Skype for the iPad released..did u get it before it was pulled ?
Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 6:05 pm by Jason Cartwright
Update: 11:18PM - Skype is now back in the App Store, not sure what they could have fixed in that short window. Most likely a show stopper bug they had to fix before it was released to the masses.
Apparently someone over Skype hit the go button before it was ready, but this afternoon some quick fingered Skypers were able to download the Skype iPad app. Skype even went as far as publishing a YouTube video promoting the app, before pulling it a hour or so later.
News of Skype for iPad’s availability spread quickly online, which resulted in some confused users who went searching unsuccessfully in the app store. Skype confirmed the app had been pulled via their official twitter account.
Those of us lucky enough to grab the app before it was pulled can still use it. The app generally works as expected (big iPhone version). Users can be logged into the iPad version and desktop versions at the same time, this means you can leave one and pickup on the other, right from where you left.
Maybe Skype was right to pull the app.. I did find myself in a scenario where the only way out of a full-screen chat window was to force quit the app. Was your trigger finger fast enough ? If so, what do you think ?
If not, check out this gallery.
View Skype for iPad on Flickr.
Drippler keeps you gadget lovers up-to-date
Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 7:00 am by Jason Cartwright
Drippler has just launched. Drippler is a service that provides users with personalized updates on the gadgets they love. With new updates shipping all the time, particularly in mobile, its often difficult to stay abreast of the latest gadget updates, news & rumours, tips & tricks, firmware & software updates, apps & games, accessories, and more.
The last few months over at Drippler have been exciting ones, with more than 10K registrations, 100K unique visitors per month, and 180K downloads of the Android app. Drippler’s primary categories include Cell Phones, Tablets, Game Consoles, eReaders, and MP3 Players.
You may be thinking the site has a similar to US site GDGT, so I put the question ‘how does Drippler differ’ to Co-Founder and CEO Matan Talmi.
“Drippler is based on automatic curation of content from leading sites across the web, and does not rely only on user generated content. This way we make sure our users never miss any important updates on their gadgets. Another thing is that we keep the users updated without them having to browse the site – besides the “My Drips” personalized page, all users receive a weekly newsletter with the top drips (updates) on their gadgets, which is custom tailored to each and every user” says Talmi.
The selection of initial gadgets is pretty decent, although the most indulgent geeks may have to wait for some of their favourites to be added. Remember, there are millions of current and past devices, so Drippler has their work ahead of them. If it’s a choice between using Drippler, or hunting all over the web for updates about your gadgets then I’d go for Drippler.
An example of the news related to a gadget you own.
More infor @ Drippler.com
Apple WWDC summary, iOS5 shipping ‘this fall’
Posted Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 5:41 am by Jason Cartwright
Below is a summary of the events from Apple’s WWDC conference this morning. The story is still developing, so stay tuned for updates. With the cross over in time with Microsoft’s E3 keynote, it’s been one of the most insane morning in tech I can remember. So here it is.
Mac OS X Lion
Available only via the Mac App Store, a developer preview will be available today, with the public release in July. The price.. a mere US$29.99. That’s pretty low, considering Apple says it’s a major release containing more than 250 new features.
iOS5
The next version of iOS will feature a number of important updates.
Notifications
Rather than interrupt you and demand your attention, notifications have been redone. Working much more like Android or WP7 notifications, they simply pop down from the top of the screen. Tapping on the notification takes you to more detail.
Lock Screen
Now surfaces useful info to the lock screen. This is really just catching up with other platforms.
Mail
Now supports Flagging messages, searching entire message content, draggable addresses, rich text formatting.
Camera update
You can now take photos using the volume up button. This can be done even when the phone is locked.. an idea “borrowed” from Windows Phone. Cropping, red-eye reduction, quick enhance all supported.
Updates/Sync OTA
Now delivered over the air. Now delta updates. This should mean incremental updates, not 500MB+.. finally !
Unified messaging across iOS devices
Group messaging services pretty much just died. Apple are providing a messaging platform across all iOS devices. Wi-Fi and 3G are both supported.
iPad to TV wireless
Stream the entire UI to your TV, without wires. No explanation, but clearly requires Apple TV.
News Stand
iBooks for Magazines and Newspapers
Availability
Available to developers today, released some time ‘this fall’.
iCloud
Sync Contacts, Calendar, Mail, Apps, Photos, synced across devices, for free. Mobile Me is now free.
Purchase History
Finally you can see the apps you’ve purchased before, no word on wether music has this feature. It badly needs it.
Backup
Get a new device, plug in your Apple credentials and all your content will be synced.
Photo stream
You can draw photos from the cloud. Integrates with the photos app on iOS devices, even includes Apple TV. On Windows, they integrate with the Photos Library – will be interesting to see how this plays out.
iTunes in the cloud
Download any track you have already bought from iTunes for free.
iTunes Match
Pairs your non-iTunes music, with iTunes music. Takes just minutes to match and give you permission to that music. US$24.99 per year. Saves you from uploading all the music like Amazon and Google. “An industry leading offer”.
Price
iCloud is free.
Availability
iTunes in the cloud available today, the rest when iOS5 ships.
Image credit: ThisIsMyNext
uRemote, making home automation available to all
Posted Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 12:04 pm by Jason Cartwright
One of the most impressive companies at CeBIT 2011 is uRemote. They call it the future of home and commercial automation, I call it – awesome. uRemote allows you control your devices via your mobile phone or tablet. uRemote is available for both home and commercial applications.
uRemote works by sending a command over IP from your controller, to the devices in a number of ways. If the device is IP-controllable, great, if not, there’s a small box that can translate that IP command to IR or RF to get the job done. Over time more and more devices like TV’s, amplifiers, lights, garage doors are all becoming IP-controllable. IP-based commands are obviously preferred as demonstrated light on/off command happened instantly. As your no doubt aware there is a small delay in using the IR blaster, but when working with older devices there’s little choice.
To configure the remote device (mobile or tablet), there’s a simple web portal for you to configure devices. There’s hundreds of existing device profiles on there, so adding a new device is pretty straight forward. uRemote are actively developing profiles for more devices as well as adding support for new devices as they are released.
For home users, there are 2 options available. The table below shows the features of each.
| HTA – Home Theatre Automation Package | Integrated Home Automation Package | |
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uRemote integrates with existing Home Automation System running in your Home, such as Creston, Clipsal C-Bus or AMX.
The best part about uRemote is that you can send any device output, to any connected display in your house. It’s like SONOS, but for video and audio. If your down with the spaghetti cable behind your entertainment system, then you’ll be fine to set this up yourself, but should you choose to have installed for you, uRemote also offer installations services as well.
Being demonstrated at CeBIT 2011 was a combination of IP-controlled light, TV, Blue-ray player, PS3, Amplifier. If your heading to CeBIT over the next couple of days, definitely stop by and check out uRemote. In my mind it was one of the most interesting companies on display.
More information @ http://uremote.com.au
GDGT 2.0 beta
Posted Monday, May 23, 2011 at 10:00 am by Jason Cartwright
Leading gadget site GDGT has just gone live with version 2.0 of the site. As you can see from the screen shot above its a substantial redesign with a much cleaner, simplified UI. Currently GDGT’s front page has a Latest News feed, it appears this is being replaced by The Stream (see below). Being a beta, naturally there are some things still not working, right now you cannot add any products to the database. Also Facebook connect isn’t available.
Reviews
There’s some really neat features like the reviews on the site, when reviewing a product you own, the rating scales are really well designed sliders, easy and simply to use and takes seconds. If you want to spend the time explain why you gave it the numbers you did, then you can, there’s also space for more detailed thoughts.
Your Stream
What would a modern day website be without a Facebook/twitter-like stream of updates. On GDGT 2.0 this is known as Your Stream, this contains information on the gadgets you own or like, as well as any friends you’ve added on GDGT.
Gadgets
As always GDGT continues to be one of the largest product databases on the planet. Placing the product, with gallery, specs, community reviews and the focus for the site. Each time you indicate that you Have it, Want it or Had it, you get the ability to share that with your community on Facebook or Twitter.
Overall GDGT 2.0 is shaping up as a fantastic iteration on the first edition of a an already great site. While there’s only very limited users on the site it’s hard to get a real gauge on how fast it will be, but currently I can say its one of the fastest sites I’ve used.
Congrats to the GDGT team and all the hard work that goes into this site, you continue to provide a fantastic platform for gadget lovers to geek out over their lust-worthy gadgets.
MyPad 2 coming in ‘Next couple of days’
Posted Monday, April 18, 2011 at 6:59 pm by Jason Cartwright
Leading Facebook application for the iPad, MyPad is about to undergo an update. Version 2 promises Facebook Places and Calendar support among a slew of other refinements.
The developers of MyPad say "MyPad 2 will be available as a FREE UPDATE in the next couple days, thanks for your patience while Apple finishes reviewing it." Until then, check out the video below showing the new map integration coming in version 2.
MyPad version 2 video on Facebook
