Archive for the ‘App’ Category

SUBWAY joins Pointpal in Singapore

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

SUBWAY has become part of Pointpal’s loyalty and rewards community. SUBWAY customers can use their mobile phones (Apple iOS or Google Android based) in place of stamp card for collecting rewards points.

Get a free SUBWAY meal with every 8 stamps collected through Pointpal.

Get a free SUBWAY meal with every 8 stamps collected through Pointpal.

With the addition of SUBWAY, Pointpal claims to be the largest mobile loyalty programme in Singapore.

Pointpal replaces traditional paper and ink stamp collecting booklets/cards.

Pointpal replaces traditional paper and ink stamp collecting booklets/cards.

SUBWAY customers will get a free SUBWAY meal (6-inch sub regular meal) with every 8 stamps collected from SUBWAY.

Customers also enjoy an immediate 2 free stamps when they sign up for this offer from April 15 to May 15.

Customers who want to join the Pointpal community to enjoy the SUBWAY rewards programme need to first download the Pointpal app from either Apple iTunes (AppStore) or Android Market (Google Play).

They then register (which only needs to be done once), and can choose which pre-installed loyalty cards and programmes they wish to participate in, and begin collecting points.

RIM to launch more BBM-Connected apps

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

RIM has announced a series of updates to its popular BlackBerry apps that will make it easier for users to to keep their BBM community in the know.

BlackBerry apps for Facebook and Twitter, BlackBerry Travel and BlackBerry App World will be integrated with BBM.

BlackBerry apps for Facebook and Twitter, BlackBerry Travel and BlackBerry App World will be integrated with BBM.

BlackBerry apps for Facebook and Twitter, BlackBerry Travel and BlackBerry App World will be integrated with BBM, thus making it easier for users to share updates with their BBM groups or friends.

By adding BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) connectivity to these apps, Research In Motion (RIM) aims to make it even easier for users to stay in touch with their contacts, share experiences and content, and discover new things from their BBM community.

Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones (version 3.0) and Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones (version 3.0) will allow users to automatically share their Facebook status or latest Tweet with their BBM friends right from within the app.

“Since we provided developers the means to build BBM connectivity into their apps, we have seen more than 800 hundred new BBM-connected apps come to market, which has been followed by a huge uptake by users – about one of every five apps being downloaded on BlackBerry App World is a BBM-connected app,” said Alec Saunders, VP of Developer Relations at RIM. It is now easier than ever to update those who matter most about your travel plans.

The new BlackBerry Travel app (version 2.5) is now BBM-connected, allowing users to share their travel plans and flight changes directly with select BBM contacts or with their entire BBM community.

With BBM (version 6.2) and BlackBerry App World (version 3.1.2), users can easily update their BBM profile to let their friends know about new apps they’ve just downloaded on BlackBerry App World.

With this updated version of BlackBerry App World, users can also instantly share info about their favorite app or a list of their installed apps with friends using BlackBerry Tag**.

“Today we’re excited to announce that RIM has also integrated BBM connectivity into a number of our own popular apps.” – Alec SaundersThe enhanced BBM will also offer a polished, enhanced and more personal experience.

It includes a new selection of animated avatars, a simpler way of updating one’s personal message in their profile, and now allows users to quickly send voice notes.

** BlackBerry Tag requires an NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphone running BlackBerry 7.1 OS or higher.

Facebook to buy Instagram photo app for US$1 billion

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

US$100 billion Facebook Inc has agreed to fork out US$1 billion in cash and stock to acquire the photo-sharing application for smartphones. The deal is expected to be completed this quarter.

Is Instagram worth one-hundredth of Facebook?

Is Instagram worth one-hundredth of Facebook?

Facebook is probably looking at attracting the users of mobile devices through its acquisition of Instagram – its biggest acquisition yet.

“Instagram, owned by San Francisco-based Burbn Inc, was valued at $500 million after raising about $60 million last week from investors,” Bloomberg was told.The idea is to attract the advertisers interested in reaching the mobile users.

Instagram started out as the top free photo-sharing app on Apple’s App Store with more than 30 million users.

Only last week, the company introduced the app for Android devices as well.

Instagram has only 13 employees so the offer works out to some US$76 million per employee, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“We need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook. That’s why we’re committed to building and growing Instagram independently,” – Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook fanpage.Instagram was launched in October 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger with a seed funding of about US$500,000.

It subsequently raised US$7 million in 2011, when it had 1.75 million users, according to Bloomberg.

California-based Facebook is the biggest social-networking service today and intends to raise US$5 billion in its initial public offering (IPO) – which is to date the biggest IPO for an Internet company, valuing it at US$100 billion.

Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, said it plans to let Instagram retain its independence, in an effort to reassure Instagram users and potential advertisers.

I tried out Cooklet on the BlackBerry PlayBook

Saturday, April 7th, 2012

The free Cooklet app was released on BlackBerry App World on Wednesday, 4 April. I downloaded the 35MB app for my wife who has tried it over the long weekend.

The free Cooklet app can be found in App World on the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The free Cooklet app can be found in App World on the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Cooklet App is part of the Cooklet culinary platform, which includes their Facebook page and website which offers recipes, cooking-related utilities.

“I find Multitimer and Converter very useful. I used to use a separate timer, either a mechanical one or my smartphone for timing, and Google for units conversion. Now I can do all that on my PlayBook” – Chef-at-large of the Tan family.Favourite recipes, Cookbooks and Shopping List can be synchronised and are available on all the elements of the platform (Cooklet.com, Cooklet.mobi, Cooklet App).

Cooklet aspires to build a community for food lovers from around the world to exchange cooking experiences and encourage others to improve their skills.

Installation was easy and fast. Go into App World on the PlayBook, do a search for Cooklet, click the Download button.

The app's home screen offers various ways of looking up recipes.

The app's home screen offers various ways of looking up recipes.

Once the app is downloaded and installed, you’re good to go.

The home screen of the app comprises four panes, offering different ways to search for recipes: based on ratings, recently added, picture thumbnails based on a them (eg Easter 2012) and Quick Pick search based on which meal you want to prepare for and how much time you have to prepare the meal.

The Converter tool is very useful when perusing the recipes.

The Converter tool is very useful when perusing the recipes.

Swiping downwards from the top edge of the PlayBook reveals the options for the app.

Amongst these are tools such as “Multitimer”, units “Converter”, and “Shopping List”.

From any recipe, you can send the ingredients to the shopping list with the click of a button.

There is a large repository of recipes available.

There is a large repository of recipes available.

There is also the traditional keyword search for recipes.

Results can be sorted by Relevancy, Rating, Difficulty, Time needed etc.

For those with a free user account with Cooklet.com, you can access saved recipes from “My Cookbooks” after logging in.

Quick Pick search makes it easy to find the right dish for any meal.

Quick Pick search makes it easy to find the right dish for any meal.

The recipe has a large collection, and the various ways of searching/browsing for recipes makes it easy to look for an appropriate dish for any occasion.

Just a word of caution though, keep the PlayBook well clear of all the flour and raw materials, as well as the oven, unless “PlayBook Cordon Bleu Au Gratin” is part of the menu.

I tried out Zinio on the BlackBerry PlayBook

Sunday, March 25th, 2012

The free Zinio app was released on BlackBerry App World on Tuesday, 20 March. I’ve tried it out for the past few days to read the two free magazines that came with the “magazine stand” app.

Zinio stocks over 5,000 titles in more than 30 languages.

Zinio stocks over 5,000 titles in more than 30 languages.

Installation was easy and fuss-free. Fire up App World on the PlayBook, search for Zinio, click the Download button.

The 1.8 MB app is downloaded and installed in a jiffy (depending on your bandwidth) and you’re set to go.

Zinio starts you off with two free magazines when you first install the app.

Zinio starts you off with two free magazines when you first install the app.

Starting up Zinio, you’re prompted to sign in if you have an existing account with Zinio (which is also available through a browser and via apps for iOS and Android tablets), or sign up for a new account.

All you need to sign up is an email and a password. Once logged in, you remain logged in on the PlayBook until you log out.

Once in, you get to the library with two free magazines for installing the app. At this point, you get the March 12 issue of Esquire and April 12 issue of Elle.

Click on the thumbnail to download the magazine. Once downloaded, you can read the magazine even when offline.

View two pages at a time in landscape mode, with navigation interface when you tap on the screen.

View two pages at a time in landscape mode, with navigation interface when you tap on the screen.

The user interface is simple and intuitive. In portrait mode, you view one page at a time. In landscape mode, you view two pages on the screen.

Pinch to zoom out and spread the fingers to zoom in.

View one page at a time when in portrait mode.

View one page at a time when in portrait mode. Shown with navigation thumbnails below and options above.

Double-tap to zoom-in quickly and single tap to display options, such as a row of scrollable thumbnail pages at the bottom for quick navigation.

Navigation was easy and smooth and the app has been stable in the few days that I’ve played with it.

Want more magazines? Hit the online shop. The categories are listed to the left, and the magazine covers in the category listed to the right.

Selecting a magazine will bring you to the details page where you can choose to purchase either a single issue or subscribe for a number of issues.

After that, it’s the typical payment transactions, with entry and verification of credit card details.

Zinio has more than 5,000 titles (magazines and newspapers) in more than 30 languages from around the world.

Publications purchased or subscribed to can be perused on any compatible device as long as the user is logged in with the account used to make the purchase, and a version of the magazine compatible for the OS is available on Zinio.

Norton Mobile Security protection for Samsung GALAXY smartphones

Monday, March 12th, 2012

Samsung Galaxy users worldwide will get a full-featured Norton Mobile Security free for 90 days. Usually, a one-year license costs S$19.90.

Complimentary 90-day subscription of Norton Mobile Security for Samsung GALAXY smartphones.

Complimentary 90-day subscription of Norton Mobile Security for Samsung GALAXY smartphones.

Norton Mobile Security, an application for Android OS, is available in multiple languages.

“With smartphone sales now outpacing PC sales, cybercriminals are devising new threats everyday to steal from mobile users. Consumers need to be protected more than ever,” said Janice Chaffin, group president, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec.Samsung Galaxy users will be able to download it from Samsung Apps.

Norton Mobile Security can be downloaded from the ‘Utility’ category in Samsung Apps or by entering ‘Norton Mobile Security’ into the search query at the Samsung Apps.

Norton Mobile Security supports all Samsung Galaxy Android smartphones, including Galaxy S2.

Norton Mobile Security combines anti-theft features with powerful anti-malware to protect user’s important data from loss, theft, viruses and other threats.

The following are the main features.

  • Remote Locate — Shows you the location of your smartphone so you can find if it’s lost or stolen.
  • Remote Lock — Lets you remotely lock your lost or stolen phone via the Internet or SMS to keep critical data safe and block unauthorized access.
  • Remote Wipe — Lets you remotely erase the data on your phone via SMS, blocking access to your private information. In addition, your phone is instantly locked if its SIM card is removed or replaced, so it can’t be used with another SIM card.
  • Anti-malware — Scans all files and application updates downloaded to your mobile phone and automatically detects and removes threats without slowing you down.
  • SD Card Scanning — Gives you the option of automatically scanning SD (Secure Digital) memory cards for threats when you plug them into mobile phone.
  • Automatic LiveUpdate — Automatically downloads and installs security updates keeping you a step ahead of cybercriminals.

RIM launches BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Three months after Research In Motion (RIM) and Microsoft released the open beta version in more than 30 countries, the general availability of “BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365” has been launched in over 50 countries today.

RIM launches BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365

RIM launches BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365

BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365 is a new service for business and government organizations that extends Microsoft Exchange Online to BlackBerry smartphones and allows customers to manage their BlackBerry deployments in the cloud.

“This new cloud-based option allows customers to cost-effectively support mobility across their organizations and easily manage and secure their BlackBerry deployments,” said Alan Panezic, Vice President, Enterprise Product Management and Marketing at RIM.The service is available at no additional charge to current enterprise subscribers of the Office 365 suite or standalone Exchange Online and works with BlackBerry smartphones on business or consumer data plans.

BlackBerry Business Cloud Services offers advanced administration and flexible smartphone self-service features to support an organization’s BlackBerry deployment in the cloud.

Managed service providers, systems integrators, carriers, resellers and other partners can also use the cloud service to manage BlackBerry deployments on behalf of their customers.

Key features remains the same as the open beta version and include the following:

  • Wireless synchronization with Microsoft Exchange Online email, calendar and organizer data from a BlackBerry smartphone
  • BlackBerry Balance technology, which presents a unified view of work and personal content on a BlackBerry smartphone while keeping the content separate and secure
  • An intuitive web-based console for IT administrators to provision, manage and secure BlackBerry smartphones from anywhere
  • Online access to employee self-service smartphone security functions, allowing users to easily reset a device password or remotely lock or wipe a device in the event of loss or theft

Customers can go to www.blackberry.com/cloudservices to get started.

Apple Mac Apps for the holiday season

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Here’s a selection of Apps from the Mac App Store to check out for your Mac as we transit from Lunar New Year to Valentine’s Day.

Angry Birds Seasons in Apple Mac App Store (SGD$4.99, Rovio)

Angry Birds Seasons in Apple Mac App Store (SGD$4.99, Rovio)

Angry Birds Seasons (S$4.99, Rovio)
With the dragon year, the new update from Rovio brings an all new mystical dragon, as well as tons of unique levels, and exploding fireworks that light up the night sky.

Tropico 3: Gold Edition from the Apple Mac App Store (SGD$34.99, Feral Interactive)

Tropico 3: Gold Edition from the Apple Mac App Store (SGD$34.99, Feral Interactive)

Tropico 3: Gold Edition (S$34.99, Feral Interactive)
Ever wonder what it’s like to own your own island? Tropico 3 has you covered, dropping you into a tropical paradiso where you call the shots. Rule with an iron fist or velvet glove as you expand your economy, and turn your land into a tourist mecca or military empire!

Cake Mania Main Street from Apple Mac App Store (SGD$4.99, Digital Chocolate)

Cake Mania Main Street from Apple Mac App Store (SGD$4.99, Digital Chocolate)

Cake Mania Main Street (S$4.99, Digital Chocolate)
Try your hand at city management in this all-new take on the Cake Mania franchise. Own multiple storefronts, upgrade your inventory, and grow your village into a shoppers paradise.

Fantastical from the Apple Mac App Store (SGD$19.99, Flexibits)

Fantastical from the Apple Mac App Store (SGD$19.99, Flexibits)

Fantastical (S$19.99, Flexibits)
Our favorite calendar companion for Mac is now additionally fluent in French, Italian, Spanish, & German languages with its latest update.  Type out the details of your appointment or event in normal speak and this app will schedule it for you right away.

PDFpenPro from Apple Mac App Store (SGD$99.99, Smile Software)

PDFpenPro from Apple Mac App Store (SGD$99.99, Smile Software)

PDFpenPro (S$99.99, Smile Software)
This powerful PDF editor comes with a wealth of functions including custom form creation and makes for a great alternative to the more expensive Adobe Acrobat Pro.  It’s newest update enhances the app with iCloud to allow for document sharing with its new PDFpen app for iPad.

New iPad app: Blum Connect

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

Redesign your home and plan for new furniture with the help of information and visuals from this new free iPad app.

Blum Connect is a new free iPad app for home renovation ideas and guide.

Blum Connect is a new free iPad app for home renovation ideas and guide.

Thinking of rebuilding your kitchen? Check out this free iPad app from Blum.

Developed by Apostrophe Digital, the app serves as a guide for consumers, designers and reference for the sales team for Blum.

Blum Connect is a free iPad app on iTunesThere is a gallery of product and lifestyle images for the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, children’s room and study. Double-click to zoom in.

Related brochures, prices, memos, videos, press information, and pricing can be easily accessed and shared with friends and family via email or Facebook.

The brochures and memos, containing detailed information for each product or product category can be downloaded and stored as iBooks.

A list of authorised Blum Design & Build partners, carpenters and dealers is also provided.

New online music service: rara.com

Saturday, January 21st, 2012

rara.com has just been launched for Singapore, Australia and Canada. It is an ad-free streaming music service that provides access to more than 10 million tracks at an introductory pricing of S$0.99 per month.

rara.com has been launched for Singapore, Australia and Canada.

rara.com has been launched for Singapore, Australia and Canada.

rara.com is currently live in 20 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas.

The service was launched a month ago across the USA, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Denmark,Finland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and New Zealand.

rara.comrara.com’s global footprint is expected to double by the end of 2012.

Grammy award winning Imogen Heap has been named the first Associate Editor of rara.com, which has secured licensing from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music, Warner Music Group.

“Even if fans want to pay for the artists’ work legally it is often actually very difficult for various reasons. rara.com is a super easy service for everyone to use and I love the information on tracks and artists that rara.com gives you,” said Imogen Heap, Associate Editor on rara.com’s Music Advisory Board.Publishers and collection societies have also licensed the service internationally with Omnifone, whose MusicStation Platform powers rara.com.

HP will pre-load rara.com on HP PCs in Singapore, Australia and Canada.

The service is also available via an app on most Android mobile devices.

The new service was developed following an ICM Research (involving 1,000 adults) commissioned by rara.com which showed that at least 70% of consumers have not bought a digital music track in the past six months; and that 60% had never experienced any form of digital music.

rara.com hopes to attract this group of music consumers who have yet to convert to digital music, rather than wrestle away tech savvy music consumers already using existing online music stores such as Apple’s iTunes and Amazon’s Cloud Player.

rara.com is also available on Android devices via an App.

rara.com is also available on Android devices via an App.

A simple and beautiful user interface on a standard web browser removes the need to navigate or manage lists of digital media files.

rara.com also features a wide selection of curated music channels to suit the listerner’s mood.

Available at the touch of a button, the service makes playing music online as easy as switching on the radio or CDplayer.

rara.com users can also share music through Facebook and other social networks.

Pricing for rara.com

There are two tiers for the monthly pricing – one for basic online access and the other with added mobile access for Android smartphones.

For Singapore, Australia and Canada, there is an introductory pricing for the first three months of subscription.

Users are free to unsubscribe from the service at any time.

Refer to the table below for the details.

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