Tag Archives | Smartphones

FileMaker’s iOS Databases Get Printing, Charting, and Signatures

Posted by Harry McCracken on April 20, 2011 at 11:11 pm

FileMaker Inc.’s FileMaker Go–which brings databases created with the Windows and OS X versions of FileMaker to iOS devices–just got a bit more powerful.

As before, the new 1.2 versions for iPhone and iPad aren’t fully standalone apps: You use it to view and edit databases created with full-blown Filemaker Pro, and can access databases both by syncing them onto the device and by connecting remotely. (That’s a different approach from FileMaker’s more consumery Bento database apps for iPhone and iPad, which can be used in conjunction with the Mac version or on their own.)

You can now use Apple’s AirPrint to print wirelessly to recent HP printers. Charts–a feature introduced in last year’s FileMaker Pro 11–can be viewed, updated, and edited. And you can capture signatures into FileMaker Go on an iPhone or iPad, and then transfer them back into a FileMaker Pro database. (The FileMaker folks say that Go is often used to automate processes that would otherwise be handled with paper and pen.)

Continue Reading →

2 comments

iOS Still King, Regardless of Smartphone Market

Posted by Ed Oswald on April 19, 2011 at 9:44 pm

Data coming out of research firm comScore validates what many have been saying about the battle between Android and iOS: that across all devices, Google’s mobile operating system still has a long ways to go to supplant Apple’s dominant position overall, despite analyst claims.

Across an estimated install base of some 236 million “connected media devices” — that would include phones, tablets, music devices with Internet connectivity and app support, etc. — Apple has a 16.2 percent share or about 37.9 million devices. Android trails with a 10.2 percent share or about 23.8 million devices.

In other words, Apple has a 59 percent larger market for its devices right now compared to Android — highlighting its strong position for iOS outside of smartphones.

Continue Reading →

9 comments

HBO Go Service Enroute to Mobile Devices

Posted by Ed Oswald on April 19, 2011 at 8:08 pm

As the rush to put video on mobile devices continues, HBO will apparently be throwing its hat into the ring next month, if a YouTube teaser video from the cable channel is any sign. The HBO Go service first debuted in April 2009, and has slowly been expanding its breath of programming, although you’ve had to visit the HBO Go website.


Continue Reading →

3 comments

Hoo Boy, Here We Go Yet Again: Apple Sues Samsung

Posted by Harry McCracken on April 18, 2011 at 2:44 pm

Do Samsung products such as its Galaxy S phones and Galaxy Tab tablets imitate Apple’s iPhone and iPad? Yes, of course they do. So, to greater and lesser extents, do nearly every smartphone and slate-type computing device on the market today. Is that legal? I guess we’ll find out: Apple is suing Samsung, saying that it’s violating multiple patents and trademarks.

I haven’t seen Apple’s suit, but it sounds like it relates to look-and-feel issues more than do most of the umpteen lawsuits that tech companies have filed against each other recently.  In a statement to All Things Digital’s Ina Fried, an Apple spokesperson even complained about the boxes that Samsung products come in being too Apple-esque:

It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,. This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.

If Apple has a case, you gotta wonder who else it’ll sue and where all this ends. HP’s upcoming TouchPad tablet, for instance, is promising–but it’s even more strikingly iPad-like than Samsung’s tablets to date. Is it vulnerable? And given that Archos is just about the only company that can honestly say it would be making tablets even if the iPad had never existed, does Apple have a legally-justified beef against the entire category?

I’ve always been made uneasy when one company unimaginatively cribs another’s designs–when I attended Mobile World Congress 2009 it felt like a blur of faux iPhones–but I don’t like the idea of one company essentially having a monopoly on a product category or a form factor. More thoughts to come as details emerge, but for now, what’s your take?

9 comments

Aww, Look at That Cute Little Smartphone!

Posted by Ed Oswald on April 18, 2011 at 10:10 am

HP is apparently set to introduce its latest smartphone based on Palm’s WebOS at a May 2 event, several news outlets including PreCentral are reporting. The diminutive (but certainly not small on features) device is only 55mm (2.2″) wide and 84mm (3.3″) tall, and they’ve somehow figured out how to squeeze a slide out QWERTY keyboard in this thing.

The Veer kind of reminds me of the Nokia 8200 series phones from the early part of last decade that were available through the old AT&T Wireless: HP’s Veer is actually very similar in size. Lets just hope HP’s small phone doesn’t nearly burn people’s ears off like the 8200 was known to do.

Continue Reading →

3 comments

After 10 Months, The White iPhone Is Coming (Maybe)!

Posted by Ed Oswald on April 14, 2011 at 8:45 am

It’s taken the company forever, but Apple is about to launch the white iPhone 4 (more evidence of no iPhone 5 yet, perhaps?), according to Bloomberg. There’s been a few guesses as to why this phone has yet to see the light of day — leaking light is one — and for some the wait has been so unbearable, they’ve taken matters into their own hands.

Bloomberg says several issues prevented  the device from being launched, including white paint that begun to peel due to the heat of the phone. In any case, the device is supposedly set to debut on both AT&T and Verizon by the end of the month.

Could the white model be part of a plan by Apple to placate those anxiously waiting for the next-generation model, which seems destined for a late release this year?

No comments

Eye-Fi Rolls Out Direct Mode and a New Card

Posted by Harry McCracken on April 12, 2011 at 12:35 am

Eye-Fi, the folks who make the unique SD cards with built-in Wi-Fi, are just about ready to launch the most interesting improvement they’ve made since they unveiled their first cards. Previewed in January at CES, it’s called Direct Mode, and it will let you transfer photos from a camera with an Eye-Fi card directly and wirelessly to an iPhone (or other iOS device) or an Android phone or tablet–where you can then upload them to the Web using Eye-Fi’s  apps or use them with any phone app that involves photos, such as Instagram, Path, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter.

If, like me, you do much of your photography these days with a phone but aren’t crazy about the results, this is potentially a more exciting application of Eye-Fi’s technology than its original features, which require that you be within range of an available Wi-Fi network to get photos off your camera and onto the Internet.

Continue Reading →

No comments

WatchESPN on Your iPhone (but ReadFINEPRINT)

Posted by Dave Z on April 9, 2011 at 2:32 pm

The future is upon us. As the content owners and cable/satellite providers maintain relevance by extending their offerings beyond the traditional television. And the most promising new service is WatchESPN. Not only does it enable streaming around the home, as seen with Time Warner and Cablevision apps, but it allows you to get live ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN3 broadcasts on the go. Assuming you have an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad and subscribe to television services from providers ESPN has deals with (currently: Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV, Brighthouse).

Continue Reading →

One comment