Apple Claims 7.9% of Mobile Phone Market in Q1

Apple’s share of the handset market grew to 7.9 percent during the March quarter of 2012, according to new data from Gartner. That’s the company’s share of all mobile phones, and not just smartphones, and it makes Apple the third largest mobile phone maker on the planet behind Nokia and Samsung.

All told, handset sales declined 2 percent year over year to 419.1 million units. Gartner noted that this is the first time since the second quarter of 2009 that we have seen a a year-over-year quarterly decline.

Chart by the Mac Observer, from Gartner data

The interesting thing for Apple watchers, however, is that Apple’s share of that market increased from 3.9 percent to 7.9 percent, more than double, as shown in the chart above. this, even though Apple only competes with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S, whereas many of its competitors have dozens of feature phone and smartphone models.

We should also note that Gartner measures sales to end users with its own methodology. While Apple reported 35 million iPhone sales in the March quarter, Gartner showed the company with 33.1 million sales to end users. Such discrepancies are common.

Smartphones

While total mobile handset sales are down, smartphones continued strong year-over-year growth. Gartner said that smartphone unit sales to end users increased 44.7 percent to 144.4 million units.

As the market has grown, Gartner said that it has become commoditized, and that, “differentiation is becoming a challenge for manufacturers.”

“this is particularly true for smartphones based on the Android OS, where a strong commoditization trend is at work and most players are finding it hard to break the mould,” Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner, said in a statement.

He said that this is particularly true of Android devices, and that at the midrange, price has become the only differentiator. That’s bad news for hardware markers struggling to find profits in a market where Apple alone claims some 80 percent of the hardware profits, and Samsung claims the lion’s share of what’s left.

At the high end, Gartner said that those major players with intellectual property assets have some room to differentiate with apps and services, though the report didn’t offer any specifics.

As for Apple, the company’s unit sales increased 96.2 percent year over year, more than double the smartphone market as a whole. Apple’s smartphone share increased from 16.9 percent in Q1 2011 to 22.9 percent in Q1 of 2012.

Gartner cited strong sales in China and Hong Kong and the popularity of the iPhone 4S as fueling Apple’s growth.

In the chart below, we’ve compared smartphone unit sales from Q1 2011 to unit sales in Q1 2012. It demonstrates the large increase in total sales, as well as Apple’s increased share of those sales. It also shows the converse for Nokia’s Symbian (which has been discontinued anyway) and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry platform.

Chart by the Mac Observer, from Gartner data

We put together one more chart, this one showing smartphone market share for Q1 2011 and Q1 2012 as pie charts, as shown below.

Chart by the Mac Observer, from Gartner data

New Redpark TTL Serial Cable Simplifies Connection to Arduino

Connects iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to Arduino and to other devices with a TTL serial interface

Emeryville, CA (PRWEB) may 14, 2012

Redpark Product Development today announced it is now shipping a TTL Serial Cable that connects iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to Arduino and to other devices with a TTL serial interface. The TTL Serial Cable is a one meter long cable and has a 6-pin connector. It is designed for use with iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch (4th generation), iPad (3rd generation), iPad 2 and iPad.

The TTL Serial Cable is used in conjunction with a Redpark serial communications (RSC) library. together these tools enable developers to write iOS apps that communicate with serial devices.

“There has been a great deal of interest in connecting iOS devices to Arduino,” explained Redpark president Mike Ridenhour. “We’re pleased to offer a cable that provides a simple and reliable solution.”

The Redpark Serial Cable – part number C2-TTL – has an MSRP of $59. Further information about the cable and points of purchase is available at redpark.com/c2ttl.html.    

Redpark Product Development engineers accessories used in the consumer electronics industry. Areas of focus include iPod integration and app enabled accessories for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Best iPhone 4 Chargers on the Market

There’s nothing more frustrating than a dead battery when you’re in need of making an important call, text, or looking for a nearby landmark using your iPhone 4. look no further than this article for the top selling and best user-rated chargers for your iPhone 4.

Kensington Pockethub 3-Port USB Charger

The Kensington Pockethub 3-Port USB charger was made for those of you who demand high-quality and excellence. Stay connected to your peripherals while charging and syncing your iPhone 4. the Kensington PocketHub(TM) 3-Port USB and Sync has a built-in 30-pin connector port that lets you charge and sync your iPhone 4, plus 3 additional USB ports for connecting your camera, flash drive, mouse and other USB devices. External power adapter has plenty of juice for power hungry devices and will function as a stand alone charger for your iPhone 4 for AT&T. this high-quality charger is also compatible with older iPhones and iPods.

Solio Mono-i Solar Charger

The Solio Mono-i Solar Charger was made for people that are on the go. this unique solar charges utilizes the natural power of the sun to collect energy and store it for up to one year to give over 3200 of your devices the charge they need. the Solio Mono-i is slim and sleek and will charge your iPhone 4 for AT&T in short order. Throw one in your car, one in with your camping gear, and another in your disaster preparedness kit so that you will be ready for a full charge whenever you need one. this charger is also unique in that it will never over-charge your device and will save you money on your electric bill.

iHome Charging Station

The iHome Charging Station is one of the top ranked charging stations because it charges several devices at once. it features universal iPhone/iPad docks, an expandable rubberized rest area for your devices, integrated cable management system to eliminate the clutter of unsightly cords, and a built-in iPad 2 stand. these features renders this iHome Home Charging Station the best of the best in complete charging stations for a variety of the devices that so many households rely upon daily.

goBat II Portable Charger and Battery

The goBat II Portable Charger and Backup Battery provides the ultimate in charging and back up for your iPhone 4 for AT&T, your iPad 2 or your iPod. Designed and manufactured by Scosche, a leading name in iPhone 4 accessories, the goBat II features an internal 5000mAh ion battery that will keep your iPhone 4 for AT&T going long after the dreaded dead battery signal sounds and while it is charging so that you never lose a call or miss a text. the goBat II Portable Charger and Battery Backup comes with USB charging cable and USB voltage adapter so that you can charge a variety of other devices as well.

Kensington Nightstand Charging Dock Station

The Kensington Nightstand Charging Dock Station does more than charge your iPhone 4 for AT&T. it allows for a free downloadable app that converts your iPhone 4 for AT&T into a bedside clock and weather alert station. Manufactured by Kensington, a leader in iPhone 4 accessories, this Charging Station will give charge to your iPhone 4, the iPad 2, or your iPod.

New iPhone, iPad and Android Apps for April 2012

GiddyUp — (Free — iOS, Android)

GiddyUp is the next evolution of group messaging apps. Generate an event, select the friends you want to invite from your phone’s address book and GiddyUp will send them a text message. Keep people up to date with a built-in group chat. Add notes, geo-tagged locations, share to Facebook or Twitter, save events in your calendar and use the real-time attendance tracker. 

MyHeritage — (Free — iOS, Android)

MyHeritage is an Ancestry.com competitor with many of the same features. create a family tree, a profile page and take it with you on the go. It also lives in the present with the ability to capture and share family moments within the app and stay in touch with relatives. 

CTERA Mobile — (Free — iOS, Android)

There is no shortage of cloud and document syncing apps. most are built to function well in a mobile environment but CTERA does it specifically for mobile device. The iOS app was released in February but the Android app came out this month so we will let it slide into our cross platform section this month. Designed to work with the CTERA Portal and CTERA Cloud, the app securely downloads documents and allows you to store them on your device. Supports .doc, .xls, .pdf, .mp4 and other standards. allows you to save attachments from emails and upload them to your CTERA Cloud. Supports photos as well. 

Springpad — (Free — iOS, Android)

Springpad as a service is nothing new. what is new about Springpad this month is pretty much everything. we got at what Springpad was up to in its Boston offices in January and came away impressed. GigaOm described Springpad as, “Evernote and Pinterest just had a baby.” With all new iOS and Android apps this month, Springpad has been relaunched for the mobile generation. create notebooks of your interests and share them with your Springpad friends. Content could be your shopping list, wish list, movies you want to see or have seen, recipes or pretty much anything that you can think of. do comparative shopping, scan barcodes, save audio notes and save all your data for offline use. Springpad used to be more of a service that operated as a personal cloud that helped you organize your files. It is now a full-fledged consumer app with as much or as little functionality that you might desire.

Jon Mitchell — Writer

Drafts — ($0.99 — iPhone)

For an action the length of a note (or a tweet), there’s no faster way to get it out than through this app. It launches to a new, blank note each time. Drafts saves your notes in a list, and they can be found quickly with full-text search.

Now that your note is out of your head, you can relax and decide what to do with it. That’s where the action menu comes in. you can send a note directly to a variety of text editors, including ones that sync with iCloud or Dropbox. you can tweet a draft, email it, send it as a text or iMessage, or copy it to the clipboard.

Robyn Tippins — Community Manager

Tapatalk Forum App — ($2.99 — iOS, Android)

Call me old fashioned, but I still love forums.  I read forums relating to video games, parenting and health on a regular basis, especially while I’m watching television in the evening.  One of my favorite apps for iOS is the Tapatalk forum app, because it makes reading forums on an iPad easier.  Navigating through a forum on an iOS device isn’t particularly difficult, but because of the size of the text on webpages, I do often click the wrong threads.  Tapatalk prevents these fat finger moments, and makes my time on forums on the iPad an enjoyable experience.

ReadWrite Recommends iOS App of the Month:

Onion Browser — ($0.99 — iPhone, iPad)

Onion Browser is a Tor-capable Web browser that lets you surf the Internet anonymously and privately. there was a time that Apple would not have let a third-party browser, let alone one that is Tor enabled, into the App Store. but, after allowing Dolphin and Opera in as third-party options in 2011 and deprecating the Unique Device ID (UDID), it seems Apple has shifted its thinking on browsers and privacy. The Onion Browser should be heralded both for its open source roots (Tor Project and the Electronic Frontier Foundation), its commitment to privacy and its implementation. Websites do not see your real IP address, your connection is encrypted from the device (not the Web portal), third party cookies are blocked and Web accessed is tunneled through the Tor onion network. will bypass restrictive firewalls. It is one thing to use a personal VPN like Hotspot Shield but it is another to have a mobile browser that functions in much the same way. 

Fragile Earth — ($2.99 — iPhone, iPad)

HarperCollins is on an app spree. This is the second month in a row we have chosen a HarperCollins app to be included in Apps of the Month and both have been well worth the consideration. last month it was Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe, this month we get Fragile Earth. From the App Store description, “The app contains some of the best environmental images showing before and after scenes of our natural world. This is one of the top photography apps for showing the changing world giving you detailed ecological snapshots from around the globe.”

Lonely Planet — (Free — iPhone)

Lonely Planet provides travel guides for your iPhone. The app is free but you have to pay to download the actual country and city guides. we have seen a lot of city guide types come to smartphones and tablets but many of them are just the physical copy of travel books republished in app form. Lonely Planet’s guides actually function as apps. they are downloading and can be used offline (helpful when there is spotty data connections abroad) and can use GPS without a data connection. Audio phrasebooks for 25 languages and has Lonely Planet and BBC content you can read and listen to while you are galavanting across the world. next time I am traveling, this is probably the app that I am taking with me. 

MokaFive — (Free — iPhone, iPad)

The iPhone is replacing the BlackBerry as the go-to corporate device. MokaFive is capitalizing on that trend and provides secure access to sanctioned corporate networks and files. Files can be downloaded and stored locally in an encrypted “bubble” known as the LiveData container. MokaFive can be securely managed and secured by an enterprise’s IT department. 

FileMaker go 12 — (Free — iPhone)

In keeping with the enterprise theme, FileMaker go 12 allows users to access FileMaker databases from their iPhones. Import and export FileMaker data in Excel, CSV, Tab and HTML files. Record video or audio and integrate it to the database from the iPhone and adds multi-tasking support. 

Ourcast Weather — (Free — iPhone)

Weather apps are not exactly the height of innovation. The Weather Channel App (especially for the iPad) is probably still the best out available but there is still room for some cool stuff to be done (see the Android section for another cool one). Ourcast reminds me of back To The Future II when Doc Brown can tell the precise moment that it will stop raining. That is what Ourcast tries to do. From the App Store description, “Ourcast is the weather app that tells you if there will be rain, or snow, in any location you choose, during any minute over the next 2 hours.” Predictable, location-aware weather in your pocket? Now that is pretty cool.

ReadWrite Recommends Android App of the Month:

Instagram — (Free)

This was pretty much a no-brainer choice for Android April App of the Month for ReadWrite Recommends. If you are not familiar with Instagram, well, where have you been hiding? thirty million iPhone users cannot be wrong, can they? When Instagram released an Android app earlier this month the service added five million users in a matter of days. The company was then acquired by Facebook for a billion dollars and added another five million users. For the uninitiated, Instagram is a photo-sharing based social network that provides cool filters to make your photos look like a Hipster’s Paradise. 

Google Drive — (Free)

Android apps this month are top-heavy with some big releases by major publishers. Instagram is one, Google Drive is another. Google has done well within the last year in releasing fully functional Android apps for services it launches. The Google+ app had good reviews when the search company released it social network last June and Google Drive for Android delivers as well. That is, if you care anything about Google Drive. This is Google’s Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Amazon Cloud Locker competitor and integrates with Google Apps like Docs and allows you to upload files directly from your Android device to Drive. Offline access, document editing and video, photo, file access are the primary features of Drive.

Clarizen — (Free, Subscription-based)

Another business app. there was a time when we thought that the Apps of the Month was becoming a little game-heavy but, oddly, we did not find many new decent games this month (Max Payne’s release was delayed until May). Clarizen is a collaborative, cloud-based task management app that can help organizations manage work, projects and portfolios. Good for sales teams, project managers and keeping track of expenses when working with a client. Available for iOS but the Android app is new this month.

WeatherWise — (Free)

WeatherWise came to Android this month and it is one of the coolest and quirkiest weather apps out there. It is an animated, theme-based app with the Zen Tree the default theme and additional themes available for $0.99. All the stuff you would expect from a weather app with high degree of visual diversity. Worth a look. 

Generate All The Memes — (Free)

You ever wonder how people created those weird picture and video-based memes that are all over the Web? I never really did but apparently it is becoming a lot easier to do so. Generate All The Meme (GATM) is an app that allows you to create a picture with some funny text and share it with your friends. 140 different memes, 10,000 user made image memes to browse and a ton of laughs. If you are in to that sort of thing. 

500px — (Free)

500px is not new, but it is new to Android. what is significant about this app is that it is specifically design for Android tablets. we do not see a lot of those these days. 500px is a photo discovery app that acts like a picture frame that generates beautiful landscapes, treasured moments and stunning photography. It is the standward Web-based photo sharing website (like Flickr) brought to mobile with a fury.

It is always important to remember to go into your device and update apps on a regular basis. Updates provide new functionality, performance and security upgrades and ensure that the bugs from the last version have been taken care of.

Note, with the short turnaround on Apps of the Month, this list is not as long as it would normally be. 

iOS Updates

  • Draw something Free, Slacker Radio, Washington Post for iPad, Clear, Google Catalogs, iBooks, Rdio, Scanner Pro, Google Play Books, Plants vs. Zombies HD, Square Card Reader, Flixster, Cosmic top, Triple Town, Living Earth HD, Netflix, NFL ’12 for iPad, Spotify, Official Twitter for iOS, cut The Rope HD, Dropbox, Quora, LinkedIn (iPad optimized)

Android Updates

  • Spotify, angry Birds, Barcode Scanner, E-Trade Mobile, Firefox, FxCamera, Google Goggles, Lookout Security, Google Maps, Minecraft Pocket Edition, Flixster, News360 for Phones, NPR News, Opera Mobile, Pocket (Read It Later), Rdio, Retro Camera, Skype, The Weather Channel, Tumblr, Official Twitter for Android, Facebook for Android, Fandango, LinkedIn, Path

AppMyWorld™ Solves App Discoverability: Makes Finding the Best iPhone, iPad and iPod Apps Easier and Faster

With hundreds of thousands of options, searching for top rated apps and games for the iPhone, iPad and iPod can be a win, lose or draw. AppMyWorld™ (appmyworld.com) fixes this problem by aggregating professional app reviews from around the web into AppScores, which help users easily search and make decisions on which iOS apps and games are the best.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 09, 2012

with more than 500,000 apps and games in Apple’s App Store and hundreds of review sites and blogs, the sheer number of options can be a major obstacle for iPhone, iPad and iPod owners to finding the best apps and games.

The new AppMyWorld™ (appmyworld.com) is changing that by taking the guesswork and time involved out of selecting top rated and effective apps.

AppMyWorld combs professional iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac app and game review sites, aggregates their review scores into an AppScore™ and gives users the search tools to sort through this data.

The AppScore is an at-a-glance measure of quality that lets users quickly see how, on average, professional reviewers rate their experiences with a given app or game.

AppMyWorld founder Will von Bernuth says that with such a large and growing marketplace of apps and games, users are unable to make informed decisions on which apps are the best—or even worth downloading—for any given purpose or interest. AppMyWorld, he says, is the answer.

“At AppMyWorld, we believe aggregating professional reviews results in an objective measure of an app or game’s quality and helps users determine the top apps and games,” said von Bernuth. “It’s a model that has worked well in other industries such as movies and console games.”

Currently, AppMyWorld features more than 30,000 reviews and 5,000 apps and games with an AppScore with hundreds of new reviews added daily.

AppMyWorld also boasts an advanced search system that lets users precisely filter their app search by keyword, AppScore, category, device type, price, age rating and release date—a system that allows users to quickly narrow their search to the specific type of app or game they are looking for. once a user finds an app or game they like, they are provided with even more in-depth information, including excerpts from professional reviews, links back to the full reviews, comments from other users and direct links to Apple’s App Store.

For users who may be unsure of what they are looking for or who just want to browse, AppMyWorld displays the top rated apps by date and category on its home page and has a special Top Rated Apps and Games section on the site for more detail.

On the AppMyWorld Blog users can find news of recent happenings in the iOS and Mac app worlds with posts on new releases, industry trends and weekly series like the top 5 iOS Games, top 5 iOS Apps (non-games), best iOS Apps and Games for Kids, best Free iOS Apps and Games, Staff Favorites, and The AppScore 100.

Visit AppMyWorld at appmyworld.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/appmyworld and on Twitter at twitter.com/appmyworld.

AppMyWorld is a discovery engine for finding the best iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac apps and games. AppMyWorld aggregates professional iOS and Mac app and game review scores from around the web into AppScores so users can quickly tell which are the best apps and games as well as review, discuss and download top apps and games.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/5/prweb9435616.htm

Fresh iPhone Apps for May 18: Thirst for Twitter, Snapguide update, Cuboid Free, Bug Assault – iPhone app article – Phil Hornshaw

Get your Twitter feed in a magazine-like format, complete with easy-to-read articles from links on your timeline, with today’s leading Fresh App, Thirst for Twitter. Follow it up with an update to Snapguide, an app that lets users share how-to guides they create, and helps them learn all kinds of new skills. Cuboid Free, a port from Sony’s PlayStation Network, leads us into the weekend with its cube-pushing puzzler gameplay, followed by Bug Assault, a game in which players use their fingers to create arcs of electricity to fry menacing insects.

Twitter client Thirst condenses your Twitter feed into an easy-to-read, magazine-like page, providing you with a streamlined look at tweets and a great visual style. You can see your Twitter Timeline along one side, and Thirst will bring all the tweets that interest you into another area, updated as regularly as you decide to check and making full use of your iPad’s screen real estate.

Thirst also breaks out things from links found in your Twitter feed, placing items like news articles and videos in a format that’s easy to view and doesn’t require wandering through your feed to find. You can also see trending topics and easily send updates to your Twitter account.

Snapguide is an app that lets users share how-to guides they create themselves about a number of topics. You can read step-by-step guides and view photos that teach you how to do all kinds of things, and you can also upload guides of your own to share with others. once you upload your steps and photos, you can leave and read comments on other guides, as well.

A big update to Snapguide has fixed a number of bugs and issues with the app to make it run better, and also added new features. For one, you can now search through guides by their topics to find things that interest you, and Snapguide has been redesigned in order to show cover photos of featured guides to make them easier to look through.

Starting its life as a downloadable title for the PlayStation 3, Cuboid is a puzzle title that requires players to move a rectangular object through a level and drop it in a hole. Each level is a grid with a certain shape and no edges; you’re required to carefully maneuver the cube by flipping it either sideways or end-over-end to get it into the hole. the idea is to move the block to the goal as quickly and efficiently as possible. the fewer moves you use, the better your score.

Cuboid packs 66 puzzles and is ad-supported, so it’s free to download. it has bonus levels players can unlock as they work through the game, and it packs special challenges throughout that have players working to solve puzzles under a certain time limit or in a certain number of moves. There’s also Game Center support that provides achievements and leaderboards.

There are bugs to fend off in Bug Assault, as you might have guessed. to best the hordes of insects streaming toward you, you’ll employ beams of electricity by placing two thumbs on the screen. the current courses between the two points, zapping any bugs in between; you’ll rack up points for nailing combos and avoiding shocking the wrong bugs, but if too many get through, you lose.

You can earn special weapons to help you in your fight against the bugs, and the longer you last, the higher the score you can take down. Coins you grab can be used to purchase upgrades, and you’ll have to destroy special boss bugs along the way in bigger fights, as well. All your progress is tracked on Bug Assault’s Game Center leaderboards.

Discover more great iOS games here

iKey30 Wired iPad Keyboard Offers Unique Features

Image source: MacAllyI’ve tested a slew of iPad keyboards, but they’ve all had one thing in common: they connect to your iPad wirelessly using Bluetooth. MacAlly’s $50 iKey30 breaks that streak. this model foregoes Bluetooth in favor of a wired connection, connecting to your iPad via a 33-inch dock-connector cable. The iKey30 also works with the iPhone 3G or later, as well as the second-generation-or-later iPod touch.

Like most of the standalone (non-case) iPad keyboards out there, the iKey30 is a full-size keyboard with standard-size keys. At 12.3 inches wide, 4.6 inches front to back, and just over half an inch thick at its thickest point, it’s wider but otherwise smaller than Apple’s Wireless Keyboard and the excellent Logitech Tablet Keyboard for iPad and Targus Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad. At 9.8 ounces, it’s also one of the lightest iPad keyboards out there, yet it feels fairly solid. The rear of the keyboard is a bit thicker than the front, giving the iKey30 a slight incline, and a pair of flip-out legs in the rear let you raise the back edge an additional quarter of an inch.

The iKey30 provides more keys than any other iPad keyboard I’ve seen. It starts, commendably, with a full complement of standard keys in their standard locations. In place of F-keys (F1, F2, and so on), the iKey30 hosts a row of 17 keys that provide a mix of iPad-specific special functions and a few commonly used characters: Home, Spotlight, €, £, ¥, toggle slideshow, toggle onscreen keyboard, previous, play/pause, next, mute, volume down, volume up, undo, redo, take screenshot, and lock/unlock. One of my favorite features is that, like the F-key row of a good desktop keyboard, the iKey30’s row of special keys is organized in four-key pods (with the Home key on its own at the left end), making it easier for touch typists to use these keys without having to look at the keyboard.

In addition to this row of special keys, down the right-hand edge of the keyboard are dedicated keys for .com, .net, .org, and .biz; and in the bottom-left corner, to the left of Control, is a key for cycling through enabled languages. Taken together, the iKey30 offers an impressive array of keys, easily besting other iPad keyboards in this department. The only common keys it omits are controls for adjusting the iPad’s screen brightness.

The iKey30’s keys themselves are low-profile, laptop-style, scissor-switch keys. These flat-topped keys are full size and easy to type on, but they’re a bit soft-while they’re considerably better than the mushy keys on many folio-style keyboard cases, they’re not as good as the keys on Apple’s Wireless Keyboard or Logitech’s Tablet Keyboard. And I occasionally found that I didn’t press particular keys firmly enough, leading to unexpected results. this was most frequently the case with the Command key when using standard text-editing keyboard shortcuts.

Unlike Bluetooth keyboards, the iKey30 doesn’t require batteries-it gets power from your iPad’s dock-connector port. Over several weeks of testing the iKey30, I didn’t notice my iPad draining its battery any faster than when I used a Bluetooth keyboard. There’s also no setup or pairing process. You simply connect the keyboard’s cable to the iPad and start typing. A blue LED above the Redo key flashes several times to confirm the connection. (The iKey30 also has a caps-lock LED, as well as a third LED that glows when your iPad’s battery gets low.)

Image source: MacAllyIn addition to this simple connection procedure, a major benefit of the iKey30’s wired connection is that you can use the keyboard in places where wireless connections are prohibited. for example, you can use it on a plane during a flight-the iKey30 works when your iPad is in Airplane Mode. And if you’re in an area with heavy wireless interference, you avoid connection and performance problems.

There are, of course, some downsides to this Bluetooth-free approach. The first is that you can’t charge or sync your iPad, or use it with any of Apple’s video-out cables, while using the keyboard, since the keyboard’s cable monopolizes the iPad’s dock-connector port. another is that when using a case or stand to prop up the iPad while typing, the bottom of the iPad must be elevated off the desktop or table enough to accommodate the iKey30’s cable and plug (or, alternatively, you must orient the iPad with its dock-connector port on top or to either side).

Speaking of stands, the iKey30 includes a companion travel stand. Weighing in at only half an ounce, it’s a thin piece of white plastic that folds in half to lay flat for travel. Unfold it into a V shape, and two pairs of grooves let you prop the iPad in either landscape or portrait orientation. In practice, the grooves that hold the iPad more upright can be used for either orientation; the more-reclined angle provided by the other pair makes the iPad too unstable in portrait orientation. Also, when in portrait orientation, the stand works better if you place the iPad with the dock-connector port at the top-there’s not a lot of room at the bottom for the keyboard’s plug and cable.

The iKey30 offers an impressive array of full-size, standard-layout keys. The feel of those keys isn’t the best on the market, but they’re still pretty good. by forgoing Bluetooth, the iKey30 is in some ways less convenient than a wireless keyboard, but it’s still small and light enough for travel, and you can use it in places-such as on a plane-where you can’t normally use a wireless model. And with current street prices as low as $42, the iKey30 one of the least-expensive quality keyboards for the iPad.

Fairfax Metro Media launches video feature for SMH iPhone app

Fairfax Metro Media has launched a new integrated video feature for its SMH iphone app – AirLink.   

May 18, 2012: Fairfax Metro Media has today launched AirLink*, ground-breaking technology that provides readers and advertisers with a dramatically enhanced news experience across print and mobile platforms.

The pioneering AirLink technology, a year in development by Fairfax Media, extends the print experience for readers by giving them additional video, photographic and editorial content through their iPhone**. AirLink allows readers to see stories come to life across the different sections of the The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun-Herald.

For advertisers, AirLink provides new and unique opportunities to engage with print audiences, using video content.

Fairfax Metro Media is launching AirLink in partnership with MasterCard, the first advertiser to utilise this product innovation in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun-Herald.

The Sydney Morning Herald is the first newspaper in Australia to feature this breakthrough technology. From today, up to ten articles will feature AirLink content every day.

“AirLink is a cutting-edge, audience-focused technology development that allows us to fully integrate print and digital content.” Editor-in-Chief and publisher, Sydney Publishing, Peter Fray said.

“AirLink allows us to bridge newspaper and mobile platforms. by providing a wealth of additional content to readers on their iPhone we are giving them an enriched experience of our newspapers unlike anything they have seen before. For our advertisers AirLink opens brand new avenues to communicate with Fairfax Metro Media’s discerning and intelligent audiences.” Fray said.

AirLink works as an integrated feature of the free SMH app for iPhones.

To activate AirLink, readers simply press the AirLink button on the app and scan their iPhone over an image where they see the AirLink logo. this will link the reader through to extra content. this could be a video that relates to that story, an extended photo gallery or related articles.

“AirLink is another example of how we are continuing to set the standard, through constant investment and innovation in mobile technology.” Mobile Director for Fairfax Media, Rick Gleave said.

“AirLink delivers on our promise to provide advertisers with solutions across our platforms.” Fairfax Metro Media Commercial Director, Ed Harrison said.

“Being able to offer television commercials and other forms of digital content via our newspapers opens up exciting new possibilities for our advertisers,” Harrison said.

A half-page wrap around today’s edition of The Sydney Morning Herald announces the arrival of AirLink. The wrap features an AirLink to a video of Peter Fray welcoming readers to the newspaper of the future.

Online at smh.com.au, a superhero ad unit announces the arrival of AirLink, accompanied by a video demonstrating the ease of AirLink and how it can further enhance the news experience.

On Saturday May 19, a full page ad will announce AirLink to readers of the Saturday Sydney Morning Herald, while a double-page spread will appear in The Sun-Herald. All ads will feature AirLink content.

Source: Fairfax Metro Media press release

Comments

    Despite the wishful hoping of publishers and advertisers for a walled, controllable garden, Apple is only a small part of the content distribution market.

    Fairfax needs to be investing in HTML5 to reach the widest possible audience and dispense with all these “tricky” ways to monetise content.

    But I think it’s too late – with a fractured board, a hostile mining investor and newspaper men calling the shots, I doubt anyone will be capable of listening to good advice. I think they’re gone and it saddens me that one of Australia’s best media outfits has been reduced to this.

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Mother’s Day for the Techie

As much as I love a nice necklace or a great looking outfit, those aren’t the things I usually wish for on Mother’s Day. as a lover of all things geeky and shiny, I would like to present the GeekMom Mother’s Day Gift Guide for the tech oriented mom:

BiKN DeviceThis device turns mom’s iPhone into a personal tracking device. After setting up the app and smart tags to the people or things she doesn’t want to lose, the BiKN will alert her if they get too far away.

Logitech Mouse and Keyboard setThe new Logitech Global Graffiti Collection is perfect for the stylish mom. whether she works at an office or in the home, the Global Graffiti Collection is perfect for the mom with a sense of style. I love it because it adds a little more color to my desk than my work place’s generic black mouse and keyboard.

Logitech iPad KeyboardThis keyboard is one of my favorite iPad accessories. it not only works great, but it also looks great on my device.

iTunes Gift CardsGift cards might seem impersonal, but as I have pointed out to my own family, it’s what I want! Since I buy all my music and movies on iTunes, it makes me really happy to get gift cards so that I can go buy them. it also feels like my family is telling me, “Today, Mom, you can watch whatever you want, on us.”

SOUL by Ludacris SL99 High-Def Sound Isolation In-Ear HeadphonesThese headphones are perfect for those moments mom just needs to plug in and get away. Comfortable as well as stylish, they come with a case of their own and are compatible with the apple and android devices.

Nest ThermostatAnother stylish and economical gift for mom is the Nest Thermostat. Designed by the same guys who helped bring the iPod to life, the Nest is as neat to look at as it is to operate.

Mophie Pack Plus iPhone CaseThe Mophie Juice Pack Plus iPhone Case has a built in battery that adds 8 hours of talk time or 7 hours of web browsing to your iPhone 4 or 4S and is perfect for day-trips with the kids this summer.

Fitbit Ultra Wireless Activity Plus Sleep TrackerEver wondered just how much mom moves in a day? Well, then hook her up with a Fitbit Ultra. Fibit tracks everything from how many steps she takes to how well she is sleeping at night.  I think you will be surprised by just how much she does when your not around.

Kindle Fire with the Verso Prologue Cover for Kindle and Kindle TouchMoms need some downtime to relax and unwind. so, why not give mom the gift of escape, with an Kindle Fire and a cute case to go with it. If you know what she likes to read, take it one step further and go ahead and load it up some of her favorites. You could even give her a coupon for some quality alone time with her new device.

Galaxy NexusEvery mom needs a smart phone to keep up with everything going on in a day. it would also be nice if she got a few calls just to say “Hi” during the day (hint hint).

ABBA You Can DanceFor the dancer in us all, check out ABBA You Can Dance for the Nintendo Wii system. this is a great way to help get mom, as well as the rest of the family, dancing to the classic tunes of ABBA.

Just Dance 3 If your mom is more of an XBox person than a Wii person, check out Just Dance 3 for the XBox 360. It’s also a great way to spend some quality time with mom — and I am sure she will appreciate that more than the gift itself.

Sony Alpha NEX NEX3A/B Digital Camera with Interchangeable Lens (Black)To capture all those special moments, get Mom the Sony Alpha NEX Digital Camera.  With the quality of a DSLR in about half the size and weight, it’s the smallest interchangeable lens camera available. to make it extra special, go ahead and get it ready for Mom and take a picture of yourself for her. Don’t forget to smile.

MicroVision SHOWWX+ Pocket ProjectorThe MicroVision Pocket Projector is a great accessory for the iPhone mom. The project allows you to show up to 2 hours of video on a clear, high resolution projection screen or wall. It’s the perfect accessory to help her show off all those great pictures and video she has of you.

For more ideas on what to get Mom for mother’s day, check out what the GeekMoms want for Mother’s Day.

The Best Apps to Download on Your iPhone

Modern smartphones function somewhat like a remote control for everything in life. With the press of the touchscreen on your iPhone, you can find directions to local restaurants, listen to music, watch videos, or communicate with friends on social media websites. some iPhone apps are essentially games, and these offerings help people pass time spent waiting at the doctor’s office or on public transportation. What are the best apps to download onto your iPhone? Let’s take a look at a few standout selections.

The RunKeeper iPhone App

RunKeeper is a really innovative mobile application. for those people who like to run outside, the app performs similar functions to the heads-up displays on stationary bikes or elliptical trainers. Using GPS functionality, this software tracks your performance during runs.

With the information provided by RunKeeper, you can hold yourself accountable to an exercise routine and make modifications to your technique to improve your results over time. for exercise enthusiasts, this iPhone app is incredibly useful.

Groupon

Savvy consumers love getting great deals. for many, Sunday mornings have been spent clipping coupons from the newspaper. the Groupon iPhone app makes deal hunting even easier. Essentially, local businesses provide special bargains exclusively through the Groupon app which then broadcasts them directly to the phones of nearby users.

It is incredibly convenient to have these sales delivered right into your pocket. If you are the type of consumer that loves buying goods and services at bargain prices, you will appreciate the Groupon iPhone app.

Shazam

Shazam is another interesting iPhone app. this software enables users to identify songs in nearly any location using their mobile phones. this algorithm-based service uses the on-board microphone to listen to audio and compares the results to a massive database of songs. after it reports a song’s details to you, you can then purchase it right on your iPhone.

Music fans will enjoy the functionality of Shazam. If you’ve ever wondered who an artist is after hearing a great song playing at the grocery store, you will recognize the utility of this iPhone app.

These are just a few examples of some of the top applications that have been released to the App Store. any individual user will find an untold number of great apps that can make daily life easier. If you are a new iPhone owner that wants to try out some of the most well-known apps, starting with these examples is a fine first step.