Daily Bits

mobile phones

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!

Mobile Phone is the New Social Connector

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Ruder Finn, an independent PR company published some interesting findings of their new study – Mobile Intent Index. The study measures, well mobile phone users’  intent for accessing the Internet via their mobile devices.

According to the report, the average time spent by Americans on the mobile Internet is 2.7 hours. And what do they do during those times?  To socialize, manage their personal finances and push their advocacy.

Contrary to what we may have believed all along, mobile phone users do not access the Internet via mobile phones for educational purposes or for creative expression.  The study also found out that usage by gender and age differ. That is men access the mobile web to “escape” while women to “make others laugh.” Now that seems rather vague, right?

Another interesting finding of the report is the fact that immediacy is the major factor why users access the Internet via mobile.

“Our survey data shows that people use their mobile phones out of necessity for instant access to the Web whether it’s to conduct business with the most recent information or advocate on the spot on issues of pressing concern and breaking news,” said Marty McGough, director of Ruder Finn Insights

The study also highlights the fact that mobile phone apps are continously increasing with 61% of the respondents saying that they have downloaded an application at least once per month, and 36% of the respondents saying that they have downloaded applications from social networking sites at least once per month.

As a mobile connector, mobile phone access is used primarily to:

  • Instant message – 62%
  • Forward e-mails (58%), content (40%) and photos (38%)
  • Post comments on social networking sites – 45%
  • Connect to people on social networking sites – 43%

Interesting findings, right? So, which of these connectivity features do you do on your mobile phone?