Daily Bits

noemi

Three Sensible Facebook Apps

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Facebook – you either love it or you hate it. No matter how much some people might hate this social networking site, though, there is no denying that it can be addictive. And, for those who are so into it, there’s no stopping them from being online practically all day.

Even those who are certified Facebook addicts have to admit that the social networking site has its downsides. Its applications, for one – they are so many and more often than not, useless and irritating. I have to say, though, that there are some Facebook apps that are useful and actually make sense. Let’s take a look at three apps – two I would recommend to any friend, and one that I need advice on.

Good Reads
As the name implies, it’s all about books. In this day and age where watching TV shows and movies (or listening to music) is considered more convenient than reading a good old book, it is refreshing to see an app about books. Good Reads helps you keep track of what you have been reading, together with your friends. As with other Facebook apps, the joy is in sharing. You get to rate your books and write your thoughts about them; and then you can share ideas with friends. Call it a virtual book club if you will. There’s a similar Facebook app called Visual Bookshelf, which I actually use more often. The idea is the same, although there are fewer users than Good Reads.

Travel Buddy
For people who like to travel, there is no better app than this. (If you find one, let me know!) Organize trips and share photos, experiences, and more using this app. You can tag your real life travel buddy; reminisce about your past trips; and plan your future adventures together!

Language Exchange
This last app, I am still thinking if I should use or not. The premise is very attractive – meet people who can teach you a foreign language, and share your own language as well. I am unsure about the privacy issues, though. Does anyone use this app?

Android Phone And Music Piracy

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There is no denying that music piracy – or any sort of piracy, for that matter – is an illegal thing. However, we also cannot ignore the fact that there are still countless people all over the world who engage in this activity. For one reason or another, music piracy still exists.

Now, it seems that there is more potential for music piracy, as Android apps for music downloads are surfacing. We all know how cool Android phones are, and the fact that policies on third party apps are laxer makes these phones even better!

The news is that there are several apps that have come up – all of them with the idea of downloading music straight to the phone. Some examples are Music Junk, Music Wizard, Pandemonium, Tunee Music, MP3 Music, and Music Zilla. So what’s wrong with the rationale behind these apps? Well, it’s just that they were all made with the goal of bypassing music stores where you have to pay for the music that you download.

The thing about these apps is that users can only download one song at a time. This is unlike current peer sharing apps for computers, where you can download albums. Also, the Android apps do not really allow users to share their files. It’s more like downloading a single song from an anonymous location.

What does Google have to say about this? They do not monitor all third party apps, but if they do find out that a particular app violates certain rules, then it can be taken down. For now, I believe there are still music download apps that you can use on Android phones…

Have You Got Flock Yet?

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Social networks left and right – that’s what you’re bound to see and experience if you go online even for a few minutes. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these social networks, if you think about it. It’s just sometimes, some people go overboard – both users and the brains behind the networks.

Anyway, if you can’t get enough of social networking, here’s something for you: Flock. It’s nothing new, really. This social network browser has been around for some time now, but there are new developments that will make its fan base happy.

It used to be that Mozilla Firefox was the browser of choice for a lot of people, but when Google came out with Chrome, some loyalties changed. And now, Flock has switched loyalties as well!

The new Flock is now using Chromium, the open source platform that is found under all the layers of Chrome. This is a milestone is many respects, one being the fact that Flock is the first non-Google browser to implement such a thing. For the end-user, this means S-P-E-E-D!

They say that this new “super fast” Flock beats Firefox by a factor of two when it comes to certain tasks. Some features that social network addicts will find very useful include integration with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and RSS feeds. There is also a new thing called “What Friends Are Saying,” which is basically going to let you know what your contacts are doing across various platforms.

Download Flock for Windows if you’re into this kind of thing. Mac users, you have to wait a little bit longer for summer to come around.

Opera 10.6 Beta Released

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And the Internet browser wars go on. While it is true that the general public is probably mainly aware of the big three – Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome, a considerable number of people out there use Opera. With this new release, a lot more might just change loyalties in the near future.

Opera 10.6 beta has been released, and it is promised to be 50% faster. According to Michael Muchmore of PCMag, it is indeed faster than Chrome 5 – but not by that much. Still, many of us would give a lot for more speed, wouldn’t we?

Aside from the speed, though, Opera 10.6 beta has more to offer. For one, it already supports Google’s WebM video format, which was recently announced. For those who prefer to use Microsoft’s Bing (as opposed to Google or Yahoo), Opera also integrates this search engine as the default. The browser also has more HTML 5 support.

In terms of visuals, Opera 10.6 beta is a bit different from its predecessors. The iconic O button is now replaced by MENU. While it does not mean much in terms of performance, some users might prefer this more obvious button. Also, the speed dial new tab page is now viewable in wide screen mode- quite helpful for those with sight issues.

Currently, the browser is only available for Windows, so Mac and Linux users will have to wait. The forecast is that the final version will be out by the summer. To download the beta version, visit http://www.opera.com/browser/next/.

Video Games In 3D!

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Believe it or not, but video game sales have gone down this year. By how much? Statistics say that they’ve gone down by 11 percent! That may not mean much (what’s 11 percent anyway?) for some, but given the figures involved in video game sales, that a whole lot of money!

So naturally, video game creators are looking for ways to increase their sales and get people to buy their games more. So you probably know that the E3 is ongoing right now. This could very well be the biggest thing that happens in the gaming world, although we all know that it is not how it used to be.

Anyhow, big players Sony and Nintendo have made some announcements to the effect that they are going to enter the world of 3D. This is not really a big surprise. After all the movies that we have been seeing in 3D, it really was only a matter of time till the video game companies followed suit.

So yesterday, Nintendo introduced 3DS. They showed off a device that will allow players to see images in 3D WITHOUT the need for those bulky and sometimes irritating 3D glasses. Now how cool is that? Here’s a clip from YouTube.

Of course, Sony will not be left behind in this race. While they didn’t announce something as radical as Nintendo (in my mind at least), they did demonstrate some games that are 3D capable.

I am certain that we will be seeing more and more of 3D games in the market as the years – months even – go by. Anyone out there excited about the fact?

Who Wants To Be A Twitter Jockey?

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You read that right – there is now such a thing as a twitter jockey! Forget about being a DJ OR a VJ, for that matter. The cool thing – or the next cool thing – is to be a Twitter Jockey. (So does that make that person a TJ?)

MTV has just announced its plans of making social networking a larger part of their operations. No one can deny just how popular social networking sites are today, and it is not surprising that an enterprise such as MTV will not jump into the bandwagon and try to take advantage of what’s happening.

As such, they have launched the first-ever (I am under the assumption that there has never been a TJ search) search for a TJ. So what exactly will this kind of jockey do?

The idea is for the person – whoever it is – to “serve as a bridge between the audience and network bosses, with Twitter and Facebook, among others, as platforms.” Not much unlike what a lot of (PR) people already do for other companies, is it?

Of course, MTV has already selected some contenders, who will appear in a show specifically created for the TJ search. The network aims to get 20 people who are vying for the position. These 20 will then be narrowed down to 5. The top 5 will then take part in the finale, which will be aired live on the 8th of August.

Anyone interested in the position? I think the last 2 slots are open for nomination.