In an interesting move from Microsoft, the company has officially released OneNote Mobile for iOS. The Redmond-based company is trying to get the notebook-like software, with its note-taking functionality, on as many devices as possible — and for Microsoft, making it available on Apple’s iOS mobile Operating System (OS) was an obvious move for the mobile worker or student.
The application lets users take notes, make bulleted lists, and checklists. Users will also be able to pull images from their gallery and input them into their notes. Microsoft was also able to develop a slightly altered iOS keyboard, so that shortcuts could be added above the keys. If you’re a user of Microsoft’s Windows SkyDrive to store your information on the cloud, you’ll be happy to know that the iOS-based version also has this ability. This gives users the ability to work from their iOS-based device, save it to SkyDrive, and then finish it on their computer if they so choose. As long as they have OneNote installed there, of course. And to use the app, you’ll need to get yourself a Windows Live ID. Also another move that’s not all that surprising.
As of right now, in a promotional move from Microsoft, OneNote Mobile for iOS is a free download. However, Microsoft has confirmed that they do plan on charging for the application in the near future. However, an exact date to the end of the promotional pricing, and how much the application will cost after that time has not been announced.
Google celebrates random things, especially when it has to do with applications or software they’ve created. For example, Google Translate has officially been available in the Android Market for one whole year now this month. Which means that it is the application’s birthday. To celebrate this, Google has updated the application with a massive feature set, now including what they’re calling Conversation Mode.
The new Conversation Mode is meant to make it possible for someone to have a conversation, while slightly delayed, with someone who speaks a different language. It’s built as a real-time translation tool. You speak, it will translate for the other person, and vice versa. The technology inside isn’t instantaneous, though, but it’s quick enough that using the software would be worth it, versus having no idea what the other person is talking about, and trying to figure it out in some other, perhaps book-bound fashion.
Accessing Conversation Mode is easy enough. Just translate something initially, and then the mode will pop up as an option. From there, you’ll be able to have a conversation with someone speaking another language. You can watch a demo of the technology at IFA last year, in the video below. The update is available in the Android Market right now.
Got iTunes? Got a Windows Phone 7 device? Then you’ll probably want to check out the new Remote app in the Marketplace. It promises to make the two sing in perfect harmony by making them talk over a WiFi connection. There’s a basic set of iTunes controls at your WP7 phone’s disposal, including volume, starting /stopping music, and searching by album, artist, and song, and a corresponding piece of desktop software you need to install to make the magic happen. It’s compatible with both Windows (XP and above) and Mac OS (10.5.8 and above), so all you really need now are $1.99 for the mobile app and the overwhelming desire to control your playlists remotely.
Audio recognition programs have been around for a few years now allowing users to listen to a song and then have a program analyze it and push out the track information. Now this is possible with video. Ranging from recorded TV to movies, VideoSurf allows the user to determine exactly what’s playing just from five seconds of captured video.
How it works is that VideoSurf will display from the camera on your Android device and ask to be shown the source video for five seconds. After the video has been analyzed, which will be ultra fast over WiFi or Verizon’s LTE network, you will be presented with results including the TV show, episode, runtime, and and full cast list.
VideoSurf has an exclusive partnership with Verizon and the application will launch pre-installed on all the Verizon 4G LTE devices announced today such as the DROID BIONIC, HTC ThunderBolt, LG Revolution, and the Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone.
Twitter for Mac, which is one of the most popular Twitter applications for Apple=branded computers, is rumored to be getting an upgrade in just a matter of hours. With Apple announcing that the Mac App Store would launch on January 6th, people are already getting excited to see what’s coming down the pipe from the digital storefront. While we already know there will be plenty of productivity applications available, we’ve yet to see what could come from the “other side” of the development process. If you’re a fan of Twitter, or Tweetie/Twitter for Mac, then you’ll be happy to know that Twitter for Mac is launching tomorrow with the Mac App Store.
As far as rumors go, anyway. According to the screenshot above, which was nabbed by RazorianFly, it shows us Twitter for Mac. Not interesting in of itself, but apparently the image was leaked right from inside the Mac App Store, and now it’s believed that the application will launch tomorrow with the store.
There are new features coming along for the ride. There’s a native support for retweeting now, and the application will now provide real-time updates. You’ll also have the ability to drag-and-drop tweets, too. If the rumors are true, and the screenshot does indeed suggest that the application will be available tomorrow, make sure that Twitter for Mac is one of your first downloads. Especially considering it should be free.
Back at the end of October, 2010, Amazon came forward and announced that they would be bringing their popular Kindle application to Microsoft’s fledgling mobile Operating System (OS), Windows Phone 7. However, instead of releasing it a few days later, it actually took a few months. But, the wait is officially over, as the application is now available for anyone with a Windows Phone 7 device.
Of course, the feature set is similar to what we’ve seen in the past, on other devices. You’ll have access to Amazon’s Whispersync technology, which will track your last page read, and let you pick up where you left off either on your Windows Phone 7 device, or any other piece of hardware with the same technology on board. You’ll also have access to the same library, with 750,000 books available to download. The app is free, and it’s available right now.
When Garmin curtailed its hardware partnership with Asustek late last year, you had to know the company would make a comeback to the mobile front in some shape, fashion or form. Starting today, the iPhone and 3G iPad both get the all-new StreetPilot app, which costs $39.99 and provides you with turn-by-turn navigation from the guys who make their living from the stuff. It undercuts TomTom’s $49.99 offering for iOS, while offering real-time traffic data, voice commands, lane assist, address book integration so you can navigate directly to your buddies’ addresses, and multitasking support. It’s looking like a pretty comprehensive piece of premium navigation software, which, if previous rumors bear out, should be landing on BlackBerry devices as well pretty soon. Jump past the break for the press release.
We know how it is, you want to be a hotshot developer, but all that coding sounds like daunting work. Never mind, Apple’s got your back with its new iAds producer, which automates all the HTML5 and CSS3 stuff into the background and leaves you to focus on the crucial task of picking out templates and components for your perfect iAd. To be fair to this new dev tool, it does more than merely dumb down the design process. It also includes “sophisticated” JavaScript editing and debugging, a built-in simulator for testing your creation, and a project validator that checks your code for common errors. Hit the source link to give it a try.
Version 2.0 of Amazon’s Kindle for Android software has snuck out tonight, bringing with it access to the company’s library of newspapers and magazines, the ability to purchase content in-app, and the freedom to choose where you want to store the app itself, which is now happy to reside on your microSD card. Other additions include social networking updates of your reading progress, the appearance of chapter titles in the reader status bar, zoom for images and graphics, and the volume keys doubling up as your page turners should you wish them to do so. The updated app’s available in the Market now — you know what to do with that QR code, right?
It’s not exactly a ton to go on, but a trademark application recently filed by Motorola for the word “Stadia” has at least opened up a few interesting possibilities. While the (as yet nonexistent) device in question is seemingly phone-related given the goods and services Motorola is hoping to have covered, the application also specifically mentions a “game device in the nature of handheld units for playing electronic games for use with external display screen or monitor,” along with a number of fitness-related functions like heart rate, speed, and calorie monitoring. That latter bit is further backed up by a separate “Stadia” trademark application filed by Motorola back in November, which specifically covered “fitness monitoring devices.” What does it all mean? If we had to guess we’d say it’s some sort of fitness accessory designed for use with a phone (possibly with some game-like features). Unfortunately, guessing is about all we can do at the moment.
Version 2.0 of Amazon’s 
