A skeptic might see the Doom II RPG ($4, iPhone/iPod touch) as a lame reboot of the Wolfenstein 3D RPG which was a lame reboot of the original Doom RPG. And…wait…that’s kinda true. How absolutely soul-crushing. [iTunes via Kotaku]
Category: Software
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SPB Mobile Shell 5 to be announced at Mobile World Congress
SPB Mobile Shell is one of the most popular software suits on Windows Mobile, and certainly the most popular UI replacement. At version 3.5 it took a huge turn towards exploiting the power if the hardware by using 3D acceleration. Version 5 promises more of the same, with “breathtaking 3D functionality”, a huge number of widgets and improved usability.
While not much is know yet, it seems more will be revealed in only a few more days.
Are you looking forward to this release? Let us know below.
Via PocketPT.net
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HTC HD2 ebook tab demoed
Pocketnow has published this video showing the new HTC HD2 ereader tab.While many have said reading books on a smartphone is very sub-optimal, for many PDA veterans ebook reading was a great feature, and the move to larger screens and higher resolutions greatly appreciated. I do not know about our other readers, but I certainly will be using this feature a lot.
Are any of our other readers excited about this development? Let us know below.
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CheckDrive – Verificar e corrigir erros no disco rígido
CheckDrive 2010 é uma ferramenta para Windows que lhe permite verificar a informação dos seus discos rígidos, bem como procurar e tentar corrigir possíveis erros nas unidades de armazenamento.
Esta aplicação é gratuita e no site do desenvolvedor poderá encontrar outras aplicações como um software para desfragmentar o seu disco, software para limpeza de ficheiros duplicados, entre outras ferramentas úteis.
Aceda ao site da Abelssoft e faça já o download do CheckDrive aqui.
WebTuga – Boorlix – TugaTronica – WebTuga TV – GameTuga – AppleTuga – TugaSport – MobileTuga – DeskmodPT – Ate Tem Piada – Blog dos Famosos – Alojamento NacionalWebTuga – CheckDrive – Verificar e corrigir erros no disco rígido
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Swype on myTouch 3G — Text Entry Without Lifting a Finger
One of the challenges I’ve noticed on my Google Nexus One is the software keyboard. Obviously, I can use it since the device is my primary phone, but it’s not quite as good as the iPhone implementation. My speed is diminished just a tad and I occasionally revert to using voice-to-text for short bursts of input. That’s why I’m very interested in Swype — a new method for using that old QWERTY keyboard. Today, the company announced a product partnership with T-Mobile and the first fruit of that relationship is Swype on the myTouch 3G as of today. Swype isn’t just for Android handsets though — when the HD2 arrives for the T-Mobile network, it too will offer Swype as a companion to the native Windows Mobile software keyboard.
The video demo shows how quickly you can enter text, but like any other input method, there’s going to be an adjustment period. Luckily, there’s no new keyboard layout or any other barrier to adoption — you simply trace your words out, letter by letter, without lifting your finger. These days, I use two hands for data entry on handset keyboards, so Swype could free up a hand. While I haven’t tried the product yet, I’ve mimicked the method on my Nexus One and I think I can swipe text using just my thumb. I’ve just received the software a few minutes ago, so I’ll try it exclusively over the native input method for a few days and report back in.
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What a Few Simple iPad Apps May Look Like [Concepts]
Reader Akis Alekozidis sent us a few mockups of apps running on the iPad. The multi-pane layouts are very similar to what we’ve seen Apple do so far in-house. Not bad, but where the heck is my fullscreen GIANT-BUTTONED CALCULATOR?
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Boston Beats Seattle for Hospitality, At Least for Heavy Metal Techies
Will Dixon wrote:
We were really stoked when we received the e-mail from Greg asking if we’d be interested in playing at the Boston Xconomy Battle of the Tech Bands. We had a great time at the Seattle battle, but we really thought that was the end of a fun gig… Traveling out to Boston to play a gig sounded awesome! [Juda’s Wake is (left to right): Peter Dixon, James Dixon, and Will Dixon—Eds.]
Booking travel accommodations fell nicely into place, lining up vacation time came through, confirmed with Delta that our guitars/cymbals could be carry-ons, doubled our practice schedule to prepare for the “big gig in Boston,” and we were feeling good about pulling off a respectable set.
I had traveled to Boston a bit for work and actually played some gigs in Boston about 10 years ago with another band (long story), and whenever I brought up Boston, my brothers/bandmates responded with, “Meh… Boston. What’s so cool about Boston?” Sure we enjoyed Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, and Fever Pitch, but…?
OK, so we had an early flight on Wednesday morning. We get to the gate at SeaTac with 3 minutes to spare, and the clearly metal-fearing gate check attendant exclaimed that bringing our guitars on board was against FAA regulation and they would have to be checked. So we confirm that they would be handled like a stroller and would be handed to us after we arrived in Boston. As we see our guitars dramatically toppling out onto the luggage conveyor at Logan Airport, we cringe at the thought of the damage to our babies that just spent hours freezing in the belly of the plane! Thanks Seattle!
Thankfully they only received some cosmetic scratches to the cases (that’s what they’re for right?), but here’s where the remarkable Boston hospitality starts (not kidding). We go to the luggage desk at Logan to see how we could avoid this on our return… The luggage manager apologizes profusely, files a complaint on our behalf, assures us that there is no FAA regulation against the guitars as carry-ons, gives us all Delta $$ vouchers and stresses that if this were to happen again, make sure to get the PINK check tag, and not the yellow. Luggage with pink tags are handed to you at the door of the plane. Luggage with yellow tags are handed to oversized playful gorillas.
The luggage manager, cabbies, hotel staff, waiters and bartenders—all inquire if we’re in a band, related, where from, etc., and all affirm that the Middle East is THE place to play, especially the lower level. Cool!
Three of the four spots we hit on Wednesday night bought us rounds, did shots with us, shared Boston music and architecture history, tips, and advice. The three of us are out in Seattle all the time, and the whole “Nah, that round is on us—how ’bout doin’ a shot?” just doesn’t happen. Let alone three times in a single night.
There was not a setting during this trip where we spent more than 30 minutes at that a Bostonian didn’t stop to chat with us, take a picture with us, share a story, etc. etc.
Add a really fun gig, big crowd, smooth running operations, at a top notch venue with other great bands… we love Boston—and Xconomy! Thanks guys!
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Manila gets language changer
HTC made a great piece of software when Manila was created, but the lack of a language changer brings the experience down a little for the world wide users, but that just changed. An XDA member named smog has cooked up a new way to change the language your Manila/Sense UI is working with. The application connects to the clouds and depending on your build number, it grabs the correct language and gets it setup for your device.
“Hi all,
I just wrote a small application to change manila language on the fly, don’t know if any other application exist to accomplish this task but I was not able to find one so I decided to write my own. MLM connects to my server and checks which languages are available for a given manila build allowing you to:
– Download a language pack for a given manila/sense build
– Install the _manila files in windows directory
– Set the proper registry values”Give this app a try and hopefully you can find the language your looking for.
Get it:XDA
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Opera Mini for iPhone Coming Soon, In Theory [IPhone Apps]
Opera claimed to have an iPhone app ready back in 2008, held up only by Apple’s pain-in-the-ass approval process. Curious, then, that they’re just now showing it off at Mobile World Congress, alongside early builds of Opera Mobile for Android.Alternative browsers on the iPhone aren’t really alternative browsers, since historically they’ve all used the same version of the WebKit rendering engine as Mobile Safari. For Opera to release a version of Mini for the iPhone would be a big deal: assuming its using Opera’s rendering engine and server-side compression tools, it could legitimately change the iPhone browsing experience for the first time since, well, launch.
Two things spark concern here: Opera’s press materials don’t mention Opera’s Presto rendering engine by name (though that’s not too shocking); and the software evidently will “not [be] publicly available” when its demoed in Barcelona next week. Honestly though, that could mean anything from a later release date to anxiety about the approval process, so there’s no use reading too much into it right now. Today, Opera and iPhone are finally one. Nobody take that away from me. [Opera]
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As Advertisers Expand Online, Covario Adds Web-Based Tools to Measure Their Success
Bruce V. Bigelow wrote:A new generation of corporate marketing executives was in attendance last week when San Diego-based Covario convened its fourth annual corporate partners conference at the downtown Hard Rock Hotel. As a rock band jammed onstage, the gathering crowd included JP Morgan Chase’s vice president of search governance, Amgen’s senior marketing manager for oncology, and the consumer insight manager for Sony Online Entertainment.
Search governance? Consumer insight? Welcome to the world of corporate search engine marketing.
Covario, a startup backed by Seattle-based Voyager Capital, Dubilier & Co., and FT Ventures, specializes in interactive marketing technologies and services. It holds the meeting each year to discuss the latest trends in the highly specific world of search engine marketing and online advertising.
Search engine marketing, which promotes websites in search engine results by paying to ensure certain search terms are displayed (and by other techniques), is a highly profitable business dominated by Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. Covario operates in a different segment, providing Web-based tools, analytical software, and other technologies that enable companies to optimize their websites and to measure just how much bang they get for each search-term buck they pay to Google and the other big boys.
Search engine marketing is growing much faster than traditional advertising. For all its precision, however, search marketing remains a …Next Page »
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My Phone 2.0 to feature in Windows Mobile 7
Microsoft’s job postings are always a good source of rumours. This latest one from the My Phone team talks about the long awaited 2.0 update to the service. While it does not describe the improvements expected, the posting does talk about the software forming a part of the feature set of the next version of Windows Mobile, presumably 7.
This is in some ways disappointing, as it does suggest we will not see a new version of the service until the release of Windows Mobile 7 at the end of the year. Features like calendar synching and increased storage in particular are weaknesses of My Phone which sorely needs addressing
See the job posting below:
Job Category: Software Engineering: Test
Product: Windows Mobile
Division: Entertainment & Devices DivisionThe mobile and online areas are two of the most competitive and innovative areas in software today. Microsoft has strong competitors, but we also have great technologies, some amazing ideas, and a huge commitment to do what it takes to win from the executive leadership team. The My Phone service is the initial release in a bigger vision to combine these two critical areas into a compelling customer experience, enhancing the Windows Phone platform with powerful web integration scenarios around data protection, device management, social networking, location awareness, ease of use, integration with partner services, and much more.
The My Phone test team is looking for an SDET to join us as we embark on our 2.0 release. Our client work involves the development & testing of features that form part of the next release of Windows Mobile. Our server work involves development & testing for the next release of our datacenter hosted web services & web portal. Experience in either (or both) of these areas is highly preferred. The successful candidate will primarily own testing features for either client or server, but will work closely with the other.
Via Softpedia.com
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Microsoft’s Mobile World Congress to be broadcast, streamed live!
Good news for Windows Mobile users eager to get every detail of Microsoft’s likely historic Mobile World Congress announcement.Via MSMobiles, we hear that not only will it be streamed live on the internet at www.microsoft.com/news/windowsphone, but will also be broadcast on satellite TV.
It will be on Eutelsat at the following details:
Timing: 1630-1645 UTC
EUTELSAT W3A 7 deg East TXP B1 CHANNEL 9MHZ SLOT 1L9 (D1)
UPLINK FREQ.: 14314 MHZ POL Y BY E-120
DOWNLINK FR.: 11014 MHZ POL X
SD 625 16:9 50Hz DVBS QPSK 6.6665Ms/s FEC 7/8,
RoF 0.35 (11_SD MPEG2 422 10.7514 Mbps)
OP MODE: HIGH QUALITY
AUDIO:1 SOUND MONO
AUDIO:2 SOUND MONOAgain, MSMobiles confirms that Steve Ballmer will be there, underlining the importance of the expected announcements.
Will you be watching? Let us know below.
Read more at MSMobiles here.
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Windows Mobile 6.x to be free, come with free navigation?
MSMobiles say they have the low down on Microsoft’s Mobile World Congress announcements, and what they leaked makes quite a bit of sense.First the bits we think we know already:
Windows Mobile 7 will be introduced with Zune, Xbox, Bing integration. It will feature a new kernel,Games and Music improvements and a new user interface, based on Windows Presentation Foundation. Development will take place in the latest version of Visual Studio.
Now the new bits:
Clearly in a direct response to Nokia and Android, Windows Mobile (not sure which version) will come with free navigation (presumably turn by turn). Also clearly in a response to all the open source mobile OS’s, Windows Mobile 6.X will be free to developing markets.
As mentioned above, these changes make perfect sense, and shows a Microsoft prepared to respond much more rapidly than before to changes in the mobile market.
What do our readers think? Is this a sufficient response to the competitive pressure Microsoft faces? Let us know below.
Read more at MSMobiles.com here.
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Barcorama 0.9 reviewed
Barcorama is a simple freeware application for Windows Mobile devices developed by the xda-developers user hypest. The application is still in development stage but it is possible to test the alpha-version of the program…
Read more at BestWindowsMobileApps.com
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ATG Banks $101M, Veracode Collects $12M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
Rebecca Zacks wrote:
It’s only been a few days since I last rounded up the deals news from New England’s tech and life sciences companies, but there are still a few new transactions to report.
—Irvine, CA-based Allergan (NYSE:AGN) revealed in an earnings report that it acquired Medford, MA-based biomaterials maker Serica Technologies late last year. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
—Art Technology Group (NASDAQ: ARTG) raised $100.6 million in an underwritten public offering. The Cambridge, MA-based e-commerce firm sold 28.75 shares at $3.50 apiece, with Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank Securities serving as underwriters for the deal.
—Security software maker Veracode of Burlington, MA, raised $12.3 million in equity-based financing, according to a regulatory filing. Previous backers of Veracode include Atlas Venture, .406 Ventures, Macrovision, Polaris Venture Partners, Symantec, and In-Q-Tel.
—Datanetis, an Israeli “influencer marketing” startup, raised $6 million in Series A funding from Battery Ventures, changed its name to Pursway, and moved its headquarters to Waltham, MA. Wade investigated what exactly the startup means by “influencer marketing.”
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Real Spins Off Rhapsody
Gregory T. Huang wrote:
Seattle-based RealNetworks and MTV Networks announced today they will spin off their digital music service joint venture, Rhapsody, into a separate company. Under the terms of the deal, RealNetworks (NASDAQ: RNWK) will no longer be the majority owner and operator of Rhapsody; the new company will not have a single majority owner. Real says this is a significant first step in making itself more focused and profitable. More information on the restructuring can be found in the Form 8-K that Real filed with the SEC today. The deal is expected to close at the end of this quarter.
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Google Maps 4.0 for Windows Mobile supports Google Buzz
Contrary to Google’s first report Windows Mobile users can use Buzz to some degree, as the new version of Google Maps for Windows Mobile, 4.0, does add some Buzz functionality.The new Buzz layer allows you to see the locations of everybody using Buzz along with their location-aware messages. You can also make comments on other user’s Buzz messages.
You can download Google Maps 4.0 by visiting m.google.com/maps with your mobile browser.
Via Pocketnow.com
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What’s Your Breakthrough Idea? Let’s Talk About How to Change the World on March 29
Gregory T. Huang wrote:Whether you’re an entrepreneur, an investor, a researcher, a corporate executive, a journalist, or a patent attorney, you’ve heard it: an idea that will supposedly change the world. In fact, you probably come across someone trying to pitch you an idea like that every week, if not every day. Maybe you even have one you’re working on yourself.
Breakthrough ideas are catalysts of innovation and progress. Think Amazon and its online books, Google and its Web search algorithms, Apple and its iTunes and iPhone. But in the technology and business world, seemingly great ideas are a dime a dozen. For every Amazon, there are dozens of online retailers that have failed. For every Google, dozens of search companies that went nowhere. And so on.
What really counts, of course, is forethought, execution, and results. But that’s much easier said than done. So what makes for a true breakthrough idea? And how can startups and business leaders make their biggest ideas more marketable and scalable, and really change the world? (Thanks to Nick Hanauer of Second Avenue Partners for inspiring this thread in a talk he gave at an NWEN event in December 2008.)
We’re asking these big questions, and we’re going to try to answer them. On the afternoon of March 29, Xconomy is convening a special forum in Seattle called “What’s Your Breakthrough Idea?” The event (agenda and registration info here) will be at the University of Washington, in the atrium of the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering. We are doing everything we can to make it a must-see for technology, life sciences, and business leaders who have a deep interest in the world’s biggest ideas—and how they will (or won’t) impact the future.
The centerpiece of the afternoon will be an in-depth discussion between two of the area’s top thinkers in innovation across broad realms of science, technology, and society: Nathan Myhrvold, the co-founder and CEO of Bellevue, WA-based Intellectual Ventures, and Leroy Hood, the co-founder and president of Seattle’s Institute for Systems Biology (ISB). They will tackle the important issues of how to think about big ideas, how to tell promising ideas from not-so-promising ones, and how to get maximum bang from ideas that survive. They will speak from experience.
Myhrvold comes from the worlds of physics and software. As Microsoft’s former chief technology officer and the founder of Microsoft Research and later Intellectual Ventures, his company focused on the business of invention, he knows a thing or two about evaluating global-scale ideas. Meanwhile, Hood comes from the worlds of biology, life sciences, and genomics. As the co-founder of ISB as well as a new company focused on early detection of diseases, called Integrated Diagnostics, Hood can speak with great depth on the progress and challenges in biomedicine and human health. Their combined perspectives should make for a tremendously revealing and entertaining cross-disciplinary chat and Q&A.
We’ll also do some deeper dives into specific breakthrough ideas from a select group of speakers, who will include: David Bluhm, CEO of Seattle startup Z2Live, focused on mobile social gaming; Mick Mountz, CEO of the Boston area’s Kiva Systems, a robotics firm working on warehousing and logistics applications; Steve Seitz, professor of computer science and engineering at UW, an expert in computer vision and graphics (he helped develop the technology behind Microsoft’s Photosynth); Dan Weld, UW computer science professor, the co-founder of Netbot, AdRelevance, and Nimble Technology, and a venture partner with Madrona Venture Group; and Norm Wu, CEO of Qliance, a Seattle firm that provides healthcare to thousands while circumventing insurance companies.
Of course, changing the world is never easy. But we’re hoping the discussions and talks on March 29 will inspire our audience to think big, and think realistically—while also making useful connections that otherwise might not happen. Plus we’re going to have an absolute blast with this star-studded lineup, and we think you will too. For more information, and to register for “What’s Your Breakthrough Idea?”, please visit our event page.
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Google aims to kill facebook, twitter and foursquare – no Windows Mobile client yet
Google has just announced its new social network service, which combines elements of all the biggest or more interesting social networks of today.
The service will include a mobile component, but as of yet only clients for the iPhone and Android are available, with Symbian, RIM and Windows Mobile versions being promised.
Hopefully the service will do a bit better than Okurt…
Read more here.
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Project Natal coming to Windows Mobile?
Regular readers will know know we keep a close eye on Microsoft’s job postings, and occasionally come across something interesting.
The one below appears to be a pretty standard Project Natal job post, but then goes off into an unexpected tangent by demanding Windows Phone experience.
Does this mean that gesture-based UI is really coming to Windows Mobile?
Read the job post below and tell us what you think.
Sr Software Test Engineer (SDET) X box Live – Project Natal Job
Date: Feb 8, 2010
Location: Redmond, WA, US
Job Category: Software Engineering: Test
Location: United States, WA, Redmond
Job ID: 707967 11095
Product: Xbox Live
Division: Entertainment & Devices DivisionDo you love Graphics? Want to take the latest graphics code, tools, and technologies for a ride before anyone else in the world? Want to participate in an effort to create the next generation of technology that will make our customers jump with excitement and our competitors shake with fear? If so, check out the Natal project – The Natal Platform Team is building the components at the core of this high profile project that is a huge part of the Microsoft consumer strategy. The result will be a revolutionary component for rich game and entertainment experiences that will forever change the face of entertainment. Do you have what it will take to help deliver on the vision? Jump in and find out…
Responsibilities include:
Design and implement graphics test cases which programmatically measure quality.
Investigate & implement new graphics testing techniques
Port existing graphics tests to new platforms
Write graphics test specifications
Lead by example
Own the quality of one or more feature areas in the System Test team
Identify product defects and track to their appropriate resolution
Collaborate with feature area Devs and PMs
Collaborate with partner teams
Provide feedback on key user scenarios, functional and technical designs, and
Contribute to overall product test planning and architecture
specifications.
Contribute to implementation of automation tools & solutions
Create and integrate test tools into test infrastructure
Qualifications include:
Experience writing graphics code with D3D10 or D3D11
Experience writing complex HLSL (or equivalent) shaders
Skills with 3D vector and matrix math
6 + years of product development and testing experience
Demonstrable experience of multiple successful product ship cycles
Strong C/C++ development and debugging skills
Able to work independently or with a team with minimal supervision
Excellent working knowledge of test methodologies and techniques
Utilization and evangelism of testing best practices
Experience with creating and enhancing existing automation systems
Examples of successful implementation of solutions to difficult product quality challenges
Familiar with test-driven development
Excellent problem solving skills
Strong communication and collaboration skills
Self disciplined and detail oriented
Solid understanding of the Xbox 360 software and system architecture desired
Experience working on Windows Mobile Phones a plus
A BA/BS in Computer Science or related technical discipline is requiredRead the full job post here.
