via Delicious popular by wrex on 12/28/09
Bookmark this on Delicious - Saved by wrex to iphone apps 2009 app ipod mac mobile apple software widgets - More about this bookmark Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The 11 Best iPhone Apps of 2009
Bookmark this on Delicious - Saved by wrex to iphone apps 2009 app ipod mac mobile apple software widgets - More about this bookmark 
8 Mobile Technologies to Watch in 2009, 2010
via ReadWriteWeb by Sarah Perez on 12/29/09
At the beginning of this year, analyst firm Gartner released a report that highlights eight up-and-coming mobile technologies which they predict will impact the mobile industry over the course of the next two years. According to Nick Jones, vice president and analyst at the firm, the technologies they've identified will evolve quickly and will likely pose issues that will have to be addressed by short term strategies.
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Editor's note: This story is part of a series we call Redux, where we'll re-publish some of our best posts of 2009. As we look back at the year - and ahead to what next year holds - we think these are the stories that deserve a second glance. It's not just a best-of list, it's also a collection of posts that examine the fundamental issues that continue to shape the Web. We hope you enjoy reading them again and we look forward to bringing you more Web products and trends analysis in 2010. Happy holidays from Team ReadWriteWeb!
The eight technologies identified include the following:
Bluetooth 3.0
This is one of the no-brainers on the list. The Bluetooth 3.0 specification will be released this year and devices will start to hit the shelves by 2010. At this point, it's expected that the 3.0 spec will include faster speeds, reportedly transferring files at 480 megabits per second in close proximity and 100 megabits per second at 10 meters. It will also feature an ultra-low-power mode that Gartner predicts will enable new peripherals, sensors, and applications, such as health monitoring. The technology will be backwards compatible, allowing old devices to communicate with new ones, so there's no reason for it not take off in the upcoming years.
Mobile User Interfaces + Mobile Web/Widgets
Mobile user interfaces and mobile web/widgets were listed separately, accounting for two items on the list, but we think they can be lumped together. They all point to how mobile computing is rapidly becoming a new platform for everything from consumer mobile apps to B2E (business-to-employee) and B2C (business-to-customer). (Gartner did not include B2B on their list.) Modern day smartphones like the iPhone, Android, Blackberry, the upcoming Pre, and others deliver better interfaces for browsing the web, thus making it accessible to more people. Widget-like applications, including those that replicate thin client technology, will become more common especially in B2C strategies. Yet the mobile web still has challenges ahead. For example, there are no standards for browser access to handset services like the camera or GPS, the report notes.
Location Awareness
Location sensing, powered by GPS as well as Wi-Fi and triangulation, opens up new possibilities for mobile social networking and presence applications. Technology's earliest adopters are already familiar with social networks like Brightkite and Loopt which let you reveal your location to a network of friends. But we're still on the tip of this iceberg. Take for example, the iPhone IM client Palringo, they're just now adding location services to their application. This allows users to see how far away their contacts are, introducing a whole new dimension to mobile communication. Over the next year or two, this sort of technology is expected to become more commonplace, but it will also raise questions about privacy. Will you want your network of online friends and acquaintances to really know your exact location? Will turning off location awareness signal that you're up to something sneaky (so asks the suspicious wife, husband, boss, etc.)? As a society, we will have to answer these questions and more in the near future.
Near Field Communication (NFC)
NFC is a technology that provides a way for consumers to use their mobile phones for making payments, among other things. It's something that has taken off in many countries worldwide, but certainly not all, and definitely not in the United States just yet. Unfortunately, Gartner predicts that the move towards mobile payment systems will still not occur this year or the next in mature markets like the U.S. and Western Europe. Instead, NFC is more likely to take off in emerging markets. Other uses of the technology, such as the ability to transfer photos from phone to digital photo frames, will also remain elusive to more developed markets.
802.11n & Cellular Broadband
802.11n, a specification for wireless local area networks (WLANs), initially gave us pause. Although not ratified as an official standard yet, the technology is already commonplace. However, until it "goes gold" so to speak, it won't really infiltrate the mobile world. Even the ubiquitous iPhone only supports 802.11 b/g at the moment.
On the flip side, the other Internet connection technology, cellular broadband, has the potential to make Wi-Fi almost unnecessary, at least for achieving high speeds. In addition to mobile phones, laptop makers will likely continue to incorporate this technology into their netbooks and notebooks using modern chipsets that provide superior performance to our current crop of add-on cards and dongles.
Display Technologies
Display technologies will also see improvements in the upcoming years. New technologies like active pixel displays, passive displays and pico projectors will have an impact. Pico projectors - the tiny portable projectors we saw being introduced at this year's CES - will enable new mobile use cases. Instant presentations in informal settings could become more common when there isn't large, cumbersome equipment to set up. The different types of display technologies introduced in 2009 and 2010 will become important differentiators between devices and will impact user selection criterion, says Gartner.
For more information on these above technologies, you can read through the full report available here on Gartner's web site.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments on how you think the mobile space will be impacted in the future.
DiscussMonday, December 21, 2009
Most Popular Repurposing Tricks of 2009 [Best Of 2009]
via Lifehacker by Jason Fitzpatrick on 12/21/09
We're huge fans of repurposing here at Lifehacker—squeezing extra and usually clever uses out of every day objects. Here's a look back at out some of the most popular repurposing posts from 2009.
Rain Gutters as Cable Management Tools
We're all about creative cable management here at Lifehacker, so we were instantly drawn to reader Seandavid010's rain-gutter cable management setup. Granted, you can find other cord-wrangling solutions, like the one Adam used when he made his cordless workspace, but the rain gutter approach yields impressive results. Sean was nice enough to send in his entire step-by-step, check out the full post to see it.
$5 IKEA Coat Hanger Offers Solid Cable Management
Weblog BitsOfMyMind shares a very simple idea that turns an inexpensive coat-hanger rack into a simple and streamlined cord management solution.
Back when Adam detailed how to go cordless in your workspace, he championed a $10 cable management add-on from IKEA. Many readers wrote in and said they couldn't find the IKEA wire-manager he used, so this clever hack is a welcome addition to our cable-wrangling bag of tricks.
Open a Bottle of Wine with Your Shoe
Got a bottle of wine on hand but no corkscrew to get it open? You can argue all you want about whether or not the guy in this video really needs more wine, but you can't argue with the results.
Make Cookies in 90 Seconds with Your Waffle Iron
Baking cookies in your oven is fine and all, but if you want to turn out some tasty cookies in a very short time, consider turning to your trusty waffle iron. Turns out you're only 90 seconds away from crispy, chewy, cookie-goodness.
Create a Cat Haven from Ikea Shelves
The climbing trees at pet stores are ridiculously expensive and take up tons of floor space. Help your kitty jump to a royal view, Super-Mario-style, without cluttering your floor or wasting money.
Remove Splinters Using a Banana Peel
Bananas are a good source of potassium, but turns out the peels can do more than just store the fruit. Apartment Therapy outlines seven ways to put used peels to work, including removal of those inconvenient splinters. Photo by keepon.
Get More From Cheap Vodka Than a Hangover
Sooth headaches? Clean razors? Kill bees? Vodka is handy for all sorts of uses besides the traditional one. The clear and high-proof alcohol can be used for all manner of tricks. Photo by Carsten Lorentzen.
Coke Can Clean Your Toilet in a Pinch
When your toilet's got rings and lime scale stains and you've got no cleaning gear on hand, grab a can of Coke out of the fridge.
Turn IKEA Cabinets Into a Cordless Desktop Stand
The new iMacs, and similar all-in-one LCD desktop systems, make for a mostly cordless computing experience. Using two pieces of IKEA furniture meant for laptops and modems, you can hide the remaining wires and up the elegance.
Disposable Mugger's Wallet Gets You Off Scott Free or Gets You Beat Up
A mugger's wallet is a disposable second wallet that you're more than happy to give away to a mugger. It contains a few bucks, a non-essential ID, but not much else that would endanger your identity.
DIY Car Dash Camera Mount
Ever wished you had some high-speed chase footage after you finished tearing down the freeway after crooks? Of course you have! You need a quick, cheap DIY camera mount.
Remove Stubborn Batteries and Other Cool Magnet Tricks
As if the sheer magnetism aspect of magnets wasn't magical enough, weblog Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories points out 17 very cool tricks that put your magnets to great use. For starters, a strong magnet can be the perfect tool to remove batteries from the grips of a stubborn spring.
Use Vicks VapoRub To Cure Toenail Fungus
We've heard that Vicks VapoRub can cure toenail fungus before (it's also helpful when you've got a cold!), but the New York Times recently put it to the test. The results: The thyme in VapoRub can in fact do the job.
Repair a Broken Ethernet Plug with Zip Ties
We've all been there at some point: You've got a perfectly functional Ethernet cord that somewhere along the line had its tab broken off. Don't buy a new one or re-terminate the cord. Fix it with zip ties.
Open Beer Bottles with Bic Lighters
If you lack for a piece of paper, a ring, or just don't want to risk bursting another bottle, Wired explains the time-honored tradition of popping the top with a Bic-type lighter.
Outlet-Hanging Charge Station For Your Small Gadgets
If a full-sized charging station is overkill for your single cellphone or iPod, try this smaller gadget cradle that mounts neatly on a wall outlet. Craft blog Zakka Life put together a simple tutorial for making a cradle that's perfect for single, regularly-charged items—the kinds of things you dump out of your pockets upon returning home.
Best Repurposing Trick of 2009?(answers)
Have a favorite post from 2009 that highlights a clever use or novel way to repurpose an everyday object? Let's hear about it in the comments.
Gmail – 45 Timesaving Keyboard Shortcuts
via Gmail Tools by Digg RSS Search for gmail on 12/20/09
45 Gmail vry useful keyboard shortcuts. More productivity [[ This is a content summary only. Visit MyWebsite.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]Friday, December 18, 2009
iPhone Apps for Education
via Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day by Jane Hart on 12/15/09
Over the last year or so I've been building a list of list of apps (including optimized sites and web apps) for the iPod Touch and the iPhone that are useful for learning, performance support or productivity purposes. Here it is:
Apps for the iPod Touch/iPhone
However,I recently came across this huge list of iPhone Apps for Education, made available via Scribd (and embedded below):
ICTAC MEMO iPhone Apps for EducationThis Year in Google: The 2009 Edition [Google]
via Lifehacker by Gina Trapani on 12/16/09
When technologists of the future look back in time, they'll remember 2009 as the year Google got serious about an internet operating system, speeding up the web, and indexing EVERYTHING in sight. Take a look at the year 2009 in Google.
Google's Three Biggest Launches of 2009
Two of the three most significant Google releases of 2009 are not yet available to the public in a final release build, but all three are open source. In no particular order:
Chromium OS: In July, Google got Microsoft and Apple shaking in their boots when they announced they were building an operating system. The source code for Chrome OS (in its development phase it's called Chromium OS) became available in November; early adopters can run virtual machine images and bootable USB drive versions of the OS.
Google Wave: In May, Google demonstrated their new, real-time collaboration webapp, Google Wave, to a crowd of incredulous developers who couldn't stop applauding. In September, they invited 100,000 users to try the Wave Preview. By now, over one million users have joined the Wave Preview. We wrote a book about Wave; and you can give and get Wave invitations on our dedicated forum page.
Android 2.0/Droid: While Android-based handsets were already available when the year started, the Motorola Droid debuted in November running Android 2.0 (with turn-by-turn GPS capabilities) and took on the iPhone in its "Droid Does" ad campaign. Google also released a flurry of Android-only applications and updates to existing ones in 2009 to boost their mobile platform, including the Google Voice app (which Apple rejected on the iPhone), the amazing Google Goggles app, Google Maps enhancements, and Google Listen.
Google's Most Updated Apps of 2009
While a few Google products did get shut down, "sunsetted," or just didn't change much, several marquee apps grew up a whole lot this year with serious feature additions and upgrades.
Search Engine Upgrades: Remember when Google was just a search engine? Googlers do, because they're still busy bees improving search results and rolling out new ways to get to them. This year saw the rollout of Google web search's Caffeine update, as well as music, social, and real-time search, along with several new Google Image search options, and updates to the Google Suggest drop-down.
Gmail: Thanks to Gmail Labs, our favorite web-based email client got a slew of new features for power users, from automatic translations to offline attachments to time zone notifiers to exportable mail filters. If you haven't recently, cruise through your Gmail account's Labs area to pick and choose from over 60 experimental features. Gmail's mobile web application for the iPhone and on Android also saw an overhaul and vast improvement this year.
Chrome web browser: Google's own browser, Chrome, saw a whole lot of movement in 2009, especially late in the year with the release of bookmark sync, official beta builds for Mac and Linux (finally!), and Chrome extensions.
Google News also saw a couple of interesting experiments like Fast Flip and the News Timeline.
Google's Mission to Speed Up the Web
If there's any one thing Google did this year, it was launch a concerted effort on all fronts to make the web faster. From developer tools (like Speed Tracer and the Google Web Toolkit) to consumer products (like Chrome and Google Public DNS), it's kind of astounding the sheer amount of stuff Google put out there this year under the speed umbrella. They're even going so far as attempt to reinvent the two pillar protocols of email and the web with Wave and SPDY (a faster replacement for HTTP).
And the rest....
2009 was also the year of a few legal skirmishes (like the Google Books settlement, the Cyanogen C&D, the Google Voice/FCC dust-up), a few acquisitions (like reCAPTCHA, Gizmo5, and AppJet), and data control initiatives (the Google Dashboard and the Data Liberation Front).
You could say it was a pretty busy year at the Googleplex.
Google's 2009 Product Release Calendar
Take a chronological ride through the last four seasons at Google in this list of 2009 product releases and updates, listed month by month.
January
February
March
April
- Google Profiles show up at the bottom of search results
- Updated mobile Gmail and Google Calendar webapps for iPhone and Android launch
- Google Maps mashup tracks swine flu
- GV Mobile makes Google Voice the default for your iPhone (later, Apple pulled this app from the iTunes Store for reasons that are still unclear)
May
June
- Google Apps Sync syncs Microsoft Outlook with Gmail, Google Contacts, and Calendars (updates with push Gmail in September)
- Google Squared puts your search results into a spreadsheet
- Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, and Talk leave beta
July
- FeedDemon, NetNewsWire sync exclusively with Google Reader
- Google announces Chromium OS (but doesn't release any code, doctored screenshots and fan-made versions start popping up)
- Apple rejects all Google Voice applications from the iTunes Store
- Gmail Tasks graduates from Google Labs (where it first appeared in December of 2008)
August
- Gmail makes importing mail and contacts from old email accounts easy
- PubSubHubbub gets baked into Google Reader
September
- Google Wave Preview opens to 100,000 users
- GrandCentral closes its doors, transitions entirely to Google Voice
- Google Sidewiki launches
October
- Google offers voicemail storage and transcriptions for your existing phone number (part of Google Voice)
- Google Maps Navigation adds turn-by-turn GPS to Android
- Google Voice gives existing users invitations to send to their friends
November
- Chrome OS announced, Chromium build demo'ed and source code released (here's how you can try out a Chromium build yourself)
- Google Chrome adds bookmark sync
- Google releases Go, a new programming language
December
- Chrome browser hits Mac/Linux with extensions enabled (Chrome for Windows left beta in December of 2008)
- Google's new real-Time search includes Twitter streams
- Google Public DNS launches
- Google "lets the sun set" on Gears, moving to HTML5
- Google Goggles for Android searches the web by photo
- Google Favorite Places puts a barcode on restaurants and shops you can scan with your mobile phone
Now you tell us:
What's the best thing Google released or announced this year?(answers)
What was the best Google launch of the year? The biggest flop? The product that made the biggest difference in your daily life? Let us know in the comments.
Gina Trapani, Lifehacker's founding editor, looks forward to what the GOOG will come up with in 2010. Find her at Smarterware and on Twitter.
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