Freeware World

Flipboard is a ‘personalized, social magazine’ for the iPad. Released today, and free, it might just be the first real killer app for Apple’s touchscreen device.

Mixing Twitter, Facebook and websites together may not be brand new, but Flipboard does it beautifully. The interface is gorgeous, and makes reading and navigating a joy. Their servers seem to be struggling at the moment, making it difficult to sign in to Facebook and Twitter, but it’s still worth downloading. I can totally imagine this becoming what I browse over breakfast. We’ll have a full review up soon, but for now here are some screenshots.

Readers, I’m in love. After years in a safe but boring relationship with a Nokia so old that people used to ask me if it had a color screen, I am head over heels for a sleek HTC Legend. I knew that once I made the jump from cellphone prehistory to the modern world, there were only two options - a HTC with Android or an iPhone. In the end, I decided on a HTC. Why? Put simply, the HTC is just cooler! iPhones have their charm and, as Jon has evangelized before, they may even beat the Android on certain technical levels, but I had fallen for the HTC, and fallen hard. Who’s going to argue with true love?!

The initial set up was easy as pie - in fact, my biggest problem was waiting to charge the phone before I could use it! Before actually getting an Android, I didn’t have much experience. I had played around with other people’s iPhones and investigated a HTC or two, but I was no expert. Even so, my first few hours with the new phone couldn’t have been easier. Android is very user-friendly. Obviously, if you make the jump, you’ll have your own opinions about which Android apps are the most important, but here’s how I’ve played it so far:

Social Networking

Android knows its social basics. The HTC comes with Facebook for Android, Twitter, Google Talk and YouTube apps installed. The Facebook, Google Talk and YouTube apps are all perfectly ok for my needs, but I swapped the cutely-named Peep for Twitter’s own Android client. So far it is serving me well, but I think a “best Twitter client for Android” type test looms in the near future.

Internet

On James’s advice, I installed Opera Mini as my browser. Android phones come with a default browser, but it was so ugly that I immediately hit the Android Market for an alternative. Opera is attractive and the homepage, with quick access to your favorite websites, is really handy, but I just don’t use it much - I do my surfing through individual apps. In an attempt to view Google Reader correctly, however, I started to use the default browser, and discovered that once I had re-set the homepage, it was a lot nicer. At the moment, I use both, but still haven’t made a final decision.

Email and Google Services

This is where I made most of my mistakes - being an avid Google Reader user, the app was one of the first I downloaded. I had problems though, because it didn’t seem well synced - updating was patchy and things like starred items weren’t reflected in my account. Elena let me into a secret - she accesses Reader through the normal browser, bookmarking the site for easy access. It works much better and, since you are using your actual account, syncing isn’t a problem.

A final warning about email - don’t sync an account with more than one app! I use the Gmail app that comes pre-installed, but in my very first hours with the phone, I also synced with the separate Mail app. Before I knew it, I was getting 2 notifications for every single email, and my constantly vibrating phone was driving me crazy!

Another major area of concern was Google Maps. I’m a big fan and obviously downloaded the official app ASAP. As soon as I started to use it, though, I realized I was going to have to work harder to get what I really wanted - to sync My Maps. This took more effort - once you are in Maps, hit the menu button, and choose Layers. At the bottom of the list, choose More Layers, and then My Maps - you’ll never get lost again!

Apart from some games and very specific - but essential - apps (like Barcelona Bicing, for Barcelona’s public bike rental system), my Android app needs seem to be met - for the moment. The next big tasks are less fun - organizing my hastily imported contacts and finding a good way to create playlists. If there’s an app for that, count me in and if you’ve got any tips, of course, let me know!

As soon as it was available last Monday, I updated my iPhone 3GS with iOS 4, Apple’s revamped mobile operating system. I resisted writing about it immediately, as an OS is no small thing and it takes time to form a proper opinion. So was it worth the hype? Here are my reflections after over a week’s use.

Speed: First things first, iOS 4 is noticeably quicker on my phone. It feels as if it’s been cleaned and oiled, apps open faster and everything seems to have added zip.

Multitasking:  Double tapping the home button pops up the apps that are running at the time. I never thought it was that necessary, as apps opened and closed really quickly anyway. However, for those apps that do have a longer loading time and don’t save their state on exit, this is a great idea. Unfortunately, not all apps support it yet - The Guardian’s app, for example, still won’t restart on the page you left it. Over time, multitasking should be better supported, but at the moment it’s not that impressive.

Folders: These are great - you can easily create folders of apps, which saves bunches of space while looking good too. I now only need two pages for all my apps, which is great.

Wallpaper: I was skeptical about this before I saw it, and I’m still not sure. The supplied wallpapers range from boring to horrible - in my opinion - and black still looks like the best background to me.

Camera: The added digital zoom feels good, but digitally zoomed images are never that great, as you’ll see if you zoom in as far as possible. It doesn’t work with video, either.

Playlists: This is better! Finally we can create playlists directly from the iPhone! This makes the iPod player feel much more useful, as syncing with iTunes just to add a playlist was a pain.

Stability: Never an issue with 3.x, I now get occasional crashes in some apps, even in some native ones like Safari. I’m hoping that these will be ironed out by iOS 4.1 - although it’s an excellent upgrade overall, the introduction of crashing and hanging isn’t welcome!

Overall, the good developments outweigh the niggles, and I’m especially pleased it runs so quickly, as my main worry was that it might only run well on the new iPhone 4. Multitasking is the biggest let down, as it barely changes my experience at all.

I do think iOS 4 keeps Apple at least one step ahead of Android, which is still not quite as smooth or user friendly. It will be interesting to see who ups the ante next!

Apple and Google may be less friendly these days, but they’ve always had a major similarity. Their designs are clean and minimal. This may not be to everybody’s tastes, but then not everybody’s tastes are good.

iOS and Google.com are both excellent pieces of design where form seems to follow function perfectly, so imagine my horror when I realized both now allow you to stick in your own wallpapers. I know that doesn’t force anyone to do anything, but I think it shows a lack of belief in design.

iOS 4 looks great, and putting a picture of your baby behind it will ruin the aesthetics. Sorry. Designers are professionals who we should trust - when Joe Public is let loose we end up with Pimp My Ride or ‘The Homer“. Henry Ford had it right when he said ‘any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.’

There’s a distinct choice for smart phones

Android 2.2 is on its way, with a bunch of new features. There’s Flash support, it’s up to five times quicker, can turn your phone into a wi-fi hotspot, and allows apps to push messages to your phone.

On June 21st, iOS4 is being rolled out to all compatible Apple devices, bringing with it iBooks, multitasking, folders, playlist creation and a unified email inbox, among other things.

Both look pretty cool, and while lots of people will argue one or the other is better, I think it’s a matter of personal taste and what you’re looking for in a device.

What’s right for you?

1: Appearance. The first point is certainly one of taste. If you don’t like the look of the iPhone, there’s nothing you can do! Go for Android, which has an ever-expanding range of devices, so there’s sure to be one that fits your style.

2: Ease of use. iOS4, like its predecessors, certainly has the edge when it comes to usability. Anyone can pick it up and use it pretty much without hesitation. Android feels a bit more IT-traditional, as there’s more to learn. However, it’s still an excellently designed OS, and it doesn’t take long to get the hang of.

3: Geek Friendly. If you like to be able to mess around under the hood of your smart phone, stay clear of iOS. I think it works great and does everything I want it to, but if you disagree, you’re stuck. Android is more open, and you have more freedom to use it how you want.

4: Compatibility. Android now supports Flash, so the mobile web will look pretty much identical to the desktop version. Of course, it will also eat your battery and your 3G connection. While Flash support is a hot topic, I’ve been surprised how much I don’t miss it on the iPhone. The iOS also tethers you to iTunes and the App Store, which not everyone will be happy about.

5: Updates. As I said, iOS4 is shipping to all devices on June 21st, but for Android 2.2 you may have to wait. HTC and Sony, for example, ship their Android devices with branded skins. When Google update Android you have to wait for HTC or whoever to upgrade their skin before letting you have it. And then you might still have to wait for your carrier to send it out. I have no idea who designed that system, as it sucks! With iOS, you’ll always be up to date - there are no middlemen.

Both Android and iOS offer a fantastic smart phone experience. iOS comes as a complete and extremely user-friendly package, but isn’t as flexible or customizable as Android. Which do you prefer?

(Disclosure - I prefer iOS)

A while ago Jon wrote a post about the wonders of Tumblr and why you should start using it right now. His arguments seemed so convincing that I immediately became a Tumblr user: I signed up for the service, spent some time looking for a nice template and now I publish all sorts of stuff I like.

Tumblr can be easily used on its own website, where you can check the dashboard for new posts from your friends and also post images, videos, links and more. There’s even a bookmarklet that lets you post items directly on your Tumblr, no matter what website you’re currently visiting. But if you still prefer using a client, here are some Tumblr clients for Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android I’ve tested in the last few days:

Tumblweed

An AIR-based application that works on both Windows and Mac. It features a clear, minimalist interface with a small toolbar. Each button in the toolbar features the initial for each kind of post you can publish on Tumblr: text, photo, quote, link, chat, audio and video. The main interface area lets you switch between the Dashboard and your own Tumblr.

Tumblr

The official Tumblr app for iPhone. It lets you publish all sort of content to your Tumblr, with the option of scheduling posts for later or making them private. There are separate areas for your Tumblr and the Dashboard. It’s fast, intuitive and very well designed.

Tumblenote

A Mac Dashboard widget with which you can easily publish stuff to your Tumblr. It doesn’t let you check the Dashboard though. It’s made to be really simple to use: open the Dashboard, select the type of post from the drop-down menu, fill in the fields and hit the Post button.

ttTumblr

A free Tumblr client for Android. With ttTumblr you can check the Dashboard and publish posts to your Twitter account, though you can’t publish videos. There’s also an option in Settings to send your Tumblr posts to Twitter.

Formula One fans are gearing up for one of the biggest races in the F1 calendar, as practice for the Monaco Grand Prix gets underway today. Seeing as I’m not some flashy playboy millionaire (yet) I wanted to find a way of getting close to the course without actually getting up out of my chair. I found the perfect solution in the form of White Rhino’s Formula One Circuits KML file, via Google Earth Hacks.

Plug this baby into Google Earth and you’ll be able to drive the Monte Carlo course yourself. Open the file and click on the Monaco Grand Prix link in the Places window and you’ll be whisked off to the French Riveria where you can explore the track in detail. Zoom in and you’ll be able to follow the course in 3D view, checking out photos and videos posted by users along the route by tapping the icons.

By clicking on one of the info icons you can view an overlay of the grand prix circuit in Google Earth, showing the Start/Finish line, the straights, the tunnels and all the corners.

Although the KML file is based on the courses of the 2005 season, it’s worth checking out the other tracks listed in Places, too. Each one includes information about the circuit, race distances, lap records, and more.

Have you ever wondered what these strange black and white squared graphics mean? You’ve probably seen them around a lot lately, but do you really know what they’re used for, or how can you read them? No worries: OnSoftware comes to the rescue! In this post I’ll try to explain everything you need to know about QR codes.

Yes, these strange symbols are called QR codes (Quick Response codes). They’re an evolution of the classic barcode, a standard sign that enables you to represent more than 4,000 alphanumeric characters in a bi-dimensional graphic (don’t worry about that!).

QR codes were initially used in the automotive industry to keep track of stocks, but nowadays their usage has spread everywhere as a handy way to share information: IT companies, software developers, advertising agencies and media, they’ve all used QR codes at some point.

In order to read QR codes, you need a camera-equipped device and a compatible reader. These requisites were a real handicap a few years ago, but now that most of us have a smartphone with camera in our pocket, we’re now ready to scan QR codes anywhere. This is precisely why their popularity has grown so much in the last few months.

Creating QR codes is really simple. All you need is a QR code generator, which you can get as a desktop utility (such as iCandy, for Windows and Mac). But the easiest thing to do is probably using an online app, like Kaywa . Just select the type of data you’re going to encode, enter it into the form and press Generate.

Now that you’ve learned how to create QR codes, it’s time to learn how to read them. There are literally dozens of QR code readers available today, depending on your device’s operating system. Let’s take a look at the most popular ones for Android, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows Mobile.

• Barcode Scanner (Android) – Works not only with QR codes, but also with other barcode formats . It also searches the web with the data found in the scanned code.
• i-nigma (iPhone) – This handy app and your iPhone’s camera will enable you to unveil all the secrets behind any QR code. It also supports other code formats like DataMatrix.
• Barcode Reader (Symbian) – Reads QR, BIDI and DataMatrix codes. The app’s options let you save read codes, and send them via SMS , e-mail or Bluetooth.
• Beetagg (Blackberry) – Have a Blackberry? This is the perfect code reader for you! It’s not only compatible with QR codes, but also with DataMatrix and BeeTagg.
• i-nigma (Windows Mobile) – Besides iPhone, i-nigma works also on the Windows Mobile platform . It’s very easy to use and lets you share codes with other users.

So, now that you’ve learnt what a QR code is, how to create them and how to read them, it’s time for some action. Check out these three sample codes and discover all the possibilities behind this new technology to share information.

(Via OnSoftware ES)

Are you on Facebook? We’ve added another way for you to follow posts at OnSoftware, with the Softonic (EN) Facebook group. Join us, and you’ll be updated as soon as new posts are published, and we’ll also share links to cool software and games.

As it’s a Facebook group, all members are free to start discussions and talk to other members too. It’s also a great place to share your thoughts on software on our wall, so if you’ve got something to say, get involved! You can join our Facebook group here. Don’t forget you can also follow us on Twitter!

The 12th annual Independent Games Festival has announced its winners, and Monaco, the ’stylish’ co-op game from Pocketwatch has come out on top with the main prize as well as the excellence in Design award. You can’t play this game yet, and unfortunately that’s true of many of this years winners.

However, there are three you can play from your browser, and they’re all favorites of mine. First is Closure, the dark, claustrophobic game I covered a year ago (you can play it there). Then there’s the absolutely great Continuity, winner of the Student Showcase Award. It has the same enigmatic cool that viral hit Canabalt has,  but requires thought and more than one button to play! The third you can play is Max and the Magic Marker.  This is a cute platformer, where you aid hero Max with your Magic Marker, which can draw platforms and more in his cartoon world. That requires plugin Unity, whereas the others use Flash.

I’m looking forward to playing Monaco soon, and especially the IGF Nuevo Award winner Cactus’ Tuning.

Have a look at the full winners list over at Gamasutra .