Daily Bits

Mobile

Be Your Own App Maker With Google’s App Inventor

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Don’t you sometimes find yourself wishing for an application that actually meets your needs? While there are countless apps – some free, some paid – out there, I am pretty sure that there is at least one app that you wish someone had thought about. The next step is wishing that you could actually make an app yourself.

While not everyone does not have the programming skills necessary to create an app, there are tools that can equip the average person to do just that. Enter Google’s App Inventor, which has been dubbed by The New York Times as the tool that will “bring Android software development to the masses.”

This software is free to general public, and it will allow practically anyone to come up with his own app for Android. Google is promoting the software as being as easy as pie to use:

To use App Inventor, you do not need to be a developer. App Inventor requires NO programming knowledge. This is because instead of writing code, you visually design the way the app looks and use blocks to specify the app’s behavior.

The interface and the whole concept are quite simple, but Google is quick to point out that simplicity does not mean less power. In fact, they are placing a lot of emphasis on the potential of this software. If anything, I think this might be one of the factors that can push Android phones to the public as a more viable alternative to the iPhone.

Bluetooth 4.0 Available This Year

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Good news for enthusiasts of mobile devices – Bluetooth technology is stepping up! Before the year is over, we will be able to use mobile devices with Bluetooth 4.0. Version 4.0 was just recently approved by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. This means that the manufacturers of mobile devices will now have access to the necessary tools to use the technology in their products.

What are the advantages of Bluetooth 4.0 over the current version? Perhaps the biggest attraction of this technology is the fact that it uses considerably less power than the previous versions. The implications of the low power consumption are immense. For one, concerns about using electronic devices in sensitive areas due to potential interference can be forgotten. With the amount of power being used by the technology, it will not really be a problem. Batteries are also going to be much smaller – just like coin-cell batteries for little devices such as wristwatches and the like.

More than that, in spite of the low power consumption, 1 megabyte of data can be transferred at a time using Bluetooth 4.0. Of course, it also comes with the same capabilities of Bluetooth 3.0, such as sending as much as 25 megabytes of data via Wi-Fi 802.11.

In spite of the very recent approval of the technology, it will soon be available. It may not mean much to the average consumer at this point, but once manufacturers incorporate Bluetooth 4.0 into more devices, it should catch on.

Swype, Don’t Type

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One of the biggest drawbacks of touch screen phones is the fact that people have a difficult time adjusting to the virtual keyboard. While Apple has done a marvelous job with their on screen keyboard, there are still people out there who prefer to have a tactile keyboard to work with. And yet, if touch screen phones are what you want, you really have no choice.

Enter Swype, a piece of software that allows users to drag fingers from one letter to another instead of having to merely tap on each individual letter. It’s easy to see how much more convenient this technology is, and how much easier people can adjust to virtual keyboards.

Developed by a company based in Seattle, Swype was launched on a commercial phone in December. Now, the news is that the new Motorola Droid X is going to feature this technology. That spells good news for Swype, as Motorola is a huge player in the mobile phone industry.

Indeed, Swype says that they want to be in more mobile phones – not excluding the Apple iPhone! In fact, one of the engineers has already a version ready for the iPhone, even though there are no formal talks between them. Apple has not even seen the technology for themselves as of yet. I would think, though, that with the complaints people have about the iPhone’s virtual keyboard, Steve Jobs et al. would be interested in what Swype has to offer. For now, Droid users will have the advantage in this regard.

iPhone users: would you want something like this on your gadgets?

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…

Apple iPhone 4 It Is!

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So the keynote speech that Steve Jobs gave might not have gone flawlessly. From what the guys at Gizmodo have been saying – it was a funny event due to the technical glitches that were encountered. Check out the video for yourself, and tell me it isn’t ironic.

Despite that funny clip, I have to say that I am wow-ed by the iPhone 4. Yup, count me in as one of the boys – the fanboys!

You might think that I am being irrational at this point, but let’s take a look at why, if you’re buying a new phone, the Apple iPhone it should be.

One, it has multi-tasking capabilities now. No need to go to the home screen to use another app. Just like your “powerful” little netbook, you can switch from one app to another with ease!

Two, it has got FaceTime. Nah, it’s not a Facebook app. In fact, this is the new feature that allows video calling. In line with this, the new iPhone has two cameras – back and front – that will make video calling even more convenient!

Three, you gotta have the Retina Display. This technology makes the iPhone 4 the best mobile phone when it comes to screen resolution. It really doesn’t get any better than this (yet)!

Four, I think this is the best looking iPhone yet. It exudes machismo which no other phone out there can beat. And, it’s the kind of machismo that does not offend.

Yep folks, it’s the Apple iPhone 4 for me.

Apple’s Announcement At WWDC 2010

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I know everyone’s holding his breath for what Apple has to tell the world at today’s WWDC event. I know I haven’t been able to sit still since yesterday! We all have to wait for a couple more hours before the announcement is made – which is supposed to be at 10 a.m. local time. The event is being held in San Jose, California. For those of you who are in other parts of the world – just stay up a little bit longer. The news should be worth it!

So what are we expecting?

No doubt, Steve Jobs will be talking about the Apple iPhone 4G, which is supposed to best the iPhone 3GS by miles. It’s supposed to have a much better screen resolution, a front-facing camera, and a better performing battery – at the least. Needless to say, the new iPhone will be able to support 4G data transmission, which means we can transmit data wirelessly at more satisfying speeds.

Of course, more interesting to some people is how Steve Jobs will approach the leak that happened recently. Remember when someone at Gizmodo leaked details about the new iPhone? I wonder if Jobs will even mention it! Personally, I think he’ll mention it but take it lightly. He’ll probably drop a bomb or two that we aren’t expecting at all. But that’s just me.

What are you expecting from the keynote later on? Do you think that the guys at Apple have something else up their sleeves that will take our breaths away or do you think that there’s nothing they can do to impress us anymore? Hang on to your seats folks!