Facebook Goes Audible on the iPad with Friends Aloud HD

Austin, Texas – Apple iPad owners can now access and listen to their Facebook news feed via Friends Aloud HD, created by VoiZapp, Inc. It is the first iPad app to bring optimized state of the art text-to-speech technology to Facebook. Using Friends Aloud HD, a user can:* Read aloud their latest Facebook news feed posts and their associated comments in a pleasant, easy-to-understand young woman’s voice* Scroll through each post on screen or tap around to read posts at random* Automatically switch between reading existing posts in sequence or just reading new posts as they arrive for as long as desired* Play, pause, and skip forward/back...

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Nook Color: An Unexpected Competitor for the iPad

Want an Apple iPad but can't afford the minimum $499 entry fee? Look to Barnes & Noble's Nook Color, which was upgraded recently to offer many tablet features at $249.The Nook Color, which until May had been marketed primarily as an electronic book reader with extra features, now is being marketed as a tablet specifically made for book lovers.With the software upgrade introduced just over a month ago, the Nook Color now offers decent Web browsing, email, games, music and video playback. Oh, and it's an e-reader, too.When looked at as a tablet rather than an e-reader, it turns out the Nook Color is the iPad's biggest competitor, capturing...

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Samsung Wants To See the Next iPhone & iPad

The Apple-Samsung patent infringement lawsuit is heating up: Samsung’s lawyers have filed a motion for Apple to provide them with a sample of the next generation iPhone and iPad.Since Apple keeps very tight wraps around all its upcoming products, it’s highly unlikely that the company will comply with this request, at least without a fight. However, recently Samsung was ordered by a judge to give Apple samples of its yet unreleased tablets and smartphones, including the Galaxy S2 and the Galaxy Tab 10.1.Add to that the fact that Samsung has also filed a countersuit against Apple citing several patent infringements, and suddenly Samsung’s...

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Over dependence on iPhone, iPad, Android apps may lead to anxiety: Expert

MELBOURNE: Though technology has made our lives convenient and fast, psychologists warn people against developing an over-reliance on mobile and tablet applications. Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists chairman Daniel Varghese suggests smartphone users need to be wary of relying too heavily on their applications. "It's a general phenomenon that we're relying more and more on technology, and when that technology's not available, we don't use the skills we would have otherwise developed," The Courier Mail quoted him as saying. "That can certainly...

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Can the iPad and iPhone Rescue the Cloud?

The hype on the cloud is just as loud as the hype on mobile computing. Both appear to be gold rush destinations for vendors seeking to capitalize on all the stuff that buyers allegedly can’t get enough of. But if you look at the numbers, you see that mobile is where the money is being made, while the entire cloud market pulls in about 1 or 2 percent of what mobile does.It seems to me that the cloud needs to be rescued, and perhaps mobile a la iPad, iPhone, and Android is the technology to do it.[ Keep up on key mobile developments and insights via Twitter and with the Mobile Edge blog and Mobilize newsletter.]The numbers overwhelmingly...

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Special Stickers Will Bring Google Wallet To Android Phones That Lack NFC

We’re here at Google’s NFC payments announcement, where the search giant has announced a new, important product called Google Wallet (see our comprehensive post on the announcement here). Google Wallet will be launching this summer — it’s currently in field testing — allowing users to tap their phones against NFC-enabled terminals to pay for goods, redeem offers, and use their loyalty cards in a single tap.Of course, the vast majority of phones out there do not support NFC (the Nexus S is currently the only Android phone on the market that has the technology). Google and its partners reiterated that NFC will be surging in popularity...

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iPad 2 Revolutionizes Tablet Market

Apple Inc. launched the newest addition to its tech market – the iPad 2. The company, which started revolutionizing the tablet market with the launch of its iPad last April 2010, will have the launching and unveiling of iPad 2 in an event in San Francisco, California.  Analyst Peter Misek also I anticipating these following events during the launch of iPad 2: 1. A preview of the iOS 5 is considered to be possible as the company is looking forward in continuing to push the integration across multiple devices for content, commerce and user experience. 2. A chance that Apple will also unveil new cloud-based services, which includes the...

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iPhone 4 with cash recovery scheme

May 25: The iPhone 4 — the fourth-generation variant of Apple’s smartphone — is being launched in India on Friday and will be sold through mobile service providers Aircel and Airtel.For the first time, the mobile service providers are using an innovative hook. They are offering a reverse subsidy plan under which the buyer pays the full cost of the handset upfront and recovers the entire amount over a period of two years through monthly credits on the subscription plans.Aircel is offering the 16GB model of the iPhone 4 at a price of Rs 34,500 and the 32GB model at Rs 40,900. “We aim to make the iPhone more affordable than ever,” said Aircel...

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Firefox 5 Beta 2 Lands, Opera Mini 6 Released for iPhone, iPad

These days the Mozilla Foundation is feeling the heat.  Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) has delivered a surprisingly sporty and compatible Internet Explorer 9.  And Google Inc.'s (GOOG) Chrome browser is becoming the first new browser in some time to gobble up a significant market share.I. Firefox 5 Blazes Ahead on ScheduleBut nothing lays concerns to rest better than adopting an aggressive schedule and sticking to it.  That's exactly what Mozilla did, with the release of Firefox 5's second beta.Delivered right on schedule, the new build features speed improvements and a number of new features, including:Added support...

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BlueStacks puts Android apps on Windows

If you miss your Android apps when using your PC, a start-up called BlueStacks says it has the answer.Today, the company announced first-round funding of $7.6 million from Ignition Ventures, Radar Partners, Helion Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, and Andreessen Horowitz for its virtualization technology that provides a foundation for Google's mobile operating system atop Windows. It's got partnerships with Citrix for distribution to interested businesses and with assorted as-yet unnamed PC makers for consumers."The idea is very simple," said Chief Executive and founder Rosen Sharma, who previously was McAfee's chief technology officer. A company...

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Opera Mini Browser Launches For iPad, iPhone (PICTURES, VIDEO)

A new version of the Opera Mini web browser, the most popular mobile browser in the world, has just been released, and the latest version comes with a slew of new features designed to make users' mobile web experience faster and more robust.Opera Mini 6, available for the iPhone 4, iPad, and iPad 2, offers better tabbed browsing, a customizable homepage, and social sharing features that enable users to post content directly to Facebook, Twitter, and My Opera. ReadWriteWeb writes of the upgrade, "With Opera Mini 6, iPad users have what feels like a 'real' Web browser on their tablet computers, thanks to features like the customizable...

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iPad 2 from Apple is defeated by HP Touchpad Tablet from Hewlett Packard?

Hewlett-Packard (HP) claimed to be successful in the realm of tablets like they were successful in the PC market. This will happen when HP launched Touchpad summer 2011 in Europe. It is claim for Eric Cador, The Head of HP for Europe.HP is confident with their tablets, touchpad. Speaking at a press conference in Cannes, Cador even bragged touchpad would be better than the iPad.Cador did not mention explicitly that ‘the number one’ in question is the iPad. But the public already guessed it anyway, remember all the people know that the Apple tablet that is currently the number one in the world.Touchpad HP uses the operating system (OS) WebOS, the...

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Google Maps updated for Android, iPhone

While the mobile location-sharing issue continues to brew, that hasn't stopped Google from pushing ahead to make its popular Google Maps program better. And if you have an Android or iOS device, phone or tablet, you can take advantage of the improved mobile Maps experience.Now, said Google software engineer Alireza Ali, on Google's blog Friday, "you can use many of the same Google Maps features you're used to from the desktop" on the go. When you visit Google Maps on your Android or Apple phone or tablet, you see your current location and search for what's nearby using "suggest" and "auto complete."  Google Maps Android and iOS users...

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iPhone 5 fire impact up in air as iPad 2, iPhone 4 availability steady

The impact on the iPhone 5 release date, initial availability, and even feature set from this week’s factory fire is still up in the air, but the mishap has yet to impact availability of Apple’s existing iOS 4 products including the iPad 2, iPhone 4, and iPod touch 4. With observers having spent all of 2011 scratching their heads as to just what Apple has up its sleeve for the iPhone 5 after watching the company uncharacteristically release a Verizon iPhone 4 and then a white iPhone 4 precariously close to what most thought would be the calendar end of the iPhone 4 era, the factory fire adds another level of intrigue. By all accounts,...

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Flickr: iPad 2 Camera Has Only 23 Active Daily Users

According to Flickr’s camera usage statistics, the iPad 2′s camera is used by very few people — only 23 active daily users. And so far, 12,811 photos have been taken and uploaded to Flickr with the device.By comparison, the iPhone 4 has 4,402 daily active users; more than a million photos have been taken with the device.We don’t have exact numbers of iPad 2 sales, but the tablet has been on the market since March 11. According to Apple, strong sales have resulted in a record-setting quarter, with analysts estimating that about half a million devices sold in during the iPad 2′s first weekend on the market.The iPad 2′s camera has been one of...

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Review : HCL Me Android Tablet [Skip This Device, If You Can]

2011 is said to be the year of the tablet, and nobody wants to miss out on all the buzz that this device segment is creating. You can find android tablets from Chinese manufacturers for as low as 5,000/- rupees, running on out dated versions of Android 1.6. I thought that this would be an impetus for branded manufacturers to take these cheap knock offs and replace them with better devices that actually generate some sort of user interest. Today we look at one of the latest offerings from India’s own PC manufacturer HCL.A look at the specs sheet will give you a brief idea of the hardware capabilities of the tablet7 inch resistive touch screen800MHz ARM11 processor256 MB RAM2GB iNAND built in memory , expandable upto 8GB with Micro SD card0.3MP front facing cameraComes pre-loaded with...

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Future IPhone Will Support China Mobile's 4G Network

Future versions of Apple's iPhone will support China Mobile's fourth generation (4G) network, China's largest mobile carrier said, a sign that it will eventually offer the iconic device to its 600 million customers.China Mobile's chairman Wang Jianzhou reported the development on Thursday, according to a company spokeswoman. Both Apple and the carrier have reached a consensus on the development of Long-Term Evolution (LTE), a 4G technology that can allow mobile phones to exchange data at much faster rates. When Apple releases iPhones built for 4G networks, the devices will also support China Mobile's version of this technology known...

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UPDATE 1 - John Lewis weekly sales flat despite iPad 2 boost

* Department store sales up 0.1 pct on yr in week to May 14 * Says retail market "undoubtedly challenging" * Electricals sales up 5 pct, helped by iPad 2 * Waitrose sales up 10.8 pct, boosted by meal deal (Adds detail, background) LONDON, May 20 (Reuters) - John Lewis, Britain's biggest department store chain, reported flat weekly sales on Friday, strengthening the view that consumer spending has weakened after a strong April boosted by a late Easter and royal wedding. The employee-owned business said sales edged up 0.1 percent year-on-year to 53.4 million pounds ($86.4 million) in the week ended May 14, helped by demand for Apple's (AAPL.O)...

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PlayBook is great for BlackBerry users but results will vary

Yesterday, Research in Motion sent out the first review units for its new 16GB Wi-Fi only PlayBooks. In an email preceding this review offer, RIM’s PR rep advised journalists that to receive optimal functionality from the review unit, one would need to have a BlackBerry smartphone running 5.0 or higher and a BlackBerry SIM. I have a Torch 9800 and an Optus BlackBerry SIM, so I was perfectly set to play.The first thing to do when you open your PlayBook is to immediately put it down, turn to your BlackBerry handset and download the free Bridge app from the Appworld. Once installed, you can then form the Bluetooth bridge between the PlayBook...

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Pizza parlors grab slice of Android app market

The predicted growth of Android coupled with successful iPhone app launches has prompted pizza parlors in the UK to roll out Android versions.Back in September, 2010, Domino's Pizza in the UK launched an app for the iPhone that allowed customers to places orders and track them from their mobile devices.That app generated over $16million in sales and has been downloaded more than half a million times.The Android version, released this month, is fully transactional and has all the features of the iPhone app including GPS tracking of orders plus features that allow users to customize their order and enter promotions for coupons and discounts."Investing...

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