Daily Bits

iphone

Palm Pre 2 Smartphone Coming Soon!

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Apple’s iPhone pretty much has gotten all the attention in the world of smartphones.  Even people who are not exactly convinced of the iPhone’s “greatness” as a mobile phone cannot deny the attention that it has received.  Of course, every now and then, we hear of the new phone that can match – or outdo – the iPhone.  And, yes, there are “better” phones out there – especially if you take into consideration that different people will always have different perspectives when it comes to technology.

So, anyhow, do you remember some time back when Palm announced the Palm Pre and touted it as the iPhone killer?  While the Pre got a lot of attention prior to its release, it didn’t really take much away from the iPhone, did it?  It’s not over yet, though.  HP has bought Palm and they are launching the Palm Pre 2 very soon!

This new phone has a host of new features that are supposed to beat every other phone out there, but one of the main things that they are promoting is the fact that you can do virtually anything on the Pre 2 by typing.  Doesn’t make sense?  Read how to “rediscover amazing”:

Amazing is just typing to begin virtually any activity. Amazing is multitasking without having to learn new rules. Amazing is hauling in all the information you can handle, and managing it without breaking a sweat. Amazing is making the impossible seem effortless. With HP webOS 2.0, you’ll experience the next generation of amazing.

Pretty good copywriter they have, I have to say!  😉

Of course, I am sure you want the dish on the tech specs.  Here’s a little teaser:

  • Display: 3.1-inch multitouch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color, 320×480 resolution HVGA display
  • 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, extended depth of field, geotagging, and video capture
  • GPS
  • Wireless:  Wi-Fi 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication; Bluetooth® wireless technology 2.1+ EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support; Wi-Fi router functionality for up to five devices using Palm mobile hotspot.
  • Weight: 145 grams (5.1 ounces)

So, is that enough to make you want the Pre 2 instead of the iPhone 4?  Meh.

iPad Users: Are You Spreading the Flu Virus?

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Touch-screen technology is something to marvel at, and indeed, judging by the more than warm welcome given by consumers to the iPad and other touch-screen devices.  What you may not be aware of, however, is that the iPad – and other similar gadgets – may be one of the worst things you can handle during flu season.

You don’t need half a brain to see the connection – touch-screen equal fingers (which are likely rife with germs).  Add to that the idea that people let other individuals use their touch-screen devices, and it is very easy to see how all sorts of bacteria and viruses can be spread.  It’s much like touching a door handle at a public place.

The Journal of Applied Microbiology recently released the findings of a study which took a look at glass surfaces – such as the screen of the iPad – and how they transmit pathogens to the human skin (read: your fingers).  Unsurprisingly, the risks are quite high.  What I found a bit surprising is the fact that the risk of transmitting pathogens, including the flu virus, is much higher in touch-screen devices than other everyday things we touch (this includes elevator buttons and the toilet handle in the men’s room!).

With the flu virus spreading around like crazy, it’s but sensible to make sure that your iPad, iPhone, and whatever other touch-screen device you have is sterilized, don’t you think? Here’s one way by which you can do this.

If anything, your friends and family members will thank you for making sure your device is clean. Personally, if I owned an iPad, I just would sterilize it every time someone else touched it. Better yet, I’d avoid having someone else touch it!

Turn Your iPod Touch into a Phone with Line2

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An iPod Touch is an iPhone without the phone. Yeah, I know – that explanation is crystal clear, isn’t it? But, you have to admit that it is what the iPod Touch is! It can do practically what the iPhone can do, except for the “real” phone line part. The best thing about the Touch is that it burns a much smaller hole in your pocket than its mobile phone counterpart!

For people who justify their iPhone purchase with the line “I need a real phone,” they might just have reason to regret burning so much cash on it. (I highly doubt that this will stop hardcore Apple fans, though.) So anyway, there’s this new app for iPod Touch which will turn the mp3 player into a full blown mobile phone.

For as little as $1, you can get the application called Line 2 and pretend that your iPod Touch is an iPhone use your iPod Touch as an iPhone. The app is developed by Toktumi and is actually an iPhone app but of course will work on the iPod Touch. Line2 is practically a duplicate of the calling interface of the iPhone, making the whole experience more realistic.

The original idea behind it is to provide a second line (hence the name, duh) for the iPhone, making some serious savings for the user. It works both via 3G and Wi-Fi – you can see the huge potential for this. As you are probably thinking now, Apple is not going to be very happy with Toktumi anytime soon. I bet users will be ecstatic though.

No Firefox for the iPhone

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Firefox lovers who are also iPhone users  might have been yearning for the day that a “real” version of the popular browser would be available for the Apple device.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen any time soon – if it will even happen, actually.

Yesterday, Mozilla once again announced that it is NOT going to come up with a full fledged version of Firefox for the iPhone.  Instead, it is simply going to continue working on Firefox Home, which is already in existence for the iOS.  Firefox Home is technically not a browser but is a bookmarking and tab synchronization technology.  In a blog post yesterday, ragavan puts an end to speculation that there just might be Firefox for the iPhone:

No Firefox Browser for the iPhone

We are working to bring as much of your Firefox experience as possible to Firefox Home. People have asked about adding more browser-like features to Firefox Home, but there are technical and logistical restrictions that make it difficult, if not impossible, to build the full Firefox browser for the iPhone. We are focused on building Firefox Home as a rich, cloud-based application and making it a valuable product that people will continue to love and use.

iPhone users will also get more features from Firefox Home including password synchronization (I can just imagine how many people will find this useful!) and more connectivity to social networking sites (of course, that is a must these days).  If you want to download Firefox Home (lucky iPhone user you), you can find it in the iTunes App Store.

Catholic? Do You Have These iPhone Apps?

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I am sure you’ve heard of the current Pope’s visit to the UK.  While we have devouts on one end of the spectrum, there are also critics on the other end.  It’s a fact of life – you can’t please everyone.

This post is for Catholics who lean towards the developments in technology, courtesy of the Telegraph.  They put together a list of iPhone apps that would certainly catch your fancy.  I am not a Catholic, but I would be interested in getting hold of these apps if I had an iPhone/iPod Touch for cultural/educational value.

Popes

For $0.99, you can get this app which will give you all the information you need on the Roman Popes – from Saint Peter to 2010. Think about it, even non-Catholics just might find this kind of information useful.

Way of the Cross

Even though I follow a different faith, I have heard of the Way/Stations of the Cross many times. This app serves as a guide to all the stations of the Cross and also includes passages from the Scriptures. It should prove to be useful come Lent.

Holy Rosary Deluxe

Think of this app as high tech Rosary Beads. This app can take you through the whole Rosary, complete with tactile feedback via the vibrate function.

These are only three of the apps that the Telegraph listed, and I am sure there are more out there. In keeping with the spirit of the Pope’s visits, then I suggest downloading these apps for your iPhone/iPod Touch. After all, technology doesn’t have to clash with faith, does it?

Picplz: New iPhone App

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Apps for the iPhone are all over the place, and yet people are on the perennial quest to find a new one that they will obsess about.  For those who cannot get enough pictures and cannot wait to upload them to the Internet as soon as possible, here is a new iPhone app that will satisfy your needs easily: picplz.

This app has been around for a while, but not specifically for the iPhone.  It is developed by the founders of Imeem, the social media service that gained popularity several years ago.  In its heyday, lots of people availed of Imeem’s sharing service – videos, music, and photos.  It has been closed down, though, thanks to its acquisition by MySpace.

Anyhow, the same people behind Imeem have made picplz available for use on the iPhone.  It’s really not that revolutionary if you think about it  -it functions much like Twitter, except that it’s meant especially for photos.  Now that the iPhone has a decent camera, it is a simple matter to snap pictures and share them with your friends anytime.

You may be thinking – but there is a host of other apps that offer a similar service.  So why should anyone bother to give picplz a try?  For now, the value lies in instant uploading and tagging the location (which seems to be all the rage these days).  The founders are also working on providing more features in the future.  Besides, the app is FREE, so you really have nothing to lose by trying it out.  Oh, and this app is also available for Android phones.