Cool Tools

RIM's apology apps: Review #2 - Shazam!

JD Speedy — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:18:00 GMT

Shazam! No, not the incredibly dubious action/adventure film starring basketball’s Shaquille O’Neal as a genie, but an app that first gained popularity on iOS. I’m sure you remember it’s debut, whether it registered with you or not. You’d be in a bar and some incredibly familiar but unplaceable song would come on and sure as the sun rises, some dude would have his arm in the air holding his iPhone aloft as if it were the new cub of the kingdom (and this was playing).

When I actually saw what Shazam! (the exclamation point is actually part of the name, I’m not as thrilled as my punctuation might suggest) did, I saw just how neat the idea behind it was. You could use the microphone on your phone to access the Shazam! database and, like magic, find out what you’re listening to, who made it and, best of all, locate it instantaneously in the iTunes store to buy it.

But this, my friends, is where the BB offering falters. Unlike it’s snazzy iOS cousin, which taps right in to the iTunes store - a wonderfully complete online archive of songs - Shazam! on BB doesn’t have that kind of access. In fact, it doesn’t even get along with BBM Music, RIMs streaming music software it’s constantly trying to hype.

So what do you get? A neat toy that can fairly deftly identify popular music, assuming it can hear it alright from the tinny bar speakers it’s being pumped through, but with no real tap into a consumer area for you to actually purchase or listen to at a later date. This makes it more than a bit disappointing, as it highlights the Blackberry’s shortcomings as an end user device and RIM’s shortsightedness for the consumer on a whole.

It’s free, however and it does work, even though you’ll still probably get laughed at for doing the Shazam! power stance every time you want to find a cool song.

I’ll give this one to RIM however, since it works, which is more than I can say for Bubble Bash 2. That makes it 1/2 so far RIM, so let's step it up.

JD

RIM’s apology apps: Review #1 - Bubble Bash 2

JD Speedy — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:22:00 GMT

Following in Sony’s footsteps with its goodwill program following a large breach in Playstation Network’s security, RIM is trying to get back into the good graces of its users with a suite of 10 apps, gratis.

Far be it for me to look a gift horse in the mouth, as really, the outage barely affected me, but we at IT World Canada thought that at least you, the reader, would like to know a little about the apps you’re getting and whether they’re worth the download.

First up, Gameloft’s Bust-a-Move clone, Bubble Bash 2.

I did think it was a little weird for RIM to include any games at all in its slim 10 app offering and the fact that they account for 1/2 of the 10 is just hilarious, but as an apology, isn’t gaming a nice little treat?

Only thing is, much like the brick breaker game I formerly played on my Blackberry Pearl, Bubble Bash 2 is completely un-suited to the Blackberry’s “controls”.

Even though I have an in-fairly-working-order touch-pad on my Bold 9700, the finesse that Bubble Bash 2 requires (squeezing bubbles into tiny empty holes between more bubbles they to their darndest to stick to) is nigh-on impossible. A bit of analog control would have been nice but the guide arrow seems to flit between a handful of preset positions, none of which seem to allow for any truly skilled shots.

See, in Bust-a-Move, you could give yourself some breathing room by aiming a little higher and making a particularly accurate shot, bursting the “bubbles” that structurally held whole stacks together. It would bring the tower down in one satisfying shot. This, in BB2 and with the limited controls of a Blackberry, doesn’t even seem in the realm of possibility.

Between that and the worst load bars I’ve seen in a mobile game, it’s really hard to even recommend downloading this game free.

I know expectations for a Blackberry game, and particularly a free one, shouldn’t be high, but being playable is still one of them. To be honest, unless you’re on WiFi and aren’t paying for the bandwidth, and you have the burning desire to suffer, I’d skip this one entirely as, between the awful controls and the slow response, it won’t make you feel any more appreciated.

Thanks RIM, but no thanks. I’m calling this 0/1 so far.

JD

Google launches eBooks in Canada

Dave Webb — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:55:00 GMT

At noon today (Nov. 1), Google Inc. went live with itseBooks cloud-based reading program in Canada.

Because the service is cloud-based and open, it'll work on any smart phone platform and compatible e-readers, according to the company.

It boasts "hundreds of thousands" of titles available for sale online, plus two million public domain works available for free, according to the company. It appears to have just under 300 titles under the category reference/technology

Google's also opening eBooks up to Canadian book retailers who want to sell physical copies online.

Getting writing done, with a little bit of cheating

JD Speedy — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:08:00 GMT

Today, I'm going to break some of my only rules I've developed for writing Cool Tools. Actually, make that three as I kind of tried to never mention the term "Cool Tools". Just looks weird when you actually put it in there.

First, I was attempting to never feature apps that you couldn't find fairly universally and second, I was trying to keep from getting too niche with my selections.

But, there's a first time for everything, so today I'm going to feature an app that's near and dear to my heart because I think all writers should know about it, WriteRoom.

I found WriteRoom back in my days at PCWorld of all places, because I was having issues composing with the glut of notifications, pop-ups and bouncing icons that Macs especially, but also PCs are prone to. Since everyone is connected all of the time, and it's hard to keep your sanity, let alone your focus, when you're writing a review, an article or a creative composition, I started looking for distraction reducing solutions.

Thing is, on Mac Word won't go to full screen. And even if you stretch the image, it doesn't fix everything, as icons still bounce into view seemingly, just as you hit your stride.

So, much like Icarus took glue and feathers and called himself a bird, I found an app that took what I lacked (self control) and over-rode it. Enter WriteRoom.

It may not look like much, and honestly, it probably isn't, but it's a full screen black-out writing application that's only on Mac (though I have seen some copy-cats if you hunt long enough, PC-users). It is only mildly customizable, but that's precisely the point. You can change the screen display to a handful of colours and the font too, but you can't change the font midway through a composition. This is a tool to just muscle out those hard to reach thoughts and focus in like a laser on the task at hand.

It may be a bit of a cheat, but the Fallout-looking presentation and full screen black-out-only settings, keep my mind on what I'm writing and not on whether I have new email, some @ replied me on twitter or the newest pictures of kitties hugging kitties.

It's not free and the iOS version is probably worth giving a miss as it kind of misses the point as to why it's useful, but if simplicity is what you like and focus is what you need, WriteRoom is one of those tools that bucks the trend of current gadgets. It does one thing really well and nothing else. It's not a swiss army knife, it's a ginsu. And for that, I love it.

WriteRoom is a $24.99 download from HogBaySoftware and is available on Mac OS X only.

WhatsApp and the world of universal messaging clients

JD Speedy — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:42:00 GMT

With the constant barrage of news coming from the mobile front in the last week, RIM's service outage and the iPhone 4S and iMessage release, let's take a second and take a gander at the third option for quick, seamless, non-SMS messaging.

It's not a new concept. While BBM is great in a lot of ways, you can only ever talk to your BlackBerry carrying friends on it. Sadly, Apple has taken the exact same route with iMessage, incorporating a lot of the most prized features, like message delivery status and integrated media sharing, from BBM, while keeping it to strictly iPod and iPhone users that you can interact with.

While the chances of either tech giant opening up its service to the entire mobile community is about as likely as porcine flight or a skating rink in the earth's core, a few start-ups have tried desperately to make something with the same features but deliver it to every device.

I won't name them all here, because really, I've downloaded most of them and deleted them within days because of one reason; nobody used them.

Somehow, an unlikely contender has entered the ring recently and is growing a lot in popularity.

It's called WhatsApp. The key differententiator between WhatsApp and it's many progenitors, is that it seamlessly integrates into your existing contacts. You can SMS anyone on your current contact list using your data plan, and, anyone on your list who is already using the service will be added to a separate WhatsApp list of contacts.

Just like BBM, you can see when your friend is typing, send photos, music and video and receive delivery notifications when the message lands and when it's read.

Startlying, after downloading it, I noticed that more than a few of my friends already had it and, besides a bit of polish that BBM and iMessage have, the fact that I can still use it to contact non-WhatsApp users position this, err, app to be a real contender in the mobile instant messaging forum.

Right now, you can download a version of WhatsApp on BlackBerry, Android, iPhone, Nokia and Windows Phone 7 (if you have Mango).

Check it out and give it a whirl. This is probably the first multi-platform messaging app I've actually been able to vouch for, but it's always best to try it for yourself.

Did you hear they poured some tablet on your Photoshop?

JD Speedy — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:29:00 GMT

While I may have been more than a little skeptical at the idea of a touch version of PS, seeing it in action last week at Adobe MAX was pretty amazing.

For one, the controls seem very helpful, particularly a tool that lets you scribble over a selection instead of meticulously applying the lasso tool.

The difference, I guess, between some hobbled version of PS and what Adobe had on display is pretty vast. It seems that most of the most desired tools have made the cut and even professional photographers are hailing it as a must-have app.

Naturally, the finger will never replace the stylus, but luckily, there was a version for stylus' shown off too. Not only does it offer even better recognition of your squiggly lines but there is customizable pressure sensitivity settings that allow your stylus to become a readily available paint brush or wide-tipped pen.

All of that sounds pretty amazing but there's one question that always separates the critical app from the chaff; pricing.

Luckily, unless they deviate entirely from plans, Adobe has tentatively set pricing for its entire suite of Touch Apps at $10. One zero. Yes, for the cost of 10 Angry Birds clones, you can have a nearly fully-functional version of PhotoShop, on your tablet, wherever you are. And, if you get Creative Cloud, you can work on all of your projects anywhere you can get internet access.

Touche, Adobe. Touche.

JD

Watch the incredibly excited Russell Brown, of Adobe, demonstrate PS Touch below:

New tool used to evaluate Wikipedia

Selena Mann — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:44:00 GMT

Throughout university, the professors would always stress that Wikipedia was not a reliable source for information. So essay after essay, I went elsewhere for information and I never even thought of using Wikipedia as a reference. But now, there's a reason to trust Wikipedia.

Professors at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt, Germany, created a new tool, http://www.wiki-watch.org/, used to check the quality of articles on Wikipedia.

"With http://www.Wiki-Watch.org , everybody can check the reliability of information within Wikipedia," said Wolfgang Stock, one of the founding professors, in a press release.

Wiki-Watch analyzes every Wikipedia entry ever created, check the number of sources and links used, the quality of the editing and how many people edited the entry. It takes a few seconds for it to check one of the 3.5 million articles, according to Stock.

"This algorithm has been developed in Germany. Now, it is available in English, too," he said.

Wiki-Watch is integrated with WikiTrust, created at the University of California Santa Cruz, is a colour coded system used to check the reputation of the article among viewers by identifying how many times the article was revised by other people.

Additionally, Wiki-Watch has incorporated 'WikiTrust,' developed by the University of California Santa Cruz.

The tool evaluates the article checking for the reliability of the article including individual words used within the article.

If I went back to university today, I would use Wikipedia as a reference, to prove those professors wrong because it is "fact-checked."

Tech in 2 Minutes: Verbatim's MediaShare 1TB NAS drive and MediaShare Mini

Jennifer Kavur — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:59:00 GMT

In this episode of Tech in 2 Minutes, ComputerWorld Canada sits down with Becky Morrison, senior manager of marketing communications at Verbatim Americas LLC, for a two-minute look at the MediaShare NAS drive and the MediaShare Mini.

The 1TB home network storage sever is DLNA-compliant for streaming content between devices, includes an online component for accessing and managing files remotely, lets you schedule automatic back-ups and allows multiple users to access different content simultaneously from the device. It includes one USB port on the front, two USB ports at the back and an eSATA port. The MediaShare Mini doesn’t offer storage capacity, but plug it into a hard drive and you’ll get the same functionality.

Tech in 2 Minutes: Verbatim's external hard drive lineup

Jennifer Kavur — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:53:00 GMT

In this episode of Tech in 2 Minutes, ComputerWorld Canada sits down with Becky Morrison, senior manager of marketing communications at Verbatim Americas LLC, for a preview of the company's fall 2010 external hard drive lineup.

http://video.itworldcanada.com/?bcpid=7044989001&bctid=632900285001

Missed the Metric show? Highlights from the free Toronto street concert

Jennifer Kavur — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:19:00 GMT

Two days before the launch of the Galaxy S Vibrant smart phone in Canada, Samsung decided to stir up some excitement by sponsoring a free 45-minute Metric concert in front of Union Station in Toronto. Watch the video below for scenes from the show and demos of the smart phone in action from a Samsung Mobiler at the event -- walk and text, Google Goggles and more.The Galaxy S Vibrant is available, as of today, through Bell Canada. For pricing information and photos from the event, see yesterday'sblog post.

http://video.itworldcanada.com/?bcpid=7044989001&bctid=441653668001

Eye candy: photos from Samsung’s surprise Metric concert

Jennifer Kavur — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:59:00 GMT

Samsung Canada sprung a free Metric concert in downtown Toronto yesterday to promote the launch of the Galaxy S Vibrant smart phone.

The Canadian indie rock band, which won Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno’s this year and whose song “Eclipse (All Yours)” is featured on the latest Twilight movie soundtrack, performed outdoors for thousands of fans in front of Union Station.

Available at Bell Mobility tomorrow, the Galaxy S Vibrant runs Google's Android 2.1 OS and features a Super AMOLED 4-inch display, 1GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera, HD video recorder and expandable memory up to 32GB. Other highlights include Samsung's Social Hub service, Swype technology and All Share, which provides DLNA connectivity to other DLNA devices.

Pricing starts at $149.95 with a 3-year contract and a minimum $50 per month voice/data or combination plan from Bell. The phone is also available without a contract for $499.95 from Bell.

Over 60,000 apps from the Android Market are available for Android 2.1, says Samsung. One app allows you to walk and text at the same time by overlaying a transparent keyboard on top of a live camera view on the smart phone's screen. A Samsung Mobiler gave a quick demo for ComputerWorld Canada at the Metric show. A video from the event will be posted shortly.

Here are some shots from the show, courtesy of Daniel Biesenthal. Also, a few images of the Galaxy S Vibrant from Samsung.

Notes from an earthquake

Dave Webb — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:29:00 GMT

Okay, everybody back to your desks.

It was fascinating this afternoon to watch how our earthquake played out on Twitter. After the first shaking in our Scarborough office, the first reaction was to run around asking people who don't know better than you, "What the hell was that?" Second impulse was to switch to Tweetdesk and ask: "Did we just have an earthquake, T.O.?"

People were already asking, and answering, that question within seconds. And an interesting pattern played out.

The first hashtags I saw referred to #earthquakeTO. Toronto claimed the earthquake. As someone noted later in the afternoon: If the earthquake was centred in southwest Quebec, why is it a Toronto earthquake?

Much as you may hate to believe it, it's not just because Toronto believes it's the centre of the universe. My theory: A larger Twitter population than Ottawa (much nearer the epicentre) was reporting it. Toronot tweeps are also on high alert because of the impending G20 conference in the downtown and associated security and risks; the possibility it could have been an explosion would have prompted a twitchier reaction.

When the tremor was felt in the midwest U.S. and Eastern seaboard -- as far away as Cleveland and Baltimore --members of the Twitterverse were claiming it as their own local earthquake, until they saw the tweets from Toronto. Then, it became "the Toronto earthquake." Why not Ottawa? Simple numbers. With more of the Twitterverse in Toronto, Americans were more likely to be following someone in Toronto.

Toronto tweeps were quick to note,when reports of much more violent tremors were appearing from the Ottawa area, that it wasn't #earthquakeTO, but #earthquake, that should be the hashtag to follow. It was now uncertain where the quake was centred, but it surely wasn't Toronto.

But once it was established that the epicentre was nearer Ottawa, why didn't the hashtag become #earthquakeottawa or #earthquakequebec? Two reasons: the accumulated content at #earthquake, adn -- possibly -- they're too long to be usable as hashtags.

All theory, of course. Comment if you think I'm off the mark.

Text for free to Canada and the U.S. with this app

Jennifer Kavur — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:55:00 GMT

A free iPhone/iPad/Android app called TextPlus lets you send an unlimited number of texts to Canadian and U.S.-based phones for free – and non-TextPlus users can respond with a short code.

If you prefer texting to calls or chat, you might want to check out a free mobile app from Gogii (pronounced go-jee) called TextPlus. The app, available for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android, provides free unlimited texting to Canadian and U.S.-based cell phones.

TextPlus lets you send texts to individuals, groups (from 2 to 20 contacts at a time) and communities. The communities, which are basically groups that you create, name and save for repeated use, can be public or private.

There is no limit on the number of texts you send, but text length is restricted to 140 characters.

You need to sign up for a free TextPlus account to use the app, but you don’t need a TextPlus account or the TextPlus app to receive and respond to messages. Using the short code 60611, non-TextPlus users can send texts back from anywhere in Canada and the U.S.

While using the short code isn’t free, non-TextPlus users are only charged their normal texting rates, which might avoid additional charges associated with cross-border or long distance texting.

Texting between TextPlus app users is free and unlimited worldwide.

TextPlus launched in the U.S. last June and become available in Canada this past February. Gogii estimates the app has been downloaded over 5.5 million times worldwide and sends over 16 million messages per day.

Two other apps are also available from Gogii that work with TextPlus accounts – an ad-free version of TextPlus for $2.99 and the free GroupText app, which looks and acts very to similar to TextPlus.

REVIEW: Samsung ML-2525W

Jennifer Kavur — Mon, 03 May 2010 19:49:00 GMT

While pricing for wireless and laser printing is on the decline, there aren’t a lot of models on the market that include both. The Samsung ML-2525W is one of those exceptions that hits the sub-$200 price point with a smart, compact design that works well in any home or small office space.

Nothing beats replacing an old inkjet printer with a wireless laser model. TheSamsung ML-2525W, released in February bySamsung Electronics Co. Ltd., hits the sub-$200 price point with a smart, compact design that works well in any home or small office space.

The monochrome wireless laser ML-2525W prints via USB 2.0, wired Ethernet and wireless 802.11b/g. It is also compatible with most operating systems: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 2003 Server, 2008 Server and 7; Mac OS X 10.3-10.6; and Linux.

It doesn’t scan or copy, but this means it also doesn’t take up a lot of space. The unit, which can rest comfortably on a desk or small table, is approximately 14 x 15 x 8 inches in size and weighs about 17 lbs. The body has a strong, sturdy feel and comes in a classic black matte finish.

The top panel has two buttons – one for power and another you press and hold to print configuration reports. The print tray is internal, which protects paper from dust build-up. The front panel opens for quick access to paper jams and easy toner replacements.

The model doesn’t support automatic duplex printing, but you can feed sheets manually through an input slot on the front of the unit if you want double-sided prints. The input slot also allows you to print on various sizes and types of media, such as postcards and envelopes.

Two benefits of moving from inkjet to laser are speed and sound – and the ML-2525W doesn’t disappoint. It takes about 9 seconds for the first page to print from standby mode, as Samsung’s specs state, and printing speed is a comfortable 24 pages-per-minute at a quiet 50 dBA.

The print tray capacity is 250 sheets, which is half of a standard 500-sheet package of 8.5 x 11-inch paper. Printed pages come out at the top of the machine, as opposed to a pull-out tray, and stop when you reach the output capacity of 80 sheets.

Another benefit of laser, compared to inkjet, is lower maintenance. Toner cartridges last longer, so if you print often, it will reduce the number of times you get stuck in the middle of a print job. If you print rarely, using toner also means you don’t have to worry about your cartridges drying up.

Samsung’s MSRP for the ML-2525W is CA$189, which includes a 1,000-page starter toner cartridge. The model’s maximum recommended printing cycle is 12,000 sheets per month, which equates to about 24 packages of paper and four to eight toner cartridges.

The ML-2525W supports two toner cartridge sizes, which average printing costs between $0.04 and $0.05 per sheet. The MLT-D105L cartridge costs $97 and prints roughly 2,500 pages, while the low yield ML-D105S cartridge costs $80 and prints about 1,500 pages.

The downside, if moving from a colour inkjet to the black-and-white ML-2525W model, is losing the ability to print in colour. But if you print a lot of text and find the majority of your colour printing occurs when your black ink cartridge runs out, the loss will be negligible.

The benefits of wireless printing can’t be overstated. You not only lose the visual clutter of cords, but gain the freedom to print from as many devices as you want from any location in your space. But the biggest obstacle, for wireless printers in general, remains the setup process.

Samsung promotes an easy 5-minute plug-and-go installation for the ML-2525W. While this may be the case for Windows and Linux installations, for this review, the wireless setup involved a Mac laptop running Snow Leopard and the process wasn't as clear cut.

After running the installation CD and following a simple set of instructions on screen, the printer appeared to be installed successfully, but printing would only take place when the machine was connected to the MacBook Pro via cable.

The initial installation added the ML-2525W to the print dialogue box, but it was based on a USB connection. To print wirelessly, a second ML-2525W needed to be added to the Mac’s print dialogue box that was associated with an IP address.

The solution was simple, but pinpointing the problem was not, as the setup instructions overlooked this step in the process. Samsung’s technical support line was equally disappointing as multiple calls to various tier levels did not help.

Not only did tech support lack the expertise to resolve the issue, they were hesitant to offer any advice at all and suggested the problem was related to my Internet Service Provider. Also, the hours of operation decrease with each tier, so finding the time to schedule a call was a nuisance.

While pricing for wireless and laser printing is on the decline, there aren’t a lot of models on the market that include both. The ML-2525W’s main competition is the HL-2107W, a wireless laser monochrome printer from Brother International Corp. that offers roughly the same specs for a similar MSRP of $169.99.

Major differences between the Samsung and Brother models are memory (the ML-2525W has 64MB, the HL-2107W has 32MB), print quality (the ML-2525W prints at 1200 x 1200 dpi, the HL-2107W prints at 2400 x 600 dpi) and style (the ML-2525W comes in black, while the HL-2107W is two shades of gray).

Samsung itself offers two other black-and-white wireless laser models. The ML-1630W is extremely compact and comes with a piano black finish, but it costs more at $249. The SCX-4500W, priced at $349, is a multi-functional printer/scanner/copier model with a similar sleek design and finish.

Two colour laser wireless models are also available from Samsung: the CLP-315W (MSRP $279) and CLX-3175FW (MSRP $499).

Overall, the ML-2525W offers excellent printing speed, quality and performance for its price. The machine looks great too, with a clean, compact design that is simple and straightforward. The wireless setup could be improved with better tech support and troubleshooting tips for the various operating systems supported, but the benefits of wireless printing will likely override any nuisance you may encounter during the setup.

DEMO: Motorola’s Quench, Dext and Backflip smart phones

Jennifer Kavur — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:03:00 GMT

Motorola is bringing its Motoblur service for Android-based smart phones to Canada on three handsets in Q2 this year.Glenn Kennedy, national account manager at Motorola, demoed the devices for ComputerWorld Canada at a recent press event in Toronto.

The Quench via Rogers

The Quench is a3.1-inch touch screen smart phone that runs Android 1.5 and supports Adobe Flash Lite, pinch-and-zoom, and includes a trackpad button and a 5MP camera with digital zoom and LED flash.Onemusic feature streams the lyrics ofthe song you are listening to at the bottom of the screen, translates the lyrics into other languages and finds other people listening to the same song at the same time on Google Maps. The Quench also supports a new typing method for touchscreen keyboards, based on software fromSwype Inc., which works by sliding your fingers from key to key to spell out a word.

http://video.itworldcanada.com/?bcpid=7044989001&bctid=76786108001

The Dext via Bell

The Dext is a 3.1-inch touch screen phone with a slide-out keyboard that has a built-in spring mechanism, 5MP camera and runs Android 1.5. Motorola took its time perfecting the keyboard on the Dext, which resembles the layout of a game controller, said Neal Foster, director of product management for Motorola Canada, who was also on-hand at the Motorola event.

http://video.itworldcanada.com/?bcpid=7044989001&bctid=76783257001

The Backflip via Telus

The Blackflip is a 3.1-inch touch screen phone with a “reverse” flip keyboard and touchpad on the back of the screen so your fingers don’t get in the way when navigating. By flipping the keyboard, the phone screen can remain vertical while resting on a tabletop, which is handy for slideshows or operating as an alarm clock. It runs Android 1.5 and includes a 5MP camera.

http://video.itworldcanada.com/?bcpid=7044989001&bctid=76777012001

Launch dates haven't been announced. For more details on Motoblur, you can read the full story here: Motorola’s ‘secret sauce’ for Android.