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‘software’ Stories

MIT App Inventor software now available to all

Shane McGlaun, Jan 24th 2012 Discuss [0]

I would be willing to bet that most of us have been looking for a specific type of app for an Android device at some point and not been able to find exactly what we wanted. This typically leads the user to the notion that if they knew how to program, they could make a large profit off whatever their app idea is. If you are this sort of armchair developer, you might want to check out the MIT App Inventor. Read The Full Story

Featured

iBooks Author Hands-on

Vincent Nguyen, Jan 19th 2012 Discuss [21]

It’s taken a special kind of ebook to make headlines over the past year or so: anyone can throw together a basic document, but a rarified breed of immersive, interactive app/ebook hybrids has also developed. Often seen targeting children or delivering iPad versions of print magazines, they’ve invariably taken big money and plenty of time. Now, with iBooks Author, it’s simple enough for the layman. Check out our hands-on impressions after the cut.

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iBooks Author is here

Chris Davies, Jan 19th 2012 Discuss [0]

Apple has only just finished announcing iBooks Author, its ultra-simple drag & drop interactive book creation tool, and already it's up for download. A 136MB OS X application, you can download iBooks Author through the Mac App Store [iTunes link] and be creating ebooks in minutes. Although Apple's focus today was on education, the scope for iBooks Author is a lot broader than just classroom and lecture hall tools. Read The Full Story

ASUS Transformer Prime gets GPS-fix update

Chris Davies, Jan 19th 2012 Discuss [17]

ASUS has quietly released a new update for the Transformer Prime, intended to address the persistent GPS issues owners of the Tegra 3 tablet have reported. The update, which can be manually downloaded and installed from ASUS' support site, bumps the firmware to v9.4.2.7, installing Ice Cream Sandwich in the process but also, according to users at xda-developers, unrooting the slate. Read The Full Story

Deep Skype integration promised in next-gen Windows Phone

Chris Davies, Jan 16th 2012 Discuss [3]

Not only is a Windows Phone Skype app incoming, but Microsoft will "further integrate" the VoIP service into future versions of its smartphone OS, according to Skype CEO Tony Bates. Details on the nature of the deeper integration are still unclear, though the assumption is that - just as Android allows outgoing and incoming calls to be routed over either traditional mobile networks or via VoIP - Windows Phone will give users the option to choose the cheapest route for their calls, as well as presumably sync Skype contacts with the handset's address book and show presence status. Read The Full Story

Apple rejects Taposé iPad app for Microsoft Courier fans

Chris Davies, Jan 13th 2012 Discuss [17]

Apple has rejected an iPad app that attempted to bring some of Microsoft's Courier concept to the iOS slate, Taposé, though the team behind the software say it plans to appeal the decision. First shown back in April last year, Taposé uses a split-screen layout with a browser and other apps on one side and a digital notebook on the other. Unfortunately, it seems Apple wasn't keen on the company's use of multiple display windows. Read The Full Story

Android Design site targets iOS-style app consistency in ICS

Chris Davies, Jan 12th 2012 Discuss [11]

Google has launched the Android Design site, a page of guidelines, design principles, UI best-practice and style shortcuts for developers working with Ice Cream Sandwich. Made up both of guiding principles for apps and interfaces, such as “delight me in surprising ways” and “let me make it mine”, as well as the actual building blocks of an Android UI, including tabs, seek bars, switches and spinners, the site marks Google’s most obvious attempt to-date to get all Android coders on the same style-sheet.

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HP TouchPad gets updated to webOS 3.0.5

Rue Liu, Jan 12th 2012 Discuss [33]

The HP TouchPad is getting a few improvements today with an update to webOS 3.0.5. It's not a major update, but it's nice to see that HP is still supporting the discontinued tablet and the webOS ecosystem, which had been teetering on the brink of extinction. Luckily for webOS fans, HP declared open-sourcing the platform last month. Read The Full Story

Snapseed Desktop hits Mac App Store, coming to Android

Chris Davies, Jan 12th 2012 Discuss [2]

Apple-vaunted iOS image editing app Snapseed has launched on the Mac App Store, with the company promising an Android version is in the pipeline for release soon. Originally launched for the iPhone and iPad, and winning App of the Year 2011 in the process,, Snapseed Desktop for Mac is now available for OS X priced at $19.99. Read The Full Story

BlueStacks reveals Android App Player for Windows 8

Chris Davies, Jan 10th 2012 Discuss [1]

Android app virtualization specialists BlueStacks have announced a version of its cross-platform software support for Windows 8, adding titles created for Android phones and tablets to the Metro UI of Microsoft's upcoming OS. The new version of BlueStacks App Player software will come preloaded on some new Windows 8 PCs later in the year, the company has confirmed. Read The Full Story

CES Live

X-Reality Pro by Sony

Sam Koutroulakis, Jan 9th 2012 Discuss [0]

This has been consistent with recent technology - resolution from our smaller devices or even YouTube doesn't render clearly when streamed over our larger televisions. Sony's new televisions will incorporate their X-Reality Pro software into every one of their future Bravia televisions. It properly pixelates what your video or image should look like in real time. Read The Full Story