• app catalog,  apple,  mobile apps 360

    PDF Reader: iPad Edtion 1.0

    It’s time for another Mobile Apps 360 review. This time I cover Kdan’s PDF Reader iPad Edition.

    I found myself needing to read a PDF attachment today. I was away from my office, and I didn’t want to try to read the email attachment on my BlackBerry knowing full well that I had an 9.7-inch iPad in my bag.

    In steps Kdan Mobile Software’s $0.99 Apple iPad application, PDF Reader 1.0.

    I was drawn into purchasing PDF Reader because of some of the cool features it had. First is the ability to transfer Acrobat documents from my MacBook Pro to my iPad using iTunes. Next was the well designed UI. In landscape mode, you see a file/folder navigation bar on the left with a document pane on the right. Switch the iPad into portrait mode and the navigation bar melts away allowing you to see the document full screen without any distractions.

    Another cool feature is the ability to browse to your web mail account from inside the application, a feature that requires the application have a MA-17 rating, and download the PDF file to your iPad. That was the feature that I needed to read me PDF file.

    PDF Reader also has a nice built in manual system that allows you to quickly get started and then call up the manual if you have questions later on. Page scrolling and zooming work very well and I didn’t have any problem flicking through 13 – 24 page documents I need to read today.

    All in all, PDF Reader: iPad Edition should be an application that you purchase and install on your iPad if you need to read PDF files outside of Apple’s email application.

    For more information about PDF Reader, visit the Kdan website. To purchase a copy of PDF Reader: iPad Edition 1.0, visit the iTunes App Store [App Store link] or use the App Store icon on your iPad and search for “PDF”.

  • android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    HTC Droid Eris Android 2.1 Update Rolling Out

    The HTC Droid Eris update has finally started rolling out to Verizon customers this past Sunday. A message from a Verizon Twitter account indicated that the update would become available yesterday.

    The Android 2.1 update is an Over the Air (OTA) update that you apply to your Eris without having to connect it to your computer. When the update becomes available for your Eris, an Update Available icon will appear at the top left of your screen. Once you download the update installer, you will be prompted to restart your phone and the update will be installed.

    For more details about the Google Android 2.1 update for the HTC Droid Eris, check out the Verizon Wireless support website.

  • blackberry,  blackberry os,  bold,  rim,  sprint,  tour

    BlackBerry Bold 9650 Available from Sprint

    The Sprint edition of the RIM BlackBerry Bold has gone on sale via the Sprint website today, according to BoyGeniusReport.com. The Bold 9650, which started out life as the BlackBerry Tour 2, will eventually replace the Tour on Sprint’s Now Network.

    The BlackBerry Bold 9650 can be purchased for $199.99 after a $100 instant rebate and a $100 mail in rebate when you sign-up for a new line of service or add a 2-year contact extension to your existing plan.

    The BlackBerry Bold 9650’s feature list includes:

    • Trackpad
    • BlackBerry® Push Technology
    • Mobile Email
    • BlackBerry App World™
    • 3.2 Megapixel Camera and Camcorder
    • Dual Network Capability for International Travel
    • Wi-Fi Enabled – 802.11 b/g
    • External Memory (Up to 32GB SDHC microSD card)
    • BlackBerry® Messenger and Instant Messaging
    • Attachment Viewing and Editing (DataViz Documents to Go)
    • GPS capable
    • BlackBerry® Media Sync (sync with Apple iTunes)
    • Bluetooth® Enabled including Stereo BT profile
    • Voice Activated Dialing
    • Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC)

    For more information and upgrade pricing, visit the Sprint website. For detailed product specifications on the BlackBerry Bold family of smartphones, visit the Research In Motion BlackBerry website.

    [Via BoyGeniusReport.com…]

  • apple,  time

    Steve Jobs Makes the Time 100 List for 2010

    On this lazy Sunday afternoon I had a chance to catch up on some of the magazines and IT research reports. One of those magazines was Time, in which Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs was named one a member of this year’s Time 100. Mr. Jobs was listed in the “Thinkers” category; which is fitting because his computer has always dared to “Think Different.”

    You can read Jeff Koons’ write up of Mr. Jobs on the Time website.

  • apple,  ipad,  iphone os

    Keynote: Now Appearing On Alan’s iPad

    I purchased a copy of Apple’s Keynote for the iPad today.

    Before you get too excited, I honestly believed that I have a legitimate, ok, legitimate enough, excuse to drop $9.99 for the touch-based presentation software: working while on the go.

    Ok, I can hear a number of you yelling “Foul!” on that one. But look at it from my perspective. I’ve been getting a lot of information technology research notes from the likes of Gartner, Forrester, and Info-Tech. Most of the research I’ve been asked to read has been in the form of PowerPoint slides (either in native PowerPoint format or as Adobe Acrobat documents). The slides are usually printed and handed to me. Aside from not wanting to be tangentially responsible for the mowing down the rain forest, if I had the slides in electronic form I can read them while I’m walking around the house or waiting for the kids to finish their various sports practices. Makes perfect sense.

    When slides showed up on my desk today for Microsoft Office 2010, I asked for the electronic version and then pulled out my iPad and purchased Keynote. So far, the slides have been easy to read on the iPad’s amazing screen and I’ve started reading the report. Hopefully this will allow me to get some more work done, raise the geek bar slightly, and still justify the $10 as a business related expense.

    You can purchase Keynote 1.1 for the iPad from the Apple iTunes App Store. Starting today, owners of Keynote 1.0 for the iPad can download a free update to Keynote 1.1 for iPad.

  • apple,  ipad,  iphone os

    Apple Releases Pages 1.1 for iPad

    Today, Apple released Pages 1.1 for the iPad.

    The new version of Pages, Apple’s touch-based word processor for the iPad, includes UI refinements and improvements for Microsoft Word support.

    The enhancements in Pages 1.1 include:

    • Toolbar and ruler landscape support
    • Auto fit in landscape mode
    • Import/Export functions for Microsoft Word documents
    • Fixes a scrolling after movie import issue
    • New localization support

    Pages can be purchased from the App Store for $9.99. The update to 1.1 is a free update to current Pages for iPad owners. You can purchase Pages or download the update using iTunes or the App Store app on the iPad. [iTunes App Store Link]

  • android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    HTC Droid Eris Android 2.1 by May 16th

    I just saw the following Tweet by @VZWTechSupport:

    “Droid Eris users should expect 2.1 updates by Sunday 5/16.”

    That’s good news because I’ve had my Eris on all day and I keep getting the message “Your system is currently up to date” when I run the manual check.

    Well, at least I have something to look forward to playing with on Sunday afternoon.

  • android,  google,  sprint

    HTC EVO 4G Arrives on Sprint June 4th

    Get ready Sprint fans! The HTC EVO 4G hits store shelves on June 4th!

    Sprint issued a press release earlier today to announce the release date of their new 4G Google Android handset.

    If you were creating your dream wireless device what would it look like? Two cameras and video chat so you can say goodnight to your children when you are away on a business trip? Simultaneous voice and data, so you can call in your take-out order while you look at their menu on the Internet? The ability to plug your phone into your HDTV, so you can let your children finish the movie they started watching in the car’s backseat when you get home? And a huge screen for watching the videos you download in seconds – not minutes – with the fastest wireless data speeds available in America today? Stop daydreaming and get ready for Sprint to make your dreams come true on June 4 when the highly anticipated HTC EVO 4G debuts.

    “HTC EVO 4G is a fantastic 3G device, but when you use it in our growing 4G coverage area, it becomes a multimedia powerhouse,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “The EVO 4G experience is much like going from TV to HDTV. But EVO has more than just an impressive list of features – it is also fun to use with remarkable gaming, video and web-browsing capabilities.”

    Amazing Features, Beautiful Design

    HTC EVO 4G features the latest version of the increasingly popular Android platform, Android 2.1, offering more than 35,000 apps, as well as a mind-blowing list of features, including:

    • Simultaneous voice and data capability in 4G and Wi-Fi coverage areas, enabling Web surfing and more while the conversation continues.
    • Offering a new way to search with pictures instead of words, Google Goggles(TM) works with everything from books, DVDs and barcodes to landmarks, logos, artwork and wine labels.
    • Superfast 1GHz Qualcomm(R) Snapdragon(TM) processor, ensuring a smooth and quick movement within phone menus.
    • Two cameras – an 8.0 megapixel auto-focus camera with HD-capable video camcorder and a forward-facing 1.3 megapixel camera.
    • Built-in mobile hotspot functionality allowing up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices to share the 3G or 4G experience on the go with a laptop, camera, music player, game unit, video player, or any other Wi-Fi enabled device.
    • Integrated HD video capture with the ability to capture and share live video via the Qik Web site, Facebook, YouTube or Twitter(TM).
    • Ability to easily watch video with the device on an HDTV via an HDMI cable (sold separately).
    • Custom Web browser optimized for the 4.3 inch display and Sprint 4G speeds to deliver a full, no-compromise Internet experience.
    • A handy kickstand built into the back, making it easy to watch videos on-the-go.
    • Adobe Flash technology ensures that rich Internet content, such as embedded video and animation, are displayed the way they are meant to be seen.
    • Pinch-to-zoom and automatic text reflowing provide easy Web page views.

    HTC EVO 4G boasts the newest version of the highly acclaimed HTC Sense user experience. With HTC Sense, HTC EVO 4G users can use Friend Stream to aggregate multiple social communication channels, including Facebook and Twitter into one organized flow of updates; a “Leap” thumbnail view to easily switch between home screen “panels;” the ability to download new, interactive widgets; and a “polite” ringer, which quiets the ringing phone once lifted up.

    HTC EVO 4G Pricing and Availability

    HTC EVO 4G will be available in all Sprint retail channels, including Sprint.com and national retail partners, RadioShack, Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Sprint will price the award-winning device at $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate (taxes excluded) with a new line activation or eligible upgrade. Pre-registration is available now at www.sprint.com/evo.

    In order to provide the best experience, HTC EVO 4G will use Sprint’s industry-leading Everything Data or Business Advantage Messaging and Data plans that include unlimited Web, texting and calling on the Sprint Network to every mobile in America with Any Mobile, Anytime. Everything Data plans start at $69.99 per month. A $10 per month Premium Data add-on will apply allowing customers to take advantage of a richer data experience than ever before.

    Additionally, an optional pricing add-on will turn HTC EVO 4G into a mobile hotspot connecting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, gaming devices and digital cameras, simultaneously at 4G speeds where available and at 3G speeds anywhere on the Sprint 3G network for just $29.99 per month – half the monthly cost of the current Mobile Broadband plan (pricing excludes surcharges and taxes).

    For more details about the Sprint HTC EVO 4G, visit the Sprint website. The full version of today’s press release can be found on the Sprint Newsroom website. Sprint has also made the EVO 4G spec sheet available.

  • android,  chrome os,  google,  verizon

    Verizon and Google Working on a Tablet

    Barron’s Tech Trader Daily is reporting that Verizon Wireless and Google are collaborating on a new tablet-based computer.

    “Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam told the Wall Street Journal that the company is working with Google on a tablet computer.

    “We’re looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience,” he said.”

    You can read the full article, with links, on the Tech Trader Daily blog.

    [Via Barron’s Tech Trader Daily…]

  • android,  eris,  google,  verizon

    HTC Droid Eris Android 2.1 Begins Rolling Out Today

    According to AndroidCentral.com, Verizon Wireless customers who have an HTC Droid Eris are starting to get their Android 2.1 mojo on.

    “Today was supposed to be the day of the magic for you Droid Eris owners, and it appears Verizon has kept its word, and the rollout has started. This update is scheduled over the course of two weeks, so keep checking your device for updates, and hit up the forums to see who’s got it, and what’s in the update”

    Details about what is included in the 2.1 Android update for the Eris can be found on the Verizon Wireless website.

    [Via AndroidCentral.com…]