iPad 3 Unveiling Expected March 7

Apple could unveil the iPad 3 March 7, if invitations sent to media are any indication. The tablet will supposedly feature a higher-resolution screen.

Apple will host an iPad-related event March 7. “We have something you really have to see. And touch,” reads the invitation sent to the media, which includes an image of a finger touching the calendar app (conveniently set to Wednesday the 7th) on an iPad screen. For some weeks, the rumor mill has buzzed eagerly over reports that Apple would release the next iPad (dubbed iPad 3 by the media) sometime in the first week of March. Other rumors have focused on the next-generation tablet’s possible features, including a high-resolution screen (in a Feb. 9 article, AllThingsD pegged the resolution at 2,048 by 1,536), as well as a more powerful processor and camera. Meanwhile, some tech retailers have begun to lower their iPad 2 prices, a traditional indicator that the release of a new version is indeed imminent. All of Best Buy’s models have taken a $50 haircut irrespective of memory capacity and options. The iPad 3 itself could cost a premium over the current version, at least according to a pricing sheet that appeared on Chinese microblog Sina Weibo. “The iPad 3 costs $80 more for the equivalent WiFi models,” concludedMacRumors, which drilled down into the sheet’s particulars in a Feb. 27 posting, “and $70 more for the equivalent 3G models.” Throughout 2011, other slates have plunged into the tablet arena with huge advertising budgets and the stated aim of becoming an “iPad killer,” only to find apathetic customers and a general lack of buzz. This year could prove a little different on the competitive front, as Microsoft gears up to release Windows 8 on tablets and the various Google Android manufacturers adjust their strategies and product lines. The iPad 3 might not be the only trick up Apple’s sleeve next week. The blog 9to5Mac is reporting that Apple will release an updated Apple TV alongside the new tablet. “The new Apple TV is rumored to include a faster processor, possibly a variation of the dual-core A5 chip,” added the Feb. 28 posting, which cited anonymous sources supposedly familiar with the matter. “The dual-core A5 chip has been said to be required for the Apple TV to finally stream 1,080p quality video, but Apple is also working on an “A5X” chip that is dual-core, which also includes an improved graphics engine.”  Original Source ipad App Development

Microsoft Office for iPad: How you might use it

Microsoft Office has been a desktop computer staple for decades, and now it looks like it might finally migrate to modern touchscreen tablets.

But does Microsoft's mouse- and keyboard-dependent productivity software even belong on a tablet? And if it does make the transition to touch, how will we actually use it?

Yesterday, a report by staff of The Daily claimed that Microsoft Office for   iPad apps are definitely in the works, and could be released "in the coming weeks." The story included photos and descriptions of a purported hands-on demo.

Microsoft representatives were quick to shoot back both on Twitter and in an official statement stating The Daily had its facts wrong and that its reporters had not, in fact, seen an actual Microsoft product on the tablet.

Nonetheless, The Daily's Peter Ha later insisted that a working version of the app was demoed to the digital publication by a Microsoft employee. It's a he-said-she-said situation, but at least one key industry watcher feels Office for iPad makes sense.

"I can say that based on the products Microsoft currently has in the market, launching additional Office apps for Apple devices would be a logical extension of their existing strategy," Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps told Wired in an e-mail.

Microsoft already has Mac and iOS products like Office for Mac, a note-taking app called OneNote, SkyDrive for cloud storage, and Lync, points out Rotman Epps.

Rumors that Microsoft would be bringing Office to the iPad have been circulating for a while, particularly since The Daily reported in late November that the suite would arrive in early 2012 at a $10 price point.

If what The Daily reported Tuesday is true, it's possible that Microsoft Office for iPad could land concurrent to -- or even onstage with -- Apple's first public iPad 3 demo, which is expected to be held the first week of March. It would certainly make for an interesting presentation, as Apple doesn't actively evangelize its Microsoft synergy.

Microsoft will be demoing its Windows 8 OS consumer preview on Feb. 29 so the timing of an early March Office for iPad unveiling would seem to work: Microsoft's big platform-wide announcement wouldn't be upstaged by its smaller Apple announcement.

So let's assume Office is coming to the iPad. How precisely will you use it?

"You'll use it for content curation. And it's very unlikely you'll be using the iPad in native tablet touch mode," Sachin Dev Duggal, CEO of Nivio, told Wired. Nivio is a cloud platform that lets you access your desktop and its files -- including Windows and Microsoft Office -- with a touch-controlled mouse pointer as input.

"In most cases, you'll have it docked into a screen or a keyboard," Dev Duggal said of the rumored Office app.

However, a second use case -- passively browsing through documents -- definitely lends itself to the iPad's simple touch-controlled data input. And don't underestimate the value of full document support.

By loading native Office docs directly into Office, you ensure files render with proper formatting, a talent not always manifest in competitors like Documents to Go Premium.

In this case, "The pure gesture-based control works great," Dev Duggal said. "It translates to a tablet experience."

OK, so Dev Duggal paints an interesting picture of how the app will be used, but, again, is there a desperate need for Office on the iPad? Many of us have been getting by just fine without it.

Well, according to Resolve Market Research, 18% of those who decided not to purchase an iPad 2 did so strictly because it didn't come with Microsoft Office programs. That's not a number to balk at.

Dev Duggal thinks students and small businesses will be interested in Office for iPad. And there's also another prime user group: people who don't want to spend money on multiple devices.

"If they can cross-utilize devices to also do productivity, thats a huge cost savings," Dev Duggal said.

Elaine Coleman of Resolve Market Research concurs with Dev Duggal. "Tablets are a critical dual-purpose device," Coleman told Wired, adding that close to 70% of personal tablet users also use their devices for business.

Indeed, the iPad has a growing role in the world of enterprise computing, with a large percent of Fortune 500 companies adopting the tablet (this was a touch point in Apple CEO Tim Cook's recent first-quarter earnings call). So, no doubt, the addition of Microsoft Office to the enterprise mix would be welcome.

But Microsoft has waited a long time to deliver this product -- perhaps too long.

"Every day that Microsoft does not have Office apps for iPad, they lose potential sales to competitors," Rotman Epps said.

Such competitors include: Apple's own iWork office suite; Quickoffice, an iPhone alternative for viewing, sharing and editing Microsoft Office documents; and SlideShark, an iPad-based PowerPoint platform.

Rotman Epps pointed out that these and a host of other productivity apps are all top performers in Apple's App Store. Indeed, Apple's Pages, Keynote and Numbers (in other words, the iWork suite) make up three of the top five spots in the Top Charts for paid Productivity apps in the App Store.

And with OS X Mountain Lion's heavy iCloud integration, using Apple's iWork suite will make even more sense for users who own multiple Apple products.

Whether people who already use Office alternatives would switch to Microsoft-brand products is "hard to say for sure," says Coleman. "I think in the enterprise many still believe 'Office is King' and will come back."

Regardless, if Microsoft Office for iPad did make its debut onstage for the iPad 3 in a few weeks, it would be the first time the two tech giants teamed up at an Apple event in 15 years. Considering what happened last time, it would be a landmark occasion. For both companies. 

Original Source

Photoshop Touch app comes to iPad 2

Photoshop Express has been available as an iPad app for quite some time, but — despite being quite powerful and feature-filled — it hasn't exactly satisfied fans of Adobe's popular image editing suite. Thankfully a "real" Photoshop app is available for the iPad now: Photoshop Touch.

We've known about Photoshop Touch since Adobe demonstrated some of its features about a year ago, but now the app can finally be downloaded from the Apple App Store. It will set you back ten bucks and it requires an iPad 2 (as it relies on the second-generation device's powerful guts).

The app offers "core" Photoshop features such as layers, selection tools, adjustments and filters. It also allows you to use the iPad camera to fill in areas on layers, to use a scribble selection tool in order to select images, to wirelessly print using AirPrint, to upload projects to the Adobe Creative Cloud, to transfer layered files to Photoshop CS5 and more.

Photoshop Touch is now considered part of a "family" of iPad-friendly Adobe apps that includes previously released Photoshop companion apps Adobe Color Lava, Adobe Eazel and Adobe Nav. In the coming months, Adobe Collage (a "moodboard" creation app), Adobe Debut (a presentation app), Adobe Ideas (a sketching app), Adobe Kuler (a color theme exploration app) and Adobe Pronto (a website prototyping app) will join that family as well.

Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.

Original Source 

ipad App Development

Adding VoIP to iPad apps made ‘incredibly easy’

Cloud communications firm Twilio says it has an easy way for developers to add VoIP to iOS apps. It also has an Android version of its SDK in the works.

 

Twilio says its new Twilio Client for iOS makes it “incredibly easy” for mobile developers to integrate voice over IP (VoIP) capabilities to their iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch apps.

The software development kit (SDK) is designed to let developers add VoIP features to existing apps or build new ones from scratch. Twilio says developers can use the VoIP capabilities in Twilio Client for iOS to create or enhance apps in a number of ways including:

• Giving users the ability to make phone calls through any iOS device with a data connection (including iPad and iPod touch)
• Allow businesses to deploy mobile agents anywhere with nothing but an iPad and a headset
• Deploy tap-to-call features within apps that feed rich information to CRM, advertising or analytic partnersOne early user, 

Twilio Client for iOS is available for download at the company's site, also includes online presence features so users can detect when another user is available for a voice chat.

“Twilio’s mission is to open the black box of telecom and make its power accessible to developers everywhere,” said Twilio CEO and Co-founder Jeff Lawson, in a release.  “With Twilio Client for iOS, we're enabling mobile developers to incorporate VoIP directly into their apps to create rich communication experiences. We can’t wait to see what they build.”

One early user, RingDNA, says it’s already built an enterprise-ready  iPad App that provides companies with actionable marketing and sales data, including call tracking, intelligent call routing, CRM integration and click-to-call functionality.

"Because of Twilio's rock-solid client for iOS SDK, our developers could focus on RingDNA's core cloud marketing, sales and service features without bearing the prohibitive cost of creating the telephony API ourselves," said Howard Brown, CEO of RingDNA.

Twilio says it also has an Android version of the SDK that’s currently in a private beta testing phase.

Original Source

Apple iPad 3 to Hit Stores in Germany, UK, France on March 23rd?

With only two weeks before the third generation iPad is expected to be unveiled, it seems the international roll out will be at a similarly fast pace as the iPhone 4S; according to the latest reports, European Apple fans will be able to get their hands on the precious tablet from March 23rd.
Despite earlier suggestions that the iPad 3 will reach select European markets sometime in April, German website iFun.de (via ModMyi for those whose Deutsch is not so heiss), quoting "a source that should be taken seriously" proposes the tablet will go on sale in Germany on the 23rd March.  Additionally, the roll out in France, Great Britain, Japan and Hong Kong is expected soon after the announcement in the US.

The rumour might have some truth to it, as recent Apple history shows us. The Cupertino based company pushed its flagship iPhone to international markets with unprecedented speed. Also, a year ago the second generation iPad expanded its availability to markets worldwide within two weeks of the formal introduction.
If the iPad 3 release is on March 7th, then it wouldn't be so farfetched for German Apple fans, and those here in the UK, to expect the device to reach them by the end of next month.

Original Source
ipad App Development

Microsoft Office Apple iPad App Ready For Approval

Microsoft denies it, but a report claims MS Office for iPad is set for approval – but no word on Android support

 

On February 22, 2012 by Nicholas Kolakowski eWEEK USA 2012. Ziff Davis Enterprise Inc. All Rights Reserved. 0

Microsoft will ask Apple to approve a version of Office for the iPad, according to a report in The Daily. The online publication claimed a “brief hands-on” with a working prototype of the software.


“The app’s user interface is similar to the current OneNote app,” it reported, “but it has hints of Metro, the new design language that can be seen in Windows Phone and in the as-yet-unreleased Windows 8 desktop operating system.” An exact release date is “unknown”, though Microsoft has apparently finished the actual work.

Document creation

The app enables the creation and editing of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. According to unnamed sources speaking to The Daily, a version of Office for Android “is not in the works”.

Courtesy of The Daily

A Microsoft spokesperson later told The New York Times that The Daily‘s report was “inaccurate” and that it had no further comment.

Office on tablets is clearly Microsoft’s next big area of focus. Earlier in February, the company revealed that a new version of Office software will run on Windows on ARM (WOA), the architecture that powers many of today’s tablets. “Within the Windows desktop, WOA includes desktop versions of the new Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, codenamed Office 15,” Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft’s Windows and Windows Live division, wrote in the corporate Building Windows 8 blog. “WOA will be a no-compromise product for people who want to have the full benefits of familiar Office productivity software and compatibility.”

WOA will debut with the upcoming Windows 8, expected sometime in the latter half of 2012. If Microsoft had chosen to restrict a tablet-friendly version of Office to Windows 8, that might have created an additional selling point for the platform, especially for business users. On the other hand, if The Daily’s report proves accurate, and a full-fledged version of Office for the iPad is indeed heading for release, then Microsoft will open up a potentially massive revenue stream.

Office or not, Windows 8 and Apple’s iPad are set to battle one another for tablet marketshare. The question is whether Windows, having been the dominant operating system on traditional PCs for so long, can make a name for itself in a segment now dominated by iOS.

Original Source

ipad App Development

SmartSource launches iPad app

NEW YORK — Coupon publisher News America Marketing has launched a free couponing application for the iPad under its SmartSource brand.

The SmartSource Xpress app will give shoppers the ability to easily find and digitally "clip" coupons for products from a wide number of popular household names, the company said. The savings then can be sent to consumers' registered shopper cards with a tap of the screen and automatically redeemed using Direct2Card technology at participating store checkouts. SmartSource Xpress coupons will be accepted through the SmartSource D2C retailer network, which includes about 4,000 stores, and is expected by News America to expand over the coming year.

"Consumers lives have never been more on the go and shoppers are relying more and more on their mobile devices to help them navigate through their daily tasks," SmartSource iGroup SVP Henri Lellouche said. "SmartSource Xpress is a tool that will help shoppers plan their shopping trips, save them money on the products they use every day from their favorite brands, and make it easy and fun to find and redeem these savings."

The SmartSource Xpress app will be available for download from the iTunes Store in March.

Original Source

ipad App Development

iPad users to enjoy free cloud app

 

 UK consumers who own iPads can now access their Microsoft Office files on the go, thanks to the launch of a new, free cloud-based app.

CloudOn works in synchronisation with DropBox, an online cloud network storage service which allows users to access files kept in their 'box' from any device with internet access.

This is likely to be extremely popular with workers in terms of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) as they will be able to view and edit word documents, spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations.

Previously, many would have relied on older apps such as Docs To Go, which synchronised Microsoft files kept in a computer folder with a corresponding app on their Apple device.

The CloudOn app is, however, not without its flaws.

Files must be stored in a DropBox account and only Office 2010 apps are supported.

In addition, it does not work without internet access.

So far, Microsoft has declined to comment on the launch of the app by its competitor.

However, earlier this week chief financial officer Peter Klein did emphasise how well Office 15 is likely to work on Microsoft tablets.

Posted by Kevin Jenson

  

Original Source

ipad App Development

Financial News launches iPad app

Financial News, the Dow Jones & Company publication for the capital markets and securities industries, has launched an iPad app.

The app is free to download from the App Store and full content is available free to existing Financial News subscribers.

Content can be downloaded to read offline and the app also allows users to search archived content from Financial News’ weekly print and daily online editions.
An ‘iPad Highlights’ carousel provides free access for non-subscribers to a sample of Financial News’ most popular stories and analysis.

Darren Lazarus, online editor of Financial News, said: "Our iPad app provides us with the perfect platform to showcase our content, ranging from our leading core sector coverage to our ever-popular FN100 lists."

The app will also feature advertising, with launch sponsors including QFC Authority, Russell Indexes and Newedge.

Original Source

Apple's OS X Mountain Lion brings more iPad to the Mac

Apple's next Mac operating system, OS X Mountain Lion, will bring far more integration to iOS found on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch when it arrives this summer.

The Cupertino, Calif., company announced Mountain Lion on Thursday, detailing the new version of what was previously known as Mac OS X on its website for consumers.

Programmers, meanwhile, were offered the ability to download Mountain Lion so they can get started integrating their apps with the new operating system before its release.

Like Mac OS X Lion, Mountain Lion will be sold as a digital download through the Mac App Store on Apple laptops and desktops.

Apple said Mountain Lion will include more than 100 new features, many of them "inspired by the iPad."
Mountain Lion will gain iOS' widespread Twitter integration and will rely more on iCloud than previous versions of OS X. Apple says that more than 100 million Apple users have iCloud accounts and that those accounts, which are tied to a user's Apple ID, will be used to automatically set up Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Messages, FaceTime and Find My Mac apps in Mountain Lion.

More iOS-like additions will be found in the new OS X apps Messages, Reminders, Notes, Game Center and Notification Center. Each of these apps is supposed to work on Mac computers very much like way they do in iOS devices.

Messages replaces the old iChat app and will enable Mac users to send text and multimedia messages to other Mac users as well as to people with iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch. The messaging system uses Web data rather than text messages from a phone plan and expands the free messaging service in a way that will contribute to the growing alternatives to text messaging plans offered by telecommunications companies.
The new Messages app, which is available to Lion users today as a beta download, will support online chat services such as AOL Instant Messenger, Jabber, Yahoo Messenger and Google Talk, just as iChat does.
Reminders and Notes use iCloud to sync across Macs and iOS devices to track to-do lists and notes taken in the apps, and in Mountain Lion they look and work the same as they do on iPhones and iPads.

Game Center, too, works exactly the same way on a Mac as it does on iOS devices, enabling users to see what games their friends are playing on Apple gadgets and to play some multiplayer games on a Mac with friends who are playing on an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.

Notification Center maintains the style of its iOS counterpart, but the OS X version is built for a desktop screen, with notification pop-ups appearing in the top right corner of a user's screen when an alert comes from apps such as Mail, Calendar, Messages, Reminders and third-party apps that tap into Apple's developer API. A new two-finger swipe from right to left across a Mac trackpad reveals a list of unseen notifications. To take the Notification Center off the screen, a users need to perform two-finger swipe from left to right on a trackpad or click on any of the notifications, which will take them to the corresponding app.

Apple has taken the Twitter integration found in iOS into OS X, with the ability to share to Twitter from Safari, Quick Look, Photo Booth, Preview and third-party apps that take advantage of the feature in Apple's API. Videos can also be shared in OS X Lion from QuickTime to Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo.
One of the more useful additions to Mountain Lion is AirPlay Mirroring, which, just as an iPad can do, can

"wirelessly send a secure 720p video stream of what's on your Mac to an HDTV using Apple TV." Apple TV is Apple's $99 set-top box that streams video from Netflix, YouTube, Vimeo and iTunes to television sets.
On the security side, Mountain Lion is adding a new feature called Gatekeeper, which enables users to define what apps can and cannot run on their computers based on where they purchased from or who built them.

"You can choose to install apps from any source, just as you do on a Mac today, or you can use the safer default setting to install apps from the Mac App Store, along with apps from developers that have a unique Developer ID from Apple," the tech giant said. "For maximum security, you can set Gatekeeper to only allow apps from the Mac App Store to be downloaded and installed."

Gatekeeper could cause Apple a bit of blowback from developers who don't want to have to submit their apps to Apple for approval or distribution: Mountain Lion's default setting will be to run only apps from the Mac App Store or from developers with a recognized Apple DeveloperID.

That's more iOS-like -- iOS runs only apps from the iTunes App Store -- but the setting can be changed as a user sees fit. So far, the Mac App Store has been a hit for software sales, with more than 100 million downloads served up last year. Apple, unsurprisingly, would like to keep the Mac App Store the top place to get Mac apps.

Apple hasn't yet given a definite public release date or pricing for Mountain Lion. The previous version of OS X, Lion, was the first to be released as a digital download and not on disc, hitting the Mac App Store last July for $29.99 and selling more than 1 million downloads its first day out.
Click here to see an Apple-produced video of Mountain Lion in action.

Original Source

ipad App Development

iPad's Biggest Competitor Is Apple iPhone 4S: Report

Apple's iPad competes with the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Amazon Kindle Fire, for sure. However, holiday shoppers were actually pulled between the iPad and the iPhone, leaving Apple to compete against itself.

Tablet sales in 2011 exceeded analyst estimates, but the Apple iPad still took a hit during the fourth quarter, usually a strong sales period due to holiday shopping. The culprit? It wasn't the Samsung Galaxy Tab or even the Amazon Kindle Fire that took the biggest bite out of iPad sales. It was Apple's iPhone 4S, according to a Feb. 16 report from IHS iSuppli "The rollout of the iPhone 4S in October generated intense competition for Apple purchasers’ disposable income, doing more to limit iPad shipment growth than competition from the Kindle Fire and other media tablets,” IHS analyst Rhoda Alexander wrote in the report. Apple iPad shipments rose 39 percent during the fourth quarter of 2011, up from 11.1 million in the third quarter to 15.4 million. Still, Apple's share of the tablet market fell to 57 percent from 64 percent during the quarter. In addition to the highly anticipated new iPhone, the Kindle Fire did also nibble at shares. Amazon shipped 3.9 million Kindle Fire devices during the quarter, for a 14.3 percent share of the market—a significant achievement, considering the device only arrived in November. Alexander called it a "respectable start," qualifying Amazon's success by noting, "The long-term viability of the product will hinge on the success of Amazon’s business gamble, which depends on tablet sales driving substantial new online merchandise sales at Amazon.com in order to attain profitability.” More impressed, the Pew Internet Project called holiday tablets sales "striking," finding that tablet and ebook ownership among adults in the United States nearly doubled in the few weeks from mid-December to early January. For the full year 2011, Apple shipped 40.5 million iPads, which represented just a 62 percent share of the market. Despite the 168 percent growth over the 15.1 million units it shipped in 2010, its portion of the much smaller tablet pie that year was 87 percent. Samsung, despite the holiday challenge from Amazon, held onto the No. 2 spot for the year, claiming 9.4 percent of the market on shipments of 6.1 million units. Amazon, not far behind, claimed a 6 percent share of the market for the year. IHS notes that sales of Android tablets during the fourth quarter were "achieved at considerable financial cost," as vendors felt forced to slash prices and host promotions to compete with new, lower-priced devices, including the Kindle Fire and the Barnes & Noble Nook. Microsoft, it added, may offer some relief. "In the wake of the new low bar for pricing set by the Fire and the Nook and the looming Google acquisition of Motorola Mobility, manufacturers and branded vendors are looking to Windows 8 tablets as a more profitable alternative," stated the report. "Watch for a surge of Windows 8 and ARM microprocessor-based tablets in late 2012 and early 2013." Watch, too, for Apple to reassert itself with the expected introduction of an iPad 3—or whatever Apple chooses to call its next tablet—which is expected to feature a QXGA retina display and Siri, the voice-prompted assistant Apple introduced on the iPhone 4S. "IHS iSuppli anticipates strong sales for the next iPad refresh, with demand expected to outstrip supply for several months," said the report. Original Source ipad App Development

Apple iPad 3 Launch Event Set for Wednesday, March 7th?

As the iPad 3 launch approaches tech analysts and Apple fans are placing their bets on the most probable technical specifications of the tablet, and even whether or not it will actually carry that name.
For now, we would settle for an accurate prediction of the release date - well, apparently, tech website iMore is able to give us more than just a clue: it's March 7th.

Rene Ritchie of iMore, citing "sources who have been reliable in the past", says without a shadow of a doubt that the big iPad 3 announcement will take place three weeks from now, on Wednesday March 7th.
The report is backed by a previous article published by AllThingsD suggesting that iPad 3 will be introduced to the market in the first week of March. Considering that Apple is keen on Wednesdays when it comes to launching high profile devices, a reporter could have come up with the prediction with a calendar before their eyes.

Meanwhile, an interesting point of view comes from MainDevice who suggest that by maintaining the same launch strategy, Apple may be hurting its sales, helping its competition to have a clear calendar of its launch dates.

The most rumoured specs for the iPad 3 are the 2048x1536 'Retina' Display, improved cameras, a quad-core A6 processor and a 4G LTE version for AT&T and Verizon's high speed networks.

Original Source
ipad App Development

Daily iPad App: Numberlys uses clever animation to teach your kids their letters

It's not too often that I stumble on an app that's so well done that I can't help but say, "Wow, this is fantastic." Numberlys is one of those apps. It's a learning game for younger kids, but it's not what you would expect. Made by the Oscar-nominated Moonbot Studios, the game uses wonderful, Pixar-quality animation to tell the story of how letters are created. It has a 50's science fiction motif that's inspired by Metropolis and other similar movies. The storyline is engaging, the animation is top notch and the music score is superb.

The app begins by telling you about the Numberlys and their drab existence. It uses a captivating storyline, mini-games and repetitive phrases to introduce and reinforce each letter in the alphabet. It takes about five minutes to complete each new letter and during that time you're exposed to the letter about 10 to 20 times.
I don't want to delve too much into the app and reveal the plot or the games because that is part of the fun! You're always waiting to see what story, game or Numberlys character is coming up next. If you don't want to wait, the app has basic controls that let you jump forward or backward to any section in the game. You can also move one letter at a time using the navigation arrows. The controls match the industrial styling of the game, which is a nice touch.

That being said, I do have one critique of the app and it's the mini-games. They were varied and fun, but a few were difficult to figure out, especially for younger children. I had to get my 11-year old to step in every once in a while and solve the mini-game for his little sister. He enjoyed helping, she enjoyed the attention and together they breezed through those few moments when she was confused.
Many people may wonder about the replay value of a learning game that is linear and story-driven. Thanks to the controls that let you move freely between the letters, the replay value is fairly high. I will admit that once my kids listened to the story and went through all the letters, they didn't go through the whole story again. Instead, they chose to revisit the individual mini-games they liked the best. In my mind, that's not a bad thing as they were still learning and actively engaged with the app.

I can't say enough good things about Numberlys. It's an excellent game for kids that'll help reinforce their letters. It's also entertaining for adults who still have some kid left inside them. Yes, the US$5.99 price tag is high compared to most kid-oriented apps, but I can say undoubtedly that Numberlys is worth the extra cost.

Original Source

 

ipad App Development

Turn Your iPad into a Business Phone with Line2

Your iPad--what a slacker, right? I mean, it can't even make phone calls! Well, okay, apps like Google Voice and Skype can give you a phone-like experience, but they're not exactly business-friendly.

Enter Toktumi's Line2 HD, which turns your iPad into a call-management hub, complete with a unique phone number and a wealth of business-savvy features.

At its core, Line2 lives up to its name by endowing your iPad (or iPhone or Android device) with its own phone number. This can be an existing number transferred to the service or a new local or even toll-free number.

Your Line2 subscription affords unlimited local and long-distance calling. Texting, too. The service leverages Wi-Fi or 3G, depending on which is available, and if there's no connection available at all, Line2 will automatically forward calls to up to six other phones.

Speaking of other phones, the app employs a visual voicemail system akin to the iPhone's. You can also receive voicemail messages via e-mail, great for those times when your iPad isn't close at hand.


When it is, you'll have access to features like call waiting, call hold, and call transfer. The app supports conference calling for up to 20 people, another nice perk for medium-to-small businesses.

Line2 has a do-not-disturb option for routing incoming calls directly to voice mail, ideal for when you're stepping into a meeting. I especially appreciated the detailed history Line2 provides for calls, voice mail, and messages--the kind of information business people tend to prize.

I made a few test calls with the app, and it sounded great every time--at least on par with traditional calls made from my iPhone. You can plug in a headset, use the iPad's speaker, or link the iPad to something like a Bluetooth speaker dock, one that includes a microphone for hands-free calling.

Line2 Standard costs $9.95 per month or $99.95 annually. Line2 Professional, which adds features like a toll-free number and virtual receptionist, runs $14.95 per month or $149.95 annually.
Are there cheaper ways to make calls with your iPad? Definitely. But I think Line2 is a solid option for businesses that want to appear--and sound--professional. And its rates are certainly lower than traditional landline solutions.

 Original Source

ipad App Development

Loewe launches apps for iPad

Loewe televisions and integrated AV systems are among the smartest available - and now they're even smarter thanks to Loewe's new Assist Media and VideoNet apps for the iPad. With these applications, German premium manufacturer Loewe has significantly enhanced the functionality of its already spectacular home entertainment systems.

The Assist Media app transforms the iPad into an intuitive multimedia remote control with a customisable dashboard and a multitude of useful features, such as One Touch Recording for Loewe's intelligent televisions. The app provides far greater functionality than a traditional remote, turning the iPad into an interactive touchscreen display and controller in one. A list of channels is placed at the user's fingertips, with all current programmes clearly displayed, and a highly intuitive electronic programme guide (EPG) provides detailed information of films and TV programmes via the comprehensive Gracenote database. With just a single tap, Loewe TVs can be switched to the desired channel and with Loewe TV's integrated DR+ hard drive, users can record films or TV programmes via the iPad.

It is also simple to save favourite channels to the customisable dashboard - the homepage of the 'remote control' - allowing users to switch swiftly to the channel of their choice. Moreover, Loewe's MediaNet service - which accesses content from the internet or the user's home network - is integrated into the Loewe Assist Media app, meaning that even the apps found on MediaNet can be accessed using the iPad. The Loewe Assist Media app is compatible with all internet-enabled Loewe LED televisions over 32 inches, helping the world of Loewe to become even more networked and convenient. The Loewe VideoNet app provides the user with easy access to the best online videos, streaming the latest programmes, online shows, screencasts and podcasts directly to a Loewe flat-screen TV or iPad. It is currently the only app of its kind to conveniently open up not only standard programmes but also other programme types from around the world. It gives the viewer access to all kinds of video content - films and programmes from major broadcasters and user-generated video footage.

Using the favourites function, videos can be conveniently added to the favourites list with just one click. The latest episodes of a podcast are automatically listed, allowing users to access the most up-to-date content, as well as the latest information. Furthermore, the new 'Send-to-TV' function enables the user to send their selected videos direct to a Loewe TV. In general, videos - including those on the iPad - are streamed rather than downloaded, which gives several advantages: it is faster, easier and does not use up unnecessary memory.

Pricing and availability
The Loewe Assist Media and VideoNet apps are available now at the AppStore and will be priced at £3.99 each. Apps are currently free for a limited time.

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ipad App Development

Appareo, CHC Develop EFB iPad App

Appareo and CHC Helicopter are developing an electronic flight bag (EFB) app for the iPad. The app will help standardize CHC’s flight operations around the world, shorten accounts receivable cycles, provide more complete information for crew scheduling and maintenance and eliminate inflight paperwork. It will also provide flight crews with tools for routing, fuel planning and weight-and-balance calculations.

“CHC views partnering with Appareo as yet another way to standardize our safety procedures in the day-to-day operation of our aircraft,” said CHC’s Paul King. “Our business is increasingly data-driven, so the EFB app is a natural step forward in improving and streamlining our operation. By automating the information in and out of our aircraft, the logistics of flight planning, in-flight operations, accurate customer billing and planning maintenance activities are greatly simplified, something of great value in today’s competitive marketplace.”

Appareo also views the project as positive. “Although Appareo is known primarily for flight data monitoring, the app project taps our considerable software development expertise,” said Barry Batcheller, Appareo president and CEO. The app is expected to be developed by year-end. CHC is deploying more than 500 iPads globally to be used for flight-related activities including crew training and flight operations. Representatives are on hand to discuss the app at Appareo’s Heli-Expo booth (No. 7834).

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ipad App Development

Who knew: Mechanical engineers have their own iPad app

You’d have to forgive me for not thinking of the iOS App Store as a place to find software specifically devoted to those who specialize in heat transfer or fluid dynamics. But I just recently became aware of an app called simply Mechanical Engineer, which, to me, is one of the most surprising utilizations of the     iPad App in the workplace yet.

Sure, we’ve seen doctors, restaurant servers, clergy, commercial pilots and salesmen of all stripes incorporating Apple’s tablet into their daily workflow. But it turns out the iPad is a cool and useful way to store and use hundreds upon hundreds of conversions and formulas that mechanical engineers (or those studying to be one) need to use on a day-to-day basis too, when they’re designing brakes or fans or bridges or elevators.

The app’s overall design is very similar to something Apple might make, in that it uses literal interpretations of what you might use in the real world. Like Apple’s own Notes app or Calendar app, the app’s “scientific calculator” is actually made to look just like a yellow notepad you might use to jot down a quick formula or scribble a quick calculation.

You can pick from dozens of formula categories, from actuator and bearing on down to spring and vehicle drive. Clicking on each topic — which look like textured leather book spines — gives way to hundreds of pre-stored forumlas, with an explanation of what it does.
Once you’ve done a calculation, you can save it to your favorites, email it or print it out if you’re connected to a networked printer.

Mechanical Engineer ($5.99) was developed by Marc Schulman, co-founder of Multieducator, Inc., which builds education-oriented software. The company started out making software for history students that was distributed by CD-ROM back in the mid-90s. But since the iPhone arrived, they’ve (wisely) moved into making mobile apps for a wider variety of educational specialties, now counting 35 apps for both the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad in the App Store.

Mechanical Engineer has been available for a year and has tallied about 20,000 downloads to date, according to Schulman. But it just recently received an upgrade that included a new series of formulas for hydraulic engineering, an upgraded graphic interface and the ability to print from the app.

I admit I would never need to use this in any capacity and there is a relatively small group of you readers that will find a need for this app, but it illustrates well how the iPad as a platform is changing the way that we work — toward touchscreen, always-on mobile devices — and inversely, how Apple has managed to work its way into highly scientific niches, decades after the very first time the Mac was deemed ” a toy.”

 

Original Source

OnLive Desktop: Windows & Office on Your iPad

I am writing this week’s Free on iTunes in Microsoft Word 2010. Normally there’d be nothing earth-shattering or even mildly newsworthy about what I’m doing. Millions of people use MS Word daily and hundreds of thousands of writers tap out their daily missives in the app. Nothing to see here. Move along.
If I told you I was doing it on my iPad while sitting in Barnes and Nobles you’d likely yawn. There are plenty of apps that let you open and edit files produced in Microsoft Office. Again, nothing much to look at here. Keep moving.

Wait! What if I told you I was actually typing this document out in Microsoft Word, not some work-alike, wannabe, or editing app? And what if I said that I wasn’t actually typing this in on my iPad, but on a virtual cloud-based desktop running Windows and offering access to the whole Microsoft Office Suit, and that I am doing it all for free? That might raise an eyebrow, and well it should because what I am doing right now may well be the future of mobile computing.

I’m using OnLive Desktop, an iOS client for the OnLive virtual Windows environment. With it and an account to OnLive’s servers, I get 2GB of free space to create, store, and edit all manner of PowerPoint, Word, and Excel files in a file system that’s a cross between a traditional Windows grouping and what you might see in Dropbox or some other iOS oriented app’s file arrangement. That’s not a bad thing at all.


If you are used to working in an MS Office 2010 environment you’re going to feel right at home in OnLive. When you fire up the client and log in (you have to log in EVERY TIME you use the client, even if you just what to check the weather in another app) you’re presented with an oh-so-familiar Windows 7 desktop.
Office apps, recycle bin, and “Getting Started” PowerPoint slide deck shortcut icons are arranged along the left side, folders and a shortcut to your documents are on the right of the screen. A “dock” complete with a Windows “Start” button frames the bottom of the screen.

This is a true Windows virtual desktop, so I can shrink the document I’m editing and bring up other apps and work between them.

A true virtual desktop!

Speaking of other apps, your virtual Windows desktop includes several diversion apps as well. Surface Collage lets you arrange pix and is reminiscent of those Microsoft touch tables you’ve heard so much about. The other apps are games geared to take advantage of the iPad’s touch interface.
In use, this environment is not great. OnLive Desktop is completely dependent on your network connection so editing anything with a less than optimal Internet pipe can be, at the very least, frustrating, and at its worse, unusable.

While I was initially editing this document using Barnes and Noble’s anemic, but free WiFi, my view would pixelate to the point where the text was unreadable. This pixilation would fade and intensify, forcing me to pause my typing and wait while for it to clear. Even on my home network, which averages a healthy 5mb upstream, pixilation crept in when I had two or more windows open. There is no offline editing either.

A poor network connect can make OnLive DOA.

Editing anything without a Bluetooth keyboard is nigh impossible as well. Instead of using the iPad’s built-in keyboard OnLive presents you with a ridiculously small virtual keyboard. Don’t even think about attempting to touch type on it, and even finger poking it is a chore.

The good news is that using a Bluetooth keyboard works well. It is, however, wholly dependent of your network connection as well, and to add to your potential frustration, your Bluetooth connectivity can get confused and stop working entirely if you have more than one virtual app open. It reconnects if you focus on one app, so you’re not completely dead.

If OnLive Desktop is so infuriating to use then why would anyone bother, and why would I say that this is the possible future of mobile computing?

Because even though OnLive Desktop has problems it demonstrates the potential of using a remote client to tap the computing power of muscular servers and the apps that run on them. OnLive Desktop is just the beginning. By version 2.0 we should marked improvements on everything that’s a problem now. Think of this version as a public beta.

OnLive promises a robust virtual system where we can collaborate, play games and, of course, do real work on systems and in ways our iPads were never designed for. But it isn’t just about OnLive and what they offer.
Other virtual environments are bound to spring up just as there are cloud based file systems today, and we’ll be able to do what we want, where we want, regardless of our choice of mobile devices. It won’t replace an OS native laptop, at least not any time soon, but it opens up your choices. If you only need to use a Windows environment occasionally, for instance, then why dive into the Windows pool?

When it works it works great!

Ultimately, as mobile bandwidth increases, the ability to access and use OnLive types of environments will become commonplace. Think of how the iPad 3 or iPhone 5, both running on a 4G network, might be used to stay connected to your most needed files and applications regardless of how complex they are. It’s going to happen and OnLive Desktop is showing us how.
The app and the account is free so there’s no reason not to see what this possible future is all about.
That’s a wrap for this week. More freebie apps for the road warrior below with direct links.

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Vern Seward is a writer who currently lives in Orlando, FL. He’s been a Mac fan since Atari Computers folded, but has worked with computers of nearly every type for 20 years.

Original Source


ipad App Development

Nature app replicates Costa Rica sounds

 

Capitalizing on its successful “Million Dollar Gift of Happiness” publicity campaign, the Costa Rican Tourism Board is again using social media and technology to draw more tourists. Its latest creation is “EnviroMixer,” an iPad app that lets users DJ with sounds from nature

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Costa Rican Tourism Board’s (ICT) talking-sloth tourism campaign, as many people will remember it, came to an end Feb. 5, and the ICT is celebrating the campaign’s success with the launch of an iPad application that mixes sounds from Costa Rican nature to create musical tunes.

“EnviroMixer” is the final segment of Costa Rica’s “Million Dollar Gift of Happiness.” The ICT promotion awarded more than 100 prizes to winners in the United States and Canada (TT, Feb. 3). Winners received all-expense-paid trips to visit the country that has been dubbed “the happiest country in the world.”

As one last gift of happiness, ICT launched the EnviroMixer app, which can be downloaded for free at the Apple iTunes store. The app was launched last week and will remain available indefinitely.
EnviroMixer was created by advertisement agency 22squared, the same company that gave life to the charming talking sloth featured in the popular campaign. EnviroMixer allows users to create music by dragging animal sounds to a screen, where they can be personalized by changing duration and volume. The result is a mix of sounds that users can share through social media networks like Facebook and Twitter.

EnviroMixer has nine animal sounds, including toucans, humpback whales and howler monkeys. The sounds can be mixed with melodies from the sea, from waterfalls and from an erupting volcano.

“Our target market for the Gift of Happiness campaign is both the U.S. and Canada, [where] mobile technologies like iPads and smartphones [are popular],” ICT Marketing Director Ireth Rodríguez said.

“This app is a way of closely relating with our target market, because they are more aware of the aspects that make Costa Rica different.”

According to ICT, Costa Rica’s “Million Dollar Gift of Happiness” brought the country more fame in U.S. and Canadian markets. After the promotion was launched, ICT’s Facebook page went from having 8,000 “likes” to nearly 134,000.

Also, before the campaign, 54 percent of ICT’s Facebook “likes” came from a Costa Rican audience, 32 percent from the U.S., 7 percent from Canada, and 7 percent from other countries. After the campaign, the ICT reversed the trend, and now 85 percent of “likes” come from the U.S., while only 5 percent are Costa Rican.

“The goal of this campaign is to get people talking about Costa Rica. When we first started the campaign, we were getting an average of 200 Facebook posts a day, and now we are up to 700 and counting,” Rodríguez said.

The campaign also allowed Costa Rican tourism to be well placed in several media in the U.S. According to an ICT press release, more than 1,000 websites featured Costa Rica’s “Million Dollar Gift of Happiness,” and the campaign was mentioned by TripAdvisor, the Travel Channel, the Weather Channel and NBC, among others.

This week, the tourism board also published tourism results for the year 2011. According to figures provided by the Immigration Administration, Costa Rica registered an increase of 4.6 percent in the tourism sector. The country welcomed 96,131 more tourists in 2011 than the previous year.

According to Tourism Minister Allan Flores, the numbers are a representation of the public and private sectors’ hard work to attract more visitors every year and to place Costa Rica as an innovative destination and pioneer in sustainable tourism.

 According to Rodríguez, it is hard to calculate the number of new visitors drawn by the campaign, and therefore target a higher tourism increase for 2012.

However, Rodríguez said the application and ad campaign will continue to work as tools to get people talking positively about Costa Rica.

 

Original Source

Tweetbot Releases iPad App, Updates iPhone Version

Popular iPhone Twitter client Tweetbot this week released an iPad app and gave the iPhone version an update.

The revamped iPhone app, which is free for current users, comes with a number of improvements to the timeline and direct message views. The refreshed timeline now includes image thumbnails and colored links as well as an integrated, clickable "Retweeted by" bar. Cell colors have been modified to make the timeline more pleasing on the eye. Also, now it only takes a single tap to open a link.

The new direct message view looks similar to Apple's iMessage design. The update also brings timed auto refresh, meaning users' timelines, mentions, and direct messages will refresh automatically, every five minutes.

Among the bevy of other enhancements in Version 2.0 is also a re-designed "New Tweets" bar (which can be dismissed and configured). Additionally, links in users' bios are now clickable and scrolling performance was improved. Finally, users can now find a "huge" font size for larger text under settings display.
The new iPad app, meanwhile, is now available for users running iOS 5 and above. New iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users will have to shell out $2.99 for the app.

Tweetbot was released last year, giving the official Twitter client for iPhone a run for its money feature-wise. For example, Tweetbot gives users a single-swipe method to view conversations, the ability to view your Twitter lists as your main stream, customizable tabs and views, and push notifications.

Original Source

iPad app aims to streamline Medicare enrollment

A new iPad app intended for use by in-field Medicare sales agents aims to make the Medicare enrollment process more efficient by cutting down on paperwork, costs, and processing time. The app, called the iPad Mobile Field Enrollment app, was developed by DRX. The company already has plans to license the app to seven health plan carriers.

“Large Medicare plan sponsors process hundreds of thousands of paper-based enrollments annually, at a cost that can exceed $100 per application,” stated Randy Herman, CEO of DRX, in a company release.

During a pilot test field agents for Coventry Health Care’s Senior Market Sales team said the app decreased their organization’s processing time by one full day, which led to cost savings. The app reduced the time it took agents to complete applications and also reduced time to collect commissions. The firm also found that the app led to more complete and correct applications which led to faster approval for clients.

“Our agents estimated that the time savings with DRX’s iPad tool would allow them to see 20 percent more clients each week,” Milton Kleinberg, CEO of Senior Market Sales stated in a company press release. “Agents also reported that the faster application processing resulted in more timely payment of commissions, and that customers loved feeling engaged in the enrollment process. Customers were also impressed by the technology and functionality.”

Here’s what the app offers, according to DRX: “Electronic capture and submission of enrollment information directly from the iPad, eliminating the redundancies of paper submissions. Offline availability to facilitate plan comparison and enrollment when an Internet connection is unavailable at the point of sale. Immediate detection of input errors or missing information, eliminating carrier processing delays. Automatic updating of plan data. Reporting of enrollment activity, including completed enrollments and utilization metrics. Full compliance with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations.”

More in the DRX press release below:

PRESS RELEASE: LOS ANGELES, Feb 08, 2012 — DRX, a leading provider of healthcare comparison tools, technology and data, today announced the launch of the Company’s iPad Mobile Field Enrollment application, a mobile enrollment solution for in-field Medicare sales agents. In a pilot test during the most recent Annual Election Period (AEP), the application was used to collect field agent enrollments from Senior Market Sales for Medicare plans offered by Coventry Health Care. The DRX iPad Mobile Field Enrollment application decreased Coventry’s application processing time by one full day, yielding significant cost savings. In addition, Senior Market Sales found that the tool significantly reduced the time required for agents to complete applications and collect commissions.

“The DRX iPad Mobile Field Enrollment application provided a compliant and easy-to-use enrollment solution for our in-field Medicare sales agents. We experienced significant cost savings, even during this brief pilot,” said Armando Luna, Vice-President of Medicare Marketing and Sales for Coventry Health Care. “In addition, because enrollment applications were submitted completely and correctly, our clients enjoyed faster approval of their applications.”

“Our agents estimated that the time savings with DRX’s iPad tool would allow them to see 20% more clients each week,” stated Milton Kleinberg, CEO of Senior Market Sales. “Agents also reported that the faster application processing resulted in more timely payment of commissions, and that customers loved feeling engaged in the enrollment process. Customers were also impressed by the technology and functionality.”

Key features of the DRX iPad Mobile Field Enrollment application include:

– Electronic capture and submission of enrollment information directly from the iPad, eliminating the redundancies of paper submissions.

– Offline availability to facilitate plan comparison and enrollment when an Internet connection is unavailable at the point of sale.

– Immediate detection of input errors or missing information, eliminating carrier processing delays.

– Automatic updating of plan data.

– Reporting of enrollment activity, including completed enrollments and utilization metrics.

– Full compliance with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations.

“Large Medicare plan sponsors process hundreds of thousands of paper-based enrollments annually, at a cost that can exceed $100 per application,” said Randy Herman, CEO of DRX. “DRX’s iPad Mobile Field Enrollment application eliminates this costly hand processing, streamlines the sales process for agents, and streamlines the enrollment process for plan sponsors. Overall, this translates into significant cost savings and a better experience for consumers.”

The DRX iPad Mobile Field Enrollment application is part of the Company’s suite of PlanCompare Medicare plan comparison and enrollment tools. DRX plans to license the iPad tool to seven plan carriers in 2012. For updates or additional information, please send an email inquiry to todd.petersen@drx.com.

About Senior Market Sales, Inc.

Senior Market Sales is a full-service insurance marketing organization dedicated to helping independent insurance agents leverage their time, make more money and put their business in a position of distinction. Specializing in products and services aimed at independent agents in all 50 states, their core products include Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage, Annuities, Life, Long-Term Care, Dental and Travel insurance. Founded in 1982, Senior Market Sales is a four-time winner of the Inc. 5000 award given to America’s fastest-growing small businesses (2008-2011). For more information, please visit: www.seniormarketsales.com .

About Coventry Health Care

Coventry Health Care currently serves more than 5 million members in all 50 states across a full range of products and services including group and individual health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid programs, and coverage for specialty services such as workers’ compensation. Coventry is committed to delivering these products and services to an ever-widening base of customers. Coventry has the expertise, the experience, and the agility to craft the new products, the new processes, and the new services needed to make health care more accessible and affordable to all Americans. For more information, please visit: www.coventryhealthcare.com .

About DRX (formerly DestinationRx)

DRX is the leading provider of web-based prescription drug comparison and Medicare health plan comparison and enrollment services. These services help organizations control costs and increase revenues by equipping consumers with the educational, strategic and transaction-support tools necessary to navigate today’s complex healthcare marketplace. DRX data and tools are licensed by the government, America’s largest health plans, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), field marketing organizations (FMOs), brokers, pharmacies, and other consumer advocates including AARP and Consumers Union. For more information, please visit: www.DRX.com .

Original Source

ipad App Development 

iPad app is a window to local and regional photo galleries

Download the FCC News Lens iPad app and enjoy photo galleries from more than 30 newspapers across Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas, including the Pine Journal and papers in Duluth, Superior and Two Harbors.

FARGO, N.D - Pine Journal owner Forum Communications Co. released a new iPad app designed to aggregate the work of its dozens of award-winning photojournalists from newspapers throughout the Upper Midwest, including the Pine Journal.

The new FCC News Lens app contains more than 3,700 photo galleries, comprised of 44,000 photos taken by journalists in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, aggregating the news photography of 30-plus Forum Communications newspapers. And the volume of content is always growing.

More and more readers who are looking for high-quality news and entertainment content are turning to the iPad, which is a fantastic way to view the work that FCC’s photojournalists are producing in hundreds of communities throughout your region. Now, when you’re looking for photos about what’s happening in your community or photos from the big game or even photos of your town’s recent festival, they’ll be immediately accessible at your fingertips on your iPad.

“This iPad app gives Forum Communications an exciting new platform to display the prize-winning photojournalism that takes place in our communities every day,” said Steve McLister, FCC vice president for print. “We’re proud of the work that our photographers do, and now we’ve found a way to share with you the work that all of our company's fine photojournalists do, not just the work of your local newspaper professionals.”

The new app is designed to reward the consumer with a memorable experience, offering easy-to-use menus, touch screen navigation, key word searches and large, bold, high-resolution images of the day’s most telling news photos, engaging feature photos and breathtaking special photo projects. You can find the new app and directions on how to download it in the Apple store.

In addition to being a great way to stay in touch with the news generated by FCC’s hundreds of professional journalists, the News Lens also offers advertisers a unique new way to gain exposure to the wide and diverse audience that views our digital products. This new product allows advertisers to use a geo-targeted approach in delivering their message to an audience they know is mobile and tech savvy, capturing for them the users that are most likely to use their services.

“We strive to give our clients the most unique opportunities to expose their businesses to our wide audience, and the News Lens app certainly is one our most unique,” said Chris Dorsey, FCC digital sales director.

“Contact us to learn about combining advertising in the new photo app with advertising on platforms such as the printed newspaper or the paper’s website to deliver the results you’re looking for.”

For more information about using this new content app to promote your business throughout the Upper Midwest, contact FCC Digital Sales Director Chris Dorsey at 701.451.5740 or at cdorsey@forumcomm.com.

For more information about the News Lens, or other FCC digital products in general, contact Digital Content Operations Manager Devlyn Brooks at 701.241.5545 or at devlyn.brooks@fccinteractive.com.

The FCC News Lens app is owned by Forum Communications Co., a multimedia information company based in Fargo, N.D. In addition to digital content apps, Forum Communications offers opportunities to market your business through dozens of newspapers, websites and television and radio stations across the Upper Midwest.

Original Source