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Consumer
mobile
software news roundup for
June - July 2008
- Compiled
July 18, 2008, by Gary Thayer, MobileVillage Editor
Note on
Prices: Prices quoted below are in US dollars.
Multi-Plaform
8x8, Inc. says it has added the Apple iPhone
to the list of over 450 mobile phones supported by 8x8's Packet8
MobileTalk Internet calling service. Packet8 MobileTalk
lists rates of one cent per minute to China, two cents per minute
to the U.K., three cents to Mexico and about six cents to India,
for example.
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Instead of requiring a download, MobileTalk uses a web-based
dialer, accessible via a standard data plan or Wi-Fi connection,
to route calls to a local Packet8 access number and then
on to the Packet8 digital VoIP network. Once the call has
been initiated, the data connection is disengaged and the
call is carried over the cellular provider's network with
only Packet8's international calling rates applied. Packet8
MobileTalk also supports many phones running BlackBerry,
Palm, Symbian, and Windows models. Customers can sign up
at www.packet8.net.
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SnapMyLife has added the iPhone and iPod
Touch to the list of devices supported by its location-aware
photo sharing social app of the same name. SnapMyLife lets
anyone with a camera phone and mobile web access to snap and share
photos, keep tabs on their friends and family, or just browse
other users' photos. The new location-aware feature lets users
automatically tag photos with their location and manipulate a
resizable map and pins to see in pictures what's going on near
them. For more details, see snapmylife.com.
BlackBerry
Concrete Software has added a new mobile game called
PBA Bowling, which the company says works on most of
the current mobile phones including smartphones running Windows
Mobile and BlackBerry. PBA Bowling includes 11 of the top
PBA stars, 3D graphics that follow the ball down the lane, and
Wii-like mobile motion technology on many of the phones to simulate
real bowling motions. The game also includes five bowling locations,
five types of lane oil patterns, and three different game types.
PBA Bowling for BlackBerry is available at
Handango for $13.49. For quick info on other Concrete
Software games, see the company's summary page on MobileVillage.
iPhone
Polka announced its new iPhone and iPod touch Emergency
Card application, which stores life-saving information such
as emergency contacts, blood type, allergies to food or medications,
on the user's iPhone and iPod. The application also lets users
access maps to the nearest hospitals and medical centers, and
users can print a wallet-sized version of their card as a back-up
and hard copy. Polka Emergency Card is available for $2.99 on
the Apple App Store.
ReQall released its ReQall memory aid, created
for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Based on research into memory
prostheses from MIT's Media Lab, reQall lets users simply say
what they want to remember straight to their iPhone. These voice
reminders are automatically converted into text and delivered
back whenever the user wants, via text message, instant message,
email, or as a calendar alert. ReQall can also recognize certain
keywords. The word "buy" for example, followed by
an item, automatically adds that item to the user's shopping
list. Use a word like "meet" to automatically schedule
a meeting. If dates and times are mentioned, reQall automatically
adds reminders to corresponding calendar dates. Users can even
remind other people, by saying things like "ask Jenny to
get the car washed." Jenny will immediately receive a reminder
by text, email or instant message. Users can also take photos
on the iPhone and store them within reQall, to better remember
things about the photos. ReQall is available for free exclusively
from Apple's App Store.
Palm
OS
Ilium Software has released a new version
of its eWallet password and personal information manager.
eWallet Professional Edition lets users store credit cards,
passwords, PINs, calling cards, accounts, usernames and much
more. All information is encrypted with 256-bit AES encryption,
and can be backed up and synced with a laptop or desktop computer.
New features include multiple hidden fields, email and web links,
an improved search, customized templates, and a shortcuts feature
for accessing most-used cards. eWallet Professional Edition
v6.1 is available for Palm is $26.95 at
Handango, and eWallet Standard Edition v6.1 is available
for Palm is $17.95 at
Handango. Version 6.1 is a free upgrade to all registered
owners of eWallet 6.0, which was released last December.
SplashData has updated its SplashID
data security program for Palm OS to version 4.16, with
the addition of a minor feature that lets users search within
words in the Lookup tool. SplashID offers fast and secure encrypted
storage of passwords, serial numbers, and any other type of
valuable personal information that must be kept confidential.
The app is available either as a stand-alone program or as part
of the SplashWallet suite, which also includes the latest updates.
SplashID is available at
Handango for $29.95 or as part of the full SplashWallet
suite for $53.96 at
Handango. A trial version is available to download
and versions are also available for Windows Mobile devices as
well as Windows and Mac PCs.
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