Taptu has grown up quite a lot since I last played with their service. In my September 2007 review I said:
“If you’re adapt at Google (NSDQ: GOOG) (NSDQ: GOOG) than Taptu may or may not be useful to you. Simply adding words such as “wiki” or “lyrics” after a search query usually makes Google get an idea of what it is you’re trying to find.”
With the release of their Android application today, things are looking mighty different from the original, almost laughable, user interface. They’ve put a filter on web results so you only see content optimized for mobile devices. Whether or not that is a good thing is debatable. Would you prefer more search results or fewer search results optimized for your screen? They’ve also integrated the “OneRiot” service which aggregates what people are talking about at this very second on Twitter, Digg, and other social networking sites, and present those terms to you as queries you may want to plug into the Taptu service. Chances are you open a search application to find an answer to a question in your mind, not to see what the world is talking about. Then again, there may be a few of you out there who are concerned with appearing to be “in the loop” as Malcolm Tucker from “The Thick of It” would say. If you’re one of those people, then Taptu rocks.
Look, is it smart for a company like Taptu to compete with Google? Yes and No. Yes, it’s nice to see something different than the usual list of 10 links Google’s mobile optimized search engine provides. No, it’s stupid to pour resources into what is nothing more than a fancy front end, which Google can copy, to a search engine that crawls a very small subset of the internet.
Give the Taptu application a go on your Android device and let me know in the comments what you think about it.
Here’s a piece of software that should’ve come pre-installed with every Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre. It’s called Precorder and as you can guess from its name, it brings video recording to the webOS platform. Still in alpha, Precorder is a homebrew app that lets users capture 480×320-pixel video at 30fps in H.264/AVC format. Moreover, it allows controlling of the built-in LED light so you could continue your clip even in the low-light conditions. Audio can also be recorded, but that’s not a big deal.
On the downside, there’s no video preview presented while recording, but I assume that will be changed as soon as Precorder hits beta. Plus, the app is free, so we shouldn’t ask for too much… Search for it in the Palm App Catalog and let us know what you think.
Onebox — a service that brings voice, fax, email and conference calling together into a suite of communications services — is mobilizing its offering with dedicated apps for the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) and iPhone platforms. These applications are designed to extend the functionality of Onebox’s web-based interface for mobile users, adding “Message Center” access, voicemail search/display/playback, voice-to-text transcription display, and Click-to-Call via SpeedDial list or phone-based contact lists.
However, only BlackBerry app is available at the moment, but the iPhone app will be released in the near future (till the end of the year).
In addition to mobile apps, OneBox also announced new optional features (Call Record and Web Conferencing) and a new 5,000 minute/20-extension phone service plan which costs $99.99/month. Moreover, existing $79.99/month and $49.99/month plans have been restructured and now include 3,000 and 2,000 minutes, respectively.
And the latest GPS device maker to release its own iPhone app is Magellan. They’ve announced Magellan RoadMate turn-by-turn navigation application, alongside a “new innovative vehicle mounting cradle for the iPhone and iPod touch devices” that will be available later in December.
RoadMate app features include preloaded maps (U.S. and Canada), text-to-speech, tons of POIs, 3D landmarks, big on-screen keyboard with QuickSpell, highway lane assistance, pedestrian mode, find your car feature, and so on. In addition, you can control your music without leaving the app, and also access your iPhone’s Contacts for destination picks. Navteq provided the maps.
As for the mentioned car kit (it’s called Premium Car Kit), it’s designed to keep your iPhone/iPod Touch well mounted, while also providing some extra juice to your beloved device. Furthermore, it adds a GPS receiver for improved navigation accuracy, along with an amplified speaker for louder directions and enhanced phone call clarity.
The Magellan RoadMate app is available for an introductory price of $79.99, whereas the car kit will cost $129.99, once released.
The PeopleFinders Network unveiled two iPhone apps – “Stud Or Dud” and “Are They Really Single,” along with accompanying websites. Both apps are touted to provide singles with easy-to-view reports that can help them make important decisions about potential love interests. These reports are based on background information including age, marriage and divorce records, criminal history, business ownership, property ownership, evictions and more.
To conduct a search with “Stud Or Dud,” users simply enter a name, age, date of birth, phone number, email address, city or state. The application then performs an extensive search through PeopleFinders’ database of public records and publicly available information, and formulates a comprehensive profile on the person of interest. Based on a number of criteria, it helps users determine whether the person might be a “stud” or “dud.”
As for the “Are They Really Single,” it helps users confirm that a potential love interest is, in fact, single. Again, you should enter a name, age, date of birth, city or state. The service then searches through information pertaining to marriage, divorce, spousal and other domestic relationships, and creates a list of people who have or had long-term relationships with the person.
Each app costs a buck, which is not much considering the usefulness of information generated. Plus “Are They Really Single” is also available in free, lite version, though I’m not sure about the differences…
The Verizon Samsung Omnia II’s launch isn’t going to be exciting just for Windows Mobile fans, it’s going to be exciting for anyone that’s been to Swype’s continuous finger-motion typing interface. That’s because Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s Samsung Omnia II will be the first production device to support the innovative Swype typing interface, which Samsung has dubbed “Genius Texting.” Rather than having you tap our individual letters on an on-screen keyboard to form words, Swype allows the user to trace paths between those letters. The software analyzes your finger’s path to determine your desired word, increasing accuracy and increasing your typing speed.
The Swype-powered “Genius Texting” feature will be built into the Omnia II when it launches next month. The innovative keyboard still allows you to tap out words like you’re probably used to doing on a touchscreen smartphone. Should you feel so inclined, you can start tracing your word with a single continuous “swipe” motion. Gestures are also supported for tasks like capitalizing a letter – just swipe an upside down “V” motion onto the keyboard and off you go!
Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional might not be enough to get you to buy the Omnia II, but Swype’s new keyboard sure makes a strong case for putting an Omnia II in your pocket. Or, if Android’s more your style, we’re hearing that Swype will soon make its way to your favorite Google (NSDQ: GOOG) mobile OS. Word on the street has Swype hitting the Android platform in the first quarter of 2010.
Say good-bye to the decades-old typing paradigm and make room for the new wave of Swype-powered keyboards!
One of the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid’s headlining features is its Android 2.0 OS and the Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps Navigation app. Sure, the Droid’s huge display and geeky-cool design make it one of the coolest Android phones on market, but the turn-by-turn GPS navigation feature allowed the Droid to truly stand apart from the crowd. Not anymore, though. The ambitious hackers over at XDA Developers have figured out a way to port the Google Maps Navigation app to other Android devices (like the T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) G1). Then, to take it one (huge) step further, they’ve managed to get the app working outside the US!
The latest set of instructions allows your G1 to work with Google Maps Navigation for directions outside US borders. Until now, even the Droid would stop dead in its tracks if you tried to get GPS navigation directions to, say, Canada. But, for those of you fearless enough to mess around with the some terminal commands and risk bricking your G1, you can trick GMN into giving you voice-guided directions to any destination in the world.
Here are the instructions from XDA, but we strongly recommend you read through this entire thread first:
Next, install the SpeechSynthesis Data. You can do this either by going into the market and searching “SpeechSynthesis Data Installer”, or on some ROM’s, like CM 4.2.5, Menu -> Settings -> Speech synthesis -> Install voice data
If you have root, download http://drop.io/rxbqaw4/asset/maps-root-aligned-apk
If you do not have root, download http://drop.io/rxbqaw4/asset/maps-no-root-aligned-apk
Install the new file:
adb install -r maps-root-aligned-apk
or
adb install -r maps-no-root-aligned-apk
Be warned, you are taking a risk by modifying your smartphone’s code. We do not take responsibility for anything bad that might happen as a result of your hacking efforts. But, if you get GMN working and you love it, feel free to thanks us!
Turkey Day is fast approaching, and you know what that means. Burned, dry and otherwise barely edible birds will be hitting American dinner tables in a few days’ time! Admit it, you’re secretly hoping you don’t make a mess of Thanksgiving by cooking the turkey too long. It’s okay, we feel your pain. That’s where TurkeyTimer for iPhone comes in. The new iPhone app keeps track of your turkey’s cooking progress, reminds you when it’s time to baste the bird, and even alerts you to take your sizable bird out of the oven. The TurkeyTimer app even adjusts cooking time to accommodate your taste for moister or dryer turkey. In other words, it does for your cooking skills what your mother never could.
TurkeyTimer takes into account your turkey’s weight and uses algorithms based on cookbook instructions to determine cooking time. The app tracks the brownness of the turkey, the approximate internal temperature (which will determine how moist your turkey turns out), how long it needs to cook, and even how long you have to wait before tearing into the oversized bird.
Grab TurkeyTimer from the iPhone AppStore for $2.99. We think the price is worth not having to face your family with a too-dry turkey… again.
Looks like my bud Jake over at Nuclear Nova Software has been hard at work on one of my favorite golf games for the iPhone and iPod Touch… GL Golf. He’s updated GL Golf (along with GL Golf Deluxe and ‘Lite’), bringing all versions up to 1.09. In the latest edition you’ll get 12 new courses (awesome), four new clubs, a 50% increase in performance and many, many, many bug fixes and tweaks.
To celebrate the update, Jake is offering GL Golf for $0.99 (regular $4.99) and GL Golf Deluxe for $5.99 (regular $7.99). The discounts are good for a week, so I’d recommend trying before you buy with the ‘Lite’ version… If you like, pick up the standard or deluxe version before next Monday to save a few bucks.
Other notable improvements in 1.09 include:
New course available through in-app purchasing (GL Golf Deluxe)
Fast forward and slow motion buttons when the ball is in flight
Improved ball trail effect
Wind arrow is no longer covered by trees
Fixed resume game submitting scores on the Old Andrews course
Improved in game scorecard
Added version information to the main menu
Added a link to the support FAQ
Perfect “ding” shots now show a visual confirmation
Resume button now shows information about the current course and hole
Fixed a bug where scores <10 wouldn’t post on the LE National course (GL Golf Lite)
Not sure when this popped up, but I’m thinking it was sometime over the weekend. Adobe has launched a new Acrobat.com Mobile app for the iPhone and BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM). Developed by the folks at scanR, the app allows you to view or fax documents from an acrobat account, plus a lot more. The official description:
The Acrobat.com mobile application by scanR® allows you to view or fax your documents from your Acrobat.com account on supported mobile devices. Or upload document images from your mobile phone and have them automatically stored as searchable PDF files in your Acrobat.com account. Note, your account includes sending two outbound faxes and up to five document uploads from your mobile phone. You can upgrade your account at anytime if you need to upload or fax more documents.
For the moment it looks like the app is available in the US, France, Germany and the UK. Hit up mobile.acrobat.com, select your country, enter your email, and punch in your mobile number. From there you’ll receive an SMS with download and installation instructions.
![taptudroidcropp Taptu releases an Android application, makes mobile search touch friendly [Verdict: Who cares?]](http://images.intomobile.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/taptudroidcropp.jpg "Taptu releases an Android application, makes mobile search touch friendly [Verdict: Who cares?]")
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Turkey Day is fast approaching, and you know what that means. Burned, dry and otherwise barely edible birds will be hitting American dinner tables in a few days’ time! Admit it, you’re secretly hoping you don’t make a mess of Thanksgiving by cooking the turkey too long. It’s okay, we feel your pain. That’s where 
