Skyfire launches flash browser for iPhone

Skyfire launches flash browser for iPhone

On wednesday Skyfire began selling what it called as the first mobile browser that could deliver flash video to an iPhone/ iPod touch. 

Hours later it was pulled because huge demand overwhelmed their servers. Senior Director, Robert Oberhofer, at Skyfire said until they could increase their server capacity they would not be making any more sales.

Skyfire 2.0 is a fully-fledged web browser that functioned very similar to safari. Before it was pulled it was selling for $2.99 USD on the Apple (AAPL) app store. 

What does this tell us? 

Well the first and obvious conclusion is that people still want flash...really bad. 

In the 5 hours that it was available it became the top grossing app and third highest, paid app, overall. These are some alarming statistics and will sure to be sending a message to Apple. That despite their attempts to replace flash with HTML5, flash is still very popular.

How does it work? 

Tech guru Rob Walch explains the complex process the Skyfire browser goes through to play flash...

"A user has to navigate to a website where Flash video is detected. It is then downloaded to Skyfire's servers where it is converted to HTML5," he explained. "Then it gives the user a button to play the video. Everyone thinks they are running Flash on the browser, but they are not."  

Ironically the Skyfire mobile browser is not the perfect way to display flash, it does not work for game animation or ads, which limits its usefulness.  

So will this prompt Apple to end the feud with Adobe?

The general consensus in the Tech world is no. These two companies are very much at war and neither looks to be backing down anytime soon. 

We want to know what you think.

Will you be downloading this App when it becomes available again?

 How much do you use flash? 

Leave your comments bellow.  

No Facebook Phone

Facebook has not released a phone with CEO Mark Zuckerberg maintaining they are not working on one. 

The Facebook event this morning revealed three new features Zuckerberg said "first new feature is a single sign-on, the second new feature are new location APIs, and the third new feature is a deals platform." 


This is as well as updates in iPhone and Android apps.

Facebook event

Will tomorrows Facebook event reveal a Facebook phone?

Facebook has sent out an invitation to the media for a "mobile event" at its Palo Alto, California Headquarters at 10.30am this Wednesday (PST).

For weeks now there has been speculation on the prospects of a Facebook phone, ever since TechCrunch last month reported Facebook was working on a secret phone project. Facebook in issued a carefully worded response saying they "are not building a phone" but had projects focused on "deeper integrations with some manufactures". 

The response was very reminiscent to that of Google last year when asked about any phone projects they had. Look where that led. 

Other things that could be on the agenda include a "Deal of the Day" service.

 "Facebook has recently been testing a Deals service that's connected to Places, and mobile   is obviously the best place for users to access those," Kincaid speculates.

 Unplugged agrees, and thinks the odds that a "Facebook Deals" announcement at tomorrow's shindig are good--five to one.

Also on the agenda could be a new SDK for app developers. 

What do you think the chances of a Facebook phone are?

Windows Phone 7 Review

Windows Phone 7 is a complete refresh and departure from previous versions of Windows Mobile versions.

 Microsoft essentially pressed the reset button and worked with a team of designers to create a mobile operating system based a number of principles, including elegance and simplicity, typography, motion, and relevance.

One of the biggest new features is the ability to pin almost anything to the home screen. Apps, a video, music track, web page shortcut. Making for a quick and efficient access to your desired content.

Your contacts are accessed through the "people" tile which when first starting the phone asks for your windows live ID. This actually combines both the users phone numbers and email addresses because, as this is a smart phone, you would want all of these in one location.

Apps such as the official Facebook and Twitter ones offer very fast and dynamic experiences when cycling through photos, messages and feel much more proactive when compared to the iPhone app versions.

Various apps offer very dynamic experiences which never seem to feel over the top or lag which is a major plus.

The tiles can be changed to a number of colours of preference.

The Zune Software is smooth and modern in the layout of album art and track titles.

Overall the new Windows Phone 7 operating system is an interesting and eye catching choice when compared to Apple's 4.0 , or Androids operating systems.


What do you think of Windows Phone 7? Tell us in the comments below.

(this review was conducted using the HTC Trophy 7)

The Zune HD

The Zune HD

The New Zune HD the Good and the Bad

The Good:

The Zune HD has a Fantastic OLED display, HD Radio tuner, long battery life, movie rentals, and subscription music integration. finally Microsoft is giving the iPod touch a run for its money.  

The Bad:

You can't use the Zune with a Mac, Marketplace purchases require "Microsoft Points," video format support is limited, audio quality lacks advanced controls, you'll need to purchase a dock accessory for HD video output, application and game selection stinks, and the recommended music subscription plan puts the real-world cost.

Should you buy one?

If you are a Microsoft user then the Zune delivers the best portable music and movie experience money can buy. So buy one.  

Microsoft Kinect in Stores Next Week

Microsoft Kinect in Stores Next Week

The Microsoft Kinect is set to hit store next week. The Kinect is a device that lest Xbox users play games without a controller. 

As showen above the Kinect is a slim bar that is placed near the users TV that can detect movements and voice commands.

The Kinect is priced at $149.99 USD with a Bundle which includes the Kinect, an Xbox 360 250GB and the game Kinect adventures is also available. 

A variety of Kinect games have become available full details on these can be viewed here.

Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer had this to say: "For me it is a big, big deal, there's nothing like it on the market." in a New York Times interview.   

Full details on the Kinect can be viewed on the Xbox website here. 

For those Xbox users, will you be investing in a Kinect? If you don't currently use an Xbox will this prompt you to buy one? 

Mac App store

What to expect from the Mac App store...

The Mac App Store will let Mac users buy apps using their iTunes accounts, then download and install apps in one step. Apple will also deliver app updates directly through the Mac App Store. Users running the current version of Mac OS X will get access to the Mac Apps Store within 90 days, Apple said.

Driving Higher App Use

An app store distribution channel for software may lead to greater use of apps, Hilwa speculated.


"Most of us use the main 10 apps on our PCs, and that's it," Hilwa explained. "But on smartphones we use far more apps because they're easy to buy and cost so much less. Jobs is making it easier to discover and buy apps," he opined.


"We'll be using more varieties of software, simply because it will be easier to buy and own," the Yankee Group's Howe said. "And the idea that I won't have to constantly do my own updates means I'll be more likely to use that software on an ongoing basis."


Going the app store route for software distribution might lead to smaller, less bloated apps, Hilwa suggested.


"Mobile apps are very granular; they only do one thing," Hilwa said. "Perhaps the app store concept will lead to smaller apps that are more granular and look more like smartphone apps. And if people can easily buy apps and compare prices, perhaps apps will get cheaper.


Impact on Software Vendors
"The Mac App Store is a completely new model for software distribution," Carl Howe, director of anywhere consumer research at the Yankee Group, told MacNewsWorld. "I think that, in the future, we'll see the old PC model of software distribution being about as relevant to software as 8-track tape decks are to music."

This will happen within two to three years, Howe remarked.

"Given Apple's control of the platform, it's certainly possible that it could use the App Store to change the way we buy applications," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderlene Group, told MacNewsWorld. "Two years is certainly possible."

Other software developers, such as Microsoft, may well follow suit, but it will "likely take more than two years" to implement an app store for PCs, Enderle said.

"We're already surfing the Web from apps now; we call them browsers," Enderle added. "If a proxy model takes off, which could be security driven, we could be using windows into secure proxy servers within a few years of the software industry offering apps through app stores," he explained.

"This is about a distribution channel strategy," Al Hilwa, a program director at IDC, told MacNewsWorld. "Jobs is saying everyone's going to love buying from Apple because they know Apple."

The traditional market for software is a third-party market, Hilwa pointed out. "You go to a store - Best Buy or what have you, buy a software package, then install it on your computer. So the publisher has to have a retail channel, a retail strategy and a distribution strategy. Now Jobs is saying you will have a distribution channel called the App Store, and this will make it easy to discover apps. You don't have to run around to figure out where to buy an app."

For more information on the Mac store Click Here

The new HP Slate

The New HP Slate

HP on Friday launched the HP Slate 500, a tablet PC aimed at the enterprise. 

Priced at US$799, the Slate has a 3MP still camera and a VGA webcam and can Windows 7 Professional 32.

Tech Specs for the HP Slate 500

HP's new tablet has an Intel Atom Z540 processor with a 512 KB L2 cache and a 533 MHz front-side bus. It uses the Intel System Controller Hub US15W chipset.

Onboard memory maxes out at 2 GB of 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM.

For storage, the HP Slate 500 uses a solid state flash drive of up to 64 GB. It can use select external CD/DVD R/RW drives that plug in through its single USB 2.0 port.

The HP Slate 500 has an 8.9-inch WSVGA wide-viewing angle multitouch screen that accepts pen and finger input. For graphics, the tablet uses an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500 and a Broadcom (Nasdaq: BRCM) Crystal HD Enhanced Video Accelerator.

The tablet comes with one combo stereo headphone and mic jack, an integrated microphone, and a power connector. It features high-definition audio and integrated stereo speakers.

It can communicate over 802.11b/g/n networks as well as Bluetooth 3.0.

The base configuration comes with a two-cell battery that offers about five hours of battery life. It weighs 1.5 pounds. The tablet measures about 9.2 by 0.6 by 5.9 inches.

The HP Slate 500 comes with HP Slate Camera, Evernote, HP Support Assistant, Adobe Reader and Adobe PDF preinstalled.

Some Thoughts...

Unlike the iPad the Slate is targeted more towards the corporate market rater than the mainstream consumer. 

"The HP Slate 500 will attract the interest of vertical industries such as construction, healthcare and engineering services that have used ruggedized tablets," Angela McIntyre, a research director at Gartner 

"Steve Jobs is right; it's all about the apps, but it's also about the apps on PCs, and there are some apps on PCs that you aren't going to get right now on the iPad," O'Donnell said. "Business applications for the iPad are limited."

The HP Slate is a very good device and is quite notably aimed at corporate clients. The $800 USD price tag might be a little excessive however. 

The New OS X Lion

Apples new OS X Lion...A Sneak Peek

Steve Jobs announced today what he suggested was a marriage of iOS with Mac OSX. Called Mac OS X Lion, the next version of the Mac's operating system will bring iOS features to the Mac, including bringing the App Store to the Mac.

The Mac App Store

Now Mac users have all the benefits that iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad user have with the introduction of a Mac App Store. Apple is accepting submissions from App developers next moth with the App Store to be open within 90 Days. 

Launchpad

The Mac App store is essentially similar to the iOS home screen concept. Apps can be grouped into multiple screens that can be finger-flicked left and right, and grouped into folders as they can be in iOS4.

Full-screen apps

Apple such as iPhoto and iMovie can now be viewd in full screen. Creating much more intimate user experience. 

Mission Control

Mission control is a mash-up of Mac OS X's Exposé, Spaces, and Dashboard features, making flicking and swiping among different apps easy. Mission Control will also provide support for Lion's system-level support for full-screen, menu bar–free, windowless apps.

New iLife 11

Apple releases iLife '11

Apple has unveiled iLife ’11 at its Back to the Mac event in Cupertino, demoing three of the suite’s updated applications- iPhoto, iMovie, and Garageband.

iPhoto ’11

Describing iPhoto ’11 as “the best version yet,” Phil Schiller- Apple’s Senior Vice President- started his presentation by showcasing the program’s newly redesigned full-screen mode. 

New slideshow templates offer auto-generated transitions, labels, and background music; Schiller previewed several themes, including one called Places- similar to iMovie ’09’s Maps- as well as a Reflections and Holiday theme.

Photo sharing, too, has been simplified. “Share via Email” allows users to select a group of photos, click the option, and have iPhoto automatically create a postcard within the program. Choose from several different templates; drag, drop, and resize photos within; and choose whether to attach the full-resolution photos or just the postcard. A new sharing panel links Flickr and Facebook accounts and shows the user’s sharing history.

Book creation, meanwhile, has undergone a complete carousel-inspired redesign. Users can pick an album, click Create, select Book, and are brought into the new full-screen book creation view. Choose a type of book, and iPhoto will auto-fill photos, using information about the album selected to create the pages.

With iPhoto ’11, users can also create and order letterpress cards in addition to the flat and folded options previously available in earlier versions of the program. An introductory video built into the Cards creator explains letterpress techniques. Cards can be personalized with both photos and words.

iMovie ’11

Improved audio editing- which Apple CEO Steve Jobs called "the number one request we got after the last version of iMovie”- led the changes to Apple’s entry-level video editing program.

Randy Ubillos, chief architect for Apple's video applications, led the demonstration highlighting new audio editing capabilities, as well as “one step effects,” which provide instantly rendered visual compositions; easy-to-build movie trailers with fifteen template themes, original scores created by the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road; People Finder, which uses face detection to distinguish the number of people in your photo and the framing of the shot; and direct sharing with Facebook and Vimeo.

Steve Jobs had this to say after Randy's presentation “Isn’t that awesome?” Jobs joked after Ubillos had finished. “You know Randy along with his team has invented all of that stuff.”

GarageBand ’11

The final program to get an on-stage demo Wednesday was GarageBand, shown off by Xander Soren, product marketing manager. Soren focused on GarageBand’s new recording and instrument tools, including new Flex Time, Groove Matching, and “How did I play?" features, more guitar amps and effects, and new piano and guitar lessons.

iWeb and iDVD

While these will be included in iLife 11 it is not clear wether they have been revamped in anyway. 

Some shots from the new iLife 

iPhoto

Books

iPhoto

iMovie

Garage Band

For more information Click Here

Microsoft launches cloud version of Office

Microsoft launched a fully online version of its popular Office suite of applications on Tuesday as it looks to extend its customer base and beat back rival Google Inc.

The new service, called Office 365, is available as a test from Tuesday in 13 countries, and will be on sale on a subscription basis worldwide next year.

Combining some of Microsoft's existing cloud-based services, it will be available through most browsers, including Mozilla's Firefox, Apple's Inc's Safari and Google's Chrome, and can be used on mobile devices such as Research in Motion Ltd's BlackBerry and Apple's iPad.

That means customers can get access to Office programs like Outlook e-mail, SharePoint websites and simplified versions of Word and Excel without installing software, from virtually anywhere. Customers get access to more features when the software is also installed.

The move strikes a blow against rival Google, which has had some success with its Google Apps service, which provides a low-cost, Web-based alternative to Microsoft's traditional Office software for US$50 ($67) per user per year.

Microsoft will offer the service to small companies with fewer than 25 employees for US$6 or 5.25 euros per user per month.

For larger companies and government organizations, prices will start from US$2 per user per month for basic e-mail. A fuller "professional" version will cost up to US$27 per user per month.

Office is one of Microsoft's biggest money-earners, alongside its Windows operating system. The unit that makes Office accounted for almost 40 percent of the company's profit last year.

The new service was announced by Kurt DelBene, the new head of the Office business since the beginning of this month. He took over from Stephen Elop, who left to lead phone maker Nokia last month.

Shares of Microsoft were down 3.1 percent at US$25.01 on Nasdaq, while Google fell 1.7 percent to US$607.14.

Google TV

The Run down on Google TV

What you can do with the recently revealed Google TV in 8 easy point.

1) You can search (across every channel, every app and the web)


2) You can browse the internet (it is not limited like some other devices)


3) Now you can have all those Apps on your smartphone on your TV


4) Your phone can act as a remote


5) Your TV home page lets you see all your favorite shows, most viewed shows etc etc  


6) Dual view is an added feature


7) Record your favorite shows


8) Google boasts Google TV will work with your TV, Satellite, Internet and Cable box


Google TV represents a significant leap forward for the tech giant as they continue to integrate into everyday life. Eventually we think they will simply become part of the background. 

Windows Phone 7 could rival Apple's iOS 4

The long running debate Windows vs. Mac has come to the mobile market, with the release of the new Windows Phone 7

                                              

But maybe not quite yet

What we know about Windows Phone 7:

-Its multitouch functions don't require a stylus, only certain models have phones have virtual keyboard instead of a physical one.

-There is no copy-and-paste feature in the initial release.

-It doesn't support Flash or multitasking for third-party apps. 

-What's more, it employs a new framework for creating apps that means existing Windows Mobile apps have to be rewritten for the new operating system.

Over the 3 years the iPhone has been out it has evolved immensely and without a doubt Windows Mobile 7 will as well (starting with copy and paste coming next year) its our bet that Windows will (over time) iron out problems and the current short fallings and create an mobile OS that rivals that on the iPhone. 

Watch this space there is certainly going to be some interesting developments to come.   

PC users think twice about considering an iPad

Are you a PC user? Most likely you have considered an iPad according to a recent study.

Only a small number of companies can disrupt an entire industry with a single product launch. But Apple, whose history is filled with such moments, has done it again with its iPad tablet.

Apple's iPad has shaken the computer industry leading many consumers to think twice about buying a new personal computer two market-research firms reported on Wednesday.

That hesitation was one reason worldwide shipments of new PCs stumbled in the third quarter, growing more slowly than research firms IDC and Gartner Inc had anticipated.

The other big factor was consumers' dreary outlook on the economy, especially in the US and Europe, which has led them to pinch pennies more, pay off debts and spend less on PCs and some other kinds of electronics.