Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Hey Look! It's a Watch-Sized iPhone Keyboard. Wait, Why Do I Want a Watch-Sized Keyboard? [Apps]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5820188/hey-look-its-a-watch+sized-iphone-keyboard-wait-why-do-i-want-a-watch+sized-keyboard

FlickKey, a note taking app for the iPhone, has the world's smallest virtual keyboard on the iPhone. The keyboard is no bigger than an inch in either direction and predictably, completely nutty to type on.

The way the keyboard works is that there's 9 letters on each mini-tile and tapping or swiping the tile in a certain direction gives you a different letter. For example, a upward swipe on the left tile brings W, an upward diagonal right swipe brings S and a simple tap on that same tile creates E. It makes some sense but I'm confused at the layout of the letters—I'm sure I use the letter 'S' much more than 'Y' but it's the same motion on a different tile. I think it could be more efficiently laid out.

The bigger promise for the app is more to show that a keyboard smaller than your pinky finger is possible. And granted this keyboard would make typing on a wristwatch-type device possible (hello iPod nano!) but keep this away from my iPhone. Try out the app to see how it works. [iTunes via Wired]

StumbleUpon iPad App Gets a Facelift [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5820261/stumbleupon-ipad-app-gets-a-facelift

StumbleUpon is great for finding interesting stuff that is off the beaten path. A post here, a URL there and suddenly you find yourself reading some incredible content. The iPad is perfect for this type of browsing, but StumbleUpon's tablet app was woefully inadequate until now.

The online discovery service tossed aside its old iPad app and re-designed a new one from the ground up. The refreshed app lets you swipe to stumble upon new content and flick through new and existing content. It's a visually rich experience with images and videos taking center stage.

A new Social Bar is present on every page and gives you a peek at the person who submitted the content or someone who likes it. In the future, the Social Bar may include comments, tweets and other social features. The new StumbleUpon iPad app is available for free in the iOS App Store. [iTunes link via TechCrunch]

Google Photovine Lets You Create Social Photo Collections [Google]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5820265/google-photovine-lets-you-create-social-photo-collections

Google may be launching a new photosharing service called Photovine. The big G owns photovine.com and just launched a teaser page with an iPhone encircled by some lovely vines.

According to its FAQ, Photovine is apparently more about connecting with people than sharing photos with your friends. The service lets you build a photo collection around an idea or theme using photos submitted by other members of the social network. These collections are called vines and include a caption or theme like mountain hiking. The vine will grow when users begin adding their own photos that contribute to this theme.

It's "uber public" and meant for people to share their personal experiences freely so they can connect with others. Images will be moderated so this freedom of expression does have its limits (no Weiner-style crotch shots, fellas).

The service is being developed by Slide, a subsidiary of Google that is also behind Instagram wannabe Pool Party. [Photovine via Business Insider]

Google+ to surpass 10 million users? [Google]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5820276/google%252B-to-surpass-10-million-users

Holy social networks, Batman! An estimate from Ancestry.com founder Paul Allen suggests Google+ may hit the 10 million member mark in the next 24 hours. If the invite button is left on, this number could climb to 20 million by the weekend.

Allen (not be confused with the Microsoft co-founder) uses a surname-based model to calculate these subscriber numbers. He's been using this model since he first joined and claims it is quite accurate. Judging by the amount of spam I already see in my stream, I would have to agree. [Paul Allen]

Acer AC700 WiFi goes on sale, is your $350 ticket to the Chromebook club

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/11/acer-ac700-wifi-goes-on-sale-is-your-350-ticket-to-the-chromeb/

Good niches don't come cheap, but while $350 isn't exactly a steal, Acer's new AC700 will, at the very least, get you into the wonderful cloud-based world of Chrome OS for a good deal less than, say, Samsung's Series 5. Of course, there are certain sacrifices to be made for the sake of affordability, namely the fact that the current version of Acer's entry into the space is WiFi-only -- a 3G version is set to hit later this summer for, one assumes, a noticeable price bump. The AC700 has an Atom N570 processor, 16GB of storage, and 2GB of RAM, and best of all, is available right this very moment.

Acer AC700 WiFi goes on sale, is your $350 ticket to the Chromebook club originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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