19 new stories on The Next Web today |  |
- Microsoft Mathematics is now free, the perfect tool for the math geek in you
- iFindHotels: Hotel Comparison App with Arabic Support
- Draw beautiful cloud art with the Klowdz HTML5 app
- Study: 10% of mobile users consume 90% of operator bandwidth
- Facebook stops sharing your address and phone number with developers… for now
- Saudia Arabia Gets First Group Buying Service from YallaBuyit.com
- Middle East 2011 Group Buy Watch
- Pegatron increases CDMA iPhone shipment forecasts to 15 million units
- UK digital initiative aims to connect 9.2 million Britons to the internet for the first time
- 8 Sites that Spark Creativity
- Roku gets its first cable channel. Can à la carte packages be far behind?
- RIM works with Indonesia to ban porn access
- China targets online piracy to strengthen IPR campaign
- Search Engine Connects You to Your Canadian Roots
- The Xbox 360 sold $3 billion of games and software in US stores last year
- uTest: Real-world testing for any app with an iOS device
- Canadians Paid for 14.2 Billion Texts in Q3. Here’s how to do it free
- Groupon’s original business plan, written on a napkin
- The top 5 Windows Phone 7 games and apps
- Microsoft meets with the team who unlocked Windows Phone 7 to discuss homebrew
| Microsoft Mathematics is now free, the perfect tool for the math geek in you Posted: 18 Jan 2011 03:54 AM PST
If you found the calculator limited or are someone that needs a little more power to work out more complex equations, Microsoft’s decision to make its Microsoft Mathematics application free might be of interest to you. Microsoft Mathematics provides users with a number of different mathematical tools that can help students and those interested in maths, get their work done quickly and easily. It will help users learn to solve equations step-by-step instead of providing a straight answer, educating the user and allowing them to better understand the fundamental concepts in pre-algebra, trigonometry, physics, chemistry, and calculus. Its graphing calculator works much like a handheld calculator, also helping to evaluate triangles, convert units and solve different equations. The application was once a paid download and is now free, it also comes with a help file to explain its functionality and provides examples of different math problems. Microsoft Mathematics is supported on both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows OS but it does require the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| iFindHotels: Hotel Comparison App with Arabic Support Posted: 18 Jan 2011 03:44 AM PST S The release of iFindHotels version 1.31 for iPhone and iPod Touch will allow Arabic speaking users to fully utilize the hotel comparison app which comes in a time where tourism in the Middle East is expected to boom upon the opening of at least 3 massive airports throughout the region within the next 5 years. The registration-free app compares hotel rates from over 30 of the biggest travel and hotel booking websites. With integrated mapping, smart sorting and filters for search results, and get the best rate in their currency of choice. Being based in Australia hasn’t prevented the people at HotelsCombined from launching an Arabic version of the website at HotelsCombined.ae in an attempt to fill a gaping hole in the Middle Eastern online travel industry.
iFindHotels has some other interesting features as well:
" We see great opportunities to further our growth within the Arab speaking markets, for both our iFindHotels app, as well as our core website. We're excited to be the first to have a fully functional app in Arabic and look forward to the continuing expansion of HotelsCombined into the Middle East region, which is fast becoming a key global travel market." said Hichame Assi, Head of Strategy and Online Marketing for HotelsCombined via email. [Disclosure: Hichame Al-Assi is a personal friend and mentor] Considering all the above and the fact it’s free of charge, you might want to take iFindHotels out for a spin the next time your traveling. You can find it here on iTunes.Image Credit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draw beautiful cloud art with the Klowdz HTML5 app Posted: 18 Jan 2011 03:10 AM PST
It sounds like a simple idea but it’s actually great fun once you get into it, and really relaxing to boot. Taking your choice from a selection of 63 cloudscapes, a selection of stylish, high-quality brushes let you sketch out that your mind’s eye sees. The execution reminds me of Autodesk’s SketchBook app in the way that even those without a shred of artistic ability in their body (I raise my own hand here) can easily create beautiful images. If you need inspiration, a gallery of masterpieces from other users is available to browse and there’s clearly some real cloud art talent out there. Once you’re done, images can be saved locally to your computer or uploaded to a free Klowdz account that also lets you participate in the app’s community, voting and commenting on others’ work. So, fire up your HMTL5-supporting browser and get spotting shapes.
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| Study: 10% of mobile users consume 90% of operator bandwidth Posted: 18 Jan 2011 02:27 AM PST
The study, conducted by Bytemobile, suggests that this year 60% of all mobile traffic will be video, as smartphone use continues to rise and video delivery platforms become more efficient at delivery high-quality streams to a users handset. The report comes just after T-Mobile famously cut its data tariffs for existing users from 1GB to 500MB, sparking outrage not only amongst T-Mobile customers but providing significant worry for customers on other UK networks should providers decide to follow suit. Reports suggested that Ofcom would launch a probe into the action, prompting T-Mobile to reverse its decision and impose the cap on new customers only. UK networks have warned consumers that unlimited data plans are diminishing their ability to provide a consistent level of service for all customers, today’s report will lend some support to that claim. Where some users just want to browse on the go, check their email and social networking accounts, other users are tethering their smartphones to other devices, consuming large amounts of data in the process. To combat this, operators have begun to roll out “Fair Use Policies”, amendments to new contracts that notify a user of their monthly usage limits, allowing some flexibility but ultimately charging users should they consistently consume more than their data allowance. Ofcom has recently allowed UK networks to amend existing parts of the 2G spectrum and repurpose them for 3G use, a move aimed at helping operators to adequately scale their service as data demands on their networks increase.Image Credit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Facebook stops sharing your address and phone number with developers… for now Posted: 18 Jan 2011 01:54 AM PST
As we explained over the weekend, the data was only available to apps that specifically requested it with a clear on-screen message that you had to approve. However, the lack of granularity in those permissions meant that it was an ‘all or nothing’ deal. You either had to approve access to all the information an app requested or you couldn’t use the app. Facebook’s move led to warnings around the Web that warned of how rogue app developers could sell such data on to marketers. While the company’s terms of service for developers forbid this, it was indeed a real risk. Facebook says that the ability to share your address and phone number with third-party apps will return once changes have been made, which should be in the next few weeks.Techmeme, Image source | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saudia Arabia Gets First Group Buying Service from YallaBuyit.com Posted: 18 Jan 2011 01:21 AM PST
Saudi Arabia, the largest market in the Middle East, got it’s first group buying website this week with the launch of YallaBuyIt.com which will be serving daily deals to buyers in Riyadh and Jeddah. The group discount/buy model (aka Falafel Startups) offers a discount from a local vendor allowing you to sign up for the purchase if you're interested. If enough people show interest, the offer goes live and consumers can buy the coupon until the deadline is reached or it sells out. With this latest addition, the number of Daily Deals websites in the regions goes up to 15 (according to our Middle East Group Buy Watch) unevenly covering Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt with the rest of the region’s markets expected to follow soon. We contacted the people at Saudi Arabia based YallaBuyIt to ask them what they think will happen when the rest of the region’s heavy hitters enter the Saudi market, Ali Abdulrazak Mohammad YallahBuyIt’s Business Consultant replied “We are the first website going to provide such a collective buying solution in Saudi Arabia, and we know very well what our people need in Saudi Arabia, so simply we are going to provide our people what they need”. Which puts the relatively bigger regional daily deals websites like GoNabIt and Cobone on the spot. Although the Saudi market can definitely take more than one group buying website, the question is how fast can they set up shop before the party simply gets too crowded.Image Credit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle East 2011 Group Buy Watch Posted: 18 Jan 2011 01:16 AM PST
We’ll be updating this table periodically so be sure to check out where the latest daily deals in your country is.
Note: Some of these startups have yet to provide local deals. The check boxes represent where they are currently providing deals (or if they haven’t yet launched) are based in/focused on providing deals in that particular country.Image Credit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pegatron increases CDMA iPhone shipment forecasts to 15 million units Posted: 17 Jan 2011 11:53 PM PST
Chinese trade publication Digitimes provides the news, adding to recent reports suggesting that the company would be handling iPhone shipments in Asia whilst Foxconn would fulfil orders in North America. Whilst Verizon is the only official CDMA carrier at this time, it is expected that the CDMA-capable iPhone devices will make their way to China, Japan and South Korea. It is predicted that Foxconn are on track to ship 15 million CDMA iPhones in 2011, with Pegatron upping their forecasts, iPhone production estimates now total 30 million units worldwide. Despite the announcement Steve Jobs would be taking a leave of absence from Apple, the company is still expected to announce a new iPhone and iPad in the coming months, adding to the huge number of shipments already predicted for both companies.Image Credit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK digital initiative aims to connect 9.2 million Britons to the internet for the first time Posted: 17 Jan 2011 11:35 PM PST
The scheme is part of the Race Online 2012 scheme and is currently subject to a 12-month trial. It will offer refurbished PCs for as low as £98, providing a flat-screen monitor, keyboard, mouse, warranty, dedicated telephone helpline and delivery, reducing cost by also running the open-source operating system Linux. Remploy believes it can sell over 8,000 computers in 12 months, from 60 UK online centres and the company’s offices, where it already runs a computer recycling scheme. Internet connections will be low-cost to users, utilising a 3G connection with costs around £9 per month, helping to save users as much as £560 a year by allowing them to perform tasks for relatively low cost. With the internet is playing such an important part in peoples lives, it’s great to see a government-backed initiative aimed at getting more Britons online. Old computers are finding new homes and playing an important part in connecting friends and family, providing access to the internet for people who would otherwise not be able to afford it.BBC, Image Credit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 17 Jan 2011 10:29 PM PST Feeling creative? We've rounded up 8 sites that will help you create things like action figures, animations and t-shirts –they’re all sure to get those creative juices flowing. Make Animations
The produced videos are quite impressive and it offers themes that make it easy to come up with a script. It includes a Late Night with David Letterman theme that contains celebrity characters and it has historical event themes like the moon landing that has a tiny Neil Armstrong character. Characters will also read lines from the script you write — just like real actors. Overall, it's a fun way to waste time and the finished product makes you look like an expert animator. The video below was made using Xtranormal. Create a skin for your Laptop, iPhone, and iPad.
Photography Effects
Animated Gifs & Avatars
Create your own tee's and bags
Cafe Press makes the design process easy and its revenue sharing model is perfect for users who want to add a virtual gift shop to their sites. It's also neat to discover what other people have made. I personally found some pretty badass dinosaur t-shirts that I've never been lucky enough to see in stores. If you love graphic hats and tees this site is a major win. Create you own action figures
Sculpteo can even put a graphic t-shirt on your figure should you decide to design one for your mini guy or gal. Mini-me figures are just one of the services available at Scupteo and users can turn almost any image into a real 3D design. Design a Website
It costs nothing to create a site and Squarespace will host it the site free of charge for 30 days. After that, the prices per month are pretty reasonable and it saves you from paying a designer to create and maintain your site. Write a Script
As an example, if you were writing dialogue for characters, utilizing the features of Plotbot you could write notes on each of the actor's lines "look scared when you say this line" etc. The Plotbot forum is filled with screenwriting tips and has a community of people that write, read and pitch each other's scripts. It also lets you invite Facebook friends within the app but users can also invite friends directly via email. This service does save your script in the cloud however it can be downloaded as well. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Roku gets its first cable channel. Can à la carte packages be far behind? Posted: 17 Jan 2011 08:14 PM PST
But maybe not for very much longer. At least according to news that was just released today about Roku. According to paidContent, Roku will soon begin carrying its first official cable channel — WealthTV. For $2.99 per month, you can sign up to view any of the WealthTV content that you’d see on a traditional cable package right on your Roku box, just as if you were watching via a typical cable connection. But don’t get your hopes up too early. As paidContent notes, it’s possible only because WealthTV doesn’t have (nor is it parented by another company which would have) deals with cable operators. According to WealthTV co-founder Robert Herring:
And indeed it will. That very statement is the one that other broadcasting companies and stations need to bear in mind. The tables are one step closer to being turned, and one of their brethren has just stepped across the line that otherwise has never been crossed. But the battle has only just begun. We’ve seen bickering from both sides where cable and networks are concerned. As a former subscriber to Dish Network, I was understandably less than pleased when Dish and Viacom went to battle over the rates that Dish would pay to carry Viacom programming. Though a settlement was eventually reached, this is precisely the sort of bickering that can confound our dreams of a la carte programming. Then, of course, there’s the matter of TV networks that like to set a value on their programs and won’t budge away from them. Surely you remember the troubles that Apple had on the launch of the new version of the Apple TV. While ABC and Fox in the US were more than happy to go the $.99 route for their shows, other networks felt that the price was devaluing their products and thus wouldn’t offer them to consumers at that price. Herein lies the problem that we’ve talked about a few times before at TNW — The consumer, not the provider, sets the value of a good or service. If you’re willing to sell your show for $5 per episode, but nobody’s buying, that’s not devaluing your product. Your product wasn’t worth the price to begin with. And so, as the saying has gone, the battle may be won but the war is far from over. We’re still fighting and clawing, as consumers, to pay for what we want without taking what we don’t. Perhaps this is one place where television can learn from the music industry. We didn’t want to buy albums anymore, so we didn’t. Sales of singles skyrocketed. Let’s see if TV can tune in the station carrying that message.Techmeme | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RIM works with Indonesia to ban porn access Posted: 17 Jan 2011 07:38 PM PST Just last week, RIM was threatened to face a ban on their services in Indonesia if they don’t work with the government regulators to restrict access to pornographic websites.
Reuters report that Research in Montion (RIM) would comply with the Indonesian government order to block access to porn sites from its devices. Communications and Information Minister Tiffatul Sembiring gave RIM until January 21 to comply, else will be forced to shut down RIM’s Indonesian browser service. Additionally, he said also that RIM should set up servers in Indonesia and employ more locals, while questioning why the government wasn’t taxing the company’s local operations. Although the numbers are unverified, Semibiring posted on Twitter last week that Indonesia has 3 million Blackberry users generating revenues of 2.27 trillion rupiah , but yielding nothing for the state.
Although strict and uncertain regulations are often off-putting, RIM is ready to make compromises to protect one of its fastest-growing markets.Reuters (via Yahoo News), Image Source | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China targets online piracy to strengthen IPR campaign Posted: 17 Jan 2011 06:16 PM PST When we think pirated DVDs, China is the first to come in mind. However, this just might change as China Daily reports that the campaign to protect Internet intellectual property rights (IPR) will strengthen its efforts by targeting online piracy.
Wang Ziqiang, spokesman for the National Copyright Administration, defined the Internet as a major battleground for IPR protection campaign. Although their copyright laws covered Internet IPR back in 2001, he mentioned that the rapid development of computer technology has outdated the current legal systems with regards to Internet IPR. China is home to more than 450 million Internet users and the State Intellectual Property Office show the number of online IPR violation cases in 2009 made up about 50 percent of the total number of copyright cases, according to the news release. “It is vital to protect online IPR. If not, the traditional press, the publication industry, movies and music will face severe threats from online ‘theft’ if everyone goes online to get free material,” states Ziqiang. Last Tuesday, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security issued a document concerning IPR violation, including evidence collection, standard penalties and estimating transaction value.China Daily, Image Source | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Search Engine Connects You to Your Canadian Roots Posted: 17 Jan 2011 04:37 PM PST A few weeks ago, we reported that Canada’s family trees were going completely digital, meaning Canadians would soon be able to use searchable databases to find historical data. Now Canadians have their very own search engine for discovering Canadian history and genealogy. The Canadiana Discovery Portal connects Canadians to over 60 million pages of data from various archive collections and includes information from multiple libraries, museums, universities and government agencies.
What does it do?
The database is powerful and it scours information from its collections to find users an exact page on a document where the searched term is found. As an example, if you searched for "Toronto", the search results would likely link to a specific page within the book or archive that contained the word “Toronto”. We searched "Windsor, Ontario" and found a myriad of neat information and images on theater life dating back to the 1930s. We also found a few interesting documents within the Windsor collection, on air pollution and Native Indian treaties and surrenders from 1680 to 1890. If you're a history or genealogy buff, having access to records online reduces the time-consuming task of hunting down records in libraries via microfilm. And, the added benefit of searching by topic, name and region within the database is a handy tool. A costly tool as well. How much is this costing tax payers?Canadiana.org, the organization that developed the Discovery Portal search engine received almost $200,000 from the federal government to make this information readily available, and to help with the development of software that assists institutions in connecting parts of their collections to the database. And, that cost doesn't cover the vast amount of physical data that hasn't been transferred to digital. It's estimated that the price of digitally achieving all of the heritage information before the 1990's could cost as much as $1 billion, according to Ron Walker, executive director of Canadiana.org.
Image: Windsor, Toronto 1930s, The Globe and Mail , Image: Canadian girl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Xbox 360 sold $3 billion of games and software in US stores last year Posted: 17 Jan 2011 03:19 PM PST
Not only is the Xbox 360 the bestselling console month after month, it has the world’s hottest gadget in its ecosystem, and to top it off the Xbox 360 has the biggest software and games retail sales numbers in the US for the console market. The ’360 moved some $3 billion in software and game sales in 2010 through traditional retail outlets, an impressive feat. The Wii came in second place, with $2.6 billion sold, and the PS3 came in third with $2.1 billion To cap the year, the Xbox 360 sold 1.9 million units last December, its best month ever. The Kinect, the newest addition to the world of Xbox, sold 8 million units in just 60 days. Microsoft has expansive plans for the console, molding it into an entertainment platform for the living room. Earlier today in an interview, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said:
Can anything catch the Xbox 360? With no major new hardware on the horizon, it looks like the answer could well be no.Top Image Credit, TechFlash | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| uTest: Real-world testing for any app with an iOS device Posted: 17 Jan 2011 03:12 PM PST
So many options, with as many areas for developers to monitor the good and bad with their creations. No doubt this leads to developers wondering how to test apps, in an everyday environment, to ensure the products they peddle to the public are top-notch. Why? One buggy app, or one bad review can spell doom for an app which one has spent so much time, energy and money creating. uTest (free) is an iPad and iPhone app that aims to alleviate some of the issues faced by developers when launching an app by providing real-world testing of apps through its community of 30,000+ professional testers from over 160 countries. How does uTest work? By offering functional, usability and load testing services, uTest aligns those wishing to test apps with those who want the best feedback on their apps. For testers, by visiting the tester site and registering, not only can one participate in test cycles, submit bugs, reply to messages, and more, but there are also, in some cases, financial incentives for doing so. For creators of apps, uTest allows one to monitor test cycles around the world, view bugs, reply to tester messages, and more, with free quotes to participate in the service outlined on the uTest site. Both the uTest iPhone and iPad app are grand ways for app creators to keep up with their offerings anywhere, at any time. With real-time feedback on anything that’s bugging (bad pun) testers, developers can view specific issues via screenshots and videos right added right from one’s phone, or simply by reading messages from testers and responding in kind. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canadians Paid for 14.2 Billion Texts in Q3. Here’s how to do it free Posted: 17 Jan 2011 02:39 PM PST
Short codes, often used in mobile marketing campaigns were used 560 million times by Canadians in the third quarter of 2010, bringing the total number of sent and received short codes to 1.64 billion in the first nine months of last year. And, that's 15.4 million more short codes than the previous quarter. The text totals don't include free-texting mobile appsThe CWTA told us this morning that the number of text messages with the exception of short codes did not include in-app messages from mobile applications such as TextPlus.
Telus says text messages have doubledWe had a chance to speak with Telus earlier this month and they told us that text messages on the Telus network doubled in the year.
We're wondering how much of the 28 percent makes up the text message totals. Why? Because smartphone users don't have to pay for text message by using free-texting mobile apps. Canadians pay an average of $15 plus tax for unlimited text plans using Bell, Rogers and Telus
Text message add-ons Bell charges $15/ month for unlimited text messages sent and received within Canada including texts sent to the U.S. While there are numerous options to upgrade the packages (to bundle with other add-ons), it's still costing customers an average of $180 annually for unlimited messaging plans. Maybe this is why mobile apps like Kik have signed up over 3 million users to date. 3 Free AlternativesThe following mobile apps will save you from paying extra on your bill:
It's available on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android and will be coming to Windows Phone 7 shortly. Kik recently stopped supporting BlackBerry after RIM kicked BlackBerry users off.
It's available on iPad, iPhone and Android however it can be used by any device that is SMS enabled.
It's available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Blackberry, Android and Nokia Symbian. Although companies are contributing the increase in text messages to smartphones, it will be interesting to see if the amount of text messages go down as these types of "free-texting" apps become more popular.Image: Texting, Mobile Syrup, CWTA, Image: Money, Image: iPhone | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupon’s original business plan, written on a napkin Posted: 17 Jan 2011 02:05 PM PST MessageParty‘s Amanda Peyton posted this napkin “business plan,” presumably written by Andrew Mason for The Point, which later spawned Groupon. “Isn't this everyone's plan?” She asked. November 23rd, 2006 also happens to have been Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The top 5 Windows Phone 7 games and apps Posted: 17 Jan 2011 01:08 PM PST
Today we remedy the situation with a short look at our five current favorites in the WP7 app marketplace that you should check out if you do have a Windows Phone 7 handset. Of course, our opinions are just that, so feel free to add your favorite in the comments. UniteTo start things off right, Unite is a great little game that Microsoft put together. It is a rapid paced game that gives users puzzels to solve with a ball that they roll around the screen using the phone’s built in ability to detect level and tilt. Sure it may drive you nuts on the levels that you can’t beat, but at the price of free it is a must have.
Cocktail FlowCocktail Flow might be the prettiest app of them all. Even if you eschew martinis and other tibbles, this app will delight you. The application’s graphics are top-notch, its sort functions which help you find your next drink are superb, and the application is generally light on lag. This one will set you back $2.99, but is a steal at the price.
KindleYou knew that Kindle was going to be on our list, didn’t you? Everyone’s favorite ereading platform is currently the #5 most popular WP7 application, and for a reason: there is none-better. Never read or purchased digital books? Kindle is going to be your new friend then, as it is the best of the best. When Kindle did finally come to the WP7 platform, we wrote a piece entitled “The Windows Phone 7 app marketplace has come of age” and we meant it. The arrival of Kindle means that the mighty Amazon now views WP7 as a place it needs to be.
PolyglotIf you are like your humble author, other languages than your native tongue are nearly impossible to ever sort out, making life often a touch difficult. Enter Polyglot. It may be ugly, but if you need a machine based translation on the go, this is the place to get it. For a mere 99 cents you can always, more or less, know what to say. We wish that the translations were just a touch clearer though.
iToiletFinderFile this one in the ‘utilities’ section. iToiletFinder does what it says: finds you a toilet. This is especially useful if you tend to get lost (again, like your humble author) and are often away from your neighborhood, city, state, or country. You can even rate the places you ‘use’ to let others know if they are up to your standards in terms of cleanliness. This app is not glamorous, but in a pinch might be your saving grace. It’s even free.
That is it for now ladies and cohorts. We will bring you a new 5 apps most likely bi-monthly. Get downloading!Top Image Credit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft meets with the team who unlocked Windows Phone 7 to discuss homebrew Posted: 17 Jan 2011 11:04 AM PST
That meeting started today. As reported by WinRumors: “Microsoft representatives met with Rafael Rivera and Long Zheng of the ChevronWP7 team on Monday to discuss the tool and Microsoft's plans to support homebrew applications on Windows Phone 7. Chris Walsh, another member of the team, was unable to attend due to American Visa issues.” The following is an image of the meeting underway:
Microsoft will be patching the exploit that the ChevronWP7 found in the forthcoming Windows Phone 7 patch. While we are sad to see the unlocking capability disappear from the market as it did last December, it is heartening to see Microsoft fly out a group of developers who they could have decided to view as enemies. Instead, the company wants to listen to their complaints and enlist their support for the future. As WP7 is still such a new and relatively unproven platform, any and all developers that Microsoft can get are good developers. Flying out this group is just plain common sense. Let’s hope homebrew has a big future on WP7. |
Taiwan-based iPhone supplier Pegatron Technology has increased its shipment forecasts for the CMDA iPhone, raising its initial forecast of 10 million units up to 15 million units in 2011, as it seeks to reverse its poor computer sales performance.
Up to 9.2 million Britons are currently without access to the internet, a statistic that the government, assisted by UK employment organisation 
Xtranormal
Why buy pre-made skins when you can make your own? 
Loogix
Cafe Press
Sculpteo
I know, "designing a website" sounds like a huge undertaking but not if you're using a service like 
Plotbot
It allows users to perform searches similar to searching a term on Google but it's all Canadian content. There are multiple ways to search; name, city or subjects such as hockey.
The market for web, mobile, gaming and desktop apps has never been more hotly contested. 
The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) has 
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