored you were, you can now let them know exactly what you are in the mood for.

Moodspin is a social-networking add-on that has just been endorsed by the iPhone App Store. Currently you are only able to use Moodspin through Twitter, but through it you are given the capabilities to broadcast exactly how you feel to everyone that follows you.

To make Moodspin even better, it is not just text that appears when you set your mood but a mood-related emoticon is added to your photo. This allows people to see how you feel no matter what it is that you just tweeted about.

So the big question about this app would be…is it useful at all? Honestly, not really, but it doesn’t have to be useful for you to enjoy it. It is interesting how Moodspin will track your moods. Every time that you update your mood status it will be charted on a timeline. This can show others what you have been up to throughout the day if you wish to display such information. You can easily compare and contrast your mood graph with your friends or everyone else on Moodspin.

Moodspin is relatively easy to use on your iPhone. You simply select your in mood in three taps and it instantly becomes a personalized Twitter update. It also will tack on a URL that can lead others to your Moodspin profile so they can view your moods in the past 24 hours.

Supposedly sometime this month Moodspin will update to also allow Facebook users to access their service. This way you can include your mood right along side your status.

So no this isn’t the most incredible app for your iPhone, but for those that obsess over social-networking sites this could be an app that can add some flair to your constant tweets and updates.

Scan Your Business Cards On The Go

If you have a huge amount of business cards sitting on your desk, or in your wallet waiting to be entered into your contacts list on your iPhone, you're not alone. Well a new app for your iPhone will take all the hassle out of entering business card information The Business Card Reader for iPhone/iPod Touch makes the process simple and virtually pain-free.

The app, available on iTunes for $5.99, and scans/"reads" your business card information from a picture you take of the business card you want to enter. It uses ABBYY’s text recognition technology to read the business card image and enters it directly into a new contact in your address book. It will read names, phone numbers, fax numbers, and email addresses. Before finalizing, you can check to verify that all the information is correct and hit save and its done.

The Business Card Reader will also read in a few different languages including: English, French, Italian, German and Spanish business cards. Another great feature is that it has a built-in browser and its possible to make LinkedIn search of a contact you've just scanned, all without leaving the program.

For a quick and easy way to enter all your business contacts into your iPhone, this app is a great choice to get the job done.