InformationWeek Stories by Max Cherney

InformationWeek Stories by Max Cherneyhttp://www.informationweek.comInformationWeeken-usCopyright 2012, UBM LLC.2013-04-15T10:00:00ZRemote Control Devices With Bluetooth Battery WrapperTethercell from Tetherboard provides remote control over batteries via a Bluetooth 4.0 connection and can be recharged.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/remote-control-devices-with-bluetooth-ba/240152881?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsLeave it to two rocket scientists to invent an intelligent, programmable battery. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tethercell-control-battery-operated-devices-from-your-smartphone-or-tablet">Tethercell is a new piece of hardware from Tetherboard that smartens up AA batteries.</a> Together with a smartphone app for iOS and Android, Tethercell grants remote control over batteries via a Bluetooth 4.0 connection. Features include: remote on/off, scheduling, timers, and low-battery alerts. Also, the Tethercell app helps people find batteries — within the device's limit of about 60 feet. <div style="margin:0; padding: 0 0 5px 5px; width:210px; float:right; text-align:center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/news/2013-April/Tethercell-Demo.jpg"><img alt="A AAA battery within the Tethercell enclosure fits in a AA battery socket." title="A AAA battery within the Tethercell enclosure fits in a AA battery socket." src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/news/2013-April/Tethercell-Demo-small.jpg" alt="same as caption" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; ">A AAA battery within the Tethercell enclosure fits in a AA battery socket. Click for larger image.</div></div>This is how Tethercell works. It replaces a standard AA unit with a container that looks like an AA battery but instead has a compartment for a single AAA battery. The container also houses the hardware Tethercell — including a Bluetooth radio receiver. According to the company, the control hardware includes "cutting-edge" electronics based on the TI CC2540 micro controller, as well as a slew of other very tiny pieces of technology that embed the smart features in the device. Basically, the various components control the AAA cell and relay information about its status via the Bluetooth radio. In terms of Tethercell battery performance versus regular AAAs, the company says that an AAA battery has about half to a third of the capacity. Using rechargeable AAA batteries will help increase performance, the company maintains, and especially with motorized devices. That's because rechargeables have "low internal resistance, especially in high-drain devices [like motorized ones]," according to the FAQ on the Tethercell IndieGoGo page. Interestingly enough, the company also claims that it's possible to re-charge batteries while still inside the Tethercell enclosure — reporting successful charges with NiMH AAA cells on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lacrossetechnology.com/bc700/">a La Crosse BC-700 charger</a>. One of the reasons for the Tethercell's battery life is Bluetooth hardware. Bluetooth, according to the company, isn't a significant drain on the battery. For example, if otherwise unused, it allows a Tethercell unit to run for six to 12 months on a single AAA battery charge. It does so by making minimal use of the Bluetooth radio, turning it on only when necessary. <img alt="The Tethercell app" title="The Tethercell app" src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/news/2013-April/Tethercell-app.jpg" /><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; text-align:right;">The Tethercell app</div> In addition, the device also comes with privacy features so the app doesn't get confused about whose smart batteries are whose. The feature, called Device Password, lets users enter a personal code to connect to Tethercell. According to the company, it has successfully tested the app with four Tethercells connected at once. BYTE couldn't find out from the company by the time of writing if the app is able to group Tethercells by device, but if more than one battery is Tethercell-controlled, shutting it using Tethercell should shut the device. If you're interested in trying out a unit, they are available for $35 each on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tethercell-control-battery-operated-devices-from-your-smartphone-or-tablet">the company's IndieGoGo fundraising page</a> until April 23. In the future, the company says it hopes to release a 9V and AAA version of the prototype. It also wants to sell the AA Tethercell for under $10 <a target="_blank" href="http://ces.cnet.com/8301-34441_1-57562664/tethercell-magically-turns-aa-batteries-into-bluetooth-devices/">according to a CNET story</a>. The company recently received the Bluetooth SIG "Breakthrough of the Year" award for its work on the product. While it looks like Tethercell has more "cool" than actual use right now, BYTE encourages our readers to speculate on possible uses for Tethercell in the comments. 2013-04-12T11:45:00ZBurner: Disposable Phone Numbers For Voice, SMSUse your iPhone or Android phone like a disposable cell phone. For cheap you can buy a number (or multiple numbers) with voice time and SMS messages.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/burner-disposable-phone-numbers-for-voic/240152806?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThere's an app for pretty much everything these days, and now there's one that will turn a smartphone into a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Burner%20phone">burner phone</a>: i.e. a disposable phone not associated publicly with you. <div style="margin:0; padding: 0 0 5px 5px; width:260px; float:right; text-align:center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-April/Burner/burner-app-1.jpg"><img alt="The iPhone Burner app; note the 3rd call in the list has voice mail" title="The iPhone Burner app; note the 3rd call in the list has voice mail" src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-April/Burner/burner-app-1-250.jpg" alt="same as caption" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#990000; font-weight:bold;">The iPhone Burner app; note the 3rd call in the list has voice mail (click for larger image)</div></div>Released Thursday for Android, and aptly named <a target="_blank" href="http://burnerapp.com/">Burner</a>, the app grants the ability to create multiple phone numbers and buy talk time and SMS messages — effectively replicating many of the anonymous advantages of prepaid cell phones, or burners. The twist is that it's done with an app. There's no hardware required. My testing confirmed that the app does pretty much that: It creates a "software" prepaid phone. After verifying my device's phone number via an SMS message, Burner gave me a choice of several different pricing options for creating a burner, including a free trial. Once I chose a name for my new phone line, Burner let me pick an area code and then assigned a phone number. It was as simple as that, and a moment later I made my first Burner call. Calls and SMS messages are easy. Basically, I inputted the phone number I wanted to call, and Burner opened the iPhone dial pad, with a Houston, Texas phone number already dialing — that's where the company is headquartered — and dialed. Other than the display showing a Houston phone number dialing (while actually dialing the number I wanted it to) it worked just like a normal phone call. SMS messages were also just as easy, although you need to read SMS messages to your Burner number within the Burner app. There is one drawback in the design of the Burner system: When someone calls your Burner number you see that Burner number in the Caller ID. This is useful in that you know it's a call to your Burner, but you don't get to see the number calling you until you go into the Burner app. You won't want to do this while your phone is ringing. The app's design is clear, straightforward and extremely simple to use and understand. It even includes SMS message history and call logging features, much like I've come to expect from smartphones. I encountered one bug: While trying to buy more credits a spinning wheel appeared that stayed on the screen even after the menu finished loading. I had to reboot my phone to get rid of it. But, other than that the app functioned as advertised. It even includes a voicemail for burner numbers with a standard greeting. <TABLE width="620" cellpadding=1 cellspacing=0> <TR><TD><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-April/Burner/burner-app-2.jpg"><img alt="" title="" style="border:1px solid black;" src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-April/Burner/burner-app-2-189.jpg" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; text-align:right;"></div></TD> <TD><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-April/Burner/burner-app-3.jpg"><img alt="" title="" style="border:1px solid black;" src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-April/Burner/burner-app-3-189.jpg" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; text-align:right;"></div></TD> <TD><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-April/Burner/burner-app-4.jpg"><img alt="" title="" style="border:1px solid black;" src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-April/Burner/burner-app-4-189.jpg" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; text-align:right;"></div></TD></TR> <TR><TD colspan=3><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; text-align:center;">click on images for larger version</div></TD></TR> </TABLE> Greg Cohn, founder of Ad Hoc, which makes Burner, described many possible uses for the app, including dating, Craigslist transactions, Twitter posts — things that often require user-to-user anonymity. Burner, according to Cohn, is not meant to take the place of encryption, and the company keeps records of calls and SMS messages, so don't assume you're leaving no traces. Pricing is credit based. Buying time sounds cheap: 20 minutes of talk with 60 SMS messages is $1.99. Prices go up from there, but max out at 25 credits for $11.99. But using Burner deducts minutes from a cell plan, although SMS messages don't. No one ever said anonymity was free. Name: <a target="_blank" href="http://burnerapp.com/">Burner</a><blockquote>Use your iPhone or Android phone like a disposable cell phone. For cheap you can buy a number (or multiple numbers) with voice time and SMS messages. If person-to-person anonymity is important, this app is for you.</blockquote> Price: App is free. Minutes and numbers rates start at $1.99 Pros:<ul><li>Can create multiple temp phone lines from an app</li><li>Inexpensive</li><li>Android and iPhone</li></ul> Cons:<ul><li>Not encrypted</li></ul>2013-04-09T08:00:00ZWhen Will the Old Phone Networks Die? Not SoonOld phone systems never die. They just fade away.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/wireless/when-will-the-old-phone-networks-die-not/240152475?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsPlain old telephone service — POTS — isn't going away. Not for a while. But POTS is getting less and less popular, and that rate is increasing. According to the Centers for Disease Control, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/wireless201212.pdf">by the summer of 2012, more than a third of Americans — 35.8% — used only wireless phones</a>. That's about a 30% increase over the last 10 years, and a 1.8 percent increase over the last six months. And it's trending up. Amongst households with both POTS and wireless service, 15.9 percent received all or nearly all calls on their wireless phones — also indicating POTS's slow demise. <a target="_blank" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Telephone_model_PTT24-IMG_9919.jpg"><img alt="old telephone - POTS service not going away: BYTE" title="old telephone - POTS service not going away: BYTE" src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/news/2013-April/old-telephone.jpg" /><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; text-align:right;">Image via Wikimedia Commons</div></a> The companies that run POTS are ILECs, or Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers. They're the ones that own the copper wires that run between your home and the big building downtown known as a CO or central office. AT&T, Verizon and a large number of other companies are in this business, although they'd all rather be out of it in the long term. <a href="http://www.nojitter.com/blog/archives/2010/01/atts_call_to_su.html">AT&T suggested to the FCC a few years ago that it was time to sunset the POTS</a>, at least as a COLR (Carrier of Last Resort). Because of COLR rules, ILECs must often run expensive copper lines in rural areas to support small populations when it would be cheaper to provide cellular. The ILECs are compensated for these costs through a tax on your phone bill called the USF (Universal Service Fund) and through the simple fact that they are allowed monopoly service in many areas (although these monopolies aren't what they used to be). It sounds like an attractive idea — eliminating POTS service. The alternatives for voice communications are basically wireless cellular service or broadband. But, there are many reasons the POTS system isn't going to disappear anytime in the near future, and why those systems have a long way to go in order to replace POTS. POTS is an entrenched system that's vital to our society's function at some of the most critical levels — government, security and emergency services. For government, including the military, the relative security of a POTS call versus a wireless call presents a strong case for continued use, at least in the near future. Secure communications are not only valuable to the military, but also other branches of government, such as law enforcement. But, security is just one aspect. Reliability, especially when it comes to emergency service access, is a compelling argument for POTS. Unlike the other options, emergency calls from POTS are easier for an operator to handle and dispatch services. That's because each phone line is associated with a fixed address. While it's true wireless carriers and VOIP services have made strides in improving emergency options — using GPS to locate callers by 2018, for example — POTS retains the advantage of not requiring power at the endpoint. In natural disaster situations, that advantage is apparent, as well as the known problems of cell towers getting jammed. And if the power goes out at your house, the POTS line will still probably work, while your broadband will likely be off for a while. Broadband is often reliable in certain disaster situations like the recent earthquake in Japan. While the cellular networks were unusable, the Internet functioned and enabled well-known author William Gibson to guide Japanese citizens to emergency shelters through Twitter. Although an unusual scenario, the Japanese Internet infrastructure indeed proved useful in a crisis, more so than wireless. Crises aside, there are other reasons for POTS's likely survival. For example, phone numbers — a common address system. At the moment, nothing is able to entirely replace the phone number. While there are digital alternatives available at the moment – like email address and social media accounts — interoperability isn't straightforward. For example, SIP trunking, while available, is a relatively new way to replace POTS services via the internet. Another compelling reason my editor brought up was this: "Imagine just one old lady calling her congressman to cry about them taking her phone away," he said in an email, "That's enough to kill the whole plan." He's probably right about that. I think he's right because the crying old lady represents universal access — something vitally important to global communication. Historically the government insured universal access in the U.S. through state and federal fees and regulations. At the moment universal service doesn't exist with any technologies that may eventually replace it. Although the FCC signaled its intention to make universal broadband access a priority, including a broadband Universal Service Fund as part of the plan, broadband access is far from universal at the moment. Also, there are important unanswered questions about what "broadband" means, now and in the future, and also how that service will be delivered. My own situation also sheds some light on the difficulty of eliminating POTS. I buy DSL service, which uses the POTS infrastructure to deliver broadband. Eventually my ISP will have to upgrade to some other medium, but in the meantime my download pipe is sufficient for the foreseeable future. It handles HD streaming on YouTube, Netflix and other services — by far my most bandwidth-heavy activity. The only things I've been able to do to tax the connection are binary downloads — it's always nice if they're faster — and 4K YouTube video streaming. Upload speeds with DSL, as with many other media, are a fraction of download speed. So what if 4K video streaming don't work? At the moment it's not such a big problem. There are few films available in 4K that I'm interested in watching, and fewer still places to watch them. Not to mention that my displays are HD — my Nexus 10 has the highest resolution, actually — so I wouldn't notice much visible improvement with 4K. Once those factors begin to change — more 4K films, and inexpensive 4K displays, I'll probably want more bandwidth. Until that happens I'm going to stick with my DSL service — which has the added bonus of a POTS line. It wasn't until I got a POTS line after years of cell service that I realized the call-quality difference. It's big, and it's difficult for me to talk on cell phones as a result. So, I'm just saying I like my POTS — for data and voice — and I don't want to give it up. And like the little old lady, I'll complain to my congresswoman if Uncle Sam tries to take it away. Maybe by then I'll be a little old man.2013-04-08T08:30:00ZSmartphone Kill-Switch Idea is DOAAn epidemic of stolen cell phones has San Francisco D.A. George Gascón demanding that handset companies put a remote "kill switch" into the devices.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/smart-phones/smartphone-kill-switch-idea-is-doa/240152435?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsA kill-switch, designed to make a phone inoperable if activated, is an expensive, unwieldy option with current technology, according to industry experts. The idea behind such technology is to discourage smart phone theft, a rampant problem in American cities. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón found out just how resistant device manufacturers were to the idea <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2013/03/san-francisco-da-gasc-n-says-industry-keeps-giving-him-run-around-mobile-device-thefts">in a recent conversation with Apple</a>. Gascón approached the hardware manufacturer after earlier talks with wireless providers went nowhere, according to Stephanie Stillman, Gascón's communications director. Gascón's conversation with Apple did have an unlikely consequence: the news that Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, influenced the design of two forthcoming iPhone designs. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/commentary/2013-April/phone-theft.jpg" /> "He [Gascón] got frustrated on that conference call, because there was no will to make a kill switch," Stillman said regarding the conversations with carriers. Gascón told the SF Examiner that the "... apparent lack of interest in implementing kill-switch technology is fueled by profits." It's no wonder the D.A. ran into trouble from the industry. "It's technically feasible, but the impact isn't high enough to drive anyone to do anything about it," said Ojas Rege, vice president of strategy at Mobile Iron. "There's no competitive advantage to adding kill-switches," Rege said. "I disagree with the opinion of the D.A.," Rege said, going on to explain that companies don't make money from stolen phones, they make money from new features. Consumer and business markets are quite different, according to Rege. Unlike consumers, businesses will pay a premium for heightened security features. But what they're really concerned with isn't so much the device, but the data on the device. That's why they make sure they can wipe if a device is stolen. The companies that work with Mobile Iron mostly use Apple devices, because that's what their employees ask for. "When the iPad came out in 2010, that was a huge shift," Rege said. Consumers are also concerned with the data — which is why, Rege said, Apple and other manufacturers built remote wipe and tracking features. Samsung, for example, recently introduced wipe technology. But that's the most most people are willing to pay for. "It's a demand driving economy, people buy new phones because of the cool new stuff," Rege said. That means we're likely to see more megapixels before more security. The practical way to go about mobile security is at the carrier level, according to Neil Shah senior analyst global wireless practice at Strategy Analytics. Although it would be a complex and difficult process, carrier-level protection using international mobile equipment identity numbers — IMEIs — would, in fact, be able to prevent stolen phones from activation. To get there, though, would require cooperation amongst carriers. Both Shah and Rege believe that to be a major challenge. Cooperation would need to be on a global scale to prevent the resale of devices in other countries. Since there are more than 500 carriers worldwide, Shah said, that would require considerable effort. It could "slow down the [theft] process," Shah said. Even if such a database existed, there would likely still be some countries with carriers that don't participate, making them destinations for stolen phones. Enabling such a database, Shah said, could require a third party like a non-profit to study the problem. "They should have a solid business case," Shah told BYTE, "about what is the net impact on consumers and operators in terms of value lost [to theft]." Rege agrees with Shah that a database of stolen phones is probably the most effective way to combat the problem. But he too, acknowledged the carrier participation problem. Until something changes, like kill-switches adding a "competitive advantage" to a smart phone, it's unlikely that D.A. Gascón's wish will be granted. So until then, don't update your Facebook status on public transit. Apple, LG, Samsung, Asus, and Nokia did not return BYTE's request for comment.2013-04-02T16:10:00ZiPhone 5S Likely to Channel Steve Jobs' InfluenceThe iPhone 5S, which reports say will begin production in the Q2 of 2013, was the last iPhone designed with Steve Jobs in charge. Look for incremental change.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/iphone-5s-likely-to-channel-steve-jobs-i/240152156?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsAccording to The Wall Street Journal, <a target="_blank" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323611604578398663619783622.html">Apple plans to begin production of a new iPhone in the second quarter of 2013</a>. That new phone, possibly called the iPhone 5S, will likely resemble the jump from an iPhone 4 to 4S. How do we know this? Because Steve Jobs designed the next two generations of iPhones, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2013/03/san-francisco-da-gasc-n-says-industry-keeps-giving-him-run-around-mobile-device-thefts">Michael Foulkes said to the San Francisco Examiner on Monday</a>. With Jobs' design philosophy still at work, the improvements in this incremental model will be technical, rather than cosmetic. The form factor and weight, for example, will remain the same as the iPhone 5 in the 5S. From a manufacturing standpoint too, it makes sense, keeping costs down. Along with the shape, size, and weight, we'll also likely see an identical display on the 5S. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/news/2013-April/iphone5S.jpg" /> Storage capacity isn't likely to change either. Although Apple introduced a 128GB model of the iPad 4, I can't imagine people rushing to buy a super-sized iPhone, and I bet Apple knows that. For that reason too, the iPhone 5S will start at 16GB, with 32 and 64GB options as well. Also unlikely to change is the OS — at least we probably won't see iOS 7 on the upcoming 5S. Recall that the 4S originally shipped with iOS 5. At the time of writing there haven't been any announcements for iOS 7 to Apple developers. And, as we've seen with continued patching to iOS 6, there are still bugs. Consumers who wish to purchase an unlocked version of the iPhone 5S will still pay a hefty premium — and I bet Apple will sell the new model at the iPhone 5's current price of $650, bumping the other models down, making the iPhone 4S free with a two-year contract and taking the iPhone 4 off the market. Under the hood, the phone will be different. Starting with the chip, I'd expect to see at least the A6X chip included with the iPad 4, if not something better like the rumored A7 processor Apple has been working on. There are, of course other improved processor options, but if Apple's indeed working on an A7 I think it's a safe bet to expect either that or the A6X. Like the earlier jump to the "S" model, an improved camera is also likely in the mix. Video recording is likely maxed out at 1080p HD, at 30 frames per second — what more would even be practical to include? We'll likely see a better camera, maybe a 10-14MP rear facing camera. The battery is also an area we'll likely see a change in the iPhone 5S, although not a very big one. The 4, 4S and 5 all have near identical batteries. However, while my iPhone 4 has decent battery performance, I've heard from colleagues at BYTE that the 4S and 5 battery performance leaves something to be desired. [Editor's note: the 4S battery life is pathetic.] One thing I know European consumers would want in an iPhone 5S, is expanded LTE support – as currently support for 4G is limited, to say the least. But what I'm really left wondering about is a surprise. Without a new Siri to introduce, or any rumors on the horizon, what does Apple have in store for us? There are some wild rumors about NFC, which are pretty far fetched at this point. And there's some talk of a finger print scanner, which I also have trouble believing. With Jobs still in the picture — posthumously — Apple's probably not going to make any major changes to its design philosophy with this new release, like NFC or a fingerprint scanner. Also, if you were expecting Apple to add a back button, you're probably going to be disappointed with the iPhone 5S. But, for Apple fan boys and girls, Jobs' continued influence on the product design is likely to be a welcome piece of news. Maybe Apple will even market the iPhone 6 as "The last phone Steve Jobs ever designed." 2013-04-02T12:00:00ZFree Cellular Data From Karma, Where AvailableIf you live where they have signal then Karma, an $80 LTE hotspot, is a great deal. Bandwidth costs $14/GB and you can earn 100MB by signing up friends.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/wireless/free-cellular-data-from-karma-where-avai/240152110?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsKarma is a Wi-Fi hotspot with a twist – the hotspot is always open and the more people who connect, the more free data I get – 100MB for me and 100MB for each new person who signs on. For dense urban environments it's a useful device, but stray far outside major population centers and you'll likely run into trouble getting service. Karma runs on the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.clear.com/">Clearwire</a> network. You can find their coverage map <a target="_blank" href="https://yourkarma.com/coverage">here</a>. Karma costs $79.99, and at present it's only possible to order it online. Once it arrived, the setup was easy. I turned the hotspot power on, connected my laptop to the Karma Wi-Fi signal, and set up an account using my Facebook account to authenticate — that was it. In about five minutes I was browsing via Karma's hotspot. The small, light, hotspot fits into the palm of my hand, and easily into pants and bag pockets. There are three indicator lights on one of the side panels – power, Wi-Fi and 4G. Each light changes color to indicate, for example, battery level or 4G connection status. I was a bit frustrated by the fact that there are only three indicators for power: green, yellow, and red; fancier hotspots have displays with battery levels as a group of bars, like the ones on phones. But, if I wanted to get a more precise reading on the battery level I could log into the Karma dashboard. <center><img alt="The Karma social hotspot, pay-as-you-go no contract wifi" title="The Karma social hotspot, pay-as-you-go no contract wifi" src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-April/Yourkarma/yourkarma-photo.jpg" /></center> The dashboard is a clean interface that indicates the number of people currently connected to the hotspot – each additional new user gets 100MB, as does the hotspot's owner. One complaint about the dashboard and logging into the hotspot in general was that the connection via Facebook often didn't work, which was exceedingly frustrating. I wish that I originally created an account with an email address and password, instead of trying to use my Facebook account. Without the free share megabytes, data costs $14 per gigabyte, with a $14 discount if you buy five gigabytes. It's a pay-as-you-go system with the added bonus that the data never expires, which I thought was interesting. The pricing is competitive – even with other low-cost carriers like <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/wireless/freedompop-4g-data-for-free-if-youre-car/240009698">FreedomPop, which BYTE wrote about a few months ago</a>. Before test-driving the social functions, I wanted to change its name from the default “Max's Karma," to something I thought would be more likely to attract people — to gain more free megabytes, of course. The dashboard presented three pre-typed choices, so I settled on “Max's Free Karma," hoping to tout the main benefit of the hotspot. Once that was done I headed out into the wild to give Karma a real test. The coverage in San Francisco was decent, but there were some noticeable gaps. For example, while driving and getting directions from Google Maps on my Nexus 10, Karma dropped the signal a few times over about an hour of running errands. There are some odd holes in the coverage. If you're familiar with San Francisco, there is almost no coverage in the Marina district, and you're pretty much out of luck if you work at Lucasfilm in the Presidio or live in Pacific Heights. There are some other weird holes – like a half block between 5th and 6th avenues, and another small uncovered patch nearby. It wasn't a deal breaker for me, but if you're thinking about getting one of these, it's a good idea to check carefully what is and isn't covered in your area. When I was connected, the LTE network performed well – in some cases reaching speeds that were close to my home DSL network's speed for downloads, and most of the time beat my DSL connection on the upstream side. The social component was something of a disappointment. After testing the device for about a week, I didn't receive any free megabytes while using the hotspot from my office or the various coffee shops I visited. I think that's because most coffee shops in San Francisco have free Wi-Fi – according to Yelp, there are only two paid Wi-Fi coffee shops within city limits. One is in the Marina district – and not covered by Karma. And when I ventured to the other, I couldn't get a LTE signal on the Karma. I tried inside and outside but eventually gave up and returned to my office to file this review. I thought of trying the Karma on MUNI, the public transportation system in San Francisco, but with smartphone and tablet theft being a serious problem, I didn't want to risk it. Caltrain, on the other hand, the commuter train that services Silicon Valley, doesn't have Wi-Fi, or the same problems with device theft. But Caltrain does have plenty of tech workers and the corridor also looks to be covered all the way down the peninsula to San Jose — aside from a small patch right around the station in San Francisco. So while I didn't test it out there, I think that's a likely spot where Karma would get a lot of extra megabytes. <div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; text-align:right;"><img alt="speed tests for the Karma social hotspot, pay-as-you-go no contract wifi" title="speed tests for the Karma social hotspot, pay-as-you-go no contract wifi" src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-April/Yourkarma/karma-speed-tests.jpg" />Unscientific performance comparisons using speedtest.net. </div> Much like FreedomPop, Karma is an inexpensive way to get LTE service — if there's a signal available. Since coverage is limited, and service is spotty even in areas where the company claims to provide coverage I recommending trying Karma out for a few days before keeping the hotspot (the company has a generous return and refund policy). The pay-as-you-go data plan is an intriguing way to buy data, so long as it's not a primary source, it would get expensive. But, if Wi-Fi is as common as it is in San Francisco — since it's available in places like public libraries, coffee shops and other public accommodations — it will be hard to rack up many free megabytes with Wi-Fi shares. Name: <a target="_blank" href="http://yourkarma.com/">Karma</a><blockquote>If you're lucky to be where they have signal then Karma, an $80 LTE hotspot, is a great deal. Karma bandwidth costs $14/GB and you can earn 100MB by signing up friends. </blockquote> Price: $79.99 for the hotspot; $14/GB of data; $70 for 5GB Pros:<ul><li>Inexpensive data</li><li>Fast</li><li>Pay-as-you-go data plan</li></ul> Cons:<ul><li> Coverage map isn't always accurate. </li><li> Social aspect doesn't yield much free data in cities with lots of free Wi-Fi. </li> <li> Logging into the dashboard sometimes buggy. </li></ul> 2013-03-19T08:48:00ZMac as a Tablet?The Modbook Pro transforms the MacBook Pro into a device that mimics a tablet, without a touch screen.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/tablets/mac-as-a-tablet/240151114?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThe OSX tablet is here. <a href="http://www.modbook.com/modbookpro">The Modbook Pro</a> is a near total conversion of a mid 2012, 13.3-inch MacBook Pro, transforming the laptop into a device that is startlingly close to a tablet. With a slate-like appearance, Modbook replaced the MacBook's display with a "Penabled" pen tablet digitizer from Wacom. While the Modbook Pro does not have a touch screen – OSX does not support a touch screen at present – the pen, the company claims, helps makes the machine "tablet-like." Modbook Inc. CEO Andreas Haas built Modbook from the failed Axiotron, which had the same mission. Hass told Engadget that Axiotron failed in 2008 because it was largely bank-financed – in the middle of a financial crisis – by Lehman Brothers, which went bankrupt 10 days after Axiotron went public. "...there was just nothing that could be done about it," Haas was quoted as saying. Enter Modbook Inc, which has many of the same employees, and developed the current version of the machine. And the new machine is powerful. The base line model includes an Intel Core i5, dual core, 2.5GHz chip and 8GB of RAM. It's also possible to upgrade the processor to an i7, dual core, 2.9GHz chip. Both include Intel's Turbo Boost feature. The Modbook's RAM is expandable to 16GB, unlike the Macbook Pro it's based on. Interestingly enough, the company claims that the 16GB option is energy saving, and drains 10% less battery power than the standard 4GB and 8GB offered with the Apple-built computers. The Modbook's display carries a 1280 x 800 pixel display, just like the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro. Like MacBook, the Modbook allows the Intel HD 4000 chipset to deliver dual display and video mirroring – allowing Modbook owners to take advantage of the graphics card's full resolution of 2560 by 1600 pixel on an external display. It's also possible to setup the second display for pen use– for an additional cost. Purchasing a Modbook immediately violates the Apple warranty on a MacBook Pro, something Modbook makes clear on its website. But, Modbook offers a one-year warranty on ModBook Pro components, as well as a one-year service plan on the base system. CEO Haas claims that the Modbook Pro hasn't provoked a negative response from Apple. In fact, Haas told Engadget, Modbook is an official Apple Developer, and the company's goal is to be a "... model citizen in the Apple environment." The Modbook includes all the standard MacBook Pro inputs and outputs, including an Ethernet port, something that's extremely uncommon on Wi-Fi-enabled tablets. The Modbook does have one less USB 3 port that's used by the machine to connect the Wacom display. Modbook also chose to keep the DVD burning SuperDrive, which came standard with the mid-2012 MacBook Pro. The body is made of aluminum, and weighs 5.4 pounds -- about three and a half times the weight of an iPad 4. The company also designed the ModBook to be propped "up to 50 degrees on all sides without slipping," according to its website. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/news/2013-March/modbook-pro.jpg" /> The Digitizer pen has two programmable side buttons, a digital eraser and 11 replaceable pen tips. It slides into a "pen garage" on the side of the Modbook and is kept in place by a magnet. The Modbook Pro starts at a hefty $3,499 for the baseline model plus tax and shipping, which is about $50 for the cheapest option. A fully decked-out model can run a customer well over $5,000 plus additional costs. The top-of-the-line model includes a keyboard, as well as an uninstalled copy of Windows 7. The Modbook Pro box also includes an 8GB USB thumb drive, a cleaning cloth and Modbook Pro system documentation. The company did not respond to BYTE when asked about cases or additional accessories. At the time of writing none are available on the website. While several Windows pen-tablets exist already, this is the only commercially available OSX model BYTE discovered at the time of writing. 2013-03-11T11:30:00ZGoogle Nexus 4 Phone Slick, But LimitedGoogle Nexus 4 running Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) phone display is great and it is light and small. But it has the 3G only, no LTE, low storage and no micro SDhttp://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/smart-phones/google-nexus-4-phone-slick-but-limited/240150444?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThe Nexus 4, Google's latest entry into a market with a dizzying number of options, proved to be a quality device with few drawbacks. At the $300 price point, it's hard to imagine a device that can beat the Nexus 4 in terms of hardware and software. My first impression after opening the box: The Nexus 4 has a gorgeous display and is extremely light. Next, I spent a few minutes logging into to my Google account. Unlike my Nexus 10, which came pre-programmed with my Google login already inputted — but not password — I had to set up the Nexus 4 from scratch. Once I inputted my login information many of the settings and apps on my Nexus 10 quickly appeared on the device. But, I still didn't have cellular service. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-March/google-nexus4-display.jpg" /> Selecting a carrier was pretty straightforward since I already have a pre-paid T-Mobile plan, and the Nexus 4 ships unlocked. Changing the SIM card from one phone to the other, however, was not straightforward. My old SIM didn't fit into the Nexus, and after some Google-ing, and a trip to Radio Shack around the corner, I discovered that I actually had to go into a T-Mobile store and have them cut my SIM card to fit the Nexus 4 slot. I wouldn't be complaining about all of that except Google didn't print the micro SIM card requirement anywhere on the product page. With that done, I was finally able to use my new Nexus 4. In the few days I've been testing it, I like what I've seen. The device is fast and responsive, scoring a very impressive 18,122 on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.antutu.com/Ranking.shtml">AnTutTu's mobile benchmark software (click for some comparison scores)</a>. What that number meant for me was that all the productivity apps I use — email, Twitter, Skype, SMS messages, web browsing, etc. — were fast and responsive. And I was also able to play 3D games like Wind-up Knight, a favorite of mine for testing gameplay on mobile devices. The Nexus 4 shipped with the latest version of Android 4.2.2 and so far is a significant improvement over my old Samsung Galaxy S (the first version), which was a bug-ridden nightmare that I had problems with simple operations like making calls. As I mentioned before the 4.7 inches seems large for a phone, which is a good thing. It's capable of 720p HD video playback, and I thought that was plenty for the size of the device. Netflix looked good, but with my Nexus 10 at arm's length, I didn't watch much streaming video. The display in reality is smaller than it sounds because of the software navigation bar, and notification bar. On my Nexus 10, I don't mind those bars taking up space, but that display is enormous in comparison. On the Nexus 4, though, I was perplexed that Google/LG didn't build hardware buttons into the phone as it would add about an inch without them. As I suspected when I reviewed Paranoid Android 3, the custom ROM makes a difference in terms of reclaimed screen real estate. The phone is made of mostly either plastic or glass. Glass is an obvious choice for a display but I was puzzled LG selected the material for the back of the phone as well. I read reports of the back of the phone cracking if dropped, which is a shame. I suspect the glass is to support the wireless charging function, but neither Google or LG responded when I tried to get an answer for curious BYTE readers. The obvious solution is to buy a case for the back, but it's annoying to discover an out-of-the-box design flaw. A few words about the under-the-hood hardware. The battery life is good. Without sustained use I got about a day out of the device on a single charge. Unfortunately, the battery isn't removable and if something goes wrong, it has to go back to the manufacturer, or Google. The Nexus 4 is not for you if your priority is storage. Google offers two options the 8GB and 16GB models. My 8GB phone, after installing about 500MB of apps, and downloading some pictures has about 4.7GB remaining. Since there's no micro SD card slot, that's all the space I'm going to get. For me that's not a problem and I've never understood the need for 16+ GB of storage on a phone type device. Sure, there's an argument for long flights and travel times, but 16GB is large enough to hold about 10-12 hours of HD video, as well as countless books and magazines. The last knock I have is the cellular modem. It's 3G, and there's no LTE option. I wondered about the reasoning especially given that the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S both were LTE/WiMax enabled. But, as it turned out lack of LTE didn't make much difference to me. Most of the time I'm either at home or at my office — both Wi-Fi enabled — and when I'm traveling I'm able to live with slightly slower data speeds. LTE would have been nice, but for less than half the cost of an iPhone 5 it's hard to expect a Cadillac. But, hey, it does have a barometer. Name: <a target="_blank" href="https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_4_8gb">Google Nexus 4</a><blockquote>Google's flagship Nexus 4 phone is a compelling entry in a crowded marketplace. During my testing the Nexus 4 proved a reliable, capable piece of hardware. The display is great, and its size and weight make it easy to slip into a pocket. But, there are some hardware options that will likely deter people from buying it — the 3G only, no micro SD expansion, most notably.</blockquote> Price: $299 (8GB), $349.00 (16GB) Pros:<ul><li>Low price</li><li>Hardware and software are fast and relatively bug free</li><li>Good size and weight</li></ul> Cons:<ul><li>3G only</li><li>Limited storage capacity</li></ul>2013-03-08T11:00:00ZMailbox App is Gmail on iPhone Done BetterMailbox is an elegant GMail client for iOS. It adds management features that make email a pleasure to use. But if you want the app, you'll have a long wait.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Authors<a target="_blank" href="http://www.mailboxapp.com/">Mailbox</a> is an email app for iPhone and Gmail that re-imagines the way we ingest and task-manage our inboxes. It's more than simply a nice-looking email client, as it aims to take a streamlined, efficient approach to handling the large volume of email most of us are accustomed to receiving every day. The management features the main reason to use this app, in my opinion outstrip Apple, and even Google's Gmail app, especially in terms of ease of use. This review includes several short videos demonstrating the features of Mailbox. You decide if it's so much better than Gmail and Apple Mail that it's worth waiting for. Mailbox has received some recent press because of an unusual launch strategy: a waiting list. That's right, in order to use the app hopeful Mailbox users will have to wait in line. And it's a long one. After downloading the app, <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mailbox/id576502633?mt=8">available free in the App Store</a>, I found I was well over the 700,000th person in line a number that came without any real indication about when I'd actually be able to download the software. <img style="border:1px solid black;" alt="Mailbox app waiting list countdown" title="Mailbox app waiting list countdown" src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-March/Mailbox-Countdown-4-wide.jpg" /> The company has reasons for adopting the unusual marketing tactic, and it's certainly generated press, which never hurts a startup, but I'm skeptical about the approach and whether it will get people excited, or turn them away. Regardless of marketing hype, Mailbox's launch, a gradual roll out, is a pretty common approach for startup companies – and recalls Gmail's invite-only launch. <div style="border:1px solid black; margin:10; width:140px; float:right; font-size: medium; text-align:center;">Mailbox Videos: <ul style="list-style-type:square; text-align:left;"><li style=" margin-top:10px; margin-bottom:10px;"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?pgno=2">Message Composition</a> </li><li style="margin-bottom:10px;"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?pgno=3">Message Management</a> </li><li style="margin-bottom:10px;"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?pgno=4">More Message Management</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?pgno=5">Settings</a></li> </ul></div>The marketing worked on me to a certain extent. I was actually excited to get my hands on the app something I can't say for most email software and once I did Mailbox did not disappoint. In case you're wondering how I moved up so quickly in line, I asked Mailbox's PR person for a copy of the app. One of the perks of being a tech reporter. On first launch the app presented a short tutorial that demonstrated how the swipes used to manage email work. The UI is clear, easy to read, intuitive and rivals Google's Gmail app for iOS, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/gmail-20-catches-up-with-competition/240144095">which I reviewed earlier this year</a>. With almost no instruction I was able to figure out most of the app, and in just a few minutes I was up and clearing my inbox. Mailbox's system of swipes is clever. When I viewed a list of email messages inbox, archives, etc. I had a choice between four possible swipes for each message: half way to the right, half way to the left, and a full swipe right or left. Each option presented a choice about how to handle emails. Handling email was the most interesting and useful part of the application. The app gave me four choices about how to deal with messages in my inbox: delete, archive, schedule later and add to a list. While the first two are common, it's the last two that give Mailbox an edge over the competition. The schedule for later, a half swipe to the left, offered me eight options, including later today, this evening, next week, a specific day or just "someday." Once deferred the app moves the message into the later folder accessible from the navigation bar and notified me via a device alert when it was time to deal with an email. In the settings Mailbox allowed me to customize all of the "schedule later" snooze preferences – for example, allowing "later today" to be six hours from now, instead of the default three. Lists work much the same way as scheduling. Swiping a message to the far left brings up a choice of lists like "to do" and "to read." The app also allowed me to create a new list. The email composition part of the app was what I've come to expect from iPhone email software. For short, simple messages the kind most people send on their iPhones it's perfectly fine. There's nothing really imaginative about it, but that's OK. It works. Mailbox also features image attachments that can come from either the iPhone's image gallery, or the option to take a new image with the iPhone's camera, something that sets it apart from Apple and Google's email app offerings. The app's most significant downside was that it only works for people who own an iPhone and use Gmail as their email service. While it's possible to have non-Gmail accounts forward to single Gmail account, not everyone, for various reasons, will be willing to do that. A Mailbox spokesperson told BYTE the company plans to add additional devices and email providers in the future; they wouldn't share details or specifics. My only other knock against the app was the search feature it's a bit unwieldy, and doesn't compete with the Gmail app's search. Name: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mailboxapp.com/">Mailbox</a><blockquote>Mailbox's sophisticated approach, simple design, and system of swipes that handle email and task management make this app worth trying for anyone who uses Gmail on their iPhone. For someone who lives in their inbox, and uses email to manage tasks this may well be the best app to date. The UI is elegant, and easy to use, as is email composition and reading. But, its long waiting list and exclusive Gmail-iPhone compatibility will exclude some iPhone users from trying the new app out. </blockquote> Price: Free Pros:<ul><li>Elegant, intuitive UI works well on iPhone.</li><li>Successful combination of task-management, and email handling.</li><li>Swipes make inbox processing much more efficient on the iPhone.</li></ul> Cons:<ul><li>Long waiting list.</li><li>Only available for iPhone and Gmail.</li><li>Search function could use some work.</li></ul> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?pgno=2">Next Page: Typing a message in Mailbox (video)</a> <object id="flashObj" width="620" height="350" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="@videoPlayer=2207582496001&playerID=1773784400001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAF14eAc~,GZC-YoxXnehlrluSeFegBx9a-oM9hSFf&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="@videoPlayer=2207582496001&playerID=1773784400001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAF14eAc~,GZC-YoxXnehlrluSeFegBx9a-oM9hSFf&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="620" height="350" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object> The email composition part of the app was what I've come to expect from iPhone email software. For short, simple messages the kind most people send on their iPhones it's perfectly fine. There's nothing really imaginative about it, but that's OK. It works. Mailbox also features image attachments that can come from either the iPhone's image gallery, or the option to take a new image with the iPhone's camera, something that sets it apart from Apple and Google's email app offerings. <TABLE width="100%"><TR><TD width="45%" style="font-size: medium; font-weight:bold; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?pgno=3">Previous Page: Introduction and review</a></TD><TD width="10%"> </TD><TD width="45%" style="font-size: medium; font-weight:bold; text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?pgno=1">Next Page: What swiping messages does (video)</a></TD></TR></TABLE> <object id="flashObj" width="620" height="350" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="@videoPlayer=2207571134001&playerID=1773784400001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAF14eAc~,GZC-YoxXnehlrluSeFegBx9a-oM9hSFf&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="@videoPlayer=2207571134001&playerID=1773784400001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAF14eAc~,GZC-YoxXnehlrluSeFegBx9a-oM9hSFf&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="620" height="350" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object> Mailbox's system of swipes is clever. When I viewed a list of email messages inbox, archives, etc. I had a choice between four possible swipes for each message: half way to the right, half way to the left, and a full swipe right or left. Each option presented a choice about how to handle emails. <TABLE width="100%"><TR><TD width="45%" style="font-size: medium; font-weight:bold; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?pgno=2">Previous Page: Typing a message in Mailbox (video)</a></TD><TD width="10%"> </TD><TD width="45%" style="font-size: medium; font-weight:bold; text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?pgno=4">Next Page: More of what swiping messages does (video)</a></TD></TR></TABLE> <object id="flashObj" width="620" height="350" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="@videoPlayer=2207571136001&playerID=1773784400001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAF14eAc~,GZC-YoxXnehlrluSeFegBx9a-oM9hSFf&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="@videoPlayer=2207571136001&playerID=1773784400001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAF14eAc~,GZC-YoxXnehlrluSeFegBx9a-oM9hSFf&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="620" height="350" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object> Handling email was the most interesting and useful part of the application. For messages in my inbox the app gave me four choices about how to deal with them: delete, archive, schedule later and add to a list. While the first two are common, it's the last two that give Mailbox an edge over the competition. The schedule for later, a half swipe to the left, offered me eight options, including later today, this evening, next week, a specific day, or just "someday." Once deferred the app moves the message into the later folder accessible from the navigation bar and notified me a device alert when it was time to deal with an email. In the settings Mailbox allowed me to customize all of the "schedule later" snooze preferences– for example, allowing "later today" to be six hours from now, instead of the default three. <TABLE width="100%"><TR><TD width="45%" style="font-size: medium; font-weight:bold; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?pgno=3">Previous Page: What swiping messages does (video)</a></TD><TD width="10%"> </TD><TD width="45%" style="font-size: medium; font-weight:bold; text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?pgno=5">Next Page: Mailbox settings (video)</a></TD></TR></TABLE> <object id="flashObj" width="620" height="350" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="@videoPlayer=2207583295001&playerID=1773784400001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAF14eAc~,GZC-YoxXnehlrluSeFegBx9a-oM9hSFf&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="@videoPlayer=2207583295001&playerID=1773784400001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAF14eAc~,GZC-YoxXnehlrluSeFegBx9a-oM9hSFf&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="620" height="350" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/mailbox-app-is-gmail-on-iphone-done-bett/240150361?pgno=4">Previous Page: More of what swiping messages does (video)</a>2013-02-26T10:00:00ZSecure Dropbox Files With DigitalQuickDigitalQuick is an elegant encryption add-on that allows enterprises to use Dropbox for sensitive documents and informationhttp://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/desktop-applications/secure-dropbox-files-with-digitalquick/240149448?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Authors DigitalQuick is a newly-released add-on for Dropbox that offers encryption-type security measures for personal files and sharing. Its near-seamless integration with Dropbox and Windows Explorer make it an easy tool to use so long as your main OS is Windows. If you’re primarily on OSX like me, it’s probably better to wait until developer Fasoo USA Inc., releases the OSX version (later this year, according to the company) before taking DigitalQuick for a test drive. The software adds encryption and secure file sharing to Dropbox. It does so by adding a right-click option to Windows Explorer, which allowed me to enable or disable DigitalQuick on a folder on my computer, including ones in Dropbox. Once I right clicked on the folder I wished to encrypt, the app offered two levelsbasic and advanced. Other users must log in to DigitalQuick accounts. The service manages permissions to the files based on that login. Basic encryption uses an AES-256-bit cipher to encode any file type. Users with permission to access the basic folder can edit and view files encrypted with this method. Also, user and file activities aren’t tracked. Advanced encryption let me pick what members were able to do things like read, edit, print and decrypt. Unfortunately, the supported file formats are limited to MS Office (docx, xlsx, pptx), pdf, txt, jpg, tif, png and bmp files. With the advanced encryption, though, the app tracks user and file activity. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/DigitalQuick/DigitalQuick-permissions.jpg" /><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; text-align:right;">DigitalQuick lets you set permissions so, for instance, others can view your files but not print or copy them.</div> Once I selected a folder and encryption method I was free to drag and drop files into the folder that the app automatically encrypted. I could also share them. Sharing, I suspect, is one of the strongest features the app offers because it’s possible to create secure cloud shares amongst various teams and with clients. This was the case even in a BYOD scenario. DigitalQuick created well-executed Android and iOS apps. At first, I wasn’t quite sure why Fasoo released one for iOS, given the lack of OSX support. But the iOS app is actually pretty useful, especially in BYOD scenarios. The app provides a way to download, decrypt and access files. So while it’s important to be Windows-based at the office, for example, it’d be easy to look at secure documents at home or while commuting on a personal iPad. The Android app offers the same features. Both apps also offer a passcode lock feature to prevent unauthorized access to Dropbox or DigitalQuick folders. Both apps also gave me a way to get decrypted files onto another machine. <iframe width="620" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZZ0PMshIMFI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; text-align:right;"></div> DigitalQuick also includes a Web dashboard. It’s a straightforward tool to manage existing encrypted folders. From the dashboard I was able to change permissions for folders with advanced encryption, change folder ownership, view folder activity history and remove a folder from DigitalQuick even one located on a Dropbox account. The dashboard also offers device management and an audit log. I liked the Web dashboard it’s clear, straightforward and simple to understand how the management functions operate. I will say that without an OSX version I was hoping to have a dashboard closer to Dropbox’s so that I’d be able to use DigitalQuick without hacking a workaround with a virtual machine. My workaround was pretty simple but a bit clumsy to use, especially in a fast-paced environment. To get DigitalQuick to work on my OSX tower, I used a Parallels 8 virtual machine on my OSX desktop, which I already had installed for other reasons, to install Dropbox, and then the DigitalQuick client. Once I had those running, and my Dropbox folder synced I was able to use the Windows virtual machine for DigitalQuick. It works, but it’s annoying. Name: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.digitalquick.com/">DigitalQuick</a><blockquote> DigitalQuick is an elegant encryption solution that allows users and enterprises to use Dropbox to handle sensitive documents and information. The ease with which DigitalQuick allows sharing makes it even more attractive, especially for the price. Its integration with the Windows desktop, and availability on iOS and Android also make it ideal in BYOD scenarios. But I'm going to have to wait for their OSX support, promised for later this year, before I use it in earnest. </blockquote> Price: Free Beta Pros:<ul><li>Seamless Dropbox file encryption</li><li>Good for enterprise and SMB</li><li>Strong mobile apps for BYOD scenarios</li></ul> Cons:<ul><li>No OSX support</li><li>Web dashboard only manages, cannot create new encrypted folders</li></ul> 2013-02-26T08:30:00ZAndroid For Google Nexus UI Re-ImaginedFor Android enthusiasts Paranoid Android is a cool re-interpretation / customization of the Android 4.2.X OS. But, the complexity of the install, as well as the requirement to root the device will likely deter many people from using Paranoid Android 3, which is a shame. It's a well thought-out, extremely stable, clever modification to the stock UI. With the addition of the PIE feature in version 3 it gives Android 4.2 some serious competition.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/android-for-google-nexus-ui-re-imagined/240149253?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Authors<a target="_blank" href="http://www.xda-developers.com/android/paranoid-android-3-released-for-four-nexus-devices/">Paranoid Android 3</a> is an interesting re-imagination/hack of Google's Android 4.2.X (Jelly Bean) for <a target="_blank" href="http://www.google.com/nexus/">Nexus 4, 7, and 10</a>. For Android enthusiasts and developers it's a compelling alternative to the stock OS. Those less interested may be deterred by the complex installation, which requires root access. The results are, well, interesting, to say the least. <div style="margin:0; padding: 0 0 5px 5px; width:210px; float:right; text-align:center;"><a target="_blank" title="Paranoid for Android PIE interface on Google Nexus 4" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/Paranoid-Android/Paranoid-for-Android-Pie-1000.jpg"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/Paranoid-Android/Paranoid-for-Android-Pie-200.jpg" alt="Paranoid for Android PIE interface on Google Nexus 4" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#990000; font-weight:bold;">Paranoid for Android PIE interface (click for larger image)</div></div>The modification grants control over almost every aspect of the UI: the navigation bar, dialogues, popups, keyboards, and widgets. PA3 also allows app-by-app control over standard UI elements like display DPI, UI colors and screen layout. It also adds a UI feature called "PIE," which replaces the navigation bar. The PIE feature is what drew me to PA3 in the first place. It's an interesting one, possibly rivaling both Apple's single-button approach to hardware controls, and Android's three-button toolbar. It works like this: Once enabling the enlarged desktop or setting the navigation bar to 0 pixels, I simply poked and dragged the screen from the bottom center (although that's adjustable) upward to reveal PIE. PIE contains all the standard elements seen on the navigation bar and the status bar on Nexus devices. The main advantage? By replacing the navigation and status bar with PIE, the OS has more screen real estate. On a tablet like the Nexus 10 I tested it on, the additional screen real estate doesn't make too much of a difference. But, I bet on smaller devices like the Nexus 4, it's noticeable. PIE also has other advantages – it streamlines navigation, puts all the relevant information in one spot and it looks really cool. I just wish it vibrated when it activated. There are other ways to tweak the Android UI with PA3, too. Through the hybrid properties menu I was able to select one of five launch settings: the stock UI, "Phablet" and "Tablet" small, mid and large. Each launch setting includes a DPI setting for the UI, as well as UI button sizes, navigation bar icons and other properties, like the maximum number of notifications the OS can display at once. As I mentioned before it's also possible to set system colors and, through another panel in the PA3 settings, alter DPI and screen layout on an app-by-app basis (360p, 720p, 1000p, etc., depending on the app), and app colors. <a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/Paranoid-Android/Paranoid-for-Android-Settings-big.jpg"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/Paranoid-Android/Paranoid-for-Android-Settings.jpg" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; font-style: italic; text-align:right;">Click for larger image</div> Although I've heard from developers that deep customizations like PA3 cause problems with some software, I didn't encounter any issues during my tests. I didn't have any trouble watching movies on Netflix, writing emails, using voice search, tweeting, getting directions, or even playing 3D games like <a target="_blank" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.robotinvader.knightmare&hl=en">Wind-up Knight</a>. In fact, my tablet appeared more stable than the stock version of Android Jelly Bean, which was really a surprise. The other customization options, such as the lock screen feature, are useful but aren't nearly as interesting as the PIE and toolbar modifications. A word about the installation: It's actually really easy, but it's the farthest thing from straightforward. That's because the documentation isn't easy to find (although we're including a YouTube video below on how to install PA3). But hey, it's a developer hack, so I don't think anyone can complain about the lack of documentation too much. To install the software, first, rooting the device is necessary, and this may violate a carrier agreement and warranty. Then installing PA3 basically involves using a custom recovery utility to factory wipe your device (all your data is lost), and overwrite the default Android OS. (The video below recommends the method documented <a target="_blank" href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2001868">here</a>.) Once that's accomplished, PA3 also required an installation of the standard Android apps from a publicly available image file. Once that's all complete PA3 was up and running. Name: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.xda-developers.com/android/paranoid-android-3-released-for-four-nexus-devices/">Paranoid Android 3</a><blockquote>For Android enthusiasts Paranoid Android is a cool re-interpretation/ customization of the Android 4.2.X OS. But, the complexity of the install, as well as the root requirement, will likely deter many people from using Paranoid Android 3, which is a shame. It's a well thought-out, extremely stable, clever modification to the stock UI. With the addition of the PIE feature in version 3 it gives Android 4.2.X some serious competition.</blockquote> Price: Free, donation is requested. Pros:<ul><li>PIE feature an excellent innovation on stock navigation and status bars.</li><li>Customization options allow considerable cosmetic and functional improvement to the UI.</li><li>Bragging rights: you're too cool for the stock Android OS.</li><li>Appears to produce a more stable Android build.</li></ul> Cons:<ul><li>The installation is difficult, requires root, and could mess up your device.</li><li>Documentation difficult to find, and not comprehensive.</li><li>Only available for Nexus 4, 7, and 10.</li></ul> <iframe width="620" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EDZ1WAwXvbE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>2013-02-19T08:30:00ZGoogle to Launch $99 Tablet, Rumor ClaimsIf the rumor is true, a $99 tablet with decent Web browsing, email, social media would completely disrupt the tablet markethttp://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/tablets/google-to-launch-99-tablet-rumor-claims/240148653?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsTablet makers are on a collision course, competing to see whose prices will go the lowest and we all want to know: Who will take the plunge, how badly will they skin their knees, and what are the tech specs of the models that survive the crash? According to DigiTimes, <a href="http://www.DigiTimes.com/news/a20120926PD232.html">Google is taking a new tablet all the way down to $99</a>. Granted, DigiTimes is a notoriously unreliable Taiwanese publication <a href="http://techland.time.com/2012/05/14/DigiTimes-apple-rumors/">responsible for such fantastic rumors</a> such as a $799 MacBook Air, and another one claiming that Apple's machines would include AMD chips. According to The Verge, DigiTimes <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/17/3515494/google-nexus-99-dollar-tablet-rumor">is wrong as often as it's right</a>. Even more reputable sources like CNET picked up the DigiTimes rumor and spilled ink on the topic. "I'm highly skeptical that this rumor will come true, at least in the time frame that DigiTimes seems to think it will," <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57521315-1/google-and-asus-rumored-to-be-working-on-$99-nexus-tablet/">CNET opined in September</a>, "But if it did it would break the tablet market wide open." The Google rumor is fairly specific, even if it hasn't proven to be true – DigiTimes claimed the new device would launch in late 2012. The search giant supposedly joined forces with Asian manufacturers WonderMedia, HannStar and Quanta, DigiTime said, to bring the tablet to market. The story also included specific hardware that doesn't sound too impressive – after all, what can for $99? CNET may be right, at least about disrupting the tablet market, especially if the hardware is decent, and given what's available at the $99 price point that's a big if. Take, for example, the recent ASUS offering, the Memo Pad 7 priced at $149; $50 more than Google's rumored price target. On paper, the memo sports a single core chip, a slower GPU than the Nexus 7, plus a display that can't show HD video – even 720p. I haven't had a hands-on opportunity to compare a Nexus 7 and Memo but what I suspect is that the Memo performs reasonably well for productivity-type use, but falters when apps like games use 3D. The same goes for video. On a 7- to 10-inch screen I can't discern much difference with casual use between 720p and 1080p, but I notice 480p (SD) versus 720p on my iPad mini, and definitely on the larger Nexus 10 screen. The memo is just one example. There are many more examples of $100 tablets carrying similar or worse hardware. All of this makes me think that maybe a $99 tablet that offers decent Web browsing, email, social media – in short, office functions including VOIP – may be profitable for manufacturers and useful for business. But with technology as it is, complex 3D games and HD entertainment are not on the menu. It's possible ASUS has already cracked the nut with its $149 tablet. But if Google can do it for $50 less and provide a comparable business-use experience, that would truly be game changing, especially in a BYOD enterprise scenario. At $99 a pop, and possible volume discounts that's a lot of cheap tablets. I suspect enterprises would jump at the chance. Moreover, in developing countries $99 starts to look affordable and that extra $50 for a Memo or $100 for a Nexus 7 likely puts those out of reach for many consumers. Amongst the tablet kingpins I believe Apple is the least likely candidate to enter this low-range market. Sure, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2013/01/24/apple-working-on-phone-using-qualcomm-processor/">there are some rumors</a> about a cheap iPhone, which continue to be unproven. I doubt the budget iPhone stories are entirely true, though, because, as we all know Apple prices itself above its competition, even if the hardware isn't always competitive. The Mac Pro is probably the best example. Sure it got an update this year, but it wasn't much of one, and the prior update was in 2010. So there's a three-year-old desktop model with a baseline price of $2,499 which, if fully decked out, can run well over $10,000. And in terms of tablets the iPad mini's chief competitor, the Nexus 7 is $139 cheaper and arguably has much better hardware. The same is true for larger iPads. Amazon's got some skin in the game already with its e-readers but aren't really comparable with tablets because of their limited functionality. The Kindle Fire and Fire HD are really Nexus 7 competitors and, I believe, priced outside of the low-end market. Although the Fire has a dual core chip, it too lacks an HD screen, and is priced considerably higher than the $99 price point. I don't think that Amazon's going to try for a $100 tablet considering it already offers consumers a cheap way to consume its content via the e-readers. It's possible a company like Samsung would see value in the lower-end of the market but it has seen its strongest results with high-end devices like the Nexus 10 (although that's Google branding) and the Galaxy S3. At this point, the lower end of the market doesn't seem as interesting to them. Aside from the ones I've already mentioned, the only other company, I see in the picture at this point is Mozilla. Now before you laugh, it's at least possible there's a Firefox OS based tablet in the future. I couldn't tell you when or even if the company would be interested in the $99 price point, but it certainly would align with their mission statement: "to promote openness, innovation, and opportunity on the Web." It's a bit far fetched, but it's certainly within the realm of possibility. That's how I feel about the $99 Google tablet. Given that the apparent release date has come and gone, and there hasn't been a peep about it from Google, I'm wondering if the rumored tablet will ever debut. But I never say never.2013-02-13T10:30:00ZiPhone App Soups Up Camera645 Pro for the iPhone has enough complexity to make professional photographers happy, even if it doesn't hold up to a mid-level DSLR back and decent prime lens.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/digital-photo/iphone-app-soups-up-camera/240148427?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsFor camera buffs, the 645 Pro is a complex and powerful camera app that adds an impressive range of features and takes advantage of the iPhone's camera technology. At the point-and-shoot level 645 Pro has enough complexity to make professional photographers happy, and could very well further help disrupt point and shoot market more than the iPhone already has. First, I'll take you through the app's key features and then, through a series of image tests. The tests compare differences between the stock iPhone camera app, 645 Pro and a Canon 5DMK2 with a 50mm prime lens. The iPhone lens is approximately 38.5mm, according to shot data included in the JPEG images produced. At the bottom of this review we provide links to images we took with 645 PRO and with the iPhone camera in testing. I found that while 645 Pro beats the Apple camera app in terms of versatility and image quality, it doesn't hold up to a mid-level DSLR back and decent prime lens. But, that's no surprise considering the price difference between an iPhone and a 5DMK2 is well over $1,300. And the level of control 645 Pro provides is amazingly close to a DSLR. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/645-camera-app/645-interface-620.PNG" /><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; text-align:right;">The 645 PRO user interface on the iPhone</div> The first clue 645 Pro is a sophisticated tool is the interface. It looks as though Jag.gr managed to squeeze just about every function and display on a typical DSLR onto an iPhone. Between the controls, information displays, swipes to engage filters and pokes to indicate focal points of interest, I think Jag.gr uses 100 percent of the iPhone display– there is no wasted space. That's really an accomplishment in and of itself. Although the sophistication ends up being a net positive, first time users who aren't familiar with many of the knobs, gauges and functions of professional grade DSLR cameras may be overwhelmed. Even professionals will undergo a learning curve with 645 Pro I sure did because it's effectively a brand new camera. But spending some time to learn the app there's a 35-page manual and in-app support is worth it. The app's capabilities are astounding considering the restrictions Apple places on app developers using the phone's camera. For example, there's no way to manually control ISO, shutter speed or aperture, three important camera adjusted variables. But the 645 Pro app has a solution: The shutter control button the one that takes the photograph is also used to lock in the ISO, shutter speed and aperture. So basically when I found the automatically determined ISO / shutter speed / aperture I wanted, I pressed and held the big button at the top right until settings locked in, then tapped it quickly afterwards to take the photograph. It's not a perfect solution, but given the development restrictions it's a pretty good one. Under the hood Jag.gr's app also has some interesting things going on. For example, there is a choice between three output formats: two JPEG options and TIFF. TIFF images are what Jag.gr calls developed raw images, or dRAW, meaning that the app doesn't apply any post-processing to the image. After a number of tests, it looks like the dRAW format does, in fact, look much better– even after a quick glance. Name: <a target="_blank" href="http://jag.gr/645pro/">645 Pro for iPhone</a><blockquote> Stacked up against the stock iPhone camera app, 645 offers an array of powerful features and information photographers can use. It's not going to replace a sophisticated DSLR, but if you're a serious photographer it's a great, affordable way to take much better photos on an iPhone. </blockquote> Price: $2.99 Pros:<ul><li> Wide array of controls and information displays make the app more like a “real” camera. </li><li> Advanced functions allow a more control over the camera's output. </li><li> Produces superior images to the stock camera app. </li><li>Price.</li></ul> Cons:<ul><li>Learning curve.</li><li> Controls sometimes difficult to manipulate quickly on a small screen. </li><li>Slow on iPhone 4</li></ul> Test Images<ul><li><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/645-camera-app/iPhone-GG-bridge.JPG">iPhone Camera app - Golden Gate Bridge (1466 KB)</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/645-camera-app/iphone-night.JPG">iPhone Camera app - Night Shot (1168KB)</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/645-camera-app/645-pro-gg-bridge-b&w.JPG">645 PRO Golden Gate Bridge Black and White (1391 KB)</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/645-camera-app/645-pro-gg-bridge-color.JPG">645 PRO Golden Gate Bridge color (1596 KB)</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/645-camera-app/645-pro-pink-print.JPG">645 PRO Pink Pattern Blanket - JPG (6623 KB)</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/645-camera-app/645-pro-pink-print.TIF">645 PRO Pink Pattern Blanket - TIFF (6516 KB)</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/645-camera-app/645-pro-night-shot-day-mode.JPG">645 PRO Night Shot, Day Mode - JPG (3693 KB)</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/645-camera-app/645-pro-night-shot-day-mode.TIF">645 PRO Night Shot, Day Mode - TIFF (3979 KB)</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/645-camera-app/645-pro-night-shot-night-mode.JPG">645 PRO Night Shot, Night Mode - JPG (3601 KB)</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Feb/645-camera-app/645-pro-night-shot-night-mode.TIF">645 PRO Night Shot, Night Mode - TIFF (4254 KB)</a></li></ul>2013-02-05T09:53:00ZNo More Carrier Contracts - Pre-Paid Saves MoneyIn the U.S., subsidized phones from AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint give us the illusion that expensive phones are cheap. But in most of the rest of the world, mobile access is bought on a no-contract, pre-paid basis. If you don't need a top-of-the-line phone upgrade every year or two, you can save a lot of money this way. It has advantages for BYOD as well.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/wireless/no-more-carrier-contracts-pre-paid-sav/240147865?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsWant a $1000 every two years? Pre-paid smartphone plans can save you at least that much. <a target="_blank" href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/02/prepaid-phone-plans/">The New York Times Bits blog posted the math</a>: a $650 iPhone 5 coupled with Virgin Mobile $30 pre-paid cellular and data plan (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.virginmobileusa.com/cell-phone-plans/beyond-talk-plans/overview/">the plan has since gone up to $35 a month</a>) costs about $1370. Total cost of a two year contract with AT&T? According to the Times, about $2360. There is a big problem with this scenario: The Times' example of a Virgin Mobile plan and an unlocked iPhone 5, is an unlikely one. An unlocked iPhone 5 from the Apple store will only work with GSM carriers. Since Virgin is a CDMA network you pretty much have to buy the phone from them. At the time of writing the iPhone 5 isn't available for purchase from Virgin. The iPhone 4 and 4S are available on the company's website. Regardless, the Times makes a good point: it's now possible to save an a significant sum if you're willing to pay more up front. Will consumers buy in to this and compensate by going for inexpensive Android phones? I suspect not. Google's flagship smartphone, the Nexus 4's price point of $299 is a major reason I'm convinced pre-paid plans aren't going to be a big part of the high-end phone market. With a $30 a month T-Mobile plan the bi-annual savings would be about $1341, meaning the phone would pay for itself in about six months. Whether it's the best phone for $299 is debatable of course, but it sure sounds to me like a better phone than the iPhone 4, which retails for <a target="_blank" href="http://www.virginmobileusa.com/shop/cell-phones/iphones/">$50 more from Virgin Mobile</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone4">$150 more from Apple</a>. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/commentary/2013-Feb/no-contract-data-plans.jpg" /><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#009999; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; text-align:right;">There are several companies that sell pre-paid/no contract mobile plans. They typically buy access to the networks of larger carriers like Sprint and Verizon. Some are owned by those carriers, like T-Mobile's GoSmart.</div> There are compelling reasons to buy Apple's products and I doubt too that pre-paid smartphones will usher Apple's demise. I do wonder, though, how much consumers purchasing pre-paid plans will enjoy paying a lot more for the older iPhone models which, at least on paper, are inferior to the competition. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/smart-phones/iphone-prices-under-competitive-pressure/240145325">These older models sold surprisingly well in Apple's last quarter</a>, certainly because of cost. The illusion that the iPhone 4 is "free" comes from the subsidized phone business model. In a pre-paid model, the iPhone 4 doesn't look like a bargain anymore. The Nexus 4 paying for itself sounds enticing, even in spite of the fact that <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/wireless/drop-your-cell-plan-and-still-use-your-p/240142622">in December I figured out how to hack a free phone plan</a>. The Nexus 4 is only available for use with GSM carriers, which is fine as I believe that to make buying an unlocked phone really worth it, GSM strikes me as the only viable choice. For starters there's more choice in terms of hardware at all price points. There are disadvantages, particularly that GSM technology has trouble handling events with large numbers of people on the same carrier. But there's one huge advantage: the ability to painlessly change carriers. All that's needed is to swap the SIM card for one from the new carrier. GSM is also a global standard, so when traveling it's easy to set up with a local carrier. The fact that it's almost painless and completely viable to swap carriers on a whim is a sea change, for sure. It will open the door for smaller cellular companies to attract customers with lower rates and better service. It may also force the big players to adjust their prices for example, Sprint charges $70 a month for pre-paid service, and AT&T's pricing starts at $50 a month. If coverage at T-Mobile or Virgin is just as good, why wouldn't a consumer switch? I think it's crazy at this point to claim CDMA carriers are finished. They've got enormous networks with millions of customers. But as consumers slowly realize that there's absolutely no need to sign smartphone contracts many will likely look for the least-restrictive service that would allow them easily to shift their business. It could end up like buying gas for your car not many people are brand-loyal to Chevron or Shell; we choose gas stations based on price and convenience. Pre-paid plans are advantageous for companies that support BYOD for their employees. The company can more easily consider paying for data plans for employees, and might be able to negotiate volume purchases from carriers. At the same time, IT could keep inexpensive phones around to activate on an as-needed basis. What's clear from all of this is that there may be changes coming, but a lot of that has to do with how quickly and at what rate consumers and enterprises adopt pre-paid packages. Regardless, the changes won't be fast, but the current situation, with its massive price inefficiencies, can't continue unaffected.2013-01-11T08:30:00ZAndroid Smartphone Developments At CES 2013There weren't many smartphone announcements at CES 2013, but most of them were for Android phones and here they are, including one phablet. Pantech, Sony and Huawei all announced phones some exclusively for the Chinese market and Intel released a CPU and reference platform optimized for Android and also designed for low cost in emerging markets.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/smart-phones/android-smartphone-developments-at-ces-2/240146075?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThere hasn't been much action on the smartphone front at CES 2013 in Las Vegas. Most of the Android devices have been in refrigerators, cars and other such devices, not phones and tablets. But there were a few Android phone announcements. The highlights:<ul><li>Pantech announced the Discover phone, which they market as a less-expensive alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S3</li> <li>Huawei showed 2 Android phones, including the more interesting Ascend Mate, with a display large enough to qualify as a phablet.</li> <li>Sony's Xperia Z has a slick design, including water-resistance.</li> <li>Intel is getting into the mobile phone processor market with a chip and reference design targeting Android phones for emerging markets.</li></ul> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/smart-phones/android-smartphone-developments-at-ces-2/240146075?pgno=2">Next: Pantech Discover (AT&T)</a> Pantech Discover Touted by Pantech as a $50 alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S3, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pantech.co.kr/en/board/reportBoardView.do;jsessionid=EC909A1963627DEE3083C37F72470A57">this 4.8" LTE smartphone called Discover sounds like a bargain</a>. It runs Android 4.0 as does the Galaxy and sports a dual core 1.5GHz CPU. The company did not discuss how much RAM the device would have, or who makes the processors. The Galaxy S3 has a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Krait and 1GB RAM. The Discover comes standard with 16GB of on-board storage and a 2,100 mAh battery that AT&T claims is good for 10 hours. It also supports NFC. The Galaxy has a 2,100mAh battery and claims 11 hours of 3G talk time. At CES Pantech decided to market the phone as a cheap alternative to the Galaxy. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/7/3846668/pantech-discover-hands-on-50-phone">The Verge reported</a> that the company handed out (obviously fake) $150 bills along with the rest of the marketing materials. The $50 version of the smartphone requires a two-year contract with AT&T. The phone weighs about 135 grams (approx. 4.8 oz), and is 9.1mm (.3-inch) thick, just slightly thicker and heavier than the Galaxy S3's 133g, and 8.6mm thickness. The Discover outclasses the Galaxy in terms of the rear camera offering a 12.6 megapixels versus the Galaxy S3's 8. The front cameras are nearly identical, with the Discover at 2 megapixels and the Galaxy at 1.9. AT&T says it will be available beginning today (January 11, 2013). <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/smart-phones/android-smartphone-developments-at-ces-2/240146075?pgno=3">Next: Huawei Ascend Mate</a> Huawei Ascend Mate Huawei, a company you've probably never heard of, but which generated over $32 billion in revenue last year, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.huawei.com/en/about-huawei/newsroom/press-release/hw-201291-ascendd2.htm">unveiled two Android phones at CES this year</a>. The first, and more interesting of the pair is the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.huawei.com/en/about-huawei/newsroom/press-release/hw-201290-smartphonescreen.htm">Ascend Mate</a>. The company claims that the device includes the largest screen on a phone in the world. At 6.1" it very well might be. (The Samsung Galaxy Note II, by comparison, features a 5.55" display.) But as large as the dispaly is, it's disappointing. It won't display full 1080p the display is 1280x720, i.e. 720p. 720p is still HD, but with a larger screen we expected the higher resolution, because at that point it may be possible to notice a difference. The rest of the hardware sounds decent enough. A 1.5GHz Hi-Silicon quad-core processor powers the device. The company claims the 4050 mAh battery provides, "... up to two days of ordinary usage on a single charge." They also claim that the charging system charges the device 30 percent more quickly, although they don't specify to which device they're comparing it. The operating system is Android 4.1. In addition, it features an eight megapixel rear-facing camera, and a one-megapixel front-facing camera. Unfortunately the company will release the phone in China only, and hasn't announced other markets at this point. But, with such a big screen we're curious to get our hands on one. The other phone, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.huawei.com/en/about-huawei/newsroom/press-release/hw-201291-ascendd2.htm">the Ascend D2</a>, is also China-only. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/smart-phones/android-smartphone-developments-at-ces-2/240146075?pgno=4">Next: Sony Xperia Z</a>Sony Xperia Z Sony's new smartphone offerings for Android, the <a target="_blank" href=""http://www.sonymobile.com/us/products/phones/xperia-z/>Xperia Z</a> and the similar Xperia ZL, sound impressive. The Xperia Z boasts a 5" screen that displays 1920x1080 full HD and a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 quad-core chip with 2GB of RAM running Android 4.1. The company also says the phone will come standard with a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera. It also has 16GB of built in storage and supports NFC. At 7.9mm (.31 inch) the body is 0.3mm thicker than an iPhone 5 and weighs about 146g (5.15 oz), making it slightly heavier than the iPhone. What caught our eye was the water resistance technology. Sony says an owner can submerge the phone for up to 30 minutes in about three feet of water. That means you can drop it in the toilet. [EDITOR'S NOTE: BYTE DOES NOT RECOMMEND THAT YOU DROP YOUR PHONE IN THE TOILET!] Even with the waterproofing, it doesn't sound like Sony made any compromises. The Micro USB, MicroSD, and SIM card openings are all under panels and flap doors. The Xperia ZL, Sony's other offering is a different form factor. The smartphone isn't as tall or as wide as the Z, but it is a bit thicker at 9.8mm. The ZL also isn't waterproof. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/smart-phones/android-smartphone-developments-at-ces-2/240146075?pgno=5">Next: Intel Does Android</a>It's not a new phone (yet) and it won't likely be in any phones you can buy in the USA, but Intel is getting into the Android phone market. Not with an actual phone, but with a CPU targeted at low-cost Android phones in emerging markets. They call it the <a target="_blank" href="http://download.intel.com/newsroom/kits/ces/2013/pdfs/Intel_Atom_Processor_Z2420_ProductBrief.pdf">Atom Z2420 w/XMM 6265</a> chip, code-named Lexington. Intel has designed a reference platform and claims the following specs for it:<ul><li>Runs Google’s Android</li> <li>The 1.2 GHz Atom processor Z2420 with hyperthreading has up to 1.2GHz</li> <li>Dual sim cards</li> <li>Intel XMM 6265 HSPA+ modem</li> <li>HD video encoding and decoding (1080p 30fps)</li> <li>1.3MP front-facing cameras, 5MP rear-facing cameras</li> <li>Camera support with seven-frame burst mode, and SGX540 graphics.</li> <li>FM radio to get media contents without using your data plan</li> <li>Equipped with microSD card slot to easily expands your storage(now a 32GB SD card onlycost around $30)</li> <li>Intel Wireless Display for playback on TVs or devices</li></ul> Acer, Lava International and Safaricom will support the chip.2013-01-08T10:30:00ZApp Piracy Tools Going Down For NowA popular app piracy tool has recently shut down, but two new options to bypass Apple DRM and install pirated iOS apps are available. Piracy of iPhone and iPad apps will still run wild unless app developers build in safety modules.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/app-piracy-tools-going-down-for-now/240145693?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsIn an apparent victory for app developers, a popular tool for app piracy, Installous, shut down last week, prompting software pirates worldwide to seek out alternatives. However, it doesn't look like it's going to be easy for them. The lack of easy alternatives following the popular Installous' decision to shut down is a minor victory for an industry plagued by piracy problems. "Despite all of the rigmarole that Apple sends developers through to sign their apps, the certificate system hasn't proven an effective anti-piracy measure at all," said a developer familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified. He believes that piracy rates are between 80-90 percent amongst paid apps, and the first paid game his company launched, ended up as a free offering on the App Store because of piracy concerns, the developer said. The company's next offering will also be free. The developer offered two additional observations about piracy and China. First "... iOS users don't seem particularly interested in purchasing any sort of paid application up front." Additionally, he said "close to 100 percent" of the pirates are using devices that appear to be from China. As we've previously reported, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/flawed-report-claims-24-of-25-top-app-co/240144159">gaming companies that offer free app downloads often generate significant revenue from in-app purchases</a>, but our developer source says that once the apps go free, Chinese users spend little on in-game purchases. Last week The Next Web reported on <a target="_blank" href="http://thenextweb.com/apple/2013/01/01/low-down-dirty-iphone-app-pirates/">two new options to bypass Apple DRM and install pirated iOS apps</a>. BYTE decided to investigate. The first app mentioned in The Next Web story, <a target="_blank" href="http://zeusmos.com/">Zeusmos</a>, is written by Kevin Ko, a 15 year old boy. According to The Next Web, Zeusmos "... allows you to install cracked application on your iDevice without jailbreaking." Zeusmos uses a developer licensing certificate to install apps with the DRM stripped. The app even goes as far as allowing users to share cracked apps with friends via email and social media. Although initially it looked as though Ko had designed the app specifically to pirate apps, the teenager has since made several statements denying that, and released an update with fixes that prevent piracy. He has a message for anyone who thinks otherwise: "... I hope they will reconsider that fact with some of the actual updates that are [forthcoming] with changes that strictly take a stand against piracy," Ko explained in an e-mail to BYTE. "I'm aware simply stating something will not get anything done, but rather doing it will." The developer familiar with the software involved, who asked not to be identified, doesn't see it that way. "... though the author maintains that it was not intended to promote piracy that is clearly how it is used," the developer said in an e-mail to BYTE. The developer added that Ko claimed future versions would make app piracy more difficult. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/news/2013-Jan/jollyroger.png" /> Zeusmos's real purpose, Ko maintains is to save developers time by "significantly simplifying" the code signing process. He also said that it's useful "...for developers aren't familiar with iOS development." He plans to use Zeusmos to help distribute an upcoming science fair project, he told BYTE. "As a developer tool, it sounds like something that might actually be useful," the developer familiar with the matter said. The reason, he told BYTE, is that deploying test versions of an app is a "pain point" for developers, and that portions of the process are "quite arduous." Services such as TestFlight emerged to deal with tester issues, but he said that " ... [I] usually lose an entire day to the system every time I need to do some maintenance or management." Ko says, and the developer agrees, tentatively, that Zeumos makes getting a test program onto a device easier. "However," the developer said, "I doubt legitimate developers will want to go anywhere near it now that it has been associated with piracy." In Zeusmos' new version Ko claims, he's removed the app's features that simplified piracy, and set up a system to monitor and take action against users who misuse his software. A press release from Ko says "Kevin's goal with Zeusmos is to create a self-sustainable enterprise that can ... control and maintain a program library with a simplified version of distribution to a mass audience while not facilitating piracy or violating Apple's licensing terms.". BYTE tried out Zeusmos. We weren't able to access the Apple App store. There was a place to download apps called "Exclusive," but BYTE couldn't get any of them to actually install on the test device. At the time of writing this article, the upload function on the web dashboard was disabled, so we were unable to test the reported code-signing function. The second option mentioned in The Next Web story, called Kuaiyong, isn't safe to install, says security researcher 0xabad1dea (aka Melissa Elliott). Elliot initially judged Kuaiyong unsafe because "... it was very similar to a malicious pirating utility [researchers] had seen before and it appeared to just be a new iteration," Elliot said in an e-mail to BYTE. But, after she had looked into it further, it appeared that there was no "overtly user-malicious," code in the software. She cautioned that the EULA is "ominous," and the code itself is "open ended." Elliot went on to explain that Kuaiyong works by "... writing something over USB to fool the iDevice into passively accepting anything owned by these IDs [the few dozen owned by Kuaiyong] as being authorized to run (with the important note that they must be correctly signed, i.e., you cannot install malware or Cydia, only things from the App Store)." Elliot "strongly recommend[s]," that people do not run Kuaiyong, because its user ID trickery is buggy and can cause problems with the app store after using it, she said. Time will tell if these developments will actually curb rampant app piracy. But, for the moment, some of the most popular tools, and their alternatives are no longer available. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.2013-01-07T09:15:00ZApple Discounts For Big, Loyal BuyersYou would probably assume that volume purchasers get discounts from Apple, as they do from any other company. But how much? We have the numbers. And you don't have to be a real business to take advantage of the discounts just use the products for business.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/apple-discounts-for-big-loyal-buyers/240145654?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsBig companies aren't like you and me. Vendors like dealing with big companies for the obvious reason that they buy large volumes of products. And to encourage those sales, vendors give discounts to big buyers. What about Apple? When a big bank says it wants to buy a thousand iPads, of course it won't You don't have to be a business to get discounts for large purchases from Apple. Apple has a "loyalty discount" program for purchases at relatively low levels. There are two price lists, one for sales above $5,000 and one for sales above $35,000: <TABLE style="border:1px solid black;"> <TR style="border:1px solid black;"><TD style="border:1px solid black;"> </TD><TD style="border:1px solid black;">Discount for Purchases >$5,000</TD><TD style="border:1px solid black;">Discount for Purchases >$35,000</TD></TR> <TR style="border:1px solid black;"><TD style="border:1px solid black;">Macs, iPods, Displays, and Accessories (both Apple and third-party)</TD><TD style="border:1px solid black;">5 percent</TD><TD style="border:1px solid black;">7 percent</TD></TR> <TR style="border:1px solid black;"><TD style="border:1px solid black;">Applecare for Mac, iPad, and iPod</TD><TD style="border:1px solid black;">10 percent</TD><TD style="border:1px solid black;">15 percent</TD></TR> <TR style="border:1px solid black;"><TD style="border:1px solid black;">iPad</TD><TD style="border:1px solid black;">2 percent - 4 percent (depending on quantity)</TD><TD style="border:1px solid black;">2 percent - 4 percent (depending on quantity)</TD></TR> </TABLE> [UPDATE:] The $5,000 and $35,000 thresholds for "loyalty pricing," as Apple calls these discounts, are based on a 12-month rolling purchase total. The discounts aren't enormous, but they aren't chump change, either. It's striking how small they are for the iPad. Clearly Apple feels it can sell all it wants with minimal discount. 4 percent on an entry-level iPad is about $20. The really good news is that you don't really need to be a business to establish a business account and take advantage of business discounts. Any individual or group can go to an Apple Store, establish a business account and purchase through it. The accounting for you and your friends might get a bit tricky, and shipments go to a single address, but it could be done. [UPDATE:] If you don't live near an Apple store, you can call an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.apple.com/retail/business/">Apple Retail Business Team</a> at any Apple store. Any store can ship to you, although it may be easiest to deal with the store physically closest to you. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/BLOGS/Blaustein_Julie/Julie_Blaustein-AppleSF_2.jpg" /> 2012-12-14T09:31:00ZGoogle Maps On iPhone To The RescueGoogle's Maps app is a welcome relief to Apple's blundering attempt at a Maps app. It goes toe-to-toe with Apple Maps in many respects, but doesn't include some of the really neat features that are in the Android and Web apps. If you loved the old Google Maps on your iPhone, download this new app immediately. But if, like me, you use an iPad much more often, this is a disappointing release.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/google-maps-on-iphone-to-the-rescue/240144420?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsYesterday Google released <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-maps/id585027354?mt=8">the latest iOS version of its popular maps service</a>. We've tested it out and review it here with a focus on comparing it to the now-infamous Apple Maps. Google created the app in response to Apple's decision to stop licensing the search giant's mapping technology and develop its own app for iOS customers. Apple's initial maps release caused enough problems that <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/apple-apologizes-for-ios-6-maps/240008107">CEO Tim Cook released an apology letter</a>, and recommended third-party apps. <div style="margin:0; padding: 0 5px 5px 0; width:130px; float:left; text-align:center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Dec/Google-Maps-iPhone/sanfrancisco.jpg"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Dec/Google-Maps-iPhone/sanfrancisco-120.jpg" alt="San Francisco" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#990000; font-weight:bold;">San Francisco (click to enlarge)</div></div>The underlying technology in Google's new app is the same vector-based 2D and 3D imaging including Google Earth that we've all come to expect on the Web and other platforms. Both apps offer driving, walking, and transit information, as well as turn-by-turn driving directions. Finally, both apps have is the ability to load locations and directions from other apps and Web pages. Both apps are easy to read, and display basic map information reasonably well. But when it comes to the details, differences emerged in my tests. Google's map iteration includes a layer for public transportation that, in San Francisco at least, includes all the bus, LRT, and underground routes. Apple's app doesn't display transit info although it does provide transit directions. The traffic layer in Google Maps is much easier to read than the dinky dotted lines that Apple's app displays those hard-to-see lines are small and faint. Google's are big marker-like indicators. Apple Maps also only shows one level of traffic density, versus Google's four. <div style="margin:0; padding: 0 0 5px 5px; width:130px; float:right; text-align:center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Dec/Google-Maps-iPhone/turn-by-turn.jpg"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Dec/Google-Maps-iPhone/turn-by-turn-120.jpg" alt="Turn-By-Turn" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#990000; font-weight:bold;">Turn-By-Turn (click to enlarge)</div></div>Forget using Siri with Google Maps. Even when I told her to "use Google Maps to find directions to the San Francisco Federal building," I still ended up with Apple's directions. Granted, Siri is something of a novelty, but while driving it's useful to not have to pull over and type addresses. Incidentally, Google Maps crashed whenever I tried to click the mic button to speak to it. Yelp reviews are one distinct advantage the Apple Maps can claim. The app displays a Yelp review, with a link to further information on Yelp at every point of interest. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.yelp.com/about">Yelp boasts over 33 million reviews on various services</a> that are <a target="_blank" href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/15/yelp-20-million-reviews/">well distributed across the U.S.</a> Google's app also offers reviews, but instead pulls them from its Google Plus Local, which has over 10 million reviews worldwide. In addition, for restaurants at least, Plus Local includes the now-Google-owned Zagat score with a few words from the Zagat review itself. Google's app has two other features that Apple didn't build into its software: Street View, and the ability to see inside some businesses with photographs. There are a couple of ways to access Street View the first is to search for a business or point of interest, poke the point of interest, slide the menu that appears upward, and poke the Street View button. If that sounds complicated and difficult to understand, then you get the picture. <div style="margin:0; padding: 0 5px 5px 0; width:130px; float:left; text-align:center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Dec/Google-Maps-iPhone/delfina.jpg"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Dec/Google-Maps-iPhone/delfina-120.jpg" alt="Street View" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#990000; font-weight:bold;">Street View (click to enlarge)</div></div>I had to call Google to figure out the second way. A spokesperson explained that I needed to "long poke" (poke and hold) any point on the map, poke the pin that drops, and slide the menu that appears upward. Voila. Street View. Street view is a cool feature, but I don't often use it. Once in a while I've found it handy to scout locations for films or commercials. I also once used Street View to double check a parking sign near where I parked to verify that I wouldn't exceed the restrictions. But that's about it. In terms of the business photos, I looked once when Google announced the feature, but have not used it again. Noticeably absent from Google's maps are Android/Web-only features such as offline maps, and bicycling directions. Offline maps is one thing that I miss quite a lot, and I wish Google had included it. Bicycling directions are more of a luxury, but a nice one at that. Apple Maps doesn't offer either of those features. My biggest complaint is: there's no iPad version of Google Maps. That annoyed me because although Google Maps is easy to use on a phone with a small screen, the mini's large screen actually made all the pinches, pokes and spins necessary to get the app to do what I wanted much more difficult. When I doubled the app's size, it made the maps and Street View images look horrible. Unfortunately there's no relief in sight either. Google wouldn't comment on the possibility of a Maps release for iPad. At this point, since my iPad is my main device, I'm not going to start using Google Maps on it. But, I'll definitely keep it on my iPhone. Name: <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-maps/id585027354?mt=8">Google Maps</a><blockquote>Google's Maps app is a welcome relief to Apple's blundering attempt at a Maps app. It goes toe-to-toe with Apple Maps in many respects, but doesn't include some of the really neat features that are in the Android and web app. If you loved the old Google Maps on your iPhone, download this new app immediately. But if, like me, you use an iPad much more often this is a disappointing release. </blockquote> Price: Free Pros:<ul><li>Accurate, reliable maps.</li><li>Turn-by-turn directions.</li><li>Street View, including inside-business photos.</li><li>Reputable Zagat restaurant review integration</li></ul> Cons:<ul><li>Hard to use and looks horrible on iPad.</li><li>No Siri integration.</li><li>Several Android-only features, such as offline maps not included.</ul> <iframe width="620" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KEz1sSKCpIc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#999900; font-size:small; ;font-style: italic; text-align:right;">A Google ad for Google Maps for iPhone on YouTube</div>2012-12-11T07:33:00ZFlawed Report Claims 24 of 25 Top App Companies Sell GamesA report by research firm Canalys says that revenues in the app business are dominated by game developers. We think the analysis is flawed, but it's also true that revenue opportunities are potentially more plentiful for games than other apps.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/flawed-report-claims-24-of-25-top-app-co/240144159?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsAccording to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.canalys.com/newsroom/top-25-us-developers-account-half-app-revenue">a recent report by market research firm Canalys</a>, 24 of the top 25 grossing app companies that develop games account for roughly $60 million, or 50 percent of total app revenue in the US. The study accounts for the companies only not apps themselves. For example, Rovio, renowned for its Angry Birds app and its focus on that success, has a few game variants on the list of earners that contribute to its appearance amongst other high earners. Other companies, such as Zynga, have 15 titles amongst the top earners. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/commentary/2012-Dec/apps.jpg" /> For developers not among the top few dozen, it's clear from the research that marketing is a challenge. The enormous app inventories that Apple and Google boast are, in fact, a problem for developers, not a selling point the way they are for consumers. No matter how good an app is, quality doesn't always get it the attention it deserves, according to Canalysys's findings. The study also recommends that developers evaluate methods to market and advertise apps, keeping in mind ways to "... exploit social media and social recommendations," as well as other promotions, cross-promotions, and discounts. The press release is an obvious attention grabber. There's considerably more to the mobile market's landscape than a fast scan of the Canalys release might imply. To begin with, the study includes both paid-for downloads and in-app purchases, but doesn't separate the two, or rank the companies with that angle in mind. That's an important data point to consider. The freemium business model is gaining traction amongst investors and proving viable. For example, in-app purchases are projected to account for enormous revenues more than 64 percent of total smartphone app sales revenue by 2015, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.isuppli.com/Media-Research/News/Pages/In-App-Purchases-Will-Dominate-the-Smartphone-App-Business.aspx">according to IHS iSuppli</a>. So what's the split of in-game purchases versus paid downloads? Canalys doesn't tell us the answer, so we're left guessing. But how about the apps that aren't games? I think the growth potential for those apps is limited, and that's why they didn't make it into the study. I can see in-store sales for certain categories of non-game apps, but not as many. For example, a company that offers travel guides could sell offline features such as maps, reviews, and translator on a region-to-region basis inside an app. There are many such examples, but the sales opportunities are limited, because users of such options are unlikely to buy at more than one region/language. The developer, in the meantime, will probably choose to support only the most popular versions. Games offer developers the possibility of manufacturing in-app purchases without limits. For instance, there are expansion packs, special attributes for an in-game character, even just cosmetic upgrades. The study doesn't take this into account, or really address the issue. So Canalys's study just looks at the surface, it doesn't dive deeply. Then there is the question of Pandora. The one company on the list that doesn't make games. It’s obviously bringing cash in the door but the company lost money overall in Q2 2012  <a target="_blank" href="http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/29/pandoras-q2-2013-101-3m-in-revenue-54-9m-active-users-and-a-net-loss-of-5-4m/">about five million dollars</a>. Its revenue also fluctuates considerably. That leads to the second obvious question: How profitable are the companies on Canalys' list? I don't know. Some companies on the list are public, like Pandora. But even then it's difficult to determine mobile app profitability for other public companies like Walt Disney, which has many, many divisions and revenue streams. To get an accurate picture how well companies do by mobile apps, it would be necessary to do the study all over again but next time ask the somewhat-obvious question: "What's your profit margin?" In terms of Pandora, I personally don't use it. <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pandora-radio/id284035177?mt=8">The iTunes store helpfully lists Pandora One as the most popular in-app purchase</a>. Pandora One is the company's premium service that includes ad-free listening and better audio quality. But my research suggests that their revenue is split between on air ad sales, online, and subscriptions. I'm left wondering if Pandora gets a cut every time someone buys some of the music the company broadcasts. In the end the study falls short. It's biased toward games and doesn't give a lot of the other hard-working app developers anything to go on just that they should start making games. It also leaves lingering questions such as how successful the in-app sales are. And then there's the much more important question: how profitable is making games? After all it's Rovio.com not Rovio.org.2012-12-07T16:22:00ZGMail 2.0 Catches Up With CompetitionThe latest version of Gmail for the iPhone and iPad has an elegant new design -- closer to that of Google Plus -- and several new features. Some of the improvements merely bring it up-to-date with competitors. Others, such as search, should make you think about switching from Apple's Mail.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/mobile-applications/gmail-20-catches-up-with-competition/240144095?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsGoogle released <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/gmail/id422689480?mt=8">Gmail 2.0 for iPad and iPhone</a> this week. The new version comes with a redesigned user interface -- closer to Google's Plus app -- and a few other minor features. I use Apple's iOS Mail program and wanted to find out first hand if it was time to switch to Gmail 2.0. I tested the app out on an iPhone and an iPad. As we all know, Apple sets high standards for the user experience. Because Mail comes free with iOS, any alternatives have to offer a compelling reason to switch. Gmail 2.0 succeeds on both iPad and iPhone, sort of. The new design is elegant. It looks and feels a lot like Apple Mail with a few minor but noticeable differences. For example, Gmail includes much larger buttons for actions such as reply and forward. I loved that. Profile images are another feature that sets it apart from Mail. I'm not sure where the images come from -- Google Plus is one obvious source -- and anyone Gmail can't find an image for gets the first letter of his first name in white, on a green background. I expected Gmail's search to be good, coming from a world-renowned search company. I was not disappointed. If there was ever a compelling reason for me to switch from Apple's Mail, Gmail search would be it. Mail gives me nothing but problems when I search for old emails -- and I have thousands of old emails. Not so with Gmail 2.0. I found everything quickly and easily. In the blog post announcing the new version, Google pointed out a few new features such as multiple accounts, and Google Calendar integration. I don't see the big deal. In my mind multiple accounts and calendar invitations brings the app up-to-speed with the competition. That's how I see the new app overall: Elegant new design, and a bunch of features that bring it up-to-date with its peers. Name: <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/gmail/id422689480?mt=8">Gmail 2.0</a><blockquote>If Gmail is your go-to email service, then download the new version immediately. Gmail 2.0's elegant new interface rivals Apple Mail's. And although features like multiple accounts and meeting invitations aren't ground-breaking, it's good to finally have them. Best reason to leave Apple Mail for Gmail: Searching for emails is a lot easier.</blockquote> Price: Free Pros:<ul><li>Elegant new interface.</li> <li>Push notifications.</li><li>Search is fantastic.</li></ul> Cons:<ul><li>Gmail account required.</li><li>New features merely bring Gmail 2.0 up to par with peers.</li></ul> Next Page: GMail 2.0 ScribbleScribble is a new addition to Gmail, although I'm not sure what it's for yet. I've never wanted to draw on my iPad before, and it was really hard to draw anything sensible on my iPhone. It might be useful for simple electronic signatures, but <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/digital-content/adobe-integrates-echosign-e-signature-se/232900261">there are more professional ways</a> to add <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/desktop-operating-systems/how-to-add-pdf-signatures-in-os-x-107-li/231300077">electronic signatures</a>. Next Page: Searching in GMail 2.0My favorite part of Gmail 2.0 is how easy it makes searching. Google's strength as a search giant comes through here as I was able to find just about any email I was able to think of. It's straightforward, intuitive, and offers the same sort of live results and suggestions as Google's Web search. It beats iOS Mail's search hands down. Next Page: The GMail 2.0 Interface The iPhone screen is tiny compared with the iPad's, so this necessarily makes GMail on the iPhone harder to use. For example, it's impossible to look at folders and messages at the same time when holding the phone vertically. To see them both, the phone has to be horizontal. But on an iPad it looks amazing. After switching back to iOS Mail after using Gmail 2.0 for only a few minutes I missed certain parts of Gmail 2.0 already. Next Page: Multiple Accounts in GMail 2.0The new version supports multiple Gmail accounts. Some people might find that useful, but I've got all of my various email addresses -- I've got six or seven at this point -- forwarding to one spot, in iOS Mail. iOS does not support multiple accounts, however, so I could see this feature being useful if more than one person uses the same device. Then again, I would get notified about other people's emails. Next Page: Calendar InvitationsGoogle's made a big deal of this feature on its blog. Coming from Apple's Mail, where invitations are integrated already in much the same way, it feels more like Gmail is catching up to the competition than bypassing it. Next Page: The Mute ButtonHere's a curious little guy, and one feature Google didn't talk about: mute. When viewing an email, clicking the "more" button in the top right of the screen reveals several options, mute among them. Mute, basically, stops showing a certain thread in the inbox without adding the sender(s) to the spam filter list. The help page Google provides makes it look like mute is available for Gmail on the Web, too, but I couldn't find it.2012-11-29T12:02:00ZDrop Your Cell Plan And Still Use Your PhoneHere's how to hack a free mobile phone plan. The downsides include having to change your number and not being able to make 911 calls.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/wireless/drop-your-cell-plan-and-still-use-your-p/240142622?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsMobile providers are a thing of the past. With the proliferation of Wi-Fi networks and VOIP services, a carrier isn't needed anymore to make calls. When my Sprint contract expired, I decided to hack a cheaper plan by using an old pre-paid cell phone, a FreedomPop hotspot, and a tablet to make calls and send text messages. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/howto/2012-Nov/skype-gvoice-fpop.jpg" /> I'm not alone here. In fact, almost a fifth of smart phone users in the U.S. and Europe don't have a data plan, according to the Wall Street Journal. Instead of relying on mobile broadband, smart phone users rely on Wi-Fi. After looking more closely at the study mentioned by the Journal, I found that here in the U.S., it is normal for carriers to require a data plan with every smart phone. When I spoke to the sales desk of Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T, they said it was industry standard to require a data plan with every smart phone. Often you can buy the phone with no plan commitment, but you end up paying hundreds of dollars for the phone. If you don't mind changing your existing number, here's how to hack the system so you can make calls without committing to a data plan. First, buy a new telephone number from Skype. A Skype number runs $18 every three months plus either a Skype credit ($10 increments), or a U.S. and Canada unlimited calling plan ($2.99/month), which makes the total phone bill $9.99 a month. Skype apps are available on all the major platforms. For me, the iPad version of the app crashed a number of times while trying to answer calls; this is obviously a problem. In order to send and receive text messages you must buy credit from Skype, and every sent and received message is $0.112. That's not a lot, but I send hundreds of text messages every month and $0.112 does add up quickly. As far as sound quality goes, Skype's call and video still sounds like voice over IP service, but I didn't have to repeat myself. Besides sounding like I'm speaking in a room with an echo, the quality isn't bad. In many ways, the best alternative I found was Google Voice. For starters, it's free. It also comes with a phone number and you can even port an existing number to it for $20. But Google Voice has even more limits than Skype. It's available in the U.S. only. Additionally, the service needs to connect to a second phone (like a Skype number), or open Google Chat session (in Gmail) in order to make an outgoing call. In other words, when you initiate a call on a computer you first choose a phone from which to make the call. This phone can be Google Talk, but for that to work there must be an open Gmail session. If you choose another phone, such as a desk or cell phone set up in your Google Voice settings, then Google Voice calls that number, You answer that call and hear the phone ringing the number you told Google Voice to call. If this sounds awkward and inconvenient then you understand it perfectly. The Google Voice app can't directly make calls using a Google Chat session on a mobile device; instead you have to tell it to call from your cell phone's carrier plan -- but, of course, the point of all this is to ditch your carrier plan. I managed to locate third-party apps that allow calls directly from mobile devices, including <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talkatone-free-calls-sms-texting/id397648381?mt=8">Talkatone</a> (free, but with ads). On Android <a target="_blank" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gvoip&hl=en">GrooVe IP</a> delivers a fully functional Voice account. GrooVe IP costs $4.99 for the full version. There is also a free Lite version with ads and some features missing. On iOS there's <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/igvoice-google-voice-voip/id505841809?mt=8">iGVoice</a> ($4.99) and the above-mentioned Talkatone, that allow calls. If the third-party apps disappear, it's not really a big deal. It's easy to go the Skype route as discussed above, and get Google Voice to ring the Skype number. You can set Google Voice can ring multiple numbers of yours at once on incoming calls to your Google Voice number. In addition to letting you port an existing number, Google's Voice product has several advantages. It offers a voicemail service that transcribes incoming voice mails, and sends the transcriptions to you in email. The transcriptions are often comically bad, but you also get a control to play back the audio of the message. It has unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada, and competitive overseas pricing. Finally, it offers unlimited SMS messaging, which can be a way around the SMS costs in Skype. Google Voice's quality was better than Skype when I used Google Chat to call. It has a Web-based interface -- SMS messaging with a full keyboard is a real pleasure -- as well as apps for iPhone and Android. Once the question of provider has been settled, there is the issue Wi-Fi availability. I spend 95% of my time at my office or at home -- both with Wi-Fi. So that wasn't much of a problem for me. Plus it's so easy nowadays to find hotspots that I never ran into trouble. Of course, I live in San Francisco, one of the most wired spots in the U.S. My only concern for Wi-Fi accessibility was when I was on the road. When I was testing the phone, I didn't need emergency or roadside assistance, but I see some downsides here. This is a really important point. Make no mistake, like all of the VOIP providers say in their terms and conditions -- it's not a replacement for an emergency phone. I dialed 911 from Skype and Voice, and in both cases it didn't work. So now I carry a pre-paid phone with me. I found that a prepaid plan with an unlocked phone works with Google Voice. It's easy to set up Google Voice to also ring that number (along with Skype, and any others like a land line), as well as deliver SMS messages to it. Skype can forward calls when you're offline, but it can't deliver SMS messages. To circumvent situations where Wi-Fi isn't available, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/wireless/freedompop-4g-data-for-free-if-youre-car/240009698?queryText=freedompop">FreedomPop</a> is a reasonable solution. FreedomPop offers 4G data for no cost. So, for a $99 refundable deposit, it's possible to send or receive SMS messages for free, and make voice calls without Wi-Fi. Check the coverage map, as their territory is limited. You don't even really need a phone -- a tablet, laptop or any Wi-fi device that has Bluetooth and a Bluetooth ear gadget will basically give you a cordless phone. Knowing what I know now, I closed my mobile account and ported my number to Google Voice. I haven't tested FreedomPop yet. As I said, I'm also carrying a prepaid phone, just in case of emergency. It does mean that I'll likely carry three devices on the road -- an old pre-paid cell phone, the FreedomPop hotspot, and a tablet -- but I think the extra gear is worth it considering I get to wave goodbye to my $100-a-month mobile bill. 2012-11-14T08:30:00ZVisual Tour: Kaspersky Mobile Security For Android PhonesKaspersky Mobile Security is a comprehensive package that would seem to address many -- if not all -- of consumers' smart phone security concerns. It protects Android phones with anti-virus scans, blocks of unwanted calls and text messages, and theft recovery, all for just $9.95 a year. Too bad neither we nor Kaspersky could get the anti-theft tools to work.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/news/240124955?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsKaspersky Mobile Security is advertised as providing all the security you could need for your Android smart phone. It combines traditional computer security -- anti-virus scans and protection from malicious websites -- with protection from online and real-world threats. It works with phones running Android versions 2.2 (Froyo) through 4.1 (Jelly Bean). Online protection includes an anti-virus component that scans in real time, Web browser protection, and a filter to block unwanted calls and text messages. The "real world" protection features are meant to help in case of a phone's loss or, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jacksonsun.com/viewart/20121021/NEWS/121021001/Thefts-cell-phones-rise-rapidly-nationwide">even more likely</a>, theft -- a fast-growing problem. Although Kaspersky Mobile Security won't prevent a theft, it aims to help recover your phone after the fact. It's got four tools to do so: Device Lock, Locate, Data Wipe, and Mugshot. The first three tools let users remotely lock, locate or wipe lost or stolen devices. The owner activates these actions on Kaspersky's website, which in turn sends the commands to the phone. Mugshot, like <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/smart-phones/apps-to-save-your-lost-or-stolen-iphone/232901440">many similar apps for the iPhone</a>, uses the front-facing camera to take a photograph -- with any luck, of the crook who stole your phone. It's also possible to control some features with SMS commands. Unfortunately, none of the anti-theft functions worked properly on my Samsung Galaxy S. When I logged on to Kaspersky's website and tried to send a command such as "locate," it queued up properly, but never made it to my phone, even after several days. I enlisted help from Kaspersky's support team, but even the experts could not get the anti-theft features to work. It's too bad. If these features worked, Kapersky Mobile Security would be a good all-around and affordable security package for Android phones. Name: <a target="_blank" href="http://usa.kaspersky.com/products-services/home-computer-security/mobile-security">Kaspersky Mobile Security</a><blockquote>Kaspersky Mobile Security is a comprehensive package that covers many aspects of mobile security, for just $9.95 a year. But try it before you buy it. We couldn't get the anti-theft features to work -- even with help from Kaspersky's support team.</blockquote> Price: $9.95 a year. Pros:<ul><li>No noticeable difference in battery life with a virus scan running in the background.</li><li>Combines traditional PC security with mobile-specific security.</li><li>App notifies you if the SIM card is replaced, with the new phone number.</li></ul> Cons:<ul><li>Anti-theft features did not work on a Samsung Galaxy S phone.</li><li>Available only for Android smart phones.</li></ul>The anti-virus tools in Kaspersky Mobile Security seemed to work well. After you install the app it recommends scanning the entire contents of your phone. This took 50 minutes on my Samsung Galaxy S, but the amount of time didn't matter. The app used between 2.5% and 13% of my phone's CPU, which left plenty enough crunching power to make calls, send emails, tweet -- even watch an HD movie trailer on YouTube. After the initial scan you can choose from three modes: extended, recommended or disabled. "Recommended" mode worked well for me. The app quickly scanned all the new apps I downloaded, and the background operations did not cause a noticeable performance slowdown or even reduced battery life. This feature lets you temporarily hide contact information, call logs, and texting conversations with any contacts you add to a list. It can also be turned on remotely via SMS command. Unfortunately, every contact you want to hide has to be added manually, but if there aren't many sensitive contacts in your list, this shouldn't be a problem.The anti-theft features in Kaspersky Mobile Security are industry standard and comparable to those in other mobile security apps. They're controlled via a Web interface or SMS commands. One feature we especially liked is SIM Watch, a tool that protects your device from what most thieves do almost immediately: change the SIM card. The app claims that if the SIM card is changed it will lock the phone, then SMS and email the new SIM card's phone number to the user. Here's where we had problems. Even with help from Kaspersky's support team, we couldn't get any of the anti-theft features to work properly. We were able to log in to the website, but none of the commands we sent from there ever reached our phone. Try the 30-day trial download to make sure Kaspesky Mobile Security works with your phone before purchasing.The call and SMS filter offers an easy way to block unwanted calls and text messages. There are several modes but I found the most effective was to allow incoming calls and SMS messages from contacts in my address book. For unknown contacts, the app pops up a window that offers the choice to allow the text or call and add it to the list, or block it. It also offers the choice to block calls and SMS messages from non-numeric sources, a common tactic of spammers.Web protection -- blocking malicious websites before you open them -- is a standard feature in desktop security software. It's now extended to Android, but you're out of luck if you don't want to use the barebones Android operating system's default browser. Kaspersky's Web protection doesn't work in other mobile browsers. 2012-11-06T15:46:00ZImage Gallery: iPad Mini Hands-OnFor small-tablet buyers the Mini is a great option. It's pricier than the Kindle Fire or Google Nexus 7, but its size, elegant hardware and app ecosystem make the extra bucks worth it. If you already own a tablet, though, there isn't much reason to rush out and buy a Mini.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/news/240049812?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsApple's iPad Mini is an expensive but excellent small tablet. The first thing that wowed me about the Mini was its size and weight. I really can hold it in comfort with one hand. To me that alone is worth the price difference between, say the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD. Then there are the apps. The first thing I installed was Twitter as it's my favorite social media tool. But after some testing I found that apps from media outlets like The New York Times, The Daily, and <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/byte/id439722813?mt=8">BYTE</a>, of course, were what I gravitated to. That's because the Mini's size, weight, and screen make media consumption easy -- so much so that the Mini is now my go-to device for that kind of activity. Here's a major plus for the iPad Mini: The same apps that work on the iPad work on the Mini, too. That's because the Mini is an iPad 2 only smaller and lighter. It's got a similar processor -- the A5 -- and 512 MB of RAM. Even the display is the same resolution, just shrunk. In other words, the computing hardware isn't all that impressive, but that isn't the point. The point is that all the iPad apps work out of the box on the Mini. And they work flawlessly. When the chips are down, Apple's app ecosystem is going to be what separates the Mini from the competition. I wrote this review on the Mini using a Bluetooth keyboard. Name: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.apple.com/ipad-mini/overview/">iPad Mini</a><blockquote>For a first-time tablet buyer the Mini is a great option. It's clearly more expensive than the Kindle Fire or Google Nexus 7, but its size, hardware and app ecosystem make the extra bucks worth it. If you already own a tablet, though, there isn't much reason to rush out and buy a Mini.</blockquote> Price: $329.00 Pros:<ul><li>The envious look on your friends' faces.</li><li>Apple's app ecosystem.</li><li>The size: it fits in hand, easily in a bag.</li><li>Weight: at 308g it's possible to hold for a long time without fatigue.</li><li>Easy to read text on.</li><li>10 hours of battery life.</li><li>Easy to hold in two hands and type.</li></ul> Cons:<ul><li>Stereo speakers in bad place.</li><li>Starts at $329, significantly more than other tablets in its class. </li><li> No Apple-provided Google Maps or YouTube apps. </li></ul>Being slightly larger than the typical 7-inch tablet, the iPad Mini is a bit too big for some purposes, like fitting in a pocket. It didn't fit into the inside pocket of my jacket.The Mini comes in 16-GB ($329), 32-GB ($429), and 64-GB ($529) models. It is also available with cellular service on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon for $130 more than the Wi-Fi-only model.The Mini isn't perfect. One of the first things I noticed was the stereo speakers are located on the bottom of the device. Not only is having them so close together not ideal for stereo sound, but when you hold the Mini to watch a movie or video in landscape, your right hand blocks the speakers. Of course, it's easy enough to plug headphones in and enjoy stereo sound in every orientation.The Mini is noticeably thinner than an iPhone 4, but it weighs more than twice as much: 308 grams vs. 137 grams. Still, the Mini is light enough that I could hold it for extended periods of time without noticeable fatigue. It was easy to hold in one hand at the breakfast table and read the news, check email, social media, and so on.Like the iPhone 4, the iPad Mini has a 5-MP iSight camera on the back that's pretty fast -- f2.8. The back camera also shoots 1080p movies. The front camera is only 1.2 MP, which makes photos look pretty grainy. The front camera's 720p movies also looked grainy to me.The screen is pretty good. I tried out the Netflix app and the streaming looks decent at 720p. As someone involved in film production I'd be a lot happier with 1080p, but 720p is broadcast quality and I'm not sure how much of a difference it would make on such a small screen. For reading text the iPad Mini is fantastic. Apple hit a home run there.Apple no longer includes Google's YouTube app with iPads and it doesn't come with the iPad Mini, either. You'll have to install the YouTube app yourself, from the App Store. The bigger problem is the absence of Google Maps. I have to say that Apple Maps did just fine for me in San Francisco, despite its poor reputation. But Apple Maps doesn't have Google Map's just-added support for offline maps and bicycling navigation. 2012-10-11T11:43:00ZTheAppBuilder Churns Out Apps For All PlatformsTheAppBuilder is a useful application creation tool for nonprogrammers. It's one of the few in its category that supports Android, iOS, Windows 8, Windows Mobile, and HTML5.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/news/240008704?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Authors<a target="_blank" href="http://www.theappbuilder.com/">TheAppBuilder</a> is a free Web-based application that lets anyone create simple apps without knowing how to program. Developed by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jampot.ie/">JamPot Technologies Ltd.</a>, TheAppBuilder is not the first of its kind and won't be the last. But at a recent <a target="_blank" href="http://sfnewtech.com/">SF New Tech</a> event, it stood out from the competition in several ways. First, it's one of the only services of its kind that supports every conceivable platform: Android, iOS, Windows 8, Windows Mobile, and HTML5. Second, even the free version of TheAppBuilder is ad free. That's huge for me. Third, TheAppBuilder doesn't restrict adding custom graphics, like some of its competitors do. That alone puts it on a level above the rest. There are just a few qualifications. One: If you use the free version, all apps you create include one tab in the main menu that advertises TheAppBuilder. The tab is the last one, and it's unobtrusive. Although it's not listed on the pricing page, there is an option to get rid of TheAppBuilder's ad for $5 a month. <div style="margin:0; padding: 0 0 5px 5px; width:210px; float:right; text-align:center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/880/TheAppBuilder-PopUnder.png"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/880/TheAppBuilder-PopUnder-200.png" alt="same as caption" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#0000AA; font-size:x-small;">Message alerts popped under the current window, where I couldn't see them.</div></div>Second annoyance: TheAppBuilder is a bit buggy. For instance, in my tests all of the system messages, such as "App saved", appeared like the image nearby (click for a larger version). The message popped up under the current window in which I was working, making it impossible to read. I checked it in Chrome, Safari, and Firefox and had the same problem. The free version of TheAppBuilder is generous in features. What it doesn't include is the ability to create native apps or upload apps to an app store. Gaining the ability to do either of these costs a hefty $499, plus applicable app store fees, which range from a $25 one-time fee for Google Play to a minimum $99 a year for Windows 8. The paid TheAppBuilder includes native app creation, download statistics, and the ability to charge for your apps. There is also a private option for corporations. Name: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theappbuilder.com/">TheAppBuilder</a><blockquote>TheAppBuilder is a useful tool for building simple apps. It's one of the few services of its kind that supports so many platforms: Android, iOS, Windows 8, Windows Mobile, and HTML5. On the downside, if its templates and modules don't offer a certain functionality, and you don't know HTML5, you're out of luck.</blockquote> Price: Free version; $499 for ability to create native apps or upload to a public app store (app store fees are separate). Pro:<ul><li>Easy to make simple apps.</li><li>Cost effective for small businesses.</li><li>Free option has few restrictions and no ads.</li><li>More complex applications can be created using HTML5.</li></ul> Con:<ul><li>Buggy. I couldn't get maps to work, and the interface messages don't display properly.</li><li>The only viable video option is YouTube.</li><li>All apps essentially are re-packaged HTML5 pages.</li></ul>My mission: To build a portfolio app for the digital videos I've created. I selected video because it can sometimes be a challenge for developers, and I thought it might be helpful for showing my work.The first few steps were simple. I chose the type of app I wanted to create from an extensive drop-down list of templates. Then TheAppBuilder dropped me into the editing, customizing, publishing, and marketing screen. Now you wait for TheAppBuilder to do some building magic. TheAppBuilder gives app creators 13 different editing modules from which to choose. They include HTML5, which adds many possibilities but also the additional challenge of complexity, if you aren't already familiar with HTML5. For my video portfolio app, YouTube and HTML 5 were the only options I had to display my content. Vimeo--not YouTube--hosts my portfolio. So I had no choice but to go with HTML5.The HTML5 didn't look right on my first attempt. Even when I followed the directions in this <a target="_blank" href="http://vimeo.com/36512061">JamPot video tutorial explaining how to add HTML5</a>, I still couldn't get it to work. First, there was the annoying problem that whenever the preview window loaded the Vimeo page, it automatically redirected the whole browser window to the Vimeo page I linked to. That meant I couldn't edit the link, title, or icon anymore. I tried it in two other browsers with the same result. When I tried a beta build of my app on my Android phone, the video still wouldn't play. I guess it's technically Vimeo's fault that it doesn't work on my phone, or maybe it's my Samsung phone's fault--I'm not sure. But it didn't work, and the error message just told me there was a problem and not how to fix it. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theappbuilder.mobi/app/build/d787860b-ff63-44e8-9edc-ecadb617239d/android.html">Here's my Android test app</a>, if you'd like to try it yourself. Click the link from your Android phone and follow the instructions. Interestingly, I tried it on iOS and the video worked. But that's no surprise considering Apple's embrace of HTML5 and the "app" on an iPhone is an HTML5 page anchored to one of the iOS home screens.One last thing: when you use the HTML5 editing module, every clip has to live in its own tab. No way around it. I tried the YouTube module and it was much better. On Android it's easy to browse video content, which opens in Google's YouTube App. After this experience I know that if I want to use TheAppBuilder for a digital video portfolio, I have no choice but to move my portfolio to YouTube. That's annoying but not the end of the world. So, for video, TheAppBuilder has some issues. What about the rest of the modules? Facebook and Twitter feeds are simple to integrate. Just type in the user name you'd like to display, and you're ready to go. Read on for more module experiences. For image galleries, TheAppBuilder requires photos to have dimensions of 1024 X 1024 pixels. Most people don't take square pictures, so that means you'll either have to squeeze your wide photos or do some serious photo editing to make them fit. In a separate issue, above, you can mostly ignore what photos look like in the upload preview. As you can see, the final product looks a lot better. Inputting events, news and lists is simple and straightforward. All use the same interface--essentially a simplified version of what you'd expect to see running underneath a content management system like Wordpress. I didn't need a mapping capability in my video portfolio app, but I thought I'd try to add this feature anyway. Unfortunately, even after following the instructions to the letter, I couldn't get a map to display in the HTML5 preview. I also tried it on iOS and Android, but no luck. Too bad, because I really wanted to try the "augmented reality" map view. TheAppBuilder stands out from the competition in graphics customization. It's pretty comprehensive, letting you change the icon, splash screen, banner image, colors, and the app description.2012-09-06T09:00:00ZSceneTap Guides You To Where Night Action IsSceneTap is a free app for iOS, Android, and the Web that uses anonymous video analytics (AVA) to display real-time information about night life in eight U.S. cities. It gives an accurate idea of how many people are at a bar or other hotspot, the male-to-female ratio, and even the average age of everyone inside.http://www.informationweek.com/byte/news/240006754?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Authors<a target="_blank" href="http://www.scenetap.com/">SceneTap</a> is a free app for the Web, iOS, and Android that uses anonymous video analytics (AVA) to display real-time information about night life in eight U.S. cities. You can see how many people are in a venue, the male-to-female ratio, and the average age of everyone inside. Is SceneTap a nightlife fan's dream come true--or a privacy nightmare? I tried it out in San Francisco and here's what I found. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Sep/SceneTap/scenetap1.png" /> AVA, also known as facial detection, kicked up enough <a target="_blank" href="http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2012/05/scenetap_facial_recognition.php">controversy</a> when SceneTap launched in San Francisco that CEO Cole Harper <a target="_blank" href="http://scenetap.com/coles_letter_to_san_francisco">wrote a letter addressing complaints</a> the company received. AVA originally was developed by the outdoor/indoor display advertising industry to better target ads in interactive displays in shopping malls. AVA uses video cameras deployed on location to send the live feed to a computer equipped with AVA software. The software processes each video frame and uses pixel density, alignment around eyes, and other factors to detect human faces, distance, and how attentive the person is to the display. It then deletes the frame on the fly and moves on to the next. Because the app doesn't store any of the video, and isn't set up to match the video frames to an existing database of faces, I don't see how it's a threat to privacy. There has been discussion of law enforcement using such technology and matching the faces to individuals on a watch list; that's another matter, both for the privacy aspects and the accuracy of the technology. At the time of my review in late August, 21 venues in San Francisco participated in SceneTap. Most were concentrated in a single area: downtown. That's a bit disappointing, first because that's a small number--according to the Alcohol Control Board there were over 4,000 retail alcohol licenses in 2011--and second, it includes only about three of the city's 11 districts. For example, there isn't a single venue in the Mission District, one of the city's hottest night spots. <div style="margin:0; padding: 0 0 5px 5px; width:150px; float:right; text-align:center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Sep/SceneTap/scenetap2.jpeg"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Sep/SceneTap/scenetap2-small.jpeg" alt="same as caption" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#990000; text-decoration: italic;">click for larger image</div></div>The app itself is great. I tried it on iOS, Android, and the Web, and found the experience seamless on all three platforms. The app is intuitive, simple to navigate, and during testing it never crashed, or produced any other technical problem. <div style="margin:0; padding: 0 0 5px 5px; width:150px; float:left; text-align:center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Sep/SceneTap/scenetap3.jpeg"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Sep/SceneTap/scenetap3-small.jpeg" alt="same as caption" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#990000; text-decoration: italic;">click for larger image</div></div>SceneTap displays its real-time information about the venue through a news feed--updated whenever your device updates--or on a Google Maps-based display of the city. Each venue is color coded by how lively it is at that moment. Poking the venue brings up more detailed information about what the scene is like at a particular place--the average age, percent full, and the ratio of women to men. For each venue the app also has an event calendar, comments, user-contributed pictures, and daily specials. The app connects to Facebook and Twitter. On Facebook, people can check in to venues, and post comments. Twitter only allows comments. I was surprised that there wasn't integration with other location-based services such as FourSquare, but maybe there's a good reason for that. The hardware in the venues I visited looked more or less like security cameras that are increasingly more common in public and private places. Some of the patrons and bartenders I spoke with didn't even know they were there, or where the cameras were. <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Sep/SceneTap/surveillance-camera.jpg" /><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#990000; font-weight:bold;font-style: italic; text-align:right;">A surveillance camera. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/manfredharing/5592039593/in/pool-panopticon/">Image courtesy of CraXplore on Flickr.</a></div> I conducted an informal test of about half of the venues in the city, comparing the statistics presented by the app to what I could see in the venue. In each venue I did a head count and compared it to the maximum number of people allowed inside, according to the fire code posted nearby the door. I also took an informal poll of patrons' ages and checked the app when patrons entered or exited a venue. <center><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Sep/SceneTap/scenetap4.png" /></center> In every venue I tested SceneTap was accurate, except one. There, the numbers were way off. For example, the app reported 40% more women at the bar than were present. One of the bartenders told me that it was a consistent problem--the app often reported the venue was packed when it in fact was almost empty. A few of the patrons I spoke with also commented that SceneTap wasn't accurate there. At first I thought it might be because SceneTap gives venues some control over the information presented. The app lets owners set minimum and maximum values to for each of the stats a feature that CEO Harper claims prevents a venue's reputation from being damaged. It also, he says, keeps predatory types from swarming venues with large numbers of a desired sex. Even with those features I don't see how a minimum or maximum value could be responsible for reporting the venue as 75% full when it was in fact empty. It makes me suspect there's something about the way it's set up in that spot that causes the problems. <div style="margin:0; padding: 0 0 5px 5px; width:150px; float:right; text-align:center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Sep/SceneTap/scenetap5.jpeg"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2012-Sep/SceneTap/scenetap5-small.jpeg" alt="same as caption" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" /></a><div style="margin:4px 0 0 0; padding:0; color:#990000; text-decoration: italic;">click for larger image</div></div>Another interesting feature: the app will push custom notifications about changes in the scene to email and your mobile device. For example, you could ask to be notified every time a venue has an average age between 21 and 25, or turns into a lively spot. I never ended up using this feature because none of the participating venues were near where I live or work. Ultimately the app is useful only if it gains a critical mass of participating venues, or its user base enjoys frequenting those that are available. At the moment, because of the small number of venues and where those venues are located in San Francisco, I won't use it to plan my nights or weekends. Name: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.scenetap.com/">SceneTap</a><blockquote> For people who like to frequent the venues that SceneTap partners with it's a great app. But if your favorite spots aren't on the list, it's not useful.</blockquote> Free for <a target="_blank" href="http://www.scenetap.com/bloomington">Desktop</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sceneTap&referrer=CUZfJKXt83sUySgRJCDBhH">Android</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id441299894/id441299894?mt=8">iOS</a> Pro:<ul><li>Accurate demographic information, events, and specials for each venue.</li><li>Privacy concerns appear unjustified.</li><li>Cross-platform apps designed and function well.</li></ul> Con:<ul><li>Low venue penetration.</li><li>App allows venues to "juke the stats" to some degree.</li></ul>