iNews Review

App Store Clears Out Smut, Edit Excel and Word Docs on Your iPhone, Apple Ups Download Cap, and More

This Week's iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Apple TV News

Compiled by Charles Moore and edited by Dan Knight - 2010.02.26

The big story this past week has been Apple clearing sexually offensive content from the App Store. Libertarians are decrying Apple for censorship, and some programmers are frustrated over lost income, but Apple has a much wider audience to please than porn fans.

According to Ad Mob (PDF), the iPhone and iPod touch have a higher percentage of female users than Android or Palm's WebOS, not a constituency Apple needs to offend. On top of that, a remarkable 65% of iPod touch users are ages 17 and younger - minors and students. With education a key iPad audience, this should help keep porn out of the classroom.

Kudos to Apple for attacking this issue before the release of the iPad. dk

So we can post our three news roundups (Mac News Review, The 'Book Review, and iNews Review) earlier, we first do a quick proofread and link check, leaving out images. We add images later when time permits.

Mac notebook and other portable computing is covered in The 'Book Review, and general Mac news is in Mac News Review.

All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.

Apple vs. Porn

News, Reviews, & Opinion

Apps & Services

Accessories

iPod Deals

These price trackers are updated every month.

Apple vs. Porn

New App Store Rules: No Swimsuits, No Skin, No Innuendo

TechCrunch's Jason Kincaid reports:

"Over the last few days we've been tracking Apple's recent decision to remove all sexual content from the App Store. It's an alarming move on Apple's part, if only because it shows that the company is willing to throw developers (and their livelihoods) under the bus without any notice at all. Now developers are left wondering: just what exactly is allowed on the App Store? As it turns out, the new policy may be even more restrictive than it first appeared."

Apple's War on Porn Is Just Getting Started

Business Insider's Nick Saint says that Apple means business this time - apps that sell sex are being tossed out of the App Store en masse. Apple has a history of making sudden changes to its policies and removing apps, but a developer Saint spoke to said that the scale of the current purge is unprecedented.

"Apple has so far refused to confirm or deny a policy shift. The only statement from the company thus far states: 'Whenever we receive customer complaints about objectionable content we review them. If we find these apps contain inappropriate material we remove them and request the developer make any necessary changes in order to be distributed by Apple.'"

Why Apple's Porn Purge Is a Smart Move

PC World's Jeff Bertolucci says:

"It appears Apple is embarking on a new anti-smut crusade to rid its iPhone App Store of 'overtly sexual content.'"

"At first glance, Apple's move appears either prudish or hypocritical or both. Sexually-explicit content was already verboten in the App Store, and some of the newly banned apps were about as racy as the Sport Illustrated swimsuit issue.

"Apple's true motivation, it seems, is to protect its booming iPod touch and fledgling iPad operations . . . Apple realizes its device is a gateway drug to the iPhone....

"Apple can't afford to allow its customers - even a vocal minority - to gripe about so-called smut in the App Store, even if the complaints are overblown. The impression that Apple condones adult-themed material finding its way into kids' hands would no doubt hurt iPod touch sales, and ultimately impact its iPhone and App Store business too."

The App Store, Porn, and Censorship

The Technology Liberation Front's Adam Thierer says:

"Oh my, here we go again with bogus accusations of censorship flying about a private company's efforts to self-regulate its own media platform. Yesterday over at Silicon Alley Insider, Nick Saint penned a piece on how 'Apples War On Porn Is Just Getting Started.' And then over at TechCrunch, Jason Kincaid wrote about 'Why Apple's New Ban Against Sexy Apps Is Scary.' That yielded a flurry of similarly-titled rants about Apple's supposedly totalitarian ways for taking away our new-found inalienable human right to unfettered porn and adult entertainment applications via our iPhones. To Mr. Saint, Mr. Kincaid, and the many others who apparently believe Apple is the reincarnation of Big Brother for self-regulating their own Apps Store, all I can say is: Grow up!"

Editor's note: Good for Apple for taking a principled stand on this matter. Those who contend that porn is harmless titillation for consenting adults might find it educational to ponder the next two news briefs. cm

Exposure to Online Porn Adversely Affects Children's Sexual Behavior

"Morality in Media (MIM) has published a 10-page paper reporting evidence that exposure to hardcore adult pornography on the Internet can adversely affect children's sexual behavior and attitudes about sex. The evidence includes published observations of clinical psychologists, police and prosecutors, educators, rape crisis professionals, social workers and others, as well as social science research."

Pornography Harms

Pornography Harms, a site created by Patrick Trueman, the former chief of the US Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, is dedicated to providing the most accurate peer-reviewed research on the harm from pornography, along with relevant news and opinion.

News, Reviews, & Opinion

Apple Raises iPhone Download Cap to 20 MB

MacNN reports:

"Apple has lifted a limit on cellular downloads on the iPhone, testing shows. All files previously had to be under 10 MB in order to be transferred over an EDGE or 3G connection. The measure is believed to have been a way of avoiding customer complaints about interrupted downloads, as well as appeasing phone carriers tasked with supporting the necessary bandwidth.

"The filesize limit is now doubled to 20 MB, though why Apple would change it is unclear...."

Lenovo Says Businesses Don't Want Slate Devices

Cnet's Brooke Crothers reports that Lenovo refreshed its tablet-capable business laptop on Tuesday and made a very conscious decision not to bring out an iPad-esque slate device, saying customers don't want it. Mika Majapuro, senior worldwide product marketing manager at Lenovo says the company will stick with the tried-and-true laptop-based convertible tablet designs and not bring out a slate device due to negative feedback from customers - an indication that Apple's iPad may face resistance in the enterprise sector - and that response from high school kids surveyed largely rejected the virtual keyboard concept and insisted that they want a physical (built-in) keyboard.

Mini Countryman to Use iPhone for Internet Radio, Data

Mini CountrymanElectronista reports:

"BMW's sub-label Mini today revealed that the 2011 Mini Countryman will be one of the first cars to have tight app-level integration with the iPhone. The semi-rugged compact will have an optional central computing system known as Mini Connected that will tie into Apple's handset through two native apps. At its simplest, a 'web radio' app will use the iPhone's 3G connection to reach any one of a set list of Internet radio stations; the car's center column display will give control over radio stations using the Countryman's own interface."

Editor's note: The original Austin Mini Countryman was available in the UK from 1961 to 1969. dk

BMW's Mini Countryman to Include iPhone Interface

PR: The wide range of customisation options on both the exterior and interior again so typical of Mini are supplemented by new, model-specific features exclusive to the Mini Countryman. New combinations in the range of interior colours, trim strips and upholstery enable even the most discerning customer to create his or her very special car with truly unique character. The wide range of standard features boasted by the Mini Countryman includes highlights such as air conditioning, the Mini Center Rail, and an audio system complete with a CD player. The equally wide range of options and special equipment tailored to each model comes with features such as high-end audio and navigation systems as well as mobile telephone interfaces including the option to completely integrate an Apple iPhone and other Smartphones in the car. Further options are the extra-large Panorama roof, Adaptive Headlights in combination with xenon headlight units, a heated windscreen, a towbar, light-alloy wheels ranging in size from 16 to 19 inches, sports suspension lowering the entire car by 10 millimetres or almost 0.4 3, as well as the wide range of John Cooper Works Performance Components.

Limit Your Exposure to Cell Phone Radiation

The Environmental Working Group says:

"Cell phone companies, aware of heightened consumer concerns about radiation exposure, have created new cell phones for 2010 to minimize emissions.

"Do you have one of the new phones? Is it low radiation? You won't be able to find out from their ad campaign or even the labels.

"Use our guide to look up your phone and read our tips about how to use your phone safely....

"New cell phones in 2010 are loaded with new features. For some models, like Motorola's Droid, Blackberry Bold 9700, LG Chocolate Touch and HTC Nexus One by Google, consumers pay a hidden price: exposure to the highest legal levels of cell phone radiation. You can see for yourself by looking the radiation levels for new 2010 cell phones.

"Other new phones emit significantly less radiation."

iPhone Emissions 'in the Middle of the Pack'

ZDNet's David Morgenstern reports:

"The Environmental Working Group this week released its latest radiation ratings for cell phones and smart phones. Apple's iPhone models can be found in the middle of the pack, unlike a number of its competitors."

Scotiabank, TD Canada Trust Plan Full-Featured Online Mobile Banking iPhone Apps

Online-Bank.ca reports:

"While so far CIBC remains to be the only Canadian bank to offer a full featured online mobile banking app for the iPhone and iPod touch, at least two other banks from Canada seem to be on the verge of getting their own full-featured online banking apps.

"In a recent press release Scotiabank stated that it's working together with USA based M-Com in order to bring its own full featured mobile banking app to its clients, while TD Canada Trust Senior VP Paal Kaperda recently revealed to The Financial Post that TD is 'definitely looking' into getting a full featured mobile / online banking app of its own."

Apps & Services

Photoshop 1.0 on the iPhone

InformationWeek's Thomas Claburn reports:

"To celebrate Photoshop's 20th Anniversary, Photoshop co-creator Russell Brown asked Ansca Mobile to re-create Photoshop 1.0 for the iPhone.

"It would have been a natural job for Adobe Flash, were Flash available on the iPhone."

Also see The Origin of Photoshop, published earlier this week on Low End Mac.

Facebook Fun for iPhone: The Name Says It All

PR: Onederr Inc., the developers of Facebook Fun, has released their latest update. The application's name is perfect, as the app provides tools for vastly increasing visibility and fun on Facebook. Through Facebook Fun, users have access to a myriad of emoticons, are able to draw with neon colors, can post a picture update and they are optionally able to share their geo coordinates on a Google Map.

Very few Facebook postings stand out. Most look the same as everyone else's, just a block of text. While people may look forward to reading what's going on with their friends, it certainly isn't an eye-catching, fun experience most of the time. If it weren't for the little profile picture, they would all look exactly alike. That's where Facebook Fun comes in.

With this application, users can amp up the fun factor by adding features that bring life to their Facebook postings. In order to stand out, users can choose from one hundred and ten different emoticons, express themselves by creating some neon art, post a current picture status update or share their location via GPS coordinates on a Google Map.

The Facebook Fun interface is clean and easy to use. Naturally, the controls are all touchscreen, so selecting a menu option or performing an action is a quick and easy experience. The live feed keeps users current with their friend's postings and allows them to post responses from their device.

Individuals will find that once they start using the application, their Facebook friends will recognize that a post came from them, just by glimpsing the custom appearance. In this way, Facebook enthusiasts can gain instant recognition, if not a bit of notoriety.

Features:

  • Choice of 110 emoticons
  • Draw on iPhone screen with awesome neon colors and post the creation to Facebook
  • Post Picture Status messages; photos saved in a special album in a user's Facebook account
  • Use Quick Status for Facebook to quickly share current location with friends
  • Attach current location to Status, Pic Status or Emoti Status using iPhone GPS technology
  • Use Facebook Connect
  • Stand apart from the boring and mundane

Facebook Fun is a great little amusing app that anyone with an account is likely going to want to grab a copy of. It offers users a lot of tools and puts the fun back in posting, which is the whole point, isn't it?

Device Requirements

  • iPhone and iPod touch
  • Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later
  • 4.6 MB

Facebook Fun 1.3 is 99¢ and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Social Networking category. Promo codes are available for qualified reviewers. Please specify the website or blog you represent when making your request.

Free CoLinkers App Adds Interactive Posting Wall, Networking List to Facebook Application

PR: The CoLinkers app now allows Facebook users to update their job status on a customized wall, and to access their entire CoLinkers list at a glance.

CoLinkers, a new, groundbreaking Facebook application that allows people to enhance the way they network with friends, has added new key features to the functionality of their application. The new Posting Wall and List features are designed to not only simplify the navigation and accessibility of the application itself, but also to facilitate and encourage professional, job-related interactions between fellow CoLinkers. The new features are set to debut, and will have an immediate impact on all current CoLinkers users.

The CoLinkers Wall: Connect Professionally on a Daily Basis

With the ability to update moods and statuses becoming increasingly popular on Facebook, the CoLinkers application now allows users to update their job status, job-hunting progress, or any work-related news, all on a daily basis. Let's face it: a person's professional life is as dynamic and ever changing as their personal life. With the CoLinkers Wall, users can now share funny or amazing work-related stories, let friends know how the job hunt is going, or ask fellow CoLinkers for job recommendations. Because the Wall's navigation and options are both easy to use and versatile, CoLinkers can customize their job-related posts weekly or even daily.

"The US is currently reeling from near-10% unemployment. Some say that the actual unemployment rate is more like 17.5% nationwide," says CoLinkers' Michael Nace. "Because lots of people are 1) out of work 2) looking for work and 3) getting frustrated because they can't find work, we think that CoLinkers could be a big help to people like this. see tons and tons of tweets about how frustrated unemployed people are right now, to the point where they are ready to give up on finding a job. As they get more and more frustrated, they are spending more and more time on social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

"CoLinkers has many different features, but its two primary features are the job status update wall, which quickly and easily allows users to post up on their wall a customized employment status, and the CoLinkers List, which gives users at-a-glance access to their network of friends. The reason why this can be really useful to someone who is unemployed is that it allows their Facebook friends to see their work status and help out in finding them a job.

"There are over 7,000 Facebook apps available right now, but none of them bring personal and professional networks together on Facebook like CoLinkers does. We think it is a very new and innovative application that combines the professional networking power of a site like LinkedIn with the personal networking familiarity of Facebook. \"

  • According to the Mass. Labor & Workforce Development Office, approximately 60% of all people find jobs through their friends. (Reference: http://tinyurl.com/yaw4j9m )
  • More and more jobs are being posted on Facebook & Twitter by employment agencies, but very few outlets or apps allow users to leverage their network of friends in order to find a job. (Reference: http://tinyurl.com/pksxcr )
  • CoLinkers is the first Facebook app that allows users to engage their friends in finding a job.
  • The job status feature allows users to easily create and update a customized message about their job-hunting status, employment, etc.
  • Through CoLinkers, friends can make personalized job-related recommendations to each other.
  • The CoLinkers app is totally free.

The CoLinkers List: Access Your Professional Network Like Never Before

This second new feature puts CoLinkers users in touch with their online professional network like never before. The interactive CoLinkers List appears as soon as the CoLinkers application is launched and provides users access to the employer name and position of the people in their network, allowing them to get a quick, at-a-glance perspective on their professional details. The new list is an improvement over the original list feature, since it gives users at-a-glance access to their entire list, allowing them to contact fellow CoLinkers quickly and easily.

CoLinkers: New Features That Evolve With The Current Job Market

While the basic concept of the CoLinkers application remains the same, the CoLinkers team continues to refine and improve the key features of the application in order to meet the demands of an ever-changing job market and work environment. As economic climates continue to deteriorate and job seekers become increasingly desperate to find work, CoLinkers is committed to developing new features and functionality that encourage users to share knowledge and recommendations for finding new job opportunities.

CoLinkers is a completely new idea in online social networking. Utilizing the groundbreaking networking community of Facebook, CoLinkers allows Facebook users to add yet another dimension to the relationships they forge with their Facebook friends, bringing together business and personal social spheres. Now you can exchange professional business information, provide and access valuable knowledge and skills, and potentially create new business and employment opportunities by getting to know the professional side of your friends.

CoLinkers is committed to driving technology forward to further advance your ability to make valuable, long-lasting interpersonal connection via Facebook. Features such as advanced searches, industry-specific networking, personalized recommendations, private messaging, and a comprehensive personal profile page, give you the power and functionality to grow your business and employment opportunities in unique and productive ways.

XLS and DOC Editing on the iPhone Available for Free with Office2 Plus

PR: Byte2 announces Office2 Plus 3.0.1, its free try before you buy office app for iPhone and iPod touch. Office2 Plus provides .DOC compatible document editing and .XLS compatible spreadsheet editing and lets the user in-app purchase the ability to save files. Access documents stored in Google Docs, iDisk, and any WebDAV server, including open, edit, save, delete and rename. Office2 Plus is compatible with Microsoft Word, NeoOffice and any other .doc compatible word processor.

Viewing and Organising Documents Including Cloud-Based Services:

  • View many different file formats including DOCX, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, iWork, PDF, HTM, Images etc.
  • Access documents stored in Google Docs, iDisk and any WebDAV server, including open, edit, save, delete and rename.
  • Create or delete folders.
  • Move or copy documents between folders locally.
  • Move or copy documents between Google Docs or iDisk accounts and the local folders.
  • Move or copy documents within folders in Google Docs or iDisk accounts.
  • Email documents as attachments.
  • Transfer files to and from the device by mounting Office2 Plus as a drive from Finder or Windows Explorer.

Word Processor Features:

  • View, create, and edit documents in Word 97-2003 (.doc) format. Compatible with Microsoft Word, NeoOffice and any other .doc compatible word processor. Saving may be optionally enabled through an in-app purchase.
  • Character formatting, including text and fill color, bold, italic, underline, font face and size.
  • Paragraph formatting including alignment, indenting, bullets and numbering.
  • Support for tables, including table creation.
  • Support for images, including inserting of images from the camera roll or pasting from other programs.
  • Searching of text within documents.
  • Undo and redo, up to 100 undo levels.
  • Copy and paste within the app in addition to copy and paste of text and images from other applications, including Safari.
  • Auto-correction and auto-completion are supported.

Spreadsheet Features:

  • View, create, and edit documents in Excel 97-2003 (.xls) format. Compatible with Microsoft Excel, NeoOffice and any other .xls compatible spreadsheet editor. Saving may be optionally enabled through an in-app purchase.
  • Support for multiple worksheets.
  • Multiple cell types, including Numeric, Date, Time, Date/Time, Currency, Percentage and Text.
  • Cell formatting options, including bold, italic, text and background color, cell sizes and alignments.
  • Merged cells, text wrapping and freeze panes.
  • Copy/cut/paste operations.
  • A range of functions, including date/time, math, statistical, string and trigonometric functions.

Byte2 CEO Simon Bates said: "Too often companies release a cut-down version of their paid app, which they give away for free in order to entice users to their paid app, however this fails for two reasons: firstly, the user does not have a complete picture of the paid app functionality and secondly, if the user wishes to upgrade, they must download another app, thereby losing all the data they built up in the free app. We believe that in-app purchasing within a free app is the best way to tackle the 'try before you buy' concept and we are pleased to announce the first office-based app for the iPhone that allows users to do exactly that."

Device Requirements:

  • iPhone and iPod touch
  • Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later
  • 2.7 MB

Office2 Plus 3.0.1 is free and available now exclusively through the App Store in the Business category.

Screenshot: http://www.bytesquared.com/images/Office/iPhone/iPhoneFull.gif

EcoDriverEd Is Your Answer to Driving Green

PR: AppKnack, LLC announces that its newly updated green driving application, EcoDriverEd, for the iPhone and iPod touch, is now available on Apple's App Store. This unique iPhone app is one of the first such applications to allow a user to learn how to drive more economically without resorting to dangerous driving tactics.

ecodrivered.jpg

Part of a recent trend in driving is to make slight adjustments to driving behavior that result in fuel conservation and dramatic cost savings. Not everyone can go out and buy a hybrid vehicle immediately, but they can do their part by learning to drive green with their existing car. EcoDriverEd helps you learn techniques of acceleration, deceleration, smoothness, and speed with audible feedback.

AppKnack founder Dan Axtman, commented "We're very excited to introduce this updated version of EcoDriverEd to the worldwide driving community. EcoDriverEd allows you to quickly learn how your driving habits are impacting your use of gasoline. EcoDriverEd gives you immediate report cards at the end of each drive so you can track your progress. Even moderate EcoDriving can reduce fuel consumption by 15%, saving a typical driver $200 per year and reducing CO2 emissions by 1,200 pounds. The EcoDriverEd app pays for itself within a few trips to the store!"

iPhone and iPod touch users now have a simple yet powerful driving tool at their disposal to help learn new driving habits. Within a few days any driver can learn new and safe driving techniques that will have both a personal and environmental impact.

EcoDriverEd features include:

  • No installation or expensive additional equipment required
  • Animated color bar graph gives audible feedback when thresholds are exceeded
  • Works while iPod is playing music
  • Report cards provide letter grades for each category (Acceleration, Deceleration, Smoothness, and Speed). Save multiple report cards to view your overall progress
  • Adjust background look, theme sounds, volume, and trainer thresholds for your particular needs
  • Connects to your car stereo

learn2.jpeg

Device Requirements:

  • iPhone and iPod touch (2nd generation)
  • Requires iPhone OS 2.0 or later
  • 2.9 MB

EcoDriverEd 1.2 is $1.99 and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Productivity category. For more information about EcoDriverEd, please visit the iTunes App Store and our product web site.

Screenshot: http://tinyurl.com/y8w6brx

Driving Sports TV Launches iPhone Video Magazine App for Automotive Enthusiasts

drivingsports.jpg

PR: Driving Sports TV, in partnership with Wizzard Media, announces the immediate availability of the official Driving Sports mobile application for iPhone and iPod touch. This new App brings together news and entertainment from Driving Sports TV, as well as exclusive bonus features from the Driving Sports editorial team, to create a continuously updated and engaging digital magazine that will appeal to any car enthusiast.

"Automotive magazines have done their job for the past century but the days of ink are numbered. Our new App allows Driving Sports to deliver more depth and entertainment by combining and connecting video, audio and pages to create an optimized mobile experience. It's simply better."

The technology used in the Driving Sports TV App allows users to stream selected videos, saving precious storage space on the device, or download complete clips over a wireless connection. Many updates also include bonus content in the form of PDF layouts, wallpaper graphics, audio or video tracks.

"Think of this as a form of digital magazine for a new generation of car enthusiast," stated Driving Sports founder and producer, Ryan Douthit. "Automotive magazines have done their job for the past century but the days of ink are numbered. Our new App allows Driving Sports to deliver more depth and entertainment by combining and connecting video, audio and pages to create an optimized mobile experience. It's simply better."

"The Driving Sports TV App allows car fans to view and share our content everywhere, on the device that's already in their pocket, making convenience a big part of the application's design," Douthit explained. "Web pages are great, but we're still a ways off from Internet everywhere. With our App, folks can easily download the most recent videos for later viewing on an airplane, a boat, or any other place their lives may take them."

Video is only one feature of the Driving Sports TV App. Some topics require greater depth or description than can be included in video alone. To meet this need, many of the episodes include related documents, graphs, articles or audio files to enhance the experience. Special features vary from episode to episode, but may include original interview recordings, photo pages, spec sheets or even topic-inspired wallpaper for your iPhone or iPod touch.

Designed exclusively for Apple's iPhone OS, The Driving Sports TV App takes advantage of the platform's advanced technology. "The simplicity of the App is what makes it so powerful," says Dave Mansueto from Wizzard Media (NYSE Amex: WZE). "Almost any operation is a swipe or a touch away. This really allows Driving Sports' unique content to take center stage."

The Driving Sports TV App is now available in the iTunes App Store for an introductory price of $2.99, with no subscription required.

Don't Know Much About History? There's an App for That!

PR: Here's an Apple App that everyone should have - in fact, it should be mandatory reading for every American!

The brand new American Dreams by MultiEducator, Inc. is a unique application for Apple iPhone/iPod that contains nearly 500 of the most important documents in US history.

This $2.99 download provides instant access to an astounding array of the most important documents, speeches and inaugural addresses from American Presidents political leaders from the beginnings of our country all the way to the present.

iphonehist.gif

You can read 480 speeches and documents (including all the Presidential Inaugural addresses and dozens of the most important laws of the land), 90 Supreme Court Decisions, and 18 audio recordings all organized on a finger tip friendly phone app.

This little download is an incredible compilation of primary source documents in American History. Each document entry includes an explanation of the significance of the court decision, law, or key points of a speech.

Documents can be accessed chronologically, or often by groups. You can search for a document and save recent or favorites. All of the documents can be e-mailed and thus shared.

American Dreams can be downloaded at the Apple iTunes Store.

American Dreams Program Highlights:

American Dreams features 18 audio recording of some of the most famous speeches in American history, including the complete inauguration of President Kennedy. Also included are President Reagan's words "Mr. Gorbachev- Tear Down the Wall", as well as excerpts from President Franklin Roosevelt's first inaugural and President Teddy Roosevelt's campaign speech.

The text of over 90 key Supreme Court decisions, starting with Chisholm v. Georgia in 1793 and ending with the case of the Citizens vs. Federal Electoral Committee in 2010 are presented. Each case has a one-paragraph summary outlining key points and Constitutional issues dealt with the in that case.

The earliest text in the program is Columbus' description of his voyage. The newest document is President Obama's State of the Union address, delivered on January 27, 2009. The program also includes all of the Fireside Chat addresses given by President Roosevelt, including an audio recording of his most famous Fireside Chat: On Banking.

American Dreams allows you to be immersed in the early America history, from the time of the first Explorers to the settling of the Plymouth Rock. You can read firsthand accounts of the Building of the Erie Canal or the invention of the Cotton Mill. Read the many war messages sent to Congress over the history of the United States, as well as the peace agreements signed that ended many of those same conflicts.

American Dreams puts a superb documentary history of the United States in your pocket.

Just for fun: "Don't know much about history" is part of the lyrics from the song, "What a Wonderful World It Would Be" by Herman's Hermits.

A more complete (still partial) listing of the documents contained in American Dream can be found online.

iGovernment Now Available on the App Store

PR: Esse Quam Videri Music Group announces the release of iGovernment 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch devices. iGovernment brings over 50 feeds of news, photos, blogs, and videos from departments and offices across all three branches of the Federal Government into an easy-to-use, fast, and beautiful package.

Featuring feeds from the White House, House of Representatives, Senate, Supreme Court, NASA, and the Departments of State, Homeland Security, Justice, Treasury, Health and Human Services, Energy, and Labor. Now it is easier to keep up with the latest government news than ever before.

"iGovernment really brings the government into the palm of your hand, its like carrying Washington around in your pocket." said Ian Meyer, Vice President at Esse Quam Videri Music Group.

iGovernment quickly established itself in the Top 50 Paid News apps, and continues to receive rave reviews. Here's some examples of what people are saying about iGovernment: "I'm very impressed with ease of use. The edit page lets you configure your favorites, like the White House or Treasury, to the menu at the bottom." and "This app is great! It gives me up-to-date information all in one place!"

Device Requirements:

  1. iPhone and iPod touch
  2. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later
  3. 1.4 MB

iGovernment 1.0 is $1.99 and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the News category. Review kits and promo codes are available for bloggers and journalists upon request. Promo codes subject to availability.

Screenshot: http://essequ.am/igovernment/screenshot.jpg

PricePad Released for the Price Savvy, Bargain Shopper

PR: Blue Ring Mobile announces the release of PricePad 2.0, an easy-to-use deal-finding app with barcode scanning technology for the iPhone and the iPod touch.

PricePad.gif

Quickly and accurately scan product barcodes

PricePad users find the best deals while shopping around retail locations by quickly and accurately scanning product barcodes using the built-in (iPhone 3GS) camera, and comparing their prices against online stores (with Google Product Search or PricePad Search). Users save money by having information from the web at their fingertips and waiting until they find the right deals for him or her. They save even more from stores with price guarantees that match the best prices online. At the introductory price of $1.99, PricePad users should see a return on their investment many times over.

Shoppers use PricePad, which has been downloaded over 100,000 times, to build and organize shopping lists for any product they want to save money on.

PricePad works just as well for items without a barcode. Shoppers can quickly type and add the product name to their shopping list with the option to also store a product photo. The user interface is simple and lets user capture the important details with a few flicks. For each item, the shopping list editor lets user remember the on-sale prices from different merchants and track them over time. Shoppers can conveniently share great deal finds on for instance, clothing accessories or shoes, by emailing sales info and item photo to friends in their iPhone contact list.

PricePad is great for keeping track of groceries, books, videos and the latest gadgets on user's wish list. The handy grocery folder sorts the grocery list by last purchase date to quickly see what items are bought every week. And thumbnails now download automatically for books and media items when barcode is scanned.

screen0.png

PricePad 2.0 enhances the shopping experience by bringing the best online deals to the mobile phone.

PricePad 2.0 is $1.99 and available in the US exclusively through the App Store in the Lifestyle category.

WritePad Professional Edition for iPhone

PR: PhatWare Corporation, a leading provider of software products and professional services for mobile and desktop computers announce the release of WritePad Professional Edition 3.0, an advanced organizer for notes, events, tasks, and voice notes.

WritePad Professional Edition is based on WritePad 3.0 handwriting recognition technology for iPhone devices, and allows users to organize tasks, events, notes, and voice notes in multiple folders within a single iPhone application. The new version also allows users to search for text in different folders and fields. The search result is presented in a single view for easy navigation. WritePad Professional Edition organizes data in four types of folders:

  • Affairs (tasks) folders assist users with organizing daily tasks, jobs, and contracts. Users can create, edit, and view items in landscape or portrait mode; sort items by due date, subject, priority, color, category, and status; and filter by text.
  • Events folders enable users to create, edit, and view events in landscape and portrait mode; sort events by date, subject, priority, color, and category; and filter events by text.
  • Notes folders allow creating, editing, and viewing notes on an iPhone. Notes can be edited in ether landscape or portrait mode and sorted by subject, color, and category and filter notes by text.
  • Voice Notes folders can be used to record and play back voice notes and memos. Each voice note can have name, color and importance properties, and can be organized by name, color, priority, creation, and modification dates.

WritePad data can be imported or exported via CSV files compatible with Microsoft Outlook format. Files can be exchanged between iPhone and Desktop PC via WiFi. WritePad items can also be copied to other folders, or other iPhone applications, such as PhatNotes, using the clipboard. The synchronization software for Microsoft Outlook tasks, journal events, and notes is currently in development and will be available in Q2, 2010. For more information about WritePad Professional Edition, please visit the PhatWare online.

Device Requirements:

  • iPhone and iPod touch
  • Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later
  • 5.1 MB

WritePad Professional Edition 3.0 is $9.99 and available now exclusively through the App Store in the Productivity category.

Screenshot: http://www.phatware.com/images/writepadpro1.jpg

GoodReader PDF Viewer for iPhone and iPod touch

PR: The one and only Good Reader app for iPhone and iPod touch! If you need to read huge PDF, or TXT files, you've come to the right place. Faithful users of GoodReader have reported flawless performance with files over 1 gig in size; but that's only one of the many features that makes GoodReader the best app of its kind.

Within moments of downloading GoodReader, you'll be transferring files directly from your computer over a WiFi connection, from the Internet or from email attachments. It also easily integrates with MobileMe iDisk, box.net, MyDisk.se and other popular WebDAV servers, and also with non-WebDAV services like Google Docs and Dropbox.

goodreader.jpeg

With the PDF Reflow feature, reading your documents is a pleasure because it extracts pure text from PDF files and automatically wraps words. This amazing feature fits all of the text to your screen perfectly. That means you never have to scroll left and right to read the text. For a better idea of how on-the-fly reflow works, sneak a peek at the Reflow screenshot at the top of the page.

With no bars or buttons blocking the text, you have true full screen reading. The PDF hyperlink feature allows you to quickly jump back and forth within the document. Tapping a link will whisk you across a huge PDF book in an instant, and the "Go Back" button takes you back to the page you came from. If you already know what you're looking for, the Text Search feature helps you find your way to the exact info you want in any PDF or TXT file. You can even use the 50x zoom, which gives you a better view, without distorting the image. That makes it perfect for viewing PDF maps or drawings.

GoodReader supports massive PDF and TXT files, but it can also handle all of the most popular file types. MS Office - .doc, .ppt, .xls and more, iWork'08/'09, HTML and Safari webarchives, high resolution images. It even does audio and video.

With GoodReader on your iPhone or iPod touch, you can read virtually anything, anywhere. Books, movies, maps, pictures; GoodReader puts it all in a single app, right in your pocket. From the very first time you use it, GoodReader is sure to be the most used app you will ever buy.

ATTENTION: USB File Transfer was removed due to Apple's demand, to avoid a violation of Apple's rules. New users will not be able to use this feature.

We introduce a concept of "paid add-ons" for the full version of GoodReader - extra features, not critical for app's main functionality, which could be purchased in app, for an extra charge. We believe that this approach is very fair to those who don't need extra features, and therefore don't have to pay for things they don't need.

The important thing about add-ons is that you don't need to buy them if you don't want to. The app works very well without them.

All our paid add-ons (and the app itself, by the way) can be tried for free using our free GoodReader Lite app.

Currently available paid add-ons and their prices in US App Store (prices will vary in different countries):

Accessing E-mail servers via IMAP or POP3 protocol - 99¢

Server-style access to Google Docs - 99¢

Accessing FTP servers - 99¢

Known Limitations

GoodReader heavily relies on iPhone OS capabilities. Information about known iPhone OS limitations that affect viewing files can be found here.

New in version 2.6

  • Text Edit - edit small and medium TXT files
  • Page Slider for PDF files - whisk across big files with a single gesture
  • importing/exporting pictures from device Photo Album
  • added Encoding option to FTP servers, now FTP servers with non-ASCII file names can be accessed
  • support for .ai files saved with PDF Compatible option
  • fixed the issue with incorrect downloading of spreadsheets from Google Docs and MobileMe iDisk
  • various bug fixes for e-mail attachments downloading

System Requirements: OS version: 2.0 or newer (iPhone OS 3.0 fully compatible)

Price: 99¢ (in US App Store, will vary in different countries)

Fidelity Introduces Mobile Brokerage Trading App for iPhone and iPod touch

PR: Fidelity Investments has announced it has developed an app that enables customers using an iPhone or iPod touch to place stock, option, ETF or mutual fund trades via a simplified and intuitive trade ticket enabled by Apple's innovative multitouch user interface. Fidelity's new mobile app is available via a free download from the App Store.

The new app takes full advantage of the revolutionary technologies of iPhone and iPod touch to allow us to deliver powerful trading and account management services in a very user friendly format.

"At Fidelity, we recognize the growing popularity of the iPhone and iPod touch, and in fact, nearly half of the customers using our current mobile trading application, Fidelity MobileSM, log in from an iPhone," said James C. Burton, president of Fidelity's retail brokerage business. "Our new app takes full advantage of the revolutionary technologies of iPhone and iPod touch to allow us to deliver powerful trading and account management services in a very user friendly format."

With the new app, customers can also access their Fidelity account information and watch lists; stay updated on domestic and world markets via up-to-the-minute news; receive real-time quotes; and compare the performance of multiple stocks all on one screen with interactive charting capabilities.

The Fidelity app for iPhone and iPod touch is the latest enhancement available to Fidelity's brokerage customers, and is one more way to take advantage of the new, low $7.95 online US equity commissions announced earlier this month. As well, customers using the new app can trade with free commissions 25 broad domestic equity, international and fixed income iShares ETFs.

As mobile computing has evolved in the last decade, so too have Fidelity's mobile trading solutions. More than 10 years ago, Fidelity introduced mobile trading on a RIM pager. Today, Fidelity Mobile (formerly named Fidelity Anywhere) enables customers to access and execute many comprehensive investment services seamlessly on a variety of handheld devices. Over the past several years, Fidelity's mobile offering has experienced significant year-over-year growth in the number of wireless trades, users and log-ins on its mobile platforms.

Fidelity Investments is one of the world's largest providers of financial services, with assets under administration of over $3.2 trillion, including managed assets of over $1.5 trillion as of Dec. 31, 2009. Fidelity offers investment management, retirement planning, brokerage, and human resources and benefits outsourcing services to over 20 million individuals and institutions as well as through 5,000 financial intermediary firms. The firm is the largest mutual fund company in the United States, the No. 1 provider of workplace retirement savings plans, the largest mutual fund supermarket, a leading online brokerage firm and one of the largest providers of custody and clearing services to financial professionals.

Accessories

NewerTech Charge & Sync+ Portable Power and Sync Solution

PR: Newer Technology, Inc. (NewerTech) has, announced that the NewerTech NuPower Charge & Sync+ portable charger, battery pack, and sync solution for iPods, iPhones, cellphones, digital cameras, portable gaming systems, and other USB chargeable digital devices was awarded an Editors' Choice Award from The Mac Observer at the annual Macworld Conference & Expo which concluded last week in San Francisco, CA.

The Mac Observer (TMO), a trusted source of news, reviews, and forums in the Mac community since 1997 with more than two million page views and 500,000 unique visitors per month, selected the NewerTech NuPower Charge & Sync+ among a variety of Macintosh, iPod, and iPhone compatible products exhibited by more than 250 companies at the expo.

The Editors' Choice award was presented to NewerTech representatives in Other World Computing's booth during the expo by TMO President Dave Hamilton, TMO Executive Vice President Bryan Chaffin, and TMO Managing Editor Jeff Gamet. "We were hugely impressed with the design and functionality of the Charge & Sync+ at its price point," said Hamilton.

"We're dedicated to providing innovative, consumer friendly solutions that enhance the functionality and performance of mobile devices," said NewerTech Brand Manager Grant Dahlke. "Having our efforts acknowledged in the form of an Editors' Choice award from a highly respected portal like The Mac Observer is extremely gratifying."

The Complete, Pocket-Sized Power & Connectivity Solution

Measuring a pocket-sized 2-7/8" L x 2-1/4" W x 5/8" H and weighing 3.12 ounces, the NewerTech NuPower Charge & Sync+ is a complete, self-contained portable charger and connection solution. It can be used in a variety of ways to power, recharge, and sync iPods, iPhones, and other USB chargeable and powered devices:

  • Power any mobile device or recharge its battery up to 100% via the built-in, rechargeable Li-Ion battery.
  • Recharge the built-in battery and/or the internal battery of a connected device via a standard AC outlet.
  • Power any mobile device via computer bus power with the three included Dock Connector, mini-USB, and micro-USB cables. In addition to providing power connectivity, the cables can also be used for data transfers and music downloads.

The NewerTech NuPower Charge & Sync+ is compatible with the Apple iPhone 1G, 3G, and 3GS models; iPods with Dock Connector; and any mobile device that has a Dock Connector, mini-USB, or micro-USB port.

Breathe Sleeve for iPad and 10" Netbook Computers

The 10" Breathe sleeve is for the hottest laptop segment, netbooks and the coming Apple iPad. Slip your netbook or iPad into this sleeve and carry it as is or pop it into your work bag or purse. Typical sleeves trap heat, but the ventilated design of the BBP Breathe Technology (patent pending) releases heat. It's literally cooler? Why is this important? Heat is the #1 enemy that reduces/degrades laptop battery performance. BBP's design cools up to 33% faster than Incase's neoprene sleeve.

breathesleeveipad.jpg

Stuff in your accessories into the front pocket or slip your USB drive or flash memory cards into the mini-pocket on the backside. And of course slip in your valuable laptop and get a custom fit from the high quality padded neoprene. This is the complete sleeve. No cutting corners.

breathesleeveipadside.jpg

Features

  • High quality shock-absorbing and custom fitting 4-way stretch neoprene
  • Front accessories pouch and rear magazine slot
  • BBP Breathe Technology (patent pending)
  • USB drive and flash SD card mini-pockets
  • Hand carry strap
  • BBP Limited Lifetime Warranty

Exterior Dimensions and Weight: 10.5"W x 8"H x 1" D - 0.5 lb.

Laptop Capacity

Most all 10" netbooks and Apple iPad

$24.95

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