Iphone

Just last week, Google introduced better Microsoft Word previews for the desktop version of Gmail. Today, Google also launched a similar feature for the mobile version of Google Docs, the company's online office suite. Now, Android, iPhone and iPad users can see high-fidelity previews of their Word, PowerPoint, and PDF documents right in their mobile browsers.

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These previews retain almost all of the formatting from the original document, including headlines and columns, as well as footnotes and endnotes. Until now, you had to download these documents to view them on your mobile device. In the mobile previewer, you can pan and zoom within a page. On Apple's platforms, you can also use the pinch-to-zoom gesture to zoom in or out.

Sadly, the new previewer does not support Excel spreadsheets. Given that a lot of people use spreadsheets in lieu of a full-blown database to store information, it would be nice if Google allowed its users to preview these documents as well.

Docs Only: No New Previewer for Mobile Gmail (Yet)

Just a few days ago, Google also launched a new version of its document previewer for the desktop version of Gmail. This new previewer also provides users with high-fidelity previews and replaces the old "view as HTML" feature in Gmail with a far superior offering. For now, though, the mobile version of Gmail does not offer the new Google Docs previews yet, though we would be surprised if Google didn't add this feature very soon.

We’re only a day away from the first games, and the Internet is on the verge of a meltdown with World Cup news.  With 32 teams, 10 stadiums and an entire month of play, how can you stay on top of it all?  We’d like to introduce you to 5 applications that will tell you what you need, when you need it.

We’ll talk about web based apps, as well as ones for your iPhone or Android device so you can keep up while you’re on the go.  So now, without further adieu…

Marca

Marca.com is a Spanish-written site that has an amazing web-based application.  As you scroll around the outer circle, Marca.com will show you information related to whatever area you’re highlighting.  Want to know when Brazil plays?  Just scroll over to find their schedule, as well as location.

ESPN World Cup

For the iPhone, ESPN has put out arguably the best application on the planet. And it’s a good thing, too, because this isn’t called the World Cup for no reason. Worldwide, people are going insane over their favorite football clubs.

The ESPN app has a countdown, some highlight videos and other sundry information at the moment.  But once we get into the action, the app will go to work keeping tabs on games results, scores and up-to-the-minute stats.  The basic app is free, but you can choose to upgrade to get live audio, in-game highlights, commentary and alerts for all 64 matches.

Associated Press FIFA 2010

Not forgetting the Android users of the world, the Associated Press is on top of the games with its FIFA 2010 application. The AP has been at every World Cup match since 1930, so chances are that they know what they’re doing.

Given that this is the World Cup, the AP app is available in multiple languages. Further, you can set custom skins to show your FC pride. To top it off, you’ll get world-class AP coverage, both in video and images. This is the deal for Android users, bar none.

Google

Yes, Google.  The world leader in search has caught the World Cup fever, as we first reported to you yesterday.  But if you Google for World Cup, you’ll find not only the typical results, but a few surprises as well.

Google has gone a step ahead, and provided some lovely search-based tools to help you keep up with the games.  For now, it’s limited to a calendar, but there are more features to be released as the games kick off on Friday.

ScoreMobile

Blackberry users?  We’re showing you some love too, to round out this top 5.  ScoreMobile is available now in the Blackberry App World.

Though ScoreMobile isn’t specific to the World Cup, there’s still plenty of football info to be had.  ScoreMobile allows you to customize with your favorite teams, and gives you options for refresh intervals.  Further, ScoreMobile will keep up with your local time zone, to let you know when games start in your time.

It’s another free app, and for sports fans of many genres, it’s a must-have.

So that’s it.  Grab your app of choice and let’s get ready for

Original title and link for this post: World Cup fever? Here are 5 apps to keep you on top of things.

Want to get a crack at that iOS4 goodness that Steve Jobs graced us with just yesterday, but don’t have the developer account that you need? We have good news, you can get your hands dirty now thanks to the powers of the internet.

The only problem is this, you need a Mac to pull off what we are about to describe. If you do have a OS X machine, read on. Why the Mac component? iTunes 9.2 is required, and as it stands that iTunes build is Mac only. Sorry Windows users, step aside.

You do not need your UDID to execute the installation, which means that Apple should not (no promises) be able to nail you against the wall for doing what we are about to walk you through.

Guide:

1. To commence, download and install iTunes 9.2 (Mac only, download links here, here, or here).

2. Now you need to download the right gold master for your device and save it on your desktop:

• If you have an iPhone 3GS, download this.
• If you have an iPhone 3G, this one is for you.
• iPod Touch 3G, get yours here.
• And finally if you have the iPod Touch 2G, download this.

3. Now let’s actually install iOS4:

• Plug in your iOS device, and then tab over to iTunes.
• In iTunes, alt+click on the ‘restore’ button, and then when promoted to locate the file select the IPSW file we just moved to your desktop.
• Wait for between 10 and 15 minutes for the new OS to be moved over.

All Done. How cool is that?

A few warnings, this is a hack, so if something goes wrong do not come crying to us about it. If Apple gets mad at you, we warned you. Finally, have fun. The real version of iOS4 is scheduled to drop for the public on June 21st, but who wants to wait that long?

A special thanks to GumballTech for doing all the legwork.

Original title and link for this post: How to install iOS4 NOW. [Mac Only]

“The Shack” will earn some much-needed cool points this June when the store stocks shelves with the latest version of the iPhone. Radio Shack made the announcement Tuesday via its corporate Twitter account, promising more details to follow. Considering Radio Shack’s account only has about 3,200 followers, it could be your best bet on iPhone 4 launch day to avoid lines.

Full story at Gizmodo.

Total iPhone coverage.

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The Apple Design Awards for 2010 have been held today with winners from all over the world announced.

The ceremony, run as part of the Apple World Wide Developers Conference  in San Francisco, recognises “iPhone OS applications that demonstrate technical excellence, innovation, technology adoption, and quality.”

Australian iPhone/iPad developer Firemint was the star of the show winning awards in both categories – a best iPhone app award for FlightControl HD and a best iPhone app award for Real Racing.

That’s great news for the team that has managed to work out the magic formula of design and usability excellence along with commercial success.

For those who don’t remember we ran a story in March highlighting how Firemint had already sold over 2 Million copies of Flight Control and had over 5 Million copies of Real Racing GTI downloaded, all before their iPad versions had dropped.

If Firemint Community manager, Alex Peters’, tweet is anything to go by, the team was pretty happy about the awards as well:

A list of all the award winners can be found below:

Best iPad apps:

• The Financial Times by The Financial Times Ltd.
• TabToolkit by Agile Partners
• Flight Control HD by Firemint
• Starwalk for iPad-Interactive Astronomy Guide by Vito Technology Inc
• Pinball HD by Gameprom

Best iPhone apps:

• Doodle Jump by Luma Sky LLC
• Brushes by Steve Sprang
• Articles by Sophiestication Software
• 20 Minute Meals-Jamie Oliver by Zolmo
• Real Racing by FireMint

Original title and link for this post: Apple Design Award Winners Announced. Australia’s Firemint Does the Double.

This morning, my colleague Jason Kincaid wrote a very good and very level-headed post about the new iPhone (and the new iOS 4 software) from the perspective of an Android user. I’m going to come at it from the other angle.

Recently, I’ve written my takes on both the Nexus One and the EVO 4G from the perspective of an iPhone lover. Obviously, I don’t have an iPhone 4 yet, and so this isn’t a full review, but after the keynote yesterday we did get some hands-on time with the new device. So I figured I’d write down my initial reaction after playing with the new hardware for about 20 minutes or so. Before I go any further, I’ll save you the suspense: it’s awesome.

The Build

The biggest thing that stands out in my mind one day later is that immediately after I put down the iPhone 4 and went back to my iPhone 3GS, the latter felt kind of like a toy in comparison. Now, I’ve always been a fan of the design of the first iPhone over the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS — that is, I liked the aluminum flat back of the first one more than the plastic backs of the second two. The iPhone 4 is a return to form — literally — but it’s even better now, as the aluminum has been replaced by glass (in either black or white).

As Jason noted, the device feels rock solid in your hand. It is without a doubt the most impressive piece of mobile hardware I’ve ever held. There’s nothing on the device that feels janky. Aside from the backside upgrade, all the external buttons on the device are now improved as well. The iPhone 4 is pretty much identical in weight to the iPhone 3GS, but it’s significantly thinner. This may be a bit hard to notice in your hand as the iPhone 3G/3Gs has the curved back (so you mostly handle the thinner edges), but I have no doubt it will be noticeable in your pocket.

The Screen

When the iPhone 3GS first launched, I wasn’t sure that the boost in speed would be enough to make an upgrade worth it. I was wrong. Once I had an iPhone 3GS and went back to using an iPhone 3G, the latter almost seemed unusable to me. Thanks to the screen on the iPhone 4, this seems likely to be the case as well.

As Steve Jobs joked in the keynote, “once you go Retina Display, you can’t go back.” After just 20 minutes of using it, I’m hooked. As Daring Fireball’s John Gruber noted yesterday, it’s not just that the iPhone 4 has four times the pixels of the earlier iPhones, it’s that much of the distance between the glass you touch and the pixels have been removed as well. It’s subtle things like this — things that most people will never even realize they’re noticing (but they are) — that make Apple, Apple.

With the iPhone 3GS (or any of the other iPhones), if you bring the device close enough to your face, you can see the pixels. With the iPhone 4, you can’t. It’s really not like looking at a computer screen at all. It’s like looking at a picture — or when something on the screen is moving, film.

The Speed

In terms of speed, it’s hard to know what is the new iOS 4 and what is the new hardware, but the device does seem to run a little bit smoother. It’s not noticeably faster in the way that the iPhone 3GS was noticeably faster than the iPhone 3G, but I would attribute this to the fact that there are already rarely any lags in the iPhone 3GS with iPhone OS 3. I suspect some new games that come out may push the new A4 chip though.

The Camera

As has already been noted, FaceTime is brilliant in that it requires absolutely no set-up to work. Yes, it sucks that it’s WiFi-only, but that will change with time. It also would have been brilliant for Apple to get this working with iChat on Macs (as others have also noted), but since it’s supposedly going to be published as an open protocol, that will probably come too.

I can see the new front-facing camera doing wonders for startups like DailyBooth — and yes, maybe even ChatRoutlette.

The key feature of the camera though has to be the ability to shoot HD (720p) video. There’s some debate out there as to whether this will or won’t kill the Flip cam. My reaction is that while the iPhone 4 alone may not, I can’t see how all of these new smartphones gaining this feature (the EVO 4G can do it as well) won’t.

The Android Question

I know that it’s shocking to some of you that I would love this device. Most interesting may be my thoughts on what this means or doesn’t mean for Google’s Android platform.

As you’ve undoubtedly read a lot in recent weeks, Google is making fast gains in terms of the Android software. I was beyond impressed at Google I/O with everything that was shown off. With Android 2.2 (which I have running on the Nexus One), most system speed issues seem to have been resolved. That said, in my view, there is still no Android device that is better than the iPhone 3GS. And so obviously, the iPhone 4 just widens the gap.

The fact of the matter is that while the software may be getting there from a practical perspective, it still lacks the polish of the iPhone OS (now iOS). A number of people (on both the iPhone and Android sides) I’ve spoken with recently agree, but point to Google’s recent hiring of Palm’s design guru Matias Duarte as a sign that this may change. I hope so.

Overall app quality on Android also still lags behind the iPhone. And the fact that you have to use third-party task killing applications to get devices like the EVO 4G to run the way it should, is completely unacceptable from a users’ perspective.

With the iPhone 4, Apple has refined the hell out of their winning combination of hardware plus software. It’s hard to imagine it getting much better in this form factor — and that’s why I think we may see some radically different things next year for iPhone 5 (well, aside from a Verizon version).

The Mac vs. PC debate has often found people using a car analogy to explain things. I keep coming back to that when thinking about iPhone vs. Android. For a long time, iPhone felt like a Lexus while Android was more like a Kia. With recent upgrades, Android has transformed into more of a Honda. But with iPhone 4, the iPhone is now an Aston Martin (it was James Bond, remember).

But the crazy thing is that the iPhone is an Aston Martin with a Honda-price. Meanwhile, Android remains a Honda at a Honda-price — it’s a good deal, but it’s not an iPhone-deal.

In fact, it’s such a good deal that I continue to say that the only thing really holding back the iPhone (in the U.S.) is its carrier, AT&T. Even if you have no problems with AT&T, you have to acknowledge that they’re becoming the big barrier to the iPhone’s potential growth. There are simply always going to be million of users not on AT&T. In fact, there will always been more users not on AT&T than are on it. So Apple needs to move beyond it to keep expanding.

And if they’re the Aston Martin being sold at Honda-prices, when they’re sold at other dealerships (other carriers), they’ll dominate, right? Well it’s not that simple.

The Honda-like price is only thanks to the sweet deal Apple gets from AT&T. Without the deal, Apple would undoubtedly sell the iPhone for more money (to keep up their margins), and it would be a less attractive purchase for people. It’s the same reason why everyone doesn’t buy an Aston Martin (or a Lexus, to be more practical). Would some people still opt for the Honda if it was more customizable? Sure, some would. But most would opt for the nicer machine, all things being equal.

But all things aren’t equal because the iPhone is tied only to AT&T. And all things are unlikely to ever be equal because prices might have to go up if the sweet AT&T exclusive subsidy goes away. But seeing the success Apple has had being at the luxury end of the PC market, I’m not sure how much they’ll ultimately care. But the fact that they seem to now (as evidenced by pointing out their market share vs. Android in keynotes) is interesting.

As Jason noted in his piece (and I have in the past), the fact of the matter remains that a strong rivalry between iPhone and Android is a good thing for us all. Android continues to improve at a healthy pace and they have some features (like Google Voice integration) that it seems unlikely now that Apple will ever get. Meanwhile, Apple continues to improve their hardware/software combination at a rate that it’s not clear that Google (and their OEM partners) will be able to match.

It’s two different approaches. And that makes sense since the two have different motives. At the end of the day, Android exists so that Google can get more people searching — and keep them searching as mobile devices overtake computers. The iPhone exists to be one of the mobile devices that overtakes computers so that Apple can keep selling high-margin machines.

In my view, for most consumers, the iPhone remains the winning argument in the space right now. And the iPhone 4 just extends that.

Will You Pay for Hulu? is a post from Chris Pirillo

I’m betting one of the biggest reasons you’re a Hulu fan would be the fact that consumption doesn’t cost you anything. It looks as though the company will soon be switching over to a paid model much like you’d find with Netflix. They are also looking to expand the service onto devices such as the Xbox 360 and iPad.

Hulu, which generated an estimated $100 million in advertising revenue last year, will continue to offer newer episodes of shows like Fox’s “Glee” free of charge, but it will also charge viewers a monthly fee to see older episodes and other content, two of the sources said.

Hulu gained about $100 million in advertising revenue last year. They will reportedly continue to offer new episodes of your favorite shows free of charge. Watching older episodes and other content will likely require a monthly fee. Advertising is what has allowed the service to remain free up until this point. Competition in this market is fierce, and Hulu is stepping up its game in order to be one of the top dogs in consumption services.

Will you pay a fee to catch up on your shows, or will you look elsewhere for them?

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WWDC Connection Problems Cause Demo Fail is a post from Chris Pirillo

During Steve Jobs’ keynote speech at WWDC yesterday, he experienced several technical difficulties. At one point, he attempted to open the New York Times app only to have Safari refuse. The Apple CEO remained calm and cracked jokes about this “never happening.” Some time later, it was revealed that there were more than 570 Wi-Fi base stations operating in the massive room. With every person present connecting to the Internet in some fashion, the presentation couldn’t proceed as planned.

Jobs asked everyone to close laptops and turn off phones and other devices so that they could see the demonstrations he had planned. The audience clapped their approval and some began powering down. Steve told participants that they should police each other and make sure everyone in the room complied. It’s quite clear that many kept right on blogging/tweeting/recording from all of the live feeds still running on the Internet at the time.

CNET captured this video which shows the connection failure drama in its entirety. Many jabs have been taken at Apple and Jobs for this little gaffe. I caution all of you who are jeering to think about any and every conference you have attended. Are you telling me that you have never experienced a glitch like this? It happens all of the time. No conference center (or network) can control things beautifully 100% of the time.

Steve handled the situation with humor and by keeping his cool. I’ve seen other presenters fall apart at the seams over far less.

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